略論安樂淨土義 1.46

1.46

答曰：「譬如有人，空曠迴處，值遇怨賊，拔刃奮勇，直來欲殺。其人勁走，視渡一河，若得渡河，首領可全。爾時但念渡河方便：『我至河岸，為著衣渡？為脫衣渡？若著衣納，恐不得過；若脫衣納，恐無得暇。』但有此念，更無他緣，一念何當渡河，即是一念。如是不雜心，名為十念相續。行者亦爾，念阿彌陀佛，如彼念渡，逕于十念：若念佛名字，若念佛相好，若念佛光明，若念佛神力，若念佛功德，若念佛智慧，若念佛本願。無他心間雜，心心相次乃至十念，名為十念相續。

Answer: "For example, suppose a person is in an open and deserted place and encounters a hostile bandit who brandishes a blade with ferocity, coming straight at him to kill him. The person runs swiftly, seeing a river to cross; if he can cross the river, his life will be spared. At that moment, he thinks only of the means to cross the river: 'When I reach the riverbank, should I cross with my clothes on, or should I cross with my clothes off? If I enter with my clothes on, I fear I will not make it across; if I take off my clothes, I fear there will be no time.' Having only this thought and no other condition, a single thought of how to cross the river constitutes one thought. Such unmixed mindfulness is called the continuity of ten thoughts. The practitioner is also like this: being mindful of Amitābha Buddha just as that person was mindful of crossing, for the duration of ten thoughts—whether mindful of the Buddha's name, or mindful of the Buddha's physical marks, or mindful of the Buddha's light, or mindful of the Buddha's spiritual power, or mindful of the Buddha's merit, or mindful of the Buddha's wisdom, or mindful of the Buddha's primal vow. Without any other thought intervening, thought succeeds thought up to ten thoughts; this is called the continuity of ten thoughts."