Wonderful Metaphors in the Pure Land School
淨土宗妙喻
Metaphor 61: All Rivers Taste the Same after Flowing into the Sea
“The water of the Zihe and the Shengshui rivers in the Shandong Province taste different when inland. However, once they have entered the sea, their difference disappears, and they have the same salty taste. Isn’t that amazing?”
By the same token, although the aptitudes and capabilities of us ordinary beings in the Saha World are all different, (some of us are virtuous, others are evil, some are bright, others dull), as long as we exclusively recite Namo Amitabha Buddha, we will all be reborn in the Pure Land. Our rebirth, through transformation in the Lotus Flowers of Enlightenment, is due to the augmentative karma of the Dharma Path of Amitabha-recitation.
We all take on the same form after rebirth in the Pure Land, having the same physical characteristics and features.
61. 淄澠一味喻
「亦如淄澠一味，焉可思議」：淄、澠是山東省兩條河的名字，這兩條河的水 在陸地上的時候當然味道不相同，可是到了大海，就同一個味道了，平等沒 有差別。所以說，在這娑婆世界根機有善惡利鈍，可是同樣念佛，這個法是強 緣，使得善惡利鈍的凡夫都通通往生在正覺華上，所以就沒有「一二之殊」， 沒有三、九、八十一種種的差別之相。
Namo Amituofo!
