念佛鏡 2.3

2.3

答：「般若遮不見如來者，為所一相貌及以音聲皆求人、我，不求往生及無上菩提故，只行邪道不見如來。《觀經》、《阿彌陀經》等應當起想念及專稱名號，不求人、我，唯求擬生淨土，速證無上菩提，名正道，得見如來。若望法身，無相為正，色相、音聲以得為邪，此對十地已上菩薩；《觀經》及《阿彌陀經》，觀一相好，及以聞名，見報身如來，此對凡夫、二乘諸小菩薩。若望報身，觀佛稱名以將為正，無相為邪；若對法身，所有即論無相。又復說《般若經》時，世尊先向忉利諸天，為母說法，當時世尊初從天來至閻浮提，須菩提憶念世尊，入定觀佛，遂在先來。於時有一天女，不知所以，先見世尊，既見佛已，女即問佛言：『我最在先見佛不？』世尊言：『汝在後見。』天女曰云：『我初來到，無一人來見佛者，何故在後？』世尊語言：『有須菩提，在先入定，除去人、我，觀見法身，在天女前，故在先見。』女為起人、我心，觀我色身故，在後見。世尊為對彼天女故，說頌言：『若以色見我，以音聲求我，是人行邪道，不能見如來。』此頌即對外道益當時，不忤未來世事，不同《觀經》。又復《般若》為遮外道計四大、五蘊是常，計色為我，計聲為我，所以《般若經》遮彼外道，不見如來；今依《觀經》等，說厭患門，願離生死，速生淨土，早證菩提，不觀我相，遂見如來，不同般若。」

Answer: "The reason the Prajñā[-sūtra] refutes [it, saying that] one does not see the Tathāgata, is that [regarding] grasping at marks and sounds, one solely seeks for person and self, and does not seek rebirth or unsurpassed bodhi; therefore one merely walks a false path and does not see the Tathāgata. In the Contemplation Sūtra, the Amitābha-sūtra, and so forth, one ought to give rise to mindful contemplation and exclusively recite the name, not seeking person or self, but solely seeking intending to be reborn in the pure land and swiftly realize unsurpassed bodhi; this is called the correct path, and one attains seeing the Tathāgata. If viewed in relation to the dharmakāya, formlessness is correct, while form, marks, and sounds, if grasped at, are false—this is addressed to bodhisattvas of the tenth ground and above. In the Contemplation Sūtra and the Amitābha-sūtra, contemplating a single mark or auspicious sign and hearing the name enables one to see the saṃbhogakāya Tathāgata—this is addressed to ordinary beings, the two vehicles, and minor bodhisattvas. If viewed in relation to the saṃbhogakāya, contemplating the Buddha and reciting the name are regarded as correct, while formlessness is false; if addressed to the dharmakāya, whatever there is, one discusses formlessness. Furthermore, when the Prajñāpāramitā-sūtra was spoken, the World-Honoured One had previously gone to the Trāyastriṃśa heavens to teach the Dharma for his mother. At that time, when the World-Honoured One first came down from heaven to Jambudvīpa, Subhūti recollected the World-Honoured One, entered samādhi, and contemplated the Buddha, and so he was the very first to arrive. At that time there was a goddess who, not understanding the reason, was the first to see the World-Honoured One [with physical eyes]. Having seen the Buddha, the woman then asked the Buddha: 'Am I the very first to see the Buddha or not?' The World-Honoured One said: 'You see me later.' The goddess said: 'When I first arrived, not a single person had come to see the Buddha; why am I later?' The World-Honoured One spoke to her: 'Subhūti previously entered samādhi, eliminated person and self, and contemplated and saw the dharmakāya before you, goddess; therefore he was the first to see me.' Because the woman gave rise to a mind of person and self and contemplated my physical body, she was later to see me. In response to that goddess, the World-Honoured One spoke the verse: 'If one sees me by form, or seeks me by sound, this person walks a false path and cannot see the Tathāgata.' This verse was addressed to outsiders and was beneficial at that time; it does not obstruct matters of future eras, and is not the same as the Contemplation Sūtra. Furthermore, the Prajñā[-sūtra] was meant to refute the outsiders' reckoning that the four great elements and five aggregates are permanent, their reckoning form to be a self, and their reckoning sound to be a self; for this reason the Prajñāpāramitā-sūtra refutes those outsiders, [saying they] do not see the Tathāgata. Now, relying on the Contemplation Sūtra and the like, we speak of the gate of revulsion, vowing to depart from birth and death, swiftly be reborn in the pure land, and quickly realize bodhi, without contemplating marks of a self, and thus one sees the Tathāgata; it is not the same as the Prajñā[-sūtra]."