無量壽經義疏 2.5

2.5

From here below, fourth, the text encourages people to cultivate and abandon. Therein are two parts: first, the Tathāgata encourages cultivation; second, Maitreya receives and understands. Within the former are three parts: first, directly encouraging by means of principle; second, from "I pity you..." below, encouraging by adducing his present benefit of transformation; third, from "After I leave the world..." below, encouraging by adducing the decline and loss after his extinction. Within the first are two parts: first, directly encouraging by means of principle; second, from "You should here extensively plant virtues..." below, displaying the superiority of this cultivation to increase people's intention to learn. In the previous direct encouragement, it first encourages one's own practice. "Having obtained the words of the Buddha's scriptures, one should thoroughly contemplate them, rectifying the mind and straightening actions; the sovereign..." and so forth encourages transforming others. "The sovereign performs good and leads and transforms subordinates..." and so forth transforms others to cultivate good. "One should seek to cross over the world and uproot birth-and-death..." and so forth transforms others to depart from evil. In displaying this superiority, it first explains that cultivating good in this world for one day surpasses performing good in [the land of] Amitāyus for a hundred years; from "The reason..." below, it explains it. Below, it explains that cultivating good in this world for ten days surpasses performing good in other buddha-lands for a thousand years; from "The reason..." below, it explains it. Within the first section, "You should here extensively plant the roots of virtue" raises it generally. "Bestowing kindness..." and so forth is the detail. Within the detail, it first adduces the six pāramitās, which are practices of benefit for oneself. "Bestowing kindness" is the pāramitā of dāna; "do not violate" is the pāramitā of śīla; "patient endurance" is the pāramitā of kṣānti; "vigorous exertion" is the pāramitā of vīrya; "single-mindedness" is the pāramitā of dhyāna; "wisdom" is the pāramitā of prajñā. "Mutually teaching and transforming one another" is the practice of benefit for others. "Establishing virtue and instituting goodness" concludes it generally. These preceding ones are active goodness; rectifying the mind and intention, with pure observance of the precepts, is prohibitive goodness. Because this cultivation is difficult, doing it for one day here surpasses performing good in [the land of] Amitāyus for a hundred years. Within the second part below, encouraging by adducing his present benefit of transformation, it first explains transforming people to cultivate good and attain bliss; from "The Buddha said..." below, it explains his transforming people to destroy evil and leave suffering. Within the third part below, encouraging by adducing the decline and loss after his extinction, it first adduces the matters of decline and loss after extinction; from "Speaking to Maitreya..." below, it encourages people to cultivate and sever [evil]. The above was the Buddha's encouragement; from here below, Maitreya receives, understands, and puts it into practice. "Maitreya said to the Buddha: 'What you say is extremely good; the people of the world are truly thus'" is receiving and understanding. "The Tathāgata's compassion..." and so forth displays that he has already put it into practice. The above four sections are combined to form the second part, which extensively adduces the defiled and evil matters of the Sahā world to cause people to feel revulsion and abandon them.