略諸經論念佛法門往生淨土集卷上 1.8

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湛然常住。而無生滅。初役可得。禪師亦說。一切虛妄。空無一物。與彼外道空見何殊。又復說言。學無生觀者。盡此一生。更不受生。然此與彼斷見外道計執何異。復說一切諸法真如體一。湛然常住。不生不滅。無有初念後念可得。此即與彼常見外道見解何別。受佛依廕。不思報恩。厭佛嫌經。不念不誦。此即善星不異。調達何殊。緣斯僻見。害於正法。忝為佛子。那不雌黃。樂求解脫。見佛聞法者。淨土行門最為捷速。愛著三界。不求解脫者。隨分安心以度時日。幸有智者思之察之。隨所樂欲簡而行之。禪師又云。念佛生淨土者。著相修習。是虛妄法。非成佛因者。竊為未可生死。心中出此麁言。非順聖教。如大寶積經第十七云。若有眾生。發菩提心。專念無量壽佛。及修諸善。迴向願生。是人臨終。無量壽佛與比丘眾。迎生彼國。得不退轉。當證無上正等菩提。大無量壽經上卷云。一向專念無量壽佛。少．多修善。奉持齋戒。乃至其人臨終。無量壽佛。化現其身。光明相好。具如真佛。與諸大眾。現其人前。即隨化佛。往生其國。住不退轉。阿彌陀經云。舍利弗。若有善男子善女人。聞說阿彌陀佛。執持名號。若一日。若二日。若三日。若四日。若五日。若六日。若七日。一心不亂。其人臨命終時。阿彌陀佛。與諸聖眾。現在其前。是人終時。心不顛倒。即得往生阿彌陀佛極樂國土。乃至若有人。已發願。欲生阿彌陀佛國者。是諸人等。皆得不退轉。於阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。觀無量壽佛經下文云。善男子善女人。但聞佛名二菩薩名。除無量億劫生死之罪。何況憶念。若念佛者。當知。此人是人中分陀利華。觀世音菩薩。大勢至菩薩。為其勝友。當坐道場。生諸佛家。此等經文。皆云。念佛往生淨土。當成正覺。如何禪師。判為虛妄。非成佛因。豈不與此諸教相違。法華經第一方便品下偈云。

It is serene and eternally abiding, without arising or ceasing; how could it be attained through initial striving? Chan masters also say that all is illusory, empty, and without a single thing; how is this different from the emptiness view of those non-Buddhists? They also say: 'Those who cultivate the contemplation of non-arising will, for the rest of this single life, never again receive birth.' How is this any different from the grasping views of the non-Buddhists of annihilationism? They further say: 'The suchness of all dharmas has a single essence, serene and eternally abiding, unarising and unceasing, and there is no initial thought or subsequent thought to be found.' How does this differ from the views of the non-Buddhists of eternalism? Receiving the sheltering shade of the Buddha, they do not think of repaying his kindness; abhorring the Buddha and disliking the sūtras, they neither recite them nor chant them. How is this different from Sunakkhatta, how does it differ from Devadatta? Due to such perverse views, they bring harm to the true Dharma. As nominal sons of the Buddha, how can we fail to correct them? For those who aspire to seek vimokṣa, see the Buddha, and hear the Dharma, the practice of the Pure Land is the most swift. For those who cling with craving to the traidhātuka and do not seek vimokṣa, let them settle their minds according to their lot to pass the days and months. Fortunately, there are wise people who will reflect upon this and examine it, selecting and practicing according to what they delight in. Chan masters also say: 'Those who recollect the Buddha and are reborn in the Pure Land cultivate by grasping marks; this is a false practice, not the cause of attaining buddhahood.' I respectfully submit that this is not permissible: to utter such coarse words from within the mind of saṃsāra does not accord with the sacred teachings. As the seventeenth fascicle of the Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra says: 'If there are sentient beings who generate the bodhicitta, single-mindedly recollect Amitāyus Buddha, cultivate various good deeds, and dedicate them in aspiration for rebirth, then at the end of such a person's life, Amitāyus Buddha, together with an assembly of bhikṣus, will welcome them to be reborn in that land, where they will attain non-retrogression and shall realize unexcelled, correct, and complete bodhi.' The first fascicle of the Larger Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra says: 'Single-mindedly and exclusively recollect Amitāyus Buddha, cultivate good deeds to a lesser or greater extent, and uphold the precepts of fasting; then, when that person's life comes to an end, Amitāyus Buddha will manifest his transformed body, with light and physical marks fully complete just like a true Buddha, appearing before that person together with the great assembly; [the person] will then follow the transformed Buddha, be reborn in that land, and dwell in non-retrogression.' The Amitābha Sūtra says: 'Śāriputra, if there is a good man or good woman who hears of Amitābha Buddha and upholds his name, whether for one day, two days, three days, four days, five days, six days, or seven days, with a mind that is single and undisturbed, then when that person approaches the end of life, Amitābha Buddha, together with the assembly of noble ones, will appear before them. When this person's life ends, their mind will not be inverted, and they will immediately attain rebirth in Amitābha Buddha's Land of Ultimate Bliss.' And further: 'If there are people who have already made the vow, wishing to be reborn in Amitābha Buddha's land, all such people have attained non-retrogression in anuttarāsamyaksaṃbodhi.' The Contemplation of Amitāyus Sūtra states below: 'Good men and good women, merely by hearing the names of the Buddha and the two bodhisattvas, eliminate the offenses of saṃsāra for immeasurable kotis of kalpas; how much more so if they recollect them! If someone recollects the Buddha, you should know that this person is a puṇḍarīka flower among men; Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva and Mahāsthāmaprāpta Bodhisattva become their superior friends, and they shall sit in the place of enlightenment and be born into the house of all Buddhas.' These passages of the sūtras all say that by buddhānusmṛti and rebirth in the Pure Land, one shall achieve correct enlightenment. How can Chan masters judge it to be false and not the cause of attaining buddhahood? Does this not contradict all these teachings? A verse below in the first chapter on 'Expedient Means' of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra says: