無量壽經連義述文贊 3.2

3.2

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.