無量壽經連義述文贊 3.2

3.2

經曰「佛告阿難」至「及不定聚」者，述云：第二、辨眾生往生因果。即遂攝眾生願而申往生。往生有四：一、凡小往生；二、大聖往生；三、雙以得失勸凡小生；四、歎彼土勝令大聖求。初又有三：此初、彰正定令物仰求也。有說：有涅槃法名正定聚，無涅槃法名邪定聚，離此二者名不定聚。非也。離有種姓、無種姓外更無眾生聚，應唯二故。有說：善趣已前名為邪定，善趣位中數退數進名為不定，習種已去分位不退名為正定。如其二乘外凡常沒名為邪定，前六方便名為不定，忍法以上名為正定。故生彼國者，勿問三乘皆住正定，更無餘聚故。此亦不然。彼三聚義，違諸教理，應如理思。善趣已前既名邪定，若生彼土即住正定者，應越十信即入習種，必無此義故。若生彼土不即入習種位故無此咎者，還有彼土不定聚故。有說：依《中邊論》正位習起既在初地故，此中菩薩往生者唯是初地已上者。非也。若唯菩薩者，即違經云「皆悉」故、亦應有不定聚故。有說：住正定聚者即同小經中皆是阿鞞跋致，阿鞞跋致即不退故。依《本業》等，十解第七心已去諸位是也。雖有下位，從勝言皆是故。此亦不然。既第七心已上名不退者，即諸下位非不退位，應有不定故。今即餘教所說三乘皆是穢土，有此三乘故。若生淨土，不問凡聖定向涅槃、定趣善行、定生善道、定行六度，定得解脫故，唯有正定聚而無餘二也。

Regarding the sūtra saying from “the Buddha told Ānanda” down to “and the indeterminate group,” the commentary states: Second, discerning the causes and fruits of sentient beings’ rebirth. That is, fulfilling the vow of gathering in sentient beings and expounding rebirth. There are four parts to rebirth: 1. rebirth of ordinary beings and followers of the small vehicle; 2. rebirth of great sages; 3. exhorting ordinary beings and followers of the small vehicle to attain birth by presenting both gains and losses; 4. praising the superiority of that land to lead great sages to seek it. The first also has three points: this first reveals the truly determined group so that beings will revere and seek it. Some say: Having the dharma of nirvāṇa is called the truly determined group; lacking the dharma of nirvāṇa is called the wrongly determined group; being free of these two is called the indeterminate group. This is incorrect. Outside of those with the gotra and those without the gotra, there are no other groups of sentient beings, so there should only be two. Some say: Prior to the good destinies is called wrongly determined; within the ranks of the good destinies, repeatedly regressing and advancing is called indeterminate; from the nature of practice onward, non-retrogression in stage is called truly determined. Just as for the two vehicles, external ordinary beings who are constantly submerged are called wrongly determined, the preliminary six expedients are called indeterminate, and from the stage of tolerance upward is called truly determined. Therefore, those born in that land, regardless of the three vehicles, all abide in the truly determined group, having no other group. This is also not so. The meaning of those three groups contradicts various teachings and reasoning, and should be considered carefully. If prior to the good destinies is called wrongly determined, then if beings born in that land immediately abide in the truly determined group, they would skip the ten faiths and immediately enter the nature of practice, which is an impossible principle. If one claims they do not immediately enter the stage of the nature of practice upon birth in that land so as to avoid this fault, then there would still be an indeterminate group in that land. Some say: Relying on the Madhyāntavibhāga, since the arising of the practice of the right stage occurs in the first bhūmi, the bodhisattvas reborn here are solely those on the first bhūmi or above. This is incorrect. If it were solely bodhisattvas, it would contradict the sūtra saying “all without exception,” and there should also be an indeterminate group. Some say: Those who abide in the truly determined group are identical to those who are all avaivartika in the Smaller Sūtra, avaivartika meaning non-retrogression. Based on the Benye jing and others, this refers to all stages from the seventh mind of the ten understandings onward. Although there are lower stages, speaking from the superior it says they are all so. This is also not so. If the seventh mind and above is called non-retrogression, then the various lower stages would not be stages of non-retrogression, and there would have to be an indeterminate group. Now, what is expounded in other teachings regarding the three vehicles all pertains to the defiled land, which contains these three vehicles. If one is born in the Pure Land, regardless of whether one is an ordinary being or a sage, one is definitively directed toward nirvāṇa, definitively advances toward good deeds, is definitively born in good realms, definitively practices the six perfections, and definitively attains liberation; therefore, there is only the truly determined group and not the other two.