釋淨土群疑論 7.3

7.3

釋曰：此有二義。一釋云：念一切佛悉得無量功德，無有差別。以諸如來悉具無邊功德，悉斷一切人法障，盡功德圓滿，為此無有念有勝劣功德不同。若爾，何故如來於諸經中，偏讚念阿彌陀佛功德無量耶？答：其實功德悉皆一種，但以淺識凡夫不能遍念，是以如來偏讚一佛之功德，令其至心攝念，其至心功德即多，此是如來密意方便也。猶如受大戒於僧眾中，悉是清淨堪為戒師，無有勝劣。隨其受者標心一師以為和上，發其戒緣即勝餘者。此亦如是，專心一佛功德即多，由心專至也。又有釋云：諸佛如來雖復功德悉皆平等無有勝劣，然以眾生於其佛所久昔已來結緣差別，如《攝論》、《唯識》等咸云，眾生由法爾力，屬師不同，或多屬一、或一屬多。若屬此佛，此佛能度；不屬餘佛，餘佛不度。屬此佛者，至心稱念功德即多，即來救拔。其不屬者，念功不多，亦不來救。

The explanation says: There are two interpretations of this. One explanation says: Contemplating all buddhas yields immeasurable merit without any distinction. Because all Tathāgatas are fully endowed with boundless merit, have severed all hindrances of persons and phenomena, and their merit is completely perfected, for this reason there is no difference in superiority or inferiority between the merits of contemplation. If so, why does the Tathāgata in various sūtra texts exclusively praise the merit of contemplating Amitābha as immeasurable? Answer: In reality their merits are entirely of one kind, but because pṛthagjanas of shallow understanding cannot contemplate all of them, the Tathāgata exclusively praises the merit of one buddha to cause them to single-mindedly collect their mindfulness; and the merit of their single-mindedness is therefore great. This is the Tathāgata's esoteric expedient. It is like receiving the great precepts among an assembly of saṃgha where all are pure and fit to be precept masters without superiority or inferiority. When the recipient specifies one master in their mind as the upādhyāya, the condition that gives rise to their precepts is superior to that of the others. This is also like that: concentrating the mind on one buddha yields great merit because the mind is focused and single-hearted. Another explanation says: Although the merits of all buddha-tathāgatas are equal without superiority or inferiority, nevertheless, due to the different connections beings have formed with those buddhas since long ago—as the Mahāyānasaṃgraha and Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi both state that, by the power of their inherent nature, living beings belong to different teachers, some many belonging to one, or one belonging to many. If one belongs to this buddha, this buddha can save them; if one does not belong to other buddhas, other buddhas do not save them. For those who belong to this buddha, when they invoke them single-mindedly, their merit is great, and [that buddha] comes to rescue them. For those who do not belong to them, the merit of contemplation is not great, nor do they come to rescue them.