July 8, 2026
Clarifying Doubts About the Pure Land (I)
淨土釋疑(一)
Answer to Question 40 (6 /6):
There is another story mentioned in The Collected Writings of Master Yinguang.
Master Yinguang related that in recent years, the practice of Buddha-recitation had become very popular in Wuxi. There was a cook who specialized in preparing vegetarian meals. Whenever a temple held a Dharma assembly or a seven-day Buddha-recitation retreat (Fo Qi), he would often be invited to serve as the cook.
While working in the kitchen, he did not personally join the assembly in the main hall to participate in the Buddha-recitation retreat. Nevertheless, throughout the temple he could constantly hear the sound of people reciting Namo Amituofo. Thus, while carrying out his kitchen duties, his ears were continuously filled with the sound of Buddha-recitation.
One day, this cook's son was approaching death. Just before passing away, he said to his father: “Dad, Dad, I am about to leave this world; but, I cannot go to a good place. You have heard many recitations of Namo Amituofo. If you share some of those with me, I will be able to go to a good place.”
His father replied: “But I don't recite Namo Amituofo, how could I possibly have any Buddhas?”
The son answered: “Yes, you do. You have heard many recitations! If you share them with me, I will be able to go to a good place.”
His father said: “Take as many as you need.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the son peacefully breathed his last.
Afterward, the father consulted others, saying: “My son said that I had the merits from hearing many recitations of Namo Amituofo. Where did these merits come from?”
Someone who truly understood the matter explained: “You spent your time cooking for people at the temple. During those seven-day retreats, every single recitation of Namo Amituofo that entered your ears became yours. All of it is now stored within the treasury of your Alaya-consciousness (storehouse consciousness). Namo Amituofo contains his very essence. Within it are contained all the merits and virtues that he accumulated through countless lifetimes and immeasurable kalpas of practicing the Six Pāramitās and all virtuous deeds. Naturally, its merit is immense. You heard it unintentionally, yet still gained such
benefit. If you had listened with full awareness and intention, the merit would have been even greater!”
The benefits from reciting Namo Amitabha Buddha are so great because they are the crystallization of all merits and virtues. It is a “storehouse of merits” (gongde ju)—the gathering place of all merits and virtues. It is like a wish-fulfilling jewel (maṇi gem) that can produce all kinds of treasures. Namo Amitabha Buddha functions in exactly the same way.
This differs from listening to the recitation of a sutra. The passages that follow are different from those that precede them. Even if you listen attentively to someone chanting a sutra, you may not know where they are in the text or fully understand what is being recited.
Namo Amitabha Buddha, however, is different. Whether it is recited a hundred times or a thousand times, it is always: “Namo Amitabha Buddha, Namo Amitabha Buddha, Namo Amitabha Buddha...”
No matter how absent-mindedly one listens, one can still clearly hear and recognize: “Namo Amitabha Buddha, Namo Amitabha Buddha.”
Therefore, Namo Amitabha Buddha is simple and easy to receive; yet, its merits and virtues are extraordinarily great. There are many stories of this kind.
40問：師父講的公案，就是地獄眾生聽到阿彌陀佛六字名號，即得往生。我們 人間是不是也有聽聞而往生的，請師父開示。(6 /6)
答(6 /6)：還有一則故事，是《印光法師文鈔》裏面談到的。他說：最近無錫念佛 風氣很盛，有一個廚師，是做素食的，每逢寺院舉辦法會或者打佛七的時候， 人家都請他去當廚師。他在廚房料理，沒有直接到大殿跟隨大眾去打佛七。 可是在寺院裏面，人家念佛的聲音卻會聽到。他一方面在廚房工作，一方面 耳朵聽到的都是念佛的聲音。
有一天，這位廚師的兒子要死了，臨死之前跟他說：「爸爸，爸爸，我現在 要離開世間了，但是我不能夠去好的地方。你有很多佛，如果你的佛給我，我 就能去好的地方。」
他爸爸說：「我又沒有念佛，我哪裡有佛？」
兒子說：「有啦，你的佛很多！只要你給我，我就能夠去好的地方。」 他爸爸說：「要多少你儘管拿去。」
這話一說，他的兒子就安詳地斷氣了。
事後他請教人家說：「我兒子說我的佛好多，我平常很少念佛，佛是從哪 裡來的？」
真正懂得的人就告訴他說：「你幫人家做菜，在那裏聽七天的佛號，每一 聲每一聲聽進去，都是你的，都存在你的阿賴耶識倉庫裏面。佛號本來就是 彌陀的本體，彌陀累生累劫，兆載永劫所累積的六度萬行通通在裏面，當然 功德就很大。你是無意在聽，如果有心聽，功德就更大！」
佛號利益大，是因為這句六字洪名本身就是所有功德的結晶——「功德 聚」（所有功德聚集的地方，叫做功德聚），也就是摩尼寶珠，能吐生種種的寶 物，這句名號也是一樣。不像經文，後面的經文跟前面的經文各不一樣，你即 使專心地聽人家誦經，也不曉得誦到哪裡、在誦什麼內容，不知道。這句名號 ，百句、千句都是「南無阿彌陀佛、南無阿彌陀佛、南無阿彌陀佛……」，你再 怎樣無心地聽，還是能聽清楚這就是「南無阿彌陀佛、南無阿彌陀佛」，所以， 名號簡單容易，而功德卻非常之大。像這類的故事很多。
Namo Amituofo!
