樂邦文類 4.87

4.87

二、疑法者，佛法有二：一者小乘不了義法、二者大乘了義法。大乘中復有了不了義，今談淨土，唯是大乘了義中了義之法也。且小乘經部，括盡貝書，曾無一字讚勸往生他方淨土。故《天親論》云「女人及根缺，二乘種不生。」此即明據也。問：《小彌陀經》等，皆說彼國有聲聞弟子，及《鼓音王經》云「佛母名殊勝妙顏」，亦應復有女人。答：佛母且指初降生時。成正覺已，國土隨淨，必無女人。其母或轉成男子，如此方龍女。或復命終，如悉達母。有人注論，引此經文而云彼土亦有女人者，非也。聲聞，如《觀經疏》及《十疑論》和會。今明大乘，復有三種：一者三乘通教。此則門雖通大，類神二乘。又當教菩薩雖復化他，淨佛國土化畢，還同二乘歸於永滅。淨土深理非彼所知，非了義也。二者大乘別教。此明大乘獨菩薩法，雖談實理，道後方證，因果不融。淨土則理外修成、萬法乃不由心具，雖塵劫修道廣游佛剎，指彼淨土因果但是體外方便，斯亦未了。三者佛乘圓教。此教詮旨圓融、因果頓足，佛法之妙過此以往不知所裁也。經曰「十方諦求，更無餘乘，唯一佛乘。」斯之謂與。是則大乘中大乘、了義中了義，十方淨穢卷懷，同在於剎那；一念色心羅列，遍收於法界。並天真本具，非緣起新成。一念既然，一塵亦爾。故能一一塵中一切剎，一一心中一切心，一一心塵復互周，重重無盡無障礙。一時頓現非隱顯，一切圓成無勝劣。若神珠之頓含眾寶、猶帝網之交映千光，我心既然，生佛體等。如此則方了：迴神億剎，實生乎自己心中；孕質九蓮，豈逃乎剎那際內。苟或事理攸隔、淨穢相妨，安令五逆凡夫十念便登於寶土、二乘賢輩迴心即達於金池也哉？信此圓談，則事無不達；昧斯至理，則觸類皆迷。故《華嚴》云「心如工畫師，造種種五陰。一切世間中，無不從心造。如心佛亦爾，如佛眾生然，心佛及眾生，是三無差別。」又《起信論》云「所言法者，謂眾生心，是心即攝一切世間、出世間法，依於此心顯示摩訶衍義。」十六觀云「諸佛如來是法界身，入一切眾生心想中。乃至是心作佛、是心是佛。」又《般舟三昧經》云「佛是我心，是我心見佛、是我心作佛」等。談斯旨者。大乘卷中粲然可舉。至若法華妙部，如來親記往生；華嚴頓談，普賢躬陳迴向。是知彌陀因地，觀此理而大誓普收；釋迦果成，稱此理而廣舌深讚。十方三世，莫不咸然。問：如上所明妙理圓極。為世人盡須觀行然始生耶？答：此不然也。今但直決疑情，令知淨土百寶莊嚴、九品因果並在眾生介爾心中理性具足，方得今日往生事用隨願自然。是則旁羅十方，不離當念，往來法界，正協唯心，免信常流執此非彼。其行願之相，正在次門，非此所問。況九品生相各有行類，上輩三品須解須行，故文云「汝行大乘解第一義」，即其人矣。若今之學者見賢思齊，企金座而高升，唯妙觀而是託。若其中下之流六品生因，只是精持禁戒、行世仁慈。乃至下下品生，本是惡逆，十念情誠便生彼國。但能知有淨土，盡可迴心。苟不然者，寧容九品之差降也？三、疑自者，問曰：我是博地凡夫，世緣纏蓋。云何此身生諸佛淨土、入賢聖海、同正定聚耶？釋曰：若了如上法性虛通，及信彌陀本願攝受，但勤功福，寧俟問津？況十念者得生，唯除五逆及謗正法。又定心十念，逆謗亦生。今幸無此惡，而正願至求，夫何惑矣。

Second, regarding doubting the Dharma: the Buddha's Dharma is of two kinds: first, the Hīnayāna Dharma of inexplicit meaning; second, the Mahāyāna Dharma of explicit meaning. Within the Mahāyāna there are again explicit and inexplicit meanings; now, when discussing the Pure Land, it belongs solely to the Dharma of the most explicit meaning within the Mahāyāna of explicit meaning. Furthermore, searching through all the palm-leaf scriptures of the Hīnayāna canon, there is not a single word praising and encouraging rebirth in a pure land in another direction. Hence Vasubandhu's treatise says: 'Women, those with defective sense organs, and those of the two vehicles' lineage are not born there.' This is clear proof. Question: The Smaller Sukhāvatīvyūha-sūtra and others all say that in that land there are śrāvaka disciples, and the Gu-yin-wang-jing says, 'The Buddha's mother was named Exquisite and Wondrous Countenance'; thus there should also be women. Answer: The Buddha's mother refers only to the time of his initial descent and birth. Once he attained true awakening, his land was correspondingly purified, and there are certainly no women. His mother either transformed into a man, like the dragon girl in this world, or passed away, like Siddhārtha's mother. For someone writing a commentary on the treatise to cite this sūtra text and claim that there are women in that land as well is mistaken. As for the śrāvakas, they are reconciled as explained in the Commentary on the Contemplation Sūtra and the Treatise on Ten Doubts. Now to explain the Mahāyāna, it has three kinds: First is the shared teaching of the three vehicles. In this case, although the gateway connects to the Mahāyāna, its members resemble the two vehicles. Furthermore, although the bodhisattvas in this teaching transform others, when they finish purifying buddha-lands and transforming others, they return like the two vehicles to eternal extinction. The profound principle of the Pure Land is not known by them; it is not the explicit meaning. Second is the distinct teaching of the Mahāyāna. This clarifies the Dharma exclusively for bodhisattvas in the Mahāyāna; although it speaks of the true principle, it is only realized after attaining the path, so cause and effect are not interpenetrating. The Pure Land is cultivated outside the principle, and the myriad dharmas are not intrinsically possessed by the mind; although one cultivates the path for dust-mote kalpas and travels widely through buddha-lands, the cause and effect of that Pure Land are pointed to as merely expedients outside the essence; this too is not yet the explicit meaning. Third is the perfect teaching of the Buddha Vehicle. The meaning and principles clarified in this teaching are perfectly fused, and cause and effect are suddenly complete; beyond the marvel of this Buddha-Dharma, one knows not what to add. The sūtra says: 'Searching throughout the ten directions, there are no other vehicles, only the one Buddha Vehicle.' This is what it refers to. This, then, is the Mahāyāna within the Mahāyāna, the explicit meaning within the explicit meaning: the purity and defilement of the ten directions are encompassed within a single instant; the forms and minds of a single thought are arrayed and completely gathered within the dharmadhātu. Both are intrinsically possessed by nature, not newly produced through dependent origination. Since a single thought is like this, a single dust mote is also like this. Therefore, within every single dust mote are all lands; within every single mind are all minds; every single mind and dust mote mutually pervade each other, manifold, endless, and unobstructed. They are suddenly manifested all at once without concealment or display; all are perfectly achieved without superior or inferior. Just as a wish-fulfilling jewel suddenly contains myriad gems, or Indra's net reflects a thousand lights upon one another, since my mind is like this, sentient beings and buddhas are identical in essence. Thus one comes to understand: directing one's spirit across billions of lands is actually taking birth within one's own mind; conceiving one's substance within the nine lotus grades, how could it escape from within the boundary of an instant? If principle and phenomena were separated, or purity and defilement hindered each other, how could an ordinary person guilty of the five heinous deeds ascend to the jeweled land in ten recitations, or worthy ones of the two vehicles reach the golden pond as soon as they turn their minds? If one has faith in this perfect discourse, nothing will fail to be penetrated; if one is ignorant of this ultimate principle, one will be deluded in every circumstance. Thus the Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: 'The mind is like a skilled painter, producing the various five aggregates. Throughout all worlds, there is nothing that is not produced from the mind. As is the mind, so is the Buddha; as is the Buddha, so are sentient beings. The mind, the Buddha, and sentient beings—these three are without differentiation.' The Awakening of Faith also says: 'What is called the Dharma is the mind of sentient beings; this mind subsumes all worldly and world-transcending dharmas, and on the basis of this mind the meaning of the Mahāyāna is revealed.' The Sixteen Contemplations states: 'All the Tathāgatas are the dharmadhātu body, entering into the mind-thoughts of all sentient beings. ... Even to the point that this mind makes buddha, this mind is buddha.' And the Pratyutpanna-samādhi-sūtra says: 'The Buddha is my mind; it is my mind that sees the Buddha, it is my mind that makes the Buddha,' and so forth. Those that discuss this purport can be clearly cited throughout the Mahāyāna scriptures. As for the wondrous scripture of the Lotus Sūtra, the Tathāgata personally bestowed the prediction of rebirth; in the sudden discourse of the Avataṃsaka, Samantabhadra personally presented his dedication of merit. From this we know that in his causal stage Amitābha contemplated this principle and made the great vows to gather all universally; and when Śākyamuni achieved the fruit, he praised this principle deeply with his broad tongue. Throughout the ten directions and three periods of time, none are not thus. Question: The wondrous principle explained above is perfectly ultimate. Must all people in the world practice contemplation before they can be born? Answer: This is not so. Here we only directly resolve the feelings of doubt, so that one knows that the hundred-gem adornments of the Pure Land and the causes and effects of the nine grades are all fully possessed in principle within sentient beings' slightest moment of thought, and only then does today's actual function of rebirth proceed naturally in accordance with vows. Thus, embracing the ten directions does not depart from the present thought; going and coming through the dharmadhātu precisely harmonizes with mind-only, avoiding the ordinary person's clinging to this and rejecting that. The aspects of practices and vows belong precisely to the next section and are not what is being asked here. Moreover, the circumstances of rebirth in the nine grades each have their categories of practice: the three grades of the upper class require understanding and practice, so the text says, 'You practice the Mahāyāna and understand the primary meaning,' which refers to such persons. If contemporary learners emulate the worthy, aspiring to ascend high to the golden seat, they must rely solely on wondrous contemplation. As for the causes of rebirth in the six grades of the middle and lower classes, they consist merely of strictly upholding the prohibitive precepts and practicing worldly benevolence and compassion. Even down to rebirth in the lowest grade of the lowest class, they were originally evil and rebellious, yet with sincere feeling in ten recitations they are born in that land. As long as one knows of the existence of the Pure Land, one can completely turn one's mind. Were it not so, how could the differences of the nine grades be permitted? Third, regarding doubting oneself: Question: I am an ordinary person bound to the common earth, entangled and covered by worldly conditions. How could this body be born in the pure lands of all buddhas, enter the ocean of worthy ones and sages, and join the definitely determined stage? Explanation: If one understands the empty and unobstructed nature of dharmatā as explained above and has faith that Amitābha's original vows gather and receive us, one needs only to be diligent in merit and blessings—how could one need to wait to ask the way? What is more, those who recite ten times attain rebirth, with only the five heinous deeds and slandering the true Dharma excluded. Furthermore, with a concentrated mind in ten recitations, even those who commit the heinous deeds and slander are born. Now, fortunately, we do not have these evils, and we seek it with ultimate sincere vows; what doubt could there be?