A Discussion on Excerpts from the Scriptures of the Pure Land School 淨土宗精要法語討論
22. The Sutra of Adornments - infinitely delivering all sentient beings in Avici Hell
All kinds of beings in various realms of reincarnation, come to be reborn in my land to live joyfully. My compassionate heart is always focused on freeing all sentient beings from suffering, and especially delivering all sentient beings in Avici Hell.
Question: Some people say, “Beings in Avici Hell are there because they have committed the five gravest offenses and slandered the Dharma—saving such people would not abide by Buddhist principles. Wouldn't this violate the law of cause and effect?”
Answer: It is a common mindset to feel at peace only when sinners receive their deserved punishment. However, the Buddha's heart is vast, viewing all beings with compassionate eyes. He cherishes their inherent Buddha-nature and feels pity for their ignorance in committing offenses and being trapped in illusory cycles of rebirth.
Out of boundless, unconditional compassion and profound empathy, he seeks to rescue them. When such a person is saved, they can, in turn, help liberate those they have harmed. Otherwise, endless cycles of vengeance would persist, with no hope of escape from Samsara.
The law of cause and effect exists in two forms: worldly cause and effect and transcendental cause and effect. Worldly causes and effects arise from the deluded minds of sentient beings, leading to illusory consequences. Whereas transcendental cause and effect are based on the absolute reality realized by Buddhas. The real can dispel the illusory, just as light dispels darkness.
For sentient beings, creating karma is the cause, and Samsaric rebirth is the effect; but, by relying on Amitabha Buddha, reciting his Name is the cause, and rebirth in his Pure Land is the effect. The Buddha’s deliverance of beings also follows the law of dependent origination within cause and effect.
His vow to deliver all sentient beings is precisely the transcendental cause and effect that surpasses worldly cause and effect. The Buddha is both the embodiment of ultimate reality (Body of Absolute Reality) and compassionate deliverance (Body for the Benefit of Living Beings) who manifests countless skillful means to guide sentient beings toward liberation.
22. 《莊嚴經》度盡阿鼻
輪迴諸趣眾生類，速生我剎受快樂……常運慈心拔有情，度盡阿鼻苦眾生。
22.1 問：有人說，「阿鼻地獄的眾生，是因為造過五逆謗法重罪，這樣的人也 救，豈不是沒有原則性？這豈不是違背因果法則？」
答：看到罪人受到應有的懲罰，心中才會平復，這是常人的心態。佛心廣大 ，慈眼等視，愛惜他本具的佛性，憐憫他愚癡造罪、虛妄輪迴，以無緣大慈、 同體大悲而予救拔。此人得救，可以輾轉救度被他傷害過的眾生。否則，彼此 冤冤相報，永無出離之期。
因果有世間因果，有出世間因果。世間因果是以眾生虛妄心所起的虛妄因 果，出世間因果是以諸佛所證實相為對境的真實因果。真實能破虛妄，猶如 光明能破黑暗。若論眾生，造業是因，輪迴是果；若靠彌陀，念佛是因，往生是 果。佛度眾生，也是依因果緣起的法則。
佛的救度誓願，正是以出世間因果超越世間因果。佛是實相身（實相真 理本身），同時又是為物身（為度眾生而存在），為度眾生，顯現緣起萬法。
Namo Amituofo!
