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所謂：
一念清淨，
一念佛；
念念清淨，
念念佛。
我們的旁邊有一條小河，這小河流水的聲音那麼響，你聽著這流水的聲音，也在唸佛。它那兒也在唸南無阿彌陀佛。
颳風的聲音，也在念佛，也在演說摩訶的妙法。這個境界就和極樂世界的境界是一樣的。極樂世界也就是：
水流風動演摩訶；
七珍池，花四色，湧金波。
那個七寶池，開的那個蓮花：白色白光，紅色紅光，黃色黃光，青色赤光；青黃赤白這種光，都放光來照我們。
那麼說：「我們唸佛........法師，你講這麼半天了，究竟這個南無、南無是怎麼回事？南無誰？」南無你
自己，不要南無人家；不要南無他人，要南無自己。想一想，我自己有這麼深的善根，才遇著唸佛法門。
這個「南無」，就是「皈命敬投」的意思。「皈」我這個身心性「命」，來恭「敬投」到阿彌陀佛的面前去。「南
無」就是這樣子。你要想，以我的身心性命來皈依阿彌陀佛。說：「『南無』是皈命敬投；那麼『阿彌陀』又是怎麼講呢？」當然有講法啦！你不要著急，我慢慢給
你講。這一次講不完，那麼再下回分解；下一回講不完，再下一回分解。你不要著急，我一定教你明白南無阿彌陀佛是怎麼回事。
這個南無阿彌陀，這都是梵語，不是中文。昨天果真說：「中文『南無阿彌陀佛』」。這你完全錯了。這「南無阿彌
陀佛」都是梵語，沒有中文；中文只有那個「佛」字，是半梵語，不是完全的梵語。「阿彌陀」就是「無量壽」。你唸佛，你自己能得到無量壽，因為你皈命敬投無
量壽佛。所以你自己要是願意以唸佛的功德來迴向。
你說﹕「我願意活到九十九。」那絕對不會活到八十八，一定會活到九十九。
你說：「那我願意活到一百歲。」
那也可以的，只要你誠心唸佛，就做得到。尤其是現在，今天我們裡邊的人，我給你們預先授記，你們其中一定會有
願意活長命的，一定會遂心滿願的。可不能是個個，要誠心的那個；哪一個誠心唸佛，哪一個就得到這種感應，能遂心滿願。
「阿彌陀」，又叫「無量光」，這無量光就是無量的智慧光明，就是開智慧。無論哪一個人，你誠心念唸佛，也會開
大智慧的，也會有真正的記憶力，這是一定的。所以阿彌陀又叫無量壽，又叫無量光。
「佛」，也是梵語梵語叫「佛陀耶」；英文叫
Buddha。我給他起的解釋：「佛」就是不大，所以說「不大不小，非去非來，微塵世界，交映蓮台。」佛，他不比我們人大，和我們人是一樣的；不過，他就
是開大悟了，恢復本有的智慧了。我們也不比佛小，佛也不比我們小。我們就是因為心裏沒有清淨，沒有恢復本有的智慧，沒有開大智慧，所以我們現在還是凡夫。
佛是覺也，眾生是迷也；覺者佛也，迷者眾生。你覺悟了，就是佛；你沒有覺悟，就是眾生。覺悟的時候，那個佛也
不比眾生多什麼；你迷的時候，也不比佛少什麼。也沒有增，也沒有減，但是，就是一個迷，一個覺，這是不同的一點。
那麼就好像什麼呢？舉一個很普通的例子來告訴你們各位。佛譬如－－並不真是這樣的，這是一個比喻。你不要以為
我這麼一比喻，就是這樣的了。不是的，這完全是個假的。佛就好像一位大學教授似的，但是大學教授可不是佛。你們要清楚這一點。那麼眾生就好像學生似的，每
一個學生都可以作大學教授；每一個大學教授又可以作學生。這是一個比喻，佛可不是像大學教授那麼笨，佛比大學教授更高超。這是一個很淺的比喻，就是形容佛
和我們人是一樣的。
為什麼我要唸南無阿彌陀佛；南無阿彌陀佛為什麼不唸我呢？
你問得有道理。這個問題，可把我都迷糊住了。我都不知道怎麼答覆了。但是我又想起來要這麼樣答覆：因為你沒有
發願叫眾生唸你。阿彌陀佛在因地的時候，他作法藏比丘－－他的法名叫法藏－－他發了四十八大願。每一願，他都這麼說：「我將來修行成佛的時候，我的國家是
極樂的，清淨的，沒有像五濁惡世這麼樣地渾濁。我要十方所有的眾生，只要有人唸我的名號，我就接他來到我的國家，來成佛；如果他不成佛，我也不取正覺，我
也不成佛。因為阿彌陀佛有這個願力，所以我們現在大家異口同音，稱唸南無阿彌陀佛。
這是本著阿彌陀佛他往昔的願力，就是照著他的願力來修行；我們這一唸佛，阿彌陀佛就知道了：「哎！我以前和和
這個眾生簽一個合同，他要唸我的名字，我就應該叫他成佛。如果我現在不接他成佛，我這個合同是打妄語了。」所以佛趕快來接你去成佛。有的人就說：「那麼
遠，西方極樂世界有十萬億佛土那麼遠。怎麼去法呢？是坐飛機嗎？不知機票要多少錢；坐火車又要多少錢呢？坐巴士或自己開車，能不能到呢？」這，你不要擔這
個心。這個一念間就到了，什麼票都不要買，一念就升到極樂世界；十萬億佛土不超出你一念。
待續
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As it is said,
One pure thought is one thought
of
the Buddha.
When every thought is pure, every thought is of the Buddha.
Beside us runs a small river, and
the flowing water recites the Buddha's name. As you listen to it, it
says, “Namo Amitabha Buddha.” The blowing wind also recites the
Buddha's name, proclaiming the wonderful Mahayana Dharma. This state is
the same as that in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. In the Land of Ultimate
Bliss:
The water flows, the wind blows
Proclaiming the Mahayana;
In the pools of seven treasures
Are flowers of four colors
And waves of solid gold.
The lotuses which bloom in the
pools made of the seven treasures are green-colored of green light,
yellow-colored of yellow light, red-colored of red light, white-colored
of white light. Green, yellow, red, and white, the lights shine
brightly.
You say, “Dharma Master, you have
been explaining Buddha Recitation for quite a while now, but ultimately
what is this ‘namo, namo' all about? Namo what?”
“Namo” yourself! Don't
“namo” anyone else. Think of it this way, “I have such good roots that
I have learned to recite the Buddha's name!”
“Namo” means “to return one's life
and respectfully submit.” This means to return your body, mind, and
life and respectfully bow before Amitabha Buddha. Say to yourself, “I
take my body, mind, and life and return in refuge to Amitabha Buddha.”
You ask, “Well, if ‘namo' means
‘to return one's life and respectfully submit,' what does 'Amitabha'
mean? Can you explain that?”
Of course I can. Don't be
impatient. I'll tell you in due time. If I don't finish this time, I'll
continue next time. And if I don't finish next time, I'll continue
later on. Don't worry. I am determined to teach you what “Namo Amitahba
Buddha” is all about.
“Namo Amitabha” is Sanskrit.
Yesterday Guo Zhen said it was Chinese, but that's completely wrong.
“Buddha” is also Sanskrit. The Chinese character “Fo” is a partial
transliteration of the word “Buddha.” Amitabha's other name,
“Amitayus,” means “limitless life.” When you recite the Buddha's name,
you obtain a limitless life span. Because you return your life and
respectfully submit to the Buddha of Limitless Life, you may take the
merit and virtue you obtain by reciting and live as long as you please!
If you say, “I want to live to be
ninety-nine years old,” then you will certainly not depart at age
eighty-eight. You will live to be ninety-nine.
You say, “But I want to live to be
a hundred!”
You can do that, too. All you need
to do is recite the Buddha's name sincerely. This includes all of us
gathered here today. I will now make a prediction: Those among you who
want to live to a very old age will certainly get to do so. Not
everyone, mind you, but only those who are sincere. Whoever recites
sincerely will obtain that response and get his wish.
“Amitabha” means “limitless
light.” The limitless light is the light of wisdom, the opening of
wisdom. Whoever recites sincerely can develop great wisdom and a
faultless memory. There's no question about it. “Amitayus” means
“limitless life” and “Amitabha” means “limitless light.”
The word “Buddha” is also
Sanskrit. I explain the word “Buddha” using the similar-sounding
Chinese phrase 不大 bu da, which means “not big.” So I have a verse:
Neither great nor small,
Neither come nor gone,
In numberless world systems,
Buddhas shine upon each other's lotus thrones.
The Buddha is not any bigger than
we people are. Rather, he is just the same size. However, he has become
enlightened and returned to his inherent wisdom. We are no smaller than
the Buddha, and the Buddha is no smaller than we are. But, because our
hearts are not pure, because we have not discovered our inherent wisdom
or developed great wisdom, we are still common people.
The Buddha is one who is
enlightened. Living beings are those who are confused.
When enlightened, one is a Buddha.
When confused, one is a living being.
To become enlightened is to become
a Buddha. Before enlightenment, one is just a living being. When you
become enlightened you gain nothing that the living being doesn't have.
When confused, one hasn't anything less than the Buddha has. There is
no increasing and no decreasing; it's a question of whether you are
confused or enlightened. That's where the difference lies.
I will illustrate this with a very
simple analogy. Mind you, this is just an analogy. Don't take it
literally, because it's all hypothetical. The Buddha is like a
university professor—university professors are not Buddhas—you should
be clear about that point—and living beings are like students. Every
student can become a professor. Every professor can become a student.
The Buddha is, however, wiser than professors. He's even higher than a
professor! Remember, this is a mere analogy which demonstrates that the
Buddha and people are the same.
“Then why should I chant the
Buddha's name? Why doesn't the Buddha recite my name?” you wonder. “Why
should I recite 'Namo Amitahba Buddha'? Why doesn't the Buddha recite
me? Why doesn't he recite my name'”
That's a good question. In fact,
it's got me stumped. I don't know how to answer it, but I'll think up
something: Ah! I know! It's because you never made a vow to cause
living beings to recite your name. The Buddha Amitabha on the causal
ground was a Bhikshu named Dharma Treasury, and he made forty-eight
great vows. In every vow he said, “In the future, when my cultivation
succeeds and I have become a Buddha, my country will be one of ultimate
bliss and purity. The murkiness of the five turbidities will not exist
within it. All living beings in the ten directions who recite my name
will be led to rebirth in my land, where they may realize Buddhahood.
As long as one of them has not become a Buddha, I will not accomplish
the right enlightenment.”
Because of the power of the vows
of Amitabha Buddha, we have gathered here to recite—with different
mouths but with the same sound—“Namo Amitabha Buddha.” We are
cultivating by relying on the power of the vows of Amitabha Buddha.
When we recite the Buddha's name, Amitabha Buddha knows about it. “Hey,
I signed a contract with that living being saying that if he kept my
name in mind I would lead him to become a Buddha. If I don't guide him
to Buddhahood now, the contract is nothing but a lie.” And the Buddha
hurries right over to guide you to Buddhahood.
Someone says,“But the Western Land
of Ultimate Bliss is so far away—hundreds of thousands of millions of
Buddhalands—how can I go there? Can I take a plane? How much will the
ticket cost? How much is the train fare? Can I take the bus or
drive myself?”
Don't worry about that. You can
arrive in a single thought. You don't have to buy any tickets at all.
In a single thought you can be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.
Hundreds of thousands of millions of Buddhalands are not beyond that
one single thought.
To be continued
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