Common Knowledge in Pure Land Teaching
淨土小常識
117 Buddha (continued)
According to the commentaries above, Vasubandhu divided the Buddha’s immeasurable merit and virtues into three kinds - wisdom, severance, and grace. A Buddha is capable of knowing all things and understanding all principles. These are virtues of wisdom. A Buddha is capable of severing all bindings and realizing ultimate emancipation without any obstructions. This virtue is called severance. A Buddha is capable of delivering sentient beings unceasingly with his great kindness and compassion.This virtue is called grace.
However, the Hinayana Schools only believe in Shakyamuni Buddha and deny the existence of other Buddhas. Mahayana advocates the coexistence of many Buddhas, and believes there are an immeasurable number of Buddhas in the infinite Dharma realms. All sentient beings have the Buddha-Nature, and many of them have already become fully enlightened Buddhas throughout many eons.
In this respect, Mahayana further divides the status and identity of a Buddha as follows: twofold body - Dharma body and physical body, threefold body - Dharma body, reward body, and manifested body, and even fourfold body - self-nature body, self-enjoyment body, other-enjoyment body and manifested body, etc.. Generally, most Mahayana schools accept the concept of the threefold body.
117 佛
以上文所說的義理為根據,天親於《佛性論》卷二將佛的無量福德大致分別為智、斷、恩三種。具無限之智慧,無不知之事,無不盡之理,此謂之智德;斷滅一切繫縛,證得究竟之自在無礙,此謂之斷德;具慈悲愛他之廣大心,救度眾生無暫時之停息,此謂之恩德。
但小乘卻執著於一佛,不承認有多佛同時存在;大乘則主張多佛,認為在無邊無限的法界中有難以計量的佛同時存在。一切眾生皆有佛性,在過去無數劫間,已覺悟佛性而成佛的應該有很多,所以這一點並沒有什麼值得驚詫的。
如上所說,大乘主張多佛的同時存在,而在多佛的基礎上,又進一步分出位格,或有分為二身,或有分為三身,也有分為四身的。如《大般涅槃經》卷三十四舉出法身與生身二種佛身,《金光明最勝王經》卷二舉出法身、應身與化身三種佛身,《大乘起信論》及《大乘義章》卷十九舉出法身、報身與應身三種佛身,《唯識論》卷十則舉出自性身、自受用身、他受用身、變化身四種佛身。在這些佛身說當中,大乘佛教各宗普遍採用的是法、報、應三身說(見三身說)。
Namo Amituofo!
