淨名玄論 8.24

8.24

如諸菩薩報得淨土，惡業眾生於淨見穢。問：菩薩淨報，自見淨土；眾生不淨業，自見眾生不淨土。云何於菩薩報見不淨耶？答：若論二報不同，眾生不見者，今不論之，但據眾生見菩薩淨土而成穢土。如經云「我此土淨，而汝不見」。譬如於人報水，餓鬼則見火。問：鬼惡業故於水見火不見水，人則見水不見火。可得云諸佛菩薩見淨土不見穢、凡夫二乘見穢土不見淨以不？答：以理言之，則應爾也。但勝能兼劣，故佛菩薩見淨，隨眾生復見穢。如《華嚴．法界品》云「天得見人，復得見天。人但見人，不得見天。」菩薩自見境界不可思議，復見二乘所行顛倒。問：若爾，鬼但見鬼家之火，不見人水；人應見人水，復見鬼火耶？答：見水成火，此是辨惡業。於水橫見火，人無此業，故不見之。問：若爾，二乘惡業故，於菩薩境界橫見不淨，菩薩應不見其不淨。答：諸佛菩薩有隨顛倒智天眼他心故，能知能見。故《華嚴》云「隨順眾生故，普入諸世間。智慧常寂然，不同世所見。」人無此事，故但見人水，不見鬼於水上作火。上來皆是寄事明之耳。

As for the bodhisattvas obtaining a pure land through retribution, sentient beings of evil karma perceive defilement in the pure. Question: The bodhisattva's pure retribution naturally perceives a pure land; the sentient beings' impure karma naturally perceives the sentient beings' impure land. How is it that they perceive impurity in the bodhisattva's retribution? Answer: If we speak of the two retributions being distinct such that sentient beings do not see it, we are not discussing that now; we are only considering sentient beings seeing the bodhisattva's pure land and taking it to be a defiled land. As the sūtra says: 'This land of mine is pure, yet you do not see it.' It is like water that is the retribution for humans, which hungry ghosts see as fire. Question: Due to their evil karma, ghosts see fire in water and do not see water, while humans see water and do not see fire. Can it be said that Buddhas and bodhisattvas see the pure land and do not see defilement, while ordinary beings and the two vehicles see the defiled land and do not see the pure? Answer: Speaking from principle, it should indeed be so. But the superior can encompass the inferior; therefore, the Buddhas and bodhisattvas see the pure, yet in accord with sentient beings they also see the defiled. As the Avataṃsaka Sūtra's 'Dharmadhātu Chapter' says: 'Devas can see humans, and also see devas. Humans only see humans, and cannot see devas.' Bodhisattvas of themselves perceive an inconceivable sphere, and also perceive the inversion of the practices of the two vehicles. Question: If so, ghosts only see the fire of ghosts and do not see human water; should humans see human water and also see ghost fire? Answer: Seeing water become fire—this distinguishes evil karma. Erroneously seeing fire in water—humans lack this karma, and therefore do not see it. Question: If so, the two vehicles, due to evil karma, erroneously see impurity in the bodhisattva's sphere; should the bodhisattvas not see its impurity? Answer: Because the Buddhas and bodhisattvas possess cognition that accords with inversion, the divine eye, and knowledge of others' minds, they are able to know and see it. Therefore the Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: 'In order to comply with sentient beings, they universally enter all worlds. Their wisdom is constantly quiescent, not like what the worldly see.' Humans lack this ability; therefore they only see human water and do not see ghosts making fire upon the water. All the above are merely relying on phenomena to clarify the matter.