Wonderful Metaphors in the Pure Land School
淨土宗妙喻
Metaphor 74: A Grand Net
The 18th Vow of Amitabha Buddha is like a grand net, with layer after layer of tactful expedients, each embodying the twin aspects of Amitabha’s deliverance - the embracing compassion and the warning wisdom. Regardless of whether the sentient beings in the ten directions are good or evil, or the severity of their offences, all are contained in the grand net of the 18th Vow of Amitabha Buddha.
Just as all fish in the sea, from the largest whales to the smallest whitebait, can be caught in a huge net with none overlooked; so are all ordinary beings, whether virtuous or evil. They are all guaranteed rebirth in Amitabha’s Land of Bliss, provided they dedicate their hearts towards this aspiration. Of those who exclusively recite “Namo Amitabha Buddha” there is not one who cannot be reborn. Therefore, all sentient beings can be likened to the marine life in the vast ocean, and Amitabha Buddha’s salvation is akin to a grand net. Not a single fish can slip through this net.
74. 大網喻
如斯層層方便，皆顯彌陀，攝抑二門，悲智雙運；十方眾生，不論善惡輕重，皆 在彌陀本願大網之中，無一遺漏，但能迴心，願生稱名，無一不生。
像這樣一層層的方便，每一層每一層都在顯示阿彌陀佛以攝取的救度跟抑止 的警惕這兩門，也就是慈悲智慧雙運，使十方眾生不論是善是惡、善惡是輕 是重，都在阿彌陀佛的第十八願大網之中。好像大海裏的魚，無論是大鯨魚 還是小魚、吻仔魚，都在這個大網裏面，沒有一條是被遺漏的。只要善惡凡夫 ，能夠迴心願生極樂，願生之後，一輩子專念這句「南無阿彌陀佛」，就沒有一 個不能往生的。人人都可念佛，人人都可往生，所以，一切眾生如同大海中的 水族，而阿彌陀佛的救度如同大網，絕無漏網之魚。
Namo Amituofo!
