阿彌陀經通贊疏 1.39

1.39

贊曰：第二說教時分也。此有二義：一者道理時，說聽二徒雖唯現在五蘊諸行剎那生滅，即此現法有酬於前引後之義，即以所酬假名過去，即以所引假名未來，對此二種說為現在，此過未世並於現在法上假立，即說聽者五蘊諸法剎那生滅，前後相續事緒究竟假立三世總名一時，即一生滅之一時也；二者唯識時，說聽二徒識心之上變作三時相狀而起，實是現在，隨心分限變作短長事緒終訖總名一時，如夢所見謂有多生，覺位唯心都無實境，聽者心變三世亦爾，唯意所緣是不相應行蘊法處法界所攝，不別約四時八時，但聽者根熟感佛為說，說者慈悲應機為言，說聽事訖總名時。

The commentary states: This is the second [section], the temporal period of preaching the teaching. This has two meanings: First, the temporal period of principle: although the two groups—the speaker and the listeners—are only the momentary arising and ceasing of the five aggregates and conditioned formations in the present, this very present phenomenon has the meaning of repaying what came before and inducing what comes after. That which is repaid is conventionally designated as past, and that which is induced is conventionally designated as future; in contrast to these two, it is said to be present. These past and future periods are both conventionally established upon present phenomena. Thus, for the speaker and listeners, the phenomena of the five aggregates arise and cease from moment to moment, succeeding one another before and after; when the sequence of events is completed, the three times are conventionally established and collectively called 'at one time'—that is, the 'at one time' of a single [phase of] arising and ceasing. Second, the temporal period of consciousness-only: upon the cognitive minds of the two groups, speaker and listeners, representations of the three times arise and appear; in reality they are the present, but according to the limits of the mind, they are transformed into short and long [durations], and when the sequence of events ends, it is collectively called 'at one time.' Just as what is seen in a dream is thought to be many lifetimes, yet in the waking state it is solely mind and completely lacks real objects; the listener's mind transforming into the three times is also like this. Being cognized solely by the mental consciousness, it is subsumed under the non-concurrent conditioned formations aggregate, the mental-object sense-field, and the mental-object realm. It does not specifically refer to the four seasons or eight times; rather, when the listener's faculties are mature, eliciting the Buddha to speak for them, and the speaker, out of compassion, speaks in response to the capacity, when the affair of speaking and listening is concluded, it is collectively called 'time.'"