Clarifying Doubts About the Pure Land (I)
淨土釋疑(一)
Answer to Q44 : (3 /3)
But what if, at the end of life, illness or pain makes one unable to recite Namo Amitabha Buddha? Can one still be reborn? Certainly.
Master Tanluan once said: If a person merely hears of the purity and peace of that Land, and firmly resolves to be reborn there, that person will also attain rebirth and immediately enter the assembly of those whose rebirth is already established.
This means that the decisive cause of rebirth is not one's ability to recite Namo
Amitabha Buddha at the very last moment; but, the settled aspiration and faith that have already been established. Once a person has sincerely resolved to leave this world of suffering, aspired for rebirth in Amitabha's Land of Bliss, and entrusts oneself to Amitabha's deliverance through the exclusive recitation of Namo Amitabha Buddha, rebirth is assured. This is so even if illness at the end of life makes verbal recitation impossible.
44問：
答(3 /3)：
那臨終病痛念不出佛號也能往生嗎？照樣往生！曇鸞祖師曾經說過： 若人但聞彼國土清淨安樂，剋念願生，亦得往生，即入正定聚。
曇鸞大師這句話的意思是說：如果有人「但聞彼國土」，只是聽到極樂世 界這個國土是一個清淨安樂的國土，「啊，有那麼好的地方啊，那我也要去」 ——「剋念願生」，「剋念」就是切實有願生的心；「剋念願生，亦得往生」，這種 眾生也能往生極樂世界。
同時，「即入正定聚」，已經是必定成佛的身份了，叫「正定聚」。所以， 這種願生已經是含有信在裏邊了，因為他相信有極樂世界阿彌陀佛。有願、 有信，行也就在裏邊了，因為，行是阿彌陀佛兆載永劫所累積的功德，是要送 給這種願往生的眾生。願往生的眾生，在第十八願來講是經過彌陀所呼喚的 眾生啊！
剛剛講的這種眾生，無形中也是經過彌陀所呼喚的，為什麼？阿彌陀佛 的呼喚，是隨時隨地都在呼喚我們，有情無情都在為我們說法，他以極樂世 界的清淨莊嚴來吸引我們，只要能引起我們願往生的心，阿彌陀佛呼喚的目 的也就達到了。
Namo Amituofo!
