淨土或問 1.10

1.10

Question: The capacity of the Pure Land to gather beings is indeed vast; in my ignorance, I dare not debate it further. However, I have also heard the teaching of 'the Pure Land of mind-only, the Amitābha of one's inherent nature', and in my ignorance I rejoiced at it. Yet when I look at the Pure Land sūtras and treatises, the so-called Pure Land is Sukhāvatī, a hundred thousand koṭis of lands away; the so-called Amitābha is the teaching master in that land of Sukhāvatī. In that case, that [realm] and oneself are distinctly separate, far outside mind-only and inherent nature. What does this really mean?

Answer: Your words are narrow; you do not understand the vastness, luminosity, and wonder of your own mind. The Śūraṅgama[-sūtra] says: 'From the physical body on out to the mountains, rivers, empty space, and the great earth, all are things within the wondrously luminous true mind.' It also says: 'All dharmas that arise are manifestations of the mind only.' How could there be any Buddha-land that is not within our own mind? One should know that the Pure Land is mind-only, and outside the mind there is no land—just as the great ocean manifests myriad bubbles, and not a single bubble can be outside the ocean. Mind-only is the Pure Land, and outside the land there is no mind—just as the myriad particles of dust depend upon the great earth, and there is not a single particle of dust that is not called earth.

Moreover, one should know that earlier sages said: 'This one mind possesses four kinds of lands: first, [the Land of] Common Residence of Ordinary Beings and Sages; second, [the Land of] Expedience with Remainder; third, [the Land of] True Reward and Non-obstruction; fourth, [the Land of] Eternally Quiescent Light.'

First, the Land of Common Residence of Ordinary Beings and Sages is itself divided into two classes: the first is the defiled land of common residence; the second is the pure land of common residence. First, the defiled land of common residence is of the kind like the Sahā [world]. Those dwelling within it include ordinary beings and sages, and each comprises two types. The two types of ordinary dwellers are: first, evil sentient beings, namely the four destinies; second, good sentient beings, namely humans and devas. The two types of sage dwellers are: first, real sages, namely the four fruits [of the śrāvaka], pratyekabuddhas, the sixth ground of the Shared Teaching, the ten abodes of the Distinct Teaching, and the final mind of the ten faiths of the Perfect Teaching—although their shared defilements are exhausted, they still possess a recompense body, and thus are all called real; second, provisional sages, referring to the dharmakāya bodhisattvas and wondrously enlightened Buddhas in the lands of Expedience, True Reward, and Quiescent Light, who, in order to benefit those with affinity, respond by taking birth in the land of Common Residence, and thus are all provisional. Because such beings dwell together with ordinary beings, it is called 'common residence of ordinary beings and sages'; because they dwell together with the four destinies, it is called a 'defiled land'.

Next, as for the pure land of common residence, taking the land of Sukhāvatī as an example, although its retributive reward is supreme and beyond compare with others, it is nevertheless also a common residence of ordinary beings and sages. Why is this? Although it is free of the four destinies, it has humans and devas, because those born in that land are not necessarily all persons who have attained the Path. As the sūtra says: 'Those who commit grave transgressions, by repenting and practicing buddhānusmṛti at the end of life, immediately attain rebirth.' Therefore we know that even though beings possess defilements and afflictions, they can still dwell there. As for the provisional and real sages who dwell there, they can be understood by analogy to the previous case; it is named 'pure' solely because it lacks the four evil destinies.

Some may say: 'When the characteristics of lands are fully explained, there are furthermore many differences. For instance, the realm of Akṣobhya, although a pure land, still has men, women, Mount Sumeru, and so forth. Since pure lands are not identical, defiled lands must likewise vary.'

Second, the Land of Expedience with Remainder is the dwelling place of those of the two vehicles and the three kinds of bodhisattvas who have realized the path of expedience. Why? If they practice the two contemplations and completely sever the shared defilements, but have not yet severed the dust-sand defilements, distinct defilements, and ignorance, they abandon the body of fragmented birth and death and are born outside the realms, receiving a body of dharma-nature, which undergoes transformation birth and death. The land in which they dwell is named 'with remainder' because their ignorance is not yet severed; it is named 'expedience' because it is dwelled in by practitioners of expedience. Therefore, the [Mahāprajñāpāramitā-]śāstra says: 'Outside the three realms there is a pure land; śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas are born therein, receiving a body of dharma-nature, which is not fragmented birth.'

Third, the Land of True Reward and Non-obstruction has no adherents of the two vehicles, being dwelled in purely by dharmakāya bodhisattvas. Having broken through ignorance to reveal the dharma-nature, they attain the true fruition; yet because ignorance is not exhausted, they nourish untainted karma and receive a reward body of dharma-nature, which is also named the 'country of fruition reward'. The Benevolent Kings Sūtra says: 'The three [ranks of] worthies and ten [stages of] sages dwell in fruition reward'—this is it. Because it is the fruition reward obtained by contemplating the true mark and giving rise to true untaintedness, it is named 'true'; because the cultivation of causes is without fixed limit, and form and mind are unimpeded, it is named the 'land of true non-obstruction'. In the Avataṃsaka-sūtra, the explanation of the worlds of Indra's net refers to this.

Fourth, the Land of Eternally Quiescent Light is where the principle of the tathatā dharmadhātu, illuminated by the supreme wisdom of wondrous enlightenment, is termed a 'country'; it is also named the 'dharma-nature land'. However, true suchness and Buddha-nature are neither body nor land, yet are spoken of as body and land; apart from the body there is no land, and apart from the land there is no body. Naming it a 'land' is one dharma with two meanings. The Contemplation of Samantabhadra states that the dwelling place of Vairocana is named 'Eternally Quiescent Light'. The first two lands are responsive, being the dwelling places of responsive Buddhas; the third is both responsive and reward, being the dwelling place of reward Buddhas; the fourth is solely true and pure, neither responsive nor reward, being the dwelling place of the dharmakāya. It also says: 'Eternity is the dharmakāya, quiescence is liberation, and light is prajñā—like the three dots of the worldly letter *i*, neither vertical nor horizontal nor parallel, separately named the secret treasury, the roaming and dwelling place of the Buddha Tathāgatas, the truly eternal, ultimate, and supreme Pure Land.'

Viewed from this, the so-called lands of dust particles throughout the ten directions are nothing other than lands within our own minds; the Buddhas like sands of the Ganges throughout the three times are nothing other than Buddhas within our own minds. Knowing this, one knows that there is not a single land that is not established in reliance upon our mind, and not a single Buddha that is not revealed from our nature. If so, could Sukhāvatī, a hundred thousand koṭis away, alone fail to be the Pure Land of mind-only? Could the teaching master in the land of Sukhāvatī alone fail to be the Amitābha of our inherent nature?

Moreover, one should know that this one mind fully contains the ten realms, with body and land interfusing, layer upon layer without obstruction. Moreover, one should know that mind, Buddha, and sentient beings are three without distinction; sentient beings and Buddhas mutually manifest, moment by moment interpenetrating. Therefore it is said: 'Sentient beings within the minds of all Buddhas are, dust by dust, Sukhāvatī; Buddhas within the minds of sentient beings are, thought by thought, Amitābha.' And it is said: 'The pure and defiled of the ten directions are enfolded together in an instant; the forms and minds of a single thought-moment are laid out to encompass the entire dharmadhātu.' Both are naturally and inherently possessed, not newly formed through dependent origination. Since a single thought is thus, a single dust particle is also thus. Therefore, in each single dust particle are all kṣetras; in each single mind are all minds; each mind and dust particle again mutually pervade, layer upon layer without dust and without obstruction. They manifest all at once, neither hidden nor revealed; all are completely perfected, neither superior nor inferior. It is like a miraculous jewel suddenly containing myriad treasures; it is like Indra's net mutually reflecting a thousand lights. Since my mind is thus, sentient beings and Buddhas are identical in substance.

Only in this way does one understand that 'shifting one's spirit across koṭis of kṣetras is truly born within one's own mind; conceiving one's substance within the nine lotuses—how could it escape the span of an instant?' And it is said: 'Sukhāvatī is universally present everywhere, gathering all in raising a single one.' Like the jewel net of a thousand pearls on the palace of Śakra, the reflections and lights of a thousand pearls all enter into a single pearl, and the reflection and light of a single pearl pervade the thousand pearls. Although pearl and pearl mutually pervade, this pearl cannot become that pearl, and that pearl cannot become this pearl; they mingle without confusion, and separate without dividing; each is universally manifest, yet has no fixed location. The Pure Land of Sukhāvatī is just one of the thousand pearls; the hundred thousand koṭis of lands are also each one of the thousand pearls; and up to the three vehicles, humans, and devas, down to the hells, hungry ghosts, animals, and asuras, each and every one is nothing other than one of the thousand pearls. Amitābha Buddha is also a direct display of one pearl among the thousand pearls: seeing one Buddha is seeing the Buddhas of the ten directions, and seeing the sentient beings of the nine realms in the ten directions. The ocean of kṣetras like dust particles and the past and present of the ten times are all at once perfected in a single seal, with no remaining dharmas. All the citations above are the clear instructions passed down from Buddhas, patriarchs, sages, and worthies. Knowing this, one knows that all lands and all dust particles, dust by dust, are the Sukhāvatī of mind-only; each dust particle and each Buddha, Buddha by Buddha, are the Amitābha of inherent nature. What doubt could there still be?