翻譯名義集 4.107

4.107

[Namo] Also written na-mo or nan-mo; translated here as "taking refuge with one's life." The Yaolüyi translates it as "reverence," and the Shanjian lun translates it as "taking refuge with one's life in the Enlightened One" or translates it as "faithfully obeying." The Fahua shu says: "Namo has many meanings. Some say it means 'deliver me,' which may apply to sentient beings. If a buddha responds to buddhas, the meaning 'deliver me' is not suitable." The Wujie jing calls it "alarm and dread." Alarm and dread precisely apply before the Buddha; the perils of birth and death are indeed cause for alarm and dread. The Dapin says: "The Buddha said: 'If a single person proclaims namo buddhāya, then until their suffering is ended, their merit will not be exhausted.'" The Zhilun asks: "Why is it that merely uttering the name in vain allows one to end suffering and causes one's merit to be inexhaustible?" It answers: "This person had previously heard of the Buddha's virtues, that he is able to deliver people from the suffering of aging, illness, and death; whether making offerings great or small, upon uttering the name, they obtain immeasurable merit. (This speaks of the merit of uttering the Buddha's name)." The Huayan says: "Better to endure the sufferings of hell and get to hear the names of the buddhas, than to experience immeasurable pleasures and not hear the names of the buddhas. The reason one endured suffering for countless kalpas in the past and transmigrated through birth and death is that one did not hear the names of the buddhas." The Dapin says: "When I attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, if sentient beings in the worlds of the ten directions—as numerous as the sands of the Ganges—hear my name, they are certain to attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi." The Zhilun asks: "Some people are born in the Buddha's era and abide within the Buddha's Dharma, yet fall into hell, such as Devadatta and Kokālika, whose minds were obscured by three unwholesome dharmas and thus fell into hell. Why does it say here that in worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, merely hearing the Buddha's name causes one to attain the Way?" It answers: "There are sentient beings whose merits are fully ripened and whose fettering afflictions are slight, who ought to attain the Way. If they hear the Buddha's name, they thereby attain the Way. Moreover, by the Buddha's awe-inspiring power, hearing it, they are instantly delivered. It is like a ripe ulcer: even without treatment, given a minor condition, it will burst on its own. It is also like ripe fruit: if no one plucks it, given the condition of a slight breeze, it will fall on its own. It is like fresh, clean white cotton fabric, which easily takes color. (This speaks of the merit of hearing the Buddha's name)."