樂邦遺稿 1.32

1.32

諸佛因修六度萬行，果證本有一體三身。今彌陀丈六，應身也。六十萬億那由他恒河沙由旬，報身也。非報非應，遍一切處，法身也。然則彌陀報身既爾高大，下凡心想羸劣，不可率爾而觀。佛世根利如韋提希，蒙佛說示十六境觀，隨言進修，至第八像觀證入七信，方得遍觀。矧今末代鈍根，理不可便觀勝相，須先觀丈六。是故經曰「若欲至心生西方者，先觀池上一丈六像。」無量壽佛身量無邊，非是凡夫心力所及，此則釋迦如來異妙方便，指令機緣自小觀大，故有是謂。或不如是，儻有於佛報身而便修習，則未免於望崖矣。當今道俗多不諳此意，凡禮讚稱想莫不首言八萬四千相好。以上佛祖之言評之，豈非越次失旨乎？愚固不敢臆斷，所幸聖教備存，因得考校。而今之後，或不以人廢言，請依教理而敷揚之。

All buddhas, as their cause, cultivate the six perfections and ten thousand practices; as their fruit, they realize the fundamentally existing three bodies of one substance. Now, Amitābha's sixteen-foot [form] is the responsive body (nirmāṇakāya). The sixty trillion nayutas of Ganges sands of yojanas is the reward body (saṃbhogakāya). Neither reward nor responsive, pervading everywhere, is the Dharma body (dharmakāya). However, since Amitābha's reward body is so tall and vast, and the thoughts of inferior ordinary beings are weak and deficient, it cannot be contemplated rashly. When the Buddha was in the world, someone of sharp faculties like Vaidehī received the Buddha's exposition of the sixteen realms of contemplation, progressed in cultivation according to his words, and only upon realizing entry into the seventh stage of faith at the eighth contemplation of the image was she able to contemplate universally. How much more so for the dull faculties of the latter age, who by principle cannot immediately contemplate the superior marks, but must first contemplate the sixteen-foot [image]! Therefore the sūtra says: 'If there are those who wish with utmost sincerity to be reborn in the western direction, they should first contemplate a sixteen-foot image above the pond. The bodily measure of the Buddha Amitāyus is boundless, beyond the reach of ordinary beings' mental capacities.' This is Śākyamuni Tathāgata's extraordinarily wondrous expedient, directing the capacities of beings to contemplate the large from the small, which is why this is said. Were it not so, if someone were immediately to practice upon the Buddha's reward body, they could not avoid standing at the brink of a precipice [in despair]. Nowadays, monastics and laypeople mostly do not understand this intent; whenever they make praises, invoke, or visualize, none do not speak first of the eighty-four thousand marks and signs. Evaluating this by the words of the Buddha and patriarchs above, is this not overstepping the order and losing the principle? I certainly do not dare to judge arbitrarily; fortunately, the sacred teachings are fully preserved, allowing examination and verification. From now on, if one does not reject the words on account of the person, please expound and spread them according to the doctrinal principle.