[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [念佛鏡](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1966) › 2.46 # 念佛鏡 2.46 念佛鏡 2.46 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [2.46](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1966.2.46) 答：「念佛功德，多於持戒功德百千萬倍。何以得知？准經說，持戒證小果，始到初地；准《彌陀經》，若一日、七日念阿彌陀佛往生淨土，即是八地已上菩薩。所以經云：『眾生生者，皆是阿鞞跋致。』故知功德多於持戒功德百千萬倍。又准經中說：『如今不是持戒時，是念佛時。』何以得知？准《像法決疑經》說：『本師滅度，正法五百年，持戒得堅固；像法一千年，坐禪得堅固；末法一萬年，念佛得堅固。』自從佛入涅槃已來，准釋迦碑文，已有一千七百餘年，入末法來二百餘年，故知是念佛時，不是持戒時。縱有持戒者，准戒經文，即得名譽及利養，死得生天上，無證得阿羅漢果；縱得生天，不出三界。就持戒人中，萬箇無一具戒者。何以故？為戒細人麁，數多難持；若望念佛，數少易行，得多功德。」 > Answer: "The merit of buddhānusmṛti is hundreds of thousands of myriads of times greater than the merit of keeping the precepts. How is this known? According to what the sūtras say, keeping precepts realizes the lesser fruits and reaches only up to the first bhūmi; according to the Amitābha-sūtra, if one is mindful of Amitābha Buddha for one day or seven days and attains rebirth in the pure land, one is already a bodhisattva of the eighth bhūmi or above. Therefore the sūtra says: 'Those sentient beings who are born there are all avaivartika.' Hence we know that its merit is hundreds of thousands of myriads of times greater than the merit of keeping the precepts. Furthermore, according to what is said in the sūtras: 'Now is not the time for keeping precepts; it is the time for buddhānusmṛti.' How is this known? According to what the Xiangfa jueyi jing says: 'After our Fundamental Teacher enters cessation, during the five hundred years of the True Dharma, keeping precepts achieves firmness; during the one thousand years of the Semblance Dharma, seated meditation achieves firmness; during the ten thousand years of the Final Dharma, buddhānusmṛti achieves firmness.' Since the Buddha entered nirvāṇa, according to the Śākyamuni stele inscription, more than one thousand seven hundred years have already passed, and more than two hundred years have elapsed since entering the Final Dharma. Hence we know that this is the time for buddhānusmṛti, not the time for keeping precepts. Even if there are those who keep the precepts, according to the text of the Vinaya sūtras, they obtain only reputation and material gain, and upon death obtain rebirth in the heavens, without realizing the fruit of an arhat; even if they obtain rebirth in heaven, they do not escape the three realms. Among people who keep the precepts, not one in ten thousand possesses them completely. Why is this? Because the precepts are subtle while humans are coarse, and their numbers are so manifold that they are difficult to maintain; whereas compared with buddhānusmṛti, its practice is singular, easy to perform, and obtains great merit." > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 2.45](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1966.2.45) - [Next: 2.47](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1966.2.47) - [Up: 2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1966.2) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1966~en-mt.2.46) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1966.2.46](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1966.2.46) · Pramāṇa