論「念佛往生」與「信願往生」 -- 以民國時期守培與印光等人的爭論為例=“Rebirth in the Pure Land by Chanting the Name of Amitābha” versus “Rebirth in the Pure Land by Belief and Will”: A Case Study on the Argument between Shoupei and Yinguang in the Republic of China Era
念佛往生=rebirth in the Pure Land by chanting the name of Amitābha; 信願往生=rebirth in the Pure Land by belief and will; 守培=Shoupei; 印光=Yinguang; 王鏡周=Wang Jingzhou
Advocated by Master Ouyi of late Ming dynasty and propagated with every effort by Master Yinguang, the proposition of “rebirth in the Pure Land by belief and will” became very popular and influential. Master Shoupei disagreed and advanced a new idea: “rebirth in the Pure Land solely by chanting the name of Amitābha wholeheartedly.” This triggered off a fierce debate, with Yinguang and Lay Buddhist Wang Jingzhou in one camp and Shoupei in the other. The debate reveals the disagreement on the interpretations of doctrine of Mindfulness of the Buddha between the Chan Sect and the Pure Land School in the Buddhist history of modern China. Both interpretations are bound to be one-sided. Referring to the words and deeds of ancient Pure Land masters, this article demonstrates that belief, will and practice—still indispensable by now— are three integral parts of the Pure Land teaching.
