阿彌陀經義疏 1.39

1.39

二、感聖中，其人下，是人并指上文執持名者，臨終攝引彌陀本願，《大經》云：「十方眾生至心發願欲生我國，臨壽終時假令不與大眾圍繞現其人前者，不取正覺。」聖眾現前亦有多別，或真佛、化佛、觀音、勢至，隨其品位，委在《觀經》。或謂臨終見佛以為魔者，或云自心業現，實無他佛來者，斯蓋不知生佛一體，感應道交，自障障他為過不淺，如別所明。

Second, in evoking the noble ones: from 'that person' down, 'this person' collectively points to those who hold the name above; the gathering and guiding at the end of life is Amida's original vow. The Larger Sūtra states: 'If sentient beings in the ten directions sincerely arouse the vow wishing to be born in my land, when their lifespan is about to end, should I not appear before that person surrounded by a great assembly, may I not attain right awakening.' The appearance of the noble assembly before them also has many distinctions: whether the true Buddha, transformation buddhas, Avalokiteśvara, or Mahāsthāmaprāpta, in accordance with their grade and status, as detailed in the Contemplation Sūtra. As for those who say that seeing the Buddha at the end of life is a demon, or those who say it is a manifestation of one's own mind's karma and that in reality no other Buddha comes, they simply do not know that sentient beings and the Buddha are of one substance and that stimulus and response secretly tally; their fault of obstructing themselves and obstructing others is not light, as clarified elsewhere.