西方合論 10.15

10.15

八、發心大小者，魏譯三輩之中，皆有發菩提心，《觀經》下品，直言十念。諸經互異，今欲知會者，諸經皆是發大菩提心以為因故。何故？若是最初無大因者，其人雖復經耳，亦生疑難，何得頓聞頓信？是故當知下品十念者，亦是宿植大因，後生退墮，故其臨終遇善知識，如旱苗得雨，萌芽頓發故。若無因者，知識尚不得遇，何況信受。如聰慧貴遊之士，多有愈聞愈不信者，即知一聞頓念，非是小緣，不應以一生作惡，便謂此人無大因故。經云：「世間人民，得聞阿彌陀名號，若慈心喜悅，毛髮聳然，淚即出者，皆是累世嘗行佛道，或他方佛所嘗為菩薩。」是故不論顓愚黠慧，凡至心念佛者，皆是多劫深植善根，發大菩提心故。何故？所謂善根者，不專言智慧，若復無根，如種焦穀，豈有芽出？如世間弈棋小事，有無知賤流，頓學頓精者；有智士習之，終身居末品者，即知是因。小枝無因，尚不得入，何況大法？是故若有信是希有難信之法者，是人即是大心菩薩故。

Eighth, regarding the greatness or smallness of the arousal of the mind [of bodhi]: In the three grades of the Northern Wei translation, all involve generating the bodhicitta; the lower grade of the Guan jing speaks simply of ten recitations. The various sūtras differ from one another; now, if one wishes to harmonize them, all sūtras take the generation of the great bodhicitta as the cause. Why is this? If initially there were no great cause, even if that person were to hear it, doubts and difficulties would arise; how could they immediately hear and immediately believe? Therefore, one should know that those of the lower grade with ten recitations also planted great causes in past lives, but subsequently fell into regression; thus, when meeting a good spiritual friend at the end of life, it is like parched sprouts receiving rain, immediately bursting into growth. If there were no cause, one would not even meet a spiritual friend, let alone accept with faith. Just as among clever and noble roaming scholars, there are many who disbelieve the more they hear, one knows that to immediately recite upon hearing once is no small condition; one should not conclude, merely because a person has committed evil in a single lifetime, that this person lacks a great cause. A sūtra says: "If people of the world hear the name of Amitābha, and if their hearts are filled with compassionate joy so that their hair stands on end and tears flow, they have all practiced the Buddha-path for successive lifetimes, or were once bodhisattvas in the presence of other Buddhas." Therefore, regardless of whether one is foolish or clever, all who mindfully practice buddhānusmṛti with a sincere mind have deeply planted roots of goodness over many kalpas and aroused the great bodhicitta. Why is this? The so-called roots of goodness do not refer exclusively to wisdom; if there are no roots, it is like planting scorched grain—how could sprouts emerge? As with the minor worldly matter of playing weiqi, there are ignorant and lowly persons who immediately learn and immediately master it, while there are wise gentlemen who study it and remain in the lowest rank all their lives; thus one knows it depends on prior causes. If one cannot enter into a minor art without a cause, how much less into the Great Dharma? Therefore, if anyone believes in this rare and hard-to-believe Dharma, that person is a bodhisattva of great resolve.