阿彌陀經義疏 1.38

1.38

答：「佛身非相，果德深高，不立嘉名莫彰妙體，十方三世皆有異名，況我彌陀以名接物？是以耳聞口誦，無邊聖德攬入識心，永為佛種頓除億劫重罪，獲證無上菩提，信知非少善根，是多功德也。《華嚴》云：『寧受地獄苦，得聞諸佛名，不受無量樂，而不聞佛名。』《藥師經》云：『若彼佛名入其耳中，墮惡道者，無有是處。阿難！諸佛境界誠為難信，皆是如來威力，非聲聞、支佛所能信受，唯除補處菩薩耳。』《占察經》云：『欲生他方現在淨土者，應當隨彼世界佛名，專意念誦一心不亂，決定得生彼佛淨土，善根增長速獲不退。』當知一切善根中其業最勝等，餘諸佛名聞持尚爾，況我彌陀有本誓乎？末俗障重多忽持名，故委引聖言，想無遲慮也。」

Answer: 'The Buddha's body is devoid of marks, and his fruitional merits are deep and lofty; without establishing an auspicious name, his wondrous body cannot be manifested. The ten directions and the three times all have distinct names; how much more so our Amida, who uses his name to receive beings! Therefore, when heard by the ear and recited by the mouth, boundless noble virtues are drawn into the conscious mind, becoming an eternal buddha-seed, abruptly eliminating the heavy sins of billions of kalpas, and attaining realization of unsurpassed bodhi. One truly knows that this is not a few roots of good, but abundant merit. The Avataṃsaka Sūtra states: "Better to endure the suffering of hell and obtain the hearing of the names of all buddhas, than to receive boundless pleasure and not hear the names of the buddhas." The Bhaiṣajyaguru Sūtra states: "If that Buddha's name enters their ears, that they should fall into evil destinies is impossible. Ānanda! The realm of all buddhas is truly difficult to believe; it is entirely the majestic power of the Tathāgata, not something that śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas can believe and accept, with the sole exception of bodhisattvas of one lifetime to succession." The Sūtra on the Divination of Karmic Retribution states: "Those who wish to be born in a present pure land in another direction should, according to that world's buddha-name, focus their intention on reciting it single-mindedly and without distraction; they will definitively attain rebirth in that buddha's pure land, their roots of good will increase, and they will swiftly attain non-retrogression. One should know that among all roots of good, this karma is the most supreme," and so forth. If hearing and holding the names of other buddhas is already like this, how much more so our Amida who has his original vow? The people of the final age have heavy hindrances and often neglect holding the name; therefore, I have detailedly cited the noble words, so that presumably you will have no further hesitations.'