阿彌陀經疏 1.5

1.5

第二辨經宗致者，此經直以超過三界二種清淨以為其宗，令諸眾生於無上道得不退轉以為意致。何者名為二種清淨？如論說言，此清淨有二種：一者、器世間清淨；二者、眾生世間清淨，乃至廣說故。然入此清淨有其四門：一、圓滿門，唯佛如來得入此門，如《本業經》說；二、一向門，八地已上菩薩得入此門，如《攝大乘論》說；三、純淨門，唯有第三極歡喜地已上菩薩得入此門，如《解深密經》說；四、正定聚門，唯無退者得入此門，無邪定聚及不定聚，如兩卷經說。通論極樂世界，具此四門。今此經宗二種清淨，正示第四正定聚門不定聲聞及說凡夫亦得生故。論說二乘種不生，決定種性不得生故。《聲王經》說：安樂世界阿彌陀佛有父母者，是變化女非實報女。論說女人不生彼者，無實女故，知變鳥此亦如是故。又復雖有父母而非胎生，寔是化生假為父母。如彼經言：若四眾能正受彼佛之名號，以此功德，臨命終時阿彌陀佛，即與大眾往此人所令其得見，見已尋生慶悅倍增功德。以是因緣，所生之處永離胞胎穢欲之形，純處鮮妙寶蓮華中自然化生，具大神通光明赫奕，當知父母假寄之耳。

Second, as for discerning the main theme of the sūtra: this sūtra takes the two kinds of purity transcending the three realms directly as its theme, and takes causing sentient beings to attain non-retrogression on the unsurpassed Way as its purpose. What are called the two kinds of purity? As the treatise says: "This purity is of two kinds: first, the purity of the vessel world; second, the purity of the world of sentient beings," and so forth extensively. However, there are four gates for entering this purity: first, the Gate of Completion, into which only the Buddhas, the Tathāgatas, are able to enter, as spoken in the Benye jing; second, the Gate of Exclusive Direction, into which bodhisattvas of the eighth stage and above are able to enter, as spoken in the Mahāyānasaṃgraha; third, the Gate of Pure Purity, into which only bodhisattvas of the third stage, the Extremely Joyful Stage, and above are able to enter, as spoken in the Saṃdhinirmocana Sūtra; fourth, the Gate of the Assembly of the Truly Settled, into which only non-retrogressing beings are able to enter, there being no assembly of the wrongly settled nor assembly of the undetermined, as spoken in the two-fascicle sūtra. In general terms, the World of Ultimate Bliss possesses these four gates. Now, the two kinds of purity of this sūtra's theme directly indicate the fourth, the Gate of the Assembly of the Truly Settled, because undetermined śrāvakas and ordinary beings are also said to be able to be born there. The treatise says that the lineage of the two vehicles is not born there because those with determined lineage cannot be born there. The Shengwang jing says: "In the World of Peace and Bliss, Amitābha Buddha has parents; they are manifested women, not women of actual retribution." The treatise says that women are not born there because there are no actual women; one should know that it is also like this with the manifested birds. Furthermore, although he has parents, he is not born from a womb, but is truly born by transformation, taking them fictitiously as parents. As that sūtra states: "If the four assemblies can properly uphold the name of that Buddha, by this merit, at the time of death, Amitābha Buddha together with the great assembly will go to this person's place and allow them to see him. Having seen him, they will immediately give rise to celebration and joy, and their merit will be doubled. Due to these causes and conditions, the place where they are born will be forever free from the form of defiled desire and womb-birth; they will be born purely and naturally transformed within marvelous precious lotus flowers, endowed with great supernormal powers and radiant brilliance." One should know that the parents are merely provisionally relied upon.