(a)

More than two months before the birth of the son, according to the rules of the imperial family at that time, I went to Hozenji Temple, the largest temple in Yunjing, to hold a ceremony to pray for the blessing of childbirth.

This is Liu Shen's first child, and if he is a boy, he may be the future emperor.

At that time, Yunjing was already very prosperous, because the royal family and many people believed in Buddhism, so there were more than 400 monasteries of various sizes in the capital, and there were many believers and supporters.

This royal worship of Fazen Temple, the scale is very large, the main hall is heavy, the courtyard is deep, there are many towering ancient trees growing inside and outside the temple, sprinkling a piece of shade and coolness in the prosperity of the capital.

With the support of the female officer, I, who was already pot-bellied and clumsy, dressed in a luxurious golden dress, completed the solemn blessing ceremony according to the guidance of the celeretor, praying for the peace of the country and the people, the health of the Queen Mother and the Emperor, the smooth delivery, and the safety of the mother and child.

Every time I bowed respectfully, the monk next to me would sound a crisp chime.

After the ceremony, the abbot, Master Lotus, accompanied me out of the depths of the monastery.

As we passed by a courtyard, we heard the sound of monks chanting Buddha horns from the courtyard. The voice was subdued, solemn and reverent, and it came one by one, and fell on my heart one by one.

I involuntarily stood still.

I stood in the sunlight that poured down through the dense foliage, and I was drawn to the sound.

I had a feeling that I couldn't understand in words, as if it was some echo from the depths of life.

It falls somewhere in life that is very intimate and familiar.

I felt something in the foundation of life moved by its call.

I was standing there unconsciously, unable to go any further.

The abbot, Master Lotus, also stopped with me. He said: "Is the queen attracted to this voice? ”

I said, "Excuse me, Master, what is this sound?" ”

Master Lotus replied, "This is the monks chanting the Buddha's name. ”

I said, "What are they reading?" Sounds so intimate. ”

He said, "They are reciting the Nam no Amitabha Buddha. They chanted the Nam Mu Amitabha Buddha one by one. ”

(b)

At that time, the most popular in Han China was Zen Buddhism. The main focus of the monastery is the practice of meditation. The classics that are recited in daily classes are generally the Heart Sutra, the Diamond Sutra, the Ranga Sutra and other classics that focus on the wisdom of emptiness, and the Sutra of the Bodhisattva Honto Sutra of the Earth, which leads the public to believe in karma.

The Pure Land sect had just emerged in the Han region, and its popularity was not yet widespread, and the practice of reciting the name of the Buddha and surviving in the Pure Land was not as well-known as it was later, and its influence was far-reaching. Then. Only a few monasteries focus on the Pure Land sect's name-bearing rebirth. I have been exposed to the recitation of the Liang Emperor's Treasure Confession and the Lengyan Mantra on weekdays, but I have never heard the monks of the Pure Land Monastery chanting the Buddha name of "Nam no Amitabha".

"What does this mean?" I asked.

The abbot Lotus replied, "Nam Wu is the Sanskrit word for salutation, return, and refuge. Amitabha Buddha is the name of a Buddha. This Buddha is the master of the Western Elysium, and he is also the Buddha who leads those who seek liberation to be reborn in the Western Pure Land. He will come and lead the person to Elysium. ”

When I listened, my heart was touched.

I muttered, "But how can he get so many dying people in the world every day?" ”

I said, "Can he hear every cry?" Will he show up to everyone who needs guidance? ”

The abbot said, "As long as you recite his Buddha name in your heart, he will hear it, and he will appear." ”

The abbot said, "Just like the bright moon in the sky, it can be reflected in thousands of rivers, lakes and seas in the world at the same time." ”

The abbot said, "Amitabha Buddha never fails to live up to any desire for liberation. People who want guidance. ”

He said: "At this moment, the queen is standing. Isn't it because I perceive his gaze and light? ”

(c)

This sentence is like a stone thrown into a pool of deep water. There was a ripple in my heart, and it slowly rippled.

My eyes began to fill with tears. Some tears that have dried up since you died.

I said, "Why would he do this?" Why take care of so many people who are dying? ”

I said, "Since he is a man of infinite life, how can he perceive the pain of life?" If he has been freed from the pain of life, why should he come back to take care of those who are small and fragile in the sea of life and death? ”

The abbot said, "Because he was only a mortal before, because he has also experienced all the sufferings that all life has experienced." ”

The abbot said, "A long time ago. In a distant time unimaginable to mortals, there was a king, who sensed all the profound pains of life, and he realized that as a nation. Even if we can establish a peaceful and prosperous era and let the people live and work in peace and contentment, the sufferings of people's joys and sorrows, birth, old age, sickness and death will still not be relieved. Those who live in the peaceful years will still feel irritable, fearful, frustrated, sad, and confused because of all kinds of things, and will still be caught by disease and decay, dragged into boundless darkness, and will still be crushed by death, and have to say goodbye to everything they love. ”

The abbot said: "He is soberly aware that as a king, he is not in power, and he has neither the power to free himself from these sufferings, nor the power to take care of his court, his children, and his parents from such widespread suffering." He recognized the limitations of secular kingship. He was eager to do more for his subjects and to further relieve himself of these fundamental, universal sufferings, and he felt that it was more meaningful to accomplish this than to be a secular king. ”

So, he decided to abandon the throne that the world was pursuing, and wholeheartedly sought a path to the root cause of all kinds of troubles, from the misery of life and death. Ten eons ago, he found the Buddha who was enlightened at that time, ordained himself in front of the Buddha, became a Dharma Tibetan bhikshu, followed the Buddha to learn the method of liberation, and finally found this path, and personally verified that this path indeed leads to liberation. ”

From then on, this Dharma Tibetan bhikshu made an endless vow to fulfill all life and free from all suffering from now on. This great king, the Dharma Tibetan Bhikshu, who was mortal to a saint, is the Amitabha Buddha that we praise day and night today. He is an example for all of us. He showed us the way to start from mortals, to transcend all the sufferings of life, and to understand the mysteries of life and death. ”

(iv)

As I listened, I couldn't help but say with respect, "He's such a great man." ”

The abbot said, "Yes." It's great. ”

I said, "I really hope that I can find that way, and that I can have the strength to create the best world and life for all life." ”

When the abbot heard this, he immediately said, "Amitabha! It is really rare for the queen to have such an idea, such a vast universal salvation heart, and it is a blessing for the country and the people, which is worthy of worship and admiration. Since the queen has this wish, she will definitely be able to make her wish come true in the future. ”

I said, "If I keep this vow and persevere, and work hard for a long time, will I be able to achieve enlightenment and liberation like the Dharma Tibetan bhikshus, and benefit all my lives?" Can we help them to escape the immeasurable pain and terror with the power of light in the loneliest, helpless, and darkest division of life and death? ”

The abbot replied affirmatively, "Where there's a will, there's a way." If the queen perseveres and works hard, she will be able to be exactly the same as Amitabha Buddha in the end, becoming the great reliance and protection of all life and death, and being able to lead all life away from the darkness and helplessness at that time, and on the way of life and death, tend to complete happiness. ”

The abbot said, "The queen will be able to do it." ”

He said: "All people, if they make such a great wish, never give up, persevere, and no one can achieve the same in the end." ”

He said: "At the same time as the queen made this wish, in the boundless and distant future, the queen has become exactly like Amitabha. That future has already been formed and already exists. It's just that the queen can't see the situation at that time at this moment. ”

He said: "If the queen listens to the Buddha's name, she feels something in her heart, and when she is free in the future, she respectfully invites the queen to come to the temple often and listen to the monks chanting the Buddha's name." ”

(5)

That was the first time I heard about the Pure Land practice, and I followed it later, often holding a rosary and reciting the name of Nam-mu Amitabha.

This life is coming to an end in a blink of an eye, and I have not studied well, and although I have made progress, I have not been completely liberated, nor have I completed that nectar path. But then I used to go to the monastery and listen to the monks chanting like that.

Listening to their voices, those tears in my heart were slowly able to fall.

I let them fall little by little.

I let them fall little by little, drop by drop, one after the other, one after the other.

(f)

In today's old age, my eyes are also spent, I can't see the words on the scriptures clearly, my ears are not very good, and I can't hear the voices of the enlightened people explaining the scriptures. It's become an instinct in my life.

It's not because I'm afraid of death, it's not because I'm confused. I am like this because I want to defeat death for all life, and I want to get rid of my fundamental confusion about where I came from in life and where I want to go after death. I don't want to spend my life in such a muddle, I don't want to be so powerless to obey the river of life and death.

I don't want to spend my short life like most people do, confused and helpless.

What about you? What about you, children?

Do you want to spend this short life in such confusion and helplessness?

Have any of you ever thought about escaping the great net of life and death, and wished to seek the clarity and power of understanding life and death, and liberating life and death?

Descendants of the former emperor, have any of you ever thought about this matter in your daily flowers, wine, and martial arts? Have it? (To be continued.) )