云何求生淨土。謂在此土修行。其進道也難。彼土往生。其成佛也易。易故一生可致。難故累劫未成。是以往聖前賢。人人趨向。千經萬諭。處處指歸。末世修行。無越於此。然經稱少善不生。多福乃致。言多福。則莫若執持名號。言多善。則莫若發廣大心。是以暫持聖號。勝於布施百年。一發大心。超過修行歷劫。蓋念佛本期作佛。大心不發。則雖念奚為。發心原為修行。淨土不生。則雖發易退。是則下菩提種。耕以念佛之犁。道果自然增長。乘大願船。入於淨土之海。西方決定往生。是為發菩提心第九因緣也。
「云何求生淨土」：云何就是怎麼樣。怎麼樣叫做求生淨土呢？「謂在此土修行，其進道也難」：說在這個娑婆世界修行，雖然這可以修行，但是能往前有進步，能一天比一天增長道業，是很不容易的。「彼土往生，其成佛也易」：那麼一生到極樂世界就花開見佛，悟無生法忍了。「易故一生可致」：因為容易，所以一生就容易致。致就是到那兒，就是成就了。「難故累劫未成」：因為在這個娑婆世界修行不容易，障緣很多，所以就是累劫，就是很長的一個時間，也不容易成就。
「是以往聖前賢，人人趨向」：因為這個，所以過去這些個聖人和賢人，過去歷代祖師，都是要求生淨土的。「千經萬論，處處指歸」：所有佛所說的經典和祖師所造的論，每一部經和每一部論、每一部律最終目的都是叫你求生淨土。「末世修行，無越於此」：在我們現在這個末法時代修行，沒有再能超過這個淨土法門。這是最方便最容易、最直截最了當的一個法門了。
「然經稱少善不生」：在《彌陀經》上說，「不能以少善根福德因緣得生彼國」，必須要多善根多福德才可以的。「多福乃致」：你要修多一點的福報，才可以到那個地方。「言多福，則莫若執持名號」：你怎么樣廣種福德呢？你念佛，就是廣種福德了，就是增長你的福德了。「言多善，則莫若發廣大心」：什麼叫多善呢？你就要發廣大的菩提心。「是以暫持聖號」：因為這個，所以你就暫時間受持這個阿彌陀佛的名號。「勝於布施百年」：超過你以七寶布施一百年那麼長的時間。「一發大心，超過修行歷塵劫」：你要是一發大心，就能超過你修行多生累劫那麼遠的時間。
「蓋念佛本期作佛」：蓋就是大概。那麼總起來說，你要是念佛，本期作佛。為什麼要念佛呢？念佛就是想成佛；若不想成佛，不需要念佛。所以「大心不發，則雖念奚為」：你若不發一個廣大心，不發菩提心，你念佛做什麼呢？不需要念了。「發心原為修行」：為什麼要發心？就為的修行。「淨土不生，則雖發易退」：你若不求生淨土，你雖然發廣大心，可是也容易退失菩提心。
待續 |
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Essay:
What is the wish for rebirth in the Pure Land? Progress in the Way is difficult when we cultivate in the world. But once we have been reborn in that world, becoming a Buddha is easy. Because cultivating is easy there, we can be successful in one lifetime. Because it is difficult here, many eons have passed and we still have not accomplished our goal. Therefore, each and every Sage and Worthy of the past has taken this road. And passage after passage in all the thousands of Sutras and myriads of Shastras points in this direction. For cultivators in the Dharma-ending Age, nothing surpasses this method.
The Sutras say, however, that we cannot be reborn there if our good deeds are few. Only through many acts deserving of blessings can we be successful. They say that none of the many acts deserving of blessings equals maintaining the recitation of Amitabha Buddha's name. They say that none of the many good deeds equals a great resolution of the mind. Therefore, reciting the Sage's name even briefly is superior to practicing giving for a hundred years. And by simply making the great resolve, we transcend eon after eon of cultivation.
We may practice mindfulness of the Buddha with the hope of becoming a Buddha, but if we fail to make the great resolve, our mindfulness will not be sincere. We may have resolved our minds on cultivating, but retreat is easy, despite our resolve, unless we are reborn in the Pure Land.
Therefore, plant a Bodhi seed. Till with the plow of mindfulness of the Buddha, and the fruits of the Way will naturally grow. Ride the ship of great vows to enter the ocean of the Pure Land. Then we will certainly be reborn in the West.
This is the ninth cause and condition for resolving the mind upon Bodhi.
Commentary:
What is the wish for rebirth in the Pure Land? How do we do it in order to seek rebirth in the Pure Land? Why do we call it the Pure Land? Progress in the Way is difficult when we cultivate in this world. Although we are able to cultivate in this Saha World but progress in cultivation is difficult, instead day by day we may increase our karma of the Way. therefore it is not easy to cultivate. But once we have been reborn in that world, in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, becoming a Buddha is easy. Because cultivating is easy there, we can be successful in one lifetime. Once when we reached the Land of Ultimate Bliss, we will be able to see the Buddha and enlightened to the non-production dharma of patience. Because it is easy to cultivate there, so we are able to accomplish it in one lifetime. Because it is difficult to cultivate in the Saha World, many eons have passed and we still have not accomplished our goal. It is difficult to cultivate in the Saha World because of causes and conditions that obstruct us, so we have passed through a countless number of eons, yet we still have not accomplished our goal.
Therefore each and every Sage and worthy of the past has taken this road: for this reason all the Patriarchs of the past and the virtuous ones all wish for rebirth in the Pure Land. And passage after passage in all the thousands of Sutras and myriads of Shastras points in this direction: all the Sutras and Shastras mention the Pure Land Dharma door. For cultivators in the Dharma-ending Age, nothing surpasses this method. In the Dharma-ending Age no better method exists for cultivating than being mindful of the Buddha. It is simple, most convenient, easy, appropriate and suitable Dharma door to practice.
The Sutras say, however, that we cannot be reborn there if our good deeds are few. It is said in the Amitabha Sutra: "If our good roots, blessings, virtues, and causal connections are few, we cannot be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss." Only through many acts deserving of blessings can we be successful. We must plant many good roots and do many meritorious acts that earn blessings; then we can be born in the West. They say that none of the many acts of blessings equals maintaining the recitation of Amitabha Buddha's name. The best of all acts deserving of blessings is to maintain the recitation of the Buddha's name. Of the many good deeds, none equals a great resolution of the mind: making the vast, great resolve for Bodhi is the best of all good deeds. Therefore, reciting the Sage's name even briefly is superior to practicing giving for a hundred years. The merit and virtue of reciting even briefly will surpass that of giving to others for one hundred years. It will surpass those giving of seven jewels for over a hundred years. And by simply making the great resolve, we transcend eon after eon of cultivation: making the great resolve transcends the amount of cultivation we have done in eon upon eon.
We may practice mindfulness of the Buddha with the hope of becoming Buddhas, but if we fail to make the great resolve, our mindfulness will not be sincere. We practice mindfulness of the Buddha with the hope of becoming Buddhas. Why are we mindful of the Buddha? We want to become Buddhas. If we do not make a great resolve, the Bodhi resolve, then of what use will mindfulness of the Buddha be? It won't be necessary to be mindful anymore. We may have resolved our minds on cultivating: Why do we make the great resolve? We make the great resolve in order to cultivate; but retreat is easy, despite our resolve, unless we are reborn in the Pure Land. Although we have the resolution to cultivate, unless we seek rebirth in the Pure Land we may lose our Bodhi resolve.
To be continued |
