English
English version The believer says: According to this method, making vows and reciting the Buddha's name means taking the Buddha's knowledge and vision as one's own, without needing to seek other paths to enlightenment. Other methods of cultivation require practicing according to the Dharma after enlightenment, focusing the mind to achieve Samadhi (concentration), generating wisdom from Samadhi, and cutting off delusions with wisdom. The wisdom generated has superior and inferior aspects; the delusions cut off have shallow and deep aspects. Only then can one discuss whether there will be regression or not. Only in this Pure Land Dharma gate, solely with the heart of faith and vows, wholeheartedly reciting the Buddha's name, reciting until single-mindedness is achieved, the Pure Land karma will be greatly accomplished. After death, one is assured of being reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, and once reborn, one will never regress. Other methods of cultivation require first repenting of present karma. If present karma is not repented of, it will become an obstacle to cultivation, and then there will be no way to advance. Those who cultivate Pure Land karma are reborn with karma, without needing to repent of karma, because sincerely reciting the Buddha's name once can extinguish eighty billion kalpas (aeons) of heavy sins of birth and death. Other methods of cultivation require cutting off afflictions. If the afflictions of views and thoughts are not completely exhausted, then the segmented birth and death cannot be ended, and one cannot escape the Land of Co-dwelling with Ordinary Beings and Sages. Only those who cultivate Pure Land karma transcend the Three Realms horizontally, without cutting off afflictions. From this Land of Co-dwelling, one is reborn in the Land of Co-dwelling in the Pure Land. Once reborn in that land, the root of birth and death will be forever severed. Since one is reborn in that land, one can always see the Buddha, always hear the Dharma, and clothing, food, and dwelling arise naturally. Water birds and trees all proclaim the Dharma. In the Land of Co-dwelling, one can horizontally see the sages of the upper three lands, and all the most virtuous people gather in one place, fully realizing the three types of non-retrogression (non-retrogression in position, practice, and thought). In one lifetime, one can fill the position of a Buddha. Since this is the case, the Pure Land Dharma gate initially saves the effort of seeking a path to enlightenment, and ultimately does not wait for the generation of wisdom, does not require repenting of karma, and does not require cutting off afflictions. It is extremely simple and extremely direct. When one enters into realization, it is extremely vast and extremely ultimate. Students of Buddhism should carefully contemplate and choose it in detail, and not lose this supremely great benefit due to temporary arrogance. The explanation of the manifest superior benefits ends here. The explanation of the Pure Land in the major categories ends here. ○2 Explaining 'birthless birth' is further divided into three parts. The first part explains from the perspective of doctrine, the second part selects the content to be included, and the third part refutes erroneous views and establishes correct views. ○ Now begins the first part. From the perspective of doctrine, the Four Teachings (Tripitaka Teaching, Common Teaching, Distinct Teaching, and Perfect Teaching) of the Tiantai school all have 'birthless birth'. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
生义。若不细拣。则有儱伺之过。约藏教者。纲宗云。诸行无常。是生灭法。生灭灭已。寂灭为乐。因灭会真。灭非真谛。灭尚非真。况苦集道。真谛在因果事相之外。故依衍教。判为偏真无生也。约通教者。诸法不自生。亦不从他生。不共。不无因。是故说无生。解苦无苦而有真谛。苦尚即真。况集灭道。此乃即真无生也。约别教者。真如法性。随缘不变。在生死而不染。证涅槃而非净。迥超二边。不即诸法。此乃但中无生也。约圆教者。如来之藏。不变随缘。随缘不变。随拈一法。无非法界。心佛众生。三无差别。在凡不减。在圣不增。此乃圆教圆超四句。圆该四句。不思议之无生也。约教竟。 ○二拣收 言拣收者。谓拣去前三无生。收入圆乘也。何者。藏教则生灭灭已。寂灭为乐。生灭者。二十五有生灭法也。寂灭者。偏真涅槃生也。无生在生灭之外。此论生无生者。乃即生之无生。故非藏教之意也。通教虽言生即无生。不得意人。终归灰断之果。又藏通二教。不言他方佛土。此论乃他方净土之生。即是无生。故又非通教之意也。别教虽言他方佛土。而但中之理。不即二边。此论生无生者。乃即二边之生。即中道无生。故又非别教意也。唯圆教即中之理。即四土之生法。当体即中。圆离四句。圆 融四句。谓生即无生也。亦即亦生亦无生也。亦即非生非无生也。举一即四。全四即一。故曰不可思议之无生。正是此论之本旨。故曰净土生无生论也。 ○三破立 破立者。世人有偏执有生者。偏执无生者。偏执有生。犹有往生之益。而偏执无生者。大端堕在缘影妄想。以为唯心净土。自性弥陀。故题曰。净土生无生论。正破缘影之虚妄。而立乎净土之生。即心性之无生也。故古德云。生则决定生。去则实不去。又曰。因缘所生法。我说即是空。亦名为假名。亦名中道义。下文论云。心具而造。岂分能所。即心是佛。即佛是心。即心是土。即土是心。能造因缘。及所造法。当处皆是心性。故明此宗而求生乐土者。乃生与无生两冥之至道也。解生无生竟。 ○三解论字 梵语优波提舍。此云论义。裂网疏云。谓问辩徴析。剖断开示。令得决定之谓也。问辩徴析。乃教论。剖断开示。乃行论。令得决定。乃理论。又问辩徴析。乃名字位中闻慧教行理。剖断开示。乃观行相似位中思慧教行理。令得决定。乃分证位中修慧教行理。又约教。乃世界悉檀之论。约行。乃为人对治悉檀之论。约理。乃第一义悉檀之论。释论题竟。 ○第二释论主 明者。国号也。朱氏而有天下。称为大明。 现代汉语译本： 融四句。意思是说，生即是无生。也可以说是既是生又是无生。也可以说既不是生也不是无生。举出一个方面就包含了四个方面，全部四个方面也就是一个方面。所以说是不可思议的无生。这正是此论的根本宗旨。所以叫做《净土生无生论》。 ○三破立 破立的意思是，世人有偏执于有生的人，也有偏执于无生的人。偏执于有生，还有往生的益处。而偏执于无生的人，大多会堕入缘影妄想，认为唯心净土，自性弥陀。所以题目叫做《净土生无生论》，正是为了破除缘影的虚妄，而建立在净土的生，即心性的无生之上。所以古德说：‘生则决定生，去则实不去。’又说：‘因缘所生法，我说即是空，亦名为假名，亦名中道义。’下文论中说：‘心具而造，岂分能所。即心是佛，即佛是心。即心是土，即土是心。能造因缘，及所造法，当处皆是心性。’所以明白这个宗旨而求生极乐净土的人，才是生与无生两方面都明白的至高道理。 解释生无生完毕。 ○三解论字 梵语优波提舍（Upadesha，论议），这里翻译为‘论义’。《裂网疏》中说：‘所谓问辩、征析、剖断、开示，使人得到决定的意思。’问辩、征析，是教论。剖断、开示，是行论。使人得到决定，是理论。又，问辩、征析，是名字位中闻慧的教行理。剖断、开示，是观行相似位中思慧的教行理。使人得到决定，是分证位中修慧的教行理。又从教理上说，是世界悉檀（Lokasiddhanta，世间悉檀）的论。从修行上说，是为人对治悉檀（Pratipurushika-siddhanta，各各为人悉檀）的论。从理上说，是第一义悉檀（Paramarthika-siddhanta，第一义悉檀）的论。解释论题完毕。 ○第二释论主 明，是国号。朱姓拥有天下，称为大明。
English
English version: The fusion of the four phrases means that birth is non-birth. It can also be said that it is both birth and non-birth. It can also be said that it is neither birth nor non-birth. Mentioning one aspect includes all four aspects, and all four aspects are one aspect. Therefore, it is called the inconceivable non-birth. This is precisely the fundamental purpose of this treatise. Therefore, it is called 'Treatise on Birth and Non-Birth in the Pure Land'. ○ Three Destructions and Establishments The meaning of destruction and establishment is that some people in the world are attached to birth, and some are attached to non-birth. Attachment to birth still has the benefit of rebirth. But those who are attached to non-birth mostly fall into the delusion of conditioned appearances, believing in the Pure Land of Mind Only and the Amitabha of Self-Nature. Therefore, the title is 'Treatise on Birth and Non-Birth in the Pure Land', precisely to destroy the falsehood of conditioned appearances and establish the birth in the Pure Land, which is the non-birth of the mind-nature. Therefore, an ancient master said: 'Birth is definitely birth, going is actually not going.' And also said: 'The Dharma produced by conditions, I say is emptiness, also called provisional name, also called the Middle Way.' The treatise below says: 'The mind possesses and creates, how can it be divided into subject and object? The mind is the Buddha, the Buddha is the mind. The mind is the land, the land is the mind. The creating conditions and the created Dharma are all mind-nature.' Therefore, those who understand this principle and seek rebirth in the Pure Land of Bliss are those who understand the supreme truth of both birth and non-birth. Explanation of birth and non-birth is complete. ○ Three Explanations of the Word 'Treatise' The Sanskrit word Upadesha (论议) is translated here as 'Treatise'. The 'Liewang Shu' says: 'So-called questioning, debating, analyzing, dissecting, and revealing, to enable people to obtain a definite meaning.' Questioning, debating, and analyzing are doctrinal treatises. Dissecting and revealing are practical treatises. Enabling people to obtain a definite meaning is theoretical treatise. Furthermore, questioning, debating, and analyzing are the teaching, practice, and principle of hearing wisdom in the position of name and word. Dissecting and revealing are the teaching, practice, and principle of reflective wisdom in the position of similar practice. Enabling people to obtain a definite meaning is the teaching, practice, and principle of cultivation wisdom in the position of partial realization. Furthermore, from the perspective of teaching, it is the treatise of Lokasiddhanta (世间悉檀, mundane truth). From the perspective of practice, it is the treatise of Pratipurushika-siddhanta (各各为人悉檀, truth adapted to individual capacities). From the perspective of principle, it is the treatise of Paramarthika-siddhanta (第一义悉檀, ultimate truth). Explanation of the title of the treatise is complete. ○ Second Explanation of the Author of the Treatise 'Ming' is the name of the country. The Zhu family possessed the empire and was called the Great Ming. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
天台山。浙江之山也。在台州之北。幽溪者。地名。在山内。沙门者。梵语。或云桑门。皆梵音不同。什师云。佛法及外道。凡出家者。皆称沙门。乃出家之都称。或翻息心。瑞应经云。息心达本源。故号为沙门。又云勤息。谓勤求戒定慧。息灭贪嗔痴。今释沙门有四教。各分四种。谓胜道沙门。说道沙门。活道沙门。污道沙门。若勤求藏通戒定慧。息见思之心。证三乘果。乃藏通二教胜道沙门。若从真起应。说生灭无生二种四谛。乃说道沙门。若禀二教。修七科道品。乃活道沙门。不然者。乃污道沙门也。别圆亦然。传灯。乃论主之讳也。谓传真谛灯。俗谛灯。中谛灯。次第灯。一心灯。今造此论。乃传西方唯心四土。自性三身。一心妙莲灯也。和南者。梵云。槃那寐。或云。槃谈。讹云和南也。皆翻我礼。即礼拜也。撰者述也。造也。大师俗姓叶。浙江衢州人。少从进贤映庵禅师剃发。随谒百松法师。闻讲法华。恍有神会。次问楞严大定之旨。百松瞪目周视。灯即契入。百松以金云紫袈裟授之。一生修法华。大悲。光明。弥陀。楞严等忏。无虚日。卜居幽溪高明寺。先有土人叶祺。葬亲寺后。梦神云。此圣道场地。将有肉身菩萨大作佛事。可速迁。祺不信。俄举家病困。惧而徙焉。翌日灯至。即其地立天台祖庭。 现代汉语译本： 天台山，是浙江的一座山，位于台州北部。幽溪，是一个地名，在山里面。沙门（Śrāmaṇa），是梵语，有的地方也说桑门，都是梵语发音的差异。鸠摩罗什法师说，佛法和外道，凡是出家的人，都可以称为沙门，是出家的通称。或者翻译为息心。《瑞应经》说，息灭妄心，通达本源，所以称为沙门。又说勤息，是指勤奋修习戒、定、慧，息灭贪、嗔、痴。现在解释沙门有四教，每教又分四种，即胜道沙门、说道沙门、活道沙门、污道沙门。如果勤奋修习三藏、通教的戒、定、慧，息灭见惑、思惑之心，证得声闻乘、缘觉乘、菩萨乘的三乘果位，这是藏教、通教的胜道沙门。如果从真如本体起用，宣说生灭四谛和无生四谛，这是说道沙门。如果依从藏教、通教，修习七科道品，这是活道沙门。否则，就是污道沙门。别教、圆教也是这样。传灯，是论主的法号，意思是传真谛之灯、俗谛之灯、中谛之灯、次第之灯、一心之灯。现在造这部论，就是传西方唯心净土、自性三身、一心妙莲之灯。和南（Vandana），梵语是槃那寐（Vandame），或者说槃谈（Vandanā），讹传为和南，都翻译为我礼，就是礼拜的意思。撰者，是叙述、创造的意思。大师俗姓叶，是浙江衢州人。年轻时跟随进贤映庵禅师剃度出家，后来参谒百松法师，听闻讲解《法华经》，恍然有所领悟。接着请教《楞严经》大定的宗旨，百松法师瞪大眼睛环顾四周，大师随即契入。百松法师将金云紫袈裟授予他。大师一生修习《法华经》、《大悲咒》、《光明经》、《弥陀经》、《楞严经》等忏法，没有一天间断。大师选择在幽溪高明寺居住。先前有当地人叶祺，将亲人安葬在寺庙后面，梦见神灵说，这里是圣道场地，将有肉身菩萨在这里大作佛事，应该尽快迁走。叶祺不相信，不久全家生病困苦，害怕了才迁走。第二天，传灯大师来到，就在那里建立了天台祖庭。