念佛來之不易 Chanting is not easy（中英文字幕 English subtitle）-- 美佛寺性仁法師 Venerable Xingren

念佛人不簡單！
念佛人不简单！
Chanters are amazing!
二〇二三法華齋天法會
2022.10.27 宣講於洛杉磯美佛寺
今天，我繼續跟大家開示《法華經》，講《法華經》裡面最有名的一四句偈：『若人散亂心，入於塔廟中，一稱南無佛，皆已成佛道。』這四句偈，凡是學佛的人，無人不知，沒人不曉。對於這一四句偈，我們大家可以說是朗朗上口，滾瓜爛熟。但我要跟諸位同修講，大家不一定能夠理解這一四句偈的真義。你如果不信的話，請聽完我開示，然後你自己對照一下，看你自己是否真正明白這四句偈的真義。我先來簡單解釋一下這四句。『若人散亂心』，散亂心就是不專一，沒有用心念佛。如果有人抱著散亂之心，這個就好像遊客，到寺廟裡面來參觀旅遊。由於天下名山僧佔多，我跟諸位同修講，中國大凡的風景名勝、旅遊景點都有寺院。遊客來寺院旅遊、參觀佛像，並非存心想要來拜佛，只是來觀光。這個叫做『散亂心』。他們沒有恭敬、虔誠之心。雖然是到廟裡來看，但根本不知道廟裡面有佛菩薩。這可以說是散亂中的散亂。抱著這麼一種心，『入於塔廟中』，到佛塔或者寺廟裡面來。『一稱南無佛，皆已成佛道』，只要他念一聲『南無佛』，只要他看到對聯上寫著甚麼佛，比如『南無本師釋迦牟尼佛』，無意當中他看了一遍，跟著念了一聲『南無本師釋迦牟尼佛』。以這麼一念的殊勝因緣和功德，他總有一天就可以成佛。為甚麼無心插柳柳成蔭呢？這是甚麼緣故呢？我跟諸位同修講，道理非常地簡單。因為千里之行，始於足下。萬德圓融，始於一念。念佛之因，成佛之果。以最初這一念佛種的勝因，將來必定成就佛果菩提。諸位同修，我們大家每天都在念『南無佛』，『南無本師釋迦牟尼佛』，『南無消災延壽藥師佛』，『南無西方極樂世界阿彌陀佛』，『南無當來下生彌勒尊佛』，『南無十方三世一切諸佛』。我們每天都在念，念很多很多的佛。我們大家在念的時候，念得漫不經心，感覺很容易念，感覺沒有甚麼稀奇。可是，我跟諸位同修講，能夠念一聲佛，那是非常地不容易。這都是我們多生多劫累積的善根、累積的福德、累積的因緣，真的是百千萬劫難遭遇。大家千萬不要小看這一句佛號的力量，不要低估你今天能夠念這一聲佛號的福報，這個是你八輩子修來的福報。所以今生才能夠得遇三寶，才能夠念這一句佛號，才能夠有機會在這裡聽師父跟你講《法華經》，開示法華的要義。諸位同修，佛陀在《法華經》裡面特別指出，能夠念一聲佛號，能夠聽聞本經的一四句偈，能夠受持讀誦《法華經》，能夠聽聞法華大法，那你已經曾經在過去的無量生中，在過去的無量生命過程當中，已曾親近供養過無量無邊的諸佛，所以今生才有機會遇到佛法，所以你今生才有大乘的善根，才有機會聽聞《妙法蓮華經》，才有機會生起這個難得的信心。諸位，我們將來是要成佛的。我們就是佛，未來佛。我們可不得了，了不得。所以大家一定不要小看我們自己。大家知道嗎，念佛是多麼地難能可貴？大家想過沒有？如果沒有想過，那你現在仔細想一想：在這個世界上，這個世界上有那麼多人，現在世界上有將近八十億的人口，學佛念佛的人有多少？大家知道嗎？大家知道這當中的比例嗎？我不好意思在這裡講，非常地慚愧，每每想到這裡，我都感覺到特別地無地自容。這個就是世間的悲哀，這個就是這個世界出現危機的原因。我跟諸位同修講，念佛的人，寥寥可數，不會念佛的人猶如恒河沙。不會念佛的人那麼多，真正會念佛的，少之又少。所以說會念佛的人，皆因累世種菩提，都是你過去的宿世善根成熟了，所以今天、今生才會遇到念佛法門。所以諸位一定要珍惜自己這個一個大乘的善根，珍惜這個難得的因緣和機會。百千萬劫難遭遇，真的是如此。大家千萬不要自暴自棄。希望通過今天的這個開示，給大家增加一點念佛的信心，也算是給大家打打氣。因為念佛這個法門，給人感覺沒有任何的門檻，給人感覺入門太容易了，給人感覺得來全不費功夫。不需要努力付出的，那我們大家就不會去好好珍惜。實則是百千萬劫難遭遇。經中說到：『念佛人即是人中芬陀利花。』芬陀利花就是大白蓮花，是佛陀的另一種名稱。《涅槃經》上說：『佛亦名為大芬陀利。』我們現在在這裡念佛，我跟諸位同修講，我們就是人中的『芬陀利花』。凈土宗的善導大師是如何解釋的呢？他說『人中的芬陀利花』，即是人中的『上上人、稀有人、妙好人、最勝人』。甚麼意思呢？意思就是說，念佛人已經是超越三界六道的眾生。我們已經不是輪迴的生死凡夫了，將來必定如同『大芬陀利花』那樣地成佛。你說稀奇不稀奇？你說難得不難得？我跟諸位同修講，非常地稀奇難得。大家要好好珍惜，今生能夠遇到念佛法門，我們今生還能夠念佛。感恩大家，阿彌陀佛！

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感恩 師父開示 南無 阿彌陀佛

[@xiuyiyoeng8789]

南無阿彌陀佛

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🙏🙏🙏

[@AmericanBuddhistFellowship]

Today, I will continue to teach you the Lotus Sutra. I will talk about the most famous four-line verse in the Lotus Sutra: "With a distracted mind, one entered a pagoda or a temple and chanted Namo Buddha once, one has already attained Buddhahood." This four-line verse is known by all who study Buddhism. This four-line verse is catchy and well-known, and we all can recite them fluently. However, I want to tell you, fellow practitioners, that you may not be able to understand the true meaning of this four-line verse. If you don't believe it, please listen to my teaching, and then check it for yourself to see if you really understand the true meaning of this four-line verse. Let me first briefly explain these four sentences. "With a distracted mind," a distracted mind means that one is not single-minded and does not chant the Buddha with one's heart. If someone has a distracted mind, it is like a tourist who comes to the temple to visit and travel. Since most famous mountains in the world are inhabited by monastics, I tell you, fellow practitioners, that there are temples in every scenic spot and tourist attraction in China. Tourists come to visit temples and visit Buddha statues, not with the intention of worshiping Buddhas, but only for sightseeing. This is called "a distracted mind". They have no reverence and devotion. Although they come to the temple to look around, they don't even know that there are Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the temple. This can be said to be more distracted among distractions. With such a mind, "one entered a pagoda or a temple", came into a pagoda or a temple. "and chanted Namo Buddha once, one has already attained Buddhahood", as long as one chanted "Namo Buddha", as long as one saw such and such Buddha written on the couplet, such as "Namo Original Master Shakyamuni Buddha", one inadvertently read it once or chanted "Namo Original Master Shakyamuni Buddha" once. With the extraordinary karma and merit of such a single chant, one would one day become a Buddha. Why did inadvertently planted willows grow? What was the reason for this? I tell you, fellow practitioners, that the reason was very simple. It is because a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and the completion of all virtues begins with a single thought. The cause is chanting Buddha, and the effect is becoming a Buddha. With the wondrous cause seeded by the first chant, one will surely attain Buddhahood and Bodhi in the future. Fellow practitioners, every day we chant "Namo Buddha", "Namo Original Master Shakyamuni Buddha", "Namo Disaster Elimination and Longevity Medicine Buddha", "Namo Amida Buddha in the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss", "Namo forthcoming Maitreya Buddha", and "Namo all Buddhas in the ten directions and three times". We chant every day, and we chant many, many Buddhas. When we chant, we are careless, feeling that chanting is easy and nothing is unusual. However, I tell you, fellow practitioners, that it is very difficult to be able to chant Buddhas. It is due to the good roots, merit, and good karma that we have accumulated over many lifetimes and kalpas. It is really hard to meet in millions of kalpas. Don't underestimate the power of a Buddha's name, and don't underestimate the blessing needed to be able to chant a Buddha's name today. This is the blessing that you have cultivated in many lifetimes. Therefore, in this life, you are able to meet the Three Jewels, be able to chant a Buddha's name, and have the opportunity to listen to me teaching you the Lotus Sutra here and explaining the essence of the Lotus. Fellow practitioners, the Buddha specifically pointed out in the Lotus Sutra that if you can chant a Buddha's name, hear one four-line verse of this sutra, accept, uphold, read and recite the Lotus Sutra, and listen to the great Lotus Dharma, then in your past immeasurable lives, in the process of your past immeasurable lifetimes, you have been close to and made offerings to immeasurable and countless Buddhas, so in this life you have the opportunity to meet the Dharma, so in this life you have the good roots of Mahayana, have the opportunity to hear "The Sutra of the Lotus of the Wondrous Dharma", and have the opportunity to develop this rare faith. Fellow practitioners, we will become Buddhas in the future. We are Buddhas, future Buddhas. We are amazing, fabulous. So, we must not underestimate ourselves. Do you know how precious it is to chant Buddhas? Have you ever thought about it? If you haven't, then think about it now: In this world, there are so many people, and now there are nearly eight billion people in the world, how many people study Buddhism and chant Buddhas? Do you know? Do you know the ratio? I am embarrassed to talk about it here, and I am very ashamed. Every time I think about it, I feel particularly ashamed. This is the sorrow of the world, and this is the reason for the crisis in this world. I tell you, fellow practitioners, that there are very few people chanting Buddhas, and those who don't chant Buddhas are like the sands of the Ganges River. There are so many people who don't chant Buddhas, but very few people who really do. Therefore, those who chant Buddha are all because they have cultivated Bodhi in many lifetimes, because your good roots from past lives have matured, and therefore you meet the chanting method today in this life. Therefore, you must cherish your good roots of Mahayana and cherish this rare cause and opportunity. It is really hard to meet in millions of kalpas, and this is so true. Don't give up on yourself. I hope that through today's lecture, I can help everyone have a little more confidence in chanting and give everyone a boost. Because the chanting method makes people feel that it has no threshold, is too easy to start, and takes no effort to get started. Things that don't require hard work will not be cherished. In fact, it is really hard to meet in millions of kalpas. It is stated in the sutra: "Chanters are the pundarika flowers among people." Pundarika flowers are big white lotus flowers, another name for Buddhas. The Nirvana Sutra states: "The Buddha is also called great pundarika." We are now here to chant Buddhas, and I tell you, fellow practitioners, that we are the "pundarika flowers" among people. How did the Master Shandao of the Pure Land School explain it? He said that "the pundarika flower among people" were the "high-class, rare, wonderful, and the most outstanding people" among people. What does that mean? That is to say that chanters are beings who transcend the three worlds and six realms. We are no longer ordinary people reincarnating in the birth and death and will surely become Buddhas in the future like the "great pundarika flowers". Don't you think it's unusual? Don't you think it's rare? I tell you, fellow practitioners, that it is very unusual and rare. Everyone should cherish that we meet the chanting method and can also chant in this life. Namaste, Amitabha!