May 6, 2024
Wonderful Metaphors of the Pure Land School
淨土宗妙喻
6A. Amitabha’s Name is like an Imperial Title
Our social status is determined by our station in life. Ordinary citizens, when compared with government officials, have less political clout. In the hierarchy of the state machinery, the higher the position a person occupies, the more power he has at his disposal. We normally consider those with great authority as people having great blessings. The legitimacy of the position carries authority, which the incumbent must exercise for the benefit of the people.
The infinite perfect roots of virtue and meritorious blessings of Amitabha are embodied in the six-character name “Namo Amitabha Buddha”. The power of these six characters is amazing! Only with the great merits and capabilities necessary for achieving Buddhahood could Amitabha create his name of unsurpassed enlightenment.
Historically, Imperial China has always had successive swings between unification and separation. During a period of great conflicts among warlords and vassals of warring states struggling for power, whoever managed to put down the revolts and unify the various states was the one who created a new dynasty in a new capital. He then became the emperor and was given his imperial title. That title represented his achievements, military or otherwise. It did not come easily. In short, a monarch’s title signified the political and martial feats he accomplished in order to establish his Regime.
Dharmakara Bodhisattva vowed to save all suffering beings and, for five kalpas he reflected deeply and decided on the practices needed to establish his Buddha realm. He then cultivated those practices over inconceivable, countless eons. With all of his afflictions eliminated and infinite merits and virtues cultivated, he accomplished the six-character name “Namo Amitabha Buddha”. Hard-won as it was, the name embodies the ultimate, complete merits and virtues of Amitabha Buddha. These achievements were based on the aspirations he made while in his causal-ground, and his final attainment of perfect enlightenment. It follows that no single practice of bodhisattvas or arhats can ever be comparable toa single recitation of the six-syllable name.
In short, as a verse aptly puts it: “Practitioners can hardly leave the Three Wretched Realms by practicing the Five Precepts and Ten Good Actions. The same applies to Sravakas and Pratyekabuddhas who are not followers of the Greater Vehicle teachings. Even Bodhisattvas with a myriad of virtuous deeds only achieve imperfect enlightenment. In contrast to the recitation of the six-character-name, all other practices are incomplete and have less merits and virtues for achieving Buddhahood.”
6A. 念佛即是多善根妙喻之一 - 名片與帝號喻
普通市民,福報、威勢不如市長大,市長福報、威勢不如省長大。省長把名片拿出來,就顯示「我是省長」,「省長」這個名稱就代表了他的福報、威勢。而省長的福報、威勢也遠不及國家主席大。國家主席的福報、威勢大,就在於他是「國家主席」,有了這個名義,就能依法治國,福蔭百姓,所謂名正言順,在其位,謀其政。
阿彌陀佛的善根福德無量無邊,徹底圓滿,就體現在「南無阿彌陀佛」六字中。這六個字不簡單!有成佛的德能,才能有成佛的名號。
縱觀中國歷史,向來是分久必合,合久必分。天下大亂之時,諸侯混戰,最後降服各路諸侯、平定各地叛亂、一統天下的人,就能建都稱 帝。可見這個帝號是來之不易的,經過幾十年的文治武功,南征北伐,天下平定,大功告成,才有了帝王稱號。帝號代表了他一切的文治武功、一統江山的功績與威勢。
法藏菩薩為了拯救一切苦難眾生,經過五劫思惟、兆載修行,剿滅 一切煩惱敵,累積無量功德,直至功德徹底究竟圓滿,才成就「南無阿彌陀佛」六字名號。這個名號是來之不易的,代表了阿彌陀佛從因地發心,直到果上正覺的圓滿功德。一切菩薩、阿羅漢的修行跟六字名號相比, 那簡直是無法相比,正是:「五戒十善滯三界,聲聞緣覺非大乘,菩薩萬行未圓滿,較之六字皆少德。」
Namo Amituofo!
