Wonderful Metaphors in the Pure Land Teachings
淨土宗妙喻
Metaphor 2C: Giving Special Care to a Child who is Sick
Shakyamuni Buddha says in the Nirvana Sutra, “For example, a person has seven sons, but one of them is sick. As good parents, they must pay more attention to their sick son. This does not mean the other sons are not loved equally.
Son and daughters are born from the lifeblood of parents; so, parents naturally treat them equally. If their son is sick, they must take care of him, bring him to see doctors, and give him his medicine as best they can.
“A Tathagata is the same. They pay more attention to an evil son; but this does not mean that they love the rest of their children less. “ A Buddha's body is born from his compassionate heart.” With the equality of their great compassion, they comprehensively embrace all sentient beings.”
Buddhas treat all sentient beings with equal kindness and compassion. However, they especially pity and give more attention to those who have committed heavy karmic offenses. This is another example of the great kindness and compassion of the Buddhas.
2C. 彌陀大悲，急救苦者- 尤偏病子喻
釋迦牟尼佛在《涅槃經》曰：「譬如一人，而有七子，是七子中， 一子遇病。父母之心，非不平等，然於病子，心則偏多。」
兒女皆為父母心頭肉，自然平等。若兒病，自當關心，問寒暖，尋醫問藥，如病甚，則日夜為之奔波，此人之情。
「如來亦爾，於諸眾生，非不平等，然於罪者，心則偏重。」「佛心者，慈悲為體，以此平等大悲，普攝一切也。」
對於眾生平等慈愛。然對罪業深重之人，尤加護愛悲憫，此更顯佛之大慈大悲。
Namo Amituofo!
