Important Knowledge in the Pure Land Teaching
淨土小常識
182. The 19th Vow: “Cultivating Various Merits”
The 19th Vow in the Infinite Life Sutra states:
“If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings of the ten directions awaken the Bodhi-mind, cultivate various merits, and with sincere mind make the vow to be born in my land; yet, at the time of their death I do not appear before them, surrounded by a great assembly, then may I not attain perfect enlightenment.”
The causal practice described in the 19th Vow is not the same as that in the 18th Vow. The 18th Vow teaches the exclusive recitation of Namo Amitabha Buddha and completely relies on the Buddha’s power. In contrast, the 19th Vow belongs to the Sacred Path and relies upon one’s own efforts (“arousing the Bodhi-mind and cultivating various merits”) Practitioners then dedicate these merits in aspiration for birth in the Land of Bliss.
For such beings, the Buddha guarantees through this vow that, at the end of their lives, he will appear together with the holy assembly to welcome and guide them to the Pure Land. This is a skillful means that accords with the capacities of sentient beings, gradually guiding practitioners of the Sacred Path to enter the Pure Land path.
However, the merits cultivated through self-power, when compared with the merits of Namo Amitabha Buddha, contain“few roots of goodness and blessings.” They do not correspond to the immeasurable fruit-virtue of the Land of Bliss and therefore cannot serve as the true basis for rebirth.
Thus Master Tanluan states in his Commentary on the Treatise on Rebirth:
“All the good deeds of ordinary beings and devas, and the rewards of the human and heavenly realms—whether causes or results—are all inverted and false. Therefore they are called unreal merits.”
(to be continued tomorrow)
182 第十九願「修諸功德」論
《無量壽經》第十九願說：
設我得佛，十方眾生，發菩提心，
修諸功德，至心發願，欲生我國，臨壽終時，
假令不與大眾圍繞現其人前者，不取正覺。
第十九願的修因，不是第十八願的稱念佛名、直乘佛力，而是聖道門的靠 自力「發菩提心，修諸功德」，迴向此功德求生極樂。這樣的眾生臨終時，佛以 此願保證與聖眾現前接引。這是隨順眾生根機，方便引導聖道門行者歸入淨 土門。因為自力所修功德若與六字名號功德相比，是「少善根福德因緣」，與 極樂果德不匹配，不可為往生憑據。故曇鸞大師《往生論註》說：
凡夫人天諸善、人天果報，若因若果，皆是顛倒，皆是虛偽，是故名不實功德。
Namo Amituofo!
