大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 26.25

26.25

Regarding the commentary's "The sixth section clarifies the purity of the kṣetra": the commentary text has four parts: 1. A general presentation of the main idea; 2. Distinctly revealing its characteristics; 3. Discriminating and determining them in comparison with the teachings; 4. Discriminating against confusion in comparison with the texts. Now, as for the first: the statement "exclusively with respect to purity" is made because it says "pure", unlike shapes and so forth which apply to both defilement and purity. The expression "attained through practice" reflects the intention of Master Daosheng. His *Commentary on the Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa* says: "A pure land is attained through practice, not created. What is created in a land is of the kind of sentient beings." In his explanation of the meaning of "attained" in the Fourteen Topics, he states: "Question: Why is it attained and not acquired? Answer: What is called attained means its essence is borrowed for the sake of beings; though obtained, it is not one's own." Explanation: because it is obtained due to others, it is called "attained". This means that the Buddha practices the myriad actions and heads directly to the ultimate truth, not grasping at physical marks, enjoyment for others, and so on; due to other sentient beings, he takes a land with great compassion for their sake, hence it is called "attained through practice". Since it is attained through the myriad practices, it inevitably brings about purity.