釋淨土群疑論 6.39

6.39

釋曰：准依四十八大誓願，若不來迎不取正覺。又下品三生猶得聖來，准上准下，必應聖迎。然不述者，或是翻譯者脫，或是略而不述。有釋：中品三人佛以大慈大悲，臨終之時而來迎接，非是本願故。中品下生者，佛不來迎，非是經文脫也。以四十八弘誓願中說「設我得作佛，十方眾生發菩提心、修諸功德，至心發願欲生我國。臨命終時，假令不與大眾現其人前者，不取正覺。」此願中既言發菩提心修諸功德，不與大眾現其人前者不取正覺。此發菩提心言，是發無上大菩提心。此中品等三人猶未發無上菩提心，但是修諸功德願欲生者，雖得往生，佛不來迎，不違本願。以不發菩提心，非是當於大誓願也。《藥師經》中說八菩薩示其道路令生西方，此即佛不來迎。佛若來迎，佛自引去得去西方，何須藥師瑠璃光佛遣八菩薩示其道路也？故知無佛。所以佛不來迎者，亦是不違本誓願。以彼人先雖修道，以非專心決定故，不是至心發願欲生彼國故。藥師經言「而未定者」，若是至心發願，即非不定之人也。又彼經所明之行，當此中品三人，非當本願也。又《菩薩處胎經》說「眾生作西方業，多分不得生於西方，生於懈慢國中」者，此非是專修西方之業、至心發願之人，以行業不專、發願不至，不當本願，故不來迎。佛若來迎，即是西方淨土業成，豈容佛迎而生懈慢國也？為無量壽經說「三輩人皆發無上菩提之心悉得佛迎。縱令不見，猶當夢見而得往生也。」

I explain: according to the forty-eight great vows, if [Amitābha] does not come to welcome [the practitioner], he will not attain correct awakening. Furthermore, practitioners of the three lower grades still obtain the coming of the noble [assembly]. Judging by both the higher and lower [grades], the noble [assembly] must surely welcome them. Yet that [the sūtra] does not mention it is either an omission by the translator, or an abridgment that leaves it unmentioned. Some explain: for the three classes of practitioners of the middling grade, the Buddha comes to welcome them at the time of death out of great benevolence and great compassion, not on account of the original vow. Therefore, for those of the lower class of the middling grade, that the Buddha does not come to welcome them is not an omission in the scripture's text. This is because it is stated in the forty-eight expansive vows: 'If, when I attain buddhahood, sentient beings of the ten directions arouse the bodhicitta, cultivate all merits, and with sincere mind make vows wishing to be born in my land, then if at the end of their lives I do not appear before them together with a great assembly, may I not attain correct awakening.' Since this vow states that if those who arouse the bodhicitta and cultivate all merits are not met by [the Buddha] appearing before them with a great assembly, he will not attain correct awakening, the statement 'arouse the bodhicitta' refers to arousing the unsurpassed great bodhicitta. These three classes of people of the middling grade have not yet aroused the unsurpassed bodhicitta; they merely cultivate various merits and vow with the wish to be born [there]. Although they attain rebirth in the Pure Land, the Buddha does not come to welcome them, which does not contradict the original vow. Because they do not arouse the bodhicitta, they do not correspond to the great vow. The Bhaiṣajyaguru Sūtra states that eight bodhisattvas show them the way, causing them to be born in the West; this is [a case where] the Buddha does not come to welcome them. If the Buddha were to come to welcome them, the Buddha himself would guide them away and they would reach the West; what need would there be for Bhaiṣajyaguru-vaiḍūryaprabha Buddha to dispatch eight bodhisattvas to show them the path? Therefore we know there is no buddha [welcoming them]. Thus the Buddha not coming to welcome them also does not contradict the original vows. This is because although those people previously cultivated the path, it was not with a focused mind and determination; it was not because they made vows with sincere mind wishing to be born in that land. The Bhaiṣajyaguru Sūtra says, 'yet have not settled [their minds]'; if they had made vows with a sincere mind, then they would not be unsettled persons. Furthermore, the practice explained in that sūtra corresponds to these three classes of people of the middling grade, not to the original vow. Moreover, the Bodhisattva Garbhastha Sūtra states: 'When sentient beings perform karma for the Western [direction], for the most part they do not attain birth in the West, but are born in the land of indolence and pride.' These are persons who do not exclusively cultivate the karma of the West and do not make vows with a sincere mind; because their practice is not exclusive and their vow-making is not thorough, they do not correspond to the original vow, and therefore [the Buddha] does not come to welcome them. If the Buddha were to come to welcome them, that would mean their karma for the Western pure land was completed; how could the Buddha possibly welcome them only for them to be born in the land of indolence and pride? This is why the Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra says: 'Persons of the three classes all arouse the mind of unsurpassed bodhi and all obtain the Buddha's welcoming. Even if they do not see him [in waking life], they will still see him in dreams and attain rebirth in the Pure Land.'