觀無量壽佛經義疏 1.11.2

1.11.2

If one can understand and recognize them clearly, one will be able to dispel them by applying each specific antidote; but if one takes them to be sacred realizations, one will in all cases be obstructed by demons' (the above explains how entering the path in this realm triggers demonic phenomena). Now, in terms of the buddhānusmṛti-samādhi practiced [here], it relies upon the Buddha's power, just as when one draws close to an emperor no one dares to infringe upon or offend him. This is because the Buddha Amitāyus possesses the power of great compassion, the power of great vows, the power of great wisdom, the power of great samādhi, the power of great spiritual majesty, the power to greatly crush heresy, the power to greatly subdue demons, the power of the divine eye to see afar, the power of the divine ear to hear from afar, the power to thoroughly discern others' minds, and the power of light shining everywhere to gather in sentient beings. With such inconceivable powers of merit, how could he fail to protect and uphold the person mindful of the Buddha up to the moment of death, causing him to be without obstacles? If he did not provide protection and support, where would his power of compassion be? If he could not eliminate demonic obstructions, where would his power of wisdom, power of samādhi, power of spiritual majesty, power to crush heresy, and power to eliminate demons be? If he could not discern and observe someone obstructed by demons, where would his power of the divine eye seeing afar, power of the divine ear hearing from afar, and power to thoroughly discern others' minds be? The sūtra says: 'The light of Amitāyus's marks and signs shines everywhere throughout the worlds of the ten directions, gathering in and never forsaking sentient beings who are mindful of the Buddha.' If one were to claim that a person mindful of the Buddha is obstructed by demons at the time of death, where would his power of light shining everywhere to gather in sentient beings be? Furthermore, the manifestations perceived at the end of life by those mindful of the Buddha come from numerous sūtras and are all the Buddha's words; how could one disparage them as demonic obstructions? Now, to definitively shatter heretical doubts, one must generate correct faith" (the above is his text). Furthermore, the Śūraṅgama [Sūtra] says: 'In the mind of dhyāna-concentration, one sees Rocana seated upon the terrace of celestial light, surrounded by ten Buddhas,' and so forth; this is termed being tainted by the soul's numinous awakening. When the light of the mind is refined and clarified, illuminating the various worlds, one temporarily attains such a state, but it is not a sacred realization. The Zizhong Shu says: 'If one practices the buddhānusmṛti-samādhi and this realm appears before one, it accords with the sūtras and is called a correct sign. If one practices other contemplations, even if one sees the form of a buddha it is not correct, because mind and realm do not correspond. How much more so when contemplating true suchness, where one does not grasp any characteristics: if there is any attachment, how could it not be a demon?' Zizhong's critical judgment is extremely precise and appropriate; thus citing fully the previous explanations permanently removes the obstacles of doubt. 5. Pointing out erroneous transmissions. The teachings of the Pure Land originated in ancient times during the Jin dynasty with the White Lotus Society of Mount Lu. Since then, eminent and worthy masters such as Shandao, Huaigan, Huiri, and Shaokang, down to the masters of Chan and doctrinal lectures of the previous dynasty in our present era, have also widely propagated and chanted it. Only Dharma Master Ciyun of Tianzhu thoroughly mastered the doctrine and vigorously revitalized it for a time, producing the Greater and Lesser Amitāyus Repentance Rituals, the Biographies of Rebirth [in the Pure Land], the Verses on Correct Faith, Poems on the Buddhānusmṛti-samādhi, along with various diagrams and charts that circulate in the world. Since him, few have been able to carry it on. With the passage of time and changing circumstances, the transmission became erroneous and distorted, and this teaching nearly ceased; even if people heard and studied it, conjectural assertions were most numerous. If one does not distinguish and clarify them, I fear later students will be misled. I shall briefly cite several matters for the discerning to examine in detail. The Confucian texts of this land also speak of the west. For example, the Zhoushu yiji says that at the time of the Buddha's birth, auspicious vapors floated in the sky. The Grand Astrologer Su You memorialized: 'A great sage is born in the west; after one thousand years, the sounds of his teaching will reach here.' Later, when the Buddha passed into extinction, twelve white rainbows pierced from south to north. The Grand Astrologer Heduo memorialized: 'This is the omen of a great sage in the west entering extinction.' Furthermore, Liezi says that in the past, the Grand Minister of Song, Pi, asked Confucius: 'Who is a sage?' Confucius replied: 'In the west there is a sage. He does not govern, yet there is no disorder; he does not speak, yet he is naturally trusted; he does not convert, yet things naturally take their course,' and so forth. Wenzhongzi says: 'The Buddha's Dharma is the teaching of the west; in the Central Realm it is an obstruction.' Down to later generations, Confucians have mostly taken Buddhism to refer to the west, meaning the Western realm of India relative to this land, not the west spoken of in the present sūtra. Let us briefly explain this: One sun and moon, one Mount Sumeru, and one set of four continents are called one world. A thousand such worlds are called a small-thousand world; a thousand small-thousand worlds are called a medium-thousand world; a thousand medium-thousand worlds are called a great-thousand world. This is the domain transformed by a single Śākyamuni. Now, this Southern Jambudvīpa is merely one continent within a single world. This land, the Divine Continent [of China], is again merely a single corner of that continent. The five regions of India occupy the center of Jambudvīpa; the Divine Continent lies to their southeast. Looking toward them from here, it is therefore designated 'the west.' If we speak of Amitāyus's Pure Land, it lies outside the great-thousand world, passing beyond more than one hundred thousand billion lands. Master Zhiyi says: 'The Western Pure Land transcends the three realms.' Thus we know it is as far apart from this Jambudvīpa and Western India as heaven and earth; how could they be casually conflated? In my humble observation, throughout antiquity and the present, there are two obstacles to lack of faith in the Pure Land: the first is obstruction by others, and the second is obstruction by oneself. As for obstruction by others, it means that worldly transmissions spread divergent theories without distinguishing right from wrong, so that people contrary [to reason] do not believe and accept the Buddha's words. I shall briefly list several items; the rest cannot be exhausted. For instance, in the Biographies of Eminent Monks: 'Huibu said: "Although that land is pure, it is not my desire. To enjoy pleasure for ten kalpas within a lotus flower is not as good as saving sentient beings in the places of extreme suffering in the three wretched destinies."' I now say: For a bodhisattva who has attained [anutpattika-dharma-]kṣānti, such words may be permissible; but if one has not yet attained kṣānti, one cannot even save oneself, so how could one save others? The Dazhidu lun says: 'That a common person bound by all fetters should have great compassion to rescue sentient beings is impossible'—explained in detail as refuted in the first doubt of the Shiyi lun. Someone says: 'If the mind is pure, that is the Western Paradise of one's own nature; why must one seek rebirth in a Pure Land of another realm?' I now say: It is not that this principle does not exist, but this refers to the land of the principle of dharma-nature within the teachings, and is not what is explained in the present sūtra. However, when common people bound by all fetters have not yet ascended to the stage of kṣānti, even if they suddenly awaken to their own mind, who can constantly preserve its purity? Though the dharma is high and sublime, it does not embrace the capacities of the multitude; with only empty words, by what means could one enter? Another says: 'The Western Paradise is one hundred and eight thousand li from here.' This also mistakenly takes the four regions of India to be the Western Paradise. The sūtra says: 'Passing from here westward beyond a hundred thousand billion Buddha lands, there is a world named Sukhāvatī'—how could it be merely one hundred and eight thousand? I merely point out one detail; the rest are not worth debating. Someone says: 'These sixteen contemplations are directed only at those of lower faculties.' I now say: This sūtra is the round and sudden supreme vehicle, the dharma for becoming a buddha; 'this mind is the Buddha' comes from the present sūtra. When Vaidehī heard it once, she immediately shattered ignorance and attained anutpattika-dharma-kṣānti, and her five hundred maidservants resolved their minds on bodhi; could they all have been of lower faculties? Another says: 'When a person mindful of the Buddha feels the buddhas and bodhisattvas coming to welcome him at the end of life, these are all manifestations of his own mental karma, and no buddha truly comes from another realm.'