無量壽經連義述文贊 1.3

1.3

經曰「我聞如是」者，述云：第三、解本文。又有第二直申彌陀宿成佛剎本願樂果，以例眾生生之因果。此中有說：此經大開十分：一、從初至「於一時來會」已來，名序說分；二、「時世尊諸根悅豫」下，是現相分；三、「尊者阿難承佛聖旨」下，是啟請分；四、「於是世尊告阿難曰」下，是敘興分；五、「阿難諦聽今為汝說」下，是正說分；六、「彌勒菩薩白佛言」下，是生生分；七、「佛語彌勒其有得聞」下，是勸信分；八、「爾時世尊說此經法」下，是說益分；九、「爾時三千大千」下，是勸請分；十、「佛說經已盡靡不歡喜」下，是畢喜分。逐申有此十分之意，然未盡理，故不採錄。有何未盡者？如來現相將顯聖教，所說法門應名目，如何乃言現相分耶？若發所說非發起序者，阿難證誰？證信序若非證信，必不可言序說分故。又自世尊諸根悅豫前都未有說序，何所說故作序說分之名也？不可以他兼發起名，序說分目單證信故。又阿難申問於前、如來送答於後，即顯所說之旨。有何所少，諦聽已去乃名正說？正說與序既不能別，後諸分意亦成乖角。若如所言，每章段盡應作別分，分非唯十故。有說：此經文別有三：從初「我聞」至「願樂欲聞」，是其由序；「佛告阿難乃往過去」下，是正宗分；「佛語彌勒若有得聞」下，是流通分。初、由序，有二：初、「我聞如是」，即證信序；後、「一時佛」下，義既兩兼，故對準證信為發起序。於中有三：一、辨化主；二、辨徒眾；三、如來現相，阿難申請。此亦不然。阿難申請若發起者，佛答阿難應非正宗。若答正宗，問必非序故。撿諸經論，答名正說，必兼其問。言問雖發起、答是正宗，無此例故。又時處等准證信，我問如是詎不然？發起若聞若佛，皆說前有故。又時佛處辨其化主，亦違《佛地論》總顯已聞等五義故。今觀此一部之經，宜作三分：初、從「我聞」至「光顏巍巍」已來，名說經因起分；次、自「尊者阿難」迨于「略說之耳」已來，名問答廣說分；後、始「佛語彌勒」盡於「靡不歡喜」已來，名問說喜行分。將釋有此三品之意，還同《佛地論》。初又有二：初、傳法勸信分；後、發起聖說序。初又有五：「我聞如是」，此初傳法也。帛延、支謙皆無此言，法護經存，言順印度。

Regarding the sūtra text: "Thus have I heard": The commentary states: Third, interpreting the main text. Furthermore, there is a second [approach that] directly sets forth Amitābha's past accomplishment of the Buddha-realm and the joyful fruition of his original vows, in order to draw an analogy to the causes and fruits of sentient beings' rebirth. In this regard, someone says: This sūtra is broadly divided into ten parts: 1. From the beginning up to "assembled together at one time" is called the Section of the Introductory Preaching; 2. From "At that time, all the sense faculties of the World-Honoured One were radiant and joyous" onward is the Section of Manifesting Signs; 3. From "Venerable Ānanda, having received the Buddha's holy decree" onward is the Section of Requesting Instruction; 4. From "Thereupon, the World-Honoured One told Ānanda" onward is the Section of Narrating the Arising; 5. From "Ānanda, listen attentively, I will now preach for you" onward is the Section of the Central Preaching; 6. From "Maitreya Bodhisattva addressed the Buddha, saying" onward is the Section of Generating Rebirth; 7. From "The Buddha told Maitreya: 'If anyone hears'" onward is the Section of Exhorting Faith; 8. From "At that time, the World-Honoured One preached this sūtra Dharma" onward is the Section of Explaining Benefits; 9. From "At that time, the three-thousand great-thousand [worlds]" onward is the Section of Exhortation and Request; 10. From "When the Buddha had finished preaching the sūtra, there was none who was not rejoiced" onward is the Section of Concluding Rejoicing. He sets forth the intention behind these ten parts one by one, yet because it does not exhaust the principles, it is not adopted. Why is it not exhaustive? When the Tathāgata manifests signs in order to reveal the sacred teaching, the Dharma gate to be preached should provide the heading; how then could one say it is merely the Section of Manifesting Signs? If that which initiates the preaching is not an initiating preface, whom does Ānanda verify? If the preface testifying to faith does not testify to faith, one surely cannot call it the Section of the Introductory Preaching. Furthermore, before all the sense faculties of the World-Honoured One were radiant and joyous, there was no preaching at all in the preface; what was preached that it should be given the name "Section of the Introductory Preaching"? One cannot use other parts to double as an initiating [preface], since the title "Section of the Introductory Preaching" designates only the preface testifying to faith. Furthermore, Ānanda poses the question beforehand and the Tathāgata delivers the answer afterward, thereby revealing the purport of what is preached. What is lacking that only from "listen attentively" onward is called the central preaching? Since the central preaching and the preface cannot be distinguished [in this scheme], the intentions behind the subsequent divisions also become contradictory. If it were as he said, every concluding section should form a distinct division, and the divisions would not be only ten. Someone says: This sūtra text has three divisions: from the beginning, "I have heard", up to "we joyfully desire to hear", is its preface; from "The Buddha told Ānanda: In the distant past" onward is the central doctrine section; from "The Buddha told Maitreya: If anyone hears" onward is the transmission section. The first, the preface, has two parts: first, "Thus have I heard", which is the preface testifying to faith; second, from "At one time the Buddha" onward, its meaning partaking of both, it is treated, in contrast with the preface testifying to faith, as the initiating preface. In this there are three [aspects]: 1. distinguishing the transforming master; 2. distinguishing the assembly of disciples; 3. the Tathāgata manifesting signs and Ānanda requesting instruction. This also is not so. If Ānanda's requesting instruction were the initiating preface, then the Buddha's answering Ānanda ought not to be the central doctrine. If the answer is the central doctrine, the question must surely not be the preface. Examining various sūtras and treatises, when an answer is called the central preaching, it necessarily encompasses its question. To say that although the question is the initiating preface, the answer is the central doctrine—there is no such precedent. Furthermore, if "time", "place", and so forth are treated as the preface testifying to faith, how could "Thus have I heard" not be so? For whether it is initiating, or hearing, or the Buddha, all exist before the preaching. Furthermore, distinguishing the transforming master by "time, Buddha, and place" also contradicts the five meanings, such as universally revealing what has already been heard, in the *Buddhabhūmy-upadeśa*. Now, observing this entire sūtra, it is proper to divide it into three sections: First, from "I have heard" up to "His radiant countenance was majestic", it is called the Section on the Causes and Arising of Preaching the Sūtra; next, from "Venerable Ānanda" up to "briefly preached", it is called the Section of Question-and-Answer Extensive Preaching; last, beginning from "The Buddha told Maitreya" through to "there was none who was not rejoiced", it is called the Section of Question, Preaching, Joy, and Practice. The intention to explain it in these three parts is identical to the *Buddhabhūmy-upadeśa*. The first part also has two: first, the section of transmitting the Dharma and exhorting faith; second, the preface initiating the sacred preaching. The first also has five: "Thus have I heard", this is first, transmitting the Dharma. Neither Bai Yan nor Zhi Qian has these words, but Dharmarakṣa's sūtra preserves them, the wording conforming to India.