觀無量壽佛經疏妙宗鈔 1.2

1.2

Regarding the commentary on the meaning of this sūtra, because people long for the pure reward, many indeed have expounded and listened to it. Master Baoyun, from whom I received the transmission, was the first to compose a subcommentary, and following upon this down to the present day, writings have never ceased. All take Zhizhe as their ancestor; how could they not know the textual meaning of the wondrous contemplation that cultivates the mind and evokes the four pure lands? It was truly because their compassion for beings was deep and their skillful means suited the times that they spoke much of phenomenal marks and revealed little of the contemplation gates, striving to ensure that ordinary worldlings would everywhere be moistened by the seeds of affinity. In the present auspicious age, when the Perfect Vehicle is flourishingly expounded, aspiring students all wish to grasp the essential import so as to cultivate and realize it. Therefore, exhausting my humble thoughts, I have compiled several thousand words, following above the wondrous doctrine and briefly explaining this commentary. Adapting skillfully to the times is beyond my ability; my wish that all sentient beings should contemplate the Buddha through the mind itself is the very reason this subcommentary was made. Penned on the Double Ninth day in the xinyou year, the fifth year of Tianxi (1021); hence this preface.