Clarifying Doubts About the Pure Land (I)
淨土釋疑(一)
Question 11 (see post dated July 2, 2025)
Answer (continued 5/5):
Whether we are walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, our minds may be scattered. Because this practice is not limited to quietly sitting on a cushion in meditation, it includes walking and reciting, standing and reciting, lying down and reciting. Furthermore, it is said "regardless of time," meaning it doesn't matter how long one has practiced—one year, ten years, or twenty years. This is the true meaning of "even... just" [as in “even ten recitations”].
"Even... just" means that it doesn't matter whether one is a monastic or lay, good or evil, male or female, old or young, wise or foolish, virtuous or not—all are included in "even... just."
If "even... just" weren’t true, and if Amitabha Buddha had instead stipulated: "Only those who leave home life and arouse the bodhi mind are eligible for rebirth after ten recitations," that would be disastrous! Few people become monks, and even fewer can genuinely awaken the bodhi mind.
But “even... just” means inclusion across all categories: status, number, mindset, and psychological state. Its meaning is extremely broad.
Because of these two words —“even... just”— we can be at peace. Our Amitabha-recitation is precisely this "even ten recitations" type of recitation. This "even ten recitations" is inherently an acceptance of Amitabha Buddha’s fundamental vow: “Should I fail [to enable them to] be born there, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment.”
This is the difference in the meaning between self-powered and other-powered Amitabha-recitation.
11問：剛才聽師父講，《觀經》的眼目就在「一向專稱彌陀佛名」，稱名定往生， 但是，這種稱名，它和有一種理論解釋的，就是要稱到什麼樣子才能獲得不 退，是否一樣？請師父再把這兩種稱名具體的含義解釋一下。
續答5：
我們在「行住坐臥」當中，這顆心是散亂的。因為是「行住坐臥」，並非只是靜 靜地坐在蒲團上，在那裏靜坐念佛，而是行走的時候也念佛，站在那裏也念 佛，躺在那裏也念佛，而且又說「不問時節久近」，不管你修行時間長短，念了 一年，或者十年、二十年，「時節久近」，這個都不管，這個才是真正「乃至」的 意義。
「乃至」就是：不管你是出家、在家，善人、惡人，男女，老少，智愚，賢不肖，這 個都是「乃至」。
如果不是「乃至」的話，阿彌陀佛如果限定說：「要出家發菩提心，乃至十念」， 糟糕了，出家的人少，而且發菩提心，幾個眾生發得起來？
但是「乃至」，連身份上也是「乃至」，數目上也是「乃至」，心情上、心理上也是 「乃至」，所以這個「乃至」的含義非常的廣。
因為有「乃至」兩個字，使我們安心了。所以，我們的念佛就是這種「乃至十 念」的稱名念佛。而「乃至十念」的稱名念佛，本來就已經領受阿彌陀佛「若不 生者，不取正覺」的本願之故啊。
這就是自力、他力念佛的不同意義。
Namo Amituofo!
