Q and A about Practicing Amitabha-Recitation
Part Four - The Mindset and Practice in Daily Life
念佛實用問答(4) - 日常心行
Answer to Q81 (3/3)
4. Know how to turn the mind around.
Once you become aware of delusive and scattered thoughts, simply let them go. Do not pay attention to them! Just keep returning to the exclusive recitation of Namo Amitabha Buddha.
Take the shadows of trees under the moonlight as an example. The more intently you stare at the shadows, the darker they seem. However, if you turn your eyes away and look instead at the bright full moon in the vast sky, while enjoying the gentle breeze upon your face, your mind immediately becomes more spacious and open.
When the sutras say “single-mindedly recite”, this is precisely the meaning.
Let the delusive and scattered thoughts be. Do not become entangled in them. Simply turn toward Amitabha and exclusively recite Namo Amitabha Buddha. The delusive thoughts will naturally arise and naturally cease. Why then, do we need to force them to cease?
Ultimately, the main problem is that we are unable to accept that we are ordinary beings. We must rely upon Amitabha Buddha and exclusively recite Namo Amitabha Buddha.
If we understand that being an ordinary being naturally means having delusive and scattered thoughts—just as being human naturally means having eyes and a nose—we will no longer regard these thoughts as something foreign to us that must be eliminated at all costs. Then we will not add further delusion to our
original delusions by struggling against them.
This brings to mind the old saying: “There is originally nothing to trouble oneself about; it is the ordinary person who creates trouble for himself.”
We could also say: “There is originally nothing troublesome about reciting Namo Amitabha Buddha; it is the ordinary person who troubles himself.”
When we recite Namo Amitabha Buddha , there is no problem whatsoever on Amitabha Buddha’s side. There are no conditions or restrictions. It is only that we create our own rules and impose our own limitations, thereby disturbing ourselves.
續答Q81 (3/3)
四、會轉念。一旦覺察到妄想雜念，就把它放下，不理會它，轉而念阿彌陀 佛。比如月光下的樹影，你越是盯住它看，便越覺得黑暗；把眼睛轉過來， 看皓皓空中明月，賞習習迎面清風，心地就一下開闊起來。經中說「一向專 念」，正是這個意思。妄想雜念，隨它去，不和它糾纏，只管向著阿彌陀佛， 念佛就好，妄念自然自生還自滅，又何必硬讓它滅呢？
說到底，還是我們不能安守凡夫的本份來老實念佛。如果知道身為凡夫就 是有妄想雜念，就像是人就有眼睛、鼻子一樣自然，也就不會視其為身外之 物、必欲除之而後快，則不至於因妄增妄了。正應了一句古話，
「世上本無事，庸人自擾之」。也可說「念佛本無事，庸人自擾之」。念佛，阿 彌陀佛那邊是什麼事也沒有，什麼條件限制也沒有，只是我們自立科條， 自我設限，擾亂了自己。
Namo Amituofo!
