Oct 31 2017

Oct 31, 2017
慧淨上人法語
專稱彌陀佛名

“Always exclusively reciting Amitabha’s name”, as explained by Master Shandao, carries the meaning of allowing Amitabha Buddha at all times to deliver at His discretion. It is because the six-character great name of “Namo Amituofo” is endowed with all merits and virtues that can deliver all sentient beings in the ten directions. Any sentient being who allows Amitabha Buddha at all times to deliver at His discretion, and exclusively recite Amitabha’s name, will naturally receive all Amitabha’s merits and virtues. It is not necessary for him to dedicate the “self-powered practice of buddha-contemplation” or “self-powered name-recitation” for [Amitabha’s] deliverance.

善導大師所解釋的「一向專稱彌陀佛名」，在此有一向任憑阿彌陀佛的救度之意，因為南無阿彌陀佛的六字洪名具足全部功德，能救度十方所有眾生，任何眾生只要一向任憑彌陀之救度，專稱彌陀之名號，就已領受彌陀之全部功德，而不是要門迴向求救之自力觀佛或自力稱名。

Namo Amitabha!

Oct 30

Oct 30, 2017
慧淨上人法語
信受彌陀救度

With respect to a person who believes and accepts Amitabha’s deliverance, the greatest matter is the grace of Amitabha’s deliverance. Hence, it is natural to recollect and invoke the Buddha. All other matters are relatively diluted.

There is a saying, “If the mind towards enlightenment is deep and concentrated, the mind towards mundane matters will be shallow and diluted. If our mind towards worldly matters is deep and concentrated, the mind towards enlightenment will be shallow and diluted.” Thus, a person who believes and accepts Amitabha’s deliverance will recollect and invoke the Buddha naturally.

信受彌陀救度的人，對他來說，天下最重大的事情就是彌陀的救恩，所以他會自然地去憶佛念佛，其他的事情就會淡了。

有句語說：「道念濃厚，俗念就淡薄；世念濃厚，道念就淡薄。」所以，信受彌陀救度的人自然會憶佛念佛。

Namo Amitabha!

Oct 29

Oct 29, 2017
慧淨上人法語
正依經典

Every sect and school must have its own primary sutras to based on, otherwise no matter how it is expressed in profound and mysterious words, or how efficacious and moved it is, or appealing in attracting many people, the teaching is known as “heretic”, because it is not spoken by the Buddha.

The primary sutras that the Pure Land sect is based are: The Buddha-Spoken Infinite Life Sutra, The Buddha-Spoken Contemplation Sutra, The Buddha-Spoken Amitabha Sutra. They are known as the “Three Pure Land Sutras”.

各宗各派都必須有其經典依據，否則即使講的再高深、玄妙，再有感應、動人，能夠吸引廣大的人眾聚集，但如果沒有依據經典，不合乎佛說，那這一個法就是外道。

我們淨土宗依據的經典就是「淨土三部經」，也就是：《佛說無量壽經》、《佛說觀無量壽經》、《佛說阿彌陀經》。

Namo Amitabha!

Oct 28

Oct 28, 2017
慧淨上人法語
淨土信仰

The central theme of the Pure Land teaching is the Name – Namo Amituofo. We take this Name as our life. Our practice is based on the Name. Besides, Amitabha-recitation is also our dharma joy.

淨土法門的中心，就是「南無阿彌陀佛」這句名號，以名號為我們的生命、以名號為我們的修持，也以念佛為我們的法樂。

Namo Amitabha!

Oct 27

Oct 27, 2017
慧淨上人法語
淨土宗宗風俗諦

Contents of the attributes is just like a mirror, without which we can’t see dirty faces and don’t know cleaning is required. Facing the mirror of the attributes, we can discover our habitual behaviours and faults, and hence feel more ashamed.  Also because of the reflective function of the dharma mirror, we can sense our blemishes, face them squarely, and set the goals for improvement. Although we may not be able to achieve a hundred percent of the goals, but at least we can accomplish certain portions. 

So, I hope everyone will think about the attributes at least one time per day, put them into daily practice, and have them blended into the marrow and transformed into our life, so that our speech and behaviour are the same as the contents of the attributes.

宗風的內容就像一面鏡子，不面對鏡子，就不知道容貌骯髒，也不知要擦拭乾淨，面對宗風這一面鏡子的時候，就會發現自己的習性，發現自己的缺陷，而更加的慚愧；也因為面對法鏡，愈感自己缺陷，才更加要面對，使自己知所改進，不能百分之百達到，至少可以做到幾分或幾十分。

所以希望大家，每天都將之思惟一遍，落實在生活中，使其融為我們的骨髓，化成我們的生命，使我們的言語行為就如同宗風這些內容。

Namo Amitabha!

Oct 26

Oct 26, 2017
慧淨上人法語
淨土宗宗風真諦

(continued)

When a learned person reaches the final moment of life, no matter how high his intellectual achievements, how deep his study of the sutras pitaka (Buddhist scriptures), he has to put them aside. All the wealth, status, fame, power, and also the academic degrees and knowledge that he has possessed for the whole life are useless, not even his life-long cultivated character and temperament. At the hour of death, all these merits do not have any power, and we cannot rely on these merits to break away from the samsara of life and death, to be reborn in the Land of Bliss. In the final analysis, we have to rely on our faith—i.e. what Master Shandao says, “If sentient beings recite His name, they will certainly be reborn in the Land of Bliss”.  This is same as what the tenet pronounces, ‘always to recite the name of Amitabha exclusively’.

即使有學術，但人到了臨終的時候，有再豐厚的學問，再深入的經藏，都要擱一邊，一生所擁有的包括財富、地位、名聲、權勢，還有學位、學問，都產生不了作用。甚至我們一生的修身養性，到臨終都沒有力量，沒辦法讓我們依靠這些了脫生死輪迴，往生極樂世界。到最後就是靠我們所信仰的，即善導大師所說「眾生稱念，必得往生」，也就是我們宗風裏面所講的「一向專稱，彌陀佛名。」

Namo Amitabha!

Oct 25

Oct 25, 2017
慧淨上人法語
淨土宗宗風真諦

The primary texts on which the Pure Land School specially relies are “the three sutras and one treatise” (i.e. Infinite Life Sutra, Contemplation of Infinite Life Sutra, Amitabha Sutra, and Treatise on Rebirth in the Pure Land). Secondary texts include other two hundred classical texts in which Shakyamuni Buddha mentions about Amitabha and the Land of Bliss in various occasions throughout his life. It is said that all the thousand sutras and ten thousand treatises point to [the destination], and all the saints and sages of the past approached toward [the texts]”. Certainly, there are rich scholastic learning resources in this school.

Hence, the tenet “don’t pursue pure learning, do develop faith” does not oppose learning but “pure learning”. Why? Given that we don’t pursue pure learning but develop faith, our learning is to facilitate nurturing of faith and not scholastic pursuit. We do learn but our goal is not for learning itself. Learning should eventually direct us to the faith. The purpose is faith, not academic. No matter we have academic learning or not, faith is our final ending.

(continued tomorrow)

淨土法門的正依經論就是「三經一論」，至於旁依的經典，釋迦牟尼佛一生之間，講經說法，有關阿彌陀佛以及極樂世界的經典，就有兩百多部，所謂「千經萬論，處處指歸；往聖前賢，人人趨向」，可見這個法門的學術是很豐富的。

因此，「不學術而信仰化」，並不是反對「學術」，而是反對「學術化」。為什麼？既然不學術而信仰化，就表示是要信仰化，而不是要學術化，有學術而不以學術化為目的，它始終是要導歸於信仰。所以它不是以學術為目的，而是要以信仰為目的，不管我們有沒有學術，始終都要歸於信仰。

Namo Amitabha!