無量壽經連義述文贊 2.223

2.223

Regarding the sūtra saying from “all those śrāvakas” down to “bodies of boundless infinity,” the commentary states: Second, the superiority of the retribution of those who already dwell there. There are two parts: first, the superiority of the personal retribution; second, the marvel of the environmental retribution. The first also has two points: this first directly reveals the superiority of the retribution. “Of the same category” is the retribution responding to the fourth vow. “Formless and boundless” is because of having no obstruction and being rare. In that order, this is the retribution for the vow to attain the power of Nārāyaṇa. Some say: “Since it says 'neither heavenly beings nor humans,' although ordinary beings are reborn in that land, they do not belong to the destinies of humans or heavenly beings. If they belonged to the human destiny, it would correspond to the four continents, hence there would be Uttarakuru. If it is not the four continents, could there be a separate human destiny outside the four continents? If there is the northern continent, there should be long-lived heavenly beings, and thus there would inevitably be states of misfortune in the Pure Land. Therefore, the Pure Land is not the destiny of humans or heavenly beings, and hence is not within the triple realm.” This accords with what the Da zhidu lun says: “Because there is no desire, because they dwell on the ground, and because they have form,” in that order, it is not the desire or form realm. This, I fear, is not correct. The original vow only says that there are no three destinies, but does not speak of good destinies. If it were not a good destiny, it would necessarily have said that there are the five destinies. Furthermore, if someone is not a Buddha and yet is not within the triple realm, this contradicts the sūtra saying that “there are sentient beings outside the triple realm” is not the teaching of the seven Buddhas. As for the Da zhidu lun stating it is not the triple realm, it temporarily differentiates it from the defiled realm; hence the meaning is also unobjectionable. Although there are humans and heavenly beings, there is no distinction between humans and heavenly beings; they are only distinguished as humans or heavenly beings following the karma of the defiled world; hence it says that by accommodating other realms there are the names “humans” and “heavenly beings.” Because all the heavenly beings here dwell in the open space, Bai Yan says, “The first, the Four Kings Heaven, and the second, the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, all dwell naturally in the open space with nothing to depend upon.”