Common Knowledge in Pure Land Teaching
淨土小常識
109 Even (continued)
There are multiple meanings of “even”:
1. It doesn’t matter if a dying person is a - man, woman, young, old, monastic, householder, good, evil, in the present life, near the end-of-life, in the Bardo state, or even in the Three Wretched Realms.
2. Regardless of the time of death - any time of day or night
3. Regardless of the location of death - whether it is clean, dirty, a Buddhist hall, bedroom, or washroom. The location of one’s death is unpredictable; but, Amitabha’s light shines in the ten directions.
4. Regardless of the activity at the time of death - walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, during all work situations.
5. Regardless of one’s state of mind - wholesome, unwholesome, concentrated, distracted, pure, or contaminated. 6. Regardless of the number of recitations - many or few, all the way till the end-of-life. Recite whenever you wish. Recite without forsaking.
109 乃至
「乃至」含多義
一. 不論何人—— 男女、老幼、僧俗、善惡、平生、臨終、中陰身、三惡道。
二. 不論何時——二六時中。
三. 不論何處—— 佛堂、房間、浴廁,不論淨穢之地。光照十方,難擇死地。
四. 不論何事—— 士農工商、行住坐臥、一切諸緣。 事緣本無礙,若礙當遠之。
五. 不論心境—— 善心惡心、定心散心、清淨心、污穢心。
六. 不論何數—— 從多向少,從少向多,徹至臨終。 出口就念,想到就念,念念不捨。
Namo Amituofo!
