May 31

May 31, 2018
慧淨上人法語
出離與輪迴

If a practitioner eventually does not liberate themselves from reincarnation of birth-and-death, or do not attain rebirth in the Land of Bliss, he will be wandering to and fro in the cycle of the Six Realms. Ignorance of the past causes retribution of the present. The present karma will cause reincarnation in the future. When he encounters good karmic circumstances, he will do good acts and get some merits. When he encounters good karmic circumstances, he will do good acts and get some merits. When he encounterscausal conditions for Buddhist practice, he will do the practice. When he encounters bad karmic circumstances, he will do evil acts. After all, he will wander to and fro within the Six Realms.

修行者最後如果沒有解脫生死輪迴，或是沒有往生極樂世界，只會在六道中輪轉，來來去去。過去的無明引起現在的果報，現在的業力又引起未來的輪迴，遇到善的因緣就行善積德，遇到修行的因緣就修行，遇到壞的因緣就造業，總之都是在六道中往返來去。

Namo Amitabha!

May 30

May 30, 2018
慧淨上人法語
機法深信

If we understand ourselves (aptitude)—deeply believe that we are iniquitous and mortal sentient beings, without any karmic conditions to leave [the cycle of birth-and-death]; also deeply believe in the Buddha’s words (teaching)—each and every vow of Amitabha’s 48 vows are made for the sake of delivering sentient beings, and they are assured of rebirth if they recourse to Amitabha’s vow power.

If this is the case, we will exclusively recite this Buddha’s Name for our entire life. No matter what cause, it will not shake our faith. We will not consider ourselves being sharp in virtuous root, able to practice other teachings and reach certain realms; we will not be curious, and will not study miscellaneous teachings or work on miscellaneous practices.

如果了解自己（機）──深信自己是罪惡生死凡夫，無有出離之緣；而且深信佛語（法）──阿彌陀佛四十八願願願都是為了眾生，乘彼願力定得往生。

如能這樣，一生就會專稱這句佛名，不論什麼因素，也不會搖動自己的信仰，不會認為自己根機銳利，可以修其他的法門、達到怎樣的境界，不會好奇，也不會雜修雜行。

Namo Amitabha!

May 29

May 29, 2018
慧淨上人法語
佛法知見

The soul (or atman in Sanskrit, a metaphysical self) after death is very sensitive, much more sensitive than before his death. Because the soul after death has been detached from the body and is no longer confined in the body, one can exercise the power and functions of his soul. If a person was handicapped when he was alive, after his soul is free from the body, he can immediately recover the whole body; if he was a person with visual, hearing, or spech impairement,  he can now see, hear and speak, and know another person’s ideas in mind. Moreover, he can also go to any place immediately according to his own wish or thought:  if he is thinking of a person or an object in mind, that person or object will appear immediately; no matter who is thinking of him or calling him in whatever place, he can instantly know, hear and see the person, whether he is far away or in the vicinity.

人死後的神識非常靈敏，尤勝生前。由於人死後神識已經脫離肉體，不再受肉體所限，故能發揮神識的功能力用。譬如生時為殘障者，其神識脫離肉體之後，立即恢復完整形體，盲聾喑啞，可以見聞說話，並知道他人的起心動念。亦可依自己心念立即前往任何地方；心念何人何物，何人何物立即現前；無論何人何處想念他、呼喚他，不論距離遠近，他也都能即刻知道聽到看到。

Namo Amitabha!

May 28

May 28, 2018
慧淨上人法語
淨土信仰

Only by bringing people out of the cycle of birth-and-death can this be called the great kindness and compassion. We guide others to take refuge to the Three Gems, and uphold the Five Precepts. Although this can be regarded as a wholesome karma that allow them in future to be reborn as human, or ascend to heaven, which surpasses other worldly teachings, it is still not ultimate. Only a teaching that will surely allow practitioners to leave the cycle of birth-and-death, or even attain Buddhahood can be called the teaching of great compassion and great wisdom.

唯有使人能脫離生死輪迴，這才叫大慈悲。我們引導他人三皈依、受持五戒，這雖然是善業，使他將來可以做人，或者升天，此種法門當然超過世間的法門，但是還不究竟；必須使他了脫生死，甚至使他成佛，這樣才是大慈悲、大智慧的法門。

Namo Amitabha!

May 27

May 27, 2018
慧淨上人法語
淨土宗宗風俗諦

All offenses always are incurred from lacking strict adherance to morals in speech. Therefore, we must learn to be tight-lipped. We should review our mistakes and do not blame others. If you find other people’s mistakes, don’t go public. Don’t tell another person, even your closest friends.

It is because your closest friend has his/her closest friend too. The words are hence passed around, and the bad karma is created. Moreover, talking bad words at other back is the most damaging to virtues. So, the most important thing for the practice of Buddhism is to be honest and sincere, do not tell lies or talk gossip causally.

一切罪過，往往都是因為不守口德，所以我們要學習守口如瓶，凡事檢討自己的過錯，不要去責備人家。如果發現別人有錯誤，也不要去宣揚，不要講給第二個人聽，也不要講給自己最親密的人聽。

因為自己最親密的人，也有他親密的知己，話傳來傳去，罪業就造出去了，而且，說人背後話是最損陰德的。所以，修行學佛最重要的是心存誠懇，存誠懇之心而不隨便打妄語，不隨便說是非。

Namo Amitabha!

May 26

May 26, 2018
慧淨上人法語
念佛利益

In our life, we did not encounter the circumstance of following the Buddha to learn Buddhism, and did not encounter any wholesome circumstance to practice wholesomeness, but we did encounter unwholesome circumstances to practice unwholesomeness. When we approach the end-of-life, the fire of hell appears suddenly; but it can be turned into a red lotus once we recite Amitabha’s name. All kinds of evil karmic force, hence, cannot bind and obstruct us, and all enemies and demons are kept away from us.

So, we know: the sound of Amitabha-recitation is like a lion roar. When the lion appears, all beasts hide away. It is also like a lamp entering into a room: the long-standing darkness turns instantly into brightness. When a Buddha presides over the session, all demons retreat and listen.

雖一生未遇佛緣以學佛，未遇善緣以行善，唯遇惡緣以行惡，臨終獄火突至，一稱名號，火化紅蓮，諸邪業繫不礙，群魔冤親遠避。

可知：念佛音聲，如獅子吼，獅子一出，百獸潛跡。亦如：一燈入室，長暗頓明；一佛當令，群魔退聽。

Namo Amitabha!

May 25

May 25, 2018
《觀經疏》「不問罪福」之文

All ordinary beings—regardless of the abundance of their blessings or the gravity of their offenses, and regardless of the length of time they have practiced, if they can single-mindedly and exclusively recite Amitabha’s name for a lifespan, or just for one to seven days, then they will be reborn in the Pure Land and never fail.

一切凡夫，不問罪福多少，時節久近，但能上盡百年，下至一日七日，一心專念，彌陀名號，定得往生，必無疑也！

Namo Amitabha!

May 24

May 24, 2018
慧淨上人法語
出離與輪迴

Unless there were no retribution for good and evil karma and no reincarnation within the Six Realms, if there are, we can take it as a mirror to reflect on ourselves. Then, we will see that we have little hope for emancipation, and the flame of hell has already been burning our foot, and we will certainly fall into hell.

除非沒有善惡報應、六道輪迴；如果有的話，以善惡報應、六道輪迴的鏡子來反照自己，就知道自己幾乎沒有解脫的希望，而且地獄之火已經燃燒到自己的腳底了，將來一定墮落地獄。

Namo Amitabha!

May 23

May 23, 2018
慧淨上人法語
機法深信

We cannot emancipate ourselves in numerous eons and thousand lives until the present because the power we have is merely karmic power, which only force us to fall, and is unable to emancipate us. Hence, if we just take account of the self-power, it will drive us to falling, not emancipation.

我們萬劫千生一直到現在，之所以都沒辦法解脫，是因為自己的力量只有業力，只有墮落的力量，沒有解脫的力量。因此，若論自力的話就只有墮落之力，沒有解脫之力。

Namo Amitabha!

May 22

May 22, 2018
慧淨上人法語
佛法知見

There is a fundamental suffering in the human world. Apart from that, all other sufferings are secondary. What is the fundamental suffering? Simply speaking, it is “ignorance”.

“ignorance” means not knowing where we come from before birth and where we go to after death, and not knowing what will happen in the future. Ignorance is the main substance that we cannot see now, but it will pop up from the karma of Alaya Consciousness when we are close to death. The karma consists of immeasurable and boundless sin, darkness, ignorance, and anxieties. Near the end-of-life, the darkness filled with evil karma will appear before us and turn into a fireball, pushing us to hell. That is the main substance of ignorance.

When we are alone, we’re not sad, nor happy; but we have a baffling feeling of boringness, loneliness, and somewhat uneasiness. These are just shadows cast by the main substance of ignorance, which will appear at the point of death. That is the fundamental suffering.

人間有一個根本的苦，除此之外，其他的苦都是枝末的。根本的苦是什麼呢？簡單講就是「無明」。

無明就是不知生從何來、死往何去，不知將來會如何。無明是正體，這個正體我們現在看不到，臨終的時候，阿賴藏識裏的業浮現了，這些業含藏了無量無邊的罪惡，黑暗、無明、不安，臨終的時候整個充滿罪業的黑暗現前，成為火團，墮落地獄，那就是無明的正體。

平常孤獨的時候，不苦也不樂，但是莫名其妙地有一種無聊、寂寞、略微不安的感覺，那只是無明正體所顯現的影子而已，正體在臨終時才會浮現，那就是根本的苦。

Namo Amitabha!

May 21

May 21, 2018
慧淨上人法語
淨土信仰

Simply recite the Name. Whether or not we can be reborn does not depend on how proficient we are in recitation, or what ways we use for recitation; attainment of rebirth is not on our side, but entirely on Amitabha’s side. Amitabha Buddha vows to deliver sentient beings. So, sentient beings who recite his Name will certainly be reborn.

只要稱念這句名號，往生與否，不在於我們有如何的功夫境界，不在於我們要這樣地念、那樣地念，不在我們這一邊，而完全在阿彌陀佛那一邊，阿彌陀佛發願救度念佛眾生，眾生念佛必定往生！

Namo Amitabha!

May 20

May 20, 2018
慧淨上人法語
淨土宗宗風俗諦

Gossip mostly comes from speeches. So, in our attributes there are many remarks about speech, such as “not to speak, not to listen, not to spread, and not to discuss” gossip. This is corresponding to the Five Precepts and the Ten Wholesome Deeds set by the Buddha, of which most of the norms are directed against speech karma. So, we should not speak gossip or grumble because speech karma is the easiest way to commit offense or wrongdoing, and also the easiest way to reduce our blessings, and increase our bad karma.

言語往往是是非的來源，所以宗風裏面對語言的提示就比較多一些。比如：「不說、不聽、不傳、不較」。相應於在佛陀所訂的五戒、十善當中，針對口業而訂的規範是最多的，所以我們要不說是非，也不要訴苦，因為口業最容易犯罪犯過，也最容易消損自己的福報、增加自己的罪障。

NAmo Amitabha!

May 19

May 19, 2018
慧淨上人法語
念佛利益

The virtues and merits attained through Amitabha-recitation are boundless. In cases like asking for a male offspring, extending lifespan, healing diseases, resolving (averting) calamities, getting a high position, setting up a home, seeking a good job, acquiring wealth, even relieving enmities by clearing up misunderstandings, delivering a died kin, we can do so by solely reciting Amitabha’s name, without mixing with any other practices.

Having said that we can get responses from Amitabha Buddha by reciting His Name and attain benefits in the present life, they are—no matter how immense—incomparable to the great benefit of attaining rebirth [in the Pure Land]; It is just like a drop in the ocean.

念佛功德無邊，凡求子嗣、延壽命、癒疾病、解災難、取功名、安家宅、謀職業、益資財，甚至解冤釋結、薦親度亡，皆可以念佛為之，不需夾雜其他行法。
然而，雖說念佛自然有感應，能獲得現世利益，但不論任何大利益，若與往生利益相比，何啻滄海之一粟，根本不能比。

Namo Amitabha!

May 18

May 18, 2018
A paragraph about “mind of dedication by iniquitous sentient beings” in the “Dharma School of Contemplation and Recitation”
《觀念法門》「造罪迴心」之文

For all iniquitous sentient beings who turn their minds around by invoking Amitabha Buddha, aspire to be reborn in the Pure Land, and recite His Name as many as [up to] a hundred years, or as few as down to seven days, one days, ten times, three times, or even once, Amitabha and the sacred assembly will appear naturally to welcome them when they die, and they will attain rebirth instantly.

一切造罪凡夫，但迴心念阿彌陀佛，願生淨土；上盡百年，下至七日、一日，十聲、三聲、一聲等；命欲終時，佛與聖眾，自來迎接，即得往生。

Namo Amitabha!

May 17

May 17, 2018
慧淨上人法語
出離與輪迴

The so-called “world” covers all Three Domains [i.e. the Realm of Sensuous Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Realm Without Form]. The Five Precepts for human beings, the Ten Wholesome Acts for the celestial beings, and even the meditative concentration for practitioners in the Dhyana heavens of the Form Realms and the Formless Realms are still [practices for] rebirth in the Six Realms. All these are wholesome karma in the eyes of ordinary beings.

However, in comparison with the practice that believes and accepts Amitabha’s deliverance, aspires to be reborn in Amitabha’s Pure Land, and attains rebirth in the Land of Bliss through Amitabha-recitation, those wholesome karmas become unwholesome, and are not genuine wholesome acts.

所謂「世間」，三界都是世間，人的五戒、天的十善，乃至色界、無色界天的禪定，都還在六道輪迴裏面，這些就凡夫來講是善業。

可是如果跟信受彌陀救度、願生彌陀淨土、念佛往生極樂世界比較的話，那麼這些善業也是惡業，不是真正的善業。

Namo Amitabha!

May 16

May 16, 2018
慧淨上人法語
機法深信

(continued)

When we deeply feel the sorrow and pain of “without hope to leave the cycle of rebirth”, it is so severe that exceeds all kinds of pain in the world--even anguished wailing on the ground cannot reveal the grief of having no hope to leave the cycle of rebirth. Such kind of sorrow and pain reaches its peak, and is unspeakable.

If a Buddhist cannot realize that he doesn’t have the karma of leaving the cycle of rebirth and has no hope for emancipation, it will be very difficult for him to rely entirely on the teaching of Amitabha’s deliverance.

當我們深深地觸到「無有出離之緣」的悲和痛，那超越了世間任何的痛苦，即使匍伏在地上哀嚎，都沒法顯露那種無有出離之緣的悲痛，那種悲痛是無法形容的，是達到頂點的。

一個學佛者，如果無法體會到本身沒有出離之緣、沒有解脫希望的話，那麼他很難依靠彌陀救度的法門。

Namo Amitabha!

May 15

May 15, 2018
慧淨上人法語
機法深信

Shakyamuni Buddha says, “It is difficult to have a human body.” The chance to have a human body likes a blind turtle catches a floating plank. This being the case, we all have been reincarnated in the Three Wretched Realms.  The most deplorable is “without hope to leave the cycle of rebirth”. If we didn’t have the chance in the past, we do not have it now. However, if there is a chance in the future, we still have a slim hope. If there is no hope to leave at all, that means we have to reincarnate endlessly in the Three Wretched Realms forever, from beginning to end!

(to be continued)

釋迦牟尼佛說「人身難得」，得人身就好像「盲龜值浮木」，既然如此，當然都是在三惡道輪迴。最可悲的是「無有出離之緣」，如果過去沒有機會，現在也沒有機會，可是未來有機會的話，那還有一線希望；但如果都沒有出離之緣，豈不是永恆地、盡未來際、從始到終都要在三惡道輪轉了！

Namo Amitabha!

May 14

May 14, 2018
慧淨上人法語
佛法知見

Whatever we do and whatever we think, we take the Six Consciousness [i.e. the six perceptions and discriminative ability of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind] as our false mind and our main substance, which has no self-nature, impermanent and unreal.

The unreal Six Consciousness is produced by the unreal Six Fields of the senses [i.e. form and color, sound, scent, the five flavors, physical feeling and mental presentation--the objective fields of vision, hearing, smelling, tasting, touch, and discernment, also known as the Six External Dusts], and the unreal realm is produced by the unreal Six Consciousness (false mind). That is the meanings of the saying, “the seeds produce the phenomena (manifested activities); the phenomena germinate the seeds”. Hence, we are to and fro endlessly in the Six Realms.

我們凡夫的所做所為，一天當中起心動念，都是以六識為我們的妄心、為我們的主體，都是沒有自性、生滅無常、虛假不實的。

由虛妄的六境產生虛妄的六識，由虛妄的六識之心（妄心）產生虛妄的境界，就是所謂的「種子生現行、現行熏種子」，因此來往六道，永無休止。

Namo Amitabha!

May 13

May 13, 2018
慧淨上人法語
淨土信仰

The 84,000 kinds of teachings are the expedient transit to the real teaching; the ultimate aim of the Buddha is to expound the [teaching of] deliverance of Amitabha.

八萬四千法門是真實法門之通道、方便，佛的最終目的在宣說彌陀救度。

Namo Amitabha!

May 12

May 12, 2018
慧淨上人法語
淨土宗宗風俗諦
(continued)

So, our practice should, in the first place, adhere strictly to morals in speech. As a practitioner, we should keep no lying, no slandering, no harsh speech, and no idle talks. On issues relating to interests or disputes between people, we should keep our mouth shut. 

Ordinary people, however, are accustomed to bad habits, and emotional from time to time. Not only they cannot “digest” the gossip, but accumulate and brew them in mind. Once they encounter another person or occasion, they will let the cat out of the bag and pour out to each other. Such an attitude should not be a Buddhist’s.

所以，修行首重「謹守口德」，一個修行人要不妄語、不兩舌、不惡口、不綺語，有關人我是非的話，絕口不談。

但是一般人習氣都很重，而且往往情緒化，不但沒有把人我是非在心中消化，反而是積堵在心中醞釀，逢人遇境就流露出來，甚至相互傾訴，這都不是學佛人應有的態度。

Namo Amitabha!

May 11

May 11, 2018

慧淨上人法語
淨土宗宗風俗諦

The “Attributes – Worldly Truths” mention that we should “not speak gossip, listen to gossip, spread gossip, and discuss gossip”. Being a Buddhist, we have to strictly follow this tenet, no matter we are monastic or householder. Don’t spread around sayings once you have heard; that is retailing gossip.

Moreover, if the matter involves ourselves, we tend to put the blame on someone else, or to gloss over. We seldom share the blame and admit our own faults; instead, we always insist that we are right, and others are wrong. It is similar to a saying in the Holy Bible of the Christians: We always see a tiny thorn in the eyes of others, but we cannot see a big trunk in our own eyes.

(to be continued)

「宗風──俗諦」有談到，要「不談是非，不聽是非，不傳是非」，而且要「不較是非」。我們是學佛人，不管在家、出家，這一點都要嚴格的遵守。不要一聽到事情就傳來傳去，這樣都是製造是非。
另外，如果事情是關係到自身時，一般人往往不是諉過就是掩過，從來不是「分怨共過」，都是講自己對，講對方不對，就像基督教《聖經》所講的：「總看見別人眼中有刺，卻看不見自己眼中的樑木。」

Namo Amitabha!

May 10

May 10, 2018
慧淨上人法語
念佛利益

Amitabha-recitation secures various kinds of benefits, such as clearing up karmic obstructions, enriching blessings and wisdom, elimination of disasters and avoidance of calamities, having good luck in case of meeting a mishap…and etc. In many real incidents, big troubles become trivial ones, and small troubles vanish away; the problems are resolved satisfactory without being noticed.

Although Amitabha-recitation yields such kinds of benefits, it is confined to the worldly ones. Since mundane benefits—no matter how immense—are impermanent, and not ultimate. After death, we will go for reincarnation again within the Six Realms. So, the main purpose of our recitation of the Buddha’s Name is to attain rebirth in the Land of Bliss.

That is to say, an Amitabha-reciter must take rebirth in the Land of Bliss as the highest, ultimate and sole purpose of studying Buddhism and practicing Amitabha-recitation; all other benefits are affiliated and secondary.

念佛有種種利益，比如能使念佛人消業障、增福慧、消災免難、遇難呈祥，很多事相，大事化小、小事化無，無形中被化解而獲得圓滿的結果。

念佛雖然有這樣的效益，但這只是世間的利益而已。因為世間的利益，再怎麼富饒也是無常的，不是究竟的，人死亡之後，依然又再去六道輪迴了，所以，我們念佛的主要目的是要往生極樂世界。

也就是說，一個念佛人必定是以求生極樂世界作為他學佛念佛的最高、究竟，而且是唯一的目的，其他的效益則都是附帶的。

Namo Amitabha!

May 9

May 9, 2018
《觀經疏》「正定業」之文

To recite Amitabha’s name single-mindedly and without variation, whether walking, standing, sitting, or reclining, whether for long or short periods of time, and keeping this in mind constantly—that is called the principal karma of assurance. It is so because it accords with Amitabha Buddha’s vow.

一心專念，彌陀名號，行住坐臥，不問時節久近，念念不捨者，是名正定之業，順彼佛願故。

Namo Amitabha!

May 8

May 8, 2018
慧淨上人法語
出離與輪迴

Ordinary beings in the Three Domains naturally float and sink within the Six Realms with their karma, and naturally receive the retribution of happiness and sufferings accordingly. Hence, the nature we see today is actually the manifestation of the common karma of ordinary beings. We are still in the Three Domains and should stay away.

The patriarch Master Tanluan said that the Three Domains are “unreal, defiled, inverted, destructive, cyclic, and endless”, “the Three Domains are the dark house where ordinary beings flow [along the cycle of reincarnation]”, and “the Three Domains are born out of the flawed and deviant way [of karmic practices], in which sentient beings stay sleeping with a big dream, not knowing to get out.”

三界凡夫隨業力自然升沉六道，自然受苦樂果報，故現今所見的大自然是凡夫共業使然，尚在三界，應當遠離。

曇鸞祖師說三界是「虛假、污染、顛倒、破壞、輪轉、無窮」，「三界是生死凡夫流轉之暗宅」，「三界是有漏邪道所生，長寢大夢，莫知悕出」。

Namo Amitabha!

May 7

May 7, 2018
慧淨上人法語
機法深信

The Ten Wholesomeness (or Ten Good Deeds, i.e. no killing, no stealing, no adultery, no lying, no slandering, no harsh speech, no idle talks, no greed, no anger/hatred, and no illusion) are extended version of the Five Precepts. We use the Ten Wholesomeness as the “Dharma Mirror” to reflect our performance in the Three Karmas [i.e. deed, word, and thought]. Thus, we can see that all of us have a heart of greed and a heart of anger/hatred; we are people of stupidity, ignorant of and unbelieving [the law of] cause and effect.

「十善」是「五戒」的開展，我們用十善的法鏡照自己的三業行為，就能看出原來我們都有貪心、瞋心，都是愚痴、不明因果、不信因果的人。

Namo Amitabha!

May 6

May 6, 2018
慧淨上人法語
佛法知見

On what is our ordinary being’s mind based? Our mind-nature is based on the Six Consciousness. The Six Consciousness [i.e. seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and knowing] are produced by the Six Indriyas [or Six Internal Bases, or Six Sense-Organs, i.e. eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind] and the respective Six Gunas [or Six External Dusts, i.e. form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and idea/symbol]. Being produced by the conditional amalgamation of the organs and the dusts, they are amalgamation of cause and condition. Since the cause and condition itself is impermanent, there is no substance and no self-nature. So, they are unreal and false. Now that the realms relative to the organs and the dusts are unreal and false, the mind-consciousness produced by the Six Consciousness, of course, is also unreal and false.

我們凡夫依什麼為心呢？是以六識為我們的心性。六識就是六根對六塵所產生的六識，既然是根塵和合所產生的，就是因緣所和合的，因緣本身是生滅無常、沒有本體、沒有自性的，所以它是虛妄的。根塵相對的既然是虛妄的境界，當然所產生的六識也是虛妄的心識。

Namo Amitabha!

May 5

May 5, 2018
慧淨上人法語
淨土信仰

A Dharma teaching that can liberate a person who practices accordingly, but cannot liberate another person who follows the same teaching. Such a teaching should not be called the Dharma of “great kindness and compassion”. A teaching that can deliver all people, no matter they are sages, layperson, monastic, householder, or even good and wicked, can be called the Dharma of “great kindness and compassion”. All other teachings that cannot “terminate sufferings and render happiness” should not be called the Dharma of “great kindness and compassion”.

Among the eight sects of the entire Buddhism, regardless of the Northern, Southern and Tibetan lineages, the teaching that can be thoroughly and absolutely called the Dharma of “great kindness and compassion” and able to “terminate sufferings and render happiness” is the Dharma teaching based on the 18th Vow of Amitabha Buddha.

能夠使這個人依佛法來解脫，卻不能夠使那個人也依佛法來解脫，這種法就不能稱為「大慈大悲」的法。必須是無論聖人、凡夫，出家、在家，甚至善人、惡人，都能夠得到救度的，才能稱為「大慈大悲」。有所不能「拔苦與樂」的話，這個法就不稱為大慈大悲的法。

以整個佛教八個宗派來講，不論北傳、南傳或者是藏傳，能徹底地、絕對地被稱為是「大慈大悲、拔苦與樂」的法門，就是阿彌陀佛第十八願的法門。

Namo Amitabha!

May 4

May 4, 2018
慧淨上人法語
淨土宗宗風俗諦

After a task is done, we should review it down to tiny matters, and see what else can be done for perfection. If we can do this, there will be room for improvement. Next time, we can do better and move towards perfection. If we don’t “feel that our foolishness and capacity for wrongdoing exceed those of others”, but feel that “other people are foolish and their capacity for wrongdoings exceed me”, then we cannot upgrade and improve ourselves.

一件事情做過以後，要儘量在微細的地方去檢討這件事情，還有那些做的不圓滿？能夠這樣的話，就有改進的空間，下一次，就會向更圓滿的地方前進。如果不去「自覺愚惡，過於他人。」反而都覺得「他人愚惡，過於自己」，這樣的話，自己就無從提升改進了。

Namo Amitabha!

May 3

May 3, 2018
慧淨上人法語
念佛利益

Fate is not unchangeable. There is a saying, “life is made by the mind, and the life can be changed in response to the change in mind”. As long as we are kind-hearted, often say good words, do good things, fulfill our duties and responsibilities, and do not over-exert ourselves, our fate will also change.

Especially, we rely thoroughly on Amitabha, and take his six-character great Name as our life and the basis of our living. In this respect, with Amitabha’s fortification, our karmic obstructions will be eliminated, our wisdom and blessings will increase, and our fate will change naturally. This will lead to so-called “eradication of calamities and elimination of catastrophes; increase in blessings and extension in longevity”.

命運不是不能轉變，所謂「命由心造，命隨心轉」，只要常存好心，常說好話，常行好事，安份守己，不妄份追求，命就會轉變。

尤其是，我們徹底的依靠彌陀，以這句萬德洪名做為生命以及生活的依托，這樣就有彌陀的加持，就會業障消除，福慧增長，命運自然能夠轉變，也就是所謂的「消災免難，增福延壽」。

Namo Amitabha!

May 2

May 2, 2018
善導大師語錄
《觀經疏》「二種深信」之文

The first kind of determined deep faith: We are iniquitous, ordinary beings subject to endless rebirth. Since time immemorial, we have died and been reincarnated, without any causal conditions to leave the cycle of rebirth.

The second kind of determined deep faith: Amitabha Buddha embraces and receives all sentient beings with his 48 Vows. Without doubt and anxiety, we are assured of rebirth [in the Pure Land] with recourse to the power of his vows.

一者決定深信：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。

二者決定深信：彼阿彌陀佛四十八願，攝受眾生；無疑無慮，乘彼 願力，定得往生。

Namo Amitabha!

May 1

May 1, 2018
慧淨上人法語
出離與輪迴

The reason why we seek help, to find a completely stable and reliable support is due to the fact that we all have sinful karma, we will all fall into the Three Wretched Realms, and we will all be caught in the Six Realms of rebirth. Therefore, we must rely on a wonderful, splendid, yet easy Dharma teaching that will prevent us from entering into the Six Realms again and allow us to stay in peace forever.

我們之所以求救，要尋找一個徹底安穩的依靠，是因為我們都有罪業、都會墮落三惡道、都會永在六道輪迴，所以必需要依靠一個能夠讓我們永遠安穩不再入六道輪迴的勝易妙法。

Namo Amitabha!