Common Knowledge in the Pure Land Teaching
淨土小常識
187. Self-Doing, Self-Receiving; Other-Doing, Self-Receiving; Self-Doing, Other-Receiving (1 /4)
Buddhism is founded upon the law of cause and effect (karma). No Dharma teaching can ever contradict causality. However, the way causality manifests differs according to the particular Dharma gate. The following discussion examines the differences between the Path of Sages and the Pure Land Path from three perspectives: the self-powered principle of "self-doing, self-receiving", and the
other-powered principles of "other-doing, self-receiving" and "self-doing, other-receiving."
1. Self-Doing, Self-Receiving (The Self-Powered Causality of the Sacred Path)
The Sacred Path is a self-powered teaching. It is based on "one's own cause and one's own result," that is, "self-doing, self-receiving." One creates wholesome causes and personally receives pleasant results; one creates unwholesome causes and undergoes painful results. Good deeds bring good rewards, and evil deeds bring evil consequences. Everything must be borne by oneself.
For example, when you eat, you become full; when you study diligently, you achieve good results. When another person drinks alcohol, that person becomes intoxicated; when another person works hard, that person receives the reward. Each individual experiences his or her own karmic results. As the saying goes, "You reap what you sow." Only after sweating and laboring in the field can one fully enjoy a joyful harvest.
(to be continued tomorrow)
187. 自作自受、他作自受、自作他受 (1/ 4)
佛法建立在因果上，任何法門都不可能違背因果。但因果的呈現方式，卻因 法門的不同而有所差別。以下從三個角度，來看因果在聖道門與淨土門中的 差別：自力的「自作自受」，以及他力的「他作自受」與「自作他受」。
一、自作自受（聖道門的自力因果）
聖道門是自力法門，屬於「自因自果」，也就是「自作自受」──自己造善因 ，自己得樂果；自己造惡因，自己受苦果。善有善報，惡有惡報，一切都要自己 承擔。
譬如：自己吃飯自己飽，自己用功自己成績好；他人喝酒他人醉，他人努 力他人得──這都是各自承受果報，所謂「要怎麼收穫，就怎麼耕耘」，也唯有 流汗耕耘之後，才有歡喜踴躍的收穫。
Namo Amituofo!
