阿彌陀經要解 1.152

1.152

諸佛功德智慧雖皆平等，而施化則有難易。於淨土成菩提易，於濁世成菩提難；為淨土眾生說法易，為濁世眾生說法難；為濁世眾生說漸法猶易，說頓法尤難；為濁世眾生說餘頓法猶易，說此淨土橫超頓法尤難；為濁世眾生說淨土橫超頓修頓證妙觀已自不易，說此無藉劬勞修證，但持名號徑登不退，奇特勝妙超出思議第一方便，更為難中之難。以是一切九法界世間所難信故，所以名為甚難希有之事。而十方一切諸佛，無一不稱揚讚歎推我釋迦偏為勇猛也。劫濁者，濁法聚會之時。見濁者，五利使邪見增盛，所謂身見、邊見、見取、戒取及諸邪見，昏昧汩沒故名為濁。煩惱濁者，五鈍使煩惑增盛，所謂貪、瞋、癡、慢、疑，煩動惱亂故名為濁。眾生濁者，見煩惱所感麁弊五陰和合假名眾生，色心竝皆陋劣故名濁。命濁者因果竝劣壽命短促，乃至不滿百歲故名濁。

Although the virtues and wisdom of all buddhas are entirely equal, there is difficulty and ease in their manifestation of teaching. Attaining bodhi in a pure land is easy; attaining bodhi in a turbid world is difficult. Preaching the Dharma for sentient beings in a pure land is easy; preaching the Dharma for sentient beings in a turbid world is difficult. Preaching gradual teachings for sentient beings of a turbid world is still easy; preaching sudden teachings is all the more difficult. Preaching other sudden teachings for sentient beings of a turbid world is still easy; preaching this sudden teaching of the Pure Land's horizontal transcendence is all the more difficult. Preaching the wondrous contemplation of sudden cultivation and sudden realization through the Pure Land's horizontal transcendence to sentient beings of a turbid world is already in itself not easy; preaching this supreme expedient means—which relies on no laborious cultivation and realization, but through mere recollection of the name directly ascends to avivartika, uniquely extraordinary, superior and wondrous, transcending thought—is the most difficult among the difficult. Because it is difficult to believe for the worlds of all nine dharma realms, it is therefore called an extremely difficult and rare feat. And of all the buddhas of the ten directions, there is not one who does not praise and laud, singling out our Śākyamuni as especially valiant. The 'turbidity of the kalpa' is the time when turbid phenomena assemble together. The 'turbidity of views' is the flourishing increase of the five acute deluders and wrong views—namely, views of personal self, extreme views, attachment to views, attachment to precepts, and all other wrong views—named 'turbid' because they obscure and submerge. The 'turbidity of afflictions' is the flourishing increase of the five dull deluders and afflictions—namely, greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt—named 'turbid' because they agitate and disturb. The 'turbidity of sentient beings' is the provisional name for sentient beings as the combination of the coarse and degraded five skandhas karmically induced by views and afflictions, named 'turbid' because both form and mind are base and inferior. The 'turbidity of lifespan' is named 'turbid' because cause and effect are both inferior and lifespans are brief, even failing to reach a hundred years.