樂邦文類 2.143

2.143

古之大聖人立言垂教，被于百世之下，其志猶欝而未暢、晦而未明者，蓋有之矣，即吾佛淨土法門是也。余遍覽諸經，深求其旨，往生功德一言以蔽之，曰在凡夫獲不退而已矣。何則？此土修行圓教初信。小乘初果人邪見及邪三毒，永不起慈，為斷惑發悟剏入聖流，則越生不昧其所證，斯超四趣，不失人天。至於凡夫地中，雖伏惑發悟菩薩，一經生死非常之變，則忘其所證所修。是故遇緣或退，仍墮苦塗者容有之。乃若凡聖同居淨土，如極樂國等，雖具三界，唯有人天，故一切含識獲生者即長辭四趣。又助緣大備、壽數莫量，縱至鈍根，一生熏修，無不證聖果，寧復有退失事乎？如來讚勸之本意，不過如此。且圓機體道是最上淨業，苟加願導之，即預優品。若夫愚朴輩，但能稱佛發願者，而莫不往生。嗚呼！觀淨土一門，則知聖人無棄物矣。彼守癡空之徒，効無礙無修，起自障心、絕他學路，乃高其言曰「淨土末事也。何足道哉！」可不哀耶？

When great sages of old established words and bequeathed teachings to reach down through a hundred generations, there have indeed been cases where their intention remained pent up and unexpressed, obscured and not clearly understood; such is the Pure Land Dharma gate of our Buddha. I have widely examined the various sūtras and deeply sought their purport: the merit of rebirth may be summed up in a single phrase, namely that ordinary beings attain non-retrogression—nothing more. Why is this? In this land, when one practices to the first faith of the perfect teaching, or is a person of the first fruit of the Small Vehicle, wrong views and the wrong three poisons never give rise to [further affliction]; having severed delusion, awakened, and newly entered the stream of sages, through succeeding rebirths one will not be deluded regarding what one has realized, thereby transcending the four destinies and not losing human or heavenly rebirth. As for those on the level of ordinary beings, even bodhisattvas who have suppressed delusions and attained awakening, once they undergo the extraordinary trauma of birth and death, will forget what they had realized and practiced. Therefore, when encountering conditions, some may regress and still fall onto painful paths—this may indeed occur. But as for the Land where Commoners and Sages Cohabit, such as the Land of Ultimate Bliss, although it contains the three realms, it has only humans and gods; thus all sentient beings who obtain rebirth there bid eternal farewell to the four destinies. Moreover, auxiliary conditions are fully provided and lifespans are immeasurable; even those of the dullest faculties, cultivating and perfuming for a single lifetime, will without exception realize the sage fruit. How could there ever be any retrogression or loss? The fundamental intention of the Tathāgata in praising and encouraging it was simply this. Furthermore, to realize the Way with faculties attuned to the perfect teaching is the supreme pure karma; if one additionally guides it with vows, one directly attains the superior grades. As for those who are simple and foolish, if they can merely recite the Buddha's name and make vows, none will fail to attain rebirth. Alas! Contemplating this single gate of the Pure Land, one realizes that the sage abandons no one. Those followers who cling to foolish emptiness and emulate unhindered non-cultivation give rise to minds of self-obstruction and cut off the path of learning for others, speaking haughtily: 'The Pure Land is a peripheral matter. Why is it worth mentioning?' How can this not be lamentable?