发愿往生净土如何对齐四圣谛与四弘誓愿
How Giving Rise To Aspiration For Birth In Pure Land Aligns With The Four Noble Truths And Four Great Vows
若有人已发愿、今发愿、当发愿，欲生阿弥陀佛国者，是诸人等，皆得不退转于阿耨多罗三藐三菩提，于彼国土，若已生、若今生、若当生。是故舍利弗，诸善男子、善女人，若有信者，应当发愿，生彼国土。
释迦牟尼佛
《阿弥陀经》If there are people who have already vowed, are now vowing, or will be vowing, with the desire to be born in Amitā Buddha’s land, all these people and others, will all attain non-retrogression for Anuttarā Samyak Saṃbodhi. In that land, they have already been born, or are now being born, or will be born.
Śākyamuni Buddha
(Amitā[bha] Sūtra)
In ‘The Essential Explanation On The Amitā[bha] Sūtra As Spoken By The Buddha’《佛说阿弥陀经要解》written by the Pure Land Tradition’s 9th Patriarch Great Master Ǒuyì (净土宗九祖蕅益大师), he taught that,
‘As when raising the Vow (i.e. Aspiration), thus are Faith and Practice within it, therefore with earnest diligence, did the Buddha thrice encourage it [to be given rise to in this sūtra]. (举愿则信行在其中，所以殷勤三劝也。) [Note: Faith, Aspiration and Practice (信愿行) are the Three Provisions (三资粮) for reaching Pure Land.] Furthermore, Vowing to be born in that land, is the same as having the two doors of [3]-[4] rejoice and [1]-[2] revulsion. (复次愿生彼国，即欣厌二门。)
‘Revulsed renunciation of the Sahā World, is with reliance upon the [first] two [Noble] Truths of [1] suffering and the causes of its [2] accumulation, that gives rise to the [first] two kinds of [1]-[2] Great Vows that correspond.’ (厌离娑婆，与依苦集二谛所发二种弘誓相应。)
In other words, to give rise to the push factor of wanting to depart from this defiled land (秽土) with much endurance of suffering, there has to be recognition of the [2] cause and [1] effect of suffering being pervasive here.
[1] The First Great Vow (第一弘誓愿), ‘Of sentient beings boundless, I vow to deliver them’ (众生无边誓愿度), is conditioned by the [1] First Noble Truth of suffering (第一苦谛), as it is due to recognising one another’s Eight Sufferings (八苦), that we aspire to deliver one and all from them. Even if not able to (aspire to) deliver all others here, we will naturally be motivated to do so after reaching Pure Land. We just have to be open to it, to not reject this.
The Eight Sufferings are the Physical Sufferings (身苦) of (i) birth (生), (ii) ageing (老), (iii) sickness (病) and (iv) death (死), and the Mental Sufferings (心苦) of (v) separation from the beloved (爱别离), (vi) meeting the hated (怨憎会), (vii) not attaining the sought (求不得) and (viii) blazing of the Five Aggregates (五蕴炽盛) (of forms [色], feelings [受], perceptions [想], mental formations [行] and consciousness [识]).
[2] The Second Great Vow (第二弘誓愿), ‘Of afflictions inexhaustible, I vow to sever them’ (烦恼无尽誓愿断), is conditioned by the [2] Second Noble Truth of the cause of suffering (第二集谛), as it is due to suffering from afflictions [from the Three Poisons (三毒) of greed, hatred and delusion (贪嗔痴)] being severable, that we aspire to sever them all. Even if not able to sever all afflictions here, we will naturally be able to do so after reaching Pure Land.
Next, he taught that, ‘With rejoice seeking birth in the Land Of Ultimate Bliss, is with reliance upon the [last] two [Noble] Truths of the [3] path and [4] eradication of suffering, that gives rise to the [last] two kinds of [3]-[4] Great Vows that correspond.’ (欣求极乐，与依道灭二谛所发二种弘誓相应。)
In other words, to give rise to the pull factor of wanting to reach the Pure Land (净土) with Ultimate Bliss (极乐), there has to be recognition of the [4] cause and [3] effect of the end of suffering being pervasive there.
[3] The Third Great Vow (第三弘誓愿), ‘Of Dharma Doors immeasurable, I vow to learn them’ (法门无量誓愿学), is conditioned by the [3] Third Noble Truth of the end of suffering (第三灭谛), as it is due to Ultimate Nirvāṇa (究竟涅槃) of Buddhahood (佛果) being realisable, that we aspire to master all Dharma Doors for it. Even if not able to learn all Dharma Doors here, we will naturally be able to do so after reaching Pure Land. Thus, we just have to embrace the Dharma Door Of Mindfulness Of Buddha (念佛法门) well now.
[4] The Fourth Great Vow (第四弘誓愿), ‘Of the Buddha path unsurpassable, I vow to accomplish it’ (佛道无上誓愿成), is conditioned by the [4] Fourth Noble Truth of the path to the end of suffering (第四道谛), as it is due to the path to Buddhahood being walkable, which leads to True Happiness with the end of suffering, that we aspire to accomplish it. Even if not able to attain the path here, we will naturally be able to do so after reaching Pure Land.
He then concludes, ‘Thus attaining non-retrogression on the path to Great Bodhi’, [i.e. enlightenment of Buddhahood, as the above [1]-[4] two doors embody all [1]-[4] Four Great Vows, that express the Bodhi Mind (i.e. Bodhicitta: 菩提心), which can be most swiftly and fully actualised via the Pure Land]. (故得不退转于大菩提道。)
Therefore, giving rise to Aspiration for birth in Pure Land aligns with the [1]-[4] Four Noble Truths, which are connected to renunciation for at least self-liberation. They also form the basis for aligning to the [1]-[4] Four Great Vows, which are connected to the Bodhi Mind for the liberation of all beings.
若有众生，
闻是说者，
应当发愿，
生彼国土。释迦牟尼佛
《阿弥陀经》If there are sentient beings,
who hear this said,
they should Vow,
to be born in that land.Śākyamuni Buddha
(Amitā[bha] Sūtra)
相关教理
Related Teaching:
今发愿今往生的原理
[58] The Principle Of ‘Vow Now For Birth Now’
https://purelanders.com/2018/10/26/vow-now-for-birth-now
