【The Three Types of Persons 】- reborn to a higher rank

Thus, like I have often said here, if we are sincere about chanting Buddha’s name, this is a great thing to do. We do not need to talk about promising young monastics… Instead of taking this approach to chant Buddha’s name, young monastics should take another route [to incorporate the study of the tenets]. Chanting Buddha’s name is still needed, why? On the one hand, I want to go to Pure Land. On the other hand, I want to help others. However, by the time for us to help others, more or less we would have some understanding of the content of the path, this is very important. In fact, this is not just to help others, not so! With this understanding of yours, and by the time you depart from this life, the karmic debt will not be carried over! Of course, if we don’t do it right, the residual karmic debt would still be there. However, if all goes well, you may very likely to be reborn to a higher rank, and this would make a drastic difference. So, it is definitely not about can’t be reborn to Pure Land. Just because not only I want to go there, but also taking along others which is even better! Thus, in this situation, the concept of knowing the path is very important. Moreover, once you understand this concept, your practice will not waver. Otherwise, when we hear the east wind or someone mentions the east wind, we fall for it. This person says this is good or that is good, thus our confidence is disturbed. Alas, to study here is not good enough, and then if you move to another monastery or center, you still have the same attitude. Move again to another location, and in the end, you have not studied well. As for meditation on the teaching, if you meditate for half a day and don’t know how to go about it, thus you turn back to study the tenets. An entire life is wasted in such back and forth!

SOURCE 来源 :

32B 22’25” Vol 4 of Master Jih-Chang’s Discourse P286 LL2
English Lamrim Vol 1 P129

日常师父法语📡32B 22’25”手抄稿第4册P286 LL2

道次引导 : 上品上生

所以我在这个地方也常常说，假定说真正要去念佛，这是一件很好的事情，但是我们不必说，年轻有为的出家人哪……不要走这种念佛法门，应该走另外一个，还是要念佛，为什么？一方面我自己去，一方面要帮助别人，那个时候你要帮助别人的话，多多少少对道的内涵我们有一点认识，这个很重要。实际上呢这个是不是单单帮助别人，不是耶！你能够有的这个认识，然后你去的时候，那时候就不是带业往生啰！当然了，我们弄得不好还是带业往生，弄得好的话你就可以上品上生了，这个情况就差得天差地远了。所以绝对不是不去，是正因为如此，我要去嘛就要不但自己去，还要带着别人去，这样才好！那么在这种情况之下，关于这个概念就很重要了。 　　

还有呢，你了解了这个，你修行的时候你绝不动摇。要不然我们听见东风，这个人讲东风东倒，他讲讲这样好耶、他讲讲那样好耶，你心里面就一点的把握都没有。哎呀，这念书，在这个地方觉得不好，跑到那里，跑到那里依旧老样子，又跑到那里，到最后说念书不好，修行；修了半天又觉得不会修，那要去念书。一生就这么浪费掉！