西方合論 10

English (machine translation) 10

Language: English

Now, the main purport of the Western Land is self-evident in the sūtras, and the essential gate to the Pure Land is fully explained in the various treatises. Masters such as Vasubandhu, Zhiyi, Haedong, and Yuexi have all brought to light its subtle profundities and extolled its essential tenets. In recent times, Upādhyāya Yunqi wrote his Commentary and Subcommentary on the Shorter Sūtra, which is categorized and analyzed, refined and vast, profound and extensive—truly a great torch illuminating the dark road at night, a light boat crossing the ocean of suffering. What these masters have revealed leaves nothing hidden. However, in the various sūtras, teachings were established according to circumstances, and doctrines were expounded to match faculties, so differences sometimes appear, leading scholars to generate doubt and apprehension. Now I shall briefly bring them forward, broadly collect various treatises, add my humble views, and harmonize them into a single place for the convenience of study and investigation.

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1. Explanation of the Distance and Proximity of the Land. 2. Explanation of the Size of the Body and the City.

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3. Explanation of the Length of the Lifespan. 4. Explanation of the Size of the Lotus Wheels.

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5. Explanation of the Presence or Absence of the Sun and Moon. 6. Explanation of the Presence or Absence of the Two Vehicles.

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7. Explanation of the Presence or Absence of Women. 8. Explanation of the Greatness and Smallness of the Aspiration.

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9. Explanation of Womb-birth in the City of Doubt. 10. Explanation of Rebirth for Those of the Five Heinous Crimes.

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First, regarding the distance and proximity of the land: Question: 'Both the larger and shorter sūtras state that the Western Land is one hundred thousand koṭis of lands away from here, yet the Guan Wuliangshou jing alone states: "Amitābha Buddha is not far from here." Which of the two statements is correct?' Explanation: Because distance and proximity are not fixed, it is said to be both far and near. Why is this? Whenever one speaks of a certain direction, going from one direction to another direction, reaching a certain direction after so many cities and so many lands, this is established based on the physical body. Because the physical characteristics are empty, the directions and distances calculated based on them are also entirely unreal; one cannot say which is near and which is far. For example, when a person from Dian says the region of Yan is far, this is calculated from Dian, so Yan is not truly far; when a person from Qi says the region of Yan is near, this is calculated from Qi, so Yan is not truly near. Furthermore, as with a space of ten paces, to an ant it is far, while to a large elephant it is near; one should not say that 'far' is real. Why? That ground should not be calculated from the ant. Nor should one say that 'near' is real. Why? That ground should not be calculated from the elephant. Moreover, calculating ten paces is also not real. Why? Since that ground is neither calculated from the ant nor from the elephant, it should also not be calculated from a human. The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: 'In accordance with worldly convention, directions are said to exist; directions in reality cannot be apprehended.' Question: 'Why do you say that directionlessness is direction, and that it is both existent and permanent? As the sūtras say, where the sun rises is the east; where the sun sets is the west; where the sun travels is the south; where the sun does not travel is the north. The sun has three divisions of conjunction: whether it conjoined before, conjoins now, or will conjoin later. Following the solar division of the direction, the initial conjunction is the east; the south and west are also like this; where the sun does not travel is without division.' Answer: 'This is not so. Mount Sumeru is in the middle of the four regions, and the sun circles Sumeru, shining upon the four continents. When it is noon in Uttarakuru, it is sunrise in Pūrvavideha, and to the people of Pūrvavideha, this is the east; when it is noon in Pūrvavideha, it is sunrise in Jambudvīpa, and to the people of Jambudvīpa, this is the east. Thus there is really no beginning. Why is this? Every direction is the east, is the south, is the west, and is the north. When you say where the sun rises is the east, where the sun travels is the south, where the sun sets is the west, and where the sun does not travel is the north, this is not so.' Question: 'I was speaking of the directional signs within a single country, but you challenge me with the four continents. Therefore the east is not without a beginning.' Answer: 'If within a single country the sun conjoins with the east, this is to have a limit; because it has a limit, it is impermanent; because it is impermanent, it is not all-pervasive. Therefore there is only the name of direction, but no reality. Thus locations cannot even be apprehended, so how could there be a route of travel? Yet it does not do away with locations and routes of travel either. Why is this? Because while it should not be calculated from Jambudvīpa, it may also be calculated precisely from Jambudvīpa. Just as although the sun does not truly rise in the east and set in the west, one may still speak of it rising in the east and setting in the west.'

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Second, regarding the size of the body and the city: Question: 'The Shengwang jing says: "Amitābha Buddha dwells with the śrāvakas; his land is called Qingtai. The city where the holy king resides is ten thousand yojanas in length and breadth." The Guan Wuliangshou jing says: "The Buddha's body is sixty trillion nayutas of Ganges sands of yojanas in height; the white curl of hair between his eyebrows coils to the right like five Sumeru mountains; the Buddha's eyes are like the waters of the four great oceans." Now, calculating one ocean as eighty-four thousand yojanas, the four oceans together are three hundred thirty-six thousand yojanas. His body exceeds his eyes by 5,600,000 yojanas. Calculating the city where he resides, it is still smaller than his eyes by three hundred twenty-six thousand yojanas, not to mention his body! The body and the city should not be so vastly mismatched.' Explanation: In the Commentary by Haedong [Wonhyo], there is also this question. The Commentary says: 'That Buddha has numerous cities; corresponding to the size of the assembly, the city is also large or small. In a large city, he displays a large body; in a small city, he manifests a small body. What the Shengwang jing calls "ten thousand yojanas" is the city where he dwells together with the śrāvakas; one should know that the Buddha's body dwells in corresponding proportion. The vast height of the body spoken of in the Guan Wuliangshou jing should be understood as having a city that is correspondingly vast, being the place where he dwells together with the great assembly.' Therefore former virtuous ones said: 'In the Lotus Sūtra, the Land of Pure Light Adornment exclusively expounds the sudden teaching; in the Vimalakīrti-sūtra, the Buddha Land of Various Fragrances consists purely of bodhisattvas; therefore those Buddhas manifest only a tall and vast body. In the Land of Peaceful Nurturance, both the sudden and the gradual are expounded, and śrāvakas and bodhisattvas together form the saṅgha; therefore the Buddha manifests the two types of marks of the physical body and the Dharmakāya. The thirty-two marks apply to both the physical and the Dharma [bodies], and are seen by both the great and the small alike; whereas the eighty thousand marks are restricted to the Dharmakāya, and only the Mahāyāna worthies and sages are able to see them.' Therefore, if sentient beings should receive the four benefits through the noble and extraordinary marks [as numerous as] the dust motes of the treasury, the Buddha manifests the noble and extraordinary body of treasury dust motes to match their capacity; if they should receive the four benefits through the eighty thousand noble and extraordinary marks, the Buddha manifests the noble and extraordinary body of eighty thousand marks to match their capacity; if they should receive the four benefits through the thirty-two noble and extraordinary marks, the Buddha manifests the noble and extraordinary body of thirty-two marks to match their capacity. Just as with Vairocana, the vision and hearing of the śrāvakas were blocked even when face to face with him, which did not prevent the bodhisattvas from further seeing his vast body. Why is this? The Buddha's body conforms to the capacities being taught: its greatness and smallness are like the sun, whose light is divided into large or small according to the crevices, yet the sunlight itself has no greatness or smallness.

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Third, regarding the length of the lifespan: The sūtras say: 'That Buddha's lifespan is immeasurable and boundless asaṃkhyeya kalpas.' They also say: 'When that Buddha reaches parinirvāṇa, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva will then become a Buddha.' Since he will enter extinction, his lifespan must be limited. Explanation: Former virtuous ones said: 'The successors to the Buddha according to the Tripiṭaka and Shared teachings demonstrate that the Buddha has a limit; the successors to the Buddha according to the Distinct and Perfect teachings reveal that the Buddha is immeasurable. This is because all the Tathāgatas of the ten directions and three times have no distinction of this or that and mutually see one another; they share the same Dharmakāya and the same wisdom. When the capacity of the bodhisattvas [to be taught] is fulfilled, the responsive manifestation of the Tathāgata ceases; this is called succeeding to the Buddha's place. This truly differs from the Tripiṭaka and Shared teachings, where the previous Buddha definitively perishes and the subsequent Buddha definitively arises. Thus, regarding the descent of the four Buddhas into the chamber in the Suvarṇaprabhāsa-sūtra, the Commentary explains: "If one sees the four Buddhas sharing the same noble and extraordinary body, one body and one wisdom, this is the permanent body, because the assembly of disciples is one; if one sees the bodies of the four Buddhas as different, this is responsive transformation, because the assembly of disciples is manifold." ' Therefore, one should know that the body of the entire dharmadhātu is neither arising nor perishing; how could one vertically divide it into future and present, or horizontally discuss this and that? Since it neither arises nor perishes, the meaning of immeasurability is established. Moreover, within the pure Buddha land, the ground, water, and trees are all the Buddha's body. As the sūtra says: 'All these various birds are created by the transformations of Amitābha Buddha.' The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: 'Sentient beings are exceedingly numerous; if the Buddha manifested his body everywhere, sentient beings would not believe and would consider it an illusion, and would not revere him in their minds. There are sentient beings who, upon hearing the Dharma from a human, do not open their minds to enlightenment, but if they hear the Dharma from an animal, they readily believe and accept it. As the Jātaka says: The Bodhisattva assumed the body of an animal to preach the Dharma to humans, and because preaching the Dharma [by an animal] is rare, all believed and accepted it. Some people consider animals to be sentient beings, but since trees are mindless yet produce sounds, they all believe and accept them.' Therefore, the waters, trees, and birds are all the responsive manifestations of the Buddha's body. If the Buddha's lifespan had an end, the bodhimanda, the land, and the sounds of the waters and birds would also have an end. If they have an end, there should be no succession; if they have no end, one should not speak of extinction. Like the bounds of empty space, which neither have bounds nor lack bounds, it can be grasped through inconceivable wisdom.

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Fourth, regarding the size of the flower-wheels: The shorter recension says, "The lotus blossoms in the ponds are as large as carriage wheels." The Guan jing says, "In each pond there are sixty billion seven-jeweled lotus blossoms, perfectly round and equal, twelve yojanas [across]." The longer recension says, "The lotus blossoms in the ponds are perhaps one yojana, up to a hundred yojanas or a thousand yojanas [across]." Now, the carriage wheels of the human world do not exceed a zhang in size; even the thousand-spoked golden wheel of a wheel-turning sage king is no more than one yojana in extent. How can there be such a vast disparity in size? Explanation: The size of the flower-wheels is also just like the bodies and the cities. Because the capacities of sentient beings are large or small, the bodies, cities, waters, and trees appear large or small; the lotus blossoms are also like this. For example, upon the first ground, one transforms a hundred Buddha-realms and sees the Buddha's hundred-petaled flower; upon the second ground, one transforms a thousand Buddha-realms and thus sees a thousand petals; upon the third ground, ten thousand petals; upon the fourth ground, a hundred million petals; upon the fifth ground, a hundred billion; upon the sixth ground, a hundred thousand billion; upon the seventh ground, a hundred thousand billion nayutas; upon the eighth ground, as many as the dust motes of a hundred thousand million trichiliocosm worlds; upon the ninth ground, as many as the dust motes of a hundred thousand million billion asaṃkhyeya lands; upon the tenth ground, as many as the dust motes of ten inexpressible hundreds of thousands of billions of nayutas of Buddhas. Because the sambhogakāya has greatness and smallness, one's viewing of the flower is also like this; it is not that the flower itself has greatness and smallness. I have heard a monk say: "By the sea there is a relic stūpa of King Aśoka. When sentient beings view it, the radiance is different for each: some see no light; some see a light the size of a tiny bean; some see it like a date-torch; some see it the size of a fingertip; some see it as large as a bushel. Those who see it as large as a bushel do not amount to one in a thousand." When sentient beings viewing with the same fleshy eyes still see differences, how much more so with bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, and even humans and devas, whose capacities and functions are vastly distinct—how could the flower-wheels they evoke not differ? Just as in this land, among the noble kṣatriya clans, soaring towers and towering pavilions fill the cities, while the impoverished, humble, and orphaned do not even obtain dilapidated thatched huts or earthen caves—one should not raise the objection that the disparity between large and small is vast. Why is this? Because it is brought about by one's own merit. The appearance of the flowers in the jeweled ponds should be understood in the same way.

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Fifth, regarding the presence or absence of the sun and moon: Various recensions variously say that the sun and moon are in empty space; or say that they abide in the sky without revolving; or do not speak of presence or absence; or simply say that there are none. Moreover, a sūtra says: "That Buddha's radiance universally illuminates the Buddha-realm, immeasurable, innumerable, and inconceivable, outshining the sun and moon. The assembly of śrāvakas all have auras on their bodies that can illuminate one fathom; the bodhisattvas' light illuminates up to a hundred thousand fathoms; the light of the two bodhisattvas constantly illuminates the trichiliocosm." Thus, even if there were a sun and moon, like a spark before the blazing sun, how could they cast illumination? If the sun and moon cannot illuminate, there should be no day and night. Why, then, do the sūtras speak of the six periods of day and night, as well as the morning mealtime and such matters? One clearly knows that these are also expedient explanations, using this day and night to metaphorically indicate those divisions of time; they are not actual occurrences. Furthermore, the alternation of day and night is an appearance evoked by the mutual rivalry of light and darkness in the minds of sentient beings; therefore, in a pure Buddha-land, such a thing ought not to exist. If even in the realms above the Trāyastriṃśa heaven they do not depend on the brightness of the sun and moon, how much less so in Sukhāvatī? Even if they were present, it would only be because the sentient beings in that transformed realm have not yet exhausted their views of form and emptiness, so such appearances of the sun and moon manifest; but in reality, the Buddha-land has no sun or moon. As the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: "Śākyamuni Buddha also has a pure realm like Amitābha's; Amitābha also has an unadorned and impure realm like Śākyamuni's." This is spoken in accordance with the capacities and evoke responses, so it does not obstruct speaking of their presence.

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Sixth, regarding the presence or absence of the two vehicles: Question: "The Verse on the Measureless Life by Bodhisattva Vasubandhu says: 'In the realm of the roots of goodness of the Great Vehicle, there is equality without even the name of disparagement,' and further, 'The names of the two vehicles are not heard, how much less could there be their reality?' Yet the sūtras all say: 'The śrāvakas in that land cannot be measured.' Why is this?" Explanation: "Former masters of virtue said: 'Those of the two vehicles who are reborn there all turn from the small to the great at the point of death. Because their habitual practice of the small is deep, when they hear what the Buddha preaches and the rustling of wind in the branches and the sound of water, all of which expound the small, they temporarily realize the lesser fruit and gradually advance until reaching the stage of a bodhisattva; they do not abide in the small.' Therefore, when it is said that there are no two vehicles, it has two meanings: first, those determined in the two vehicles are not reborn there, which is true nonexistence; second, they do not abide in the two vehicles, which is ultimate nonexistence. For example, two people serve as officials in the same secretarial bureau: one's official career ends there, while the other is about to be promoted. The one whose career ends in the bureau may be titled a secretary, because he has no subsequent office; the one about to be promoted is not definitively so, because his current post will ultimately change. For this reason, one cannot say that there are two vehicles in the Pure Land, because they ultimately reach the rank of bodhisattva."

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Seventh, regarding the presence or absence of women: In the Shengwang jing, Amitābha Buddha also has parents; how can it be said that there are no women? Explanation: These are also illusory transformations, just like the transformed parrots. The Haidong commentary says: "When the Shengwang jing says that Amitābha Buddha in the realm of peace and bliss has parents, these are transformed women, not actual retributive women. Furthermore, although he has parents, he is not born from a womb; in truth, he is spontaneously transformed, taking them provisionally as parents. As that sūtra says: 'If any among the fourfold assembly can correctly receive and uphold the Buddha's name, through this merit, when approaching the end of life, Amitābha Buddha together with the great assembly will abide where this person is and enable them to see him. Having seen him, their joy will multiply their merit, and through this causal condition, the place where they are born will be forever freed from the foul and lustful forms of the womb, abiding purely within fresh and exquisite jeweled lotus blossoms, spontaneously born by transformation, endowed with great supernatural powers and radiant brilliance.' One should know that parents are merely a provisional lodging." Some say that the mention of parents in the Shengwang jing is meant to reveal the defiled land in which that Buddha dwells. This interpretation is incorrect. Why is that? Since that sūtra speaks of miraculous birth from jeweled lotuses, and also states that two bodhisattvas stand in attendance on the left and right, all of these are marks of a pure land, no different from what is taught in the Guan jing. One should know that what is taught in that sūtra concerning Devadatta, the demon king, and the like, are all produced through transformations in the pure land; because of these, it does not become an impure land, just as transformed animals do not make it a defiled land.

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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.

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Ninth, regarding the womb-birth in the City of Doubt: The Yuan Wei translation says: "If there are sentient beings who fall into doubt and regret, yet accumulate roots of goodness to seek the Buddha's wisdom, universal wisdom, inconceivable wisdom, incomparable wisdom, majestic and virtuous wisdom, and vast wisdom, but cannot generate faith in their own roots of goodness, and yet generate faith through hearing the Buddha's name—due to these causes and conditions, they dwell for five hundred years within the calyx of a flower, with the perception of seeing parks, towers, and palaces, but do not see the Buddha and do not hear the Dharma. This is called womb-birth." The Cao Wei translation says: "They do not comprehend the Buddha's wisdom, yet they still believe in sin and merit, cultivate good roots, and vow to be born in that land; therefore they take womb-birth." The Song translation says: "Sentient beings who plant roots of goodness but cannot transcend characteristics, do not seek the Buddha's wisdom, falsely generate discrimination, and deeply cling to worldly pleasures and human karmic rewards—therefore they take womb-birth." The recension of Mr. Wang says: "If there are sentient beings who cultivate various meritorious deeds and vow to be born in that realm, but later have doubts and regrets, not believing that that Buddha-realm exists and not believing that doing good brings merit; yet although that person is like this, they continue to have a mindful heart, temporarily believing and temporarily disbelieving; when they approach the end of life, the Buddha manifests his body by transformation, enabling them to see it with their own eyes; because of their repentant mind, their fault is lessened, and they are also born in that realm: this is called womb-birth." Now, according to the former two translations, it is simply not believing in one's own svabhāva and not comprehending the Buddha's wisdom that is called womb-birth. The Song translation, on the other hand, directly states that those who cultivate goodness seeking birth among humans and devas take womb-birth, for there is no womb-birth in Sukhāvatī. Mr. Wang's version, moreover, takes disbelieving in the Buddha-realm, disbelieving in sin and merit, and temporarily believing and temporarily disbelieving as womb-birth, which differs from the two kinds of rebirth in the earlier translations—arousing faith upon hearing the name, and cultivating roots of goodness. Roughly speaking, in the Pure Land, briefly one speaks of nine grades, but extensively one could speak of millions of grades without exhausting them. Just as those born among humans today have diverse karmic rewards and diverse sinful karmas, each different, so although the various translations differ from one another, they are all true words. Among them, the Yuan Wei translation's import is especially profound: because of not believing in one's own roots of goodness, generating faith dependent on another is itself the City of Doubt. One who believes in their own roots of goodness immediately and completely understands that one's own mind is not obtained from another; only by attaining awakening can one shed doubt. Therefore, cultivating without having awakened ultimately leaves one confined in the womb of doubt. "Womb" carries the meaning of being enveloped and obstructed; for an unawakened person, the various obstacles are not yet penetrated, so they properly receive this retribution. These should be subsumed under the middle-lower and lower-upper grades. Why? Because the latter two kinds of the lower grade must pass six kalpas or twelve kalpas before their flowers open, whereas this is only five hundred years. If it were as in Wang's version, then their fierce faith in the Buddha would not match that of the last two kinds. Furthermore, being born on the borderland of that realm, they should not be able to see the Buddha in five hundred years.

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Tenth, on rebirth for those guilty of the five heinous crimes: The Larger Sūtra states: "Excepted only are those who commit the five heinous acts of uninterrupted karma, and who slander the true Dharma and all the noble ones." The Guan jing, however, states that even those guilty of the five heinous crimes and ten non-virtues can achieve rebirth through ten recitations at the end of life. One should understand that the Larger Sūtra excludes those who commit the five heinous crimes because they slander [the Dharma]. Why is this? Entering the Pure Land takes faith as its guide; slandering is the bandit of faith. It is like water, which accommodates everything except fire, because fire itself cannot be accommodated; it is like wind, which penetrates everything except stone, because stone itself cannot be penetrated. For one who slanders, burning the true Dharma is like a raging flame, and obstructing the Buddha's wisdom is like an iron wall; therefore, they have no cause through which to receive the ocean of Dharma and the wind of wisdom. That the Guan jing excludes slandering but does not exclude the five heinous crimes means that the meaning is the same while the text differs. Because the five heinous crimes, though extremely evil, do not yet possess the fixed view of disbelief, they ought not be excluded. However, there are people of great resolve who at first may not believe, but later, being enlightened, profoundly awaken to their past errors. For example, Han Changli at first rejected the Buddha's relics, but later took refuge in Dadian; Zhang Wujin initially reviled Buddhist books and wished to compose a treatise on the non-existence of the Buddha, but later, upon reading the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra, had a great awakening and ultimately became an elephant and dragon of the Chan lineage—this is an especially rare occurrence within the Dharma. Therefore, if there are outstanding elites among Confucian scholars who, having erroneously listened to preconceived notions, mistakenly slander the Buddhadharma, as long as they swiftly resolve to repent and reform, it is an auspicious event; one should not take their past slandering as an insurmountable obstacle.

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Comprehensive Treatise on the Western Land, Fascicle Ten (End)

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西方合論 — Classical Chinese