樂邦文類 5.88

5.88

疑者曰：觀此偈，有十念下至一念生信樂者，乃至但作生意知有佛，亦生彼國。又有七七日至九十日，念佛方乃得生。豈非淨土是一，何故修因頓異？釋曰：淨土雖一，生者自殊，《無量壽經》總分三輩、《十六觀經》開作九品，若更細分，亦應無量。又疑曰：下品等輩修因既淺，應有退墮。釋曰：不然。但九品華開有遲速、去佛有遠近、得道有利鈍。而生彼者，例皆不退。經云「其有生者，悉住正定之聚。」又云「眾生生者，皆是阿鞞跋致。」此言不退。《十疑論》中，有五種因緣故不退。一者阿彌陀佛大悲願力攝持故不退。二者佛光常照故，菩提心常增進不退。三者水鳥樹林風聲樂響皆說苦空，聞者常起念佛念法念僧之心故不退。四者彼國純諸菩薩以為良友，無惡緣境，外無鬼神邪魔、內無三毒等，煩惱畢竟不起故不退。五者生彼國，即壽命永劫，共菩薩佛齊等故不退。況此惡世，非但闕此五緣，抑乃惡友知識、聲色醉亂、魔鬼濫真、壽命短促，五種皆惡，妨惱修道，浩劫空過。願熟思之。願熟思之。或曰：一切法本無生無滅、平等空寂，何用強勸捨此求彼？釋曰：若云求生西方以為取捨、乖平等理者，汝還非彼執此，豈不乖理耶？若轉計云我亦不求生於彼、亦不求生於此者，則是生斷滅見。《金剛般若經》豈不談空？佛誡須菩提云：「汝莫作是念。發菩提心者，於法不說斷滅相。」真解空者，即於因緣法中了生無生性、滅無滅性，非謂斷無為不生滅也。《中論》云「因緣所生法，我說即是空。」不云滅無後空也。《維摩經》云「雖知諸佛國，及與眾生空，而常修淨土，教化諸群生。」或曰：淨土在心，何須外覓？隨其心淨則佛土淨，豈用迢然求生他方淨土耶？釋曰：子又不善心土之義也。將謂我心局在方寸，便見西方敻在域外。苟如此者，又云何說心淨則佛土淨耶？《華嚴》云「心佛及眾生，是三無差別。」佛法既遍，心法亦遍。若各有方面，何謂無差？又云「游心法界如虛空」，虛空豈有分隔？若了一念心遍，一塵亦遍，十萬億剎咫步之間，豈在心外？世人若談空理，便撥略因果；若談自心，便不信有外諸法。豈唯謗法，亦謗自心，殃墜萬劫，良可痛哉。妄造是非，障他淨土，真惡知識也。《無量壽經》云「佛告彌勒菩薩諸天人等：『無量壽國，聲聞菩薩，功德智慧不可稱說。及其國土，微妙安樂清淨若此。何不力為善，念道之自然。宜各勒精進，努力自求之。必得超絕去，往生安樂國。橫截五惡道，惡趣自然閉。升道無窮極，易往而無人。其國無違逆，自然之所牽。何不棄世事，勤行求道德，可得極長生，壽樂無窮極。』」

A doubter says: Looking at these verses, there are those who with ten recitations, down to a single thought, give rise to faith and joy, and even those who merely generate the intention of knowing there is a Buddha, who also attain rebirth in that land. Yet there are also those who must practice buddha-mindfulness for forty-nine days or up to ninety days before they can attain rebirth. Is it not that the Pure Land is one? Why are the causal practices so suddenly disparate? Explaining, [the master] says: Although the Pure Land is one, those who are born there naturally differ. The *Sūtra of Immeasurable Life* broadly divides them into three tiers, and the *Contemplation Sūtra* (*Sixteen Contemplations Sūtra*) opens them into nine grades; if further subdivided into details, they would indeed be immeasurable. Further doubting, [the person] asks: The causal practices of those in the lower grades and tiers being shallow, should they not be subject to retrogression and falling? Explaining, [the master] says: Not so. It is merely that the blooming of the lotuses among the nine grades has slowness and swiftness, their distance from the Buddha has closeness and remoteness, and their attainment of the Way has sharpness and dullness. Yet those who are born there all without exception do not retrogress. The sūtra says: "Those who are born there all abide in the definitely determined stage." It also says: "The sentient beings who are born there are all avaivartika." This refers to non-retrogression. In the *Treatise on Ten Doubts*, there are five causes and conditions for why they do not retrogress: First, because the power of the great compassionate vows of Amitābha Buddha embraces and upholds them, they do not retrogress. Second, because the Buddha's light constantly shines upon them, their bodhicitta constantly increases and advances, and they do not retrogress. Third, because the water, birds, tree groves, sounds of the wind, and music all proclaim suffering and emptiness, so that those who hear them constantly give rise to the intention of mindfulness of the Buddha, mindfulness of the Dharma, and mindfulness of the Saṅgha, they do not retrogress. Fourth, because that land has purely bodhisattvas as good friends, free of evil conditions and objects—externally without ghosts, spirits, or evil māras, internally without the three poisons and the like—afflictions ultimately do not arise, and thus they do not retrogress. Fifth, because upon being born in that land their lifespans endure for eternal kalpas, equal to bodhisattvas and Buddhas, they do not retrogress. How much more so in this evil world! Not only is it devoid of these five conditions, but evil friends and companions, sound and form intoxicate and confuse, demons and ghosts counterfeit the truth, and lifespans are brief and fleeting—all five are evil, hindering and troubling practice of the Way, letting vast kalpas pass in vain. Please consider this thoroughly! Please consider this thoroughly! Someone says: All dharmas are fundamentally unarisen and unceasing, equal, empty, and quiescent; why forcibly urge abandoning this and seeking that? Explaining, [the master] says: If you say that seeking rebirth in the West constitutes grasping and rejecting and violates the principle of equality, then in rejecting that and grasping this, do you not violate the principle? If you turn around and hypothesize: "I neither seek rebirth there nor seek rebirth here," then you give rise to an annihilationist view. Does the *Diamond Prajñā Sūtra* not speak of emptiness? The Buddha admonished Subhūti, saying: "You must not form this thought. One who gives rise to the thought of bodhi does not speak of the mark of annihilation regarding dharmas." One who truly understands emptiness realizes within conditioned dharmas the nature of non-arising within arising and the nature of non-ceasing within cessation; it does not mean taking complete extinction and non-existence as unarisen and unceasing. The *Mūlamadhyamakakārikā* says: "Dharmas that arise from causes and conditions, I declare to be empty." It does not say that emptiness comes after extinction into nothingness. The *Vimalakīrti Sūtra* says: "Although knowing that Buddha lands and sentient beings are empty, one constantly cultivates the Pure Land to teach and transform all living beings." Someone says: The Pure Land is in the mind; why seek it outside? "According as the mind is pure, the Buddha land is pure." Why journey far off to seek rebirth in a Pure Land of another realm? Explaining, [the master] says: You do not understand the meaning of mind and land. If you assume that our mind is confined to a square inch [of the breast], you then see the West as faraway beyond the realm. If this were so, how could it be said that "According as the mind is pure, the Buddha land is pure"? The *Avataṃsaka Sūtra* says: "The mind, the Buddha, and sentient beings—these three are without difference." Since the Buddha-dharma is all-pervading, the mind-dharma is also all-pervading. If each had its own direction and boundary, how could they be called "without difference"? It also says: "Letting the mind roam in the dharmadhātu like empty space." How could empty space have divisions? If one understands that a single thought of the mind is all-pervading, even a single speck of dust is all-pervading; how could a hundred thousand koṭis of lands, being within a foot and a step, be outside the mind? When people of the world speak of the principle of emptiness, they immediately discard cause and effect; when they speak of their own mind, they immediately disbelieve the existence of external dharmas. Not only do they slander the Dharma, they also slander their own mind, falling into calamity for myriad kalpas—truly lamentable! Falsely fabricating right and wrong to obstruct others' Pure Land, they are true evil teachers. The *Sūtra of Immeasurable Life* says: "The Buddha told Bodhisattva Maitreya, all the devas, humans, and others: 'In the Land of Immeasurable Life, the merit and wisdom of the śrāvakas and bodhisattvas cannot be fully praised or spoken. And its country is subtle, wonderful, secure, happy, and pure like this. Why do you not strive to do good and be mindful of the naturalness of the Way? Each of you should spur on vigor and strive to seek it yourselves. You will certainly attain transcendent departure and be reborn in the Land of Peace and Joy. Traversing across, cut off the five evil paths, and the evil destinies will naturally be closed. Ascending the Way is limitless; it is easy to go, yet there are no people. That land does not go against or oppose anyone, pulled by the naturalness [of vows]. Why not abandon worldly affairs and diligently practice seeking virtue and the Way? You can attain extreme longevity, with bliss and life without end.'"