遊心安樂道 1.7

1.7

In summary, those from the first bhūmi upward have mastery over compassionate vows and are born everywhere—what further need is there to exhort them? From the ten abodes of understanding onward, their spiritual lineage is determined, and they have no retrogression of compassion, so neither are they the primary target. Those prior to the ten faiths and ordinary beings whose aspiration is not yet firm rise and fall according to conditions, reviling the defiled and rejoicing in the pure; therefore the Buddha exhorted and gathered them. In the West life is long, and in one lifetime of practice one ascends to the bhūmis; in Sahā life is short, and after toiling for many kalpas one still retrogresses. Hence the Avataṃsaka says: "One kalpa in this Sahā world is one day and one night in the Western world of Sukhāvatī. In this manner, up to a million asaṃkhyeya worlds, one kalpa in the final world is one day and one night in the realm of the Tathāgata Bhadraśrī in the world of Utpalā." The intent behind the arising of the teaching is briefly explained like this.