安樂集 1.11

1.11

第四、次辨諸經宗旨不同者。若依《涅槃經》，佛性為宗；若依《維摩經》，不可思議解脫為宗；若依《般若經》，空慧為宗；若依《大集經》，陀羅尼為宗；今此《觀經》以觀佛三昧為宗。若論所觀，不過依、正二報，如下依諸觀所辨。若依《觀佛三昧經》云：「佛告父王：『諸佛出世有三種益：一者、口說十二部經，法施利益，能除眾生無明暗障，開智慧眼，生諸佛前，早得無上菩提。二者、諸佛、如來有身相光明無量妙好，若有眾生稱念觀察，若總相、若別相，無問佛身現在、過去，皆能除滅眾生四重、五逆，永背三途，隨意所樂，常生淨土，乃至成佛。三者、令勸父王行念佛三昧。』父王白佛：『佛地果德，真如實相第一義空，何因不遣弟子行之？』佛告父王：『諸佛果德有無量深妙境界，神通解脫，非是凡夫所行境界，故勸父王行念佛三昧。』父王白佛：『念佛之功，其狀云何？』佛告父王：『如伊蘭林方四十由旬，有一科牛頭栴檀，雖有根牙，猶未出土，其伊蘭林，唯臭無香，若有噉其花菓，發狂而死。後時栴檀根、牙漸漸生長，纔欲成樹，香氣昌盛，遂能改變此林，普皆香美，眾生見者，皆生希有心。』佛告父王：『一切眾生在生死中，念佛之心亦復如是。但能繫念不止，定生佛前；一得往生，即能改變一切諸惡，成大慈悲，如彼香樹，改伊蘭林。』」所言伊蘭林者，喻眾生身內三毒、三障無邊重罪；言栴檀者，喻眾生念佛之心；纔欲成樹者，謂一切眾生但能積念不斷，業道成辦也。

Fourth, next distinguishing the different central tenets of the various sūtras: according to the *Nirvāṇa-sūtra*, Buddha-nature is the tenet; according to the *Vimalakīrti-sūtra*, inconceivable liberation is the tenet; according to the *Prajñāpāramitā-sūtras*, emptiness-wisdom is the tenet; according to the *Mahāsaṃnipāta-sūtra*, dhāraṇī is the tenet; now this *Guan jing* takes the samādhi of contemplating the Buddha as its tenet. If we discuss that which is contemplated, it does not exceed the two retributions of environment and person, as distinguished below according to the various contemplations. According to the *Guanfo sanmei jing*, it says: "The Buddha told his father the King: 'When the Buddhas appear in the world, there are three kinds of benefit: First, orally expounding the twelve divisions of scriptures, the benefit of the gift of Dharma, which can eliminate the dark obstacles of ignorance in sentient beings, open the eye of wisdom, cause them to be born before the Buddhas, and swiftly attain unexcelled bodhi. Second, the Buddhas, Tathāgatas, possess physical marks and radiance with immeasurable wonderful excellences; if there are sentient beings who recite the name and contemplate them, whether their general marks or specific marks, without asking whether the Buddha's body is present or past, they can all eliminate and extinguish sentient beings' four grave offenses and five heinous sins, eternally turn their backs on the three evil paths, and according to what they delight in, always be born in the Pure Land, up to attaining Buddhahood. Third, encouraging his father the King to practice the buddhānusmṛti-samādhi.' The father the King said to the Buddha: 'The fruit-virtues of the Buddha stage, true suchness, true reality, and the supreme-truth emptiness—for what reason do you not instruct your disciple to practice these?' The Buddha told his father the King: 'The fruit-virtues of the Buddhas have immeasurably profound and wonderful realms, spiritual superknowledges, and liberations, which are not realms that ordinary beings can practice; therefore I encourage you, father the King, to practice the buddhānusmṛti-samādhi.' The father the King said to the Buddha: 'What is the nature of the efficacy of buddhānusmṛti?' The Buddha told his father the King: 'It is like an eraṇḍa forest forty yojanas square, in which there is a single gośīrṣa-candana sprout; although it has roots and shoots, it has not yet emerged from the ground. That eraṇḍa forest has only foul odor and no fragrance; if someone eats its flowers and fruits, they go mad and die. Later, when the candana roots and shoots gradually grow and are just about to become a tree, its fragrance flourishes vigorously and can thereby transform this forest, making it everywhere fragrant and sweet; all sentient beings who see it give rise to thoughts of its rare wonder.' The Buddha told his father the King: 'The mind of buddhānusmṛti in all sentient beings in saṃsāra is also like this. If only one can fix mindfulness without ceasing, one is certain to be born before the Buddha; once one attains rebirth, one can immediately transform all evils and accomplish great compassion, just as that fragrant tree transformed the eraṇḍa forest.' What is called the eraṇḍa forest is an analogy for the three poisons, the three obstacles, and boundless heavy sins within the bodies of sentient beings; the candana is an analogy for the mind of sentient beings mindful of the Buddha; "just about to become a tree" means that if all sentient beings can only accumulate mindfulness without interruption, their path of karma is completed.