Master Jingzong; English translation by Fole, edited by Fojin
When I was young, I liked staring at a patch of blue sky surrounded by fluffy white clouds. It looked so deep and boundless to me. I was fascinated and could look at it all day. This is my intuitive feeling, as a man on earth, towards the infinite depth of the void.
Such a feeling cannot be quantified. It is enough to just have a general idea of the void. If you try to measure the depth of the sky in an aircraft: 6,000 meters, 10,000 meters, tens of thousands of meters . . . This effort is not only futile, it also weakens the mysterious and unfathomable nature of the void.
This is similar to our faith in Amitabha’s deliverance.
The Contemplation of Infinite Life Sutra mentions the “deep mind”, which is interpreted as “the mind of deep faith” by Master Shandao. There are always those who ask, “Is my faith in Amitabha deep enough? How can I further deepen my faith?”
It is pointless to ask such questions. Amitabha’s deliverance is immeasurable to us. Just as we have no idea how deep our karmic iniquity is. We can only feel its inconceivable depth when we look at the blue sky of Amitabha’s deliverance through the clouds of our evildoings. A person who has a general idea of the deliverance of Amitabha and recites the Buddha’s name single-mindedly is a practitioner with deep faith.
Very nice! Thanks.