觀無量壽佛經疏 4.40

4.40

Second, from 'need not uphold and recite' down to 'born in that land,' directly clarifies that in the sixth, seventh, and eighth gates, one transfers the karma cultivated to point decisively toward the West. There are four points: First, clarifies that the reception of the Dharma is indefinite—either being able to read and recite, or not being able to read and recite. Second, clarifies being well-versed in the Mahāyāna meaning of emptiness—or having heard that all phenomena are entirely empty, that saṃsāra and the unconditioned are also empty, that the pṛthagjana and the sage, light and darkness, are also empty, and that with regard to the six paths of the mundane and the three stages of worthies and ten stages of sages of the supramundane, if viewed from their essential nature, they are ultimately non-dual; although hearing this exposition, one's mind remains serene without generating doubts or stagnation. Third, clarifies deeply believing in the two kinds of cause and effect—mundane and supramundane suffering and bliss—and not generating doubt or slander toward such causes and effects and all principles. If one generates doubt or slander, one will not accomplish meritorious practice; mundane retributions cannot even be attained, let alone birth in the Pure Land. This corresponds to the second and third phrases of the third blessing. Fourth, clarifies transferring the previous karma to designate the destination of return.