往生淨土決疑行願二門 1.9

1.9

Question: The *Smaller Amitābha Sūtra* and others all say that in that land there are śrāvaka disciples, and the *Drum Sound King Sūtra* says, "The Buddha's mother is named Exquisite and Wonderful Countenance"; thus there should also be women. Answer: "The Buddha's mother" presumably refers to when he first descended to be born. Once he attained true awakening, his realm became pure accordingly, and there are definitely no women. His mother either transformed into a man, like the dragon girl in this realm; or passed away, like Siddhārtha's mother. As for someone who annotated the treatise, citing this scriptural passage and saying, "In that land there are also women," that is incorrect. As for the śrāvakas, they are harmonized and explained as in the *Commentary on the Visualization Sūtra* and the *Treatise Explaining the Ten Doubts*. Now, to clarify the Mahāyāna, there are further three kinds: First, the Shared Teaching of the three vehicles. In this, although the gate accesses the great, its types are intimately close to the two vehicles. Furthermore, although the bodhisattva of this teaching transforms others and purifies Buddha-lands, once the transformation is complete, he returns to being identical with the two vehicles, entering eternal extinction; the profound principle of the Pure Land is not known by him, so it is not definitive. Second, the Separate Teaching of the Mahāyāna. This clarifies the Mahāyāna as the Dharma unique to bodhisattvas; although it speaks of the real principle, it is only after the path is realized that cause and effect are verified. Not blending with the Pure Land, cultivation is accomplished outside of principle, and the myriad dharmas are not inherently possessed by the mind. Although one cultivates the path for dust-mote kalpas and roams extensively in Buddha realms, pointing to the cause and effect of that Pure Land is merely an expedient outside the essence; this also is not definitive. Third, the Perfect Teaching of the Buddha Vehicle. This teaching explains the purport of perfect interpenetration, the sudden sufficiency of cause and effect, and the marvel of the Buddha-dharma, beyond which one knows not how to judge. The sūtra says: "Searching throughout the ten directions, there is no other vehicle, only the one Buddha vehicle"—this is what it means. This, then, is the Mahāyāna among Mahāyānas, the definitive among the definitive: the purity and defilement of the ten directions are rolled up and embraced together in an instant; the forms and minds of a single thought completely gather and encompass the dharmadhātu. Both are fundamentally possessed of natural truth, not newly formed through dependent origination. Since a single thought is like this, a single dust particle is also like this; therefore, within each single dust particle are all realms, within each single mind are all minds, and each single mind and dust particle mutually pervade one another, manifold and endless without obstruction, appearing all at once, neither hidden nor manifest, all perfectly complete without superior or inferior. It is like a divine jewel suddenly containing numerous treasures, like the net of Indra mutually reflecting a thousand lights. Since my mind is like this, and sentient beings and the Buddha are equal in essence, only thus does one realize that directing one's spirit across billions of realms is actually being born within one's own mind; conceiving one's substance within the nine lotuses, how could it escape from within the boundary of an instant? If matter and principle were separated, and purity and defilement obstructed each other, how could an ordinary person guilty of the five heinous crimes ascend to the jewel land in ten recitations, and the worthy ones of the two vehicles arrive at the golden pond as soon as they turn their minds? Believing this perfect exposition, there is nothing in practice that is not penetrated; being blind to this supreme principle, one is confused at every encounter. Therefore, the *Avataṃsaka Sūtra* says: "The mind is like a skilled painter, creating the various five aggregates. Among all the worlds, there is nothing that is not made from the mind." (Making is twofold: first, inherently possessing in principle is called 'making', where the dependent and primary rewards of the ten realms are suddenly sufficient in a single thought; second, transforming and arising is called 'making', where, being entirely the dependent origination of principle, there is nothing it does not do.) "As is the mind, so is the Buddha; as is the Buddha, so are sentient beings. The mind, Buddha, and sentient beings—these three are without distinction." (Truly, it is through these three being without distinction that sympathetic resonance is achieved. Compassion and vows mutually gather; shared transformation and distinct transformation occur, and cause and effect are realized. If one only knows that the single principle is without distinction, but does not comprehend that all dharmas inherently possess one another, then one has not mastered the perfect purport.)