釋淨土群疑論 1.44

1.44

釋曰：若能觀一切諸法畢竟空寂，無能觀所觀，離諸分別及不分別。作此觀察得生西方，咸為上輩生也。如《觀經》中說「上品生等，於第一義心不驚動。此人臨命終時，阿彌陀佛與諸聖眾來迎行人。讚言：『法子！由汝解第一義諦，我來迎汝。』即生西方無量壽國。」然凡愚之人在俗紛擾，不能廣習諸大乘經、觀第一義諦、作無所得觀，或復淨持禁戒、孝養尊親，或修行十善、專稱念佛，雖有所得亦是不可思議殊勝功德，皆得往生西方淨土，如經具說。但往生淨土行門非一，往生之人九品差別，豈得唯言無所得法而得往生，不信三福十六觀等往生淨土也？又有所得心通於三性，善不善業咸能感報。今三福等悉是善業，經言：是三世諸佛善業正因。既是善業，寧容不感淨土之報？子今云何唯以無所得而得往生？有所得心不得生者，出何經教？既無聖典，何所依憑？今《觀經》等具明三福十六觀等，作此相業，說得往生。文義顯然，不可誹謗。寧容不依聖教自率凡情，言有所得心不得生於淨土？以有所得心是善性、有殊勝福，能滅娑婆重罪，得生西方淨土。如地觀等言，作是觀者，除八十億劫生死重罪，捨身他世必生淨土，心得無疑。此豈不是作有相觀等生西方也？若不信如是等言教，便成不信受佛語輪，成就十惡輪罪也。又言「稱佛名故，於念念中滅八十億劫生死之罪，得生西方極樂世界。」如此等經文誠證非一，不可非廢眾多聖教言不得生，唯言學無所得而得往生也。以往生眾生有凡有聖、通小通大、有相無相、或定或散、利根鈍根、長時短時、多修少修，咸得往生，而有三輩九品差別，花開早晚有異、悟道遲速不同，故知往生既有品類差殊，修因亦有淺深各別。不可但言唯修無所得而得往生，有所得心不得生也。以往生者非唯聖人，凡夫亦生也。又佛淨土有理有事、有報有化，故修彼因有種種異，生理淨土修無相因、生事淨土修有相因、生報淨土修無漏因、生化淨土修有漏因，土既有本末，因亦有勝劣，故非無相一因得生一切淨土也。

I explain: If one can contemplate all dharmas as ultimately empty and quiescent, with neither a contemplator nor an object contemplated, free from both conceptual distinction and non-distinction, and through making this contemplation attains rebirth in the West, these all constitute rebirth in the upper classes. As the Guan jing says regarding rebirth of the highest grade: 'His mind is neither startled nor shaken in the ultimate truth. When this person's life is about to end, Amitābha Buddha and all the assembly of sages come to welcome the practitioner, praising him: "Son of the Dharma! Because you understand the ultimate truth, I have come to welcome you." He is immediately reborn in the Western Land of Immeasurable Life.' However, ordinary and foolish people are entangled in worldly affairs and cannot broadly practice the various Mahāyāna sūtras, contemplate the ultimate truth, or cultivate the contemplation of non-attainability. Yet if they purely uphold the prohibitive precepts, show filial piety to their respected parents, cultivate the ten wholesome deeds, or exclusively invoke and be mindful of the Buddha, even though [their mind] has attainability, these are nonetheless inconceivable and supreme merits, and all can attain rebirth in the Western pure land, as fully expounded in the sūtras. It is just that the practice gates for rebirth in the pure land are not one, and those who are reborn have nine grades of difference. How can you say that only by the dharma of non-attainability can one attain rebirth, and disbelieve that through the three blessings and the sixteen visualizations one attains rebirth in the pure land? Moreover, the mind with attainability runs through the three natures; both wholesome and unwholesome karmas can evoke retribution. Now the three blessings and so forth are all wholesome karmas; the sūtra states: 'They are the primary cause for the wholesome karma of the buddhas of the three periods of time.' Since they are wholesome karma, how could they fail to evoke the retribution of the pure land? Why do you now hold that only through non-attainability can one attain rebirth? That a mind with attainability cannot attain rebirth—what sūtra teaching does that come from? Since there is no sacred scripture [for it], what do you rely on? Now the Guan jing and other texts fully clarify the three blessings, the sixteen visualizations, and so forth, stating that by performing these karmas with marks, rebirth is attained. The text and meaning are obvious; they cannot be slandered. How can you fail to rely on the sacred teachings and simply follow your own worldly sentiments, saying that a mind with attainability cannot be reborn in the pure land? Because a mind with attainability is of wholesome nature and possesses supreme blessing, it can extinguish grave offenses of the Sahā [world] and attain rebirth in the Western pure land. As the ground visualization and others state: 'Those who perform this contemplation extinguish the grave sins of birth and death for eighty kotis of kalpas, and upon relinquishing the body in another lifetime will definitely be reborn in the pure land, their minds free from doubt.' Is this not performing contemplations with marks and thereby being reborn in the West? If one does not believe such verbal teachings, one fails to receive in faith the wheel of the Buddha's words, and accomplishes the sin of the ten unwholesome wheels. It also says: 'Because one invokes the Buddha's name, in thought after thought one extinguishes the sins of birth and death for eighty kotis of kalpas and attains rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.' True proof in sūtra texts such as these is not just one; one must not dismiss and abolish numerous sacred teachings by saying that one cannot be reborn, asserting only that by studying non-attainability can one attain rebirth. Because the sentient beings who are reborn include both the profane and the noble, cover both the Hinayāna and the Mahāyāna, [practicing] with marks or without marks, in meditative absorption or in distraction, of sharp faculties or dull faculties, over long periods or short periods, with much cultivation or little cultivation, all can attain rebirth. Yet there are differences among the three classes and nine grades: there is variance in the early or late blooming of the flowers, and there is difference in the slowness or quickness of realizing the Way. Thus we know that since rebirth has distinctions of grade, the cultivated causes also have depths and shallows. One must not say merely that only by cultivating non-attainability can one attain rebirth, and that a mind with attainability cannot be reborn, because those who are reborn are not only sages, but pṛthagjanas are also reborn. Furthermore, the Buddha's pure lands have the principle and the phenomena, the reward and the transformation; therefore, cultivating their causes has various differences. Rebirth in the pure land of principle requires cultivating the cause of marklessness; rebirth in the pure land of phenomena requires cultivating the cause with marks; rebirth in the reward pure land requires cultivating the undefiled cause; rebirth in the transformation pure land requires cultivating the defiled cause. Since the lands have the fundamental and the secondary, the causes also have the superior and the inferior. Therefore, it is not the single cause of marklessness that can bring about rebirth in all pure lands.