往生淨土決疑行願二門 1.6

1.6

First, for kings, ministers, and governing officials who give rise to faithful joy, their official affairs leave them little leisure, making it difficult to search through extensive texts; here I present the main outline and briefly set forth the aspects of practice, so that it may be easily examined and easily practiced. Second, in that treatise he mostly resolves difficulties according to specific matters, with only the second and third [doubts] briefly grounded in principle. Furthermore, since matters are endless, doubts also cannot be exhausted; here I directly clarify the single principle as the source of all dharmas, for once the source is indicated, the streams can be known. Third, directly confronting those who speak, who contradict the scriptures and deviate from principle, harming themselves and harming others; therefore, under the second [doubt], "doubting the Dharma," I sift out the small and take up the great, making clear the provisional and the real, so that future practitioners will not be confused. As for the *Rebirth Treatise* in six fascicles by the Upādhyāya Dao'an, the *Treatise on Many Doubts* in seven fascicles by Dharma Master Huaigan, the *Collection on Peace and Bliss* in three fascicles by Dhyāna Master Daochuo, the *Collection on the Compassion of the Pure Land* in three fascicles by Tripiṭaka Master Zimin, and the *Pure Land Collection* in two fascicles by Dhyāna Master Genshin: ancient and modern masters who took refuge with their hearts in the pure realm either composed commentaries to explain sūtras, or took sūtras as the basis to compose treatises, or resolved difficulties according to people's inclinations, or praised it with gāthās. Although following different paths to the same destination, each presented his own view; their works easily fill volumes, and examining them thoroughly is truly difficult. Now, subsuming those hundred masters, I gather them all into the three doubts. However, the text is drawn from *Tiantai's Great Calming and Contemplation*; I do not dare make arbitrary assertions. First, doubting the teacher; second, doubting the Dharma; third, doubting oneself.