釋淨土群疑論 7.26

7.26

問曰：未知念佛滅八十億劫重罪、得生西方，為滅種子？為滅上心？若滅種子，種子滅除要須聖道，見人法空，方能滅種。念佛功德雖復無邊，此是聞思等善心，如何同於聖道能滅種子罪業？若滅上心，罪福兩業不得俱起，起罪業時不得念佛、正念佛時不得造罪，善惡不並、無二上心，如何念佛能滅上心罪也？

Question: We do not yet know, when buddhānusmṛti extinguishes eighty koṭis of kalpas of heavy sins and one attains rebirth in the West, does it extinguish seeds (bīja), or does it extinguish active consciousness (samudācāra)? If it extinguishes seeds, the eradication of seeds requires the noble path—only by seeing the emptiness of person and phenomena can one eradicate seeds. Although the merit of buddhānusmṛti is boundless, it is a wholesome mind of hearing, thinking, and so on; how could it be identical to the noble path in being able to eradicate seeds of sinful karma? If it extinguishes active consciousness, the two karmas of sin and merit cannot arise together: when sinful karma arises, one cannot practice buddhānusmṛti, and when one is properly practicing buddhānusmṛti, one cannot commit sins; good and evil do not coexist, and there are not two active consciousnesses. How could buddhānusmṛti extinguish the sins of active consciousness?