Wonderful Metaphors in the Pure Land School
淨土宗妙喻
Metaphor 55: Reflections of the Moon (3 /3 )
Amitabha’s love is thorough and his deliverance is unconditional. He vows to save all sentient beings of the ten directions, forsaking no one. The Buddha yearns for the rebirth of all sentient beings in his Land of Bliss and does not wish to see one single person abandoned in the Saha World.
However, those who do not exclusively recite Namo Amitabha Buddha will not be able to resonate with the Buddha and thus can solicit no response from him. This is like someone who fails to switch on a light — the lamp simply will not light up.
As Master Yinguang says, “If we can set our mind firmly on liberation from the circle of life and death, and believe in [this Pure Land teaching] without a shred of doubt; though we still live in the Saha World, we are its long-term residents no more. Even though we haven’t yet been born in the Land of Bliss, we are already its guests.”
55. 月影喻 (3 /3)
彌陀愛心徹底，而且無條件；彌陀救度徹底，也是無條件，彌陀願救十方 眾生，無有眾生不加救度。彌陀深願十方眾生都往生極樂，不願一人獨留娑 婆。但若不念佛，則眾生與佛沒有交集，不能感應道交，猶如不按開關，電燈 不亮。若能願生、稱名，誓畢此生無有退轉，則現在已經蒙佛救度了，已經往 生決定了，已非生死凡夫，已是極樂聖眾。
印光大師說：
果能生死心切，信得及，不生一念疑惑之心。
則雖未出娑婆，已非娑婆之久客；
未生極樂，即是極樂之嘉賓。
Namo Amituofo!
