觀無量壽佛經義疏 2.47

2.47

"'May the World-Honoured One only teach me how to deliberate and teach me how to correctly attain.'" The initial provisional cultivation of intentionally contemplating conditions is called "deliberating" (siwei); once the visualisation is accomplished and spontaneously accords with the wondrous reality, it is called "correct attainment" (zhenggshou). As the contemplation of the ground says, "Practising this visualisation is called roughly seeing the ground of Sukhāvatī"—the ground is "deliberating". If one attains samādhi and sees the ground of that land distinctly and clearly beyond description, that is "correct attainment". Shandao's Xuanyi, based on the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, states that "deliberating and correct attainment are both samādhi", which is largely the same as the textual evidence here in the contemplation of the ground. Furthermore, the Guanfo sanmei jing says: "The Buddha told Ānanda: 'After the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, if any disciples of the Buddha hear this Dharma, deliberate on this Dharma, and contemplate this Dharma, this person will constantly see the Buddha in dreams.'" It also says: "'Those who hear these words and deliberate on this Dharma have correct mindfulness and have correct attainment.'" By this we know that both deliberating and correct attainment belong to the methods of contemplation, differing in shallowness and depth. Moreover, earlier it said, "teach me to contemplate the place of pure karma", so we know that Vaidehī was only requesting contemplation. Third, Bimbisāra receives the light and attains the fruit of the path.