佛說阿彌陀經 諸佛護念

The buddhas of the six directions have just pronounced a name six times over: The Sūtra of Praise for Inconceivable Merit, Guarded and Kept in Mind by All Buddhas. Six times pronounced, and no one explained it.

In this passage the Buddha explains it himself.

And this is the third time in the sūtra that the Buddha raises a question and answers it himself — the first asked why that land is named Ultimate Bliss, the second asked why that buddha is called Amitābha, and this one asks after the name of the sūtra.

The name of the land, the name of the buddha, the name of the sūtra: all three are asked by the Buddha himself and answered by himself. On the matter of names this sūtra never once consents to be vague.

Three Parties, One Act

“If there are good men and good women who hear this sūtra and uphold it, and who hear the names of the buddhas, these good men and good women are all together guarded and kept in mind by all the buddhas.”

Of old, three layers were distinguished within this one sentence. The good men and good women are those who are guarded. Those whose buddha-names are heard are the ones who guard and keep in mind. And “all together guarded and kept in mind by all the buddhas” is the guarding actually received.

Guarding does not happen from one side only. Someone is guarding, and someone must also enter the position of being guarded — and the way of entering is hearing and upholding.

As for why it is called the sūtra guarded and kept in mind, the answer given is plain: this sūtra is what the buddhas uphold and protect, clearly record, and keep in mind.

Not that reading it brings one protection, but that this sūtra is itself something the buddhas have never stopped keeping in mind.

“Not Turning Back From” Is Not “Already Arrived”

“All attain non-retrogression from unsurpassed perfect awakening.”

Of old the term was taken apart word by word: “a” is “without,” “nuttara” is “above,” “saṃ” is “right,” “myak” is “equal,” “saṃ” is “right,” “bodhi” is “awakening” — unsurpassed, right and universal, right awakening.

And what the sūtra says is “non-retrogression from” that awakening. Not obtained at once, but no turning back on the road toward it.

This and the line in unit six — “those beings born in the land of Ultimate Bliss are all of non-retrogression” — are two faces of one thing: there it is those born in that land who do not turn back; here it is those who hear this sūtra and hear these names.

Non-retrogression does not begin only after birth in that land.

The Name Is Primary, Not the Whole

Of old the question was itself raised: does one attain non-retrogression merely by recollecting Amitābha Buddha, or are there yet other skilful means?

The answer given: it is not only reciting and recollecting the name and paying homage; one should also, with utmost sincerity, before all the buddhas practise repentance, requesting, rejoicing, dedication, and making vows.

Holding the name is the principal thing, but that is not to say nothing else need be done.

(The relation between holding the name and the remaining practices is accounted for differently by later masters. Only the writing of one Tang house is recorded here.)

Three Things

“Therefore, Śāriputra, you should all receive in faith my words and what all the buddhas have spoken.”

By this point the sūtra has made three requests of those who hear: making the vow, believing, and receiving in faith.

The three are three sides of one thing — the vow is the direction of the mind, believing is the mind’s acceptance, receiving in faith is turning acceptance into a hold that keeps.

And in the whole sūtra only one passage says ‘what to do.’ What the rest set out is the grounds for believing that this is worth doing.

Kumārajīva’s translation, T12n0366, from “Śāriputra, what is your thought on this? Why is it named The Sūtra Guarded and Kept in Mind by All Buddhas?” to “you should all receive in faith my words and what all the buddhas have spoken.” The bracketed figures at the head of each segment give the Taishō page, register, and line.

〔1 · The question raised: the name of the sūtra〕（0348a07）Śāriputra, what is your thought on this? Why is this sūtra named The Sūtra Guarded and Kept in Mind by All Buddhas?

〔2 · General explanation: those who are guarded〕（0348a08）Śāriputra, if there are good men and good women who hear this sūtra and uphold it, and who hear the names of the buddhas —

〔3 · General explanation: receiving that guarding, and non-retrogression〕（0348a09）these good men and good women are all together guarded and kept in mind by all the buddhas, and all attain non-retrogression from unsurpassed perfect awakening (a Sanskrit term: “a” is “without,” “nuttara” is “above,” “saṃ” is “right,” “myak” is “equal,” “saṃ” is “right,” “bodhi” is “awakening”; taken together, unsurpassed, right and universal, right awakening).

〔4 · The concluding exhortation〕（0348a11）Therefore, Śāriputra, you should all receive in faith the words I have spoken, and what all the buddhas have spoken.

The buddhas of the six directions have just pronounced a name six times over: The Sūtra of Praise for Inconceivable Merit, Guarded and Kept in Mind by All Buddhas.

Six times pronounced, and no one explained it.

In this passage the Buddha explains it himself.

The Cien line marks this place as “explaining the name of the sūtra” and divides it into three sections: first the question raised, next the general explanation, last the concluding exhortation. And this is the third time in the sūtra that the Buddha raises a question and answers it himself — the first asked why that land is named Ultimate Bliss, the second asked why that buddha is called Amitābha, and this one asks why it is named the sūtra guarded and kept in mind by all buddhas.

The name of the land, the name of the buddha, the name of the sūtra: all three names are asked by the Buddha himself and answered by himself. On the matter of names this sūtra never once consents to be vague.

Who Guards Whom

“Śāriputra, if there are good men and good women who hear this sūtra and uphold it, and who hear the names of the buddhas, these good men and good women are all together guarded and kept in mind by all the buddhas.”

The reading handed down distinguishes three layers within this one sentence. The good men and good women are those who are guarded. Those whose names are heard — Amitābha, and the buddhas of the six directions as many as the Gaṅgā-sands — are the ones who guard and keep in mind. And “all together guarded and kept in mind by all the buddhas” is the guarding actually received.

This division makes one thing clear: guarding does not happen from one side only. Someone is guarding, and someone must also enter the position of being guarded — and the way of entering is hearing and upholding.

As for why this sūtra is called the sūtra guarded and kept in mind, the commentator answers plainly: this sūtra is what the buddhas uphold and protect, clearly record, and keep in mind.

Not that reading this sūtra brings one protection, but that this sūtra is itself something the buddhas have never stopped keeping in mind.

A Very Long Term

“All attain non-retrogression from unsurpassed perfect awakening.”

This transliterated Sanskrit term is often read straight through in one lump. The commentator takes it apart word by word: “a” is “without,” “nuttara” is “above,” “saṃ” is “right,” “myak” is “equal,” “saṃ” is “right,” “bodhi” is “awakening” — taken together, unsurpassed, right and universal, right awakening.

Taken apart, it is in fact four qualifiers and one core. Awakening is the core; “right” is not partial; “equal” is universal; “right” again presses the point that it is not partial; “unsurpassed” is that there is nothing higher.

And what the sūtra says is “non-retrogression from” that awakening. Not that it is obtained at once, but that on the road toward it there is no turning back.

This line and the line in unit six — “those beings born in the land of Ultimate Bliss are all of non-retrogression” — are two faces of one thing: there it is those born in that land who do not turn back; here it is those who hear this sūtra and hear these names who do not turn back.

In other words, non-retrogression does not begin only after birth in that land. One who has heard this sūtra, heard these buddha-names, and upheld them stands in the position of non-retrogression already, now.

The Word “Hear”

What is worth pausing over is how light the action required in this passage is.

Not “cultivate this sūtra,” not “realize this sūtra,” but “hear this sūtra and uphold it,” and “hear the names of the buddhas.”

One word, hear, and a person is placed in the position of being guarded.

The actions in the preceding passages are not heavy either. In unit six it is making the vow; in unit eight it is believing; here it is hearing and upholding. The heaviest action in the whole sūtra is holding the name — and holding the name is only taking hold of a name and not letting go.

This is consistent with the manner of the sūtra. It requires no visualization, no graded stages of concentration, no recitation of long passages. All the way through it sets the threshold as low as it will go — low enough that one who has heard is already inside.

But this is not to be read as “nothing at all need be done.” The passage just before said that one cannot be born in that land through few roots of goodness and few conditions of merit; this passage says “uphold.” Hearing is the entering; upholding is catching hold and not letting go.

A low threshold does not mean there is no road behind the door.

Is Recollecting the Buddha Alone Enough?

Here there is a very honest question, and the commentator raised it himself: does one attain non-retrogression merely by recollecting Amitābha Buddha, or are there yet other skilful means?

His answer is that it is not only reciting and recollecting the name and paying homage; one should also, with utmost sincerity, before all the buddhas practise repentance, requesting, rejoicing, dedication, and making vows. Because of repentance the fixed karmas are turned, and as the wish-fulfilling jewel yields according to the wish made, so non-retrogression is attained.

These five — repentance, requesting, rejoicing, dedication, making vows — are practices current throughout the Great Vehicle. The commentator joins them onto holding the name, which is to say: holding the name is the principal thing, but that is not to say nothing else need be done.

One thing should be stated plainly. The relation between holding the name and the remaining practices is among the most discussed questions in the Pure Land teaching, and later masters differ in their accounts of it. Only the writing of this one Tang house is recorded here; no later account is cited, and no conclusion is drawn on any house’s behalf.

The Name Is Itself a Summary

Look again at the full name the buddhas of the six directions pronounced: The Sūtra of Praise for Inconceivable Merit, Guarded and Kept in Mind by All Buddhas.

Taken apart, it turns out to compress the whole sūtra into a single phrase.

“Praise” — what this sūtra does from beginning to end is praise. Śākyamuni praises the merit of Amitābha Buddha, and the buddhas of the six directions praise Śākyamuni in turn. The sūtra says of itself: “as I now praise the inconceivable merit of Amitābha Buddha.”

“Inconceivable merit” — the content of that praise. The pools and waters, the jewelled trees, the sounds of Dharma, the light and the lifespan set out in the six preceding units are all the unfolding of those two words. And “inconceivable” says this: these things are not reachable by thought or discussion, and so they can only be described, not argued.

“Guarded and kept in mind by all buddhas” — the standing of this sūtra with the buddhas. Not an ordinary sūtra, but one the buddhas together keep in mind.

“Sūtra” — running through, and holding together.

One title, four layers: who is speaking, what is spoken, how much weight the speech carries, and that it is a sūtra.

And this name was pronounced seven times — once by the buddhas of each of the six directions, and once more when the Buddha himself raised the question. The sūtra uses repetition to drive a name into the hearer’s memory.

This is of a piece with the method of the sūtra: first a name is given, Ultimate Bliss; then a name, Amitābha; and last this name, the sūtra guarded and kept in mind. Three names, one sūtra.

“You Should All Receive in Faith”

“Therefore, Śāriputra, you should all receive in faith my words and what all the buddhas have spoken.”

“Therefore” is the wording that concludes what precedes; “you should all” is language of exhortation.

This line sets two sources side by side: what I say, and what all the buddhas say. In the previous passage the buddhas of the six directions bore witness; this passage places that testimony beside Śākyamuni’s own words, and asks that both be received in faith.

By this point the sūtra has made three requests of those who hear: making the vow (unit six), believing (unit eight), and receiving in faith (this unit).

The three are three sides of one thing — the vow is the direction of the mind, believing is the mind’s acceptance, receiving in faith is turning acceptance into a hold that keeps.

And in the whole sūtra only one passage says ‘what to do.’ What the rest set out is the grounds for believing that this is worth doing.

The Word “Together”

There is one more word worth looking at: they are all together guarded and kept in mind by all the buddhas.

Not one buddha guarding, but all the buddhas guarding together.

In the previous passage the buddhas of the six directions spoke one and the same sentence; this passage says that these buddhas together guard those who hear this sūtra and uphold it. The witnesses are one company, and the guardians are the same company.

And this word “together” carries a variant reading between the base text and the Song, Yuan, and Ming printings — those read “by.” One character apart, and the weight shifts a little: “together guarded and kept in mind” rests on the togetherness of the buddhas, “guarded and kept in mind by them” on the passivity of the one guarded. The base text’s “together” is followed here; the variant is recorded without adjudication.

Carrying Forward — One Line Divides Guarding from Guarded, Another Recites It Straight Through

Above is the meaning of this passage itself. Below, two Tang eyes cast their light from the side — the mirror is not the sūtra; only the same name of a sūtra, seen through two ways of reading.

The Cien line is the reading of Kuiji’s Comprehensive Praise Commentary. In this passage he divides what guards from what is guarded, takes unsurpassed perfect awakening apart word by word, and sets the question whether recollecting the Buddha is already sufficient, answering that five further practices are to be cultivated as well. Worth noting is this: this is the one passage in the whole edition where the commentary cites no outside text at all. Before and after, he cites three sūtras and a treatise at a stroke, and sometimes as many as ten works; but at this section, explaining the name of the sūtra, he lets the sūtra’s own words do all the speaking.

To explain this sūtra’s name, no other sūtra is needed.

The Shandao line recites this whole passage in the Liturgical Hymns, setting no question and folding nothing open: the question raised, the general explanation, and the concluding exhortation are recited straight through.

And a third reading is the manuscript speaking for itself. This passage carries two collation notes, and the text Kuiji had before him agrees at one point with the circulation printing and at another with the base text. His citation reads “who hear the names spoken by these buddhas and the name of the sūtra,” agreeing with the circulation printing; and in the same passage he reads “all together guarded and kept in mind by all the buddhas,” agreeing with the base text. In the preceding units he ran consistently with the Song–Yuan–Ming stream; here, within one and the same passage, the streams divide.

Seventh-century manuscripts do not fall into tidy families. Not one character of the base text is altered; each point is recorded in turn.

One line explains the sūtra by the sūtra, one recites it straight through, and one manuscript keeps its own graphic forms. All three are recorded without adjudication, each returned to its own place.