Basic Knowledge in the Pure Land Teaching
淨土小常識
Three Kinds of Naturalness (continued)
Master Yanluan says, “The Three Domains are characterized by corruption, delusion, contamination, transmigration [in the Six Realms] and endless suffering.”
“These Three Domains resemble a dark house in which unenlightened ordinary beings reincarnate endlessly.”
“The Three Domains all stem from ignorant and flawed activities. Beings there are dreaming during a lengthy sleep and don’t know how to transcend this condition.”
By learning Buddhist teachings, one should see the layer of impermanence in all phenomena, and turn their delusions into clarity. However, if one has no power to practice the Buddha Way and leave the Three Domains, our lives will be lived in vain. “Since time immemorial, we have died and been reincarnated, without any causal conditions to leave the cycle of rebirth”.
Our karma is too deep and our bonds are too tight. The purpose of learning Buddhist teachings in this lifetime is rebirth in the Land of Bliss with recourse to the power of Amitabha Buddha’s 18th Vow. In this way, we can sever all of our karmic bonds and enter the realm of unconditioned Dharma Nature.
To return to our Dharma Nature is not difficult, as long as one believes in and accepts Amitabha’s deliverance, exclusively recites Amitabha’s Name, and aspires to be reborn in Amitabha’s Pure Land. That person lives in the naturalness of the power of Amitabha’s Fundamental Vow under all circumstances. He is always embraced by Amitabha’s light and will naturally leave the Six Realms, to be reborn in the Land of Bliss and realize the fruition of the Buddha Nature. This is called “the permanent support of Amitabha Buddha’s power”.
Amitabha Buddha constantly reaches out to sentient beings in the ten directions. Only those who entrust in his Fundamental Vow and exclusively recite his Name will be embraced by Amitabha’s light. If sentient beings can rely on the naturalness of Amitabha’s vow power, they can transcend karmic force, and realize the naturalness of the unconditioned realm. Thus, they can manifest in any form in the ten directions freely without any obstructions.
133 三種自然 (續)
曇鸞大師說,三界是「虛假、污染、顛倒、破壞、輪轉、無窮」、「三界是生死凡夫流轉之闇宅」、「三界是有漏邪道所生,長寢大夢,莫知悕出」。
學佛,首先就應該透視這一層虛妄,轉顛倒為清淨;話雖如此,如果最後無力翻轉、出離三界,一切都將是徒勞無功,所謂「自身現是罪惡生死凡夫,曠劫以來常沒常流轉,無有出離之緣」。
業力之深、繫縛之緊,使人怵目驚心。因此學佛的目的,是今生就往生極樂世界,乘佛願力,斷業繫之維,入無為法性之都。
回復法性並不難,只要信受彌陀救度,專稱彌陀佛名,願生彌陀淨土,則時處諸緣都在彌陀本願力的自然之中、在彌陀光明攝取之中,自然能離開六道、往生淨土、證入佛果,所謂「佛力住持」。
阿彌陀佛憶念十方眾生,唯有信靠本願、專稱佛名之人,蒙佛心光攝取。眾生若能依靠願力自然,便能橫超業力自然,而證悟無為自然,變化十方,自在無礙。
Namo Amituofo!
