藥師經疏 1.68

1.68

經。阿難至信難於此　五受質誠難。人身難得者。涅槃三十四云。佛於一時取地少土置於爪上。問迦葉曰。我此土多一切十方大地土多。迦葉菩薩而白佛言。一切十方大地土多。如來爪上少不足言。佛言。迦葉捨於人身還得人身者。如爪上土。捨於人身得三惡身。如一切十方大地土也。三寶中信敬尊重亦難可得者。即為三難。佛寶難得者。涅槃第二云。芥子投針鋒佛出難於是。又法華經第一卷云。諸佛與出世懸遠值遇難。法寶難得者。彼經云。正使出於世說是法復難。無量無數劫。聞是法亦難。能聽是法者斯人亦復難。僧寶難得者。如此中說聞彼藥師如來名號復難。於是者雖舉六難意明第六。聞藥師如來名難。今既得聞正應信受。

Sūtra: 'Ānanda... faith is even more difficult than this.' Section 5: Receiving human life is truly difficult. Regarding 'human life is difficult to obtain,' the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, chapter thirty-four, states: The Buddha on one occasion took a small amount of earth from the ground, placed it on his fingernail, and asked Kāśyapa: 'Is there more earth here on my nail, or in all the great earth of the ten directions?' Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha: 'There is more earth in all the great earth of the ten directions; that on the Tathāgata's nail is so little it is not worth mentioning.' The Buddha said: 'Kāśyapa, those who abandon a human body and regain a human body are like the earth on my nail; those who abandon a human body and obtain bodies in the three bad destinies are like the earth in all the great earth of the ten directions.' Regarding 'having faith, reverence, and respect among the Three Jewels is also difficult to obtain,' these are three difficulties. The Jewel of the Buddha being difficult to encounter: chapter two of the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says that [hitting the tip of an upright needle with] a mustard seed cast [from above is easy compared to] the emergence of a Buddha, which is more difficult than this. Also, the first fascicle of the Lotus Sūtra says: 'The emergence of Buddhas in the world is rare and distant, difficult to encounter.' The Jewel of the Dharma being difficult to encounter: that sūtra says, 'Even if [a Buddha] appears in the world, preaching this Dharma is still difficult; through immeasurable, countless eons, hearing this Dharma is also difficult; one who is able to listen to this Dharma—such a person is also difficult [to find].' The Jewel of the Saṅgha being difficult to encounter: as spoken of here, hearing the name of that Bhaiṣajyaguru Tathāgata is even more difficult than this. Although six difficulties are raised, the intention is to illuminate the sixth: the difficulty of hearing the name of Bhaiṣajyaguru Tathāgata. Now that one has already been able to hear it, one should properly believe and accept it.