Important Knowledge in the Pure Land Teaching
淨土小常識
175. The Five Kinds of Difficulties (5 /5)
In other words, the Easy Path is easy precisely because we can fully rely on Amitabha Buddha’s vow-power. The Easy Path is a path of other-power. Rebirth in the Pure Land depends entirely on Amitabha Buddha’s power. Thus, it is also called the path of horizontal transcendence. If one does not rely on the Amitabha’s power; but, instead relies on self-power, that is the Difficult Path—a vertical path of ascent. One is vertical ascent; the other is horizontal transcendence. One is self-power; the other is other-power. One is difficult; the other is easy. The difference between them is immense—indeed, worlds apart.
Through the contrast between self-power and other-power, Master Tanluan expounds Nagarjuna Bodhisattva’s teaching of the two paths: difficult and easy.
175 五種難 (5 /5)
換句話說，易行道之所以易，在於有阿彌陀佛的願力可乘；易行道就是他 力的法門，往生淨土靠的是佛力，所以也叫做橫超的法門。如果不是靠佛力， 而是靠自力，那就是難行道，是豎出的法門。一個是豎出，一個是橫超；一個 是自力，一個是他力；一個難行，一個易行，兩者顯然有很大的差別，而且是 天差地別。
曇鸞大師以「自他二力」的對比，詮釋了龍樹菩薩的「難易二道」。
Namo Amituofo!
