釋淨土群疑論 1.44

1.44

I explain: If one can contemplate all dharmas as ultimately empty and quiescent, with neither a contemplator nor an object contemplated, free from both conceptual distinction and non-distinction, and through making this contemplation attains rebirth in the West, these all constitute rebirth in the upper classes. As the Guan jing says regarding rebirth of the highest grade: 'His mind is neither startled nor shaken in the ultimate truth. When this person's life is about to end, Amitābha Buddha and all the assembly of sages come to welcome the practitioner, praising him: "Son of the Dharma! Because you understand the ultimate truth, I have come to welcome you." He is immediately reborn in the Western Land of Immeasurable Life.' However, ordinary and foolish people are entangled in worldly affairs and cannot broadly practice the various Mahāyāna sūtras, contemplate the ultimate truth, or cultivate the contemplation of non-attainability. Yet if they purely uphold the prohibitive precepts, show filial piety to their respected parents, cultivate the ten wholesome deeds, or exclusively invoke and be mindful of the Buddha, even though [their mind] has attainability, these are nonetheless inconceivable and supreme merits, and all can attain rebirth in the Western pure land, as fully expounded in the sūtras. It is just that the practice gates for rebirth in the pure land are not one, and those who are reborn have nine grades of difference. How can you say that only by the dharma of non-attainability can one attain rebirth, and disbelieve that through the three blessings and the sixteen visualizations one attains rebirth in the pure land? Moreover, the mind with attainability runs through the three natures; both wholesome and unwholesome karmas can evoke retribution. Now the three blessings and so forth are all wholesome karmas; the sūtra states: 'They are the primary cause for the wholesome karma of the buddhas of the three periods of time.' Since they are wholesome karma, how could they fail to evoke the retribution of the pure land? Why do you now hold that only through non-attainability can one attain rebirth? That a mind with attainability cannot attain rebirth—what sūtra teaching does that come from? Since there is no sacred scripture [for it], what do you rely on? Now the Guan jing and other texts fully clarify the three blessings, the sixteen visualizations, and so forth, stating that by performing these karmas with marks, rebirth is attained. The text and meaning are obvious; they cannot be slandered. How can you fail to rely on the sacred teachings and simply follow your own worldly sentiments, saying that a mind with attainability cannot be reborn in the pure land? Because a mind with attainability is of wholesome nature and possesses supreme blessing, it can extinguish grave offenses of the Sahā [world] and attain rebirth in the Western pure land. As the ground visualization and others state: 'Those who perform this contemplation extinguish the grave sins of birth and death for eighty kotis of kalpas, and upon relinquishing the body in another lifetime will definitely be reborn in the pure land, their minds free from doubt.' Is this not performing contemplations with marks and thereby being reborn in the West? If one does not believe such verbal teachings, one fails to receive in faith the wheel of the Buddha's words, and accomplishes the sin of the ten unwholesome wheels. It also says: 'Because one invokes the Buddha's name, in thought after thought one extinguishes the sins of birth and death for eighty kotis of kalpas and attains rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.' True proof in sūtra texts such as these is not just one; one must not dismiss and abolish numerous sacred teachings by saying that one cannot be reborn, asserting only that by studying non-attainability can one attain rebirth. Because the sentient beings who are reborn include both the profane and the noble, cover both the Hinayāna and the Mahāyāna, [practicing] with marks or without marks, in meditative absorption or in distraction, of sharp faculties or dull faculties, over long periods or short periods, with much cultivation or little cultivation, all can attain rebirth. Yet there are differences among the three classes and nine grades: there is variance in the early or late blooming of the flowers, and there is difference in the slowness or quickness of realizing the Way. Thus we know that since rebirth has distinctions of grade, the cultivated causes also have depths and shallows. One must not say merely that only by cultivating non-attainability can one attain rebirth, and that a mind with attainability cannot be reborn, because those who are reborn are not only sages, but pṛthagjanas are also reborn. Furthermore, the Buddha's pure lands have the principle and the phenomena, the reward and the transformation; therefore, cultivating their causes has various differences. Rebirth in the pure land of principle requires cultivating the cause of marklessness; rebirth in the pure land of phenomena requires cultivating the cause with marks; rebirth in the reward pure land requires cultivating the undefiled cause; rebirth in the transformation pure land requires cultivating the defiled cause. Since the lands have the fundamental and the secondary, the causes also have the superior and the inferior. Therefore, it is not the single cause of marklessness that can bring about rebirth in all pure lands.