樂邦文類 3.68

3.68

三聖立像，見于《觀無量壽佛經》。釋迦世尊無緣大慈，深悲堪忍未得度者，大啟淨土法門，曲示念佛三昧，將使神棲淨域，故令繫想聖緣，十六妙觀於是乎設也。是以落日懸鼓，指其向方。大水凝氷，狀其寶地。林泉樓觀，以次而觀焉。莫不皆以百寶莊嚴，世無與比；光色炳煥，不可具名。已而方欲廣宣觀彼佛身光明相好、眾會階差，俄於太虛中現出三聖，令韋提希見，以為發請之端。經曰「佛告韋提希：『吾當為汝分別解說除苦惱法。』說是語時，無量壽佛住立空中，觀世音、大勢至侍立左右。韋提白佛：『我今因佛力故，得見彼佛及二菩薩。未來眾生，當云何觀而得見耶？』佛令先觀華臺、次觀形像，後觀佛身、左右侍者、九品徒眾。」念佛三昧於茲備矣。自廬山遠師已來，天下僧坊結繫念淨社，立彌陀三聖，蓋出於此經、的見於斯文耳。四明慈溪靈龜山福源蘭若釋子戒深，自入道稟具，常持是經，而篤志淨業有年數矣。以謂修一已不若誘諸人、行一時不若存諸久，於是糾募眾信，躬往錢唐，命工雕造三聖立像，江山千里往返經營，歷涉數歲始獲圓就，所費幾千緡，立于城南開元寺經藏院之懺堂。四眾具瞻，歎未曾有。一日挐舟度江，抵于芝園蘭若，解囊結夏，捻香稽首，請為文記。予忝屬意此道，故樂為書之。或曰：經云「諸佛如來是法界身，入一切眾生心想中。」今刻木為像，世物所成。用此為佛，不知其可乎？對曰：佛身無相亦不離相。以其無相故，世出世間無有一法而是佛者。雖八萬四千三十二相，亦即非相，況他物乎？故曰離一切相即名諸佛。以其不離相故，世出世間無有一法而非佛者，況相好乎？故曰當知一切諸法即是佛法。如能達此相即非相、非相即相，則山河國土草木微塵、四生六道翾飛蠕動，莫非諸佛法身之體。而況範金合土、刻木繪塑、莊嚴相好而獨非佛乎？諸有智者，當觀此像，材木灰布膠漆金彩，假彼眾緣和合而成。求於眾緣，皆世間之物，各有名體，孰為佛乎？然緣無定相、物無定名，既號為佛，一切眾緣莫非佛體。豈可捨此別求佛乎？故《華嚴》云「色相不是佛，音聲亦復然。亦不離色聲，見佛神通力。」若此觀之，不住於相亦不離相，理事一如、真俗不二，雖復對像，是真見佛。經云「若佛滅後，造立形像持用供養，是人來世必得念佛清淨三昧。」是知末法住持，像設為勝，上中下根莫不沾益。是以紫檀琢削，優闐剏啟於西乾；白㲲丹青，迦竺始流於東夏。傳模既廣、瑞應尤多，生靈覩相以知歸、佛化承風而久住。其有誠心達本，直造上乘，至於舉手低頭，終成緣種。克論搏濟，詎可勝言？凡到道場，宜加兢謹。

The standing images of the Three Sages appear in the Contemplation of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life Sūtra. Śākyamuni, the World-Honoured One, through his unconditioned great compassion, feeling deep pity for those in the Sahā world who had not yet been delivered, broadly opened the Pure Land Dharma door and intricately revealed the buddha-mindfulness samādhi. Intending to have their spirits dwell in the pure realm, he therefore directed them to fasten their thoughts upon sagely causes; hence the sixteen wondrous contemplations were established. Thus, the setting sun suspended like a hanging drum indicates its direction; great water congealing into ice portrays its jewelled ground; and the groves, springs, and multistoried pavilions are contemplated in sequence. All are adorned with hundreds of treasures, unequalled in the world; their brilliant light and hues are beyond fully naming. When he was just about to proclaim broadly the contemplation of that Buddha's bodily radiance, marks, and signs, as well as the hierarchical grades of the assembled multitude, suddenly in the open sky there appeared the Three Sages, causing Vaidehī to see them, which served as the occasion for her petition. The sūtra states: "The Buddha told Vaidehī, 'I will now analyze and explain for you the dharmas for eliminating suffering and distress.' As he spoke these words, the Buddha of Immeasurable Life stood in the air, with Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta attending and standing on his left and right. Vaidehī said to the Buddha, 'Now, through the Buddha's power, I have been able to see that Buddha and the two bodhisattvas. How should future sentient beings contemplate so that they may see them?' The Buddha told her to contemplate first the floral throne, next the physical image, and then the Buddha's body, his attendants on the left and right, and the disciples of the nine grades." The buddha-mindfulness samādhi was thereby made complete. Ever since Master Yuan of Mount Lu, monastic dwellings throughout the world have formed societies for fastening mindfulness upon the Pure Land and erected standing images of the Three Sages of Amitābha; this originated from this very sūtra and is clearly seen in this text. In Siming, at Mount Linggui in Cixi, the monk Jieshen of Fuyuan Hermitage, ever since entering the Way and receiving the full precepts, has constantly upheld this sūtra and has been devoted in intention to the pure karma for many years. Considering that cultivating oneself alone is not as good as guiding others, and practicing for a brief time is not as good as preserving it for the long term, he then raised funds among faithful donors and went in person to Qiantang, ordering craftsmen to carve standing images of the Three Sages. Journeying back and forth across a thousand miles of rivers and mountains, managing this over several years, he finally brought it to completion. Costing several thousand strings of cash, they were erected in the Repentance Hall of the Canon Courtyard at Kaiyuan Monastery south of the city. When the fourfold assembly gazed upon them, they marvelled at what they had never seen before. One day, taking a boat across the river, he arrived at Zhiyuan Hermitage, unpacked his robes to enter the summer retreat, burned incense, bowed his head, and requested an inscription. As I humbly share his dedication to this path, I gladly wrote it for him. Someone asked: "The sūtra says, 'The Buddhas, the Tathāgatas, are the dharmadhātu-body, entering into the mental thoughts of all sentient beings.' Now, carving wood into an image makes it out of mundane materials. Using this as a Buddha—I do not know whether that is permissible?" I replied: "The Buddha's body is markless, yet it is also not apart from marks. Because it is markless, among all mundane and supramundane dharmas, not a single one is the Buddha. Even the eighty-four thousand or thirty-two marks are themselves non-marks; how much more so other things? Hence it is said: 'Free from all marks is called the Buddhas.' Because it is not apart from marks, among all mundane and supramundane dharmas, not a single one is not the Buddha; how much more so the marks and signs? Hence it is said: 'One should know that all dharmas are themselves the Buddhadharma.' If one can realize that these marks are non-marks, and non-marks are marks, then mountains, rivers, lands, grasses, trees, fine dust motes, the four modes of birth, the six destinies, fluttering insects, and crawling creatures—none are not the substance of the dharmakāya of all Buddhas. How much more so casting metal, blending clay, carving wood, or painting and sculpting in order to adorn the marks and signs: could these alone not be the Buddha? All wise persons should contemplate this image: timber, plaster, cloth, glue, lacquer, gold, and pigments are brought together dependent on those many conditions. Seeking among the many conditions, they are all mundane things, each with its own name and substance; which of them is the Buddha? Yet conditions have no fixed mark, and things have no fixed name. Once designated as the Buddha, none among all the many conditions is not the Buddha's substance. How could one abandon this and seek a Buddha elsewhere? Therefore the Avataṃsaka Sūtra says, 'Form and marks are not the Buddha; sounds and voices are likewise so. Yet not apart from forms and sounds does one behold the Buddha's supernatural powers.' If contemplated in this way, one does not abide in marks nor is one apart from marks; principle and phenomena are one and the same; the ultimate and conventional are non-dual. Although one is facing an image, this is truly seeing the Buddha. The sūtra says: 'If after the Buddha's passing, one erects physical images and supports them with offerings, this person will in a future life definitely attain the pure samādhi of buddha-mindfulness.' From this we know that for maintaining the Dharma in the Latter Age, the establishment of images is supreme; those of superior, middling, and inferior capacities all receive benefit. Thus, carving red sandalwood was first initiated by King Udayana in the Western Regions; white cotton cloth and pigments first flowed with Kāśyapa Mātaṅga and Dharmaratna into the Eastern Xia. The transmissions of models having spread widely, auspicious responses have been especially numerous: living beings gaze at the marks and thereby know where to take refuge, and the Buddha's transformation rides the wind to abide long. Those with sincere minds realize the fundamental and directly attain the Supreme Vehicle; even raising a hand or bowing the head ultimately becomes a causal seed. Strictly evaluating their salvation of beings, how could it be fully told? Whoever enters this sanctuary should exercise all the more reverence and caution."