釋淨土群疑論 2.3

2.3

釋曰：以三世推，已滅、未生及現不住，無有生理真實可得。猶如燈炷，非過去焰燒炷，已滅故；非未來焰燒炷，未生故；非現在焰燒炷，不住故。非不燒炷破闇發明，念念相續、新新謝滅，相似相續猶如水流，能一時中有於四用：破闇、發明、熱器、燒炷。此亦如是，由淨土業感生時熟，聖眾來迎歸趣淨土，捨娑婆穢質、成極樂淨身。三世緣生不常不斷，雖復諸法寂滅，業報宛然。諸法無生，生死相續，即不壞世諦建立第一義諦，即其義也。故《維摩經》淨名大士詰身子言：「汝所得法有沒生乎？」舍利弗言：「無沒生也。」維摩詰言：「若諸法無沒生相，云何問言汝於何沒而來生？」此明第一義諦諸法寂靜無去無來，故言無沒生也。下經言：有世界名曰妙喜，佛號無動，是維摩詰於彼國沒而來生此。維摩詰言：「沒者為虛誑法壞敗之相，生者相續之相。」此明世諦假名非真生滅相。今勸捨茲穢土生彼淨方，而於第一義諦之中三世推之竟無往生之義，世諦因緣假名生滅，非無捨此娑婆往生佛國也。子豈得直論第一義諦之理而壞世諦種種因果作用等法耶？此亦於世諦因果門中說勸往生淨佛土也。

I explain: If deduced by way of the three times, that which has already ceased, that which has not yet arisen, and the present which does not abide possess no truly attainable principle of birth. It is just like the wick of a lamp: it is not the past flame that burns the wick, because it has already ceased; it is not the future flame that burns the wick, because it has not yet arisen; it is not the present flame that burns the wick, because it does not abide. Yet it is not that it does not burn the wick, destroy darkness, and generate light. Thought-moment after thought-moment in succession, each new moment perishes; resembling each other in continuity just like a flowing stream, in a single moment it can possess four functions: destroying darkness, generating light, heating the vessel, and burning the wick. This is also like that: due to pure land karma ripening at the moment of inducing rebirth, the assembly of sages comes to welcome one to return and proceed to the pure land; one sheds the defiled physical body of the Sahā world and achieves a pure body in Sukhāvatī. Arising from conditions across the three times is neither eternal nor annihilated: though all phenomena are tranquil and ceased, karmic retribution remains distinct. All phenomena are unarisen, yet birth and death continue in succession; this is precisely the meaning of establishing the ultimate truth without destroying the conventional truth. Thus, in the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Sūtra, the Great Being the Pure-Named questioned Śāriputra, saying: 'Does the Dharma you have attained have passing away and birth?' Śāriputra said: 'It has no passing away or birth.' Vimalakīrti said: 'If all phenomena lack the characteristic of passing away and birth, why did you ask, "From where did you pass away to come and be born [here]?"' This clarifies that in the ultimate truth, all phenomena are tranquil, having no going and no coming; therefore he said there is no passing away or birth. Later the sūtra says: 'There is a world named Abhirati, and the Buddha is titled Akṣobhya. This Vimalakīrti passed away from that land to come and be born here.' Vimalakīrti said: 'Passing away is the characteristic of the destruction of deceptive phenomena; birth is the characteristic of continuity.' This clarifies that in the conventional truth, nominal designations are not the true characteristic of arising and ceasing. Now, we exhort people to abandon this defiled land and be born in that pure quarter; yet within the ultimate truth, when deduced through the three times, there is ultimately no meaning of rebirth in the Pure Land. In the conventional truth of causes and conditions, nominal designations arise and cease, so it is not that there is no abandoning of this Sahā world to be reborn in the Buddha-land. How could you discuss solely the principle of the ultimate truth and thereby destroy the various phenomena of conventional cause and effect, functioning, and the like? This is also an exhortation to be reborn in the pure Buddha-land spoken from within the approach of conventional cause and effect.