念佛的積極面
一九九三年七月二日
講於馬六甲人生佛學中心
筆錄：陳傳光居士
主講者：林鈺堂
各位佛友晚安。我今天講這個題目，是因為有些信佛的人，覺得念佛好像是低層的修行；而一些不信佛的人則誤會念佛是消極、是逃避，所以我要強調：念佛其實是一件很積極的事情。首先要說明為什麼要念佛。有的人說，你們這樣嘴裡念一念，到底有什麼用呢？念佛也不能解決世間的事情；有的人甚至專門去念佛，那麼這些世間的事，難道可以不管嗎？
為什麼念佛是一件積極的事情？首先我們要問，這世間是不是有問題？要怎麼樣才能真正的解決？當然一般都會說，我們從政治上、經濟上用種種方法來解決。但是這些方式的解決，大家也都知道很有限。就算法律訂得再好，人不好的時候，不但會去鑽法律的漏洞，甚至用它來做壞的事情。但是人好的時候，就算是法律沒有規定到，壞的事情也不會發生，所以根本的解決方法，還是在每個人有一顆純真的心。
每個人的心要是純真的話，那麼不必要發生的問題就可以減少；就算是出了問題，大家都會懂得要互相幫助。我們仔細的來檢討，每個人都有生、老、病、死、種種人生問題，我們自己或是別人遇到同樣的問題，你能給他多少幫助？嚴格的講，其他的幫助都是很表面的，即使社會福利做得很好，大家都很幫助人，還是有人在鑽牛角尖，什麼事情都跟人家斤斤計較，一生過得很煩惱。
美國算是世界最富強的國家，可是你看那裡的青少年，雖然有錢，郤仍有很多問題呀，吸毒，性泛濫，得愛滋病，或精神苦悶要自殺呀。他們環境很好，不像非洲沒有飯吃，為什麼內心有種種的煩惱和問題？這是因為沒有人指導他怎麼樣來解決根本的人生問題呀。所以這就証明，要是心裡沒有安穩，外面再多的幫助，也還是不能解決問題呀。一般說來，我們只照顧自己的幾個孩子都覺得好辛苦，更何況說要照顧很多人，其實不易辦到。所以真正根本、徹底，能夠自己得到好處並且幫助別人，還是要使人人的心裡有一個平安。
那麼要得到心裡的平安，佛法的教導，並不是用一套理念來灌輸，不是教育每個人都要一個樣子做。如果用這樣外在的強制，即使講得再好，但是，每個人天生有他的需求，而世間好的東西有限，那麼當然會引發私心，而起爭奪，所以光是要用一種制度，叫你非怎麼樣不可，這是很難的。
但是佛陀教我們的是一個可以徹底解決這個問題的方法。這個方法不是靠勉強，而是說我們人基本上有很純潔的一面，那是本來的，很純潔、很善良的，只要這個純真能夠發揚出來，就可以超越這些私心與鬥爭。我們會有種種問題，是因為被身體、文化限制住，產生了種種的偏見，而形成一個以個人、一家、一國、一個社會或一種文化為中心的「我執」。你從自己這邊看，有些事情我們大家都這樣做，這樣對我們好，就以為這就是對的、就是好的。然而遇到別的做法時，才發現其實只是兩邊看法不一樣，不見得誰對誰錯，只是你以為你對，他以為他對；這樣子而已。
我們從小生長的環境，所受的教育，文化的背景，都影響到形成我們個人的偏好、偏見與偏執。我們生為人，有人的限制；例如，有些狗聽得到的聲音，人聽不到。有的人可以看到鬼，有的人看不到；這一類的是生理上感官的限制。要是這些生理、文化的限制都能夠超越，你就會了解，其實都是有情，而且這些有情，在佛証悟的時候來看都是一體。這一體的意思不是說我分不出來，這裡一個人、那裡一個人。而是說大家在都是有情這一點上，心其實是相通的，而且這種相通是不受時空限制的。這個聽起來太抽象，甚至會引人疑問說：這種一體是不是一種幻覺？超越文化的限制還可以想像，超越生理限制那有可能？「超越時空限制」更是不知所云了！
佛在証悟的時候，他是先看到人有生、老、病、死這些問題，所以覺得有個王位也沒有什麼意思，這些問題來了的時候，也不能解決呀。他為了解決這些根本問題，經過很苦的修練，精神上的境界慢慢提升，到後來証到跟神明一樣了。但是他很聰明，他能察覺還是有一個很細的「我執」。他最後的覺悟是破了這層最微細、最根本的「我執」，才恢復本來的樣子。那麼佛那個時候証入的一體，照經書所說的，就是一切眾生的三世因果，都能看得清清楚楚。我們現在不是佛，怎樣知道佛經上講的是真還是假？我們信受經書靠的是什麼？靠的是我們只要依照經書講的方法去修，漸漸就會發現，我們真能超出原先認為有限制的範圍。
比方說，有一次我打坐時，邁阿密有一位佛友曾憲煒居士打電話來，說他的朋友在洛杉磯去世了，叫我修頗瓦法（密宗超渡的法門）。當時我在打坐，所以沒有起來接，只是聽到答錄機傳來的聲音。我一邊聽著，就在同時，在我右前方顯出一個老人的臉，白頭髮、白鬍子，眼睛小小的，但很有精神。等我打完坐，馬上為那個人修頗瓦，又看到那老人背對著我，走進我所觀的阿彌陀佛裡去；他的背有點駝。等我修完頗瓦，才回電話給曾居士，說我剛剛已為他的朋友修頗瓦了；我說看到他朋友的樣子，他說全對。然而事實上我從未見過這個人，連相片都沒看過。打電話的人在邁阿密，去世的人在洛杉磯，我在舊金山，這都是相差幾百、幾千里的地方。這個事情發生，你說我有什麼本事；不是呀，而是我們每一個人，心純的時候，自然會發生的。這是因為我們本來是有這種本能。有些人也經驗過這類事，比方說，自己很親的人過世，因為關係深，他就會來跟你索取冥紙，或者他雖在遠方去世卻出現在你面前，這些事都有呀。
為什麼這些事對我們來說很稀奇？因為我們的心有太多世間的煩惱，把我們的本能都遮蔽了。這些煩惱不是一天、兩天積起來的，而是生生世世不斷在操心說，我要怎麼樣啦，我的家人要怎麼樣啦，這個事要怎麼樣啦，計較這點，計較那點，自己計較慣了就變成跑不出去了，整天的想法只在這裡面繞，連外邊是什麼樣子也看不到，甚至因為習慣了，根本不想離煩惱而去；那麼要怎麼樣才能出去呢？佛、菩薩教我們一種方法，是從問題形成的根本處著手。我們現在所以會得這樣的結果，是因為整天只想我要這樣，我要那樣，已經習慣了，所以沒有辦法出去。那麼從根本解決，就要在心裡這個我怎麼樣，我怎麼樣，這根本的地方想辦法，也就是把我們從「老是想和自已有關」的地方轉移出去了。我們每個人的心力只有那麼多，現在全用在與自己有關那邊，要轉移就得用一個與「我自己」完全無關的念頭。用其他的都沒有辦法達到效果。例如數字，我們馬上會聯想到金錢，生日等等。但是佛、菩薩就給我們一個跟這個「我怎麼樣，我怎麼樣」完全沒有關係的，這就是佛號。世間的一切是連在一起的；只有佛號是超越的。你要了解這個道理，知道這個方法是要從根本上來解決我們的問題的。念佛是一個很安穩的修法。當然我們不可能一下子被拉出去，你習慣在這裡，硬要把你拉出去，你很痛苦，也受不了，但是每天念佛，就好像今天到門口看一下，明天看兩下，慢慢你習慣了，就敢出去了。
你本來心的所有力量，都在「我」這邊，慢慢的，今天一點過去，明天一點過去，念佛久了你自己慢慢覺得身體有些鬆了。平常我們因為心中糾纏得厲害，身體也都是緊張的。如果工作又忙起來，往往就會有胃痛，頭痛，失眠等毛病。平常我們煩惱這件事，煩惱那件事，甚至自己也不覺察，身體因此而很緊；但是你要是念佛，好好的念久了，你會感覺身體真的自己鬆掉了。為什麼呢？因為你原來煩惱很多，心力都執著在這些煩惱上面，以致身體很緊；現在念佛，它就慢慢一層一層的鬆掉。依照我自己念佛的經驗，我們是從心裡很微細的地方開始執著，然後影嚮到身體裡面一層一層的糾纏上去。到最外面這是很粗的糾結，也就是我們最易覺察的身體上的不舒服處。這些粗的糾結，我們念佛、修大禮拜、做好事等等，就會慢慢鬆開。但是，要是沒有一個徹底的誠心說我要放棄我執的話，這些糾結是不會真的解開的。您如果還設一個界限說我只能修到這個地步，那結是解不開的。
念佛的意思是要徹底的改造，就連心底最深最細的地方都要慢慢改過來，這自私的心要改過來，要了解你這個為自己的心，其實就害自己。因為你若只為自己，看事情時就看不到真相，你心裡都是偏見嘛；做事情時，即使您是好人，不存心害人，您還是只想著我好就好，這就自己把一道牆圍起來了，把自己關在裡面，死在裡面。你要是只關心自己，一定會有問題，因為世間誰能保証，你不會老，即使老了也沒有問題？你不會病嗎，病了不苦嗎？你若只愛幾個子女，誰保証他一定活到老？誰保証他婚姻美滿、事業順利？什麼事情都可能發生，人生是高高低低，每個人都沒有保障呀！當然，照佛法講這是因果，你過去做多了壞事，這回壞的報應多，所以在生活上要慢慢改，儘量做好事，壞事不要做。可是更深一層講，如果我們做的好事只有一點點，不能抵償過去的惡業，那麼仍舊會有高高低低的際遇。你的心要是只顧自己，只關心少數幾個人，那麼你這顆心那一天能安呀？一定不能安！所以你了解這個以後，就知道只為自己就是害自己。
反過來呢，你要想到大家一樣都有生、老、病、死的問題，都一樣會快樂、會痛苦。那麼我們要怎麼樣才能使大家都快樂，都減少痛苦？你若能這樣來看世界、處理事情，你就安穩了；為什麼？你的心是這樣開闊時，雖然人生的問題還是有，但是別人的問題就跟自己的問題一樣，大家就會互相幫忙！問題就容易解決了。人總是會死呀，但是心要是有博愛的人，這幾個死了，還有活著的我們可以服務，可以照顧，對不對？這樣你就活了，不會死在那裡。你這些兒女，就是你有心照顧他們一輩子，也有太多地方是照顧不了的呀。若不懂得教他要開闊來服務、來愛人，他也只有煩惱一生，你也只有煩惱一生，大家都只在那裡糾纏：我的兒子怎麼樣啦，我的女兒怎麼樣啦；兒女們也是：我的爸爸怎麼樣啦，我的媽媽又怎麼樣啦；這樣大家都沒有快樂，又有什麼意思呢？
你如果能夠往佛法服務去，你就會慢慢得解脫；為什麼呢？你不一定需要有特別的表現，你只要在工作的崗位上，把基本的精神改成為大眾服務，而不是跟人家計較做事多少，待遇如何。不要往計較的方面走，而是要往服務的方面走。能夠多服務一分，將來死的時候，就多一分安慰！你到那時候，什麼都沒有了；到墳場走一次看看，每人只有一塊墓碑呀！就連這個，百年之後可能子孫都找不到了。特別是現代社會，往往有人連祖父墳在那裡都不知道。最後只有一塊墓碑在那裡，你有什麼好爭的？都是假的呀！你死的時候能安穩的渡過，這一輩子能快樂的過，只有靠你的愛心呀；你在為人服務上做一分，你就得一分平安，只有這個是真的呀。不要被騙，不要被「自我」騙了。
而且這個很容易，並不需要你特別到那裡做什麼，只要我們平常做人，遇到事情，能做一點的，就幫一點；這就對了！比方有個小孩跌倒，你不要說這不是我的小孩，不管他呀，你趕快把他扶起來，就是這樣。有個陌生人，口渴了，我們給他一杯水，就是這樣子呀。你要是整個精神是在服務上，就一輩子有意思，其它是沒有什麼好爭的。
若能像上面講的來想，就會了解念佛是很積極的。他並不是要逃避世間的問題，而是認清怎樣才能根本地解決人生的問題。有些人說要來改良社會，就喊出什麼主義、什麼主義的，結果他們是要強制人家接受那一套，事實上還不只是一群人來管另一群人嗎？這一群人要是自己不純的話，或者在得權力以後腐敗了，又是什麼樣呢？以前革命的時候講得怎樣好，等到上台之後，他就變成被革命的對象，因為他又跟以前那一群統治者一樣了。可見這不是真正解決的辦法。何況有的也強制不來，比如一個小孩子，他雖有他的純真，但是你要他忽然懂得對人有愛心，不見得做得來。我們的愛心是人生慢慢吃苦吃多了，知道自己自私不對，才慢慢學有愛心的；這也是一種覺悟嘛。所以你要強制人家，要管人家，是不可能的，唯一能夠做得到的是管理自己呀。
念佛是一個覺悟，我先管理我自己，我自己心純了，這個社會就少一個問題，就少一個壞人。從這樣子做起，等你自己修到能夠感動人的時候，才能做菩薩。如果你自己不成熟，甚麼事都不懂，卻以為自己是修菩薩道，到處介入人家的事，堅持自己的意見，而看不到自己是外行亂講，那豈不是更糟，反而攪亂別人的事情嗎？所以念佛這個修行有很深的道理，有成熟的考慮，是積極的為世間解決根本問題。你想想看有幾個人，心那麼純，能夠受得了那個寂寞，一直在念佛？有幾個呀？這是一件很不容易的事情呀。但是愈是枯燥無味，愈是寂寞，你還是默默地修，這就愈是你心裡力量成長的助緣。能夠好好念佛的人，世間的事必然已經不掛心了，因此他就沒有貪心，沒有貪心就免了貪心的苦。同樣一件事情遇到了，有的人很生氣，有的人卻說這個不必那麼氣嘛，甚至有的人可以不當一回事－不當一回事的人就解脫了。所以你念佛念得多的時候，很多事情就自然解脫了。別人為這個苦，為那個苦，你卻連問題都沒有了，只是「阿彌陀佛」又過去了！
你想想看，人生會遇到什麼事，誰知道呢？不要看你現在健全，馬來西亞車禍也很多，要是碰上意外，隨時都可能斷手斷腳。遇到這些事情時心裡沒有力量的話，就會怨天尤人，有的一輩子抱怨不已，有的要好幾年才能走出這種心態。你要是有修行的話，人生雖然沒有人可以替你保障，但是萬一遇到不幸的事情，就比較容易處理而能安然渡過。
到現在我還沒有強調說，念佛其實會得到佛、菩薩的保佑。這是因為，一般而言，修不久的人不易感覺到佛力的加被，所以我先只從一般的道理談起。但是我們實修而有感應經驗的人，也應該告訴大家這些事實。佛是已經証入一體，已經超出時空的限制。當你相信他，念他的佛號的時候，你就容易跟他接通。我自己修的經驗，佛、菩薩來加持的時候，那個感覺是沒有辦法講，就只能形容像充電一樣，忽然有一股力量把你全身籠罩住，使您失去身體的感覺。佛、菩薩給你的加持真的有這麼強呀，這是我們修比較久的有這種經驗。你在那裡念佛的時候，就是慢慢跟佛通電，就慢慢得這些東西。佛、菩薩教我們，是要做個好人，要做好事，不可以做壞事。我們照著做，在個人的業上就提升了，就減少了一些問題。這樣就有可能大事化小事。再加上佛、菩薩的護法給你護持，那你這一生可以很平穩的過。
你要是能把這個教給你的子女，那才是真正搶不走的遺產呀！其他的，你給他愈多，他煩惱愈多。他要是處理不來，那就糟糕了，越多人想要鬧他，對不對？要注意這些呀，這些是真的東西。像今晚有人彌留，你們要去助念，可見念佛不是沒有用哪；那個人到這個時候，什麼都幫不了忙，只有念佛對他真正有幫助。有些久修念佛的人到臨終的時候，就跟人家說趕快幫我念，而且還要大聲念，他自己知道那樣對他有幫助。問題主要是人在世間成長的過程中失去了純真。生死的過程應該都是自然的。小孩子出生的時候，也是有痛苦呀，但那個時候比較純真，純真的話，身體鬆軟，比較沒有什麼苦。我們人將死的時候，為什麼會痛苦？因為這一輩子身體都已經纏縛僵硬了，平常世間的想法、考慮太多，用心機、造城府，導致筋脈糾結，氣血堵塞，隨著年紀漸老，就有些地方氣血不通，筋脈僵化。到死的時候，要從軀殼離開，但是這裡脈路不通，那裡又彎彎曲曲，你說會不會苦？當然很苦。但是你如果開始念佛，念久了你自己的身心都慢慢鬆開，到死的時候，只不過是一個自然的過程，就不會有苦。這就是為什麼有的修念佛久的人走了，身體還是軟軟；他先已經把這個問題解決了，到時候只是一個自然過程就不會苦了。人生無常，什麼時候死都不知道；念佛這個事情是最後真正有個結果的，而且不但對自己好，對別人也好。
佛法中也有其它的修法，例如打坐、參禪、學密宗等，我們為什麼提倡念佛呢？因為一般來講我們都有世間的事情，有職業、家庭，而沒有充裕的時間專門修行。深入專修當然最好，但就像全世界只有少數幾個人去參加奧林匹克競賽，專修的總是少數。我們普通人要一下子達到高水準是不可能的。但是你平常若肯在家裡運動，等成績好了，再參加都市的運動會，慢慢你也許就有資格參加世運了。那些比較深入的修法，是要完全投入才會有一個結果。我們現在若能從定課修念佛做起，等修到淨念不斷，也是可能完全投入習定、參禪或學密的。
我們平常人安穩的做法，就是一步一步地念佛。也不需要搞組織，等一下又有人事問題，利益問題，問題一大堆，搞得亂七八糟。每個人的見解不同，就算都是好人，也同樣會有爭執呀。比如說有的人老爸爸病很重，倒在床上，一群兒女因為都愛爸爸，這個說要為他洗身體才舒適，那個說不行呀，洗身子會著涼呀，爭得都要打起來了。這個世間很難就是這樣，都要做好事，也都還是爭執不下的。
念佛呢，就會減少這一類問題。每個人自己好好的念，也不會說跟錯了人，上當受騙。都沒有事，每個人就自己念，念到自己真的知道很好，才知道如何勸人也念。遇到別人也是要慢慢勸，這不能勉強的呀。你遇到他有苦，你跟他開導，想開一點嘛，人生無常，有一個方法可以從煩惱解脫。還有一點很重要，當一個人正在苦的時候，沒那麼簡單，人家講幾句話，說看開就看開嗎？看不開呀！人家勸說放掉就放得掉嗎？放不掉呀！你生病很弱、很苦了，怎麼辦哪？但是平常有修念佛的人就不一樣，因為他早就看開了，早就放下了，這全是多年念佛，不知不覺中做到的。你要是念的功夫深，別人以為會苦的情況，你卻沒有苦，這種解脫是靠平常努力修才能達到的。到時候為什麼不會苦？因為你裡頭都鬆了、都通了，就自然不一樣。你看，我頭上本來是快要禿的，現在又長新毛，也沒有塗藥，也沒有經過任何治療。可見只要好好修，身心自然會改變。講這些，是要助人了解念佛是有用的；你們去助念，也是很有用的；自己遇到問題，念佛定心也是很有用的。
一般而言，只要做習慣了，念經也可以，念長咒也可以；但是我比較鼓勵人家念佛，這是為什麼？因為這個是救命用的，要是忽然遇到車禍或是意外事件，必需不假思索，脫口而出，就是一句「阿彌陀佛」，心中只有此一淨念。要是老弱病苦的時候，也不需去記下面一句是什麼，就只有四個字嘛。你就光念：「阿彌陀佛、阿彌陀佛」，這是很容易依靠的。你要是養成這個習慣，遇到你很苦的時候，愈苦就愈非念不可，那麼你就有一個機會把自己從苦、從煩惱裡拉出來。你要是沒有一個東西可以依靠，你怎麼能脫離苦惱呢？所以這是很重要的，等於是一條救命的繩子，緊急時可以拉呀。
講到究竟，則是「應無所住而生其心」；我們不用住在那裡呀！念佛是不是「有所住」呢？但是還沒到究竟的時候，需要一個東西拉著，不然怎麼辦？而且「應無所住」，並不是說就死在「無所住」，而什麼都不抓，緊接著還有「而生其心」啊，就是一面無執，一面要活用。其實念佛就是「應無所住而生其心」；為什麼？一念「阿彌陀佛」，就過去了，剛剛念那一句已經過去了，我沒有住在那句，我現在念的是新的一句「阿彌陀佛」，這是活用呀！其實要是真的懂「應無所住而生其心」，就是活活潑潑，就會應用無窮，而不是死在那裡。活活潑潑的本來那個叫做「應無所住而生其心」。誰跟你說句句「阿彌陀佛」是同一個？這是你自己觀念上綁在那裡，說同樣四個字。你要是能從這層觀念解脫出來的話，每一句「阿彌陀佛」都是一個新的；你在那裡念佛，也是「應無所住而生其心」；你是在練習活用，練習說這一用很純真，這一念就只是「阿彌陀佛」。
你要是能在意念上很純真，念念都是只有「阿彌陀佛」，那麼你在念佛裡面慢慢會接近禪定。你不需要另外去學禪定，跟打坐一樣的禪定境界會自然起來；就在念佛的時候，它就起來了。你要是能夠在念上做到這樣，你在念上純粹、念上解脫了。那麼你會慢慢通達在色、聲、香、味、觸上解脫的情況。看電視也可以解脫－電視上可以演得很殘暴、很色情，你心要是純的話，看起來全是「阿彌陀佛」一樣。
這樣講得很玄，但是你要了解，你眼、耳、鼻、舌、身、意在基本上是一體，你現在只要學會在色、聲、香、味、觸、法的應用上都是純真而已。但是要把複雜的經驗全部回復純真是很難的，所以先從念頭上修起，做到有定的境界，然後那種經驗慢慢會自然傳播到其他方面去，所以念佛的結果，不是死在「阿彌陀佛」上，而是藉著佛號的幫助活起來，變成一個活活潑潑的人呀！
「阿彌陀佛」是什麼意思呀？是無量壽、無量光。無量壽的意思是說時間上無限，無量光是說空間上無限，最主要是強調這個「無限」。但這個「無限」是個「一體」呀；阿彌陀佛佛光普照，不是只照你不照他；佛是無所不照，全部平等的。而且阿彌陀佛就是每個人本來的佛性，也就是說，我們本來是那個樣子。所以你依佛法的修行而得到解脫的時候，只是回到本來，並不像說比賽得到冠軍，那你還要設法去保持，那可就辛苦了，因為還要努力啊。解脫就是回復你本來很純真的樣子。
開始修念佛的時候你知道佛號的意思是「無限」，但是你念久了，你就會超出意義這一層。真正的無限，必須連人類的觀念都要超出。佛法開始先借用觀念來指導我們，因為我們都生活在觀念的範圍裡面。觀念都是有限的、有分別的，那麼要怎樣突破觀念的界限呢？我們說「阿彌陀佛」的意義是無限，就是先把其他觀念的界限放掉。這並不是說到最後我們不能分別；還是能分別，不然觀世音菩薩怎樣三十二應，該如何救渡的就如何救渡？他還是能分別，他是能活用分別，而不被分別綁住。我們現在的問題是一有分別，就被分別綁住了，所以佛、菩薩教我們無限，就是叫我們不要被分別綁住，要學會同體大悲，能夠這樣子開闊來愛大家，為大家服務。念佛念久了就純了，純了，觀念就自然消失；不是有心要意義消失的，有心的話，還是在觀念裡面，還是跑不出來。無心的，自然超越出來。修久了，將來很純的，就是「阿彌陀佛」。念念「阿彌陀佛、阿彌陀佛、……」，沒有想到意義的問題。
佛菩薩教我們無限的一體，又傳下很多戒律來規範我們的生活，以幫助我們漸漸達到佛的境界。但是在生活中忽然遇到事情，我們一般人記不得那麼多，需要的是一個很基本的原則來做為實用的指針。這原則可分兩面來講：積極的一邊就是要開闊，消極的一邊就是要無執。我們現在是太有限－很多事情我們會覺得很煩惱，主要是因為看得不多，所以就怨天尤人，自怨自恨。但是你要是看多了，年紀大看多了，就會說，哎呀！不幸中之萬幸，還有更糟糕的。同樣一件事，你年青時覺得很苦，等年紀大了再看，就覺得能這樣也就算啦。所以我們學佛就是學前人經驗累積的智慧，這樣我們就可以少受一些苦。學開闊：遇到事情往長遠想，從多方面想，再看看別人的情況，自己就容易解脫了。幫助人的時候也是這樣跟他講，他就容易從煩惱裡走出來。
一邊是開闊，另一邊是無執，就是放得下。最後反正都是假的嘛；什麼是你的錢呀？你要是這一下走了，就都不是了。但是錢還在你手裡的時候，你能用來做對人有益的事情，受惠的人會感恩而說：「這是誰給我的，這是誰做的」，這樣才真的是你的。只要把它用在公益上，那就真是你的了；你要是死死放在那裡，那不是你的。你看明朝的開國皇帝朱元璋，他是孤兒，沒有飯吃才出家的，結果打出自己的天下。他真有本事的，是不用你擔心的，財產反而可以拖累他。要是你給子孫，而他又是不行的話，你就反而害了他，使他成了被人謀財的對象。讓他快樂過一生就好了，真正能給他的是教他這些佛法，使他不再老是想：我要比人家怎樣，我要跟人家怎樣，而能平平淡淡過一生就「阿彌陀佛」了，就真很快樂、很安穩了。
現在想到的就是這些。你們有什麼問題，特別是對念佛有什麼問題，可以盡量提出來。把觀念弄清楚的話，大家就會念得更有興趣，更有信心。還有一個可以提倡的就是週末閉關。在馬來西亞週末有一天半，佛友們可以輪流閉關，輪流做護關的工作。閉關主要是禁語、禁足。可以在家中規定一個房間或加上廁所，做為閉關的界限，不要出來。閉關期間不接電話，不看報紙、雜誌、信件，不見朋友，不看電視，不聽收音機，也不自言自語。在裡邊可以念佛、拜佛、看些經書，照樣可以吃三餐、沖涼、睡覺，但不吃零食。這是練習單獨，練習專心於修行。你要是耐得住單獨，煩惱會減輕，心裡的力量也會增長，那就比較容易渡過人生的問題。要修呀！
問 答
問：家裡沒有供佛；早上點三枝香，然後靜坐念佛，可以嗎？
答：可以。念佛的好處是隨處可念，而且也沒有髒不髒的問題，女人有月事也可以念，生產照樣可以念，佛菩薩是像父母一樣，不會嫌嬰兒的便溺骯髒，會自動給他清理。廁所裡也可以念，到處都可以念。主要目的是功夫打成一片，任何時候可以念，而且一直不斷的念。念佛看來很簡單，實際上修才知道其實很難。初修的人，一句「阿彌陀佛」，第二句還沒念，就不知有多少雜念已經來了。要念到一句一句佛號之間沒有一個間隔的感覺是很不容易達到的。心裡佛號維持不斷是很難的；這裡面功夫是很深的啊！
The Active Aspect of Chanting Amitabha
A Dharma Lecture given in Chinese by Dr. Yutang Lin
July 2, 1993 Human Life Buddhist Center, Melaka, Malaysia
Transcribed by Tan Suan Kuang
Translated by Stanley Lam
Edited by Ann Klein and Dr. Lin
Good evening, dear Dharma friends. I speak on this topic today because some Buddhists feel that chanting Amitabha is a practice only for beginners or the uneducated, while some non-Buddhists mistake chanting for something passive and evasive; therefore I feel a need to explain that chanting Amitabha is actually a very active endeavor. First, I would like to explain the reason for chanting Amitabha . Someone may ask: what is the point of merely repeating a few words orally? It does not seem likely that worldly problems could be solved by chanting Amitabha ; yet some people even chant full time. How could people simply ignore worldly matters?
Why is chanting Amitabha an active endeavor? First, we need to ask whether there are problems in the world, and how could those problems really be resolved? The common answer is undoubtedly that we can solve those problems by various political and economic means; however, we all know that the efficacy of those means of solving problems is all very limited. Even if laws are very well written, when people are unethical, not only would they take advantage of legal loopholes, but would also misuse the law to commit immoral activities. However, when people are good, negative things would not happen even if relevant laws do not exist. Therefore, the fundamental solution depends on everyone having a pure heart.
If everyone's heart is pure, problems in life would be fewer; even when problems do arise, people would help each other out. Let's investigate carefully. Everyone encounters problems in life such as birth, aging, sickness, death, etc. When someone is having these problems, how much help can you give him or her? Strictly speaking, all forms of worldly help are all very superficial. Even if the social welfare system is very well established and most people are helpful toward one another, there would still be people who haggle about everything and live in vexation for their whole lives.
The United States is probably the richest and strongest country in the world, but you can see that although American youngsters are relatively wealthy, they still have many problems such as drug addiction, sexual promiscuity, AIDS, and mental illness often leading to suicide. They are living in a very good environment, unlike some Africans, who may be suffering from starvation. Why do young Americans have so much unhappiness? The reason is that nobody teaches them how to solve their fundamental life problems. Therefore, it shows that if there is no peace and tranquillity of mind, even extensive external help cannot solve those problems. In general, we would find it tiresome even when taking care of only a few who are our own children, not to mention taking care of lots of people; so helping others is a very difficult task. Therefore, in order to really, fundamentally, and thoroughly solve the problems and help oneself as well as others, we need to make sure that everyone will have peace of mind.
In order to help us attain peace of mind the Buddhist teachings do not proceed by indoctrination with a set of concepts, nor does it teach everyone to fit into a single mold. If, however, the Dharma imposed a uniform model on us, then no matter how good such a method might be, competition and struggles would still persist in the world. This is because everyone has his or her natural needs, but good supplies of things are limited, and hence selfish thoughts and activities would arise. Consequently, it is very difficult to make people conform to systems or institutions.
However, what Buddha teaches us is a method that can thoroughly solve those problems of life. This method does not impose anything extra upon us. It says that all of us basically have a primordially existent aspect which is very pure and good. As long as this purity can manifest itself, selfishness and struggles can be transcended. We have all sorts of problems because we are limited by our bodies and cultures, which generate all sorts of biases, and then induce a "self-attachment" that centers on the individual, the family, the country, the society or the culture. From our self-centered point of view, there are certain things that we all do and seem to be good for us; hence we recognize those things as correct and good. However, when we encounter other equally valid ways of doing things, we may come to realize that the difference is simply a matter of views; it is actually not a matter of right and wrong. You think that you are right, and people with different views think that they are right.
The formation of our preferences, prejudices, and biases are formed by the way we were brought up, our education and cultural backgrounds. As humans, we also have human limitations; for example, humans cannot hear certain sounds that are audible to dogs. Some people can see ghosts but others cannot. These are limitations of our biological senses. If you can transcend your biological and cultural limitations, you will understand that, actually, all beings are equal as sentient beings, and from Buddha's view at the time of his enlightenment, all sentient beings are of one and the same entity. The meaning of this oneness is not that I cannot differentiate this person from that person; the meaning is rather that, from the point of view that we are all sentient beings, all our minds are interconnected, and such interconnection is not limited by time and space. Such an idea may seem too abstract, and someone would even question whether this oneness is just a kind of illusion. For those skeptics, transcending cultural limitations may still sound plausible, but how can we transcend our biological limitations? Not to mention "transcending time and space!"
Before Buddha attained enlightenment, he saw the problems of birth, aging, sickness, and death in human life. Realizing that the throne was not very meaningful because it could not solve those problems when they would arise, he set out to solve these fundamental problems. After many very difficult ascetic practices, Buddha gradually elevated his spiritual state even to the same level as the heavenly Gods; however, he was so brilliant that, at that point, he could still sense a very subtle veil of "self-attachment." His final enlightenment was attained through destroying this finest and most fundamental "self-attachment" and thereby returning to the primordial state. The oneness that Buddha realized at that time, according to the Sutras and scriptures, was to be able to see clearly the Karma of all sentient beings of the three times, past, present and future. We are not Buddhas; so how can we know whether what the Sutras say are real or not? What can we rely on in order to accept and believe the Sutras? We can rely on the fact that, when we practice according to the methods spelled out in the Sutras, we will gradually discover that we can actually go beyond the limitations that we once thought were there.
For example, once when I was sitting in meditation, Mr. Xianwei Zeng, a Dharma friend from Miami, phoned me and said that his friend in Los Angeles had passed away. He asked me to perform Phowa (a Buddhist tantric method to transfer the consciousness of the deceased to Amitabha Buddha's Pureland) for his friend. Since I was meditating at that moment, I did not answer his call; I just heard his message through the telephone answering machine. While I was listening, the face of an old man with white hair, white mustaches, and small but bright eyes appeared in front of me on my right. After I had finished meditating, I immediately practiced Phowa for that deceased person. Then the same old man reappeared and walked into the Amitabha Buddha that I visualized; I could also see that he was somewhat hunched. I then phoned Mr. Zeng to tell him that I have just practiced Phowa for his deceased friend. I told him about the old man's appearance, which he confirmed, even though, as a matter of fact, I had never seen this person before, not even in photographs. Mr. Zeng called me from Miami, the deceased was in Los Angeles, and I was in the San Francisco Bay area; all these places are hundreds of miles apart. You may say that these things happened to me because I have some special power, yet that is not true. These things can happen to anyone of us, as long as our minds are pure, because we all possess such innate abilities. Others can also have this kind of experience; for example, when a very close relative passes away, he or she might approach you in a dream asking for some "hell-bank notes" or the deceased might appear to you even though he or she had passed away in a distant place.
Why do these incidents happen so rarely to us? It is because there are too many worldly vexations in our minds covering up our innate abilities. These vexations were not accumulated in just one or two days. They have been accumulating through life after life's self-centered thoughts, such as: I want this or that; my family wants this or that; how I want things to be, and haggling over this or that. When you are in the habit of haggling and grasping, you cannot get out of that mental framework. You are always surrounded by the self-centered thoughts, and you cannot even see what is beyond those thoughts and vexations, and because of habits you even do not want to leave such a state of vexations. How then can one get out? Buddhas and Bodhisattvas teach us a method that works on the root of the problem. The reason why we have such vexations is that we are so accustomed to thinking that I want this or that, to such an extent that we cannot get out of those thoughts. Hence, to solve the problem at the root is to work on our self-centered thinking. In other words, we take ourselves out of where we "always think about things related to us." Every single one of us has only a limited mental capacity which is used completely in relation to the self; in order to get out, one has to make use of a thought that is completely unrelated to the "self." Anything else will not get you out of that self-centered frame of mind. For example, when thinking of numbers, we will immediately associate with things like money, birthdays, etc. However, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas give us an object that is completely unrelated to the "self"-- the holy name of a Buddha. All worldly things are interconnected, but a Buddha's name is transcendental. You have to understand that the rationale of this method is to solve our problems at their root. Chanting the holy name of a Buddha is a very safe and solid method of practice. Of course, it is impossible to get out of all self-centered thinking immediately. Since you have been accustomed to this kind of thinking, it would be painful and unbearable to be forced out. However, chanting Amitabha everyday is like someone who is used to staying indoors, going to the door and looking outside for a while, and then a little longer day after day; then when you get used to the outside environment, you will be able to go out eventually.
All your mental powers are originally on the side of the "self," but, with things changing bit by bit through chanting Amitabha everyday over a long period of time, you will notice that your body will gradually loosen up. Normally, because our minds are all seriously entangled, our bodies are also tense. Problems like stomachaches, headaches and insomnia may arise when we are busy at work. Usually, we worry about many things; then, without realizing it ourselves, the body becomes very tense. However, by chanting Amitabha with concentration over a long period of time, you could really feel the loosening up of your body. Why is this so? You are originally very vexed, and the entire capacity of the mind is grasping at those vexations, causing the body to be tense. When you chant Amitabha , you will gradually loosen up layer by layer. Based on my experiences in chanting Amitabha , I could say that our attachment starts with very subtle mental ones, and then our bodies are affected as layer upon layer of entanglements are added. The outermost layer consists of very coarse entanglements which are the physical discomforts that we notice easily. These coarse entanglements will loosen up if we do good deeds and practice the chanting of Amitabha , prostrations, etc. However, unless we sincerely desire to abandon self-attachments completely, those mental entanglements will not really be untied. If you set a limit to the goal of your practice, those entanglements could never be untied.
The purpose of chanting Amitabha is for one to reform completely including the subtlest and deepest places in the mind. You need to change this selfish mind and to understand that this self-nurturing mind is actually harming you. If you only care for yourself, you will not be able to see things truly because the mind is completely biased. Even though you may be a good person free from bad motives, you still think only for your own well-being and thereby, in effect, have surrounded yourself with a wall, where you are enclosed and will remain encaged, in the sense that your life cannot extend beyond this wall of mind. When you care only for yourself, there will bound to be problems, because no one in the world can guarantee that you will not get old or that aging does not affect you. When you love only your children, who can guarantee their longevity? Who can guarantee a good marriage and career for them? Anything could happen; there are all sorts of ups and downs in life, and no one is protected from them! Of course, according to Buddhism, this is the result of Karma (cause and effect). If you had committed many bad deeds in the past so that consequences in this life are undesirable, you need to gradually change your conduct in this life by doing as many good deeds as you can and to refrain from doing bad deeds. However, at a deeper level, if we do only a few good deeds which cannot compensate for the bad deeds committed in the past, then we would still experience ups and downs in this life. If you care only about yourself or a few persons, when can your mind become peaceful? It never can! Therefore, once you understand this point, you would know that thinking only about yourself is the same as doing harm to yourself.
On the contrary, you should consider the fact that everyone has the same problems of birth, aging, sickness, and death, and that everyone is capable of experiencing happiness and suffering. How then can we increase everyone's happiness and reduce their suffering? If you can look at the world and guide your conduct with this line of thinking, you will become peaceful. Why? When one's mind opens up like that, although there will still be problems in life, how one handles these problems would be very different. As people realize others' problems are the same as their own, everyone would be willing to help one another! Problems could then be resolved easily. Everyone dies, but if you have universal love, even after the ones who are close or related to you have passed away, you can still serve and take care of others who are alive. Then your life would become very much alive and would not be reduced to a withering stalemate. Even though you may wish to take care of your children for their entire lives, there are still many aspects that you cannot possibly take care of. If you do not teach them how to open up to serve and love others, they might live in vexation for their entire lives, and so would you. Everyone would be trapped in entanglements such as constantly worrying about: how are my sons and daughters? And the children would be similarly trapped: how are my father and my mother? No one would become happy this way, so what's the point of remaining so?
If you engage in Dharma service, you will gradually obtain liberation. Why? It is not necessary that you engage in some special activity. As long as you, even though remaining in your position, change your basic attitude to that of serving others instead of arguing with others over how much work to do and how you are compensated. Don't go for the haggling route, go for the service route. The more you serve, the more worthwhile you will feel upon your death. You can bring nothing with you when you die. Take a walk in the cemetery, and you will see each one has only a tombstone! Even this may not be found by your decedents after a hundred years. Particularly in modern society, many people do not even know where their grandparents' graves are. At the end there will be at most a tombstone there; what's the point of competing? Worldly things are not as steadfast as they seem to be! In order to pass away peacefully and to live joyfully for the rest of your life, you can rely only on your loving heart. As you serve others with one measure of effort, you would obtain one measure of peace; only this has lasting value and is of real comfort. Do not be fooled by the "self."
Furthermore, engaging in Dharma service can actually be very easy; it is not necessary that you do go to certain places to do something special. As long as you give others a hand wherever you can in daily life, and that would be a correct approach! For example, if you see a child falling, you should not be uncaring because the child is not yours, instead you should help the child up immediately. That is what we should do. If a stranger is feeling thirsty, you simply offer him a cup of water. That is what we should do. If your mind is entirely on serving others, your whole life will become meaningful; other worldly things are not worth competing for.
If you think along these lines, you would understand that chanting Amitabha is a very active endeavor. It is not a way to evade worldly problems, but is based on a clear view as to how such problems can be fundamentally resolved. Some people claim to have the intent to improve society and cry out numerous political ideologies; however, eventually those people are just trying to force others to accept their ideas. In reality, it is still the same, just a group of people ruling over others. If those reformers are not pure at heart, or if they become corrupted after gaining power, then it is still the same. Even though during revolutionary movement those reformers had made wonderful pledges, once they are in power, they would in turn become the object of revolution because they have become the same as the previous rulers. So we can see that this is not the way to really solve the problems. Besides, some things cannot be forced upon others; for example, although small children have a pure heart, it is unlikely that one can teach them how to have universal love for others. We have gradually learned to have loving kindness for others only after experiencing much suffering in life and then realizing the painful results of being selfish; this is also a kind of enlightenment. Hence, it is impossible for one to force others or control others, all one can do is simply to manage oneself.
Chanting Amitabha is a kind of enlightenment; the process starts with taking charge of oneself; then when one's mind becomes pure, the society would have one less bad person and less problems. Starting from there, when you can practice to the degree that you can make others feel impressed and touched, only then can you function as a Bodhisattva. If you are not mature and knowledgeable enough, but you think you are practicing the Bodhisattva's path and intervene in others' business, insisting on your views without seeing that you are speaking without sufficient understanding of the matters; how bad would that be? You would be simply messing up others' business! Therefore, the practice of chanting Amitabha entails profound insight and mature considerations; it is actively solving fundamental problems in the world. Think for yourself, how many minds are so pure as to be capable of enduring such solitude and constantly chant Amitabha ? How many? It is not an easy practice. However, when you are getting bored and lonely but you can still persevere with the practice, that boredom by itself would become an assisting condition for the development of your mental strength. Those who chant Amitabha well are no longer bothered by worldly matters. Therefore, he or she would not be greedy and would be free from the suffering due to greed. Facing a given situation, some may feel angry, but others may say there is no need to be annoyed, and still others may even not be disturbed at all-- those who can do this are liberated from it. Therefore, when you chant Amitabha frequently, you are naturally liberated from many things. While others are suffering from this and that, you would not even have those problems; for you many problems would be transcended by just a repetition of " Amitabha. "
Who knows what will happen in life? In Malaysia traffic accidents are very common. Although you are sound and healthy now, if you are caught in an accident, you might even lose a limb. When encountering these incidents, without spiritual strength, one would blame god and others. Some would grumble for the rest of their lives, while others might need a few years before getting rid of this attitude. If you have been practicing, even though there is no guarantee in life, when you encounter misfortunes, you will be more capable of handling the situation peacefully and realistically.
So far I have not yet emphasized that chanting Amitabha can actually enable one to receive blessings from Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. The reason for my not doing so is that, generally, novice practitioners cannot easily feel the blessings of Buddhas. Therefore, I started the talk with only general principles. However, all sincere practitioners who have had certain miraculous experiences should also inform the public of such facts. Buddha has realized the oneness of all, and has transcended the limits of time and space. When you believe in Buddha and chant his name, you can easily become connected to him. From my own experiences in Buddhist practices, there is no way to describe fully the sensation that one experiences when one receives blessings from Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. It can only be described by a comparison to receiving a charge of electricity. A force would suddenly surround your entire body, and one's feeling of the body will be gone. Blessings of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are truly that strong, as experienced by people like me, who have been practicing for a long time. When you chant Amitabha , you are gradually connecting yourself with Buddhas and are also gradually obtaining such blessings. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas teach us to be good, to do good deeds and not to do bad things. When we follow these guidelines, our personal Karma will improve and thus reducing some of our problems. Major misfortune could thus be reduced to smaller incidents. Furthermore, protectors of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will protect you to ensure the safety and stability of your whole life.
If you can teach your children the practice of chanting Amitabha , they will have protection that no one can take away! If you give them worldly things instead, the more you give them, the more troubles they will have. If they cannot manage those things, it will be very troublesome, and they might even become the victim of others' avarice. We should be mindful of Buddhist practices; they are genuine. I have learned that someone is about to pass away tonight, and some of you will attend him by chanting Amitabha during his final hours. This illustrates how useful the chanting of Amitabha is. For that dying person nothing except chanting Amitabha can really help now. Some people who had practiced chanting Amitabha for a long time, when dying, urged others to help by chanting Amitabha loudly because they realized that chanting was really helpful at the time of dying. The problem of death is mainly due to people having lost their innocence in life. Ideally, the processes of birth and death should both be natural and relatively painless. When a child is born, since he or she is so pure and innocent that the body is very soft and tender, he or she experiences comparatively little pain. Why do we suffer so much when dying? It is because the body has been entangled and stiffened for the entire life. Ordinary ways of thinking involve too many worldly considerations and calculations; as a result, ligaments and wind channels are either convoluted or blocked. All of this will gradually happen with aging. At the time of death, when one's consciousness is trying to leave the body, can you imagine how tormenting it would be if the ligaments and wind channels are either convoluted or blocked? Very much so, of course. However, if you start the practice of chanting Amitabha now, after a long time, both your body and mind will gradually loosen up, and death will then become just a natural process without suffering. That is why for those who had practiced chanting Amitabha for a long time, their bodies would still be soft and supple even after many hours have passed. As those people had solved the problems related to death before death actually comes, death then becomes only a natural process without suffering. Life is unpredictable; no one knows when death will arrive. Chanting Amitabha will eventually yield fruitful results. It is good for the practitioner as well as for others.
There are also other ways to practice Buddhism, such as meditation, Chan, Tantra, etc. So, why do we advocate chanting Amitabha ? Generally speaking, we are all occupied by worldly matters, career and family, and we do not have enough time to concentrate our efforts completely to practice. Of course, it would be best to practice full time but, just as only a few people in the whole world can work up to compete in the Olympic games, full time practitioners are also very few. It is impossible for ordinary people like most of us to attain a high level of practice immediately. However, if you are willing to do training at home and participate in local tournaments, you may gradually become capable of participating in the Olympic games. Those more profound methods of practice require full devotion in order to obtain any results. However, if we can start with chanting Amitabha regularly, then when the pure thought of Amitabha, Amitabha, is continuously ever present, we might be able to devote fully to the practice of meditation, Chan or Tantra.
A safe and stable practice for ordinary people like us is the step by step approach of chanting Amitabha . There is no need to form an organization, lest there would be a lot of problems related to personal relationships, interests, etc., jeopardizing the whole purpose of practice. Everyone's view differs; so even when each individual has good intentions, there could still be disputes. For example, when an old father is seriously ill in bed, his sons and daughters, due to their love for the father, could quarrel over whether or not it is better to bathe him. Some think that bathing is good for him, but others think that bathing could cause him to easily catch cold afterwards. Each side would insist on their own views to the extend that fighting could erupt. Things in the world are indeed very difficult; serious conflicts can still exist even when everyone wants to do good.
Chanting Amitabha would reduce these kinds of problems. Each one needs only to do well with one's chanting practice; and there is no possibility of being misguided or deceived. Everyone just chants individually until the benefits are really felt, then one would know how to advise others on chanting Amitabha . As to advising others to adopt this practice, you need to proceed gradually because it cannot be pushed. For example, when you see someone suffering, you can counsel that person to open up, help him or her see that life is impermanent, and there is a way to go from vexation to liberation. There is one more important point: when a person is suffering, would he or she open up easily just because someone else tells him or her to do so? Of course not! Can he or she let go just because someone else tells him or her to do so? Of course not! Without the spiritual strength built from chanting practices, when you suffer very much from illness and physical weakness, what can you do to obtain relief? The situation would be totally different for those who have regularly practiced chanting Amitabha because those people would have already opened up and let go of worldly sorrows a long time ago. That is the result achieved inconspicuously through years of chanting Amitabha . If the force of your chanting practice is strong enough, you would not suffer in situations where others would. This kind of liberation will be achieved only through long-term diligent practice. Why would you not suffer in those situations? Since you are all loosened and unclogged inside, you will naturally feel different. You can see that the top of my head was originally going to become bald, but, after all these years of practice, new hair is now coming out again without any medical treatment at all. That shows, as long as you practice well, the body and mind will change naturally. The reason I am talking about this, is to help people understand that chanting Amitabha is useful; helping a dying person by chanting Amitabha is also very useful. Besides, chanting Amitabha is also very useful for calming one's mind.
In general, as long as you can make it a habit to practice, you may also choose to chant sutras or certain long mantras. However, I prefer advising people to chant Amitabha . Why? The purpose of this practice is ultimately to help us in situations of life and death. In case of an emergency, like a dangerous car accident, you need to be able to cry out " Amitabha " immediately without even thinking about it, and, at that moment, only this pure thought should be in your mind. Even when one is old, weak, or sick, etc., one would not have to be bothered to remember what the next sentence is. After all, there are only four syllables to the word Amitabha . You simply need to say "Amitabha, Amitabha," and can easily rely on it. If you can get into the habit of chanting, you need to chant most urgently at the time when you suffer the most. You would then have a chance to pull yourself out from suffering and vexation. How could you spare yourself from suffering if you do not have something to rely on? So this point is very important; the chanting amounts to a lifesaving rope that you can hold on to in case of an emergency.
In the ultimate sense, "one should abide nowhere while the mind arises;" we do not need to abide anywhere! Isn't chanting Amitabha "abiding somewhere?" However, when the ultimate has not yet been achieved, one needs something to hold on to; otherwise, how could we get help? Besides, that the mind "should abide nowhere," does not mean to be tied down by the concept of "abiding nowhere" and refusing to get hold of anything. What immediately follows is "while the mind arises;" that is to say, one should have no attachment on one hand, and to lively apply oneself on the other hand. So, actually, chanting Amitabha is exactly in accordance with "abiding nowhere while the mind arises." Why? Right after I chant " Amitabha ," it has passed by already; i.e., the " Amitabha " just chanted is already in the past, and I am not staying with that word. What I now chant is a new instance of " Amitabha. " This is an instance of lively applying oneself! If fact, a true understanding of "one should abide nowhere while the mind arises," would lead to lively activities and limitless applications, instead of being tied down. The flexible and lively original state is called "abiding nowhere while the mind arises." Who said that all the instances of " Amitabha " chanted are the same one? You are just being tied down by the concept of their being the same word. If you can liberate yourself from the sphere of this concept, each " Amitabha " you chant is a new one. When you are chanting Amitabha , you are also practicing "abiding nowhere while the mind arises." You are practicing lively application, practicing to achieve pure application such that this thought is simply " Amitabha ."
If your mind can be purified to the extent that only " Amitabha " remains in your thoughts, then you will gradually approach Samadhi while you practice the chanting. You do not need to learn meditation separately, the same Samadhi experience would naturally arise during your chanting of Amitabha . If you can achieve this in your thoughts, i.e., achieving purity and liberation with the thoughts, you will gradually realize the state of liberation in form, sound, smell, taste, and touch. You could even achieve liberation while watching television-- even though the scenes on the screen could be very violent or indecent, when your mind is pure, you would see them as no different from " Amitabha ."
That may sound too abstruse; nevertheless, you need to understand that eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind are basically one entity. You need only to learn to be pure in the applications of the six senses: form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mental activities. However, it is very difficult to purify the complex experiences all together; hence, you should start from the thoughts. When you achieve Samadhi in thinking, then that experience will gradually and naturally spread to other senses. Therefore, chanting Amitabha will not result in being confined to Amitabha ; rather, with the help of "Amitabha," one would become a lively person.
What is the meaning of "Amitabha" ? It means infinite life and infinite light. Infinite life means limitless in time, and infinite light means limitless in space; the most important emphasis is on this "limitlessness." Implied in this "limitlessness" is "oneness." The Buddha light of Amitabha illuminates all. It does not illuminate only you without illuminating others; Buddha illuminates everyone equally. Besides, Amitabha Buddha is everyone's primordial Buddha nature; in other words, we are originally like that. Therefore, when one attains liberation as a result of adopting Buddhist practices, one has simply returned to the original state. This attainment is not like winning championships in sports where continuing efforts are needed to remain on top. Liberation, however, is just a returning to one's original purity.
When you start chanting Amitabha , you know that Amitabha means "limitlessness," but, after practicing for a long time, you would transcend the sphere of meanings. Genuine "limitlessness" must transcend even human conceptualization. In guiding us the Dharma begins with using concepts because we are all living within the bounds of concepts. All concepts are limited and making distinctions; how then can we break through the bounds of concepts? We say " Amitabha " means "limitlessness," meaning that first we need to abandon the limitation of all other concepts. This is not to say that eventually we cannot make distinctions. We will still be able to make distinctions; otherwise, how can Avalokitesvara (Guan Yin, Chenrezig) transform into thirty two kinds of emanations to give salvation in whatever way that is most suitable? He can still make distinctions and make use of the distinctions flexibly without being bound by the distinctions. The problem facing us is that once we make distinctions, we are bound by them. Hence, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas teach us limitlessness, telling us not to be bound by distinctions, and to learn compassion of the same entity, to be able to open up, love and serve others. After chanting Amitabha for a long time the thought will become pure; once the thought is pure, conceptualization will naturally disappear. The meanings do not disappear purposely. If there is any intention, then one still remains in concepts and can not get out. Without any intention, the transcendence occurs naturally. After practicing for a long time, thoughts will become very pure, just " Amitabha ." Thoughts of " Amitabha , Amitabha . . . " continues without considering the meaning.
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas teach us Limitless-Oneness, and they also pass down many ethical rules to regulate our lives so as to assist in gradually attaining Buddhahood. However, when we unexpectedly encounter events in life, we ordinary people would not be able to remember so many rules; what we need is a very basic principle for practical guidance. This principle can be described from two sides: the active side is to open up, the passive side is to let go of attachments. We are now very limited-- we would feel very troubled about many things mainly because our vision is limited, and we might blame others or our fate by grumbling. However, as you grow older and have seen more of life, you might say, "Luckily, things were not any worse. It could have been even worse." When faced with the same situation, you might have suffered much when you were young, but then you look at it again when you get old, you could feel that it was actually not too bad. Therefore, when we learn Buddhism, we are learning the wisdom born of our predecessors' accumulated experiences. Thus we might spared ourselves avoidable suffering. We should learn to open up: always take into consideration the long term consequences and all various perspectives. Looking at others' situations and realizing that there is so much suffering everywhere, you will easily become liberated from your preoccupation. If you tell others these principles when you help them, then they would also be able to let go of their worries easily.
Opening up on one side, and no attachment, i.e., to let go, on the other side. Worldly things are ultimately of no avail; what really is your money? The instant you die, the money will no longer be yours. However, if while the money is still in your hands you can use it to benefit others, then those benefitted would gratefully acknowledge, "It was given by so and so; it was done by so and so." and thus the money became truly yours. Only money spent for the common well-being will become truly yours. If you let it just sit there, that is not really yours. Zhu Yuanzhang was an orphan at an early age, and hence became a Buddhist novice monk because he had no other way to feed himself. Nevertheless, eventually he conquered all of China and became the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty. If your children are really capable, you do not need to worry about them; inheritance could even turn out to be a burden. If you leave a huge inheritance to your descendants who are incapable of handling it, they might become the target of some malevolent persons. It would be better to simply let them live happily on their own. What you can really give and benefit them are these Buddhist teachings; these teachings would enable them not to become preoccupied with comparing and competing with others. Then they would live peacefully and happily for the rest of their lives.
That is all I can think of right now. If you have any questions, especially questions about the practice of chanting Amitabha , please by all means ask me. As long as you have a clear understanding, you will chant Amitabha with more interest and confidence. One additional practice worth recommending is a weekend retreat. A weekend is one and a half day long in Malaysia, so Dharma friends can take turns in practicing and supporting retreats. The key rules to follow in conducting retreats are the prohibition of speech and the confinement of one's sphere of activities. For example, you can specify a room and a washroom as the boundary of your retreat and stay within it. During retreats, do not answer telephone calls; do not read newspapers, magazines and letters; do not allow visitors; do not watch television or listen to radio; and do not talk to yourself either. In retreats, you can chant Amitabha , prostrate to Buddha, read sutras and scriptures. You can still have three meals, bathe or shower, sleep, but no snacks. This is to practice solitude and concentration on Dharma practice. If you can endure solitude, your vexation would lighten while your spiritual strength would grow alongside, then you can handle problems in life more easily. Please do practice!
A Question from the Audience
Q: I do not have an altar at home; May I just light up three incenses in the morning and then chant
Amitabha in sitting?
A: Yes, you may do so. One good thing about the practice of chanting Amitabha is that it can be done anywhere, and cleanliness is not a problem. Women can chant the holy name during menstruation or while delivering babies. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are like loving parents who would not be deterred by the dirtiness of their babies' excretion but would voluntarily clean it up. One can chant even in the toilet or anywhere else. The main purpose is to achieve Limitless-Oneness through chanting. Therefore, you can chant at any time, and try to chant continuously all the time. Chanting Amitabha may seem very simple, but you will realize that indeed it is very difficult once you are actually practicing it. For novice practitioners, right after the first chanting of " Amitabha " and before the second one begins, many scattered thoughts would have arisen already. It is very difficult to achieve the state where there is not a sense of separation between any two consecutive chants of Amitabha . It is very difficult to maintain the continuity of chanting Amitabha in one's heart. Very profound efforts are involved in achievements of this practice!
[Home][Back to list][
The Active Aspect of Chanting Amitabha]