念佛鏡 2.18

2.18

答曰：「念阿彌陀佛功德，多於念地藏菩薩百千萬倍。何以得知？准《觀音經》，有一人供養六十二億恒河沙菩薩，乃至一時，不如禮拜供養觀世音菩薩。《十輪經》云：『一百劫念觀世音，不如一食頃念地藏菩薩。』《群疑論》曰：『一大劫念地藏菩薩，不如一聲念阿彌陀佛。』何以故？佛是法王，菩薩為法臣，如王出時，臣必隨從，大能攝小。佛是覺滿果圓，超諸地位，所以積念者功德最多，過於地藏百千萬倍。菩薩未屬佛地，果未圓滿，故功德最少。」

Answer: "The merit of reciting Amitābha is hundreds of thousands of ten thousand times greater than reciting Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva. How is this known? According to the Guanyin jing, if a person makes offerings to bodhisattvas as numerous as the sands of sixty-two koṭīs of Ganges Rivers, even for a single moment, it is not equal to bowing to and making offerings to Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva. The Daśacakra-sūtra says: 'Reciting Avalokiteśvara for one hundred kalpas is not equal to reciting Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva for the duration of a single meal.' The Qunyi lun says: 'Reciting Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva for one great kalpa is not equal to reciting Amitābha once with a single sound.' Why is this? The Buddha is the dharmarāja, and bodhisattvas are dharma ministers; just as when a king goes forth, the ministers must follow him, the great can subsume the small. The Buddha is one whose awakening is fulfilled and whose fruit is complete, transcending all stages and grounds; therefore the merit of accumulating mindfulness of him is greatest, exceeding that of Kṣitigarbha by hundreds of thousands of ten thousand times. Bodhisattvas do not yet belong to the Buddha ground and their fruit is not yet complete, so their merit is least."