釋淨土群疑論 7.37

7.37

釋曰：此三昧者，通聖及凡、持戒破戒皆可學也。如《華嚴經》言功德雲比丘，此即是聖人大菩薩，得念佛三昧也。如《賢護經》言「若有比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷，清淨持戒，具足諸行。」以此准知，持戒之人正是合修念佛三昧，斯即戒根清淨三昧現在。破戒之人難成三昧，准《觀佛三昧海經》言「此觀佛三昧是一切眾生犯罪者藥、破戒者護。」若破戒之人不得此三昧者，何名護也？又下經言「如來今者為未來世五苦眾生、犯戒比丘、不善惡人五逆誹謗，為如是等說除罪法。阿難白佛言：『佛滅度後，此等愚人無怙無歸依處。』佛告阿難：『佛滅度後，濁惡世中諸眾生等欲除罪咎，乃至當懃修習觀佛三昧。』」故知破戒五逆等惡人悉可學得是三昧也。

I explain: This samādhi applies to both sages and ordinary people (pṛthagjana); those who maintain the precepts and those who break the precepts alike may practice it. As the Avataṃsaka Sūtra says of the monk Guṇamegha, he was a sage, a great bodhisattva, who attained the buddhānusmṛti-samādhi. As the Bhadrapāla Sūtra says: 'If there are monks, nuns, upāsakas, or upāsikās who purely maintain the precepts and are endowed with all practices...' From this we know that those who maintain the precepts are indeed suited to cultivate the buddhānusmṛti-samādhi; that is, when the roots of morality are pure, the samādhi manifests. It is difficult for those who break the precepts to accomplish the samādhi, yet according to the Guanfo sanmei hai jing: 'This contemplation-of-the-Buddha samādhi is medicine for all sentient beings who commit transgressions, and a protection for those who break the precepts.' If those who break the precepts could not attain this samādhi, how could it be called a protection? Furthermore, a later passage of that sūtra states: 'The Tathāgata now, for the sake of the sentient beings of the five sufferings in future ages, precept-breaking monks, and unwholesome, evil people who commit the five heinous acts and slander [the Dharma]—for such as these, expounds the method for eliminating transgressions. Ānanda addressed the Buddha, saying: "After the Buddha passes into extinction, these foolish people will have no protector and no refuge." The Buddha told Ānanda: "After the Buddha passes into extinction, sentient beings in the turbid and evil world who wish to eliminate their transgressions and faults, down to... should diligently cultivate the contemplation-of-the-Buddha samādhi."' Therefore we know that evil people such as those who break the precepts or commit the five heinous acts may all study and attain this samādhi.