Wonderful Metaphors in the Pure Land School
淨土宗妙喻
11. A Metaphor Regarding Arrogance and Doubts
We often hear fellow lotus friends (Amitabha-reciters) complain, “I doubt that I can attain rebirth in the Pure Land because my practice is so poor.” I would say such doubt comes from a rather arrogant attitude.
“But Master, I’m not arrogant at all. Quite the contrary, I am very humble! I know my practice [of reciting the name of Amitabha] is not good enough, in fact, it’s rather pathetic. That is why I doubt if I can be reborn in Amitabha’s land!”
I want you to understand that there is a prerequisite for doubting something - the thing you doubt must be worthy of being questioned. If it does not have that quality, doubt is unnecessary.
Let me give you an example. You are starving at lunch time. Would you just pick up a piece of rock and say, “I doubt whether I can feed myself with this?” Would you ever raise a doubt like that? A piece of rock is not food. And food is what you need when you are hungry. The rock is not worth raising a doubt about.
The merits and virtues of our own practices are as worthless as rocks. They are not worthy of being doubted or trusted. Something unworthy of being doubted cannot be trusted. As such, it is not worth our while to doubt it.
Let’s have another example. Imagine you are standing by the shore of a vast stormy sea. You’re getting warmed up for a swim – loosening your arms and feeling the water by splashing yourself with your wet shirt. Then you think, “Oh my, the sea is so wide. I doubt if I can swim across to the other side.” Would you pose that question? Unlikely.
Also, imagine you’re at the top of a tall mountain, say, Mount Danxia in China, and there’s another peak as far away as the eye can see. Would you say, “Blimey! I doubt if I could reach that peak in one step. It’s so far away.” Reaching that peak in one stride is obviously impossible and there is no point in doubting its possibility.
(to be continued continued)
11. 驕慢的懷疑
很多蓮友經常會說:「我懷疑我自己修行不行,不能往生。」這種懷疑其實是很驕慢的。
「師父啊!我不驕慢哪,我很謙虛!我知道我修行不好,我這麼差,所以我懷疑我自己不能往生啊!」
大家要知道,懷疑要具備資格,具備資格,才能夠受懷疑;沒有資格,沒有懷疑的可能性。
比如說,中午餓了,你會不會拿一個石頭說:「這個石頭,我懷疑不能填肚子。」你會懷疑嗎?因為這個石頭根本就不是填肚子的東西,它沒有資格被懷疑。
我們所修行的功德,不過像石頭一樣,你不能夠拿來懷疑或者信任。不能懷疑,就不能信任;不能信任,就不能作為懷疑對象。
再比如說一個人來到海邊,海非常的廣闊,風浪很兇猛,你會不會站在海邊,把自己的臂膀抖一抖,把衣服弄些水拍一拍,「嗨!海太寬了, 我懷疑我游不過去」。你會這樣講嗎?不會!
你會不會站在丹霞山最高的山峰,看到那邊一個山峰,「哎呀,這兩個山峰之間太遠了,我懷疑我一步跨不過去」。你會這樣懷疑嗎?不可能啊!因為這是不可能的事情,那麼 你不用懷疑。
Namo Amituofo!
