無量壽經義疏 2.2.4

2.2.4

In this there are five [points]: first, explaining that the various jewels manifest according to one's thought; second, the jeweled garments spread over the ground; third, the jeweled nets covering above; fourth, from "naturally" onward, the breeze of virtue blowing and stirring; fifth, from "furthermore, the various" onward, the jeweled blossoms filling everywhere. In the fourth [point, on] the breeze, "a natural gentle breeze rises slowly and stirs gently" is a general statement setting it forth, and the lower [text] specifies it. Within the specification there are four [points]: first, the substance of the breeze is harmonious, its slowness and swiftness being well regulated; second, blowing the nets and stirring the trees, it produces delicate and wondrous sounds; third, touching the body, it produces bliss; fourth, blowing and scattering the various blossoms, it fills the land completely. In the fifth [point, on] the blossoms, there are four distinct clauses: first, explaining that the jeweled blossoms pervade the realm; second, explaining that the various blossoms each possess many petals; third, explaining that the various blossoms each emit many rays of light; fourth, from "within each and every blossom there emerge thirty-" onward, explaining that from within the various blossoms there emerge many Buddhas. Within this there are again four [points]: first, explaining that from within each and every preceding ray of light there emerge many rays of light, "emerging thirty-six hundred thousand kotis of rays of light"; second, explaining that from within each and every preceding blossom there emerge many Buddhas, "emerging thirty-six hundred thousand kotis of Buddhas"; third, explaining that each and every one of the preceding Buddhas emits many rays of light; fourth, explaining that each and every one of the preceding Buddhas universally expounds the delicate and wondrous Dharma for the ten directions. In this, it first explains what is expounded; from "such Buddhas, each and every one" onward, it clarifies the benefits of the expounding. From here on, the third [section] explains those who are gathered in: gathering in sentient beings of the ten directions who have conditions [with him] to go together to that land, benefiting them with the teaching of the Dharma. Now what is gathered in below responds to the forty-eight vows made above, matching them one by one, the characteristics being distinct and understandable. In the text there are four [parts]: first, gathering in inferior persons to be born together in that land; second, from "The awe-inspiring virtue of Amitāyus is limitless" onward, gathering in superior persons to go together to that land; third, from "The bodhisattvas of that land will all ultimately [attain Buddhahood] in one lifetime" onward, repeatedly gathering in inferior persons to be born together in that land; fourth, from "Maitreya said to the Buddha: In this realm, how many bodhisattvas are born there?" onward, repeatedly gathering in superior persons to be born together in that land. What is the difference between the first and the third? In the former, first section, it fully discriminates the karma for rebirth and teaches how to cultivate for rebirth; in the third section, it brings forth the gains and brings forth the losses to exhort people to attain rebirth. There is this distinction in meaning, and so they must be differentiated. What is the difference between the second and the fourth? In the former second [section], it gathers in persons to go together; in the fourth section, it gathers in persons to be born together. There is this difference, and so they must be explained separately. Gathering in inferior persons directly explains what benefits [them]; gathering in superior persons clarifies the superiority of that land, increasing people's yearning and seeking. In the first [section] there are three [points]: first, clarifying that those born there abide in the group of the truly settled, making people yearn and seek; second, from "The Buddhas of the ten directions all praise together" onward, adducing that those who hear his name all attain rebirth, increasing people's resolve to go; third, from "The Buddha told Ānanda" onward, directly discriminating the karma for rebirth and teaching how to cultivate for rebirth. In the first [point], "those who are born in that land all abide in the truly settled" directly clarifies those who are gathered in. People have three groups: the first is the wrongly settled, the second is the truly settled, and the third is the unsettled; treatises in the Hīnayāna Dharma speak of them differently. If one relies on the *Abhidharma*, external ordinary beings who constantly drown are called the wrongly settled; the fivefold contemplation for stilling the mind, the general and specific stations of mindfulness, and the two minds of heat and summit are called the unsettled. Because these are subject to retrogression, they are called unsettled. From the mind of patience onward, being steadfast and non-retrogressing, it is called the truly settled. If one relies on the *Tattvasiddhi*, external ordinary beings who constantly drown are called the wrongly settled; with the two kinds of wisdom from hearing and thinking, their practice is subject to retrogression, and so is said to have retrogression. The fivefold contemplation for stilling the mind is called the wisdom of hearing; the general and specific stations of mindfulness are called the wisdom of thinking; from heat and summit onward, it is called the wisdom of cultivation. Presently seeing the emptiness of phenomena and never retrogressing are all the truly settled. In the Mahāyāna Dharma, prior to the stage of good destinies, they are called the wrongly settled; within the stage of good destinies, advancing frequently and retrogressing frequently, they are said to be the unsettled; from the stage of the lineage of practice onward, their position being non-retrogressing, they are called the truly settled. Without asking whether they are Mahāyāna or Hīnayāna sentient beings, those born in that land all abide in the truly settled. From "Why?" onward, it explains. Because that [land] has no wrongly settled or unsettled groups, they are all truly settled. In the second section, it first explains that the Buddhas of the ten directions, [as numerous as] the sands of the Ganges, all praise Amitāyus together; next, it explains that when sentient beings hear his name, [produce] a faithful mind, dedicate [merits], and make vows, they all attain rebirth; below, it clarifies the exclusions: only excepting those who [commit] the five heinous offenses and slander the true Dharma, all others attain rebirth. As for the "five heinous offenses," they are: killing one's father, killing one's mother, killing an arhat, disrupting the harmony of the Saṅgha, and causing the Buddha's body to bleed; these are the five. Because these five all involve [violating] benevolence or offending the field of merit, they are called "heinous offenses." The first two are both [violations of] benevolence; the latter three offend against the field of merit. Establishing heterodoxy and reviling the correct is called slandering the Dharma. Because such obscurations are heavy, they are therefore excluded. Question: In that *Contemplation Sūtra*, it says that those of the five heinous offenses and the like all attain rebirth; now this sūtra says they do not attain rebirth. How is this statement to be discussed? The explanation has two meanings: first, distinguishing according to the person. There are two kinds of persons: the first is a person who long ago generated the Mahāyāna mind, but encountered circumstances and committed heinous offenses, such as King Ajātaśatru and others. Although such a person committed heinous offenses, he definitely has deep repentance, generates the mind to seek escape, and is able to extinguish the heavy offenses; for this reason he attains rebirth, which is what the *Contemplation Sūtra* relies upon. The second is one who originally has not generated the great mind, presently commits heinous offenses, mostly lacks deep repentance, and cannot determinately generate the bodhicitta; for this reason he is not born, which is what this sūtra relies upon. Second, distinguishing according to practice: practice has the focused and the scattered. Although a person may also commit heinous offenses, if he can cultivate the good roots of the sixteen correct contemplations, deeply contemplate the Buddha's virtues, and extinguish the heavy offenses, then he attains rebirth, which is what the *Contemplation Sūtra* relies upon. If a person commits heinous offenses and cannot cultivate the samādhi of contemplating the Buddha, though he performs other good deeds, he cannot extinguish the offenses, and therefore does not attain rebirth, which is what this sūtra relies upon. From here on, the third [section] directly discriminates the karma for rebirth and teaches how to cultivate for rebirth. In this, it first says: "The gods and humans of the worlds in the ten directions who vow to be born in that land generally have three grades"; this is a general statement setting it forth. As in the *Contemplation Sūtra*, they are roughly divided into three and finely divided into nine. The rough division into three refers to the superior, middle, and inferior. Among Mahāyāna persons, from the lineage of practice onward is called the superior grade; among Hīnayāna persons, external ordinary beings who uphold the precepts up to the anāgāmin are taken as the middle grade; among Mahāyāna persons, external ordinary beings of good destinies are called the inferior grade. The fine division into nine means that within the former superior grade, it is finely divided into three, namely superior-superior, superior-middle, and superior-inferior. The fourth bhūmi and above is called superior-superior, because upon being born there one immediately attains the patience of non-arising. The first, second, and third bhūmis are called superior-middle; having been born in that land, after passing one small kalpa, one attains the patience of non-arising.