English
English version: Secondly, to speak of becoming a Buddha, there must be assisting conditions. Various practices are the conditions, included within it. Thirdly, to speak of since becoming a Buddha, there must be a source. Buddhas inherit from each other, included within it. One sentence encompasses three meanings, therefore it is said to be especially important and profound. Moreover, holding the name also possesses three meanings. Amitābha's (Amitābha) name of myriad virtues, there is no vow that it does not encompass, no practice that it does not completely embody, no Buddha that it does not penetrate. Question: Since this sutra emphasizes holding the name, it should only use holding the name to attain perfect enlightenment. Why also include the environment and the physical body? Answer: Emphasizing holding the name means that its merit is concise, desiring practitioners to gain much from little effort. It does not mean that one sutra only speaks of holding the name and has no other meanings. Therefore, this sutra takes self-nature as its substance, and taking pure environment and physical body, faith, vows, and rebirth as its purpose. Multiple meanings attain perfect enlightenment, there is nothing to doubt. Question: In the Śūraṅgama Sutra (Śūraṅgama Sūtra), Mañjuśrī (Mañjuśrī) Bodhisattva chose Mahāsthāmaprāpta's (Mahāsthāmaprāpta) method of Buddha-name recitation, saying that all practices are impermanent, the nature of thoughts is also arising and ceasing, and the causes and effects now have different feelings. How can one attain perfect penetration? Why teach people to recite the Buddha's name now? Answer: The preface explains the thought of no-thought, and the six directions explain the breadth of adapting to the capacity of beings. The general meaning can already be seen. There are still things that have not been exhausted, and now I will discuss it further. The Śūraṅgama Sutra says that causes and effects must be consistent. Reciting the Buddha's name uses impermanent arising and ceasing as the cause, and seeks the true constant non-arising and non-ceasing as the effect. Therefore, it is said to be different feelings. However, praising according to the occasion, then each dharma gate is different; if abandoning everything and only revealing the function of the ear, speaking truthfully, then all dharmas are perfect and harmonious. What is the difference between the ear of Buddha-name recitation? It is probably that constancy does not go beyond impermanence, and the nature of non-arising and non-ceasing is in arising and ceasing. Therefore, although Bodhisattvas know that all practices are impermanent, they do not abandon the practice dharma gate; although they know that thoughts belong to arising and ceasing, they do not forget to gather thoughts. Understanding this meaning, then one knows that people of superior wisdom recite the Buddha's name, there is thought at the moment, and there is no thought at the moment; people of middle and lower wisdom recite the Buddha's name, starting from having thought and entering into no-thought. What different feelings are there? Question: People who do evil have never wished to fall into evil paths, but they naturally fall; then doing good is also like this. For those who recite the Buddha's name, having faith and action is enough. Why is it necessary to make vows? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 为。
Chinese
答。为善如登。为恶如崩。登高则难。崩下则易。易故不愿而获。难故非愿不成。且本师庄严净邦。实惟四十八愿。普贤导归极乐。亦以十大愿王。故经中愿生彼国。叠言之不置。岂徒然哉。 问。历代祖师。皆因参禅得悟。念佛亦有悟否。 答。试问渠悟者悟个甚么。岂非破生死惑。得自本心。脱然如大寐之得醒耶。若向是谁念佛处觑破。一生参学事毕。更说往生。已是不唧留汉。虽然。一生彼国。即得不退菩提。则终当大悟耳。尚何问参禅念佛为同为异。 问。往生咒功德。何言不及持名。且平等称之。亦奚不可。必此扬抑。 答。此有二义。一者。较论功德。则念佛功德。六方佛赞。其往生咒未有此文。故华严念佛三昧。名无边海藏。即不可思议功德也。二者。随逐时宜。则无定法。有时随宜。持名第一。有时随宜。持咒第一。今重持名。非扬抑也。盖易地则皆然耳。 问。天如谓参禅念佛。门户虽不争多。却不许互相兼带。今体究念佛。得非兼带乎。 答。疏钞已见大意。今更详为决疑。言不许兼带者。良繇念佛者。自疑与参禅异致。念外求禅。参禅者。自疑与念佛殊归。禅外觅佛。心分二路。业不专精。故所不许。今念佛者。即于念上体究。不曾别有作 现代汉语译本： 问：为什么？ 答：行善如同登山，作恶如同崩塌。登山则困难，崩塌则容易。容易所以不希望也能得到，困难所以不希望就不能成功。而且本师（指阿弥陀佛）庄严清净的佛国，实际上是依靠四十八大愿。普贤菩萨引导众生回归极乐世界，也是凭借十大愿王。所以在经文中，愿生彼国的话语，重复地说个不停，难道是徒劳无益的吗？ 问：历代的祖师，都是因为参禅而开悟的，念佛也有开悟的吗？ 答：试问那些开悟的人，悟到了什么？难道不是破除了生死的迷惑，得到了自己的本心，如同从大梦中醒来一样吗？如果能向是谁在念佛处看破，一生的参学就完毕了。再说往生，已经是多余的话了。虽然如此，一旦往生到极乐世界，就能得到不退转的菩提，最终一定会大彻大悟的。还问什么参禅和念佛是相同还是不同呢？ 问：《往生咒》的功德，为什么说比不上持名念佛？而且平等地称赞它们，也是可以的，为什么一定要这样扬此抑彼呢？ 答：这有两层意思。一是，比较功德，那么念佛的功德，有六方诸佛赞叹，而《往生咒》没有这样的经文。所以《华严经》的念佛三昧，名为无边海藏，就是不可思议的功德。二是，随顺时宜，就没有定法。有时随顺时宜，持名念佛第一；有时随顺时宜，持咒第一。现在推崇持名念佛，不是扬此抑彼。换个地方，情况就都一样了。 问：天如禅师说，参禅和念佛，门径虽然不多，却不允许互相兼带。现在体究念佛，难道不是兼带吗？ 答：《疏钞》已经表达了大概的意思，现在更详细地解释，以消除疑惑。说不允许兼带，是因为念佛的人，自己怀疑念佛和参禅是不同的途径，在念佛之外寻求禅；参禅的人，自己怀疑参禅和念佛是不同的归宿，在参禅之外寻求佛。心分成两条路，修行不专一，所以不允许。现在念佛的人，就在念佛上体究，不曾另外有所作为。
English
English version: Question: Why? Answer: Doing good is like climbing a mountain; doing evil is like a landslide. Climbing is difficult, while collapsing is easy. Because it is easy, one obtains it even without wishing for it; because it is difficult, one cannot succeed without wishing for it. Moreover, the fundamental teacher (referring to Amitabha Buddha) adorns the pure land, relying on the forty-eight great vows. Samantabhadra Bodhisattva guides beings to return to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, also relying on the Ten Great Vows. Therefore, in the scriptures, the words 'wishing to be born in that land' are repeated incessantly. Is it all in vain? Question: The ancestral masters of past generations all attained enlightenment through Chan (Zen) meditation. Is there enlightenment in reciting the Buddha's name as well? Answer: Ask those who have attained enlightenment, what have they realized? Isn't it breaking through the delusions of birth and death, attaining one's original mind, like awakening from a great dream? If one can see through 'who is reciting the Buddha's name,' one's lifelong study is complete. To speak of rebirth after that is superfluous. However, once reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, one will attain non-retrogression in Bodhi (enlightenment), and will eventually achieve great enlightenment. Why ask whether Chan meditation and Buddha-name recitation are the same or different? Question: The merit of the *Wang Sheng Zhou* (Rebirth Mantra), why is it said to be inferior to holding the name (reciting the name of the Buddha)? And praising them equally is also possible, why must there be this praising one and suppressing the other? Answer: There are two meanings to this. First, comparing merits, the merit of reciting the Buddha's name is praised by the Buddhas of the six directions, while the *Wang Sheng Zhou* does not have such scriptural support. Therefore, the Buddha-name recitation Samadhi in the *Avatamsaka Sutra* is called the Boundless Ocean Treasury, which is inconceivable merit. Second, following the suitability of the time, there is no fixed Dharma. Sometimes, according to the situation, holding the name is the most important; sometimes, according to the situation, holding the mantra is the most important. Now, emphasizing holding the name is not praising one and suppressing the other. If the situation were different, it would be the same. Question: Chan Master Tianru said that although the paths of Chan meditation and Buddha-name recitation are not many, they are not allowed to be combined. Is the current practice of investigating Buddha-name recitation not a combination? Answer: The *Commentary and Subcommentary* has already expressed the general meaning. Now, I will explain it in more detail to dispel doubts. The reason for not allowing combination is that those who recite the Buddha's name suspect that reciting the Buddha's name and Chan meditation are different paths, and seek Chan outside of reciting the Buddha's name; those who practice Chan meditation suspect that Chan meditation and Buddha-name recitation are different destinations, and seek the Buddha outside of Chan meditation. The mind is divided into two paths, and the practice is not focused, so it is not allowed. Now, those who recite the Buddha's name investigate on the recitation itself, without doing anything else. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
为。即拳究手。即波究水。是一非二。何得名兼。纵名为兼。如是之兼。非世之所谓兼也。兼亦何碍。势至以念佛心。入无生忍。佛兼禅也。普贤以不可思议解脱。往生安乐。禅兼佛也。故永明谓有禅有净土。犹如带角虎。而圆照禀单传之旨。亦以净土密修。是皆兼而不二。一而常兼者也。复何疑哉。 问。前解昼夜六时。谓彼无日月。唯以莲开鸟鸣为昼。莲合鸟栖为夜也。今云昼夜六时。出和雅音。则无栖时矣。似与前解不类。 答。大本所云鸟栖。栖者。止也。止谓不飞。非不鸣也。吾窗前丛竹。群雀暮栖。按更齐鸣。而不失节。是且栖且鸣也。况彼土之鸟。佛力所化。出音说法。何可思议。 问。疏云。华严圆极。此经分圆。圆全摄此。此分摄圆。然圆无全分。全中有分。圆即有段。分中非全。圆即不遍。如月在水。寸水全月。如风在树。片叶全风。分全双乖。圆义不成。 答。君知其一。未知其二。知者。无全无分。始得名圆。不知者。可全可分。正所以为圆也。如曰全中有分。圆即有段。然月落千江。月分为千。风入万窍。风分为万。全中分也。而实无千无万。何虑圆之有段。如曰分中非全。圆即不遍。然窗楞之月。一隙而已。橐籥之风。一掬而已。分非全也。而全体是月是风。 现代汉语译本： 这是关于拳和手的关系。拳就是手的探究，就像波浪就是水的探究。它们本质上是一体而非二元对立的。为什么会用‘兼’这个词呢？即使使用了‘兼’这个词，这种‘兼’也并非世俗意义上的兼并。‘兼’又有什么妨碍呢？大势至菩萨以念佛之心，证入无生法忍，这体现了佛法与禅定的融合。普贤菩萨以不可思议的解脱境界，往生安乐净土，这体现了禅定与佛法的融合。所以永明延寿禅师说，‘有禅有净土，犹如带角虎’。而圆照宗的禅师秉承单传的宗旨，也以净土法门作为秘密修持。这些都是兼顾而不二元对立，一体而又常常兼顾的例子。又有什么可怀疑的呢？ 问：之前的解释中，昼夜六时是指极乐世界没有日月，只是以莲花开放、鸟儿鸣叫作为白天，莲花闭合、鸟儿栖息作为夜晚。现在说昼夜六时都发出和谐的声音，那么就没有鸟儿栖息的时候了。这似乎与之前的解释不一致。 答：《无量寿经》里所说的鸟栖，‘栖’的意思是停止，停止是指不飞翔，并非不鸣叫。我家窗前的竹林里，一群麻雀傍晚栖息，按时一起鸣叫，而不失时节。这就是既栖息又鸣叫。更何况极乐世界的鸟，是佛力所化现的，发出声音宣说佛法，怎么可以用常理来思议呢？ 问：疏钞中说，《华严经》是圆满至极的，这部《无量寿经》是部分圆满。圆满总体包含部分圆满，部分圆满也包含圆满总体。然而，圆满没有全部和部分之分，全部之中有部分，圆满就有了段落。部分之中不是全部，圆满就不能周遍。就像月亮在水中，一寸的水里有完整的月亮；像风在树上，一片叶子上就有完整的风。部分和全部相互矛盾，圆满的意义就不能成立。 答：你只知其一，不知其二。知道没有全部没有部分，才能够称之为圆满。不知道的人，认为可以有全部可以有部分，这正是圆满的体现。比如，月亮倒映在千江之中，月亮就分为了千万份；风进入万千孔窍，风就分为了万千份。全部之中有部分。但实际上并没有千万份，何必担心圆满会有段落呢？比如，窗户格子里的月亮，只是一道缝隙而已；风箱里的风，只是一捧而已。部分不是全部。但是，整体都是月亮都是风。