English
English version: 'Do you hold a bowl filled with obstructions, enter a samadhi (deep meditative state) of obstructions, and preach a Dharma (teachings) of obstructions?' Even if the fire of the kalpa (cosmic eon) blazes and burns away every tiny hair, the green mountains remain, and the white clouds are at ease. This shows that this land (Saha world) has not shifted even a tiny bit. How could the Pure Land (Sukhavati) undergo transformation? The Treatise on the Sutra of Immeasurable Life says: 'Surpassing the realms of the Three Worlds, ultimately like empty space.' Can empty space be transformed? Water, fire, and wind are difficult to move; the great three calamities cannot shake that place. Therefore, it surpasses the Three Worlds. Furthermore, to cite the passage about the Treasure Pond changing at will to prove that the Pure Land can be transformed is even more inappropriate. The Treasure Pond is the joy of self-enjoyment of the mind; the fire of the kalpa is the suffering of external calamities pressing in. If external calamities can intrude, then it is determined by the external environment rather than by the mind. Can it still be said to change at will? If it were truly as you say, the Treasure Pond would surely be able to dry up, the golden ground would surely be able to melt, the rows of trees would surely be able to be destroyed, and the pavilions would surely be able to collapse. Only then would it be considered a wondrous land? Earlier, it was said that the two deaths (segmented death and variable death) are fully present; now, it is said that the fire of the kalpa can burn. Then, wouldn't the Land of Ultimate Bliss become a defiled land? That is not reasonable. Question: The five directions (east, west, south, north, center) correspond to the five elements (wood, metal, fire, water, earth), which is a secular concept of Zhendan (China). In the Western Regions (ancient India), it is not yet fully accepted, let alone in the Land of Ultimate Bliss beyond hundreds of thousands of millions of Buddha lands? If the Land of Ultimate Bliss is to the west of the Saha world and belongs to Geng Xin metal, then from this west onward, countless unspeakable and unspeakable Buddha lands are all to the west of the Saha world, all belong to Geng Xin metal, and all rain white flowers. Is this reasoning sound? If the west belongs to metal, so it rains white flowers, then the Saha world, being to the east of the Land of Ultimate Bliss, should belong to Jia Yi wood and constantly rain green flowers. Why does the Buddha rain large and small red and white flowers when preaching the Lotus Sutra? Moreover, the lotus flowers in the Land of Ultimate Bliss bloom in four colors, and there are even mixed colors, and so on. Therefore, it is known that one should not use the five elements to judge that Buddha land. Answer: The excerpt from the commentary (a section from the Commentary on the Treatise on Rebirth) first describes various multicolored heavenly flowers, and the main meaning has already been stated. What follows expresses an additional meaning beyond the words, so the words 'also can' are used. It means that it can also be said that the west belongs to metal, to represent white karma. It only takes the white flowers among the multicolored flowers. When has it ever been said that the Land of Ultimate Bliss is entirely white flowers? If you make such distinctions, why bother citing the lotus flowers blooming in four colors as evidence? Moreover, this sutra (the Sutra of Immeasurable Life) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
单举白华以该余色。故微露世尊巧妙劝导之神机耳。可与知者道。未易与拘士谭也。枣柏以八卦判方隅。其世界亦不少。未可议其为非也。如以娑婆西去。世界无量。不得皆名西方。意以东看成西。西看成东。不知华严以东方表不动智。文殊从东方无量刹来。其国皆名不动。夫既以东方为不动。则娑婆看之成东。彼世界外看之乃成西耳。何得仍名不动。善财南询。以南方为正位。意亦如是。噫。若入华严玄门。尽世界可名西。尽天华可名白。正西之时。不碍五方齐现。正白之时。不妨五色烂然。他方他色。即入融通。亦复如是。 问。自归于佛。当愿众生。此则以他对己而称为自。自为能归。佛为所归。何故以归依自佛释之。禅宗元有此语。恐难施于教乘。理论则可。事则不去。 答。这里是什么去处。说能说所。又云。禅宗难施于教。低声低声。不独迷禅。兼亦迷教矣。何谓迷禅。无佛处不得住。有佛处急走过。试买草鞋行脚三十年。抱着个能归。走尽天涯觅所归去。如何是佛。即汝便是。汝既是佛。则为所归。能归者毕竟在甚么处。何谓迷教。华严云。念念自心。常有佛成正觉。法华云。自知当作佛。圆觉云。始知众生。本来成佛。而四弘誓云。自性佛道誓愿成。岂不览也。又既云理论事论。何不看 现代汉语译本： 仅仅举出白华，就能涵盖其他颜色。这微妙地显露出世尊巧妙劝导的神机。可以和懂得的人谈论，不适合和固执的人说。枣柏用八卦来划分方位，他所说的世界也不少，不能轻易议论他的说法是错误的。比如以娑婆世界向西而去，世界是无量的，不能都叫做西方。意思是东方看成西方，西方看成东方。不知道《华严经》用东方来表示不动智，文殊菩萨从东方无量刹土而来，那些国家都叫做不动。既然用东方表示不动，那么娑婆世界看它成为东方，那个世界之外看它就成为西方了。怎么还能叫做不动呢？善财童子向南方参访，把南方作为正位，意思也是这样。唉！如果进入《华严经》的玄妙之门，整个世界都可以叫做西方，所有的天华都可以叫做白色。正当是西方的时候，不妨碍五方同时显现；正当是白色的时候，不妨碍五色灿烂。其他方其他颜色，就进入了融通，也是这样。 问：自己归依佛，当愿众生，这是用‘他’来对待‘己’而称为‘自’。‘自’是能归依者，‘佛’是所归依者。为什么用归依‘自佛’来解释它？禅宗本来有这种说法，恐怕难以应用在教乘上，理论上可以，实际上不行。 答：这里是什么地方，说什么能说所说？又说禅宗难以应用在教乘上，小声点，小声点！不只是迷惑了禅，也迷惑了教义了。什么是迷惑了禅？‘无佛处不得住，有佛处急走过’。试着买双草鞋行脚三十年，抱着一个能归依的心，走遍天涯海角去寻找所归依之处。什么是佛？就是你啊！你既然是佛，就是所归依之处，能归依者到底在哪里？什么是迷惑了教义？《华严经》说：‘念念自心，常有佛成正觉’。《法华经》说：‘自知当作佛’。《圆觉经》说：‘始知众生，本来成佛’。而四弘誓愿说：‘自性佛道誓愿成’，难道你没看到吗？又既然说理论和事论，为什么不看看
English
English version: Singling out the white lotus encompasses all other colors. This subtly reveals the World-Honored One's skillful means of guidance. It can be discussed with those who understand, but not easily with the obstinate. Zao Bai uses the Eight Trigrams to divide the directions, and the worlds he speaks of are numerous. One should not readily judge his words as wrong. For example, if one considers the Saha world moving westward, the worlds are immeasurable, and not all can be called the West. The idea is that looking east becomes west, and looking west becomes east. They do not know that the Avatamsaka Sutra uses the East to represent immovable wisdom, and Manjushri Bodhisattva comes from countless lands in the East, all of which are named Immovable. Since the East represents immovability, then the Saha world sees it as the East, but from beyond that world, it becomes the West. How can it still be called Immovable? Sudhana's pilgrimage to the South, regarding the South as the proper position, also carries this meaning. Alas! If one enters the profound gate of the Avatamsaka Sutra, the entire world can be called the West, and all heavenly flowers can be called white. When it is truly the West, it does not hinder the simultaneous appearance of the five directions; when it is truly white, it does not hinder the brilliant display of five colors. Other directions and other colors enter into interpenetration in the same way. Question: 'Taking refuge in the Buddha, I vow that all sentient beings...' This uses 'other' to treat 'self' and calls it 'self'. 'Self' is the one who can take refuge, and 'Buddha' is the one in whom refuge is taken. Why is it explained as taking refuge in the 'Self-Buddha'? Zen Buddhism originally had this saying, but it is feared that it is difficult to apply to the teachings of the scriptures. It may be theoretically possible, but not practically. Answer: What place is this, to speak of the able and the object? And you say that Zen Buddhism is difficult to apply to the teachings of the scriptures, lower your voice, lower your voice! You are not only confused about Zen, but also confused about the teachings. What is being confused about Zen? 'One must not abide where there is no Buddha, and one must quickly pass by where there is a Buddha.' Try buying straw sandals and walking for thirty years, holding onto the one who can take refuge, and searching for the place to take refuge at the ends of the earth. What is the Buddha? It is you! Since you are the Buddha, then you are the place of refuge. Where exactly is the one who can take refuge? What is being confused about the teachings? The Avatamsaka Sutra says, 'In every thought of one's own mind, there is always a Buddha attaining perfect enlightenment.' The Lotus Sutra says, 'Knowing for oneself that one will become a Buddha.' The Perfect Enlightenment Sutra says, 'Only then do they realize that sentient beings are originally Buddhas.' And the Four Great Vows say, 'The Buddha-path of self-nature, I vow to accomplish.' Have you not seen this? Furthermore, since you speak of theory and practice, why not look at --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
此是称理下语。而复云于理可。于事不可。判禅教为两途。隔事理成二物。悲夫。 问。经云。转轮圣王百千种乐。不如忉利天一音之美。乃至他化天百千种乐。不如极乐树中一音之美。此中以多为能况。以少为所况。乃是以多况少。何故云以少况多。若云极乐一音。胜如他化百千种乐。此乃以少况多也。 答。疏云。以少况多。释今经也。今经先言极乐风树之音。后言百千种乐。正以少况多故。钞中乃引大本。则先人天。后极乐。方是以多况少耳。何不审也。虽然。以少况多。以多况少。将天比地。将地比天。朝暮四三。争论且止。 问。起信疏云。不退有三。初则十信初心。未尝断惑。位非不退。但生彼国。无有退缘。是故不退。后之二种。方是断惑不退位人。此如天台所判九品。其义是同。故知生彼土人。虽然皆名䟦致。初一种多。要至无生。万中一二。何故概云顿超。而胜四教诸不退者。弘赞大乘。理则应尔。抑扬太过。恐生诤竞。 答。起信三种不退。钞中自开。不须援引。今是总明不退。以赞念佛。殊胜功德也。且四教都言到某处方不退。则未到时。应有退缘。此经直言不退。是但生彼国。毕竟当证无生。故异诸教。岂贬诸教为不美也。盖世尊悲心太切。既说诸教。犹恐利钝不 现代汉语译本： 这是符合真理的言论。然而又说在道理上可行，在事相上不可行，把禅和教判为两条道路，把事和理隔绝成两种事物，真是可悲啊。 问：经中说，转轮圣王百千种快乐，不如忉利天（三十三天）一声的美妙；乃至他化自在天百千种快乐，不如极乐世界树林中的一声美妙。这里是以多来比况能比的，以少来比况所比的，乃是以多比少。为什么说以少比多呢？如果说极乐世界一声，胜过他化自在天百千种快乐，这才是以少比多啊。 答：疏中说，‘以少况多’，是解释这部经的。这部经先说极乐世界风和树的声音，后说百千种快乐，正是以少比多。钞中引用《大本经》，则是先说人天，后说极乐，才是以多比少啊。为什么不仔细审察呢？虽然如此，以少比多，以多比少，将天比地，将地比天，早晚四三，争论可以停止了。 问：《起信论疏》说，不退有三种，最初是十信位的初心菩萨，未曾断除惑业，位阶并非不退，但生到极乐世界，没有退转的因缘，所以说不退。后面的两种，才是断除惑业的不退位之人。这如同天台宗所判的九品往生，意义是相同的。所以知道生到极乐世界的人，虽然都名为阿鞞跋致（不退转），但最初的一种占多数，要到证得无生法忍，万里挑一。为什么概括地说顿超直入，胜过四教中的各种不退转者呢？弘扬大乘，道理上应该如此，但褒扬太过，恐怕引起争论。 答：《起信论》的三种不退，钞中自有开示，不需要援引。现在是总的说明不退，来赞叹念佛的殊胜功德啊。而且四教都说要到某个阶段才不退，那么未到那个阶段时，应该有退转的因缘。这部经直接说不退，是只要生到极乐世界，毕竟会证得无生法忍，所以不同于其他教法。难道是贬低其他教法不够好吗？世尊的悲心太过恳切，既然说了各种教法，还恐怕众生的根器有利有钝。