Your question is actually very good, and few people can ask this question, which shows that you are either good at thinking, or you have actually learned to a certain extent. Very rare!
Everyone who studies Buddhism knows the truth: establish your own destiny and seek your own blessings. The Buddha cannot change cause and effect, and the Buddha's supernatural power cannot change the karma of all living beings. Therefore, if you learn Buddhism, you will better understand the principle of a gentleman’s constant self-improvement.
However, Buddhism also teaches that all living beings are born due to the harmony of conditions. As the so-called conditions gather, they will come into being, and if conditions disperse, they will perish. Then, our own efforts are the "cause", and other external factors including the Buddha's salvation are the "conditions", that is, increasing the upper conditions. Anyone who has studied consciousness-only knowledge knows that four factors are needed for the birth of a dharma, and this "increasing superior condition" is one of them.
As for how much influence this power of increasing superiority has on us, that is another topic.
One is a common phenomenon in our lives: in times of crisis, chanting the names of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas often brings good fortune in times of distress.
Instill some Buddhist terminology: Master Tanluan said in the commentary on Purana: The names and mantras of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas all have their own functions. As long as you recite them like this, they will have the functions of the Dharma itself. to work. This is called "the name is the law".
The master explains "name" and "dharma" in his commentary on the theory of rebirth:
Having a name is a dharma, and having a name is a different dharma.
Name and Dharma are one, which is called "name is Dharma". Names and Dharma are separate. Names are names, and Dharma is Dharma. This is called "names differing from Dharma".
"Different" means difference and separation. For example: we are hungry, we want to eat, we call for rice, we call this name, but our stomach is still empty, right? Then, the name of this rice is separate from the actual (dharma) of the rice, which is called "name-different dharma".
"The name is the law", it is not easy to find a metaphor in our world, so I thought of a metaphor, for example: we are in the army, in the military camp, what is the "password" at night. When a military camp is set up, it needs to be guarded. If it is a member of his family, he has a password tonight, and as soon as he reports it, he can pass. If you report wrongly, you will know that you are either a member of your family or an enemy. Then this password is "the name is the law". As long as you shout it out, it will pass, and it will be the law.
For example: to listen to Beijing People's Broadcasting Station's traffic broadcast, you don't need to study the principles of electromagnetic waves. You just need to adjust the channel to FM103.9. When flying, you don't need to study the structural principles of the aircraft, the quality of the pilot, and weather factors. You just need to believe that the aircraft can take you to your destination. Therefore, when you see the word "aircraft", these two words contain all relevant human wisdom and science. technology.
Why? This is called "calling virtue by name."
"Call virtue by name", it is difficult to find a corresponding metaphor in the world. We just use the examples in the world to inspire everyone. For example, there is a saying: "Hearing a famous name for a long time is like thunder piercing the ears." This person's morality, knowledge, and merits are all included in his name. When people hear his name, they know that he is a great person. This is called "I've heard the name for a long time."
Brand Trademark Metaphor Another example is the trademark metaphor we just talked about. A trademark is a business logo or a label, and a famous brand is a name or a signboard. But a world-famous trademark or brand is often worth billions of dollars. This can be called "calling wealth with name". Money creates fame, and name is wealth. We also say that county magistrates, mayors, and provincial governors are all names, but with this name, they have this power. This is called "calling power with name." Power constitutes name, and name is power. What name you have, what rights you have. Of course, this is mundane. In the business world, names are used to call for wealth, and in the political world, names are used to call for power. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are beyond this world and belong to the world of merit, so "name is used to call for virtue." The metaphor of the emperor's forgiveness of sins is like Emperor Kangxi, who waved his pen and said "Kangxi", ah! This name contains the mighty virtue of his emperor. Those who have committed the death penalty can be exempted from the crime; ordinary people can be promoted to official positions. The mighty virtue of Amitabha's six-character name can save us from reincarnation in the three realms and six realms. Originally, we were sentenced to death and will fall into hell, but the six-character name can eliminate our sins. Amitabha Buddha is the “King of Buddhas, the Supreme Lord of Lights”, and offers universal forgiveness to all living beings in the ten directions. “After I become a Buddha, I will universally forgive the sins of all living beings in the ten directions, so that they will no longer reincarnate and return to my pure land.
"Why does he rely on his name? "If I become enlightened and name myself Immortal Life, all sentient beings who hear this name will come to my temple. "The six-character name contains all the merits, so it can save us universally and equally and forgive our sins. Amitabha, the name is virtue, virtue is the name; how much merit Amitabha has, the name is the same. Many blessings, supreme perfection.
Finally, when it comes to Amitabha’s deathbed guidance, you may think it is too easy and impossible before you learn Pure Land Buddhism. Most people will have it.
The Buddha has long predicted in the Infinite Life Sutra: Those who believe in this method will be "the most difficult of all difficulties," and it is the most difficult method to believe in. < /p>
You see, even those who have committed the five evils and ten evils can be reborn in bliss and become a Buddha without retreating even if they repent at the last thought. However, practitioners have to practice for two great asamkhya kalpas before they can reach the point of becoming a Bodhisattva without retreating. This is too hard to believe!
Amitabha, the king of Buddhas, only teaches the method of rebirth in the Western Paradise.
Buddha teaches all living beings. It shows 84,000 Dharma doors. Most sentient beings cannot escape from the six paths of reincarnation in this life, let alone become a Buddha. Therefore, Sakyamuni Buddha said that countless kalpas ago, Amitabha Buddha revealed a special Dharma door with the power of his great compassion vow - ---Pure Land Dharma, Three Roots. This is not possible with any Dharma. That’s why Master Shandao said: “The reason why Sakyamuni came into the world was to teach the world of Amitabha’s original wish.”
The Western Pure Land. , is endowed with immeasurable and inconceivable merits and virtues, the first of which is the incomparable solemnity, that is, "with ten thoughts, you will surely become a Buddha without retreating." This is not found in any other Buddha world except for the Pure Land Dharma. In addition, any of the so-called eighty-four thousand methods requires the elimination of thoughts and defilements in order to transcend the six paths of reincarnation.
Mahayana Buddhism does not require this method. The Pure Land Sect is divided into the difficult path and the easy path. As long as you believe in and act on it, it depends entirely on faith and the power of Amitabha’s great compassion. Some people only meet the enlightenment of a good teacher when they are dying and believe in Amitabha’s salvation. Rebirth in the Six Paths of Reincarnation will no longer occur. However, other sects believe that self-cultivation must use the three principles of morality, concentration, and wisdom to eliminate the worries of greed, anger, and delusion.
Use a bamboo metaphor to explain: the difference between horizontal overhang and vertical outstretching.
"Use the horizontal overhang method to make vertical outstretching": the ancients made a metaphor: It's like a piece of bamboo with a bug inside. It climbs up, sticks out, bites each section one by one, and gets out from the top. Hengchao just punched a hole in the side and got out. The Dharma of Namo Amitabha is a transcendent Dharma. It relies on the power of the Buddha and the faith and willingness to recite the Buddha. The six-character name of Amitabha is like a saw. When the "thorn" cuts through, you will go out and transcend the three realms. As a result, he slowly cultivated on his own, and reached a certain level, "I have a pure mind, I have suppressed the troubles...", and went up level by level, and finally left the three realms. This is called the emergence of horizontal and transcendent Dharma works. use.
Some people are worried that they have many delusions and are afraid of not being able to die, so they say "don't worry about delusions", even if they are flying around - this is the habit of ordinary people. We ordinary people are like this. We mainly learned from Master Genshin's " Illusive thoughts are the original nature of ordinary people, and there is no other mind besides delusional thoughts. Knowing that when you recite the Buddha's name, you will be welcomed." The master said: "Reciting the Buddha's name from the delusional thoughts is like a lotus flower that is not stained by mud, and there is no doubt in the decision to rebirth.
< p>Master Shandao said: Although we have the troubles of greed, anger and delusion in our hearts, we "ignore greed and anger" - we are not afraid of the two rivers of water and fire, we have no doubts about it, say his name, and decide to die. Therefore, "regardless of greed and anger, you will be born if you say your name."Emergency room metaphor: Amitabha rescues all suffering beings
For example, larger hospitals have emergency rooms. If you have a small cold, you cannot enter this emergency room. Right wrong? You say, "I have a cold, and I need to go to the emergency room." "Hey, I won't let you in." Only those whose illnesses are serious and require first-aid injections, those who are particularly serious or critical, are qualified to go to the emergency room.
Amitabha comes to our rescue. The more distressed we feel, the more we feel weak in practice, and the more we feel like, "Oh, people like me are probably very slim, right?" There is no way, and we are distressed in our hearts. Worry and suffer! If you are suffering, you have hope of salvation, so it is to rescue sentient beings with sinful karma and to save suffering beings.
The Buddha also earnestly calls us in the sutra: All sentient beings in samsara will be reborn in my land quickly to receive peace and happiness. "O living beings in the six realms of reincarnation, you must return to my pure land quickly and enjoy the pure Dharma and happiness of my pure land.
” He also said: Always use compassion to uproot sentient beings and save all sentient beings suffering from Abi. Amitabha Buddha's compassionate heart is endless, and he wants to save all sentient beings. However, the first thing he talks about is the sentient beings in hell, "to save all the suffering beings in Abi Hell." The sentient beings in Abi Hell are the most miserable - this is the Buddha's mind.
The Nirvana Sutra says:
For example, parents have seven sons. Show special pity to those who are sick. So is the Tathagata. Show compassion to those who suffer from sin. The one whom the Buddha loved and cared about the most was his most seriously ill son!
The "Daji Yue Zang Sutra" says: "At the end of my Dharma, hundreds of millions of sentient beings have set out to practice Taoism, but not a single person has achieved it."
According to the Buddhist classic Mahayana "Same Nature" It is recorded in the second volume of the Sutra and the sixth volume of the Mahayana "Fa Yuan Yi Lin Zhang" that in the "End of Buddhism" - "The teachings are still in the world. Although people have the teachings, they are unable to practice and achieve results, which is called the end of the Dharma." ” “You cannot practice and achieve results”, this is such a clear statement in the Buddhist scriptures. Buddha's words never lie. "Lying" is the fundamental precept of Buddhism.
"The Sutra on the Retribution of Good and Evil Karma": In the Dharma Ending Period, people "have little faith in Buddhism, and very few people have attained the Tao. Even those who have gradually become more confident in the Three Vehicles are even less likely to have faith." "Surely, all those who practice worldly meditation, develop all kinds of karma, and know their own destiny will never exist again. If they later enter the final Dharma, attain the Tao for a long time, gain faith, meditate, and have karma, etc., everything will be gone."
Why? The Holy Path Sect looks at issues from the standpoint of "human beings' Buddha nature" and advocates that one can become a Buddha by relying on human efforts, but in fact there are not many people who have become Buddhas; while the Pure Land Sect looks at issues from the perspective of sinful ordinary people. Yes, Amitabha Buddha spent five eons thinking about it, and after referring to the situation of countless sentient beings in the Buddha's land, he came up with a method of chanting the name of the Buddha. Went to study and thought it was too simple). Relying on faith and willing to uphold the name of Buddha and recite it, one can be saved immediately, be reborn in bliss, and become a Buddha without retreat.
Some people argue: All sects have Pure Land methods, and you are not the only one who has them! Don’t forget, it’s easiest to be reborn in the Western Paradise, and it’s the quickest to attain fruition. When you go to other worlds to save sentient beings, you won’t have the illusion of separation, and you won’t suffer from bad retribution.
Cherish this Dharma door, as the Buddha sighed: Among the difficulties, there is no difficulty like this! Lao Tzu also said: My words are easy to understand and easy to do; no one in the world can understand them and no one can do them. What is difficult is that it is difficult to "believe" and it is difficult to act upon criticism. Those who believe in this Dharma, for countless kalpas, some have deep roots of kindness, some are honest and honest, but there are those who have not seen me so profoundly that they laugh out loud when they hear the great truth! Why? The road is simple and easy. However, all living beings have been born for many kalpas with complicated natures and habits, their minds are accustomed to wandering around, and they don’t like simplicity!
Have you not seen it? At that time, Einstein invented E=mc^2, which showed the microscopic aspects of the universe, but everyone at the time thought it was wrong.
Therefore, Master Shandao advises ordinary people in the end of the Dharma to be completely dead and to rely on their own efforts to immediately give birth to a mind that is free from the six paths of reincarnation. In modern times, eminent monks and great virtues believe that it is rare to be able to achieve the five precepts and ten good deeds. Regardless of the four jhanas and eight concentration, he is an Arhat and Bodhisattva.
The reason is simple. For example, the purpose of Zen Buddhism is to understand the mind and see one's nature. However, the Bodhisattva of the First Ground and the Perfect Teaching teach that only the Bodhisattva of the First Realm can understand the mind and see one's nature. Not to mention the modern times, there are still a few people on the earth who have achieved clear mind and one's nature by their own efforts. Where is the great Bodhisattva? The Surangama Sutra says that if you cannot break through the 50 kinds of demons through sitting meditation, you will become the sons and grandsons of demons, and you will never be able to escape the three realms and six realms. After the Buddha attained enlightenment, he said that everyone has the wisdom and virtue of the Tathagata, but cannot achieve it through delusional thinking and persistence. The Surangama Sutra says that you cannot break through 50 evil demons even if you have the slightest attachment. How many eminent monks have achieved enlightenment since Master Huineng?
Look at what the Sixth Patriarch Huineng said in the "Tan Sutra" ("This method is the most superior. It is said for people with great wisdom and for people with superior abilities. The master said: Your master, with precepts, concentration and wisdom, take up the Mahayana." "People; I precepts, concentration and wisdom, connect the most superior people"), the objects of his salvation are people with superior abilities; in other words, people below the superior abilities are not his objects, that is to say, you cannot enter through this door.
Because Zen Buddhism talks about "the cause of sudden enlightenment", enlightenment does not mean becoming a Buddha. "Although principles are suddenly enlightened, things must gradually be eliminated." I understand that troubles and habits cannot be eliminated at once, but must be eliminated slowly. It just needs to be eliminated faster than others and more smoothly than others. This is true. But he can’t cut it off in one lifetime, that’s very difficult! So he wants to "never give up". After fully enlightening Zen Buddhism, it is not easy to "never retreat from life to life".
In the history of Chinese Buddhism, there are too many people who have achieved great enlightenment and regressed in the next life! There is a very famous story in Zen Buddhism called "Three Lives Stone". This is about Master Yuanze, who is amazing. He can know the past and future, but he still has to reincarnate in the next life. This reincarnation is very rare for him. He has no illusion of separation and remembers the events of his previous life clearly, but he still has to be reincarnated. Being a human being in the next life is also reincarnation. From old age, you will change into a child's body and continue to cultivate. In another body, he would not have the chance to be with the Bodhisattva Awakening, nor would he be able to realize the Three Non-retreats. When a Zen master reaches his second life, because he was blessed and wise in his previous life, he enjoys happiness in his second life, becomes rich and powerful, and reveals a lot of his intelligence and talents. After his death, he is reincarnated again, and the more he reincarnates, the more confused he becomes. Things got worse and worse, and gradually retreated. It’s easier said than done to keep going! This is what the Buddha said, it will take three asamkhya kalpas and countless kalpas to achieve. Therefore, it is not the same as Japanese and cannot be compared with Jingzong's karmic rebirth!
There are many people in the world who sit in meditation until they become insane, and there are many crazy people, so it is called "obsessed". In the history of Zen Buddhism, there have been many eminent monks and sages who were highly enlightened, had great supernatural powers, and could even know what would happen to them several lives later. But this reincarnation will happen again. Master Yinguang said: How can people today resemble the Zen that the Five Patriarchs precepted, the thatched cottage was pure, and how can they be reborn again?
However, there are too many people in the world who do not overestimate their abilities. Without estimating their own nature, they often laugh at other methods of practice for "taking the form". Their realm is too low, and they cannot do it themselves. Just as Master Huineng said: "Those who hold on to emptiness will slander the sutras and speak directly without using words. It is said that there is no need for words, and people do not understand the language. Only this language is the form of words. It is also said that the straight way does not establish words, that is, this is not The two words "Li" are also words. If you see what others say, it is okay for you to be confused, and you should not slander the scriptures."
Therefore. Master Yinguang said: The Dharma taught by the Tathagata generation is limitless and boundless. The most direct way to achieve this is to practice Zen. Suang is tied to the upper root, and once he hears it, he realizes it a thousand times, and he obtains great general upholding. However, this is still enlightenment, not realization. There are very few people in the last days who can be truly enlightened and have a clear mind and nature. . . That is true enlightenment, leaving behind life and death, but still far away. Even though one has attained enlightenment, the troubles and habits over the past kalpas must be dealt with using various methods so that they can be completely eliminated. Then one can escape from life and death, transcend the ordinary and enter the holy realm. Although some of the sorrows and troubles have been eliminated, if there are still not a single trace left, then life and death will still not come out. If we only regard it as knowing that our own mind is the Tao, and do nothing else to practice it, then our mistake is not small. If one can achieve it through awareness and has no worries, then it can be said that he has attained the Tao. This person has cut off the root of life and death, so he can escape from life and death. If you know it, but your troubles are not resolved, how can you escape from birth and death? The method of meditation is based on self-reliance. Therefore, the benefits are vastly different than those of chanting the Buddha's name. The method of chanting Buddha's name is a special method among the methods of the Tathagata generation. Three common quilts, all sharp and blunt. The superior roots such as Manjusri, Samantabhadra, and great Bodhisattvas cannot go beyond them. Those with lower roots such as the Five Rebellions, the Ten Evils, and the great sinners can also enter it. But with true faith and earnest wishes, one can rely on the power of Buddha's kindness to bring karma into rebirth. All Dharma doors flow out from this Dharma door, and all Dharma doors return to this Dharma door. (It is said to be reborn in the West in order to achieve perfect Buddhahood.) It seems shallow but unfathomable, it seems small but it is all-encompassing. Although Zen Master Baizhang Huaihai established a jungle, he also said: The most reliable way to practice is to recite the name of the Buddha. Thousands of people will repair and go.
Yongming Zen Master, the sixth ancestor of the Pure Land Sect and the third generation founder of the Zen Buddhism Eye Sect, said: There is a Pure Land without Zen, and thousands of people will practice it; but if you can see Amitabha, there is no need to worry about not being enlightened. There is Zen but no Pure Land, and nine out of ten people will waste their time on the road. If the underworld appears before you, just take a glance and let it go.
Zen Master Zen Enlightenment said: A line from Amitabha: This medicine of Agatha can cure all diseases; it is the king of wish-fulfilling pearls, and there is no desire or dissatisfaction. It is a kind voyage through the sea of ??suffering of life and death, which will not cross it without suffering; it is a lamp of wisdom that will shine through the long night of ignorance, without breaking through any darkness. When you recite the Buddha's name, you see the Buddha, and when you seek rebirth, you pass away; the three times are at the same time, and there is no before or after.
Master Da’an: So from the very beginning, we have to accept the incredible method of reciting the Buddha’s name at this incredible level. We must steal our hearts and recite the Buddha’s name honestly. If you have the heart to "really care about life and death" and want to end the cycle of life and death in this life, you must pay attention to the dharma of faith and aspiration to recite the Buddha's name and seek rebirth in the Pure Land. In this Dharma-ending age, no one can think of rebirth and escape from death without faith and aspiration to recite the Buddha's name and seek rebirth in the Pure Land.
Master Lianchi once said that the Zen Pure Land leads to the same destination through different paths. If you think it is too high to just talk about nothing, then if you have a little bit of talent, you can read two scriptures and treatises, and remember a few public cases. Even if you can do it, what's the problem? Now that you have fully understood the Pure Land everywhere in your mind, I would like to ask you, are you still willing to abide in the toilet? Are you still willing to drink from the same trough as an ox and a horse in an Inuzhong? Those of this number are happy and stable, and don’t mind it a little. Xu Ru said that the mountains and the flat land are always in the west.
They may be patient on the outside but suspicious on the inside, so the state of purity and filth is still there, and the feelings of hatred and love are still there. Instead, they talk about the great sage's excessive state, the absence of the Buddha's kingdom, and contempt for the afterlife. This can be said to be deceiving heaven and deceiving others. , I am willing to be ignorant, it is bitter! ...The Pure Land method seems shallow but deep, close yet far. It seems difficult but easy, it seems easy but difficult... Many people today are good at talking about understanding and understanding life and death, but they don't know how difficult it is to realize in this land, which is called transcending the three realms. Situo Han still comes and goes, how can he be an ordinary person? Most of the sentient beings in this land first came to the West and then realized. Born in the West, it is said that it transcends the three realms and is infallible.
A person who recites the Buddha's name can predict the coming time when he has completed the recitation or his mind is undistracted. At this time, some people can die at any time and leave whenever they want. How comfortable! If you want to sit and walk, you can sit and walk, if you want to stand and walk, you can stand and walk, and some eminent monks have died standing on their heads.
Some of the deceased have little knowledge of Buddhism, and even ordinary old ladies, some can predict the coming time, and some can choose a day to leave at will. They are truly out of the three realms and not in the five elements. This is enough to prove the greatness of the Pure Land Sect and the infinite divine power of Amitabha.