The Voice of Master Jingzong - Q and A about the Purpose of Life
淨宗之聲 - 人生目的問答
Question. If there is no goal in pursuing any desire, why should we desire to live in the Land of Bliss? If there is no desire for us to pursue, no sadness or happiness, why would we want to live there? Does the Pure Land only offer pristine purity and longevity? I think it is meaningless!
Answer: These are excellent questions. As ordinary beings, we cannot understand how happy we will be in the Land of Bliss. We think there is nothing meaningful - “no sorrow and no happiness, no feeling at all! It’s better to have some feelings in the Saha world.”!?
Actually, this is an affliction that all ordinary beings experience. We, of course, cannot understand the joy and delight, or the purity and freedom in that state of stillness. Why would we want to have longevity in such a place? Basically, we are unable to understand what perfect purity is. It is just like trying to describe the colors and beauty of our world to a blind person.
Those of us who teach should remember that both we and our students are ordinary beings. So, both our descriptions of the Pure Land and their ability to understand are imperfect. When describing the Pure Land ,which is a realm of buddhas, bodhisattvas and sacred beings, to ordinary beings, we should not try to completely describe how happy you will be. I say this because our concept of worldly happiness is imperfect in terms of Buddhism. It is contaminated by our attachment to the “self.” All worldly happiness is based on the “self.”It springs from our sensory and psychological interpretations, which are totally different from the Buddhist teachings.
(to be continued tomorrow)
問(2):極樂世界無慾無求有什麼意思呢?
既然極樂世界無慾無求、無悲無喜,那麼樂在哪裡呢?只是單純的清淨和長壽嗎?這感覺也沒多大意思啊!
淨宗之聲:
確實,如果以我們凡夫,要去理解極樂世界怎樣快樂,我們理解不來,覺得沒什麼意思,“無悲無喜,啥感覺也沒有,還不如在娑婆世界有一點感覺呢”。
其實這些都是眾生的煩惱。我們當然不能瞭解煩惱寂滅那種狀態是怎樣的一種喜樂、怎樣清淨和自在,所以說“只是清淨,只是長壽嗎?”我們根本不知道什麼是清淨。就好像一個盲人,跟他說“這個彩色的世界多麼五彩繽紛、美麗”,他怎麼去理解呢?
所以,對於淨土,對於佛菩薩、聖人的境界,我們不要從正面去說它怎樣地快樂。因為我們心中所理解的關於快樂的觀念,在佛法來說都是錯誤的,都是染污的,都是煩惱的,都是有我執我見的——有“我”在感受快樂,是一種感官、心理,完全不是佛法講的那回事。所以我們無法從正面去理解。
Namo Amituofo!
