第175集 — 信願持名就是發菩提心一向專念

「第十八願曰：聞我名號，至心信樂。所有善根，心心回向，願生我國。乃至十念，若不生者，不取正覺。唯除五逆，誹謗正法。」前面第十九願著重在菩提心，修諸功德，奉行六波羅蜜。

“The eighteenth vow states, ‘(All sentient beings of the ten directions) upon hearing my name will bring forth their utmost sincere belief and joy. They will wholeheartedly dedicate all the virtuous roots from their practice and vow to be reborn in my land. If they are not reborn in my land after reciting my name one to ten times (in their final moment of life), I will not attain True Enlightenment. Excluded are those who had committed the Five Grave Offences ^[1] and slandered the True Dharma ^[2].’” The nineteenth vow aforementioned focuses on developing the bodhi mind, cultivating all kinds of merits and practising the Six Paramitas.

第十八願著重在聞我名號，至心信樂，乃至十念，若不生者，不取正覺，十念必生，這是第十八願的宗趣。我們一願一願的來講，古大德，四十八願哪一願是第一？幾乎大家都公認第十八願是四十八願裡頭的第一願，最重要的一願，告訴我們十念必生。

The eighteenth vow focuses on ‘developing utmost sincere belief and joy upon hearing my name’ and ‘if they are not reborn in my land after reciting my name one to ten times, I will not attain True Enlightenment.’ The tenet of the eighteenth vow is ‘definite rebirth in the Pure Land by reciting Amitabha Buddha’s name one to ten times.’ Let’s go through the vows one by one. According to the ancient great masters, which vow is foremost among the Forty-eight Vows? Almost everyone accepted that the eighteenth vow is the foremost and most important vow as it assures us of a rebirth in the Pure Land by reciting Amitabha Buddha’s name one to ten times in our final moment of life.

但是我們也不能夠疏忽了第十九願，為什麼？十九願是發菩提心。「三輩往生，往生正因」裡面是八個字，「發菩提心，一向專念」，這個是古來許多祖師大德都認為這八個字是本經的宗要，最重要的指導原則。

Nevertheless, we cannot neglect the nineteenth vow too. Why is that so? Because the nineteenth vow emphasizes developing the bodhi mind. It is stated in the chapters i.e., the Three Grades of Rebirth (in the Pure Land) and the Proper Causes for Rebirth (in the Pure Land) that one must develop the bodhi mind and single-mindedly concentrate on chanting Amitabha Buddha’s name. Many eminent patriarchs and great masters in the past thought that these are the most important guiding principles of this sutra.

蕅益大師在《要解》裡面說了四個字，把八個字變成四個字，大道至要至簡，一點都不複雜，簡單明瞭，大師說「信願持名」，真信切願就是大菩提心，持名，執持名號，就是一向專念。《要解》裡頭這四個字讓印光大師佩服得五體投地，說得太好了，這麼簡單，每個人都能懂，都聽得懂，每個人都做得到。你不肯做就沒法子了，你要肯做，沒有一個人做不到。

In the Commentary of the Amitabha Sutra, Great Master Ou Yi had simplified them as practising Buddha Mindfulness with belief and vow, which is not at all complicated; it is simple and clear. True belief and earnest vow are the ‘great bodhi mind’, while practising Buddha Mindfulness is ‘single-mindedly concentrating on chanting Amitabha Buddha’s name’. Great Master Yin Guang expressed profound admiration for this simplified sentence in the commentary. It is so well said and so simple that everyone can understand and practise it. Nothing can be done if you are unwilling to practise. If you are willing to practise, no one will not be able to practise it.