Wonderful Metaphors in the Pure Land School
淨土宗妙喻
Metaphor 4A. Parental Love
It is natural for parents to love their children. The loving-kindness of parents towards their children is heartfelt. This is parental love in “an embracing way”. However, young children, being ignorant and naïve, are prone to make mistakes. If parents overindulge their children and do not set any rules to restrain their unacceptable behavior, the child might not know that what he has done is wrong and that he should be sorry. Offensive behaviors quickly develop into bad habits, and these youngsters might grow up and become wicked people. Good parents want to prevent their children from committing serious wrongdoings, which common sense tells them an immature child is likely to do. The parents will go over the possible types of offensive behavior one by one and give the child a warning such as, “You mustn’t do this” or “those things are absolutely forbidden, because they are extremely grave transgressions. Though I love you dearly as my own flesh and blood, I will have no choice but to expel you from our home and break off relations with you if you commit those wrongs.” This is parental love in “a pre-emptive way”.
There is no doubt that parents deeply love their children. Yet, true parental love comprises both compassion and wisdom — the tender embracing approach and the cautionary pre-emptive approach. However, will parents really abandon their child and sever relations with him if he
has sinned? The answer is “no”. That is just an expedient tactic, not the parents’ true intention.
In fact, it is inconceivable for a loving father to say this to his child: “My son,because I love you, I don’t mind you doing anything evil.” It is simply unthinkable. It is equally unthinkable that the father will be pleased that his son has gone astray and that their relationship will improve because of that. That said, it does not mean that the father will break the tie with his mischievous son just because he has warned the child against doing wrong. A father will always treat his son with compassion and kindness, hoping that his child will one day become more than just a gentleman, he will become a virtuous and wise person.
Similarly, Amitabha Buddha hopes that we ordinary beings will all become sacred beings. We should appreciate his compassionate mind and his true intention of saving sentient beings. Amitabha Buddha doesn’t only look forward to our turning over a new leaf by forsaking evil and practicing virtue; but, he also looks forward to our taking refuge in his deliverance. We must not treat Amitabha’s deliverance as a license to do evil.
In short, the “pre-emptive way” is an expedient means which by no means leads to permanent exclusion. It is only with a true understanding of the twin aspects of parental love that we can realize how compassionate Amitabha is and appreciate the great pains he takes in ensuring the deliverance of sentient beings.
4A. 攝抑二門,悲智雙運妙喻之 - 父母愛子喻
好像父母對子女,一定是發自內心自自然然地充滿慈愛,因為父愛、母愛是天性,這是「攝取門」的意思。同時曉得小孩幼小無知,難免會犯錯,如果縱容他,不管教他,不禁止他的話,他就不知悔改,而養成壞 習慣,將來恐怕成為一個惡人,所以父母對無知的兒女在還沒犯過之前, 會以他們的常識就將來有可能犯的,一一禁止他,說:「這個不可做、那個不能犯,因為那是非常嚴重的罪過;我疼愛你們,你們是我親生骨肉,可是如果是這樣犯了的話,我就 要把你們趕出門,斷絕父子母女的關係。」這是「抑止門」的意思。所以即使父母慈愛子女,也有攝取跟抑止的慈悲愛心與智慧警誡。但如果兒女犯了過,就真的趕出門、斷絕父子母女的關係嗎?不是的,那是方便說,不是真實義。
父親不會因為愛護兒子而說:「兒子我愛你,所以你任何惡事都可以做。」不可能這樣;也不會因為兒子做惡事而喜歡、更增進父子的關係。但也不會因為曾警誡兒子不可以做壞事,一旦兒子做了壞事之後,就斷絕了父子關係,也不是這樣。而是始終都以慈愛悲憫的心來對待兒子,希望他能夠由君子而成賢成聖。
同樣的,我們也要深心體會阿 彌陀佛希望我們凡夫都能夠超凡入聖的悲心,體會阿彌陀佛救度眾生的本懷。阿彌陀佛一方面希望我們能夠改邪歸正、棄惡從善,另一方面又希望我們能夠歸入彌陀的救度,我們不能因為有了彌陀的救度,而縱惡為非。
因此,抑止門是就方便義來講, 並不是真正排除。所以,我們必須要懂得有攝取門、有抑止門,才能體會佛陀救度眾生的悲愍與苦心。
Namo Amituofo!
