釋淨土群疑論 6.50

6.50

問曰：若以此校量，實成無量功德。深合仰信，歡喜稱念定得往生。而《法華經》言「若人散亂心，入於塔廟中，一稱南無佛，皆已成佛道。」若一聲稱佛，即得往生西方。亦一聲念佛，即得成於佛道。若得成者，即應十方世界無一凡夫，悉能稱佛皆成佛也。若一聲稱佛未得成佛，但是成佛遠因，更須漸漸積功德具足大悲心，萬行周圓三祇劫滿方成佛果者，此臨終一念十念何必即得往生？亦須漸漸熏修具足諸波羅蜜方得往生淨土。

The question asks: If judged by this comparative appraisal, it truly accomplishes immeasurable merit. It deeply accords with reverent faith, and rejoicingly reciting it will definitely bring about rebirth in the Pure Land. Yet the Lotus Sūtra says: "If someone with a distracted mind enters a stūpa or temple and invokes 'Namo Buddha' once, they have all already accomplished the Buddha Path." If reciting the Buddha once immediately brings about rebirth in the West, then contemplating the Buddha once should also immediately accomplish the Buddha Path. If it brings about accomplishment, then in the worlds of the ten directions there should not be a single pṛthagjana left, as all who are able to invoke the Buddha would all become buddhas. If invoking the Buddha with a single utterance does not yet bring about buddhahood, but is merely a distant cause for becoming a buddha, and one still needs to gradually accumulate merit, become fully endowed with the mind of great compassion, complete the myriad practices, and fulfill three asaṃkhyeya kalpas before accomplishing the fruit of buddhahood; then why must this single recitation or ten recitations at the point of death immediately bring about rebirth in the Pure Land? One should also need to gradually cultivate, perfume, and become fully endowed with the various pāramitās before being able to achieve rebirth in the Pure Land.