淨土論 1.45

1.45

答曰：觀韋提希請及如來答意，唯言為未來世一切凡夫，為煩惱賊之所害者，說清淨業處，勸人往生，不論菩薩。若論菩薩發心，願生惡道，不願生淨土中也。如十解已上菩薩，尚自留惑受生，願生惡道救苦眾生，不願生淨土也。留惑文者，如《維摩經》云「是有疾菩薩，無所受而受諸受」。未具佛法，亦不滅受而取證也。此是菩薩留惑受生文。又《地持論》、《攝大乘論》並有留惑受生文。舉要言之，三乘聖人及三乘七方便中人，乃至方便道前，若男若女、無根二根，至於龍鬼八部，但能發菩提心，專念阿彌陀佛，厭惡穢剎、欣樂淨土，臨命終時正念現前者，皆得往生也。若勇猛精進，觀行分明，臨終最後心不亂者，並得上生。乃至臨終，最後十念相續現在前者，得下品下生。此中菩薩往生自有三輩九品，二乘往生自有上中下，凡夫往生自有上中下，各有九品。但經中不能委細分別，大小凡夫合論九品，實即有無量差別也。詳四十八願及《觀經》，論大旨，凡夫是正生人，聖人是兼生人。以凡夫墮惡道故，於穢土中不能修道發心也。唯凡夫中謗大乘人不得往生，以斷善根故；二乘人中愚法學人不得往生，以不信有十方淨土故；菩薩人中不發願求生者不得往生，無愛樂心故。若二乘無學人，不問愚法不愚法、求與不求，皆得往生，以三界穢土中無受生處故也。《智度論》云「有妙淨土，出過三界。諸阿羅漢，當生其中」，不論學人也。

Answer: Looking at the intent of Vaidehī's request and the Tathāgata's reply, he spoke solely of explaining the place of pure karma and encouraging rebirth for all ordinary persons of future generations who are harmed by the thieves of affliction; he did not speak of bodhisattvas. If we speak of bodhisattvas' arousing of mind, they vow to be born in the evil destinies and do not wish to be born in the pure land. For instance, bodhisattvas from the ten understandings upward still intentionally retain afflictions to take rebirth, vowing to be born in evil destinies to save suffering sentient beings, not wishing to be born in a pure land. As for the text on retaining afflictions, the Vimalakīrti-sūtra says: 'This sick bodhisattva receives various feelings without receiving anything.' Not having yet perfected the Buddha-dharmas, they also do not extinguish feeling to realize the fruit. This is a text on bodhisattvas retaining afflictions to take rebirth. Furthermore, the Bodhisattvabhūmi and the Mahāyānasaṃgraha both have texts on retaining afflictions to take rebirth. To state the essentials: noble ones of the three vehicles and persons within the seven expedient stages of the three vehicles, down to those prior to the path of expedients, whether men or women, without faculties or with two faculties, down to dragons, ghosts, and the eight classes of beings—so long as they can arouse bodhicitta, single-mindedly recite the Buddha Amitābha, despise and loathe the defiled lands, rejoice in and aspire to the pure land, and have correct mindfulness present before them at the point of death, all attain rebirth. If they are vigorous and zealous, their contemplative practice is clear, and at death their final mind is undistracted, they will all attain higher rebirth. Down to the end of life, if their final ten recitations appear continuously before them, they attain the lowest grade of the lowest rebirth. Here, the rebirth of bodhisattvas naturally has three classes and nine grades; the rebirth of the two vehicles naturally has higher, middle, and lower; the rebirth of ordinary persons naturally has higher, middle, and lower: each has nine grades. It is merely that the sūtras cannot differentiate them in minute detail, and so they treat ordinary persons of the great and small [vehicles] together as having nine grades, whereas in reality there are measureless differences. Examining the forty-eight vows and the Guan jing to discuss the overarching purport, ordinary persons are the primary candidates for rebirth, while noble ones are secondary candidates for rebirth. Because ordinary persons would fall into evil destinies, they cannot cultivate the path or arouse the mind in a defiled land. Among ordinary persons, only those who slander the Mahāyāna cannot attain rebirth, because they have severed their roots of goodness; among persons of the two vehicles, trainees who are ignorant of the Dharma cannot attain rebirth, because they do not believe there are pure lands in the ten directions; among bodhisattvas, those who do not make vows to seek rebirth cannot attain rebirth, because they lack an attitude of love and aspiration. If they are non-trainees of the two vehicles, regardless of whether they are ignorant of the Dharma or not, or whether they seek it or not, all attain rebirth, because they have no place to take rebirth in the defiled lands of the three realms. The Da zhidu lun says: 'There is a wondrous pure land that surpasses the three realms. All arhats shall be born within it'; it does not speak of trainees.