English
English version: The 'Contemplation Gate'. It may cause one to generate Bodhicitta (the aspiration for enlightenment), to recite the Buddha's name for seven days, or to teach one to make vows and dedicate merit, achieving rebirth through ten recitations. Sutras such as these all speak of rebirth, and do not refer to a separate time. Therefore, the Treatise (Rebirth Treatise) says, 'Because it is only making vows, it implies a separate time.' Since it is merely making empty vows, the principle is that it refers to a separate time. Question: If the Rebirth Treatise says that women, those with incomplete faculties, and those of the Two Vehicle (Śrāvakayāna and Pratyekabuddhayāna) nature cannot be reborn, how can it be said that women and these other two types can also be reborn? Answer: Indeed, it is true. These three types, in principle, cannot be reborn. If there are no three types (of fixed karma), one can certainly be reborn. What are the three types? First, if in this land, there is a man or a woman who plants the cause of becoming a woman, destined to receive the retribution of being a woman, even if this person cultivates Pure Land practices, they cannot be reborn. This is because there are no women in the Pure Land. This is fixed karma, unchangeable, and is therefore a karmic obstacle. As for those with incomplete faculties, if a person in this land plants the cause of being blind, deaf, or otherwise disabled, they also cannot be reborn. This is because people in the Pure Land all possess the thirty-two major marks of a great man. This is also a karmic obstacle. As for those of the Two Vehicles, if they are practitioners of the Two Vehicles, or those on the path of expedient means of the Two Vehicles, who plant the fixed cause of the Two Vehicles, and do not believe in the Mahayana (Great Vehicle) or the Pure Lands of the ten directions, they also cannot be reborn. This is because this person is a Two Vehicle practitioner who is ignorant of the Dharma, and does not believe in the Buddhas of the ten directions or the Pure Lands, and therefore is unwilling to make vows and dedicate merit. This is the fixed Small Vehicle obstructing the Great Vehicle. The 'seed' mentioned in that treatise refers to the fixed karmic seed. Only if one does not have these three fixed seeds can one be reborn. Question: If having these three types of fixed karma in this land prevents one from being reborn, why does the Contemplation Sutra say that upholding the five precepts and so on leads to rebirth, and that upon arriving there, one hears the Buddha preach the Four Noble Truths and attains the fruit of Arhatship? Is this not a fixed seed of the Small Vehicle? Answer: These are people who are not ignorant of the Dharma, who believe in the Buddhas of the ten directions and the Pure Lands, and make vows and dedicate merit, and thus are able to be reborn. If, after attaining the fruit of Arhatship, the Buddha preaches the Lotus Sutra for them, they will turn their minds towards the Great Vehicle. This is according to the Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom (Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra). If we are talking about non-learning people of the Two Vehicles, regardless of whether they are ignorant. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
法不愚法。悉生净土中。以受变易生死三界中无受生处故也。 问曰。众生恶业其犹积山。此诸恶业障乎净土。非小善能除。何故观经云。临命终十念即得往生。 答曰。心是业主。牵生之本。临终之心。犹如眼目。能遵一切诸业。若临终心恶。能引一切恶业。生恶道中。若临终心善。能引一切善业。生善道中。譬如龙行。云则随之。心若西逝业。亦随之也。此是经论文也。 问曰。如弥勒所问经说十念中云。非凡夫念。不杂结使念。今此土众生。体是凡夫。结使未断。云何念佛而得往生。 答曰。若如彼经。无结使人。始得往生者。唯佛一人得生。余皆不得。以十地后心菩萨。犹有二种无明故。今解。彼经言凡夫念者。若不发菩提心。求出三界作佛。直尔念佛求生西方。独善一身。避苦逐乐者。此是凡夫念亦不得往生。故无量寿经三辈生人。皆须发菩提心也。不杂结使念者。唯须一心相续观佛相好。若口念佛。心缘五欲者。是杂结使念也。念佛是淳净心。与结使相违。若能如此。即与彼经相应。 第五引圣教为证(谓引经论二教) 经引十二部。一无量寿经。二观经。三小弥陀经。四鼓音声王经。五称扬诸佛功德经。六发觉净心经。七大集经。八十方往生经。九药师经。十般 现代汉语译本 ‘法不愚法’。都往生到净土中，因为在变易生死的三界中没有其他受生之处。 问：众生的恶业堆积如山，这些恶业会阻碍往生净土吗？并非小小的善业就能消除。为什么《观经》说，临命终时十念就能往生？ 答：心是主导者，是牵引生命轮回的根本。临终的心，就像人的眼睛，能够统摄一切业力。如果临终时心怀恶念，就能牵引一切恶业，堕入恶道。如果临终时心怀善念，就能牵引一切善业，往生善道。譬如龙飞行时，云彩自然跟随。心向西方，业力也随之而去。这是经文中的道理。 问：如《弥勒所问经》所说，十念中提到‘非凡夫念，不杂结使念’。现在此土的众生，本身就是凡夫，烦恼未断，如何念佛而能往生？ 答：如果按照那部经的说法，只有没有烦恼的人才能往生，那么只有佛才能往生，其余众生都不能往生。因为十地菩萨之后的心，还有两种无明存在。现在解释一下，那部经所说的‘凡夫念’，是指如果不发菩提心，不求脱离三界成就佛果，只是念佛求生西方，只求自己解脱，逃避痛苦追求快乐的人。这种凡夫念是不能往生的。所以《无量寿经》中三种往生的人，都必须发菩提心。‘不杂结使念’，是指必须一心相续地观想佛的相好。如果口中念佛，心中却想着五欲，这就是杂有烦恼的念。念佛是纯净的心，与烦恼相违背。如果能够这样念佛，就与那部经的含义相符。 第五，引用圣教作为证明（指引用经和论两种教法）。 经文引用十二部：《无量寿经》、《观经》、《小弥陀经》、《鼓音声王经》、《称扬诸佛功德经》、《发觉净心经》、《大集经》、《十方往生经》、《药师经》、《般
English
English version 'Dharma is not foolish dharma' (法不愚法). All are born in the Pure Land, because there is no place to receive birth in the three realms of change and mortality. Question: The evil karma of sentient beings is like a mountain. Will these evil karmas obstruct birth in the Pure Land? Small good deeds cannot eliminate them. Why does the Contemplation Sutra (观经) say that even ten recitations at the time of death will lead to rebirth? Answer: The mind is the owner (业主), the root that pulls one into rebirth. The mind at the time of death is like the eyes, able to govern all karmas. If the mind at the time of death is evil, it can draw all evil karma, leading to birth in evil realms. If the mind at the time of death is good, it can draw all good karma, leading to birth in good realms. It is like a dragon flying, with clouds following it. If the mind goes west, karma follows it. This is the meaning of the sutra. Question: As the Maitreya's Questions Sutra (弥勒所问经) says about the ten recitations, 'not the recitation of ordinary people, not the recitation mixed with afflictions (结使)'. Now, the beings of this land are inherently ordinary people, and their afflictions have not been severed. How can they recite the Buddha's name and be reborn? Answer: If, according to that sutra, only those without afflictions can be reborn, then only the Buddha can be reborn, and no one else can. Because even the minds of bodhisattvas after the tenth ground (十地) still have two kinds of ignorance. Now, to explain, the 'recitation of ordinary people' mentioned in that sutra refers to those who do not generate the Bodhi mind, do not seek to escape the three realms to become a Buddha, but simply recite the Buddha's name seeking rebirth in the West, seeking only their own liberation, avoiding suffering and pursuing pleasure. This kind of ordinary person's recitation cannot lead to rebirth. Therefore, the three types of people who are born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss in the Infinite Life Sutra (无量寿经) must all generate the Bodhi mind. 'Recitation not mixed with afflictions' means that one must single-mindedly and continuously contemplate the marks and characteristics of the Buddha. If one recites the Buddha's name with the mouth but the mind is attached to the five desires, this is a recitation mixed with afflictions. Reciting the Buddha's name is a pure mind, which is contrary to afflictions. If one can do this, it is in accordance with the meaning of that sutra. Fifth, citing the holy teachings as proof (referring to the teachings of both sutras and treatises). The sutras cited are twelve: the Infinite Life Sutra (无量寿经), the Contemplation Sutra (观经), the Smaller Sukhavativyuha Sutra (小弥陀经), the Drum Sound King Sutra (鼓音声王经), the Sutra of Praising the Merits of All Buddhas (称扬诸佛功德经), the Sutra of Awakening Pure Mind (发觉净心经), the Great Collection Sutra (大集经), the Sutra of Rebirth in the Ten Directions (十方往生经), the Medicine Buddha Sutra (药师经), the Praj --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
舟经。十一大阿弥陀经。十二无量清净觉经。论引七部。一往生论。二起信论。三十住毗婆娑论。四一切经中弥陀偈。五宝性论。六龙树十二礼。七摄大乘论也。 问曰。上出道理。已知。愿行相扶。得生净土。非别时意。未知。有何圣教为证。 答曰。今引经论二教为证。经教者。一如无量寿经第一卷云。设我得佛。国中有地狱饿鬼畜生者。不取正觉。设我得佛。国中人天。乃至闻不善名者。不取正觉。设我得佛。国中人天。寿终之后。复更堕三恶道者。不取正觉。设我得佛。国中人天。不住正定聚。必至灭度者。不取正觉。设我得佛。国中人天。寿命无能限量。除其本愿。修短自在。若不尔者。不取正觉。设我得佛。十方众生。至心信乐。欲生我国。乃至十念。若不生者。不取正觉。唯除五逆。诽谤正法。设我得佛。十方众生。发菩提心。修诸功德。至心发愿。欲生我国。临寿终。假令不与大众围绕现其人前者。不取正觉。设我得佛。十方众生。闻我名号。系念我国。殖诸德本。至心回向。欲生我国。不果遂者。不取正觉。设我得佛。十方无量。不可思议。诸佛世界。众生之类。闻我名字。不得菩萨无生法忍。诸深总持者。不取正觉。设我得佛。十方无量不可思议诸佛世界。其有女人。闻我名字。欢 现代汉语译本 《舟经》、《十一大阿弥陀经》、《十二无量清净觉经》。论著引用七部：一、《往生论》，二、《起信论》，三、《十住毗婆娑论》，四、《一切经中弥陀偈》，五、《宝性论》，六、《龙树十二礼》，七、《摄大乘论》。 问：前面所说的道理已经明白了，知道愿和行互相扶持，就能往生净土。但还不知道这并非是‘别时意’（指往生净土不在特定时间），有什么圣教可以作为证明吗？ 答：现在引用经和论两种圣教作为证明。经教方面，比如《无量寿经》第一卷说：‘假设我成佛时，我的国土中有地狱、饿鬼、畜生，我就不成佛。假设我成佛时，我的国土中的人天，乃至听到不善的名字，我就不成佛。假设我成佛时，我的国土中的人天，寿命终了之后，又再堕入三恶道，我就不成佛。假设我成佛时，我的国土中的人天，不住于正定聚（必定证悟的群体），必定达到灭度，我就不成佛。假设我成佛时，我的国土中的人天，寿命不能够自由自在，除非是他们自己的本愿，可以自由决定寿命长短，如果不是这样，我就不成佛。假设我成佛时，十方众生，以至诚心信乐，想要往生我的国土，乃至念十声佛号，如果不能往生，我就不成佛。唯除犯五逆罪（杀父、杀母、杀阿罗汉、出佛身血、破和合僧），诽谤正法的人。假设我成佛时，十方众生，发菩提心（觉悟之心），修各种功德，以至诚心发愿，想要往生我的国土，临命终时，如果我不与大众围绕显现在这个人面前，我就不成佛。假设我成佛时，十方众生，听到我的名号，系念我的国土，种植各种德本，以至诚心回向，想要往生我的国土，不能如愿，我就不成佛。假设我成佛时，十方无量不可思议的诸佛世界，众生之类，听到我的名字，不能得到菩萨无生法忍（对诸法不生不灭的深刻理解），各种甚深总持（记忆和保持正法的能力），我就不成佛。假设我成佛时，十方无量不可思议的诸佛世界，如果有女人，听到我的名字，欢