無量壽經連義述文贊 2.111

2.111

經曰「設我得佛」至「不取正覺」者，述云：此後、攝下品也。有說：《攝論》雖舉願言意，亦說念佛是別時之意。有說：彼不以念佛為別時意，《往生論》云「念佛即生」，非別時故。《往生論》及《攝論釋》皆天親造，理必應同，不可前後有鉾楯故。但諸眾生雖聞淨土之教，誹謗不信自沈惡道，或信不謗欲愛所纏，不敢起願況亦修行。或有眾生聞說便發誓願欲生，而逢惡友廣作諸惡，命欲終時不遇善友不能念佛，雖不即生是遠生因。佛歎此類生極樂土，愚人將謂更不修因而即往生，故釋論云是別時之意。二俱不然。若願若念皆於淨土是遠生因故。不爾，即違密意說言，前已說故。若諸眾生起願念佛，即生化土故。此文言「繫念我國」者，即往生之行也。

Regarding the passage from the sūtra stating, "If, when I attain Buddhahood..." to "may I not attain the correct awakening": the commentary states: This last [vow] gathers the inferior grade. Some say: Although the Mahāyānasaṃgraha raises the intent of the vows, it also says that mindfulness of the Buddha is an intent of a different time. Some say: That text does not take mindfulness of the Buddha to be an intent of a different time, because the Sukhāvatīvyūhopadeśa states that "mindfulness of the Buddha immediately brings rebirth," which is not a different time. Both the Sukhāvatīvyūhopadeśa and the Mahāyānasaṃgraha-bhāṣya were composed by Vasubandhu; in principle they must be the same and cannot contradict each other before and after. However, although sentient beings hear the teaching of the Pure Land, they slander it and do not believe, drowning themselves in the evil destinies; or they believe and do not slander, but are bound by desire and attachment, not daring to give rise to vows, much less practice. Or there are sentient beings who, upon hearing it taught, immediately make vows wishing to be reborn, but encounter evil companions and widely commit all evils; when their lives are about to end, they do not meet a good friend and are unable to be mindful of the Buddha; although they are not immediately reborn, it serves as a distant cause for rebirth. When the Buddha praised this class as being born in the land of Sukhāvatī, foolish people would think that without further cultivation of causes they would immediately attain rebirth; therefore the explanatory treatise states that it is an intent of a different time. Both views are incorrect, because both vows and mindfulness are distant causes for the Pure Land. Were it not so, it would contradict the statement that it is an intentional exposition, as was already stated before. If sentient beings give rise to vows and are mindful of the Buddha, they are immediately born in the transformation land. Therefore, the phrase in this text, "fix their thoughts on my land," refers precisely to the practice for rebirth.