無量壽經連義述文贊 3.122

3.122

經曰「汝等宜各」至「受諸厄也」者，述云：此第三、勸捨疑惑也。帛謙本中辨中下輩，皆云「生彼佛國，不能前至彌陀佛所，便見國界邊七寶城，喜止其城。即於七寶池蓮華化生，自然長大，於是間五百歲。其城縱廣各二千里，城中亦有七寶舍宅，宅中皆有七寶浴池，浴池中亦有蓮華故。」此中言七寶宮殿者，蓋彼城內寶舍宅也。彼城受樂，此經曰「如忉利天」。而受諸厄者，不能見聞三寶故。若作此說，彼土亦有憂根者。諸厄即憂受，而出世受，故不名苦苦。諸說淨土身心柔軟無憂受者，唯是厭俱。世出世捨，非憂慼故。若憂非憂，皆障見佛，咎從疑惑。故誡勸言，無得疑惑中悔為過。

On the sūtra's words from "You all should respectively" to "undergoing various distresses": the commentary states: This third part urges them to abandon doubt and perplexity. In the versions of Bai [Yan] and [Zhi] Qian, when explaining the middle and lower grades, both state: "When born in that Buddha land, they cannot advance to the place of Amida Buddha, but immediately see a seven-jeweled city on the border of the land and joyfully dwell in that city. Thereupon they are born by transformation within lotus flowers in a seven-jeweled pond and naturally grow large, remaining there for five hundred years. That city is two thousand leagues square, and within the city there are also seven-jeweled dwellings, and within the dwellings there are all seven-jeweled bathing ponds, and within the bathing ponds there are also lotus flowers." The "seven-jeweled palace" spoken of here refers to the jeweled residences within that city. As for the pleasure experienced in that city, this sūtra says it is "like the Trāyastriṃśa heaven." Yet undergoing "various distresses" is because they cannot see or hear the Three Jewels. If one interprets it this way, that land also has the faculty of sorrow. The "various distresses" are feelings of sorrow, yet being supramundane feelings, they are not called the suffering of suffering. Those explanations stating that in the Pure Land body and mind are supple and without feelings of sorrow refer only to [feelings] accompanied by revulsion. Mundane and supramundane equanimity are not sorrow and grief. Whether sorrowful or not sorrowful, both obstruct seeing the Buddha, and the fault stems from doubt and perplexity. Therefore it admonishes and urges, saying: do not let doubt, perplexity, and regret in the midst [of practice] become a fault.