July 23, 2025

July 23, 2025

Important Knowledge in the Pure Land Teaching

淨土小常識

158. The Self-Awareness of an Amitabha-Reciter (continued)

For instance, Honen Shonin called himself “the foolish Honen,” “the ten-evils Hōnen,” and even said, “Honen is not suited to the Three Learnings [precepts, meditation, and wisdom].” Yet these words were not meant to suggest that he was truly ignorant or unwise. In fact, during his time, Honen was widely revered as a monk who fully abided by the precepts and was honored as “the wisest among the wise.”

Even though he referred to himself as “ten-evils Honen,” Honen Shonin was certainly not someone who committed the ten most evil deeds, such as killing, stealing, or sexual misconduct. Rather, he was a holy monk devoted to the Nembutsu, living a life of purity.

Therefore, someone who, from the depths of their being, recognizes themselves as evil, deluded, and ordinary is in fact a person of profound faith in Amitabha-recitation. This deep, subjective awareness of the karmic evil we all bear, forms the basis of deep faith in aptitude. Such a person can be said to be a truly sincere and reverent Amitabha-reciter.

158 念佛人的自覺 (續)

如上所述，罪業惡業的自覺是對自己的主體性自覺，認為自己是愚癡者， 是罪惡者，是具足煩惱者，換一種客觀的角度來看，可以認 為這是極為虔敬 的念佛者。如法然上人自稱是「愚癡法然」、「十惡法然」，又說「法然非三學之 器」，雖然以這樣的文字流露自己的自覺，但絕對不是說法然上人是愚癡無智 的人。在當時法然上人被大眾尊崇為戒德優秀的高僧，是被稱為「智慧第一的 法然」而被尊敬的人。

雖然又自稱「十惡的法然」，但法然上人絕對不是去做如殺生、偷盜、邪淫 等十惡的人。法然上人是念佛的聖者、清淨僧。

所以，主體性的自覺到自己是罪惡生死凡夫的人，這種人是信心極深的 念佛者。這主體性的罪惡之自覺就是機深信的內容，可以說此人是具足深心 的虔敬念佛人。

Namo Amituofo!

July 22, 2025

July 22, 2025

Important Knowledge in the Pure Land Teaching

淨土小常識

158. The Self-Awareness of an Amitabha-Reciter (continued)

Honen Shonin, the founder of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism, described this mental state in his Petition for Entering the Mountain Monastery:

“Wandering through the three realms of delusion, where do I go? I was not born in the time of the Buddha’s appearance in the world.

Circulating through the four modes of birth — what form do I take? I did not hear the Tathagata’s teaching.

I never joined the assembly for the teaching of the Avatamsaka Sutra; I was not present at the preaching of the Prajna-paramita.

I was not at Vulture Peak for the Buddha’s Dharma discourses. I was not in the forest of Kuśinagara for the Buddha’s Nirvana.

Was I living in the city of Sravasti among the 300 million households, or was I suffering in the deepest hells of the eight scorching flames?

How pitiful, sorrowful and tragic!”

With this passage, Honen conveys the sorrowful emotion of being lost in the three realms of delusion, unable to be born during the Buddha’s time or to directly hear the Dharma. It is a deeply personal realization that one has been endlessly wandering through the cycles of birth and death in the six realms of existence since time without beginning. This is the state of self-aware subjectivity, clearly revealing the inner sense of being caught in delusion, afflicted by karmic hindrances, and disconnected from the Buddha’s teaching of deliverance.

As described above, this awareness of one’s evil karma is a deeply personal, subjective self-realization. It is to recognize oneself as ordinary, deluded, and filled with afflictions. Seen from another perspective, such recognition is the mark of an extremely sincere and reverent Amitabha-reciter.

(to be continued tomorrow)

158 念佛人的自覺 (續)

日本法然上人在其《登山狀》中對此心境說：

流浪三界之中，往何界乎？不遇釋尊之出世；

輪迴四生之間，受何生乎？不聞如來之說法。

未參華嚴開講之筵，亦未列般若演說之座；

未臨鷲峰說法之庭，亦未至鶴林涅槃之場。

我宿舍衛三億之家乎？我住地獄八熱之底乎？

可慚可恥！可悲可傷！

講述了自身流浪於迷界之三界間，對於不能生在佛世，不能親聞佛法而 感到悲嘆的心情。

此心境是將自己從曠劫以來流轉生死，迷於三界六道的世界，主體性的 自覺境地，明顯地表露出來。這是自身因為煩惱而流轉於生死世界的存在， 又因為沒有遇到佛的教法，而屢犯罪業的自己罪業之自覺心境。

Namo Amituofo!

July 21, 2025

July 21, 2025

Important Knowledge in the Pure Land Teaching

淨土小常識

158. The Self-Awareness of an Amitabha-Reciter

In the Pure Land tradition, it is believed that all afflictions can be completely eliminated and enlightenment can be attained only after being reborn in Amitabha’s Pure Land. This is because, in this age of Dharma Decline , spiritually ordinary and deluded beings like us are incapable of cutting off our afflictions while still in this present life. Therefore, rebirth in the Pure Land comes first, followed by the elimination of afflictions and the realization of enlightenment.

Master Shandao explains this in his Commentary on the Contemplation Sutra, in the section entitled “The Meaning of Meditative and Non-meditative Virtues,” the concept of "deep faith in aptitude" (機深信), saying:

“Have firm and decisive faith that one is, in reality, a deluded ordinary being who, since time immemorial, has been endlessly entrapped in the cycle of birth and death, without the causes or conditions for liberation.”

To have deep faith that one is a “deluded, ordinary being,” a “being filled with afflictions,” is to be what Shandao calls a self-aware ordinary being. This is someone who deeply reflects on and recognizes his/her own suffering and

delusion in this present existence. In other words, such a person is profoundly aware that he/she is an ordinary being, full of afflictions. This is what is meant by the reciter’s deep faith.

This kind of heartfelt self-awareness is a subjective realization of one's own evil deeds and karmic burdens — a deeply rooted reflection on one’s hopeless and helpless condition in samsara. It is the realization of one's heavy karmic burden, with no means of self-salvation.

(to be continued tomorrow)

158 念佛人的自覺

以淨土宗而言，所有一切的煩惱是在往生彌陀淨土之後便可完全斷除， 並且證悟成佛。這是因為末法今時的下根下智凡夫，現世中無論如何都斷不 了煩惱的緣故。因此，先往生淨土，之後斷煩惱，得證悟。

善導大師《觀經疏‧散善義》中，機深信說： 決定深信，自身現是罪惡生死凡夫，曠劫以來常沒常流轉，無有出離之緣。

深信自身現是「罪惡生死凡夫」、「具足煩惱凡夫」，這種深信的「凡夫」，是 指自覺「自身是煩惱的存在」的「自覺凡夫」，能夠深入反省並自覺現實自身的 苦惱和迷惑的凡夫。即，深刻自覺我是具足煩惱的凡夫，叫作機深信的凡夫。

這是主體性的自覺自己的惡業罪業的心境，是深信自己具有這樣的罪業 ，這是對現實永遠無助的自己，深重罪業的自我反省。

Namo Amituofo!