無量壽經連義述文贊 2.89

2.89

經曰「其心寂靜」至「清淨之行」者，述云：此第二、依願修行也。有說：證智離相，故云寂靜。超過地前，故無能及者。非也。無分別智不可為事土因緣故，亦無可理而言地上行故。有說：淨土之行雖復眾多，唯有二類：一、緣事行，稱名念佛故；二、依理行，息攀緣故。初即稱彌陀名，故是極樂別行；後即通諸佛土行，所謂心寂無著是也。此亦不然。違即選心所欲願，便結得是二十四願經即奉行故。心所欲願既極樂土，必不可言是諸土通行故。今即欲現淨土必定為本故，其心寂靜，慧導其定，故云無所著。所謂心觀名淨土之業，即勝出世間善根方便故。一切世間無能及者，是無分別品之所由也。五劫思攝佛國行者，即後所得智之方便。有說：雖五劫而唯修一行，所謂其心寂靜志無所著。非也。願既四十八，行必非一故。即經於五劫修習彼土種種行也。此中有說：法藏即十住中之第六心，折法空位是也。有難此云：若第六既修淨土因，西方土中應無化主。皆不然也。若在第六心，應說攝取何位所修淨土行耶？又修土因便現淨土，諸佛化土無時不有故。如其次第，釋難非也。有說：法藏是八地已上菩薩也，發諸大願修淨土因是變易故。亦有難言：還成彼土無主之過。此亦皆非。八地菩薩念念普見無量佛土，必不可言見二百一十億土故。今即法藏蓋是十向滿位菩薩故，五劫修行淨土之因，初劫行滿故云攝取。不應難言：初地菩薩見百佛世界，如何法藏見爾許土。不相違者，加力所見，亦過上位故。初地菩薩若作加行，所見過此故。

Regarding the passage from the sūtra where 'His mind was serene' up to 'pure practices', the commentary states: This is the second [part], cultivating practice in accordance with the vows. Some say: 'Realizing wisdom transcends marks; therefore, it is called serene. Surpassing those prior to the bhūmis, there was none who could equal him.' This is incorrect. Non-conceptual wisdom cannot serve as the cause and condition for phenomenal lands; nor can one reasonably speak of practice on the bhūmis [here]. Some say: 'Although the practices for the Pure Land are many, there are only two kinds: first, practice based on phenomena, which is reciting the name and being mindful of the Buddha; second, practice based on principle, which is ceasing conditioned attachments. The former refers to reciting the name of Amitābha, and is therefore a specific practice for Sukhāvatī; the latter is a practice common to all buddha-lands, namely, serene mind without attachment.' This is also not the case. It contradicts the fact that upon selecting according to his heart's desire, he formed these twenty-four vows in the sūtra and put them into practice. Since the wish of his heart was the land of Sukhāvatī, one definitely cannot say this is a practice common to all lands. Now, because he wished to manifest the Pure Land, certainty was fundamental; therefore, 'his mind was serene', with wisdom guiding his concentration, which is why it says 'without attachment'. What is called the pure land karma of mental contemplation is the expedient of superior, world-transcending roots of goodness. That 'none in the entire world could equal him' stems from the chapter on non-discrimination. The practice of contemplating and embracing the buddha-countries for five kalpas is the expedient of subsequently obtained wisdom. Some say: 'Although it lasted five kalpas, he cultivated only a single practice, namely, serene mind and will without attachment.' This is incorrect. Since the vows are forty-eight, the practices cannot be single. That is, for five kalpas he practiced and cultivated the various practices of that land. Regarding this, some say: 'Dharmākara was at the sixth mind among the ten abodes, which is the stage of analyzing the emptiness of dharmas.' Some object to this, saying: 'If at the sixth [abode] he cultivated the cause of the Pure Land, there would be no teaching host in the Western land.' Both are incorrect. If he were at the sixth mind, one should ask: which stage's Pure Land practices did he embrace and cultivate? Furthermore, as soon as the cause of a land is cultivated, a Pure Land appears; transformation lands of the buddhas are never absent at any time. Thus, the resolution and the objection are both wrong. Some say: 'Dharmākara was a bodhisattva of the eighth bhūmi or above; bringing forth great vows to cultivate the causes of a Pure Land is [due to] transformational change.' Some also object, saying: 'This also falls into the error of that land lacking a master.' These are also both wrong. An eighth-bhūmi bodhisattva sees immeasurable buddha-lands universally in every thought; one certainly cannot say he saw [only] two hundred and ten billion lands. Now, Dharmākara was precisely a bodhisattva at the stage of the completion of the ten dedications; for five kalpas he cultivated the causes of the Pure Land, and upon completing the practice in the first kalpa, it says he 'embraced' them. One should not raise the objection: 'A bodhisattva of the first bhūmi sees a hundred buddha-worlds; how could Dharmākara see so many lands?' There is no contradiction: through the power of empowerment, what he saw also surpassed higher stages. If a bodhisattva of the first bhūmi undertakes preparatory application, what he sees surpasses this.