略諸經論念佛法門往生淨土集卷上 1.10

1.10

The Avataṃsaka Sūtra, fascicle sixty-two, states: 'It causes them to abide stably in the powers, through the gate of buddhānusmṛti, because it causes them to enter into the Tathāgata's ten powers.' The Sūtra on the Samādhi of Contemplating the Buddha, fascicle one, states: 'The Buddha told his royal father: The mind of buddhānusmṛti is likewise thus. By virtue of this mind, one can attain the three kinds of roots of bodhi.' The Sūtra on the Samādhi of Contemplating the Buddha, fascicle nine, states: 'Śākyamuni Buddha and Maitreya Bodhisattva in the past, in the presence of Candana Buddha, practiced the samādhi of buddhānusmṛti, and only now have attained Buddhahood.' Furthermore, the Sūtra on the Samādhi of Contemplating the Buddha, fascicle ten, states: 'One who practices buddhānusmṛti is like a strongman pulling the lock of the mind-king, severing it and arriving at the other shore of wisdom.' The lower fascicle of the Mañjuśrī-Prajñā Sūtra states: 'If a good man or good woman wishes to enter the One-Practice Samādhi, they should reside in an open, quiet place, abandon all distracting thoughts, not grasp at marks and appearances, fix their mind on one Buddha, exclusively recite [his] name, face in the direction of that Buddha with body erect and straight, and be able to maintain uninterrupted mindfulness of one Buddha from thought to thought; then within that very mindfulness they will be able to see all the Buddhas of past, future, and present. Why is this? The merit of contemplating one Buddha is immeasurable and boundless, and is nondifferent and inconceivable compared to the merit of immeasurable Buddhas. The Buddha-dharma is equal without distinction; all ride upon the One Suchness to achieve supreme, perfect awakening.' Passages such as these provide sincere testimony more than once, all stating that buddhānusmṛti is the cause of bodhi. Why do you suddenly and arbitrarily, with worldly views, contravene all the sacred teachings and claim that it is false and not the cause of achieving Buddhahood? How reckless this is! The Chan master further says: 'Reading and reciting Mahāyāna scriptures is attachment to marks and false, not the cause of achieving Buddhahood.' These meaningless words are fiercer than raging fire, incinerating the Buddha-dharma and harming people's wholesome roots. They are blindfolds for sentient beings, causing them to plunge from darkness into darkness, nurturing the three wretched paths and cutting off the Buddha-seed. As a disciple [of the Buddha], hearing these crude words, how could I not feel deep anguish piercing to my very marrow? Drawing upon scriptures to vindicate the doctrine, I shall crush those heterodox followers. Establishing and refuting, success and failure, must rely on the authoritative texts. Therefore, I broadly cite the sacred teachings to demonstrate this to those deluded people. If faith does not arise in them, they are truly dead and difficult to save. I ask all Chan masters to prick up your ears and listen carefully! The definitive standards of all teachings are all the words of the World-Honoured One, containing no false statements. For instance, the Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā states: 'Śāriputra, what do you think? If someone were to fill the trichiliocosm with the seven jewels and give them in charity... and further, if there were someone who upheld even a four-line gāthā of this sūtra and explained it to others, their blessing would surpass that. Why is this? Śāriputra, all Buddhas and the anuttarāsamyaksaṃbodhi of all Buddhas emerge from this sūtra.' A later passage also states: 'If someone can uphold, read, recite, and broadly explain it to others, the Tathāgata fully knows this person, fully sees this person; all such people attain immeasurable, incalculable, boundless, inconceivable merit. Such people are bearing the anuttarāsamyaksaṃbodhi of the Tathāgata. Why is this? Śāriputra, if one delights in inferior dharmas, being attached to the view of a self, the view of a person, the view of a sentient being, or the view of a soul, then regarding this sūtra, they cannot listen, accept, or explain it to others.' According to this sūtra text, one who refuses to read, recite, listen to, or explain [it], and merely sits in silence, is a person who delights in inferior dharmas and is attached to the view of a self, the view of a person, the view of a sentient being, and the view of a soul. It also states: 'Furthermore, Śāriputra, if a good man or good woman upholds, reads, and recites this sūtra, and if they are despised and reviled by people, this person's sinful karma from past lives would have caused them to fall into the evil destinies; but because they are despised and reviled by people in the present life, the sinful karma from past lives is extinguished, and they will attain anuttarāsamyaksaṃbodhi.' The Nirvāṇa Sūtra, fascicle six, states: 'For example, although a novice monk has not yet undertaken the full precepts, he is already counted among the saṅgha. Good man, if there are sentient beings who generate the mind and begin to study, who copy, uphold, read, and recite the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, it is likewise thus: although they have not yet fully attained the ranks of the ten abodes, they are already counted among the ten abodes. Or there may be sentient beings, whether disciples of the Buddha or not, who, out of fear or for the sake of material gain, listen to and accept this complete sūtra, even down to a single gāthā, and upon hearing it do not slander it: you should know that such a person is already close to anuttarāsamyaksaṃbodhi.' It also states: 'If there are those who can listen to such a sūtra, they will not regress from anuttarāsamyaksaṃbodhi, and according to what they vow, all will be accomplished, just as I can proclaim today.' Furthermore, the Nirvāṇa Sūtra states that the Boy of the Snow Mountains, for the sake of seeking half a gāthā, abandoned his cherished body to feed a rākṣasa; by this cause, he ultimately achieved Buddhahood. The Sūtra on the Buddha's Requital of Kindness, fascicle two, states that a wheel-turning sage king, for the sake of seeking half a gāthā, gouged out a thousand lamps from his body; based on this supreme cause, he ultimately achieved Buddhahood. The Sūtra on the Buddha's Requital of Kindness, fascicle seven, states: 'Bodhisattvas diligently seek the twelve divisions of scriptures. Why is this? Out of mindful recollection of the Buddha's profound kindness, wishing to disseminate the correct Dharma of all Buddhas, wishing to increase all Buddha-dharmas, wishing to cause the world to have faith in the Buddha-dharma, and wishing to cause all immeasurable sentient beings to attain supreme bodhi.' The Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra, fascicle eight, states: 'All those sentient beings who listen to this sūtra, in future lives for immeasurable hundreds of thousands of koṭis and nayutas of kalpas, will constantly enjoy supreme bliss among gods and humans, meet all Buddhas, and swiftly achieve anuttarāsamyaksaṃbodhi.' The Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra, fascicle nine, in verse states: