淨名玄論 8.12

8.12

Question: What is a reward land? What is a manifested land? Answer: If one takes the purity of gems and jade or the defilement of sand and gravel, taking these two lands as Buddha-lands, both are manifested lands and not reward lands. How is this known? All pure and defiled lands do not lie outside the interior and exterior of the three realms; and since the Buddha has no afflictions or karma belonging to either the interior or exterior of the three realms, he has no further land. That there is now a land is entirely to respond to beings, and is called a manifested land. Therefore the Renwang Jing says: 'The three worthies and ten sages dwell in karmic reward; only the Buddha alone resides in the pure land.' This clarifies that the three worthies and ten sages have reward lands inside and outside the three realms, whereas the Buddha has none. Question: Can this very manifested land also be a reward land? Answer: It can also be a reward land. There are generally two meanings: first, based on the Buddha; second, [based on] other sentient beings. Based on the Buddha: the Tathāgata in the past gave rise to Buddha-practices, responding to beings by means of lands; now having accomplished the Buddha-fruit, he is accordingly able to respond to beings by means of lands; one should know that this land is indeed a reward land. Second, as for other sentient beings: though the Buddha displays a land in response to beings, if sentient beings lack the karma to evoke it, they cannot even see it, so how could they be born in the pure land? Because sentient beings cultivate pure causes and evoke this manifested land, this very manifested land can again be called a reward land. As the Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: 'A pure land does not arise from a single cause or condition.'