阿彌陀經疏 1.176

1.176

答：「六念者約此處及下界中教其六念，以諸眾生諸根不具得惡趣身，欲令持戒故教念戒；以諸眾生貧窮困乏，欲捨慳故教念施；以下界人不及天故，意欲令其修天行故，故令念天。彼國眾生無惡趣故，自念修善，無犯戒垢故，不念戒；無貧乏者故無念施，然亦持華歷散諸佛，是供非施，由彼眾生無慳悋垢故不念施；彼人形貌及所依止勝第六天，故不念天。以三寶福田最勝無比，但念三寶也。《大涅槃經》云：盲賊念佛還得眼根，釋女念佛手足還具，商人念佛即免魚難，摩訶斯那念佛得除瘡痛。又《觀經》云：一念阿彌陀佛，除八十億劫生死之罪。《法華經》云：一稱南無佛，皆得成佛道。是為念佛之力。《大品經》云：念般若波羅蜜，除四百四病，離災難、消諸惡業；或念諸三昧，得勝知見。是念法之力。若人念觀音、地藏、虛空藏菩薩，諸難消除、所願果遂。是為念僧之力。」

Answer: "The six recollections are taught with reference to this place and the lower realms. Because sentient beings have incomplete faculties and obtain bodies in bad destinies, wishing to make them uphold the precepts, they are taught recollection of the precepts; because sentient beings are impoverished and destitute, wishing to have them abandon stinginess, they are taught recollection of giving; because humans in the lower realms are inferior to the devas, wishing to have them cultivate celestial practices, they are made to recollect the devas. Since sentient beings in that land have no bad destinies, they spontaneously contemplate cultivating good; having no defilement of breaking precepts, they are not mindful of precepts. Because there are no impoverished ones, there is no mindfulness of giving; yet they do carry flowers to scatter over the buddhas, which is an offering and not giving; since those sentient beings have no stain of stinginess, they are not mindful of giving. Their forms and abodes are superior to the sixth heaven, so they are not mindful of devas. Because the field of merit of the Three Jewels is the most supreme and peerless, they are mindful only of the Three Jewels. The *Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra* says: A blind thief recollected the Buddha and regained his visual faculty; a Śākya maiden recollected the Buddha and her hands and feet were restored; merchants recollected the Buddha and were immediately spared from the danger of fish; Mahāsena recollected the Buddha and was cured of sores and pain. Furthermore, the *Contemplation Sūtra* says: A single thought of Amitābha Buddha eliminates the sins of birth and death of eighty billion eons. The *Lotus Sūtra* says: If one even once chants 'Homage to the Buddha,' they have all attained the Buddha path. This is the power of mindfulness of the Buddha. The *Large Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra* says: Mindfulness of the perfection of wisdom eliminates four hundred and four diseases, keeps disasters away, and eradicates all evil karma; or by recollecting various samādhis, one obtains superior knowledge and vision. This is the power of mindfulness of the Dharma. If a person is mindful of Avalokiteśvara, Kṣitigarbha, and Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattvas, all difficulties are eliminated and their wishes are fulfilled. This is the power of mindfulness of the Saṅgha."