English
English version: These are words that accord with truth. Yet, it is said that it is acceptable in principle but not in practice, dividing Chan and teachings into two paths, and separating phenomena and principle into two things. How sad! Question: The sutra says, 'The myriad joys of a Chakravartin King are not as beautiful as a single sound in the Trayastrimsa Heaven (Heaven of Thirty-Three); even the myriad joys of the Paranirmita-vasavartin Heaven are not as beautiful as a single sound from the trees in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.' Here, the many are used to compare the capable, and the few are used to compare the compared, which is using the many to compare the few. Why say it is using the few to compare the many? If it is said that a single sound in the Land of Ultimate Bliss surpasses the myriad joys of the Paranirmita-vasavartin Heaven, that is using the few to compare the many. Answer: The commentary says, 'Using the few to compare the many' is explaining this sutra. This sutra first speaks of the sound of the wind and trees in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, and then speaks of the myriad joys, which is precisely using the few to compare the many. The commentary quotes the Larger Sutra, which first speaks of humans and devas, and then speaks of the Land of Ultimate Bliss, which is using the many to compare the few. Why not examine it carefully? Nevertheless, using the few to compare the many, using the many to compare the few, comparing heaven to earth, comparing earth to heaven, the arguments of morning and evening should cease. Question: The commentary on the Awakening of Faith says, 'There are three types of non-retrogression. The first is the initial mind of the Ten Faiths, which has not yet severed delusions. The position is not one of non-retrogression, but upon being born in that land, there are no causes for retrogression, hence it is called non-retrogression. The latter two types are those who have severed delusions and are in positions of non-retrogression.' This is similar to the nine grades of rebirth as determined by the Tiantai school. Therefore, although all those born in that land are called Avaivartika (non-retrogressive), the first type is the majority, and only one or two in ten thousand will reach the stage of non-origination. Why generalize and say that they instantly transcend and surpass all the non-retrogressors in the Four Teachings? Promoting the Great Vehicle should be reasonable, but excessive praise may cause disputes. Answer: The three types of non-retrogression in the Awakening of Faith are explained in the commentary itself and do not need to be cited. Now, we are generally explaining non-retrogression to praise the supreme merit of reciting the Buddha's name. Moreover, the Four Teachings all say that one only becomes non-retrogressive upon reaching a certain stage, so before reaching that stage, there should be causes for retrogression. This sutra directly says non-retrogression, meaning that as long as one is born in that land, one will ultimately attain non-origination, so it is different from other teachings. Is it disparaging other teachings as not being good enough? The World-Honored One's compassion is too earnest. Since he has spoken of various teachings, he still fears that beings' capacities may be sharp or dull. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
一。或堕退缘。今以一法该罗。更无退者。乃相助诸教。速成弘济。非与诸教诤胜负也。当名和合。云何反说起诤。况前八地文中。说无生极易。今此䟦致文中。又说无生极难。何前倨而后恭。忽扬而忽抑也。岂不是诤竞。 问。须陀洹七生者。分段生死也。一生补处者。惟有一分无明。一变易生死也。故圆教初地。至妙觉位。有十一生。皆约变易而论。所以法华有增道损生之说。故知二种生死。不可雷同。岂得以须陀洹与补处并。生西方者。补处甚难。下品生人。至阿罗汉。尚经多劫。何况七生。而须陀洹位在中品。 大师慈心太煞。赞经可。然再宜缓款。使他莫测。 答。钞中引三果四果圣人。去佛处尚远。正比况赞叹一生补处之难及耳。殊无须陀洹并于补处之意。来说与钞文略不相蒙。今此驳难。反成我义矣。奇哉。况释经贵图令人易知。何必使他莫测。 续问答 有当问。而前问不及。自设为或问如左。 问。大本此经一体。既闻命矣。然大本三事。此经似无。一。因地六八大愿。二。愿后广修诸行。三。往劫五十三佛。此经既无。何名一体。 答。只消经中阿弥陀佛成佛以来一句。上之三义。摄无不尽。一者。言成佛。则必有本成之因。大愿为因。在其中矣。 现代汉语译本 一。如果堕落退转，现在用一个方法来概括，就不会再有退转的人了。这是为了辅助各种教法，使之迅速成就弘扬救济，不是要和各种教法争论胜负。应当叫做和合，为什么反而说要引起争论呢？况且前面八地文中，说证得无生很容易，现在这篇驳斥的文章中，又说证得无生极其困难。为什么先前傲慢而后恭敬，忽然抬高又忽然压低呢？难道不是在争论吗？ 问：须陀洹（Srotapanna，入流果）要经历七次生死，这是分段生死。一生补处（Ekajatipratibaddha，一生补处菩萨）的菩萨，只有一分无明，这是变易生死。所以圆教初地到妙觉位，有十一次生死，都是就变易生死而说的。因此《法华经》有增道损生的说法。所以知道两种生死，不可混为一谈。怎么能把须陀洹和一生补处相提并论呢？往生西方极乐世界，一生补处非常困难，下品往生的人，到证得阿罗汉果，尚且要经历很多劫，何况七次生死？而须陀洹的果位在中品。 大师的慈悲心太过分了，赞叹经典可以，但是应该再稍微缓慢一些，使别人难以猜测。 答：钞文中引用三果（Anagamin，不还果）、四果（Arhat，阿罗汉）圣人，距离成佛还很遥远，正是比喻赞叹一生补处之难罢了，完全没有把须陀洹和一生补处相提并论的意思。你这样说和钞文的意思略微不符，现在你这样驳难，反而成就了我的意思。真是奇怪。况且解释经典贵在使人容易理解，何必使别人难以猜测呢？ 续问答 有应当问的，但是前面的提问没有涉及到，（现在）自己假设一个提问，如下： 问：《大本》（《无量寿经》）和这部经（指被驳斥的经文）是一体的，既然已经听闻这个说法了。但是《大本》有三件事，这部经好像没有。一、因地的六八大愿，二、发愿后广泛修习各种修行，三、过去劫的五十三佛。这部经既然没有这些，为什么叫做一体呢？ 答：只需要经中的‘阿弥陀佛成佛以来’这句话，上面的三种含义，就全部包含在内了。一者，说到成佛，就必定有根本成就的原因，大愿就是成佛的因，就在其中了。
English
English version I. If one falls back, now using one method to encompass all, there will be no more falling back. This is to assist all teachings, to quickly achieve and widely deliver salvation, not to contend for victory with other teachings. It should be called harmony, why say it incites contention? Moreover, in the previous text on the Eighth Ground, it says attaining non-birth is extremely easy, but in this refutation, it says attaining non-birth is extremely difficult. Why be arrogant first and then respectful, suddenly praising and then suppressing? Isn't this contention? Question: A Srotapanna (stream-enterer) experiences seven births, which is segmented birth and death. A Ekajatipratibaddha (one-birth-remaining Bodhisattva) has only one portion of ignorance, which is transformational birth and death. Therefore, from the initial ground of the Perfect Teaching to the stage of Wonderful Enlightenment, there are eleven births, all discussed in terms of transformational birth and death. Thus, the Lotus Sutra speaks of increasing the path and decreasing birth. Therefore, the two kinds of birth and death cannot be equated. How can one compare a Srotapanna with a one-birth-remaining Bodhisattva? Rebirth in the Western Pure Land is very difficult for a one-birth-remaining Bodhisattva. Even those reborn in the lowest grade take many kalpas to attain Arhatship, let alone seven births. And the Srotapanna's stage is in the middle grade. The Master's compassion is too much. Praising the sutra is acceptable, but it should be done more slowly and deliberately, so that others cannot fathom it. Answer: The commentary cites the third-fruit (Anagamin) and fourth-fruit (Arhat) sages, who are still far from Buddhahood, precisely to illustrate the difficulty of the one-birth-remaining Bodhisattva. There is absolutely no intention of equating the Srotapanna with the one-birth-remaining Bodhisattva. Your statement is slightly inconsistent with the commentary. Now, your refutation actually strengthens my argument. How strange! Moreover, explaining the sutra should aim to make it easy to understand, why make it unfathomable? Continued Questions and Answers There are questions that should be asked, but the previous questions did not address. (Now) I will create a hypothetical question, as follows: Question: The Larger Sutra (Larger Sukhavativyuha Sutra) and this sutra (the sutra being refuted) are one body, since we have heard this statement. However, the Larger Sutra has three things that this sutra seems to lack: 1. The forty-eight great vows made during the causal stage; 2. The extensive cultivation of various practices after making the vows; 3. The fifty-three Buddhas of past kalpas. Since this sutra lacks these, why is it called one body? Answer: The phrase 'Since Amitabha Buddha attained Buddhahood' in the sutra alone encompasses all three meanings mentioned above. Firstly, speaking of attaining Buddhahood necessarily implies a fundamental cause for that attainment. The great vows are the cause for attaining Buddhahood, and they are included within that phrase. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
二者。言成佛。则必有助成之缘。众行为缘。在其中矣。三者。言成佛以来。则必有所繇来。佛佛相承。在其中矣。一句而该三义。故曰尤为要妙也。又持名亦具三义。弥陀万德之名。无一愿不包罗。无一行不体备。无一佛不贯彻故。 问。此经既重持名。只宜以持名证圆。何兼取依正。 答。重持名者。言其为功之约。欲行人持少得多。非谓一经只说持名。更无别义也。故此经以自性为体。以依正清净信愿往生为宗。多义证圆。无足疑者。 问。文殊拣势至念佛。谓诸行是无常。念性元生灭。因果今殊感。云何获圆通。今教念佛。何也。 答。玄叙中明无念之念。六方中明逗机之广。已见大意。犹有未尽。今更论之。楞严谓因果势必相符。念佛是以无常生灭为因。而求真常不生灭果。故曰殊感。然随时而赞。则门门各异。刊落一切。独显耳根。如实而说。则法法皆圆。念佛耳根。有何差别。盖常不出于无常之外。不生灭性。在生灭中。故菩萨虽知诸行无常。而不废行门。虽知念属生灭。而不忘摄念。明于此义。则知上智念佛。当处有念。当处无念。中下念佛。繇乎有念。入于无念。何殊感之有。 问。为恶之人。未尝愿生恶道。而自然堕落。则为善亦尔。念佛者。信行足矣。何以愿 现代汉语译本：第二点，说到成佛，就必然有助成的因缘。各种行为就是因缘，包含在其中了。第三点，说到成佛以来，就必然有所由来。诸佛之间互相传承，也包含在其中了。一句话就概括了三重含义，所以说尤其重要而精妙。而且，持名也具备三重含义。阿弥陀佛（Amitābha）万德的名号，没有哪一个愿望不包含在内，没有哪一种修行不完备地体现，没有哪一尊佛不贯穿其中。 问：这部经既然重视持名念佛，只应该以持名来证得圆满，为什么还要兼顾依报和正报？ 答：重视持名，是说它的功效简要，希望修行人付出少而获得多，不是说一部经只说持名，没有别的含义了。所以这部经以自性为本体，以依报和正报清净、信愿往生为宗旨，多种含义来证得圆满，没有什么可怀疑的。 问：《楞严经》（Śūraṅgama Sūtra）中文殊菩萨（Mañjuśrī）选择大势至菩萨（Mahāsthāmaprāpta）的念佛法门，说各种修行都是无常的，念头的本性也是生灭的，因果之间现在有不同的感受，怎么能获得圆满通达？现在教人念佛，又是为什么呢？ 答：玄叙中说明了无念的念，六方中说明了适应根机的广泛性，已经可以看出大概的意思了。还有未尽之处，现在再来论述。《楞严经》说因果势必相符，念佛是以无常生灭为因，而求真常不生灭的果，所以说是不同的感受。然而，随着时机而赞叹，那么各个法门各有不同；如果舍弃一切，只显示耳根的功用，如实而说，那么一切法都是圆融的。念佛的耳根，有什么差别呢？大概是常不超出无常之外，不生灭的本性，就在生灭之中。所以菩萨虽然知道各种修行是无常的，但不废弃修行法门；虽然知道念头属于生灭，但不忘记摄持念头。明白了这个道理，就知道上等智慧的人念佛，当下有念，当下无念；中下等的人念佛，从有念开始，进入无念。有什么不同的感受呢？ 问：作恶的人，不曾希望堕入恶道，却自然堕落；那么行善也是这样，念佛的人，只要有信心和行动就足够了，为什么还要发愿？