念佛四十八法 3) 端身持名 Regulating the Body during Buddha Recitation
- 端身持名
Regulating the Body during Buddha Recitation
Having decided to practice Buddha Recitation, you must keep your body pure (6) at all times and in all movements and gestures – whether walking, standing, sitting or reclining. When the body is pure, the m ind will also be pure.
The Pure Land practitioner should ponder this teaching. It is never wrong.
既以此身念佛，于一切行、住、坐、臥時，務常端正，身若端正，心即清淨，當人自驗誠不我欺。
Commentary
The body has a strong influence on the mind. Therefore, in order to have a strong, upright spirit and an unflinching faith in both self-power and Other-power (the power of the Buddhas), and to practice Buddha Recitation resolutely, it is necessary to cultivate an exceptionally pure body before starting out. The m ind is pure because the body-karma is tranquil and undefiled. Thus, for Buddha recitation to yield good results, the first condition is to keep the body pure.