Nov 10, 2024
Common Knowledge in Pure Land Teaching
淨土小常識
137. A General Discussion of Pure Land Teachings
The altruistic care given in Buddhism is based on the aptitudes, capacities, benefits, and needs of sentient beings; so as to provide the expedient means and appropriate teachings for each individual. In other words, for a certain group of sentient beings in the specific framework of time and space, the Buddha provides them various expedient means and different approaches to satisfy their needs.
As the times and environments change, the way of sharing the Buddhist teachings needs to be revised as well. The only exceptions are such ultimate truths as the Nature of Emptiness, the Buddha-Nature, Mere-Consciousness, etc. , which are unchanged eternal laws. All other teachings can change to accommodate the needs of sentient beings of different aptitudes. That is the reason why it says, “No Dharma is spoken by the Buddha in a definitive way.”
With this basic understanding, we can answer all of the challenges about the Pure Land teaching. Undergraduates from the USA often ask the following questions when studying the Pure Land Teachings:
1. The environment of the Pure Land, as depicted in the Pure Land Sutras, describe the ground as made from gold, and there are also jeweled trees and ponds, and celestial sounds of music, etc. These features would not be considered enjoyable nowadays, would they? If the ground is really made of gold and trees of seven jewels, these features wouldn’t seem attractive to modern Western students. They would find a green meadow more beautiful than ground covered with gold, and natural trees and flowers more fresh and lively than jeweled ones.
2. As said in the 21st Vow - “If, when I attain Buddhahood, humans and devas in my land should not all be endowed with the thirty-two physical characteristics of a Great Man, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment.” In the 35th Vow, it says, “If, when I attain Buddhahood, women in the immeasurable and inconceivable Buddha-lands of the ten quarters who, having heard my Name, rejoice in faith, awaken aspiration for Enlightenment and wish to renounce womanhood, should after death be reborn again as women, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment.” The two vows that advocate the superiority of males and discriminate against females, are no longer acceptable in today’s world.
3. It doesn’t adhere to what is known in Biology, teleology, and philosophy if there are no females in the Pure Land. What would be the meaning of male if there were no female?
(to be continued tomorrow)
137 淨土泛論
佛教的利他關切是以眾生的根性、利益和需要為前提而方便施設法要,其精神是隨順眾生的。這就是說,在某一時空內適合一類眾生所需之法,佛即以種種方便用不同的姿態而施與之。
如果時間和環境變了,說法的方式亦必須加以修正或改變,除勝義諦的道理如空性、佛性、唯心等萬古常恆之理不可改變外,其他的教法則隨眾生機,應眾生需而行各種方便的適應。「佛無定法可說」之義亦可作如是會。
有了這個基本認識我們就可以解答許多淨土宗教之質難了。美國大學生學到淨土宗的課程時,通常都有下列的疑問:
(一)淨土經中所描寫的極樂情況,例如黃金為地、寶樹寶池、天樂法音等等,今天我們看來並沒有什麼可樂之處呀?如果遍地都是黃金和七寶則毫不稀奇,無甚價值了。再者,黃金的大地哪有綠茵的草原來的可愛呢?七寶行樹也沒有天然的樹木和花草清新宜人呀!
(二)四十八願中之第二十一願:「設我得佛,國中天人不悉成滿三十二大人相者,不取正覺。」第三十五願:「設我得佛,十方......世界其有女人聞我名字,歡喜信樂,發菩提心,厭惡女身,壽終之後復為女像者,不取正覺。」這兩個願充分主張「男性優越論」蔑視女人實在不應該。
(三)淨土中人皆是三十二大丈夫相,當然都是男人,具足男根,但淨土中無女人,這不但在生物學上講不通,在哲學的目的論上亦很難自圓其說,如果沒有女人則男相究竟有何用處?有何意義?
Namo Amituofo!
