the two sides of merits and virtues

‘The Name Amitabha Buddha is the Dharma of Annutaraksamyaksambodhi which is attained by our Original Teacher Sakyamuni Buddha in this world of five turbidities. ‘

What did the Buddha Sakyamuni attain when He arrived at Annutaraksamyaksambodhi? He obtained this Name ‘Na mo A Mi Ta Bha Buddha’.

‘Now with this Enlightenment at the Fruition of Buddhahood He gave it to the living beings of five turbidities. This is the state which can only be practised by all the Buddha. Only the Buddha and other Buddha can ultimately understand and practise it. And this cannot be understood by the other nine realms of existence to give rise to faith if they practise using only personal effort.’

This Name Amitabha Buddha is the Buddha’s Enlightenment at the Fruition Ground. And the Buddha handed this Full Enlightenment at the fruition ground to all living beings, not partially or holding back any part of his merits and virtues. This is something that a common man cannot do. This is just as though the Buddha is blessing, anointing the crown of all living beings with the highest wisdom that is attained by Him. According to the roots of living beings they are people of the evil world of five turbidities. Yet the Buddha benefits them the whole Fruition of Enlightenment. This act cannot be achieved by a bodhisattva. This can only be practised by a Buddha who has ultimately attained the Perfect Enlightenment. Only the Buddha has the ability to carry out this beneficial act ultimately.

The Pure Land Dharma Door is taught for the benefits of the filthy and evil living beings and it guarantees them with such great benefits. Even the tenth ground Bodhisattva of Equal Enlightenment will have only a partial understanding of this Dharma Door. The nine other realms are the six mundane realms of hell, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, gods and asuras, the three Sages of Sravakas, the Pratyeka Buddha and the Bodhisattvas. Even the bodhisattva of the highest ground is unable to believe in this with his wisdom. He is unable to totally understand the state of the Buddha. What is more for us the mundane men to understand the Buddha? In the nine realms the cultivators who practise the dharma relying on personal effort will not be able to understand the Pure Land Dharma Door or to have faith in it. So, from here we can see this Name Amitabha Buddha far-surpasses the nine realms instantly. Why cannot the cultivators of the nine realms who rely on their own effort to understand the Pure Land Door and give rise to faith? It is because the Pure Land cultivators will straight away enter the Buddha Ground. It is impossible for them to imagine how an evil mundane man can obtain the merits, virtues and benefits and arrive at the Buddha Ground directly just by reciting the Buddha’s Name.

‘This state far-surpasses our logical thinking mind and we cannot understand. The cultivators who have faith will recite the Name and gather in all the Buddha’s merits and virtues to be their merits and virtues.’

The cultivators here refer to the mundane men. When they have faith in the Buddha’s vows and uphold the Buddha Name that they believe in The Saviour Amitabha and wish that they will be born in the Amitabha Pure Land, they will be fully be replete with all the merits and virtues of the Buddha.

Let us look at the analogy of the torch light. When the torch light is on the lights will follow us wherever we go. Here the torch light refers to the Name Amitabha and the lights refer to all the Buddha’s merits and virtues at the Fruition Ground of Enlightenment. When we recite Na Mo Amitabha Buddha we are carrying this torch light and of course the light it emits. Wherever we walk, the light will just follow us. When we recite the Buddha Name, we will naturally be replete with all the merits and virtues of Buddha, the causal merits of the Buddha’s cultivation in accord with His Vows and the lights and spiritual powers accomplished by Him at the Fruition Ground. None is excluded as they will belong to us.

This is called reciting with faith, the faith that the Buddha vows to save us from transmigration so that the cultivators will attain Buddhahood. It means we are holding the torch light. The lights follow the holder, the merits and virtues follow the Buddha’s Name.

‘The good roots of reciting the Buddha’s Name are the same as the Buddha’s merits and virtues.’

The word ‘same’ is not easy to understand. Most people dare not say this. After saying and people can have faith is also another problem. That is why it is said, ‘Uncommon people will say words which are uncommon.’ ‘Uncommon words will be understood by the uncommon ears.’ Uncommon means the one who speaks and the one who listens should both surpass the ordinary rules. So here the Great Master Tan Luan says these words and some men will believe while others not. They wonder how an evil sinful man can have the same merits and virtues like the Buddha. They look at the cultivators of Pure Land as a mundane common lot, with wrinkles on the face, with a mind full of afflictions. They are suspicious, thinking this is a lie.

Do not be suspicious. If a common man who has not severed the afflictions can have the Buddha’s merits and virtues, why does not he have the Buddha’s spiritual penetration? Here I would like to explain what is meant by merits and virtues. They can be study from two angles,

‘One is looking from the body of merits and virtues while the other from the angle of their function.’

It means the body of merits and virtues for the cultivator is the same as the Buddha. But the function of merits and virtues for a mundane man is covered up by his afflictions so the functions cannot be revealed.

For example we give a baby a hundred dollars, he just holds on to it without knowing how to use it. The Buddha is the adult and he knows the hundred dollars can be used to buy this and that. Another example, the Great Master just by reciting the Buddha’s Name and he wishes for the rain, the rain will start falling. But another cultivator also recites the Buddha’s Name but no rain falls. His wish is not fulfilled. It means that his mind is not so calm, not concentrated. So the response is not so clear. In another analogy, we know that the Great Master Shan Dao recites Na Mo Amitabha Buddha once a light will be emitted from his mouth. Great Master Shao Kang recites Na Mo Amitabha Buddha once a Buddha will come out from his mouth. And this response repeats for every recitation. The two Masters had attained the state of Samadhi, the state of Concentration. But if we see from the angle of seeking a rebirth, there is no difference at all. Everyone can attain a rebirth in the Pure Land just by reciting the Buddha’s Name. There is no problem at all. This is the same as we are given a piece of gold but we have not changed it into a form of money that can be used. The Patriarch takes the gold of the Buddha’s Name and he is able to make use of it to benefit others. So in this life if we can recite the Buddha’s Name sincerely, as often as possible and dwells in a state of quietude, the benefits in this life will be attained. At the dead bed there is no problem to attain a rebirth.

An extract of the Dharma Teaching by the Venerable Master Shi Jing Zong, the Abbot of the Hong Yuan Temple, Xuan Cheng in the province of Anhui, China.

An extract from the above teaching in Mandarin:

不要怀疑。 一个凡夫未断烦恼，而能有功德，为何他却没有佛的神通？这里，我要解释功德的意思。这可以从两方面来说。

一个是从功德的体来说，另一个是从功德的用来说。

‘One is looking from the body of merits and virtues while the other from the angle of their function.’

从体上来说， 他们的功德与佛一样。从用来说，凡夫的功德被他的烦恼遮盖，所以不能现行。

比如，我们给一个婴儿一百块。他只能拿着，不懂使用。而佛则是大人，知道可以用这一百块来买这， 买那。

For example, we give a baby a hundred dollars, he just holds on to it without knowing how to use it. The Buddha is the adult and he knows the hundred dollars can be used to buy this and that.

另一个例子，大师念佛， 做愿下雨，雨就下了。另一个也念佛号，但却没下雨。他不能实现他的愿望。这是因为他的心没有如此静定。所以，感应也不很清楚。

Another example, the Great Master just by reciting the Buddha’s Name and he wishes for the rain, the rain will start falling. But another cultivator also recites the Buddha’s Name but no rain falls. His wish is not fulfilled. It means that his mind is not so calm, not concentrated. So, the response is not so clear.

还有一个例子： 我们知道善导大师称念一声南无阿弥陀佛，就有一道光从口出。少康大师称念一声南无阿弥陀佛就有一尊佛从口出。 每一声都如此。这两位大师已经证到三昧与定的境界

In another analogy, we know that the Great Master Shan Dao recites Na Mo Amitabha Buddha once a light will be emitted from his mouth. Great Master Shao Kang recites Na Mo Amitabha Buddha once a Buddha will come out from his mouth. And this response repeats for every recitation. The two Masters had attained the state of Samadhi, the state of Concentration.

但是如果从往生的角度来看，都没有差别。只要称念佛号，每一个众生都可以往生净土。这是没有问题的。这好像我们每一个都收到一块金， 但是我们没有把他换成钱来使用。祖师们得到如一块金 的佛号，会用来利益众生。

But if we see from the angle of seeking a rebirth, there is no difference at all. Everyone can attain a rebirth in the Pure Land just by reciting the Buddha’s Name. There is no problem at all. This is the same as we are given a piece of gold but we have not changed it into a form of money that can be used. The Patriarch takes the gold of the Buddha’s Name and he is able to make use of it to benefit others.

所以， 这一生我们如果能够 以真诚心念佛，时时念佛，身心止在寂静中，这一生亲得利益，命终则往生净土。这是没有问题的。

So, in this life if we can recite the Buddha’s Name sincerely, as often as possible and dwells in a state of quietude, the benefits in this life will be attained. At the dead bed there is no problem to attain a rebirth.