Wonderful Metaphors in the Pure Land School
淨土宗妙喻
Metaphor 71: Applying the Brakes
[The preventive aspect of Amitabha’s deliverance] is like applying the brakes in a car. When driving, you must move forward but also know when to brake, and not just brake for braking’s sake. You brake because you realize you’re headed in the wrong direction and need to change course. You need to slow down first or even
stop the car completely before turning the car in the right direction. So, it is not about slamming on the brakes permanently. It is only a temporary measure. It is about braking so that the car can move in the right direction and you eventually reach your destination.
Similarly, when Amitabha Buddha warns that “I will not deliver you if you commit the five gravest transgressions or slander the correct Dharma”, he does not really intend to exclude us from his deliverance permanently. It is only a warning needed to prevent such transgressions.
Just like a father wouldn’t say, “Son, I love you, so I don’t mind if you do evil things.” A father would not be happy if his son does evil. Of course that doesn’t mean he would break the tie with his mischievous son just because he had already warned the child against doing wrong.
Rather, he’d treat his son with compassion and kindness, hoping he would become virtuous and wise over time.
Likewise, we should appreciate Amitabha’s compassion and his true intention of saving sentient beings. On the one hand, he wants us to stop doing evil and do good. On the other hand, he wants us to take refuge in his deliverance. We must not treat Amitabha’s deliverance as a license to do evil.
71. 剎車喻
又像開車一樣，有前進就有剎車，但是剎車並不是為了剎車而剎車，是因 為發現方向錯誤了，必須改變方向，改變方向之前，就要先稍微剎車，甚至要 完全停下來，才能夠轉往正確的方向前進。所以，不是為了剎車而剎車，不是 為了永久剎車，剎車只是一時的權宜之計。剎車是為了正確前進，為了正確到達目的地。
所以，阿彌陀佛說：「你如果犯了五逆謗法罪，就不救你。」這個，不是永遠 的不救，也不是真正的不救，是權宜的不救。
好像父親不會因為愛護兒子而說：「兒子我愛你，所以你任何惡事都可以 做。」不可能這樣；也不會因為兒子做惡事而喜歡、更增加父子的關係。但也 不會因為曾警誡兒子不可以做壞事，一旦兒子做了壞事之後，就斷絕了父子 關係，也不是這樣。而是始終都以慈愛悲憫的心來對待兒子，希望他能夠由 君子而成賢成聖。
同樣的，我們也要深心體會阿彌陀佛希望我們凡夫都能夠超凡入聖的悲 心，體會阿彌陀佛救度眾生的本懷。阿彌陀佛一方面希望我們能夠改邪歸 正、棄惡從善，另一方面又希望我們能夠歸入彌陀的救度，我們不能因為有 了彌陀的救度，而縱惡為非。
Namo Amituofo!
