釋淨土群疑論 3.15

3.15

I explain: The Dhyāna masters of the Three Stages Sect and others all regard Dhyāna Master Xinxing as a bodhisattva who was a refuge of the four sorts, and compile the *San jie jilu* from various Mahāyāna sūtras, stating that sentient beings of the third stage after one thousand years are only suited to practice the universal-true and universal-correct Buddha-dharma, whereby they may be born in the Buddha-lands of the ten directions. If they practice particular-true and particular-correct Buddha-dharma, and read and recite Mahāyāna sūtras and the like, this is a teaching not suited to their capacity, and they will fall into the hells of the ten directions. Now, the *Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra* and others are precisely particular-true and particular-correct, which is Buddha-dharma of the second stage. Prior to one thousand years, it was appropriate to practice this teaching; after one thousand years, since this capacity no longer exists, this teaching is abrogated. Even if it were allowed to remain in the world for one hundred years, it would only amount to one thousand one hundred years. Therefore, they interpret the statement that after the scriptural path is completely extinguished this sūtra is specially retained to abide for one hundred years as referring to the one hundred years after the one thousand years of the True Dharma. How is this known? Like Bodhisattva Sadāparibhūta, who appeared in the world among the fourfold assembly of the arrogant during the Semblance Dharma, did not devote himself to reading and reciting the scriptures, but merely practiced bowing. Therefore, one knows that when the arrogant flourish after the extinction of the True Dharma, one must not study particular [teachings] or read and recite particular [scriptures]; one must only study universal [teachings]—this is their text. Because of studying the universal, one attains purity of the six faculties and further increases one's lifespan; this is the benefit of studying the universal teaching suited to one's capacity. Sunakkhatta was a person of the third stage; because he read and recited the twelve divisions of scriptures, he fell into the great hell; this is a great detriment. Some practitioners of the Three Stages hold this same understanding. Carefully examining this meaning, the principle is certainly not so. Why is this? If one holds that after one thousand years correct people are completely gone, and there are only evil people of the third stage who are only suited to practice universal-true and universal-correct Buddha-dharma, and are not suited to practice particular-true and particular-correct Buddha-dharma or read and recite Mahāyāna sūtras and the like—and if they do practice reading, reciting, and so forth, they will fall into the Avīci Hells of the ten directions—then this would mean that the Tathāgata, with an evil mind, hated and envied people of the third stage, and retained his particular-true and particular-correct Buddha-dharma to cause them to read it erroneously, bringing about their fall into the Avīci Hell! How could this relate to his having compassion and pity, specially retaining this sūtra to remain in the world for one hundred years? If the universal-true and universal-correct were what suited the capacity, why did the Buddha, after expounding the universal teaching, not state that out of compassion and pity he specially retained it to remain in the world for one hundred years? If one says that the universal teaching was not expounded by the Buddha, and therefore the Dhyāna Master expounded sūtras not expounded by the Buddhas to deliver those not delivered by the Buddhas—since the Dhyāna Master was not a Buddha, how could he expound sūtras? Furthermore, on what basis does he say that, relying on various Mahāyāna sūtras, he compiled the *San jie jilu*? If the various Mahāyāna sūtras have universal teachings and particular teachings, yet the universal does not speak of being retained and is claimed to be the Buddha-dharma of the present time, while the sūtras of the particular teachings speak of abiding yet studying them is claimed not to suit the capacity—this opposes the compassion of the Great Sage and contradicts the Tathāgata's transforming guidance. Since there is no noble teaching [for this], who could distinguish the correct from the deviant? If one cites Sadāparibhūta's not reading and reciting sūtras as proof that during the Semblance Dharma at the time of the arrogant one must not read and recite sūtras, why is it that when Bodhisattva Sadāparibhūta was about to die, he fully heard the two hundred thousand million billion verses of the *Lotus Sūtra* previously expounded by King Bhīṣmagarjitasvararāja Buddha, was entirely able to receive and uphold them, attained purity of the six faculties, further increased his lifespan by two million billion nayutas of years, and extensively expounded this *Lotus Sūtra* to people? If people of the third stage must not listen to or read Mahāyāna sūtras, why did the monk Sadāparibhūta expound the *Lotus Sūtra* to the arrogant people, causing them to listen and receive it, thereby creating the cause for falling into the Avīci Hells of the ten directions? Furthermore, Bodhisattva Bhaiṣajyarāja vowed that after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, he would uphold, read, recite, and expound this scripture: 'In the latter evil age, sentient beings' good roots will grow increasingly sparse, with many being arrogant and coveting gain and offerings, increasing their unwholesome roots and straying far from liberation. Although they are difficult to teach and transform, we shall arouse great power of forbearance to read, recite, uphold, expound, and copy this sūtra, and so forth.' Why did Bodhisattva Bhaiṣajyarāja expound the *Lotus Sūtra* during the time of widespread arrogance? Furthermore, the *Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra* speaks of being able to uphold this sūtra in the latter five hundred years, and also speaks of the merit obtained by those who receive and uphold this sūtra in the latter, final age, and so forth. Furthermore, the *Bhadrapāla Sūtra* speaks of reading and reciting this sūtra in the final five hundred years, and so forth. How could it be that after one thousand years, when the particular teachings are abrogated, it is inappropriate to read and recite the Mahāyāna scriptures? I urge the stream of students to examine the sage's intent thoroughly, and not deceive themselves and further deceive others, causing the wondrous Mahāyāna scriptures to cease circulating in the world, regarding them as poison and as causes for the hells! To extinguish the eye of the True Dharma—how inverted this is; it is exceedingly lamentable! There is an interpretation: that the extinction of the scriptural path is based on the *Mahākaruṇā Sūtra*, which states that the True Dharma lasts one thousand years, the Semblance Dharma lasts one thousand years, and the Final Dharma lasts ten thousand years. After the ten thousand years, the scriptural path is completely extinguished, and this teaching is specially retained to remain for a further one hundred years. At that time, during the kalpa of weapons, people will mostly create evil; the grasses and trees they grasp will all turn into swords and daggers, and they will kill one another. The poison of anger will rage fiercely, human lifespan will be ten years, and bodies will be two cubits tall. In this time, they will no longer be able to cultivate any other profound trainings in morality, concentration, and wisdom; they will only be able to practice buddhānusmṛti, detesting this Sahā world—an extremely painful and distressed place of the three disasters and five turbidities—and wishing to be born in the Western Land of Peace and Joy. Therefore, the Buddha, knowing that sentient beings' suffering at this time is heavy and that they can give rise to revulsion, out of compassion specially retained this sūtra to remain for one hundred years after all other scriptures, benefiting sentient beings during the kalpa of weapons. There is also another interpretation: As Venerable Nandimitra's *Record on the Abiding of the Dharma* states, after this kalpa of weapons of the Buddha-dharma, human minds will feel revulsion toward evil and will all give rise to kindness; they will not kill one another, but will mutually pity each other like fathers and sons, and lifespan will gradually increase until it reaches one hundred years. The sixteen great arhats possess the three clear knowledges and the six supernatural knowledges, are endowed with the eight liberations, and are well versed in the three baskets and twelve divisions of scriptures; having received the Buddha's entrustment, they uphold the True Dharma and benefit sentient beings without entering parinirvāṇa. Together with their retinue of more than ten thousand great arhats, they will once again circulate the Tathāgata's teachings of the three baskets in the world, transforming and guiding sentient beings, building monasteries and ordaining monks, cultivating morality, concentration, and wisdom, so that the Buddha-dharma will flourish. When human lifespan increases to the end of sixty thousand years and the beginning of seventy thousand years, all the arhats will gather together all the Tathāgata's relics to jointly build a jeweled stūpa. The sixteen arhats and their retinues will circumambulate the stūpa, make offerings, scatter various incenses and flowers, look up in reverence and bow, and then ascend together into the sky, speaking these words: 'We pay homage to the World-Honoured One, Śākyamuni Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Fully and Perfectly Awakened One. We received the instructions to protect and uphold the True Dharma and to bring various benefits to devas and humans. The storehouse of the Dharma has now disappeared, and our conditions [to guide] have come to an end; we now take our leave to enter extinction.' Having spoken these words, they will simultaneously enter remainderless nirvāṇa. The relic stūpa will then sink into the earth, stopping only when it reaches the limit of the golden wheel. The teaching of the three baskets will already have disappeared one hundred years before the relics; only this pure teaching, along with the relic stūpa and the arhats, will simultaneously disappear. At that time, the unsurpassed True Dharma of the World-Honoured One Śākyamuni will be eternally extinguished and no longer appear in this great trichiliocosm. Immediately following this, seventy thousand pratyekabuddhas will appear simultaneously in this Buddha-land. When human lifespan is eighty thousand years, the assembly of pratyekabuddhas will again all pass into extinction. Afterwards, Maitreya will appear in the world and will again expound the Pure Land teaching to sentient beings, causing immeasurable assemblies to attain rebirth in the Pure Land. In this manner, in turn, the thousand Buddhas of the Fortunate Kalpa and subsequent Buddhas who arise in the world will all expound the pure teaching and urge rebirth in the West; and the same applies to the ten directions. Since the lifespan of Amitābha Buddha is immeasurable asaṃkhyeya kalpas, before he passes into extinction, the Buddhas appearing in the worlds of the ten directions will all expound the pure teaching to those sentient beings with whom Amitābha Buddha has affinity, urging them to attain rebirth in the Pure Land. Therefore, the statement that after the scriptural path is completely extinguished, it is specially retained for one hundred years, corresponds to this time.