釋淨土群疑論 4.24

4.24

問曰：經言「生彼西方皆是阿鞞跋致」，或言「唯是正定聚，無有邪定及不定聚」。然阿鞞跋致位非下凡，正定之聚道登聖果。今既凡夫，往生淨土，彼豈即聖人，寧得頓超阿僧祇成歡喜地？然退轉凡夫生彼，不可即至阿鞞跋致之位；邪定不定聚者，即登正定聚也。不得者，即與《觀經》等文相違。如得者，復與眾經論義乖返。兩文鉾楯，請為解釋也。

Question: Sūtras state that 'those born in that Western [Land] are all avaivartika,' or say that 'there are only those of the collection of certainty, without the collection of wrongness or the indeterminate collection.' However, the stage of avaivartika is not for base ordinary people, and the collection of certainty is an ascent to the noble fruits on the path. Now, being ordinary persons reborn in the pure land, how could they immediately be noble persons, and how could they suddenly transcend an asaṃkhyeya [kalpa] and achieve the Joyous Ground? An ordinary person subject to retrogression who is born there cannot immediately reach the stage of avaivartika; nor can one belonging to the collection of wrongness or the indeterminate collection immediately ascend to the collection of certainty. If they do not attain this, it contradicts passages such as the Guan jing. If they do attain it, it again contradicts the meaning of many sūtras and treatises. These two statements are in contradiction; please explain them.