No. 1194-A淨土極信錄敘
Preface to Pure Land Ultimate Faith Record
夫淨土一法。猶春雨澍地。杲日麗天。無根不潤。無機不燭。具信行願者。莫不往生。及至十惡狂夫。地獄相現。臨終十念橫超。苟非彌陀六八願力。孰能如此。可謂最圓頓之最方便也。蓮根大師。所述淨土極信錄者。專指是旨。作頌竭力稱讚。將彌陀經文。依次剖出。佛祖誠言。篤實指陳。其間語句直捷。義周理蘊。而諸文等咏。無不切當。賢愚普益。不信而信也。正謂之曰。信行願三鼎具足。宗教律三學全修。句句從取捨之志發揮。字字由忻厭之心流出。誠苦海中。又添一津筏也。予三四展讀。忘其寢飡。猶洪鐘驚以癡睡。始生微甦。似狂風吹開靉靆。漸見光明。嗟乎。(予)下愚盲拙。知識淺陋。閱於是錄。如井蛙之望滄海。竟不知其為何如也。愧予惛朦如此。獲是利。而尚稍甦。況才達聰哲之士。遇斯法。而不覺本性。頓入淨土者哉。未之有也。願同志深生欽信。真實持名。日取日捨。急向西方。刻欣刻厭。共處玉蓮。云爾。
The Pure Land teaching is like spring rain nourishing the earth or the bright sun illuminating the sky. No root goes unwatered; no potential goes unenlightened. Anyone with Faith, Vows, and Practice will surely be reborn there. Even a person guilty of the ten evil acts, with hell appearing before them, can escape to the Pure Land by reciting the Buddha's name ten times at the moment of death. If not for Amitabha Buddha's Forty-Eight Vows, how could this be possible? This is truly the most perfect and most accessible path.
The *Extreme Faith in the Pure Land Record* by Master Liangen directly points to this teaching, using verses to praise it wholeheartedly. It systematically reveals the meaning of the Amitabha Sutra, plainly presenting the sincere words of the Buddhas and patriarchs. The language is direct, the meaning is complete and profound, and each passage is appropriately expressed. Both wise and ordinary people can benefit; even those who lack faith will come to believe. It is rightly called a complete cultivation of the three essentials—Faith, Practice, and Vows—and a full practice of the three teachings—Zen, Doctrine, and Discipline. Every sentence emerges from the will to accept and let go; every word flows from the mind of joy and longing. It truly adds another ferry to the ocean of suffering.
I read it three or four times, forgetting to eat and sleep. Like a great bell awakening someone from a deep sleep, I began to stir. Like a strong wind blowing away dark clouds, I gradually saw light. (I), despite my dullness, ignorance, and lack of wisdom, approached this work like a frog gazing at the vast ocean—utterly unable to fathom it. Ashamed of my profound ignorance, I still received such benefit and began to awaken. How then could any person of sharp intelligence, encountering this teaching, fail to realize their true nature and immediately enter the Pure Land? It is impossible. I hope that those who share this aspiration will deeply cherish faith, sincerely recite the Buddha's name, practice letting go day by day, eagerly turn toward the West, and with constant longing and joy, dwell together upon the lotus jewel.
同治壬申夏六月舜江若愚山人境泰稽首拜撰於龍巖丈室之觀佛樓
In the summer of June of the Renshen year*1 during the Tongzhi reign*2, the humble mountain dweller Jing Tai from Shunjiang*3, with utmost reverence, wrote this at the Guanfo Pavilion*4 in the Longyan Meditation Chamber*5.
---
*1 The year 1872. *2 The reign of Emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty (r. 1861–1875). *3 An ancient name for the area near present-day Shangyu, Zhejiang province. *4 Literally "Buddha-Viewing Pavilion." *5 A meditation hall or hermitage named "Dragon Cliff."