Wonderful Metaphors in the Pure Land School
淨土宗妙喻
Metaphor 48: The Song of the Parting Son
A mother’s love is sewn into a gown for her departing child.
With each of the threads a mother’s hands weave,
They impart the greatest love in this world.
It is innate. From the first day of her pregnancy, she is destined for a lifetime of love and care for the child who means everything to her. She accepts him with rejoicing, and is prepared to do anything for him, without complaint or regret.
The above verses are from a poem in a collection of 300 Tang Poems. Authored by Meng Jiao, the work depicts the poignant moment of a loving mother who was sewing a garment for her departing son. Stitch by stitch, she wove both her blessings and ceaseless love into the clothing. Every stitch encapsulated her heart-felt prayer. All she wished for was that her child, while traveling far from home, would never suffer from hunger or cold; but, instead live a safe, healthy and happy life.
“Like roaming clouds you long to wander;
In the sunset my affection for you lingers.”
Among all the longings of a homesick traveler, the deepest is invariably the one for his mother. He knows that her concern for him is never ending and he will always be fondly remembered even when he is thousands of miles away from her.
An article of clothing will evoke different sentiments in the traveler wearing it; depending on whether it was bought, a gift, or hand-made by his mother, stitch by stitch overnight. His feelings will also be determined by whether he can appreciate the tender loving kindness of his mother.
Though the six characters that form Namo Amitabha Buddha appear the same to all people, the feeling evoked in those who recite it can be quite different. The difference lies in whether a reciter understands the meaning of Amitabha
Buddha’s vow, saying “If ... sentient beings fail to be reborn in my Land of Bliss, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment.”.
48. 遊子吟喻
≈ 遊子吟 ——「慈母為子編毛衣」的愛心 ≈
慈母手中線，遊子身上衣；
臨行密密縫，意恐遲遲歸。（唐‧孟郊）
世上最偉大的愛是「母愛」，母愛是天性，每個孩子都是媽媽的心肝寶貝， 從懷孕的第一天開始，就註定了一世的牽掛，一生的情緣。孩子的一切，是媽 媽的唯一，她歡喜接納、犧牲奉獻、無怨無悔。
這二十個字，是唐朝詩人孟郊所寫的，編在《唐詩三百首》裏。這首詩，所 謂「慈母為子編毛衣」的愛心 — 由慈母手中一針一線所編織的毛衣，點點滴 滴都是母親的愛心。密密縫出的一絲半縷，都藏著慈母對離鄉背井的遊子日 夜不停的牽掛與思念，唯願孩子吃飽穿暖、平安健康、幸福美滿。
「浮雲遊子意，落日故人情。」遠遊異鄉的人，對故鄉的眷念與思念裡，最深 刻最難忘的，恐怕就是家中殷殷切切日夜牽掛兒女的慈母了，因為「兒行千里 母擔憂」啊！
一件毛線衣，如果是買來的，或是別人送的，跟母親在夜光下一針一線織 出來的，穿在遊子身上的感受必然不同；穿著這件毛衣遠行在外的遊子，能否 體會慈母的愛心、苦心，那心情也會不一樣。
同樣是一句名號，理解「若不生者，不取正覺」的內涵，跟不理解它的內涵 的人，稱念起來內心的感受也是不一樣的。
Namo Amituofo!
