釋淨土群疑論 3.5

3.5

釋曰：諸家解釋各有一途，難分勝劣。其第一釋，取是懺人除非懺者，一徵此釋，未知念佛能滅罪不？若不能滅者，何因經言「於念念中滅八十億劫生死之罪」？若念佛能滅罪者，何因言不懺悔遂被除也？又《觀經》取逆經文，何處有懺悔之語？准此，以下諸說等一一徵詰，未是全得經意。經意者何？《觀經》取逆，經言「具足十念」，以具十念即得往生；《壽經》除逆，經言「乃至十念」，以乃至十念不得往生。經既有「乃至具足十念」之言，豈得由諸義也？且如下品上生、下品中生，稱佛念佛，不言「具足十念」，一念已上悉皆得生，以罪少故不要滿十。下品下生為有逆罪，經即說言「具足十念得生淨土」。《壽經》含此三品，總合而言乃至十念得生淨土。經意說言，若不造逆人，論念之多少，一聲十聲俱生淨土。如其造逆，必須滿十，闕一不生，故言除也。此即不造逆者不限十聲，若少若多俱生淨土。造逆之輩即不得然，滿十即得生，少便不往。此乃由此說除，不關諸義也。古來大德雖釋，今更為茲異說耳。

Explanation: The explanations of the various traditions each have their own line of reasoning, making it difficult to distinguish their superiority or inferiority. Regarding the first explanation, that those admitted are repentant while those excluded are unrepentant: examining this explanation, one does not know whether reciting the Buddha's name can extinguish sins or not. If it cannot extinguish them, why does the sūtra say, 'In thought after thought, sins of eighty billion kalpas of saṃsāra are extinguished'? If reciting the Buddha's name can extinguish sins, why is it said that those who do not repent are consequently excluded? Furthermore, in the Guan jing's passage that admits those who commit heinous acts, where is there any word about repentance? By this reasoning, if one interrogates each of the remaining theories one by one, none of them has fully grasped the sūtra's meaning. What is the sūtra's meaning? When the Guan jing admits those who commit heinous acts, the sūtra says 'completing ten recitations'; because they complete ten recitations, they immediately attain rebirth. When the Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra excludes those who commit heinous acts, the sūtra says 'even down to ten recitations'; because it says 'even down to ten recitations', they do not attain rebirth. Since the sūtras already contain the words 'even down to' and 'completing ten recitations', how could it depend on all those other interpretations? Moreover, as with the upper and middle classes of the lowest grade, when reciting and being mindful of the Buddha, it does not say 'completing ten recitations'; with one recitation and above, all attain rebirth, because their sins are few and they do not need to fulfill ten. As for the lowest class of the lowest grade, because they have committed heinous sins, the sūtra therefore says 'completing ten recitations, they attain rebirth in the Pure Land.' The Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra includes these three grades, combining them together to say 'even down to ten recitations, they attain rebirth in the Pure Land.' The sūtra's intention is to say that if a person has not committed heinous acts, regarding the number of recitations, whether one utterance or ten utterances, they all attain rebirth in the Pure Land. If they have committed heinous acts, they must fulfill ten; if they lack even one, they will not be born, and therefore it says 'excluded.' This means that those who have not committed heinous acts are not limited to ten utterances; whether few or many, all attain rebirth in the Pure Land. Those who commit heinous acts cannot do so: if they fulfill ten, they immediately attain rebirth; if they have fewer, they do not go. It is on this basis that it speaks of exclusion, which has nothing to do with those various interpretations. Although ancient Great Worthies gave explanations, I now present this different explanation.