遊心安樂道 1.72

1.72

後論往生難、易。或說西方易生，兜率難生，且有七種差別：一、極樂是人易生，兜率是天難生；二、極樂但持五戒得生，兜率具修十善方往；三、極樂乃至十念往，兜率具施、戒、修往；四、西方終憑彌陀佛四十八大願往，兜率可憑唯自力往；五、西方有觀音菩薩等當來此土勸進往，兜率無此事；六、西方經、論具讚勸，兜率但一經讚說；七、古來大德向西方多，向兜率者少。由此義故，西方易往生，兜率難上生也。

Next, discussing the difficulty and ease of rebirth. Some say that the Western land is easy to be born in, while Tuṣita is difficult to be born in, and there are seven distinctions: first, Sukhāvatī is a human realm and easy to be born in, while Tuṣita is a deva realm and difficult to be born in; second, in Sukhāvatī one attains rebirth merely by upholding the five precepts, whereas for Tuṣita one must fully cultivate the ten virtues to go there; third, for Sukhāvatī one goes with even down to ten recitations, whereas for Tuṣita one goes by fully practicing giving, morality, and cultivation; fourth, for the Western land one ultimately relies on Amitābha Buddha's forty-eight great vows to go, whereas for Tuṣita one can rely only on one's own power to go; fifth, in the Western land there are Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara and others who will come to this land to encourage and guide one to go, whereas in Tuṣita there is no such thing; sixth, sūtras and treatises extensively praise and encourage the Western land, whereas only a single sūtra praises and speaks of Tuṣita; seventh, since ancient times great masters who turned toward the Western land have been many, while those who turned toward Tuṣita have been few. Due to these meanings, the Western land is easy to attain rebirth in, while Tuṣita is difficult to ascend to.