廬山蓮宗寶鑑 8.2

8.2

The way of the Pure Land and the single gate of rebirth are fully recorded in the various sūtras, bright as the midday sun. It is truly the method for practitioners to enter the Path, and the resting place of the spirit for those who practice buddhānusmṛti. In the mindfulness of non-mindfulness, to be mindful is to be mindful of Amitābha; in the arising of non-arising, to be born is to be born in the Pure Land. For this reason, profound bodhisattvas, masters and models of past generations, eminent ministers, great scholars, commoners, and women who have faithfully believed in this path, formed vows, and progressed in cultivation are beyond count. What is their intent? They will not rest until they are born in the Pure Land and behold Amitābha. One must know that the Buddha originally has no body, nor does he have a land; they are entirely induced by the purity of sentient beings' minds. Does not the sūtra say, 'This mind creates the Buddha, this mind is the Buddha; the ocean of right and universal knowledge of all Buddhas arises from mental ideation'? Therefore Great Master Tiantai explained it, saying: 'The Buddha is fundamentally non-existent; he exists because the mind is pure. It is truly because when the minds of sentient beings are pure, the Dharma-essence manifests before them; when the minds of sentient beings are defiled, they circulate in the paths of suffering. This is the constant principle; what doubt could there be? In terms of the complete and actual teaching's exposition that the mind alone inherently possesses everything, this or that, defiled or pure, none goes beyond a single thought of our mind. Mind is the source of creating sins and the root of achieving Buddhahood—the so-called "with merely a spark of mind, the three thousand are complete." Since the three thousand phenomena already possess the ten realms and ten suchnesses, and the three kinds of worlds mutually possess and manifest them, then if one abandons this, where else should one seek the land of Sukhāvatī? Not only is the Pure Land Mind-only, but even hell is Mind-only.' He also said: 'The primary and dependent retributions of Avīci entirely tend toward the personal mind of the ultimate sage; the body and land of Vairocana do not exceed a single thought of the lowly ordinary person. The moment one gives rise to views of awakening or delusion, one enters a deviant stream; only when one makes no distinction between defiled and pure does one return to the right path. Mountains of knives and trees of swords are entirely empty flowers; jewel isles and golden lotuses all become dream events. Only with such an experience does one begin to understand true cultivation. If one has not yet reached this, one should rely on the expedient and gradual to apply further effort, deeply believing that Amitābha Buddha is one's own fundamental nature. Value lies in bowing, reciting, repenting, and contemplating, wherever walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, illuminating with the three contemplations and harmonizing with the one mind; the entirety of wisdom generates the objective sphere, and the entirety of the objective sphere is the mind. Thus one knows that the Buddha's primary and dependent aspects are both possessed and created by the mind. Truly believe that the Pure Land and Amitābha are clearly reflected between mind and eye! For instance, polishing copper to make a mirror necessarily requires applying effort; directly causing dust and grime to be purified without remainder, the original substance is roundly bright and naturally manifests, and all forms and images are without concealment. One should know that regarding the images in the mirror: if one says they exist, one cannot grasp and hold them; if one says they do not exist, their forms and images are distinctly visible. The so-called "existence is not definitively existent, non-existence is not definitively non-existent; both existence and non-existence are cast aside, spontaneously in the middle." How magnificent is this inconceivable objective realm, the path of the wondrous contemplation of Mind-only! If one wishes to realize this path, one must be clear about the cause. One should know that the cause encompasses the ocean of fruition, and the fruition penetrates the source of the cause. From beginning to end, it does not depart from a single thought; from cause to fruition, it lies solely in the initial mind. If one can skillfully cultivate such a cause here, at the end of life one will certainly obtain such a fruition. Thus one knows that single-mindedly practicing buddhānusmṛti is the cause, and rebirth in the Pure Land is the fruition. Beginning from hearing and having faith, having faith to cultivate, accumulating the work of pure karma, and attaining the fulfillment of meritorious conditions—when the time arrives, the great principle is evident, and regarding death as returning home, how could one not rejoice? Therefore, I directly present this straight formula for rebirth, clearly pointing to the road back home. Believing this now without doubt, one will not err when stepping out the door in the future. In this way, why worry that the land of Sukhāvatī will not be attained? Amitābha of one's own nature can definitely be seen; and achieving pure practices together with the array of sages and assembly of worthies, advancing through the stages to the ultimate, is truly only this path.'