Common Knowledge in Pure Land Teaching
淨土小常識
Two Kinds of Dedications (continued)
Amitabha Buddha combines the two kinds of merits and virtues, for going and returning, in his single great six-syllable Name, and then shares his Name with all sentient beings. It is like a father who gives a hundred-dollar bill to his son, who is ready to leave home and study overseas. So, the money is of course, good for going to and returning from his destination.
It is the same as the Name, which contains all of the merit and virtues necessary for our rebirth in Amitabha’s Pure Land, where we will become Buddhas, and also for returning to the Saha World to benefit others.
As far as the substance of the Dharma shared through dedication, it entirely relies on Amitabha’s unique six-syllable Name. It says, “The grace of Amitabha’s dedication is inconceivable. It contains both the dedication for returning and the dedication for going.
In this respect, as both kinds of dedications are initiated by Amitabha, they are not really comprised of two different substances, even though they are different in the benefits bestowed upon sentient beings.
As the two kinds of merits and virtues (for going and returning) are contained in the single Name, “Namo Amituofo”, and are dedicated to us, we can instantly receive these merits and virtues upon hearing about this Name and exclusively reciting it.
However, going and returning follow a sequence, one after the other, so it is said, “the dedication for returning is included in the benefit of dedication for going”. This reveals that the realization of the benefit of returning is based on the realization of the benefit of going.
123 二種迴向 (一) (續)
阿彌陀佛是將往還之二種功德全部凝聚在一句六字名號中,然後將這句名號迴向施予眾生。這就好像父親在其子行將離家、外出求學之際,父親將一張百元紙幣作為旅途往返之花銷交予其子,那麼在這張百元紙幣中便自然具有前往目的地和從目的地返回的功能。
六字名號也是如此,其中蘊含著我輩往生淨土成佛和還來娑婆利他之功德。所以若論迴向之法體,則完全在於這一句南無阿彌陀佛六字名號,如言「阿彌陀佛之迴向,恩德廣大不思議,往相迴向利益中,亦回入還相迴向。」
由此看來,所謂的二種迴向都是由佛同時發起的,所以並非兩種不同的迴向,只是由於這兩種迴向在我等眾生身上所顯現的利益有所不同,所以才分為往相與還相。
佛將此往還之二種功德完全收入這一句南無阿彌陀佛名號中並迴向施予我等,因此我等在聞信名號之當下便等於頓時領受此二種迴向之功德,而無前後次第之分別。
不過利益的實現卻有因果之前後與往還之次第,即往相之因在前,還相之果在後。因為往相與還相有此次第之關係,故言「往相迴向利益中,亦回入還相迴向」,藉此顯示還相迴向利益之實現是以往相迴向利益之實現為基礎的。
Namo Amituofo!
