釋淨土群疑論 3.21

3.21

釋曰：由五勝故。雖復暫念佛名，滅罪生信，過彼十萬億歲如救頭燃修道滅罪。言五勝者，一發心勝、二求生勝、三本願勝、四功德勝、五威力勝。發心勝者、此下品人是大乘根性人、發大乘心。彼是小乘人，今為發大乘心，一念超過二乘心無量百千億劫，故速滅重罪。二求生勝者，今此一念念佛，願生淨土。彼雖修道如救頭燃，是小乘心，不信有十方諸佛淨土，為無求勝生，故罪不滅；此為求勝生，故罪速滅也。三本願勝者，以阿彌陀佛本發殊勝大願，引一切重罪眾生稱我名者罪皆消滅。眾生今日雖造重罪，與過去久遠無量劫來，於阿彌陀佛本願之中，門佛發願。過去久遠善根純熟故，能一念即得罪滅也。四功德勝者，前小乘行但作四念處觀，不能滅無量罪。今念佛一聲能除八十億劫生死重罪，功德無量如經具說，故一念念佛功德，勝彼十萬億歲如救頭燃作五停心觀、四念處觀也。五威力勝者，《同性經》說佛有十地，阿彌陀佛是佛初地，功德威力稍異常徒，故威力加持念佛修行者定得往生，不同餘類也。

Explanation: It is due to five superior qualities. Although one only temporarily contemplates the Buddha's name, the extinguishing of sin and generating of faith surpasses that of cultivating the Way to extinguish sin for a hundred thousand million years as if extinguishing fire on one's head. The five superior qualities are: first, the superiority of the resolution; second, the superiority of seeking rebirth; third, the superiority of the fundamental vow; fourth, the superiority of the merits; and fifth, the superiority of the mighty power. As for the superiority of the resolution: this person of the lowest grade has the capacity of the Great Vehicle and resolves with a Great Vehicle mind. Those [monks in the story] were Small Vehicle persons; now, because [this person] gives rise to a Great Vehicle mind, a single thought surpasses the mind of the two vehicles for immeasurable hundreds of thousands of millions of kalpas, and therefore heavy sins are swiftly extinguished. Second, as for the superiority of seeking rebirth: now, in this single thought of buddhānusmṛti, one vows to be reborn in the pure land. Although those [others] cultivated the Way as if extinguishing fire on their heads, it was a Small Vehicle mind; they did not believe in the pure lands of the Buddhas of the ten directions. Because they did not seek superior rebirth, their sins were not extinguished; because this person seeks superior rebirth, their sins are swiftly extinguished. Third, as for the superiority of the fundamental vow: Amitābha Buddha originally made an extraordinarily superior great vow that for all beings of heavy sins who invoke my name, their sins will entirely vanish. Although beings today have committed heavy sins, from immeasurable kalpas long in the past, within Amitābha Buddha's fundamental vow, they made vows before the Buddha. Because their ancient roots of goodness from the distant past have ripened, their sins can be extinguished in a single thought. Fourth, as for the superiority of the merits: the former Small Vehicle practice only involves cultivating the contemplation of the four foundations of mindfulness, which cannot extinguish immeasurable sins. Now, calling the Buddha once can eliminate heavy sins of birth and death for eighty billion kalpas; its merits are immeasurable, as the sūtras explain in detail. Therefore, the merit of a single thought of buddhānusmṛti surpasses their ten thousand million years of contemplating the five methods for calming the mind and the four foundations of mindfulness as if extinguishing fire on their heads. Fifth, as for the superiority of the mighty power: the Tongxing jing says that Buddhas have ten stages, and Amitābha Buddha is on the first stage of Buddhahood; his merits and mighty power are somewhat different from ordinary ranks. Therefore, the mighty power supporting practitioners of buddhānusmṛti ensures that they definitely attain rebirth, unlike other categories.