觀彌勒上生兜率天經贊 2.192

2.192

問：何故見身毫相不如遙念？答：見佛身相滅罪寔多，良以遙念行而難生，見歸崇而易起。行化之法，先勸作難修，後勸作易行。又人間苦重欣意殊深，天上樂多厭心誠淺。又遙念者，一念頃時長故、意念故。見光者，暫時間，時短故、眼見故。遙念者滅罪多，見毫光者滅罪小。

Question: Why is seeing the ūrṇā mark of his body inferior to contemplating him from afar? Answer: Seeing the marks of the Buddha's body indeed eradicates much sin; however, practice through contemplating from afar is difficult to generate, whereas veneration upon seeing arises easily. The method of teaching and converting is first to urge what is difficult to practice, and then to urge what is easy to perform. Furthermore, the suffering in the human realm is heavy, so the aspiration is exceedingly deep; the pleasures in heaven are plentiful, so the mind of revulsion is truly shallow. Moreover, as for contemplating from afar, because the duration of a single thought-moment is longer, it is mental contemplation. As for seeing the light, it is momentary; because the time is short and it is visual perception, contemplating from afar eradicates more sin, while seeing the light of the ūrṇā eradicates less sin.