Quotes

Verses On Encouragement To Ride 劝乘偈

劝乘偈
Verses [On] Encouragement [To] Ride

自无船筏,
欲救溺者,
彼此俱没,
无济于事。

[By] oneself without [a] raft, desiring [to] save those drowning, [with] one another together sinking, [thus] without aid for [this] matter.

自乘弥陀,
大愿之船,
也劝他乘,
同登彼岸。

[With] oneself riding Āmítuófó’s ship of great vows, also encouraging others [to] ride [it], together ascend [on the] other shore.

末法时期,
具缚凡夫,
自度度他,
唯靠此法。

[In this] Dharma-Ending Age, [for] completely bound ordinary beings, [to be] self-delivered [and to] deliver others, [it is] only [with] dependence [on] this method.

*

智者大师《净土十疑论》
Great Master Zhìzhě (Treatise On Ten Doubts About Pure Land):

故《智度论》云:『具缚凡夫,有大悲心,愿生恶世,救苦众生者,无有是处。何以故?恶世界烦恼强。自无忍力,心随境转,声色所缚。自堕三途,焉能救众生?假令得生人中,圣道难得。或因施戒修福,得生人中,得作国王大臣,富贵自在。纵遇善知识,不肯信用。贪迷放逸,广造众罪,乘此恶业,一入三途,经无量劫。从地狱出,受贫贱身。若不逢善知识,还堕地狱。如此轮回,至于今日,人人皆如是。』 此名难行道也。

Thus, the Perfection Of Wisdom Treatise says, ‘For completely bound ordinary beings, who have the mind of great compassion, and aspire for birth in this evil period, to save suffering sentient beings, this is not possible. Why is this so? Afflictions of this evil period’s world are powerful. Personally without the power of patience, the mind will, with conditions be transformed, thus by sounds and forms bound. Personally falling into the three paths, how is one able to save sentient beings? If attaining birth within the human realm, the sagely path is difficult to attain. One might, by generosity, upholding of precepts and cultivation of blessings, attain birth within the human realm, to become a country’s king or great official, with wealth, honour and ease. Even if one meets good-knowing friends, one may not be willing to have faith in them, or benefit from them. With greed and delusion unrestrained, extensively creating all kinds of transgressions, riding on this evil karma, once entering the three paths, passes through immeasurable kalpas. Departing from the hells, one receives a poor and lowly body. If not coming across good-knowing friends, one will still fall into the hells. Thus reborn, so far as to this present day, everyone is like so.’ This is named the Path Of Difficult Practice.

故《维摩经》云:『自疾不能救,而能救诸疾人?』又《智度论》云:『譬如二人,各有亲眷,为水所溺。一人情急,直入水救。为无方便力故,彼此俱没。一人有方便,往取船筏。乘之救接,悉皆得脱水溺之难。新发意菩萨,亦复如是,未得忍力,不能救众生。为此常须近佛。得无生忍已,方能救众生,如得船者。 』

Thus, the Vimalakīrti Sūtra says, ‘[If your] personal sickness is not able to be relieved, how moreover, [are you] able to relieve all sick persons?’ Moreover, the Perfection Of Wisdom Treatise says, ‘For example, there are two persons, each having relatives, by waters being drowned. One person, feeling anxious, directly enters the water to save them. Due to being without the power of expedient means, with one another, they all sink. One other person has expedient means, and goes to get a boat. Riding on it to receive and save, all attain liberation from the adversity of being drowned by water. Newly aspiring Bodhisattvas are likewise so, yet to attain the power of patience, and not able to save sentient beings. Due to this, they constantly need to be near Buddha[s]. After attaining the Patience Of Non-Birth, then are they able to save sentient beings, like the one who attained the boat.’

又如鸟子,翅羽未成,只得依树傅枝,不能远去。翅翮成就,方能飞空,自在无碍。』凡夫无力,唯得专念阿弥陀佛,使成三昧。以业成故,临终敛念得生,决定不疑,见弥陀佛。证无生忍已,还来三界,乘无生忍船,救苦众生,广施佛事,任意自在。故论云:『游戏地狱,行者生彼国,得无生忍已,还入生死国,教化地狱,救苦众生。』以是因缘,求生净土,愿识其教。故《十住婆沙论》,名易行道也。」

Moreover, like a baby bird, with wings not yet developed, who can only lean on trees and stick to branches, he is not able to go far. With the feathers and quills accomplished, then is he able to fly to the sky, with ease and without obstructions.’ Ordinary beings without power, can only, with focused mindfulness of Amitā[bha] Buddha [Amituofo], enable accomplishment of Samādhi. With this karma thus accomplished, when approaching the end of life with gathered mindfulness, they will attain birth [in his Pure Land]. Definitely and without doubt, they will see Amitā[bha] Buddha. After realising the Patience Of Non-Birth, they return to the three spheres, riding on the boat of Patience Of Non-Birth, to save suffering sentient beings, extensively practise generosity, and accomplish the Buddha’s activities, at will and with ease. Thus, the Treatise says, ‘Travelling freely with ease in the hells, practitioners born in that [Pure] Land, after attaining the Patience Of Non-Birth, return to enter the lands of birth and death, for teaching and transforming hell-beings, to save [these and other] suffering sentient beings.’ With these causes and conditions, seek birth in [that] Pure Land [of Amitā(bha) Buddha, and aspire to understand its teachings. Thus, the Ten Abodes Vibhāṣā Treatise names this the Path Of Easy Practice.

Dharma Master Thich Thien Tam
(Buddhism of Wisdom and Faith: Pure Land Principles And Practice):

What are the conditions that would allow us to save sentient beings? They are, of course, merit, virtue, wisdom, eloquence, spiritual power and auspicious features and bearing. (Do we have these qualities to any degree?) Particularly, severing afflictions and delusions and developing wisdom, so that we are not led astray by mundane things, is no easy matter! The ancients have said, “Severing Delusions of Views is as difficult as preventing water from running down a mountain forty miles high.” If it is so difficult to rid ourselves of Delusions of Views, how much more difficult it is to sever Delusions of Thought, Delusions of “Dust and Sand,” and ignorance.

Delusions of Views, simply put, are the afflictions connected with seeing and grasping at the coarse level. Delusions of Thought are afflictions at the subtle level. For countless eons, the infectious filth of greed, anger and delusion, as well as countless other erroneous views, have been instilled in our mind-consciousness. Can we really manage, in the short span of this life, to do away with them all? Today’s cultivators, in general, have few blessings and shallow wisdom. Just reciting the words “Amitabha Buddha [Amituofo]” in an accomplished manner is ‘difficult’ enough. Why even mention such distant goals as saving sentient beings at will?

For this reason, the immediate necessity is to seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land, first rescuing ourselves from the cycle of Birth and Death and then relying upon the auspicious environment of that Land to practice vigorously. We should wait until we have achieved Enlightenment and developed wisdom, eloquence, spiritual powers and auspicious features before returning to the Saha World to rescue sentient beings. Only then will we have some freedom of action.

Nevertheless, considering the responsibility and the compassionate mind of the cultivator, we should not completely reject all attempts to save sentient beings in our current life. In truth, however, our present altruistic attempts can only be within the framework of “according to one’s means and conditions.” This is not unlike the case of someone who, having fallen into the river of delusion, tries his best to reach the shore, all the while shouting to others, exhorting them to do likewise.

相关论著
Related Treatise:

净土行者有遗弃别的众生吗?
Do Pure Land Aspirants Forsake Other Beings?
https://thedailyenlightenment.com/2014/03/do-pure-land-aspirants-forsake-other-beings

Please be mindful of your speech, Amituofo!

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