無量壽經連義述文贊 2.82

2.82

經曰「我當修行」至「勤苦之本」者，述云：此後、申請說之意也。當修行者，即修行身土之因。攝妙土者，即欲得土果故。令成正覺者，即欲證身土果故。拔生死苦者，即欲利眾生故。生死者果，勤苦本者即因也。由因數受生死之苦，故云勤苦本。化諸眾生令生淨土，永絕生死因果之苦，故亦云拔。即如其次第所修所得所化之也。

On the passage where the sūtra states, "I shall cultivate..." up to "the root of toil and suffering": The commentary states: This is, following that, setting forth the intent behind requesting the teaching. "Shall cultivate" refers to cultivating the causes of the body and the land. "Grasping a wondrous land" means wishing to attain the fruit of the land. "Causing the attainment of complete awakening" means wishing to realize the fruit of the body and land. "Uprooting the suffering of birth and death" means wishing to benefit sentient beings. Birth and death are the fruit, and "the root of toil and suffering" is the cause. Because of the cause, one repeatedly undergoes the suffering of birth and death, hence it is called "the root of toil and suffering." Transforming sentient beings to cause them to be reborn in the pure land and forever cut off the suffering of the cause and fruit of birth and death is also why it says "uprooting." These correspond in order to what is cultivated, what is attained, and what is transformed.