English
English version: It encompasses the accomplishment of myriad virtues. If one can single-mindedly recite the Buddha's name, in that single thought, one encompasses the recitation of myriad virtues. Therefore, the Vimalakirti Sutra says that the meaning of these three phrases, even if all beings in the three thousand worlds were like Ananda (one of the Buddha's ten great disciples, known for his exceptional memory), possessing extremely long lives, they could not fully comprehend it. The third meaning is that beginningless evil karma arises from the deluded mind, while the merit of reciting the Buddha's name arises from the true mind. The true mind is like the sun, and the deluded mind is like darkness. When the true mind arises even slightly, the deluded mind is immediately eliminated, just as when the sun first appears, all darkness vanishes. Due to these three reasons, even those who achieve ten recitations at the time of death are certain to be reborn in the Pure Land. Question: The Pure Land is extraordinarily wonderful and sublime, the place where the Dharma King (usually referring to the Buddha) resides, and the lotus platform is a place of concealment, not a place where ordinary people can go. Logically, ordinary people should cultivate in the realm of ordinary people, and sages should cultivate in the realm of sages. How can lowly ordinary people be born in such a wonderful place? Answer: According to the Forty-Eight Great Vows (the forty-eight vows made by Amitabha Buddha before becoming a Buddha), although the Pure Land is wonderful and sublime, it was originally established to help ordinary people achieve enlightenment. The lotus platform is originally a place for rebirth. If ordinary people cannot travel in the Pure Land, then how would the Dharma King come to the five defilements (referring to the five turbidities of the Saha world: kalpa turbidity, view turbidity, affliction turbidity, sentient being turbidity, and life turbidity)? Although he is the Dharma King, he comes to travel in the five defilements in order to teach and transform sentient beings. And although they are ordinary people, they are able to be born in the Pure Land in order to make offerings to the Buddha. This principle is clear. Moreover, that Pure Land is simply a place specially arranged by the compassionate and expedient means of all Buddhas. It removes women and the realm of the five desires (form, sound, smell, taste, and touch), allowing sentient beings to cultivate the Way within it. Among the four types of birth (womb-born, egg-born, moisture-born, and transformation-born), it is a place of transformation-birth, not extremely wonderful. It is like in a city, a place is specially set aside to be used as a Sangharama (monastery). Removing worldly affairs, allowing monks to cultivate the Way. As long as sentient beings enter the Sangharama, they will all generate good intentions. The Pure Land is also like this. Even in this world, like the palaces of the six desire heavens and the wonderful abodes of the four dhyanas, the dependent retributions are all strange treasures, and the direct retributions are sublime light and wonderful appearances. Wearing light and gorgeous clothes, eating all kinds of delicacies, sitting and lying in magnificent treasure palaces, and playing in beautiful gardens. Are such places where the Dharma King resides? They are all induced by the good karma of ordinary people. These things are obvious. Question: As the Mahayana sutras and treatises all speak of no-form and no-birth. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
何故此经劝令众生。观于相生求乎净土。 答曰。此问并是不顺理问。应用置答。若欲答者。应反问云。诸佛有八万四千法门。汝问何者。西方净土是何收。无相无生是何门摄。彼若答云。但是一门。此即是愚痴人。不可与语也。彼答云。无相无生是理。有相有生是事者。即应答我。汝自解竟。何须问我。故欲令我答者。应云。诸佛有八万四千法门。各各差别。不相杂乱。若总摄之。即为真俗二谛。此之二谛。有佛无佛性相常住。非人造也。故中论云。诸佛说法。常依二谛。又云若人不能知。分别于二谛。即于深佛法。不得真实义。今西方净土者。通有三种。一是法身净土。此即无相无生。二是报身净土。据实亦无相无生。就事即有相有生。三是化身净土。亦是有相有生。故摄论云。化身新新出世。数数涅槃。即王宫生。双林灭也。而今劝众生生者。谓生化身土中。若众生欲往生者。唯须作相生观。就相生观中。有假有实。先须作假想观。使了了分明。然后始得作实观。如十六观中。日水二观。是其假想。地观已去依三昧成。名为实观。所以然者。此是众生受生处故。是事法故。是俗谛故。是行法故。是受处故。是分段身故。是此死彼生故。是有漏法故。是有为法故。是三界摄故。有往来故。于四生中是化生摄 现代汉语译本： 问：为何此经劝导众生，观察相生之法，以求往生净土？ 答：这个问题本身就不合逻辑，本应不予回答。如果一定要回答，应该反问：诸佛有八万四千法门，你问的是哪一个？西方净土属于哪一类？无相无生又属于哪个法门？如果他回答说：‘只是一个法门。’这就是愚痴之人，不必与他辩论。如果他回答说：‘无相无生是理，有相有生是事。’就应该回答他：‘你已经自己解释清楚了，何必再问我？’所以，如果想让我回答，应该说：诸佛有八万四千法门，各有差别，互不混淆。如果总括起来，就是真谛和俗谛。这两种谛理，无论有佛无佛，其自性与现象都是恒常存在的，不是人为创造的。所以《中论》（Madhyamaka-karika）说：诸佛说法，常依二谛。又说：如果有人不能分辨真谛和俗谛，就不能真正理解甚深的佛法。现在所说的西方净土，总共有三种：一是法身净土，这是无相无生的；二是报身净土，从本质上来说也是无相无生的，但从现象上来说则是有相有生的；三是化身净土，也是有相有生的。所以《摄大乘论》（Mahāyānasaṃgraha）说：化身不断地示现出生，又不断地示现涅槃，就像在王宫出生，在双林（Śāla Grove）灭度一样。而现在劝导众生往生的，是指往生到化身土中。如果众生想要往生，就必须修作相生观。在作相生观时，有假观和实观。首先要作假想观，使之清晰分明，然后才能作实观。比如十六观中的日想观和水想观，就是假想观。从地观开始，依靠三昧（Samadhi）成就，称为实观。之所以这样，是因为这里是众生受生之处，是事法，是俗谛，是行法，是受生之处，是分段生死之身，是此死彼生，是有漏法，是有为法，是三界所摄，有往来，在四生中属于化生。’ （注： 《中论》（Madhyamaka-karika）：龙树菩萨的根本著作，阐述中观思想。 《摄大乘论》（Mahāyānasaṃgraha）：无著菩萨的著作，阐述唯识思想。 三昧（Samadhi）：禅定，精神集中状态。 双林（Śāla Grove）：佛陀涅槃的地方。 ）
English
English version: Question: Why does this sutra encourage sentient beings to contemplate the arising of forms (相生, xiāng shēng) and seek rebirth in a Pure Land? Answer: This question is illogical and should not be answered. If an answer is required, one should counter-question: The Buddhas have eighty-four thousand Dharma gates (法門, fǎ mén); which one are you asking about? To which category does the Western Pure Land belong? And to which Dharma gate does non-form and non-arising belong? If he answers, 'It is just one gate,' then he is a foolish person and not worth arguing with. If he answers, 'Non-form and non-arising are principle (理, lǐ), while form and arising are phenomena (事, shì),' then you should answer him: 'You have already explained it yourself, why do you need to ask me?' Therefore, if you want me to answer, you should say: The Buddhas have eighty-four thousand Dharma gates, each distinct and not mixed up. If summarized, they are the two truths (二諦, èr dì) of conventional truth (俗谛, sú dì) and ultimate truth (真諦, zhēn dì). These two truths, whether there is a Buddha or not, their nature and characteristics are constant and not created by humans. Therefore, the *Madhyamaka-karika* (中論) says: The Buddhas always teach according to the two truths. It also says: If a person cannot distinguish between the two truths, he cannot understand the true meaning of the profound Buddha-dharma. Now, the Western Pure Land is generally of three types: First is the Dharma-body Pure Land, which is non-form and non-arising; second is the Reward-body Pure Land, which in essence is also non-form and non-arising, but in phenomena is form and arising; third is the Transformation-body Pure Land, which is also form and arising. Therefore, the *Mahāyānasaṃgraha* (攝大乘論) says: The Transformation Body is newly born again and again, and enters Nirvana again and again, just like being born in the royal palace and passing away in the Śāla Grove (雙林). What we are now encouraging sentient beings to be reborn into refers to rebirth in the Transformation-body Land. If sentient beings wish to be reborn, they must cultivate the contemplation of arising forms. In the contemplation of arising forms, there is provisional contemplation and real contemplation. First, one must cultivate provisional contemplation, making it clear and distinct, and then one can begin to cultivate real contemplation. For example, the contemplation of the sun and water in the Sixteen Contemplations are provisional contemplations. Starting from the Earth Contemplation, relying on Samadhi (三昧) to achieve, it is called real contemplation. The reason for this is that this is where sentient beings receive birth, it is a phenomenal dharma, it is conventional truth, it is a practice dharma, it is a place of receiving, it is a body of segmented life and death, it is dying here and being born there, it is a defiled dharma, it is a conditioned dharma, it is contained within the Three Realms, there is coming and going, and among the four types of birth, it belongs to transformation birth. (Note: *Madhyamaka-karika* (中論): The fundamental work of Nāgārjuna, expounding the Madhyamaka thought. *Mahāyānasaṃgraha* (攝大乘論): A work by Asaṅga, expounding the Yogācāra thought. Samadhi (三昧): Meditation, a state of mental concentration. Śāla Grove (雙林): The place where the Buddha entered Nirvana.) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
故。若作无相无生观者。即不得往生。以理法身无生也。若欲为教者说。亦为说有生。亦说无生。若理事兼修。即得上品上生。 问曰。如金刚般若经云。若以色见我。以音声求我。是人行邪道。不能见如来。又佛藏经云。见佛者是大邪见。今云何教人观阿弥陀佛。有八万四千相耶。 答曰。此事前已答竟。此等诸经。皆就法身理说。故金刚般若经云。彼如来妙体。即法身诸佛。法体不可见。彼识不能知也。今观八万四千相好者。此是应化色身观也。若作此观者。即须相相分明。好好别异。不得混为一也。若有人言万法皆空。有何理事者。此是大邪见人。是愚痴人。是不学问人。是诳惑世间人。莫共语也。故中论云。若见有如来。是轻邪见人。若言无如来是。粗重邪见人。是有二种过失。一破世间乐。二破涅槃道。此论并就理说。若就事说者。见有如来。是正见。定得往生也又地持论云。宁起有见如须弥山。不起空见如芥子许也。 问曰。前云念佛横截苦流。得生净土。出何经文。 答出无量寿经云。横截五恶趣。恶趣自然闭。升道无穷极。易往而无人也。 问曰。前云念佛不入三恶道。出何经文。 答曰。如度诸佛境界经说。若诸众生。缘于如来。生诸行者。断无数劫地狱畜 故，如果修习无相无生观，就不能往生，因为理法身（Li-fa-shen，法性之身）是无生的。如果要为他人说法，也可以说有生，也可以说无生。如果理事兼修，就能上品上生。 问：如《金刚般若经》（Jin-gang-ban-ruo-jing，Diamond Sutra）所说：‘若以色见我，以音声求我，是人行邪道，不能见如来。’又《佛藏经》（Fo-zang-jing，Buddha-pitaka Sutra）说：‘见佛者是大邪见。’现在为什么教人观阿弥陀佛（A-mi-tuo-fo，Amitabha Buddha）有八万四千相呢？ 答：这件事之前已经回答过了。这些经典都是就法身理体而说的。所以《金刚般若经》说：‘彼如来妙体，即法身诸佛，法体不可见，彼识不能知也。’现在观八万四千相好，这是应化色身观。如果作此观，就必须相相分明，好好别异，不得混为一谈。如果有人说万法皆空，有什么理事呢？这是大邪见人，是愚痴人，是不学问人，是诳惑世间人，不要和他说话。所以《中论》（Zhong-lun，Madhyamaka-karika）说：‘若见有如来，是轻邪见人。若言无如来是，粗重邪见人。’这有两种过失：一是破世间乐，二是破涅槃道。此论是就理体而说的。如果就事相说，见有如来，是正见，一定能往生。又《地持论》（Di-chi-lun，Bodhisattva-bhumi Sutra）说：‘宁起有见如须弥山（Xu-mi-shan，Mount Sumeru），不起空见如芥子许。’ 问：之前说念佛横截苦流，得生净土，出自哪部经文？ 答：出自《无量寿经》（Wu-liang-shou-jing，Infinite Life Sutra），经文说：‘横截五恶趣，恶趣自然闭，升道无穷极，易往而无人也。’ 问：之前说念佛不入三恶道，出自哪部经文？ 答：如《度诸佛境界经》（Du-zhu-fo-jing-jie-jing）所说：‘若诸众生，缘于如来，生诸行者，断无数劫地狱畜生。’