Aug 7

Aug 7, 2017
慧淨上人法語
念佛利益

(continued)

If we want to dissolve those karmas and repay the karmic debts, accumulation of merits through practicing worldly virtues is absolutely impossible. If we want to dissolve and repay them by our own effort—to attain merits and virtues through practicing Buddhist teachings, it is also impossible.

Then, what can we do? Rely on “Namo Amituofo”. Namo Amituofo is the great name of a myriad of virtues and possesses all kinds of merits and virtues of all practices, of which the quantity is inconceivable, immeasurable, and boundless.

By recitng “Namo Amituofo” solely and exclusively, we can repay all karmic debts (obstruction) of our past lives, reduce the retributions from heavy to light, and transform retributions in future lives to the present life, or even dissolve them completely.

如果靠我們行善積德，想要來化解、償還這種業，是絕對不可能的；靠自己修持佛法的功德來化解償還，也不可能。

那要怎麼辦？就是靠「南無阿彌陀佛」。這句 「南無阿彌陀佛」萬德洪名，具足所有的善行功德，而且多到不可思議、無量無邊。

我們只要專念「南無阿彌陀佛」，生生世世的業障都能夠償還，轉重報為輕報， 轉未來報為現世報，甚至完全化解。

Namo Amitabha!

Aug 6

Aug 6, 2017
慧淨上人法語
念佛利益

If one gets “sick” due to karmic obstruction, only the “medicine” of meritorious virtues can cure; otherwise, no matter how much money is spent, how many brilliant doctors are consulted, it does not yield any healing effect because the prescription is not right.

Taking into account of our numerous past lives, we have accumulated plentiful, extremely heavy karmas of killing centipedes, venomous snakes and various wild animals, as well as karmas of offending the enemies and creditors. Because we are illusory and ignorant, we don’t know becoming a vegetarian and taking care of other living beings. Since born, we have killed numerous ants, mosquitos, or even mice, snakes, from small insects to large animals. Just in one life, we have made enormous karmic enemies with other beings, not to mention those karmic offenses accumulated in numerous past lives. It is incalculable.

(continued tomorrow)

得業障病，唯有功德的藥才能對治，否則不管花多少錢，換多少高明醫生，也不會有效果，因為沒有對症。

論我們生生世世以來，所造殺蜈蚣、毒蛇、種種猛獸的業，冤家債主的業，非常之多，因為我們愚癡，不懂得吃素、護生，從小到大，不知害死多少螞蟻、蚊蟲，甚至害死老鼠、蛇，不論是小昆蟲還是大動物，一世所結的冤就很多，何況累世所造的殺業，就更不能計數了。

Aug 5

Aug 5, 2017
慧淨上人法語
念佛方法

Among the 84,000 kinds of teaching, invocation to the Buddha by name-recitation is the easiest one in practice and the most splendid one in terms of merits and virtues. Name-recitation is better than silent invocation in mind.

It is because Buddha-invocation in mind is not common, while name-recitation in voice can be practiced popularly. At the time near end-of-life, it is difficult for one to invoke Amitabha Buddha in mind when he is flurried and fearful. Name-recitation in voice, on the other hand, can eliminate his heavy karmic offenses in the past 8 billion eons that cause his birth-and-death.

Isn’t it meant that we can only recite the name in voice and cannot invoke Amitabha in mind? Not really. It is because that person belongs to the class at the lowest level in the low tier, and he is close to the end of his life. In our case, we can recite orally in our daily life. When tired, switch to silent recitation in mind.

八萬四千法門當中，方法最容易、功德又最殊勝的，就是稱名念佛。稱名念佛勝過心念的念佛。

因為心念的念佛不普遍，而口稱念佛能夠普遍；心念的念佛，於臨終的慌亂和恐懼中難以提起，而口稱的念佛卻能讓他聲聲消除八十億劫生死重罪。

難道我們念佛只可以嘴巴念佛心中不能念佛嗎？不是的，是因為那個人是下品下生的根機，他已經臨命終了；如果是我們，平常可以 一方面口念，口念累了就可以改為心中默念。

Namo Amitabha!

Aug 4

Aug 4, 2017
慧淨上人法語
凡夫入報

(continued)

Sentient beings’ mind is mixed with poisons, and their practices are conditioned and unreal; only Amitabha’s mind is pure, and his practices are real. So, only the power of Amitabha’s Fundamental Vow is taken into account, not the power of ordinary beings’ practices. Don’t take qualification of the sentient beings as a criteria for making judgment on whether rebirth is attained, but do ask whether one believes in Amitabha’s Fundamental Vow. Those who believe will be reborn; those who doubt will not.

In brief, the teaching of the Fundamental Vow targets mainly ordinary beings. If they believe in “other-power” and practice accordingly, they will be reborn in the rewarded land. In other words, those who are extremely stupid in the lowest class [without alternative choice], following the extremely virtuous and foremost teaching, are reborn in the extremely high and most splendid land.

蓋眾生皆是雜毒之心，虛假之行；唯有彌陀是清淨之心，真實之行。因此，不論眾生修行之力，只論彌陀本願之力。不可依眾生的資格論生不生， 應該就彌陀之本願問信不信。信者得生，疑者不生。

總之，本願法門是凡夫正機，他力信行，報土往生。亦即極愚最下之人，依極善最上之法，生極高最妙之土。

Namo Amitabha!

Aug 3

Aug 3, 2017
慧淨上人法語
凡夫入報

Without recourse to the vow, even a bodhisattva of equal enlightenment cannot be reborn [in the Land of Bliss], not to say an ordinary being. Concerning with the ordinary beings, they don’t even have the ability to liberate themselves from reincarnation within the Six Realms, how can they be reborn in a highly splendid reward land?

“Self-power” of those beings on the Five Vehicles is not the cause for their entering into the reward land; the main cause is the sole entrustment to the Buddha’s vow. No matter of what kinds of aptitude, and whether their deeds are virtuous or evil, rebirth in the reward land relies solely on the power of Amitabha’s Fundamental Vow, not on the practitioner’s own power.

(continued tomorrow)

若不乘彌陀願力，等覺菩薩無法往生，何況凡夫；若論凡夫，尚且無力脫離六道輪迴，何況往生高妙報土。

五乘自力非入報土之因，唯託本願才是正因。不論根機，不論善惡，往生報土，唯依彌陀本願之力，不依行者自身之力。

Aug 2 2017

Aug 2, 2017
慧淨上人法語
專稱彌陀佛名
(continued)

What is the intention [of saying this]? That is to encourage and urge people forward on Amitabha-recitation. To a person who is occupied with nothing all day, he will not slacken off. Thinking of the high ranking while being occupied with nothing, he is just right for reciting the name 30,000 times a day. To a person who is very busy, he will also squeeze some time and sit down quietly for reciting Amitabha’s name when he thinks of getting into the highest rank by reciting 30,000 times.

After rebirth, however, does he really in the rank at the highest level of the high tier? Actually, everyone reborn there surpasses the highest level of the high tier. If we understand this principle, and know that the intention of Master Shandao’s interpretation is urging us not to be slothful, we should try our best to recite as many as we can without forsaking, and not to slacken off. In brief, we should be apt in digesting the essence of the master’s words.

這有什麼用意呢？就是策勵人家念佛。因為這樣終日無事之人就不會懈怠，想到可以上品上生，他平日沒有其他事情，正好可以每天念三萬聲；多忙之人，他想到三萬聲可以上品上生，就可以忙裡偷閒，鬧中取靜來念佛。

可是到那裡是上品上生嗎？其實到那裡都是超越上品上生的。懂得這樣的道理，曉得善導大師這樣的解釋是要我們不懈怠，就要儘量念念不捨，不要懈怠。總之，應該善取大師的精神旨趣。

Namo Amitabha!

Aug 1 2017

Aug 1, 2017
慧淨上人法語
專稱彌陀佛名

Why does Master Shandao say that those who recite Amitabha’s name 30,000 times per day are at the highest level of the high tier? For practitioners of this school, this helps to prevent sloth and complacency. The 18th Vow says “even ten recitations”, and Master Shandao interprets this as “reciting the preeminent name “Namo Amituofo”, and also “invocations after invocations without forsaking”.

Since the meaning [of the 18th Vow] is reciting the preeminent name Namo Amituofo continuously without forsaking, Master Shandao puts those who recite 30,000 times per day on the highest level of the high tier, so as to encourage people to recite invariably and never give up.

(continued tomorrow)

善導大師為什麼說「日念三萬是上品上生」，對學這個法門的人，第一是防範他懈怠。第十八願說「乃至十念」，善導大師解釋「乃至十念」就是稱南無阿彌陀佛的名號，也解釋為「念念不捨」。

既然是稱南無阿彌陀佛的名號，而且是念念不捨，為了讓人家念念不捨，所以說每一天念三萬聲就是上品上生。

Namo Amitabha!