"Faith, Vows and Practice" in the Pure Land schools

sanath SG

An interesting post by a Jodo Shin friend from Taiwan on the slight differences in the "Faith, Vow and Practice" between traditional Pure Land and Jodo Shinshu (凈土真宗).

不論「通途」或「本願」念佛人，「往生要件」均不離“信、願、行”三資糧。

「本願」或「通途」念佛人，就「往生要件」言，均不離“信、願、行”三資糧，惟內涵有所不同：

（一）「通途」念佛人之“信、願、行”三資糧內涵為：

1、信：信有「彌陀」、「極樂」。

2、願：願往生、願成佛、願度眾。

3、行：發菩提心、修諸功德、一向專念。

4、純自力根機眾生或半自力半他力根機眾生，依據彌陀＜第十九願＞或＜第二十願＞以往生。

（二）「本願」念佛人之“信、願、行”三資糧內涵為：

1、願：彌陀「本願力」躍動。
不僅信有「彌陀」、「極樂」，而且是為我成就的，願往生、願成佛、願度眾。

2、信：指「他力信心」。
領受＜第十八願＞－「若不生者、不取正覺」之「他力信心」為往生“正因”。

3、行：指「他力念佛」。
因領受「他力信心」，而生起「報恩念佛」，是為“正定業”。

4、純他力根機眾生或捨自力就他力根機眾生，信憑彌陀＜第十八願＞和＜第十七願＞以往生。

sanath SG

In English:

A person of the Nembutsu (念佛人), regardless whether in the traditional or Shin schools, has the aspects of "Faith, Vow and Practice", except that they differ in the meaning.

(1) The "Faith, Vow and Practice" of a traditional Pure Land Buddhist -

1. Faith: Faith that Amitabha and the Pure Land exist

2. Vow: Vows for rebirth, Vows to attain Buddhahood, Vows to liberate sentient beings

3. Pracitce: Arises Bodhicitta, practices various meritorious good karmic acts, recites single-mindedly

4. Those who practice with self-power or mixed (self-power with Other Power), attain rebirth through the 19th and 20th Vows

(19th Vow: If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the lands of the ten quarters, who awaken aspiration for Enlightenment, do various meritorious deeds and sincerely desire to be born in my land, should not, at their death, see me appear before them surrounded by a multitude of sages, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment.
20th Vow:If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the lands of the ten quarters who, having heard my Name, concentrate their thoughts on my land, do various meritorious deeds and sincerely transfer their merits towards my land with a desire to be born there, should not eventually fulfill their aspiration, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment.

http://www12.canvas.ne.jp/horai/48vows.htm)

(2) The "Faith, Vow and Practice" of those who practice Nembutsu in accordance to the Primal Vow of Amitabha:

1. Vow: The activity of the Power of Amida's Primal Vow. Not only having faith that Amitabha and the Pure Land exists, but also that the Primal Vow has been fulfilled for us, enabling us to seek rebirth, attain Buddhahood and liberate sentient beings

2. Faith: Refers to 'Other Power Shinjin (他力信心)', knowing (信知) that the passage from the 18th Vow "should not be born there, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment" is the Real Cause for our birth in the Pure Land

3. Practice: refers to 'Nembutsu of Other Power (他力念佛)', because having received "Other Power Shinjin (他力信心)", we arise to saying the Name out of Gratitude (報恩念佛), which is the "True Act (正定業)" for our rebirth.

4. Those who pracitce Nembutsu of Other Power or who have shed self-power and entrusted themselves to Amida, attain rebirth through the 18th and 17th Vows.

(18th Vow: If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the lands of the ten quarters who sincerely and joyfully entrust themselves to me, desire to be born in my land, and call my Name, even ten times, should not be born there, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment. Excluded, however, are those who commit the five gravest offenses and abuse the right Dharma.
17th Vow: If, when I attain Buddhahood, innumerable Buddhas in the land of the ten quarters should not all praise and glorify my Name, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment.

http://www12.canvas.ne.jp/horai/48vows.htm)

Bodhi hut SG

2、願：願往生、願成佛、願度眾。

願往生 = Vows for rebirth?

The 48 Vows of Buddha Amitabha video clip

http://bodhihut.17.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=849&highlight=amitabha++vows

阿弥陀佛四十八愿mp3

http://bodhihut.17.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=891

sanath SG

願往生 = Vows for rebirth?

Oops, just realised my typo, should be "Vow for rebirth" or "Vow to attain rebirth"

Gassho

Bodhi hut SG

In my own translation.

願往生 = Vow for attain rebirth to humjan releam and continue the accumulative dharma practise from past life and help the needy...

I find it more appropriate..

sanath SG

Sounds noble, but not easy. This is what Nagarjuna (龍樹菩薩), Vasuandhu (天親菩薩) and Tan-luan (曇鸞大師) had to say:

The Commentary on Vasubandhu's Treatise on the Pure Land states:

Reverently contemplating the Commentary on the Ten Bodhisattva Stages of Bodhisattva Nagarjuna, I find it stated that there are two paths by which bodhisattvas seek the stage of non-retrogression - the path of difficult practice and the path of easy practice.

With the path of difficult practice, it is seeking non-retrogression in this world of five defilements at a time when there is no Buddha that is difficult. This difficulty appears in many ways; I will indicate what is meant by roughly listing several of them.

· The apparent good practiced in non-buddhist ways is confused with the dharma of the bodhisattva.

· The sravaka's concentration on self-benefit diverts a bodhisattva's practice of great compassion.

· Evildoers lacking self-reflection subvert the excellent merits of others.

· The results of good acts undertaken with inverted thinking nullify the bodhisattva's pure practice for enlightenment.

· The path of difficult practice is based solely on self-power and lacks the support of Other Power.

Such problems as these, which may be seen everywhere, are examples of the difficulty. Thus the path of difficult practice may be compared in its hardship to journeying overland on foot.

In the path of easy practice, one aspires to be born in the Pure Land with solely one's entrusting oneself to the Buddha as the cause, and allowing oneself to be carried by the power of the Buddha's Vow, quickly attains birth in the land of purity. Supported by the Buddha's power, one immediately enters the group of the truly settled of the Mahayana. The stage of the truly settled is none other than the stage of non-retrogression. Thus the path of easy practice may be compared in its comfort to being carried over waterways in a ship.

This treatise, the Upadesa on the Sutra of Immeasurable Life, indeed holds the ultimate of the Mahayana; it is a sail with which to catch the favorable wind toward non-retrogression.

"Immeasurable Life" is a name of the Tathagata of the Pure Land of happiness. Sakyamuni Buddha, while residing at Rajagrha and Sravasti, taught the assembly about the virtues that adorn the Buddha of Immeasurable Life. The Buddha's Name forms the essence of those sutras. Later, the sage Bodhisattva Vasubandhu, reverently heeding [Sakyamuni] Tathagata's greatly compassionate teaching, composed a gatha of aspiration for birth in the Pure Land based on these sutras.