淨土或問 1.14

1.14

問曰：吾聞善財童子圓頓利根，一生取辨。今乃不生華藏而勸生極樂，此何意耶？答曰：華嚴疏中自有此問，彼所答云「有緣故歸，憑情一故、不離華藏故、即本師故。謂華藏中所有佛剎皆微塵數，極樂去此十萬億土，並未出於剎種之中，故不離也。經云『或有見佛無量壽，觀自在等共圍繞。』此讚遮那隨名異化，故即本師也。」又曰「普賢為善財海眾結歸極樂者，蓋為信解圓宗之人入文殊智修普賢行，福慧事理皆稱法界。此大心人雖妙悟本明頓同諸聖，然猶力用未充，未及如來出世普利眾生，所以暫依淨土親近彌陀，直至成佛。意在此也。」

Question: I have heard that the youth Sudhana had sharp faculties of the complete and sudden [vehicle], attaining realization in a single lifetime. Why is it that, instead of being born in the Flower Treasury, he was urged to be born in Sukhāvatī? Answer: This question is raised within the commentary on the Avataṃsaka-sūtra itself, where it answers: “It is because of having conditions [with that realm], because of relying on a single object of devotion, because it is not separate from the Flower Treasury, and because [Amitābha] is identical to the Original Teacher. That is to say, all the Buddha-lands within the Flower Treasury are as numerous as fine dust motes; Sukhāvatī, though a hundred thousand koṭis of lands away from here, is entirely contained within the seed of lands, and therefore is not separate from it. A sūtra says: ‘Some see the Buddha Amitāyus, surrounded by Avalokiteśvara and others.’ This praises Vairocana manifesting differently according to name, and thus he is identical to the Original Teacher.” It also states: “The reason Samantabhadra concluded by directing Sudhana and the ocean-like assembly to Sukhāvatī is that for persons of faith and understanding in the complete teaching who enter the wisdom of Mañjuśrī and cultivate the practices of Samantabhadra, their merit, wisdom, phenomena, and principle all correspond to the Dharmadhātu. Although these great-hearted persons marvelously awaken to original radiance and become suddenly equal to the noble ones, their power and function are not yet fully sufficient, and they have not yet reached the Tathāgata's standard of appearing in the world to universally benefit sentient beings; hence they temporarily rely on the Pure Land to draw near to Amitābha until they achieve Buddhahood. Such is the intention.”