釋淨土群疑論 7.7

7.7

釋曰：俱悉多也。法身離相，萬德真體，能以無所得心、體真念佛理，然功德不可思議。如淺學之人，未能作其無相之念，但以有所得心，觀如來清淨色身殊勝相好恒沙萬德，至誠稱念，亦獲無邊殊勝功德。如下輩三人，生來造惡，垂終稱念彼佛名號，豈能作彼無相念耶？信知有相心念，亦獲無邊勝福也。又欲斷二障，必修無相之念。今植彼因，亦修有相念佛。又真佛權佛理事不同，無相有相修因亦別，理無違也。

The explanation says: Both are great. The dharmakāya is free from signs, the true essence of ten thousand virtues; if one can contemplate the principle of the Buddha with a mind that has no attainment and embodies reality, then the merit is inconceivable. For beginners who are not yet able to practice that signless contemplation, if they merely observe the Tathāgata's pure form-body, extraordinary marks, and virtues as numerous as the sands of the Ganges with a mind that has attainment, and invoke him with utmost sincerity, they also obtain boundless, extraordinary merit. As in the case of the three kinds of persons of the lower grade who commit evil throughout their lives: when invoking that buddha's name at the threshold of death, how could they practice that signless contemplation? One should know with conviction that contemplating with a mind that has signs also obtains boundless superior merit. Moreover, if one wishes to sever the two hindrances, one must cultivate signless contemplation; if one now plants that cause, one also cultivates buddhānusmṛti with signs. Furthermore, the true buddha and provisional buddha, principle and phenomena, are different; the causal cultivation with signs or without signs is also distinct; the principles do not conflict.