Wonderful Metaphors in the Pure Land School
淨土宗妙喻
Metaphor 69: Surrendering
In Master Yinguang’s Collected Works, it is also said that: “Surrendering means becoming a loyal subject. If someone who has slandered the Dharma thinks that he cannot attain rebirth even if he subsequently repents, he totally misunderstands the guiding standard for Buddhist practice, and its principle.”
This is like an enemy surrendering and becoming one of our own people. As long as one repents and recites Namo Amitabha Buddha, one can attain rebirth. If a person cannot do so, then what would be the point of speaking about Buddhist practice at all? This is the gist of Master Yinguang’s words.
69. 歸降喻
《印光大師文鈔》言：
歸降，即是順民也。
若謂謗法之人，後縱改悔，亦不得生，便完全失卻修持準繩。
像敵人歸降了，就是我們的國民。如果說以前曾經謗法，即使後來悔改了也 不能往生的話，那就失去了學佛修行的依準原則，就不曉得什麼是原則了。 所以，只要悔改，稱念佛名，亦可得生。若然做不到，又講什麼修行。這是印 光大師法語的要旨。
Namo Amituofo!
