February 11, 2026

Feb. 11, 2026

Master Huijing’s Short Dharma Teaching asking “What does life look like?” 

慧淨法師之「人生之實相」

Those who break the precepts will fall into the Three Wretched Realms. (The Shastra of the Great WIsdom Paramitas)

破戒者，墮三惡道中。《大智度論》

Namo Amituofo!

February 10, 2026

Feb. 10, 2026

Wonderful Metaphors in the Pure Land School

淨土宗妙喻

Metaphor 53: Reciting Amitabha’s Name is Like Having a Meal or Taking Medicine

To recite Amitabha’s Name is like taking food or medicine.

Food staves off hunger while medicine cures an illness, no matter who the person taking it may be. However, for those who are plagued by karmic afflictions, taking medicine may not be effective.

Fortunately, Amitabha’s Name is known as Agada medicine, which is the panacea for all illnesses. Nothing can undermine its potency. It can overcome and eradicate any obstacles that are in its way

53. 吃飯吃藥喻

念佛如吃飯，飯不問你是何人；念佛如吃藥，藥不問你是何人 — 當然，業障之人可能服藥不靈。但就阿彌陀佛來說，他無有障礙，也不受障礙，且能化除障礙。

Namo Amituofo!

February 9, 2026

Feb. 9, 2026

Important Knowledge in the Pure Land Teaching

淨土小常識

174 - The Classification of Cause and Effect (11/11)

The Pure Land Dharma is a path of other-power. Buddha-nature dissolves all oppositions and distinctions. Master Ouyi said that the entire Pure Land teaching can be summed up in four words: “Realizing the other as self.” This means clearly understanding that the other is oneself—that Amitabha Buddha is oneself, and what belongs to Amitabha Buddha belongs to oneself.

The Path of Sages retains the traditional emphasis on self-power. Contemporary Buddhism still often speaks this way, emphasizing “actual practice;” as if reciting Namo Amitabha Buddha does not count as real practice. This reflects a failure to understand this principle—a failure to understand that such a form of cause and effect truly exists.

174 因果的分類 (續 11 /11)

       淨土法門就是他力法門。佛性是泯滅一切的，對立、分別都泯滅了。蕅益大師說，淨土法門全部說起來其實就四個字──「了他為自」，就是明瞭他就是我，阿彌陀佛就是我，阿彌陀佛的就是我的。

       聖道門還有這種傳統的思想，是自力為主；現在的佛教好像都還是這樣講，講實修，好像念佛就不算實修，只念佛不算是修行。這是不明白這個道理，不明白天下還有這樣一種因果。

Namo Amituofo!

February 8, 2026

Feb. 8, 2026

Important Knowledge in the Pure Land Teaching

淨土小常識

174 - The Classification of Cause and Effect (10/11)

The reason “other-cause, self-result” can occur is that sentient beings exclusively recite Namo Amitabha Buddha, and fulfill a special condition. Amitabha Buddha has made the vow: “As long as sentient beings exclusively recite Namo Amitabha Buddha, I give them all my merit.” There is a giver and a receiver. It is like a special password or program setting: when the reciter satisfies the condition, they immediately receive Amitabha Buddha’s merit.

The relationship between other Buddhas and us is somewhat like that of teacher and student. They teach us, but we still must practice ourselves. The relationship between Amitabha Buddha and us is more like that of father and child. All the merit he has accumulated becomes our own.

Ultimately, self and other are originally nondual. From the standpoint of the ultimate meaning of the Dharma, self is other, and other is self; the difference lies only in the point of entry.

174 因果的分類 (續 10 /11)

             產生「他因自果」這樣的現象，也是因為眾生念了佛，滿足了這樣特殊的一個因；然後阿彌陀佛又發了這樣的願──「眾生只要稱念我的名號，我的功德就全部給他」。有一個施者，有一個受者。就像一個特別的密碼、程序設定，念佛的人滿足了這樣的程序設定，當下就得到阿彌陀佛的功德。

       所以，諸佛和我們的關係有點像師生，他教會了我們，但還是需要我們去做。阿彌陀佛和我們的關係更像是父子，他所積累的一切功德都成為我們自己的。最究竟來講，自他本來是不二的。從佛法了義的角度來說，自也是他，他也是自，只不過入手不同。

Namo Amituofo!

February 7, 2026

Feb. 7, 2026

Important Knowledge in the Pure Land Teaching

淨土小常識

174 - The Classification of Cause and Effect (9/11)

“Self-cause, self-result” is like a person starting a business: they endure hardship, make accurate decisions, and ultimately earn money—all of it is the result of their own efforts.

Another example is a “second-generation rich” child. The child did not go through the father’s struggles or hardships to earn wealth, yet all of the father’s accumulated wealth comes into the child’s hands. This is “other-cause.” From a phenomenological perspective, this appears to be so; but in essence, it is still “self-cause, self-result,” because the child must possess sufficient merit to be born into a wealthy family.

Thus, “self-cause, self-result” and “other-cause, self-result” are distinctions made at the level of appearance.

Pure Land practice closely resembles this situation. By exclusively reciting Namo Amitabha Buddha, even if we have not practiced the Six Paramitas , myriad virtues, nor accumulated great merit ourselves; simply by exclusively reciting Namo Amitabha Buddha, we attain the result.

Therefore, the Pure Land tradition is “other-cause, self-result;” while the Path of Sages is “self-cause, self-result.”

174 因果的分類 (續 9 /11)

       「自因自果」，就好比一個人創業賺錢，自己付出多少辛苦，決策很準確，最後就賺了多少錢，這都是自己賺來的。

       還有一種是「富二代」，這個孩子並沒有經過他父親的過程，沒有千辛萬苦地去賺錢。但是，他父親一切努力的財富，都到了他手上，這就是「他因」。這是就現象來分析的，本質來說還是「自因自果」。因為這個小孩，他本身有這樣的福德，才會投胎到富貴之家。

       所以，「自因自果」和「他因自果」，是就現象來說的。 淨土宗的修行和這種情況很像，我們只是念佛，並沒有經過六度萬行，也沒積累任何的功德，只是念佛就得到了。

       所以，淨土宗是「他因自果」，聖道門是「自因自果」。

Namo Amituofo!

February 6, 2026

Feb. 6, 2026

Important Knowledge in the Pure Land Teaching

淨土小常識

174 - The Classification of Cause and Effect (8/11）

(5) Augmentative Results Affecting Others

The previous category concerns the environment; this one concerns other people. The most typical example is the saying: “When one person attains the Way, even the chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.”

III. Pure Land Classification of Cause and Effect

The Pure Land tradition has a distinctive system of classification: “self-cause, self-result” and “other-cause, self-result.”

“Self-cause, self-result” means that one creates a cause oneself, produces the result oneself, and personally bears the outcome. One reaps what one sows.

“Other-cause, self-result” means that one person creates the cause, and the result that should properly fall upon that person, due to special conditions, manifests in another person. This may seem contrary to common sense, yet such phenomena do exist in the world.

174 因果的分類 (續 8 /11)

（五）與他增上果

       前面是講環境，與他增上果是講旁人的，最典型的就是「一人成道，雞犬升天」。

三、淨土宗因果分類

       淨土宗特有的一種分類方法：一個是「自因自果」，還有一個是「他因自果」

       「自因自果」，就是自己做的，產生了果報，自己承受，自作自受。

       「他因自果」，就是某一個人做的，果報應該產生在他身上，但是一種特別的因緣，這種果報在另外一個人身上展現出來了。按說這有點不符合常理，但是世間就有這樣的事。

Namo Amituofo!

February 5, 2026

Feb. 5, 2026

Important Knowledge in the Pure Land Teaching

淨土小常識

174 - The Classification of Cause and Effect (7/11)

(4) Augmentative Result

An augmentative result involves not only an individual’s consciousness; but, also the shared karmic environment that is summoned. When a person has strong causal power, it changes not only their body but also their surroundings. “Augmentative” means exceeding or transforming the original conditions.

There is a saying: “When someone enters deep samādhi in the mountains, the grasses and trees there flourish; so, when cattle and sheep eat them, their coats become glossy.” If someone practices meditation deeply while on a mountain, all the vegetation there thrives, and animals that feed on it become radiant. This is an augmentative result.

It can also be described as a positive field of energy: it changes not only the person themselves, but also the surrounding environment.

174 因果的分類 (續 7 /11)

（四）增上果

       增上果，不只是這個人的神識，包括所感召的共業環境。一個人如果有強的因，改變的不只是身體，也會改變他處的環境。增上，也就是超出了他本來的情況。

       有一句話叫「入定山中之草木，牛羊食之毛光澤」，山上如果有一個人入定，修持得很好，山上所有的草都會長得很好，牛羊吃了之後，牠身上的毛也會充滿了光澤，這就是增上果。也可以說是好氣場，改變的不只是這個人本身，也改變了周圍的氣場。

Namo Amituofo!