Clarifying Doubts About the Pure Land (II)
淨土釋疑(二)
Answer to Q 53: (continued)
Master Jingzong once expressed this very well. He said:
“A person who truly entrusts himself to Amitabha Buddha’s deliverance, exclusively recites Amitabha Buddha’s Name, and aspires to be reborn in Amitabha’s Pure Land will inevitably be a respectful and humble person. He does not see his own goodness; what he sees is only his own evil. It is like trying to see the light of a candle under the bright sun. If you can still see the candlelight, it means you are still inside a dark room.”
For one who has faith in the person and faith in the Dharma, there is only a deep sense of shame and humility, knowing oneself to be an ordinary being burdened by offenses and caught in birth-and-death. Such a person does not feel that he or she has accomplished any significant spiritual practice.
Under Amitabha Buddha’s deliverance, even when we are able to accomplish something good, we do not regard it as anything remarkable. Thus, in this Dharma path, it is a matter of “I can neither do it, nor do I need to.” We are incapable of accomplishing these practices through our own power; but because Amitabha Buddha has already provided the way of deliverance, our inability is no longer something we need to worry about.
As the saying goes, “All fear is transformed into great peace and security.” This is precisely where that great peace and security lies. Otherwise, it would not truly be a Dharma path of deep and settled entrusting.
續答 Q53:
淨宗法師有一段話談的很好，他說：「一個真正信受彌陀救度，專稱彌陀佛名，願生彌陀淨土的念佛人，他必定是一個恭敬謙卑的人，他看不到自己的善，他所看到的只是自己的惡；就像在太陽底下看不到蠟燭的光，如果還看到蠟燭的光，就表示還在黑暗的房子裡面。」對於一個信機信法的人，他只有自感慚愧，知道自己是一個罪惡生死的凡夫，他不會覺得自己能有任何修行。在阿彌陀佛的救度之下，即使能做什麼事，也會覺得沒有什麼了不起。所以我們這個法門是「既不能，也不必」，我們做不到，而且因為有阿彌陀佛，做不到也沒掛礙。「一切恐懼為作大安」，大安就在這裡，不然就不是大安心的法門了。
Namo Amituofo!
