阿彌陀經疏 1.5

1.5

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.