《印光法师嘉言录续编》封面题词

因果报应者，儒释圣人，平治天下，度脱众生之大权也。家庭教育者，匹夫匹妇，敦本尽分，培植贤才之天职也。信愿念佛者，具缚凡夫，了生脱死，超凡入圣之妙法也。此书文虽拙朴，义甚切要，似特为修净土者说，实寓提倡因果报应、家庭教育之道。祈得是书者，常与父母兄弟妻子、乡党亲戚朋友，讲说而开导之。俾彼诸人，同皆敦伦尽分，克己复礼，诸恶莫作，众善奉行，信愿念佛，求生西方。必至生入圣贤之域，没归极乐之邦，何幸如之。愿读诵者，恭敬信受，勿致亵渎。展转流通，毋或弃置。将见贤才蔚起，劫运顿消，天下太平，人民安乐矣。此不慧所馨香祷祝者。

净土法门，谛理甚深，唯佛与佛，乃能究尽。由其大小不二，权实一如，以故上自等觉菩萨，下至逆恶凡夫，皆须修持，皆得成办也。末世众生，善根浅薄，匪仗佛力，将何所恃。倘能仰信佛言，生信发愿，持佛名号，求生西方。加以诸恶莫作，众善奉行，敦伦尽分，闲邪存诚，果能如是，万无有一不往生者。净土经论，文义显明。净土修持，随机自立。既无幽深莫测之闷，亦无艰难困苦之烦。且又不费钱财气力，不碍职业营生。若能随分随力，常时忆念，则神凝意净，业消智朗，自然身心安乐，诸缘顺适，其为乐也，何能名焉。愿见闻者，悉皆修持，各怀自利利他之心，共发己立立人之愿。恭敬受持，随缘倡导，展转流通，令遍国界，俾一切同伦，同沐佛恩，同生净土，实为大幸。

资料来自： 
《印光法师嘉言录续编》，承印处：福峰图书光碟有限公司, 流通处：马来西亚净宗学会（No. 90 & 92, Jalan Pahang, 53000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.)，2010年6月印刷
***  备注：
以上的内容每一字一句皆来自《印光法师嘉言录续编》一书，完全不含个人意见。

Sutra Recitation 《For The Sake Of All Beings》

62. Single-mindedly chanting a sutra without wandering thoughts, distractions, or doubt — this is cultivating meditative concentration. From start to finish, enunciating clearly every word without mistake or omission — this is cultivating wisdom: fundamental wisdom. Thus, chanting a sutra is cultivating simultaneously the precepts, meditative concentration, and wisdom. If one thinks about the meaning of the sutra while chanting it, it will ruin the cultivation of precept observation, meditative concentration, and wisdom [the Three Learnings]. This is treating the sutra as a worldly book. EILS

63. My teacher Living Buddha Zhangjia said: “Buddhism does not emphasize forms or rituals, but rather true substance.” If we pay attention only to the formality and fail to profoundly comprehend the essence of the sutra’s teaching, we will not progress any further than just being zealous about our faith and thus be easily manipulated by those with bad intentions. REN

64. Chanting the sutras is cultivating the precepts, cultivating meditative concentration, and cultivating wisdom. When chanting a sutra one simply reads the words, without thinking of their meaning. Chanting sincerely this way is cultivating the precepts, meditative concentration, and wisdom. 
The sutras are to be recited daily but not for the benefit of the Buddha. We recite them as another reminder of how to cultivate our mind and how to properly interact with others and circumstances. For example, our daily conduct is an expression of the 《Infinite Life Sutra》 when we emulate the qualities found within it. EILS

65. Sutras flow from the pure and quiet mind of the Buddha. When we develop a mind as pure and quiet, we will understand all we read in a sutra. The reason why a sutra is so hard to understand now is that our minds are filled with wandering thoughts. How can this mind be in harmony with one that is pure and quiet? This is why we do not understand the Buddha’s words. So, if we want to learn from a good teacher, we need to trust and believe that their methods are proper and correct. BACW

66. The sutras help us to understand the true reality of life and the universe so that we will know the proper way to think and behave as well as the appropriate cultivation method to use. Only when we truly accord with the teachings of the sutra, will we benefit. BACW

67. If we chant or read indifferently without applying the principles, then all our efforts will be futile. Only when we become aware of the purpose and method of chanting the sutra can we actually achieve any results. . . . Today, people simply recite absentmindedly, like small children who sing a song with the right words to the right tune, but without understanding the meaning. Only when we become aware of the purpose and method of chanting the sutra can we actually achieve any results. BACW

68. If the Buddha’s teachings are not integrated into our minds, and our minds are still dictated by our afflictions and habits, what is the use of chanting the sutras? Only our verbal karma is good; whereas our minds and behavior still remain unimproved. So while our chanting does plant a seed in our Alaya consciousness, the seed is dormant for now. But even though the benefit is small and not immediate, it is better to chant a sutra than not to chant at all. 
Whether you chant with a focused mind or with a wandering mind, you will plant a seed in your Alaya consciousness. If you chant with a focused mind and with sincerity, the vitality of the seed will be strong. If you chant with a wandering mind or with reluctance, the vitality of the seed will be weak. ASC

69. What is the first step in our learning Buddhism? Start by reciting one sutra. Do we need to understand it? No. For when we have not ended afflictions, our understanding will be erroneous. Then why do we recite only this sutra? By reciting the sutra, the Three Learnings of self-discipline, deep concentration and wisdom are accomplished together. BACW

70. Mr. Li Bingnan always told his students that when they listened to lectures, they needed to concentrate on understanding the principles in the sutra and not the words themselves. These principles are the laws governing the Buddha’s teachings as well as worldly teachings. One, who thoroughly understands the principles of one sutra, can then use them to master all sutras. To benefit, the student must conscientiously and wholeheartedly follow the methods taught by the teacher without being distracted by anything new or different. BACW

related post:  Principles 《For The Sake Of All Beings》

Source Of Information: 
 《For The Sake of All Beings》，from the works of Venerable Master Chin Kung, published in 2012 by Pure Land College Press (email: purelandpress@gmail.com), translations by Silent Voices and the Pure Land Translation Team, edited by Venerable Wuling, distributed by Amitabha Buddhist Society Malaysia (92, Jalan Pahang, 53300 Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
*** No content of this post shall be altered without written permission from the publisher. Reprinting is allowed for non-profit use.
*** The information provided above does not contain personal opinion of this blog.

Buddha-name Chanting 《For The Sake Of All Beings》

43. For a true practitioner who wants to have a fast, assured success in his practice in this lifetime, the Buddha-name is all he needs. One chants and reads the sutras to understand the truth. Once confidence is established upon one’s understanding of the principles and the truth, one will naturally let go of everything else. Not only did Sakyamuni Buddha use this method as the foremost method to teach all beings, but all Buddhas do the same. The Pure Land method is hard to believe but easy to practice. Only when one has great good fortune and great wisdom will one be able to believe this method. EILS

44. The way to cultivate a pure mind is to mindfully chant the Buddha-name. When we are not chanting the Buddha-name, we should listen to the chanting of the Buddha-name. It is best if we can listen to our own chanting. So, we could record our chanting, and when we are not chanting, listen to this recording. This is very effective. This is cultivating a pure mind. EILS

45. As practitioners who chant the Buddha’s name, if we are able to correct one fault daily and be mindful of Amitabha Buddha, then in three year’s time we will be reborn into either the high or middle levels of the Pure Land. This is the way to cultivate to become a Buddha. The question is whether we are willing to do so earnestly. We are fooling ourselves if we are unable to find one fault daily. In failing to know them, we will fail to correct them. How can we hope to improve in this way? When there is no improvement, there is regression. To regard ourselves as infallible and that everything we do is correct is the most horrible way to live. CD

46. The Buddha-name chanting method is suitable for everyone to learn and practice regardless of one’s capacity. Other methods such as Zen meditation and Tibetan Buddhism are not as easy for one to learn and practice. The Buddha-name chanting method is simple and convenient. It does not matter whether one has a Buddha image at home or if one has flowers to offer. Everyone can learn and practice. This method does not emphasize appearances or learning environment. It is the most convenient method. EILS

47. The Buddha said: “All dharmas are created by the mind.” When we think about a matter [that will benefit others] every moment of every day, never forgetting it, then this matter will be successfully accomplished. If we think, “This is so difficult. I cannot do it. Forget it!” then this matter will not be accomplished. Why? Because when we stop thinking of benefitting others, we stop generating energy. Thoughts will truly generate inconceivable energy — this is continual mindfulness. 
When one understands this principle, one sees that those who are mindful of Buddha will attain Buddhahood. A practitioner who chants the Buddha-name will definitely attain rebirth in the Western Pure Land — this is also the same principle. When one mindfully chants “Amituofo” and is mindful of the Western Pure Land — being diligently mindful without any interruption — Amitabha Buddha will definitely come to one. EILS

48. Purity of mind can suppress the negative karma accumulated over infinite past eons. How can we attain purity of mind, stillness of thought? We can do so through the unmoved mind that is in deep concentration. This is called One Mind Undisturbed in the method of chanting mindfully the Buddha’s name. Once we attain this state, all of our negative karma will be suppressed. However, when a new wandering thought arises, our negative karma will again materialize. CD

49. If we want to practice filial piety to perfection, we just need to single-mindedly chant the Buddha-name and seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land. When we meet Amitabha Buddha, our filial piety will then be perfect. It is because [once we are in the Pure Land] we will be able to recognize our parents and also all our parents in past lifetimes and clearly know which paths they are in, so that when the conditions are mature, they will listen and accept our advice to mindfully chant the Buddha-name when we urge them to. This way, we will have the ability to help them. We will be able to help our families, friends, and those who have an affinity with us — from every one of our lifetimes — transcend the Six Paths, attain rebirth in the Western Pure Land, and attain Buddhahood. This is great filial piety! This is true filial piety! EILS

50. Single-mindedly chanting “Amituofo” day and night will reduce all of our wandering thoughts into one thought of Amituofo. Is Amituofo good or bad? Neither. It has nothing to do with the duality of good and bad for it accords with our true nature. The duality of good and bad only exists in our conscious minds, not in our true minds. With prolonged practice, we will naturally attain enlightenment if we are constantly mindful of Amituofo. Among eighty-four thousand methods, this method is unsurpassed. CD

51. The cultivation method that we practice is mindfully reciting the name of Amitabha Buddha. What is the meaning of Amitabha Buddha? Amitabha means infinite, and Buddha means wisdom and awakening. Therefore, Amitabha Buddha means infinite wisdom and infinite awakening. This is a good thought. Infinite wisdom and awakening is Buddha-nature. In the case of phenomena, it is Dharma-nature.
When we chant Amitabha Buddha, we are chanting Dharma-nature. Wisdom and awakening reside in everything in the universe. Wisdom and awakening are innate in everything in the universe. Wisdom and awakening pervade the whole universe. This Dharma door of mindfully reciting the Buddha-name is absolutely perfect. This is the state described in the Avatamsaka Sutra. ASC

52. Single-mindedly chanting “Amituofo” day and night will reduce all of our wandering thoughts into one thought of “Amituofo.” Is “Amituofo” good or bad? Neither. It has nothing to do with the duality of good and bad for it accords with our true nature. The duality of good and bad only exists in our conscious minds, not in our true minds. 
With prolonged practice, we will naturally attain enlightenment if we are constantly mindful of “Amituofo.” Among eighty-four thousand methods, this method is unsurpassed. CD

53. Some people may say that when one chants mantras, one will also get help from Buddhas and bodhisattvas. Indeed, when chanting mantras as practiced by the Esoteric school, the Buddhas and bodhisattvas will also be there to help, but it is not as good as chanting the name of Amitabha Buddha. When one chants mantras, one will have the help of one or two Buddhas or bodhisattvas. To have the help of three to five Buddhas and bodhisattvas is incredible. But when one mindfully chants the name of Amitabha Buddha, one will have the help of all the Buddhas in the ten directions and in the three time periods. This is why the merit of the name of Amitabha Buddha is inconceivable! EILS

54. What does proper thought arising mean? It is “Amituofo”: the most truthful and ultimate proper thought. The only important issue in our life is to constantly maintain proper thoughts, to not cling to deviated or erroneous ones, and to be constantly mindful of Amitabha Buddha day and night, without interruption. If we can continue our cultivation in this way, then in three months we will receive wonderful results. If we can constantly maintain mindfulness of Amitabha Buddha, with this one thought we are assured of reducing our wandering discriminatory thoughts. 
It is impossible for us to not have any wandering thoughts. Do not be afraid of them so long as thoughts of Amitabha Buddha can occupy us the most: such as sixty percent of our thoughts of Amitabha Buddha with only forty percent that are wandering. If we are not constantly mindful of Amitabha Buddha, then our minds will be filled with wandering thoughts. 
If we can continue this practice for three months, increasing the thoughts of Amitabha Buddha and decreasing our wandering thoughts, we will be at ease and free in spirit. Our minds will become more serene and our joy from practicing the teachings will show that our karmic obstacles have been reduced. In the past, our minds were filled with afflictions and worries, and our futures looked dark. Now we can be happy, confident, and wise as our lives become interesting, and our futures become bright. CD

55. At all times, when one single-mindedly chants the Buddha-name, the mind will be free of all wandering thoughts, afflictions, worries, and concerns. Mindfully chanting the Buddha-name will thus tame all of one’s faculties. One’s body will be supple and one’s mind will be gentle. One will be able to achieve physical and mental well-being. EILS

56. We may want to ask, “What is the method that the bodhisattvas of the Western Pure Land practice to achieve taming all their faculties and having a supple body and gentle mind?” It is mindfully chanting “Amituofo.”
As Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva said, “I and fifty-two fellow practitioners . . . .” “Fifty-two” refers to the ten stages of faith, ten stages of abiding, ten stages of practice, ten stages of dedication, ten stages of ground, the stage of equal enlightenment, and the stage of wondrous enlightenment. “Fellow practitioners” refers to practitioners who shared the same aspiration and focused on practicing the Pure Land method. This tells us that from Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva’s initial generation of the bodhi mind until attainment of Buddhahood, he practiced the chanting of “Amituofo,” without any changes. This is truly inconceivable! Chanting “Amituofo” enables us ordinary beings to attain Buddhahood. EILS

57. To practice good deeds with one sincere mind means to have an absolute proper and virtuous thought as the first thought. There are no wandering second thoughts. To chant “Amituofo,” is to single-mindedly practice Constant Mindfulness of Amitabha Buddha and wholeheartedly seek rebirth into the Pure Land. The most marvelous way to reform and reduce our karmic obstacles is to have no wandering thoughts. This does not mean to not have any proper thoughts. Without proper thoughts, we become ignorant. Wandering thoughts are discriminatory thoughts and attachments. It is not easy for average people to achieve the state of no wandering thought. But everyone can achieve this by practicing the Buddha Mindfulness Chanting method. CD

58. This is an unsurpassed principle. Purity of mind can suppress the negative karma accumulated over infinite past eons. How can we attain purity of mind, stillness of thought? We can do so through the unmoved mind that is in deep concentration. This is called “One Mind Undisturbed” in the method of chanting mindfully the Buddha’s name. Once we attain this state, all of our negative karma will be suppressed. However, when a new wandering thought arises, our negative karma will again materialize. CD

59. By single-mindedly chanting the Buddha-name, we will taste boundless meanings and flavor. After we taste the flavor of the Dharma, there will be no stopping us. During our learning, we will truly feel joy and will definitely be making courageous and diligent progress. 
Now, when we chant the Buddha-name we do not taste any flavor of the Dharma because when we chant “Amituofo” we are thinking of other things. This is the reason that our cultivation has not gone anywhere. We should diligently continue with our chanting. Anything that obstructs us from single-mindedly chanting should be discarded. 
In addition, we should chant with a sincere, pure, and respectful mind. After chanting in this way for half a year, we will taste the flavor of the Dharma. When we do, we will have confidence in attaining rebirth in the Western Pure Land. The more we chant, the firmer our confidence. We will be able to know in advance the time of our rebirth. EILS

60. How does one subdue and transform one’s thoughts? When an evil thought arises, one should instantly have the wisdom to be aware of it and stop the wandering thought. For many kalpas, for which there is no beginning, ordinary beings have been immersed in affliction and habits, so they naturally have many wandering thoughts. But as it is said, “Do not fear a thought arising; fear realizing it too late.” When an evil thought arises, one should immediately detect it and transform it into “Amituofo.” This is cultivation. In the Zen school, this is the practice of enlightening illumination. Here is where we practice: transforming an evil thought into a virtuous thought, transforming an evil thought into “Amituofo.” The thought of “Amituofo” is the most virtuous. There is no thought more virtuous than this. EILS

61. The “Chapter on the Perfect and Complete Realization of Mahasthamaprapta” from the 《Surangama Sutra》 tells us how Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva concentrated on Buddha-name Recitation from the time he took refuge until the time he attained enlightenment. He taught us that the proper way to chant is the complementary practice of concentrating the six sense organs and continuous pure mindfulness of Amitabha Buddha. Pure mindfulness is to chant with a pure mind and without doubt or any intermingling with other thoughts or methods. Continuous is the uninterrupted chanting with one word after another and is the key to success in the practice of Buddha-name Recitation that was taught by Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva. BACW

related post:  Sutra Recitation

Source Of Information: 
 《For The Sake of All Beings》，from the works of Venerable Master Chin Kung, published in 2012 by Pure Land College Press (email: purelandpress@gmail.com), translations by Silent Voices and the Pure Land Translation Team, edited by Venerable Wuling, distributed by Amitabha Buddhist Society Malaysia (92, Jalan Pahang, 53300 Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
*** No content of this post shall be altered without written permission from the publisher. Reprinting is allowed for non-profit use.
*** The information provided above does not contain personal opinion of this blog.