觀無量壽佛經義疏 1.10

1.10

Fourth, discriminative analysis of similarities and differences, which has two parts: first, clarifying the common and restricted nature of the body and the land; second, discerning past and present acceptance and rejection. First, clarifying the common and restricted nature of the body and the land, which has two parts: first, explaining the Buddha's body; second, explaining the Buddha land. First, explaining the Buddha's body. There are multiple kinds of Buddha bodies, which are set forth in the sūtras and treatises without fixed designations according to what is fitting. Now, in accordance with Tiantai's Commentary on the Precepts, we shall provisionally explain four bodies: the first refers to the Dharma-body; the second refers to the two bodies of the true and the responsive; the third refers to the three bodies of Dharma, reward, and response; the fourth refers to the four bodies of Dharma, reward, response, and transformation. That [work] states: "Vairocana shines everywhere, taking the correct Dharma as his body. Rocana's practices are fulfilled, taking the fruit of retribution as his body. Śākyamuni responds with traces, taking responding to conditions as his body. Varying according to conditions, he takes transformations as his body. All Buddhas are fully endowed with the four bodies." Now, regarding the body of Amitāyus: the sūtra states, "The Buddha Tathāgatas are the body of the Dharma-realm," which is the Dharma and reward [bodies]. "Sixty quadrillion nayutas" is the response-body of the Pure Land. "Sometimes manifesting a great body filling the void, sometimes manifesting a small body of one rod six [feet] or eight feet," as well as "transformation Buddhas like the sands of the Ganges within the halo," and further stating that "the transformation bodies of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life are innumerable," up to "white cranes, peacocks, wild mallards, and mandarin ducks are all created by the transformations of Amitāyus"—all these are transformation bodies. Yet these response and transformation [bodies], when combined, make three, and when divided, form four. One should know that the body of the fruit of virtue of Amitāyus in the Western [Direction] is itself the Dharma-body, itself the reward-body, and itself the response and transformation [body]; the Buddha's body is of one substance, neither one nor different, and may be designated according to any [of these aspects]. If one extends traces from the root, then the single body becomes innumerable bodies; reaching the point where the branches are gathered back to the root, then the innumerable bodies return to the single body. The Avataṃsaka Sūtra states: "All the bodies of the Buddhas are just the one Dharma-body"; such is its meaning. Master Yuan's commentary says: "Yet the lifespan of a Buddha has the true and the responsive: the true is inexhaustible, whereas the responsive has brevity and length. The Sūtra on the Prophecy Received by Avalokiteśvara states: 'Although the lifespan of Amitābha Buddha is immeasurable, it will have an end. After his parinirvāṇa, Avalokiteśvara will succeed to his place, named the Mountain King of Universal Light and Merit.' Based on this, we definitely know that it is a response [body]." The Shiyi lun states: "Defiled ordinary beings, in accordance with their share, can only see the coarse marks of the Buddha's body," which refers to the response Buddha. "Bodhisattvas see the subtle marks," which refers to the reward Buddha. Thus we know that the reward and response depend on the capacity [of beings]; how could the Buddha's body be fixed? It is like the moon in the water, which differs according to the vessel: if the vessel is large, the reflection is whole; if the vessel is small, the reflection is deficient. The wholeness or deficiency lies in the vessel, while the reflection neither expands nor contracts. If the water is clear, the reflection remains; if the water is turbid, the reflection vanishes. The remaining or vanishing lies in the water, while the reflection has no coming or going. Using this as an analogy for the body and lifespan, there is nothing that is not understood. Therefore, the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra states: "The Buddha told Cunda: 'You should not now ponder the longevity or brevity of the Buddhas' lifespans. All phenomena are like illusory marks; within them, the Tathāgata, by the power of skillful means, is free from defilement and attachment,'" and so forth. Furthermore, the Avataṃsaka Sūtra states: "The Tathāgata's Dharma-body treasury / enters universally into the world; / although it is present in the world, / it is unattached to the world. / Just as in clear, pure water / reflections have no coming or going, / the Dharma-body pervades the world; / one should know that it is also like this." It also states: "Just as a skilled illusionist / displays various affairs: / their coming has no source, / and their going has no destination. / The nature of an illusion is not finite, / nor is it infinite; / within that great assembly / he displays the finite and the infinite. / With this tranquil and settled mind, / cultivating all roots of goodness, / he brings forth all Buddhas, / who are neither finite nor infinite. / Being finite and being infinite / are both entirely false marks; / thoroughly understanding all destinies, / one does not cling to finite or infinite." Based on this, we know that the dimensions of the Buddha's body cannot be apprehended; they are beyond what words and thoughts can reach—how could conjecture be permitted in their midst? Second, explaining the Buddha land, which also has two parts: first, the main explanation; second, distinguishing confusions. First, the main explanation. The lands of the Buddhas are immeasurable in number. As the Avataṃsaka Sūtra states: "worlds as numerous as the dust motes of inexpressibly inexpressible Buddha-fields"; and as the Lotus Sūtra states: "Suppose someone ground the major trichiliocosm into ink, and passing beyond a thousand realms to the east, deposited one drop, and proceeding in this manner until all the ink was exhausted," and so forth; and as the Amitābha Sūtra states: "In the ten directions there are Buddha lands as numerous as the sands of the Ganges." Thus we know: how could the Buddha lands ever be exhausted? To state the essentials, they do not exceed two kinds: the first is the land of Dharma-nature. The Perfect Enlightenment Sūtra states: "Sentient beings and Buddha lands are of the same Dharma-nature." The Sūtra on the Contemplation of Samantabhadra states: "Vairocana pervades all places; the dwelling place of that Buddha is named Constant Silent Light." The place where the Tathāgatas of eternally abiding Dharma-nature disport and dwell is forcibly named a land, but in reality it is not a land; this is called the Mind-Only Pure Land. Raising the foot is the bodhimanda; it is neither pure nor defiled, yet does not obstruct purity and defilement; it has neither going nor coming, yet does not hinder going and coming. Ciyun said: "The purity and defilement of the ten directions are encompassed together within an instant; the coming and going of the three periods of time do not move one's footprints from a single thought. Sentient beings are deluded without losing it, using it daily without knowing it; the Buddhas realize it without gaining it, and therefore ride on provisional means to give rise to functioning." This is inhabited solely by those who have attained the fruit of wondrous enlightenment. The Benevolent King Prajñā states: "Only the Buddha alone dwells in the Pure Land"—this refers to this very land. The second is the responsive transformation land. The dust-mote Buddha-fields, whether pure or defiled, are all manifested responsively by the Buddhas according to beings' capacities to gather and transform sentient beings. Responding to bodhisattvas, there is the land of real retribution; as the Benevolent King says: "The three [ranks of] worthies and ten [ranks of] sages dwell in the fruition of retribution." Responding to the two vehicles, there is the land of expedience; as the Dazhidu lun says: "Beyond the three realms there is a pure land where śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas are born to receive a body of Dharma-nature, not a birth of fragmented stages." Responding to both ordinary beings and sages, there is the land of common residence. Common residence has two kinds: first, the defiled land of common residence; second, the pure land of common residence. Śākyamuni presently dwells in a defiled land, yet is not without a pure land; Amitāyus manifests dwelling in a pure land, yet is not without a defiled land. However, in the defiled land of common residence, the sages comprise the three vehicles of the Great and Small, while ordinary beings extend across the six destinies of good and evil. In the pure land of common residence, the sages are purely of the Great Vehicle, while ordinary beings are only humans and devas. The two kinds of retribution lands demonstrate that each land corresponds to conditions of capacity: the Dharma-nature is that on which they rely, while the responsive transformations are that which relies. The Śūraṅgama Sūtra states: "Space is born within great enlightenment / like the rising of a single bubble on the ocean. / The defiled dust-mote realms / are all born relying on space." Great enlightenment is the land of Dharma-nature, while the dust-mote realms are the responsive transformation lands. Responsive transformations rely on empty space, and empty space relies on Dharma-nature; the subject and object, the root and branches, can be seen upon reflection. What this sūtra now explains is the pure land of common residence adopted by Amitāyus. Furthermore, in the western direction there are pure lands numerous as the sands of the Ganges, and among the fruition Buddhas there is the Amitāyus of common residence. Now we must specifically designate the Sukhāvatī Pure Land accomplished through the vows and practice of Dharmākara in the past, where the fruition Buddha Amitāyus manifests the land on the platform of light; this is the purport intended here. Second, distinguishing confusions. The pure lands spoken of in various sūtras are of many kinds, and their names are often confused, so they must be differentiated and clarified. Take, for example, the saying "when the mind is pure, the land is pure": although people quote it, they do not understand its source and branches. This saying originally comes from the Vimalakīrti Sūtra, which explains the method by which a bodhisattva adopts a pure land. Because the pure lands of the Buddhas necessarily depend on the common karma of sentient beings in the ten directions being accomplished together, across kalpas they transform others to cause them to cultivate wholesome karma, gathering that pure karma to accomplish their land. Therefore, that sūtra states: "A bodhisattva adopts a Buddha land according to the sentient beings he transforms. You should know that the straightforward mind is the bodhisattva's pure land; when the bodhisattva attains Buddhahood, sentient beings free from flattery will come to be born in his country. Up to: the ten wholesome actions are the bodhisattva's pure land; when the bodhisattva attains Buddhahood, sentient beings of the ten wholesome actions will come to be born in his country." It further says: "If a bodhisattva wishes to attain a pure land, he should purify his mind; according as his mind is purified, so the Buddha land is purified." That text is extensive and will not be quoted in full. The Golden Light Sūtra states: "May I in future lives attain such an extraordinary pure land of merit, just like the Buddha, the World-Honoured One." The Lotus Sūtra states: "Teaching thousands of myriads of assemblies, / causing them to dwell in the Great Vehicle Dharma and thereby purify their own Buddha lands." It also states: "Having few desires and detesting birth-and-death, / they truly purify their own Buddha lands." The Vimalakīrti states: "Constantly cultivating the pure land, they teach and transform all sentient beings." These all explain the method by which bodhisattvas adopt a land. Furthermore, in the Vimalakīrti Sūtra, the Brahmā King of the Conch Topknot said to Śāriputra: "I see Śākyamuni Buddha's land as pure as the palace of the Īśvara Heaven." The Buddha pressed the ground with his toe, and the major trichiliocosm became adorned with hundreds of thousands of precious gems, like the Ratnaviśuddhā Pure Land of the Buddha. Up to: "My Buddha realm is always pure like this." In the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, when the Buddha was on the verge of nirvāṇa, the śāla grove turned into a pure land. The sūtra states: "At that time, by the Buddha's spiritual power, the earth of the major trichiliocosm became completely soft and adorned with all manner of jewels, just like the Sukhāvatī world of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life in the west." Moreover, as in the Sukhāvatī Pure Land manifested on the light platform in the present sūtra, and the assembly seeing that land in the conclusion on benefits, these are all manifestations brought forth by the Tathāgata's spiritual power—what is called "manifesting the precious king's realm on the tip of a single hair." The Benevolent King Prajñā states: "Only the Buddha alone dwells in the Pure Land." The Perfect Enlightenment Sūtra states: "Sentient beings and lands are of the same Dharma-nature; hells and heavenly palaces are all pure lands." These are all lands of the principle of Dharma-nature—the so-called land of Silent Light. The Lotus states: "When sentient beings see the end of the kalpa / and everything being burned by the great fire, / my pure land is unruined." This is Śākyamuni's land of the fruit of retribution. The pure lands discussed in the sūtras cited above are none of them the Sukhāvatī Pure Land of Amitāyus in the present sūtra. Cases of this kind are extremely numerous in the sūtras and treatises; if one discriminates and judges them according to the foregoing, there will be no confusion.