August 23 2021

Aug 23, 2021

Master Yinguang’s Short Teaching Advising the Practice of the Particular Teaching

印光大師「帶業往生」之文(佛力帶業往生)

Amitabha Buddha is the Magnificent Name with a myriad of virtues. It can act like a great furnace. Our karmic offenses, accumulated in many past lives, are like snowflake in the air.

For an ordinary being bound by karmic forces, his karma will be extinguished because of reciting the Buddha’s Name. It is just like snowflake that get too close to a burning furnace. They will disappear immediately.

Moreover, when those karmic forces are removed, all of the virtuous roots will naturally grow and splendidly flourish. So, why do we doubt our ability to attain rebirth? Why do we doubt the Buddha’s arrival to welcome us home?

阿彌陀佛萬德洪名,如大冶洪爐。吾人多生罪業,如空中片雪。

業力凡夫,由念佛故,業便消滅。如片雪近於洪爐,即便了不可得。

又況業力既消,所有善根,自然增長殊勝,又何可疑其不得生,與佛不來接引乎!

Namo Amituofo!

July 26 2021

Jul 26, 2021

Master Yinguang’s Short Teaching offering the Advice of Practicing the Particular Teaching and Discarding Self-Power

印光大師「全是佛力」之文(坐船過海之喻)

A grain of sand will sink immediately when placed in water. However, even If tons of gravel and boulders are placed on a big ship, they will easily be transported to other places without sinking. Gravel and boulders resemble sentient beings’ heavy karma, and the big ship resembles the power of Amitabha’s infinite compassion.

If we do not recite Amitabha’s Name but rely on our own power of cultivation to end being trapped in the cycle of birth-and-death, we must reach the state in which our karma is completely extinguished and we reach a meditative state of emptiness. We cannot be liberated from the cycle of birth-and-death if we have even a tiny shred of affliction and delusive karma remaining. We are like grains of sand that sink to the bottom of water, in the way that a grain of sand cannot get out of water on its own.

譬如一顆沙子,入水即沉,縱有數千萬斤石,裝於大火輪船中,即可不沉而運於他處,以隨意使用也。石喻眾生之業力深重,大火輪喻彌陀之慈力廣大。

若不念佛,仗自己修持之力,欲了生死,須到業盡情空地位方可。否則縱令煩惱惑業斷得只有一絲毫,亦不能了,喻如極小之沙子,亦必沉於水中,決不能自己出於水外。

Namo Amituofo!

July 10 2021

Jul 10, 2021

Master Yinguang’s Short Teaching offering Advice on Practicing the Particular Teaching and Discarding Self-Power

「自謂弘法」之文(法門相混之錯)

(continued)

We should know that Buddha-power is inconceivable. It cannot be compared with the power of cultivation of ordinary beings, who are entangled with afflictions. Buddha-power enables the clearing of all delusions and doubts in the minds of ordinary beings.

In the era of the Buddha’s teaching the Pure Land teaching is unique, as its practice in cultivation and realization in terms of cause and fruition is different. The “apple” of the Pure Land teaching cannot be compared with the “apple” of the teachings of the General Path.

使知佛力不可思議,不能以具縛凡夫修持之力相為並論,則凡一切疑惑不信之心,化為烏有。

於一代時教中,獨為特別法門,其修證因果,不得以通途教義相繩。

Namo Amituofo!

July 9 2021

Jul 9, 2021

Master Yinguang’s Short Teaching offering the Advice of Practicing the Particular Teaching and Discarding Self-Power

「自謂弘法」之文(法門相混之錯)

Many masters, who have been following the General Teachings, base their comments on the Pure Land teaching on those General Teachings. Through these mistakes they deprived themselves and misled other people. Many of them also say that they propagate this Dharma to benefit people.

They have made an initial mistake by not becoming aware of the differences in greatness and smallness, and the level of difficulty and easiness between Buddha-power and self-power paths. They forcefully twist the Pure Land teachings, by equating the teachings of reliance on self-power with the teaching of reliance on Buddha-power, in order to balance and harmonize them. This is a profound mistake.

(to be continued tomorrow)

古今多有依普通法門論淨土法門,由茲自誤誤人,而又自謂宏法利生者,不勝其多。其最初錯點,在不察佛力與自力之大小難易,以仗佛力之法門,硬引仗自力之法門,而欲平論,致有此失。

Namo Amituofo!