Common Knowledge in Pure Land Teaching
淨土小常識
Namo Amituofo - the Six-Character Name (continued)
Moreover, the six-character name (“Namo Amituofo”) covers all of the practices and vows made by Amitabha Buddha in his causal ground, and all of the merits and virtues Amitabha Buddha accomplished in his reward ground. The true substance /essence of Amitabha Buddha is totally contained in his name.
As said by Master Honen, “The name is the focal point in which all virtues converge: The Fourfold Wisdom, the Threefold Body, the Ten Kinds of Power, the Four Kinds of Fearlessness, all other internally realized merits and virtues. All forms of goodness, light, sharing the Dharma to benefit sentient beings, and all other externally utilized merits and virtues are contained within the name of Amitabha Buddha.
The Name is the summation of all Dharma virtues - the repletion of the root of all kinds of virtues, the sea of treasures of expedient, perfect, complete, real merits and virtues. The six-character Name consists of the deepest unsurpassed merits and virtues,with boundless and endless benefits.
These short teachings explain the realization of the Tathagata’s full virtues and the full power of Amitabha’s Name. It has absolute value because the true body of Amitabha and his Name are not two, but one. Their existences are not separate. They are just like the movement of waves on bodies of water. This is known as the “non-duality of name and body”.
119 南無阿彌陀佛 - 名號的價值 (續)
再者,南無阿彌陀佛六字也涵蓋了阿彌陀佛於因位所發之願與所行之行、以及果上所成就的一切功德。換言之,即阿彌陀佛之實體完全顯現在這句名號上。
如法然上人《選擇集》本願章說:「名號是萬德所歸,然則彌陀一佛所有四智、三身、十力,四無畏等一切內證功德;相好、光明、說法利生等一切外用功德,皆悉攝在阿彌陀佛名號中。」
「名號即是攝諸善法,具諸德本,極速圓滿真如一實功德寶海。」「此六字名號中,含無上甚深之功德,其利益之廣大,更是無限無極。」
這些法語都是在說明南無阿彌陀佛名號是如來全德全力的體現,具有絕對的價值,這是因為佛的實體與其名號不二的緣故。詳細來說,佛的實體與其名號並不是各別存在的,這就好像水的流動顯現為波浪,佛的實體也顯現為名號,此謂之名體不二(見名體不二)。
Namo Amituofo!
