佛說觀無量壽佛經 普觀想
前面十一觀所看的都是境。第十二觀所看的，是作觀的人自己。
一句話換了位置
「見此事時當起想作心，自見生於西方極樂世界」。
不是站在此岸望著彼國，是在定中看見自己已經坐在那裡——「於蓮華中結跏趺坐」。
第七觀時那個華座還是空的。到這一觀，座上有人了。
從合到開
經沒有讓人一步跳進去。
「作蓮華合想，作蓮華開想。」先合，再開。開了才有光——「蓮華開時，有五百色光來照身想」。光照到身上，眼睛才張開；眼一開，才「見佛菩薩滿虛空中」。
一件很大的事，被切成了一串很小的事。
聽見的要對得上
那邊的水、鳥、樹林與諸佛所出的音聲都在說法。而經加了一句考語：「與十二部經合。」
聽見了不算，聽見的要與佛所說的教對得上，才算。
真正的驗收在座位以外
「若出定時憶持不失。」
定中明白不算成，出了定還在，才算成。
第一觀量的是閉眼睜眼，這一觀量的是入定出定。同一把尺，量到了更遠的地方。
然後那一邊過來了
「無量壽佛化身無數，與觀世音及大勢至，常來至此行人之所。」
從頭到這裡，都是人往那邊看。到最後一句，是那邊常常來到這裡。
What the eleven earlier contemplations looked at were objects. What the twelfth looks at is the person doing the contemplating.
One Sentence Changes Places
“When you see this matter you should raise up thought and image and set your mind upon it, and see for yourself that you are born in the world of Ultimate Bliss in the west.”
Not standing on this shore gazing at that land, but seeing in concentration that one is already sitting there — “seated cross-legged within a lotus.”
At the seventh contemplation that Flower Throne was still empty. At this one there is someone on the seat.
From Closed to Open
The sūtra does not let anyone leap in at one step.
“Form the image of the lotus closing, form the image of the lotus opening.” First closed, then open. Only when it opens is there light — “when the lotus opens, there are rays of five hundred colours that come and shine upon the body — so form the image.” The light shines on the body, and only then do the eyes open; the eyes open, and only then does one “see buddhas and bodhisattvas filling the whole of space.”
One very large matter, cut into a string of very small ones.
What Is Heard Has to Match
Over there the sounds put forth by the water, the birds, the groves of trees, and all the buddhas are all setting forth the Dharma. And the sūtra adds a test: “it accords with the twelve divisions of the scriptures.”
Hearing is not enough. What is heard has to match what the Buddha taught. Then it counts.
The Real Test Is Away from the Seat
“If you come out of concentration, you still remember and hold it and do not lose it.”
Clarity in concentration is not accomplishment. Its being still there after one has come out — that is.
What the first contemplation measured was eyes shut and eyes open; what this one measures is entering and leaving concentration. The same rod, reaching further.
And Then That Side Comes Over
“The manifested bodies of the Buddha of Measureless Life are numberless, and together with Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta they constantly come to the place of this practitioner.”
From the beginning up to here, it has been a person looking over there. In the last sentence, it is that side constantly coming here.
大正藏 T12n0365〔起 T12 0344b14〕。段／行首〔T12 …〕＝大正藏頁·欄·行錨。
〔T12 0344b14〕佛告阿難及韋提希：「見此事時當起想作心，自見生於西方極樂世界，於蓮華中結跏趺坐，作蓮華合想，作蓮華開想。蓮華開時，有五百色光來照身想；眼目開想，見佛菩薩滿虛空中，水、鳥、樹林及與諸佛，所出音聲，皆演妙法，與十二部經合。若出定時憶持不失。見此事已，名見無量壽佛極樂世界。是為普觀想，名第十二觀。無量壽佛化身無數，與觀世音及大勢至，常來至此行人之所。作是觀者，名為正觀。若他觀者，名為邪觀。」
The canonical text stands in Chinese only. This edition renders the essence, the plain reading, the exposition and the apparatus into English — never the sūtra itself. Switch to 漢讀本 or 並行雙語 above to read it.
宋畺良耶舍譯《佛說觀無量壽佛經》T12n0365 十六觀之第十二，自「佛告阿難及韋提希」至「若他觀者，名為邪觀」。段首（…）＝大正藏頁·欄·行錨。
〔一·牒前生後〕（0344b14）佛告訴阿難和韋提希：『見到這件事的時候——
〔二·凝心入觀，常作自往生想〕（0344b14）應當生起想念、作意其心，自己見到自己生在西方極樂世界，在蓮華之中結跏趺而坐；作蓮華合攏的想，作蓮華開放的想。蓮華開的時候，有五百種顏色的光來照在身上，這樣去想；眼睛張開的想，見到佛與菩薩充滿在虛空之中；水、鳥、樹林以及諸佛所發出的音聲，都在演說微妙的法。
〔三·定散無遺，守心常憶〕（0344b19）這些音聲所演的法，與十二部經相合。若是出了定的時候，也記憶執持而不失落。
〔四·觀成之益〕（0344b20）見到這件事之後，就叫做見到無量壽佛的極樂世界。
〔五·總結〕（0344b21）這就叫做普觀想，名為第十二觀。
〔六·重舉能觀之人所蒙之益〕（0344b21）無量壽佛的化身有無數之多，與觀世音和大勢至，常常來到這個修行人的處所。
〔七·判正邪〕（0344b23）作這樣的觀，名為正觀；若作其他的觀，名為邪觀。』
Translated in the Liu Song by Kālayaśas, The Sūtra Spoken by the Buddha on Contemplating the Buddha of Measureless Life, T12n0365, the twelfth of the sixteen contemplations, from “The Buddha told Ānanda and Vaidehī” down to “to make another contemplation is called wrong contemplation.” The figures at the head of each segment give the Taishō page, register, and line.
〔一 · Citing What Precedes and Giving Rise to What Follows〕（0344b14）The Buddha told Ānanda and Vaidehī: “When you see this matter —
〔二 · Gathering the Mind into Contemplation, Constantly Forming the Image of Being Born There〕（0344b14）you should raise up thought and image and set your mind upon it, and see for yourself that you are born in the world of Ultimate Bliss in the west, seated cross-legged within a lotus; form the image of the lotus closing, form the image of the lotus opening. When the lotus opens, there are rays of five hundred colours that come and shine upon the body — so form the image; form the image of the eyes opening, and see buddhas and bodhisattvas filling the whole of space; and the sounds put forth by the water, the birds, the groves of trees, and all the buddhas are all setting forth the wondrous Dharma.
〔三 · Neither Concentration nor Scattering Left Out, the Mind Guarded and Constantly Remembering〕（0344b19）The Dharma set forth by these sounds accords with the twelve divisions of the scriptures. And if you come out of concentration, you still remember and hold it and do not lose it.
〔四 · The Benefit of the Contemplation Accomplished〕（0344b20）When this matter has been seen, this is called seeing the world of Ultimate Bliss of the Buddha of Measureless Life.
〔五 · General Conclusion〕（0344b21）This is called the image of the universal contemplation, and it is named the twelfth contemplation.
〔六 · Raising Again the Benefit Received by the One Who Contemplates〕（0344b21）The manifested bodies of the Buddha of Measureless Life are numberless, and together with Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta they constantly come to the place of this practitioner.
〔七 · The Judgment of Right and Wrong〕（0344b23）To make this contemplation is called right contemplation; to make another contemplation is called wrong contemplation.”
十六觀走到這裡，已經看過了落日、大水、寶地、寶樹、八功德水、樓閣、華座，看過了佛像，看過了無量壽佛的真身，也看過了觀世音與大勢至。所觀之境一路從此界的日輪，推到彼國的依報，再推到彼佛與二大士的正報。到第十二觀，經忽然把所觀之境挪了一個位置：這一次要看的，是作觀的那個人自己。
善導《觀經四帖疏》把本觀判作定善十三觀的第十二，分成六段：牒前生後、凝心入觀、定散無遺、觀成之益、總結、重舉能觀之人；他又把中間那一段拆成九個相續的想。智顗《觀無量壽佛經疏》分得簡，只作二段，並先設一問：普觀和雜觀既然都在說佛菩薩，為什麼要分作兩觀？兩家所判不同，各自的理由都在自己的書裡。此下所講的是經。
一句話把人放進去
經文只用了一句：「見此事時當起想作心，自見生於西方極樂世界」。
前十一觀的句法都是「見」什麼、「觀」什麼——所觀之物在外，能觀之心在內，中間有一道界。這一句把那道界撤了：所觀的正是能觀的那一個。你不是站在此岸看彼國，是在定中看見自己已經在那裡。
而且不是含糊地『在那裡』，是有座位的——「於蓮華中結跏趺坐」。
前面第七觀已經把華座觀得極詳，那時的華座還是空的；到這一觀，座上坐了人。
一想接一想
接下來經文所教的，不是一個籠統的境，是一串動作。
先作蓮華合攏的想，再作蓮華開放的想。華開的時候，有五百種顏色的光來照在身上——這是第三個想。光照著身，眼睛才張開——這是第四個想。眼一張開，見到佛與菩薩滿在虛空之中——這是第五個想。
歷來的讀法把這一段拆成九個想：自生想、向西想、坐華想、華合想、華開想、寶光來照身想、眼開想、見佛菩薩想、聞法想。九個想一個接一個，前一個不成，後一個就無從起。
這個次第本身就是教法。它沒有讓人一步跳到「見佛菩薩滿虛空中」，而是從華合開始——先讓那朵花合起來，再讓它開。開了才有光。經把一件最終要成就的大事，切成了九個可以逐一著手的小事。
光照到身上
九想之中，經特別點出一個數目：「有五百色光來照身想」。
前面諸觀所說的光都在那一邊——第九觀說彼佛的圓光「如百億三千大千世界」，那是所觀之境上的光。到這一觀，光的去處變了：不是照在境上，是來照身。
而且被照的那個身，是自己剛剛想出來的、坐在蓮華中的那一個。
光一照，眼才開；眼一開，才見佛菩薩滿虛空中。次第不能顛倒：先被照，然後才看得見。
十六觀一路走來，所觀之境愈來愈勝，而能觀之人始終在境外。到這一想，境裡的光第一次落到能觀者身上——所觀與能觀之間那道界，是被光照掉的，不是被想掉的。
聲音要對得上
九想的最後一想是聞法。所聞的是什麼？
「水、鳥、樹林及與諸佛，所出音聲，皆演妙法」。
第五觀裡已經說過類似的話：那邊的水聲微妙，演說苦、空、無常、無我；那邊的鳥常讚念佛、念法、念僧。而這一觀多加了一句考語：「與十二部經合。」
十二部經是佛一代所說的全部體裁。所聞之聲要與它相合——這是一個判準，而且是可以核對的判準。定中聽見的若與佛所說的教不合，那就不是這一觀所許的境。
古來注家在此處說，這一段所明的是「定散無遺守心常憶」：定中如此，散心之時亦然，一則使觀心明淨，二則使諸惡不生。這是把一個驗證之法，說成了一種常態。
值得停一停的是這個判準的方向。它不是往上比——不是問你聽見的境界有多高、多稀有；它是往回對——問你聽見的和佛所說的教合不合。一個往上比的判準會讓人愈修愈孤，因為只有自己知道自己見到了什麼；一個往回對的判準卻是公共的，十二部經擺在那裡，誰都可以拿來比。
第一觀立的判準是「心境相應」，看的是所想與所現是不是同一個；第十二觀這一句立的是另一種相應，看的是所聞與所傳是不是同一路。兩個判準都不問高低，只問合不合。
真正的驗收在定外
然後是本觀最短、也最容易被讀過去的一句：「若出定時憶持不失。」
定中見得再好，起座就散了，這一觀不算成。要出了定，那個境還在記憶裡執持著、不曾失落，才算數。
第一觀的驗收是「閉目開目皆令明了」——閉眼睜眼都在。第十二觀的驗收是入定出定都在。同一條理路，量到了更遠的地方：從眼的開闔，量到定的出入。
我們大概都有過那種經驗：在某個安靜的時刻心裡明白得很，一回到日常就什麼都不剩。經在這裡立的標準，正是衝著這件事來的。
而經在說完「憶持不失」之後，緊接的一句是「見此事已，名見無量壽佛極樂世界」。到這裡才算「見」了。
前面十一觀所見的是那個國土的一件一件——地、樹、池、樓、座、像、佛身、二大士；這一句所見的，是「無量壽佛極樂世界」合起來的那一整個。
驗收的那一關過了，前面看過的一切才被追認為一次真正的見。
方向反了過來
最後兩句，經把主語換了。
前面通篇是行人去看佛。到這裡是：「無量壽佛化身無數，與觀世音及大勢至，常來至此行人之所。」
無數的化身，與兩位大士，常常來到這個修行人的所在。
不是行人到那邊去，是那邊到這裡來。而且不是一次，是「常來」。
古來的讀法把這一句判作能觀之人所蒙的護念之益，並說到此地步的人，是「注念願見西方依正二嚴，了了常如眼見」。所觀的那一邊既已在心中了了如眼見，那一邊也就常在此人之所。一個往生的想，作到這裡，已經不只是想去哪裡的事了。
十六觀走到這裡
從第一觀到第十一觀，經教的是把心一寸一寸地移到那一邊：先看此界的落日，再看彼國的地、樹、池、樓、座，再看佛與二大士。所觀愈勝，能觀之心也就愈難跟得上。
第十二觀不再往上加了。它掉過頭來，把已經看過的那一切，收成一個「自見生於西方極樂世界」的想。
前面所觀的是那個國土有什麼；這一觀所觀的是你在那個國土裡。
而經接下來所教的，不是更高的境，是一串很家常的動作：坐下、花合、花開、光照、張眼、看見、聽見。這一串裡，光、佛菩薩、法音都是前十一觀說過的；而花的合、花的開，以及「眼目開想」這一想，是到這一觀才頭一次擺出來的。它把散在十一觀裡的東西，收在一個人身上重演了一遍，又補上了自己受生那一刻的樣子。
所以這一觀不是第十二個新東西，是前十一觀的一次總攝；新添的那幾樣，也只是把受生那一刻補上。
承衍——兩副眼看同一個「自見」
上來是這一段經文自身的義。此下另以隋唐兩副眼旁照——鏡非經，只是同一個「自見生於西方極樂世界」，換兩種讀法來看。
善導一路是《觀經四帖疏》的讀法。他把本觀開成六段，並把「當起自心」以下拆成九個相續的想，一想一標，是本觀分段之最細處。他釋「與十二部經合」不從名目上釋，而從效上釋：「一則觀心明淨，二則諸惡不生。由內與法樂相應，外則無三邪之障。」末後那一句「常來至此行人之所」，他判作行人所蒙的三身護念之益，並以「了了常如眼見」狀其境。在他，本觀是行門一階一階的落實。
智顗一路是《觀無量壽佛經疏》的讀法。他不細分九想，只作二段：初作自身往想，次佛菩薩化身來現。他更在意的是一個判教上的問題——普觀與雜觀何以要分作兩觀？他的答是：「普觀作自身往想，稱彼境界一一具觀。」而雜觀所明的是佛菩薩神力自在、大小不定、隨物而現，所以名之為雜。一個是境定而觀全，一個是境不定而現隨機——分別在此。
一路把它讀成九級可拾的階，一路把它讀成兩種境的分界。
而經自己只說了一句：見此事時，當起想作心，自見生於西方極樂世界。
By the time the sixteen contemplations have come this far, the setting sun has been seen, and the great water, the jeweled ground, the jeweled trees, the water of the eight excellent qualities, the storeyed pavilions, and the Flower Throne; the image of the Buddha has been seen, and the true body of the Buddha of Measureless Life, and Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta as well. The object contemplated has been pushed all the way from the sun’s orb of this world to the dependent recompense of that land, and on to the direct recompense of that Buddha and the two great beings. At the twelfth contemplation the sūtra suddenly moves that object to a different place: what is to be seen this time is the very person who is doing the contemplating.
Shandao’s Commentary on the Contemplation Sūtra in Four Fascicles judges this contemplation to be the twelfth of the thirteen of the good done in concentration and divides it into six segments: citing what precedes and giving rise to what follows, gathering the mind into contemplation, neither concentration nor scattering left out, the benefit of the contemplation accomplished, the general conclusion, and the raising again of the one who contemplates; and he further breaks the middle segment into nine consecutive images. Zhiyi’s Commentary on the Sūtra on Contemplating the Buddha of Measureless Life divides more sparely, making only two segments, and poses a question first: since both the universal contemplation and the mixed speak of the Buddha and the bodhisattvas, why should they be made two contemplations? The two houses judge differently, and each keeps its reasons in its own book. What is set out below is the sūtra.
One Sentence Puts the Person Inside
The sūtra uses a single sentence: “When you see this matter you should raise up thought and image and set your mind upon it, and see for yourself that you are born in the world of Ultimate Bliss in the west.”
The sentence pattern of the first eleven contemplations was always “see” this, “contemplate” that — the thing contemplated outside, the mind that contemplates within, and a boundary running between them. This sentence takes the boundary away: what is contemplated is precisely the one who contemplates. You are not standing on this shore looking at that land; in concentration you see that you are already there.
And not vaguely there, either. There is a seat: “seated cross-legged within a lotus.”
The seventh contemplation had already contemplated the Flower Throne in the fullest detail, and the throne then was still empty. At this contemplation someone is sitting on it.
One Image After Another
What the sūtra teaches next is not a vague object but a string of actions.
First form the image of the lotus closing, then form the image of the lotus opening. When the flower opens, rays of five hundred colours come and shine upon the body — that is the third image. With the light shining on the body, the eyes then open — that is the fourth. With the eyes open, one sees buddhas and bodhisattvas filling the whole of space — that is the fifth.
The readings handed down break this stretch into nine images: the image of one’s own birth there, the image of facing the west, the image of sitting upon the flower, the image of the flower closing, the image of the flower opening, the image of the jeweled light coming to shine upon the body, the image of the eyes opening, the image of seeing buddhas and bodhisattvas, and the image of hearing the Dharma. Nine images, one after another; if the one before is not accomplished, the one after has nothing to rise from.
This order is itself the teaching. It does not let anyone leap in one step to seeing buddhas and bodhisattvas fill the whole of space; it begins from the flower closing — first let that flower close, then let it open. Only when it has opened is there light. The sūtra takes one great matter that is to be accomplished at the end and cuts it into nine small ones, each of which can be taken up in turn.
The Light Shines on the Body
Among the nine images, the sūtra singles out one number: “rays of five hundred colours come and shine upon the body — so form the image.”
All the light spoken of in the earlier contemplations was over on that side. The ninth contemplation said that the circular radiance of that Buddha is “like a hundred koṭis of the three-thousandfold great-thousand world-system” — that is light upon the object contemplated. At this contemplation the destination of the light changes: it does not shine upon the object; it comes and shines upon the body.
And the body it shines upon is the one you have just now formed as an image, seated within the lotus.
The light shines, and only then do the eyes open; the eyes open, and only then are buddhas and bodhisattvas seen filling the whole of space. The order cannot be reversed: first one is shone upon, and only then can one see.
All the way through the sixteen contemplations the object contemplated grows more and more excellent while the person who contemplates stays outside the object. At this image the light within the object falls for the first time upon the one contemplating — the boundary between what is contemplated and what contemplates is dissolved by light, not by imaging.
The Sounds Have to Match
The last of the nine images is hearing the Dharma. And what is it that is heard?
“The sounds put forth by the water, the birds, the groves of trees, and all the buddhas are all setting forth the wondrous Dharma.”
The fifth contemplation had already said something like this: the sound of the water there is subtle and wondrous, setting forth suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self; the birds there constantly praise the recollection of the Buddha, of the Dharma, and of the Saṅgha. But this contemplation adds a further test: “it accords with the twelve divisions of the scriptures.”
The twelve divisions of the scriptures are the whole range of forms in which the Buddha taught in his lifetime. What is heard must accord with them — this is a criterion, and a criterion that can actually be checked. If what is heard in concentration does not accord with what the Buddha taught, then it is not an object this contemplation allows.
The commentators of old say that what this stretch clarifies is that neither concentration nor scattering is left out, the mind being guarded and constantly remembering: as in concentration, so also in a scattered mind; and the effect is twofold, that the contemplating mind becomes bright and pure, and that the several evils do not arise. That is to take a method of verification and state it as a settled condition.
What is worth pausing over is the direction in which this criterion points. It does not compare upward — it does not ask how high or how rare the object you heard was; it checks backward — it asks whether what you heard and what the Buddha taught agree. A criterion that compares upward leaves a person more and more alone the further he practises, because only he knows what he has seen. A criterion that checks backward is public: the twelve divisions of the scriptures are there for anyone, and anyone may hold his experience up against them.
The criterion set up at the first contemplation was “the correspondence of mind and object,” and what it watched was whether what was imaged and what appeared were the same. What this sentence of the twelfth contemplation sets up is a correspondence of another kind, and what it watches is whether what is heard and what has been handed down run the same way. Neither criterion asks about high or low. Both ask only whether the two things fit.
The Real Test Comes Outside Concentration
Then comes the shortest sentence in this contemplation, and the easiest to read past: “If you come out of concentration, you still remember and hold it and do not lose it.”
However well it is seen in concentration, if it scatters the moment one rises from the seat, this contemplation is not accomplished. One has to come out of concentration and find that the object is still held fast in memory and has not been lost. Only then does it count.
The test of the first contemplation was “let it be clear and distinct whether the eyes are closed or open” — present either way. The test of the twelfth is that it be present both in concentration and out of it. It is the same line of reasoning, measuring at a greater distance: from the opening and closing of the eyes to the entering and leaving of concentration.
Most of us have probably known the experience: at some quiet hour the mind is perfectly clear, and once ordinary life resumes there is nothing left of it. The standard the sūtra sets here is aimed at exactly that.
And having said “remember and hold it and do not lose it,” the sūtra says next: “When this matter has been seen, this is called seeing the world of Ultimate Bliss of the Buddha of Measureless Life.” Only here does it count as having seen.
What the eleven earlier contemplations saw were the items of that land one by one — the ground, the trees, the pool, the pavilions, the throne, the image, the Buddha’s body, the two great beings. What this sentence sees is the whole of it together: the world of Ultimate Bliss of the Buddha of Measureless Life.
Once that one test is passed, everything seen before it is acknowledged in retrospect as a real seeing.
The Direction Turns Around
In the last two sentences the sūtra changes the subject.
Everything so far has been the practitioner going to look at the Buddha. Here it is: “The manifested bodies of the Buddha of Measureless Life are numberless, and together with Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta they constantly come to the place of this practitioner.”
Numberless manifested bodies, and the two great beings, constantly coming to where this practitioner is.
It is not the practitioner going over there; it is that side coming here. And not once, but constantly.
The readings handed down judge this sentence to be the benefit of being guarded and kept in mind that the one who contemplates receives, and say of a person who has come this far that he is one who pours out his thought in the wish to see the twofold adornment of the west, dependent and direct, clear and distinct and constantly as though seen with the eye. Since that side is already clear and distinct in his mind as though seen with the eye, that side is also constantly at his place. An image of birth in that land, carried this far, is no longer merely a matter of where one wants to go.
Where the Sixteen Contemplations Have Come
From the first contemplation to the eleventh, what the sūtra teaches is the moving of the mind inch by inch over to that side: first the setting sun of this world, then the ground, trees, pool, pavilions, and throne of that land, then the Buddha and the two great beings. The more excellent the object, the harder for the contemplating mind to keep up.
The twelfth contemplation adds nothing further upward. It turns about and gathers everything already seen into one image: seeing for oneself that one is born in the world of Ultimate Bliss in the west.
What the earlier contemplations contemplated was what that land contains; what this one contemplates is you inside that land.
And what the sūtra teaches next is not a higher object but a string of very homely actions: sit down, the flower closes, the flower opens, the light shines, the eyes open, one sees, one hears. Of these, the light, the buddhas and bodhisattvas, and the sound of the Dharma have all been spoken of in the eleven contemplations before; the closing of the flower, the opening of the flower, and the image of the eyes opening are set out for the first time only here. It takes what was scattered through eleven contemplations and re-enacts it on one person, and adds what was missing: the look of the moment of one’s own birth there.
So this contemplation is not a twelfth new thing. It is a gathering up of the eleven before it; and the few things newly added only fill in that one moment of being born.
Carrying Forward — Two Eyes on the Same Seeing of Oneself
The above is the meaning of this passage of the sūtra itself. Below, two eyes, one of the Sui and one of the Tang, cast their light from the side — the mirror is not the sūtra; only the same seeing for oneself that one is born in the world of Ultimate Bliss in the west, looked at in two ways of reading.
The Shandao line is the reading of the Commentary in Four Fascicles. He opens this contemplation into six segments, and breaks the stretch from “one should raise up one’s own mind” onward into nine consecutive images, marking each one — the finest division of any passage in this contemplation. He explains “it accords with the twelve divisions of the scriptures” not from the roster of those divisions but from the effect: “first, the contemplating mind becomes bright and pure; second, the several evils do not arise. Because within there is correspondence with the joy of the Dharma, without there is no obstruction from the three wrong things.” The closing sentence, “they constantly come to the place of this practitioner,” he judges to be the benefit the practitioner receives of being guarded and kept in mind by the three bodies, and he states the manner of it as “clear and distinct and constantly as though seen with the eye.” For him this contemplation is the gate of practice, made good one step at a time.
The Zhiyi line is the reading of the Commentary on the Sūtra on Contemplating the Buddha of Measureless Life. He does not divide the nine images finely; he makes only two segments — first the forming of the image of one’s own body going there, then the manifested bodies of the Buddha and the bodhisattvas coming and appearing. What concerns him more is a question of doctrinal classification: why should the universal contemplation and the mixed be made two? His answer is: “the universal contemplation forms the image of one’s own body going there, and contemplates the objects of that land one by one, each complete.” What the mixed contemplation clarifies, on the other hand, is that the spiritual power of the Buddha and the bodhisattvas is unhindered, their size not fixed, appearing according to what is before them, and it is therefore named mixed. The one has a fixed object contemplated in full, the other an unfixed object appearing as occasion requires — the distinction lies there.
One line reads it as nine steps that can be climbed; the other reads it as the boundary between two kinds of object.
And the sūtra itself has said only this: when you see this matter you should raise up thought and image and set your mind upon it, and see for yourself that you are born in the world of Ultimate Bliss in the west.
考據Apparatus
全段定位 本單元為十六觀之第十二觀。前十一觀所觀者是彼國之依報、彼佛與二菩薩之正報；本觀所觀者轉向能觀之人自身——經教行者作「自見生於西方極樂世界」之想，於蓮華中坐，歷華合、華開、光照、眼開、見佛菩薩、聞法諸想，末以出定不失為驗，收於「名見無量壽佛極樂世界」一句。全段一百九十四字。底本末十六字「作是觀者，名為正觀。若他觀者，名為邪觀」為宋、元、明、敦、流布本所無；本段起首「佛告阿難及韋提希」八字亦然——二事俱見目九。
一、科判定位
善導《四帖疏》定善義判本觀為十六觀中之第十二，分六段：
「十二、就普觀中，亦先舉，次辨，後結。即有其六。」〔T37n1753 0269b22〕
| 疏之六段 | 疏標起訖（逐字） | 錨 | 本帙白話段位 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一·牒前生後 | 「一、從見此事時已下，正明牒前生後。」 | 〔T37n1753 0269b23〕 | 〔一〕 |
| 二·凝心入觀 | 「二、從當起自心下，至皆演妙法已來，正明凝心入觀即常作自往生想。即有其九。」 | 〔T37n1753 0269b23〕 | 〔二〕 |
| 三·定散無遺 | 「三、從與十二部經合下，至不失已來，正明定散無遺守心常憶。」 | 〔T37n1753 0269b29〕 | 〔三〕 |
| 四·觀成之益 | 「四、從見此事已下，明觀成之益。」 | 〔T37n1753 0269c03〕 | 〔四〕 |
| 五·總結 | 「五、從是為下，總結。」 | 〔T37n1753 0269c04〕 | 〔五〕 |
| 六·重舉能觀之人 | 「六、從無量壽下，至常來至此行人之所已來，正明重舉能觀之人即蒙彌陀等三身護念之益。」 | 〔T37n1753 0269c04〕 | 〔六〕 |
疏之第二段又開為九想，逐一標其次第：
「一明自生想。二明向西想。三明坐華想。四明華合想。五明華開想。六明寶光來照身想。七明既蒙光照作眼開想。八明眼目既開作見佛菩薩想。九明聞法想。」〔T37n1753 0269b25〕
末以「上來雖有六句不同，廣解普觀竟。」〔T37n1753 0269c08〕收本觀。
疏之六段止於「常來至此行人之所」，其下不立顯觀邪正一科——與目九所記末十六字之異讀並列，誌錄不判。
witness 分欄·智顗疏之科（誌錄不判）：
「第十二普觀。普雜何異而為二耶？」〔T37n1750 0193a22〕 「普中有二：初、從「見此事時當起自心」下，作自身往想。次、「無量壽佛化身」下，佛及菩薩化身來現也。」〔T37n1750 0193a25〕
智顗開二，善導開六；智顗之二與善導之第二、第六大體相當，中間四段善導別出而智顗不分。二疏之科繁簡不同，並錄不判。
二、異譯對勘
本經漢地無第二譯本——今檢大正藏第十二冊 T12n0360 至 T12n0396 諸經題名（《佛說無量壽經》《佛說無量清淨平等覺經》《佛說阿彌陀三耶三佛薩樓佛檀過度人道經》《佛說大乘無量壽莊嚴經》《佛說大阿彌陀經》《佛說阿彌陀經》《稱讚淨土佛攝受經》以下至《佛說法滅盡經》），題《觀無量壽佛經》者止此一本，無異譯可勘。誠實記之。
「普觀想」一名，本帙以外諸帙零命中；十六觀之目為本經所獨有。誠實記之。
三、經論宗依（眼）
本觀之位在定善：
「從日觀下至十三觀已來名為定善。三福九品名為散善。」〔T37n1753 0247b23〕
本觀居定善十三之第十二，於依正二報之分屬正報：智顗判十六觀云「就十六觀，分文為三，初六觀觀其依果，次七觀觀其正報，後三明三輩九品往生也。」〔T37n1750 0191c12〕
本觀所繫之義，善導繫於「守心常憶」之效：
「一則觀心明淨，二則諸惡不生。由內與法樂相應，外則無三邪之障。」〔T37n1753 0269c02〕
觀成之後所蒙之益，善導繫於彌陀三身之護念：
「六、從無量壽下，至常來至此行人之所已來，正明重舉能觀之人即蒙彌陀等三身護念之益。」〔T37n1753 0269c04〕 「斯乃群生注念願見西方依正二嚴，了了常如眼見。」〔T37n1753 0269c07〕
本段無他經他論之引——二鏡於本段皆不牒他經他論之文。誠實記之。
四、本段釋要（四帖疏逐文）
九想之次第——疏於本段最著力處在把經文「作蓮華合想，作蓮華開想」以下諸句拆成九個連續的想，一想接一想（見目一所引〔T37n1753 0269b25〕）。九想之首即「自生想」——所觀之境從彼國轉到自身。
與十二部經合之義——疏不釋十二部經之名目，唯就「守心常憶」立其效：
「三、從與十二部經合下，至不失已來，正明定散無遺守心常憶。」〔T37n1753 0269b29〕 「一則觀心明淨，二則諸惡不生。由內與法樂相應，外則無三邪之障。」〔T37n1753 0269c02〕
觀成之驗——疏以「了了常如眼見」狀之：
「斯乃群生注念願見西方依正二嚴，了了常如眼見。」〔T37n1753 0269c07〕
五、諸家異釋（分欄並錄·誌錄不判）
| 事 | 善導《四帖疏》（唐） | 錨 | 智顗疏（隋·天台） | 錨 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 本觀之分段 | 六段（牒前生後·凝心入觀·定散無遺·觀成之益·總結·重舉能觀之人） | 〔T37n1753 0269b22〕 | 二段（自身往想·化身來現） | 〔T37n1750 0193a25〕 |
| 普、雜二觀何以分立 | 疏不設此問，逕依次第釋之 | 〔T37n1753 0269b22〕 | 「普觀作自身往想，稱彼境界一一具觀。」 | 〔T37n1750 0193a22〕 |
| 本觀之效 | 「一則觀心明淨，二則諸惡不生。」 | 〔T37n1753 0269c02〕 | 本段無 | — |
| 末節之科 | 第六段收於「常來至此行人之所」，不立顯觀邪正 | 〔T37n1753 0269c04〕 | 第二段收於化身來現，亦不立顯觀邪正 | 〔T37n1750 0193a26〕 |
二家於本觀之著力處不同：善導細分九想，是行門之事；智顗設「普雜何異而為二耶」一問而以境之定不定分之，是判教之事。二說並錄，不設調停。
六、術語（首見名相·釋義皆自二鏡）
| 名相 | 疏釋逐字 | 錨 | 鏡 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 普觀 | 「普觀作自身往想，稱彼境界一一具觀。」 | 〔T37n1750 0193a22〕 | 智顗 |
| 雜（對普而言） | 「雜觀明佛菩薩神力自在，轉變非恒、大小不定，或隨物現，故名為雜。以此為別。」 | 〔T37n1750 0193a23〕 | 智顗 |
| 定善·散善 | 「從日觀下至十三觀已來名為定善。三福九品名為散善。」 | 〔T37n1753 0247b23〕 | 善導 |
| 三身護念 | 「正明重舉能觀之人即蒙彌陀等三身護念之益。」 | 〔T37n1753 0269c06〕 | 善導 |
「十二部經」——經文自舉之名，二鏡於本段皆牒而未釋其目（善導唯以之標第三段之起訖〔T37n1753 0269b29〕）。本帙不代擬其目——疏未傳者不補。
「結跏趺坐」——經文自用之語；善導於第一觀出坐法之詳而本段不復出。誠實記之。
本段經文無梵語音寫，二疏於本段亦未出梵形，本帙不代擬。
七、譬喻·修辭
經文自用之譬：本段無。全段皆直教作想，不設譬。誠實記之。
鏡疏自立之語可記者一：「了了常如眼見」〔T37n1753 0269c08〕——以肉眼所見狀定中所見之明白，非別立一譬，是就「見」字加一「如」字而已。
修辭上可記者二：①本段以「想」字為骨——「想作心」「蓮華合想」「蓮華開想」「來照身想」「眼目開想」，一句一想；全段一百九十四字而「想」字六見，疏就此拆為九想相續（見目一）。②「見此事時」起、「見此事已」收，一段之首尾以同四字對舉，中間所歷者即九想之全程。
八、徵引承衍
- 本帙以外諸帙徵引本單元經文者，零命中（「普觀想」「當起想作心」「常來至此行人之所」諸語，除本帙原典層與鏡源逐行檔外，他帙無一命中）。誠實記之。
- 本觀在本經內部之承衍：本觀為正報諸觀之收束前一觀，其下雜想觀既竟，定善一門即畢——善導於次觀之末總結云「上從日觀下，至雜想觀已來，總明世尊答前韋提第四請云教我思惟正受兩句。」〔T37n1753 0270a16〕
- 善導以本觀之益繫於彌陀三身之護念〔T37n1753 0269c06〕，此義與其下輩諸品「望佛願意」之說同一脈，而本段不涉稱名。誠實記其界。
九、校本定位
大正藏校記於本單元域內共八條（皆屬今行校記之列）：
| 錨 | 底本 | 異讀 | 見證 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0344b14 | 「佛告阿難及韋提希」八字 | 無此八字 | 宋·元·明·敦·流布本 |
| 0344b15 | 「想作心，自見」 | 自心 | 宋·元·明·敦·流布本 |
| 0344b16 | 「跏」 | 加 | 宋·元·明 |
| 0344b19 | 「若」 | 無此字 | 敦·流布本 |
| 0344b20 | 「定」 | 定之 | 元·明·敦·流布本 |
| 0344b21 | 「想」 | 相 | 敦 |
| 0344b22 | 「及」 | 無此字 | 敦·流布本 |
| 0344b23 | 「作是觀者，名為正觀。若他觀者，名為邪觀」十六字 | 無此十六字 | 宋·元·明·敦·流布本 |
第一條與第八條同族——本單元首之「佛告阿難及韋提希」八字〔T12n0365 0344b14〕與本單元末之十六字正邪判〔T12n0365 0344b23〕，底本有而宋、元、明、敦、流布本五本俱無，於本單元首末成對。此對唯就下列各單元言，不推為通例：第十一觀首末二處與本單元同〔T12n0365 0344a18〕〔T12n0365 0344b13〕；第八觀唯末十六字有記〔T12n0365 0343b13〕，其首八字無記；第十三、十四、十五三觀之末十六字為承例之列，其見證作宋、元、明、敦四本〔T12n0365 0344c07〕〔T12n0365 0345b06〕〔T12n0365 0345c08〕；第九、第十兩觀之末雖有此十六字之文而校記無記〔T12n0365 0343c09〕〔T12n0365 0344a16〕；第十六觀之末且無此十六字之文，其文止於「名第十六觀」〔T12n0365 0346a26〕。此族最早見於第一觀之末〔T12n0365 0342a04〕，已於彼單元誌錄。不據以改底本一字，不代裁其孰為原文。
第二條為本單元最堪注意之異讀——底本作「當起想作心，自見生於西方極樂世界」，宋、元、明、敦、流布本作「當起自心」。二鏡所據皆與底本不同：善導標第二段起處作「二、從當起自心下」〔T37n1753 0269b23〕，智顗標初段起處作「初、從「見此事時當起自心」下」〔T37n1750 0193a25〕——二疏所牒皆是「自心」，無一作「想作心，自見」。此為疏文與底本異、而與諸本合之實例，並錄不判，不以疏之所牒改底本，亦不以底本斷疏所據之非。
敦煌本之見證於本單元最密——本經校記中敦本之最早一條在〔T12n0365 0343b10〕（第八觀域），本單元八條中有七條涉之，唯跏／加一條不涉。誠實記其分布。
gaiji：本單元零命中。
夾註（place="inline"）：本單元零命中。
全形空格（U+3000）：本單元零命中。
CBETA 新增校注：本單元零命中（本經五條分在〔T12n0365 0342a12〕〔T12n0365 0342c19〕〔T12n0365 0343a29〕〔T12n0365 0344a10〕〔T12n0365 0346b09〕，無一在本單元域內）。
Placement of the passage as a whole. This unit is the twelfth of the sixteen contemplations. What the eleven preceding contemplations contemplate is the dependent recompense of that land and the direct recompense of that Buddha and the two bodhisattvas; what this contemplation contemplates turns to the person who contemplates. The sūtra teaches the practitioner to form the image of 「自見生於西方極樂世界」—“seeing for oneself that one is born in the world of Ultimate Bliss in the west,” seated within a lotus, passing through the images of the flower closing, the flower opening, the light shining, the eyes opening, seeing buddhas and bodhisattvas, and hearing the Dharma; it takes as the test that what is held is not lost when one comes out of concentration, and gathers all of this into the one sentence 「名見無量壽佛極樂世界」—“this is called seeing the world of Ultimate Bliss of the Buddha of Measureless Life.” The whole passage runs to one hundred and ninety-four characters. The last sixteen characters of the base text, 「作是觀者，名為正觀。若他觀者，名為邪觀」—“to make this contemplation is called right contemplation; to make another contemplation is called wrong contemplation,” are absent from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Dunhuang witnesses and from the current-circulation printing; and so are the eight characters 「佛告阿難及韋提希」—“the Buddha told Ānanda and Vaidehī” at the head of this passage — both matters are seen in the ninth topic.
I. Doctrinal-Outline Placement
Shandao’s Commentary in Four Fascicles, in the Section on the Good of Concentration, judges this contemplation to be the twelfth among the sixteen and divides it into six segments:
「十二、就普觀中，亦先舉，次辨，後結。即有其六。」—“Twelfth, within the universal contemplation there is likewise first the raising, next the distinguishing, and last the conclusion — there are six in all” 〔T37n1753 0269b22〕.
| The commentary’s six segments | The commentary’s marked span (verbatim) | Anchor | Segment in this edition’s Plain Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Citing what precedes and giving rise to what follows | 「一、從見此事時已下，正明牒前生後。」—“First, from ‘when you see this matter’ onward directly clarifies the citing of what precedes and the giving rise to what follows.” | 〔T37n1753 0269b23〕 | 〔一〕 |
| 2 · Gathering the mind into contemplation | 「二、從當起自心下，至皆演妙法已來，正明凝心入觀即常作自往生想。即有其九。」—“Second, from ‘one should raise up one’s own mind’ down to ‘all set forth the wondrous Dharma,’ directly clarifies the gathering of the mind into contemplation, that is, the constant forming of the image of one’s own birth there — there are nine in all.” | 〔T37n1753 0269b23〕 | 〔二〕 |
| 3 · Neither concentration nor scattering left out | 「三、從與十二部經合下，至不失已來，正明定散無遺守心常憶。」—“Third, from ‘accords with the twelve divisions of the scriptures’ down to ‘does not lose it,’ directly clarifies that neither concentration nor scattering is left out, the mind being guarded and constantly remembering.” | 〔T37n1753 0269b29〕 | 〔三〕 |
| 4 · The benefit of the contemplation accomplished | 「四、從見此事已下，明觀成之益。」—“Fourth, from ‘when this matter has been seen’ onward clarifies the benefit of the contemplation accomplished.” | 〔T37n1753 0269c03〕 | 〔四〕 |
| 5 · General conclusion | 「五、從是為下，總結。」—“Fifth, from ‘this is’ onward is the general conclusion.” | 〔T37n1753 0269c04〕 | 〔五〕 |
| 6 · Raising again the one who contemplates | 「六、從無量壽下，至常來至此行人之所已來，正明重舉能觀之人即蒙彌陀等三身護念之益。」—“Sixth, from ‘the Buddha of Measureless Life’ down to ‘constantly come to the place of this practitioner,’ directly clarifies the raising again of the one who contemplates, that is, the benefit of being guarded and kept in mind by the three bodies of Amitābha and the rest.” | 〔T37n1753 0269c04〕 | 〔六〕 |
The commentary further opens its second segment into nine images and marks each one in its order:
「一明自生想。二明向西想。三明坐華想。四明華合想。五明華開想。六明寶光來照身想。七明既蒙光照作眼開想。八明眼目既開作見佛菩薩想。九明聞法想。」—“The first clarifies the image of one’s own birth there. The second clarifies the image of facing the west. The third clarifies the image of sitting upon the flower. The fourth clarifies the image of the flower closing. The fifth clarifies the image of the flower opening. The sixth clarifies the image of the jeweled light coming and shining upon the body. The seventh clarifies the image of the eyes opening once the light has been received. The eighth clarifies the image of seeing buddhas and bodhisattvas once the eyes have opened. The ninth clarifies the image of hearing the Dharma” 〔T37n1753 0269b25〕.
He closes this contemplation with 「上來雖有六句不同，廣解普觀竟。」—“Although the six sentences above differ among themselves, the extensive explanation of the universal contemplation is herewith finished” 〔T37n1753 0269c08〕.
The commentary’s six segments stop at 「常來至此行人之所」—“constantly come to the place of this practitioner,” and below that he sets up no topic for showing the contemplation to be wrong or right — this stands beside the variant of the last sixteen characters recorded in the ninth topic, recorded without adjudication.
The witness column · Zhiyi’s outline of this passage (recorded without adjudication):
「第十二普觀。普雜何異而為二耶？」—“The twelfth, the universal contemplation. How do the universal and the mixed differ, that they should be made two?” 〔T37n1750 0193a22〕. 「普中有二：初、從「見此事時當起自心」下，作自身往想。次、「無量壽佛化身」下，佛及菩薩化身來現也。」—“Within the universal there are two. First, from ‘when you see this matter you should raise up your own mind’ onward, one forms the image of one’s own body going there. Second, from ‘the manifested bodies of the Buddha of Measureless Life’ onward, the manifested bodies of the Buddha and the bodhisattvas come and appear” 〔T37n1750 0193a25〕.
Zhiyi opens two, Shandao opens six; Zhiyi’s two correspond broadly to Shandao’s second and sixth, while the four segments between are drawn out separately by Shandao and left undivided by Zhiyi. The outlines of the two commentaries differ in fullness and brevity; both are recorded without adjudication.
II. Collation with the Alternate Translations — recorded without adjudication
There is no second Chinese translation of this sūtra. The titles of the sūtras in the twelfth volume of the Taishō canon, from T12n0360 through T12n0396, have now been examined (The Sūtra of Measureless Life, The Sūtra of Measureless Purity and Equal Awakening, The Sūtra of Amituo Sanyesanfo Saloufotan Who Carries Beings Across the Human Path, The Mahāyāna Sūtra of the Adornment of Measureless Life, The Great Amitābha Sūtra, The Amitābha Sūtra, The Sūtra on Praising the Pure Land and the Buddha’s Embrace, and so on down to The Sūtra on the Extinction of the Dharma): a sūtra titled The Sūtra on Contemplating the Buddha of Measureless Life stops at this one recension, and there is no alternate translation against which to collate. Recorded honestly.
The name 「普觀想」, the image of the universal contemplation, yields nothing at all outside this edition; the roster of the sixteen contemplations belongs to this sūtra alone. Recorded honestly.
III. Scriptural and Treatise Grounding (the “eye”)
The place of this contemplation is within the good done in concentration:
「從日觀下至十三觀已來名為定善。三福九品名為散善。」—“From the contemplation of the sun down to the thirteenth contemplation is called the good done in concentration. The three kinds of merit and the nine grades are called the good done in a scattered mind” 〔T37n1753 0247b23〕.
This contemplation stands twelfth among the thirteen of the good done in concentration, and within the division of the twofold recompense, dependent and direct, it belongs to the direct: Zhiyi judges the sixteen contemplations thus — 「就十六觀，分文為三，初六觀觀其依果，次七觀觀其正報，後三明三輩九品往生也。」—“Taking the sixteen contemplations, the text divides into three: the first six contemplate the dependent fruit, the next seven contemplate the direct recompense, and the last three clarify birth in that land by the three grades and the nine grades” 〔T37n1750 0191c12〕.
The meaning Shandao attaches to this contemplation he attaches to the effect of 「守心常憶」, guarding the mind and constantly remembering:
「一則觀心明淨，二則諸惡不生。由內與法樂相應，外則無三邪之障。」—“First, the contemplating mind becomes bright and pure; second, the several evils do not arise. Because within there is correspondence with the joy of the Dharma, without there is no obstruction from the three wrong things” 〔T37n1753 0269c02〕.
The benefit received once the contemplation is accomplished Shandao attaches to the guarding and keeping in mind by the three bodies of Amitābha:
「六、從無量壽下，至常來至此行人之所已來，正明重舉能觀之人即蒙彌陀等三身護念之益。」—“Sixth, from ‘the Buddha of Measureless Life’ down to ‘constantly come to the place of this practitioner,’ directly clarifies the raising again of the one who contemplates, that is, the benefit of being guarded and kept in mind by the three bodies of Amitābha and the rest” 〔T37n1753 0269c04〕. 「斯乃群生注念願見西方依正二嚴，了了常如眼見。」—“This is the multitude of beings pouring out their thought in the wish to see the twofold adornment of the west, dependent and direct, clear and distinct and constantly as though seen with the eye” 〔T37n1753 0269c07〕.
This passage cites no other sūtra and no treatise — neither of the two mirrors cites the text of any other sūtra or treatise here. Recorded honestly.
IV. Essentials of the Commentary on This Passage (the Commentary in Four Fascicles, line by line)
The order of the nine images — where the commentary bears down hardest in this passage is in breaking the sūtra’s sentences from 「作蓮華合想，作蓮華開想」—“form the image of the lotus closing, form the image of the lotus opening” onward into nine consecutive images, one image following another (see the passage cited in the first topic 〔T37n1753 0269b25〕). The first of the nine is 「自生想」—“the image of one’s own birth there”: the object contemplated turns from that land to oneself.
The meaning of according with the twelve divisions of the scriptures — the commentary does not explain the roster of the twelve divisions; it establishes only the effect of 「守心常憶」, guarding the mind and constantly remembering:
「三、從與十二部經合下，至不失已來，正明定散無遺守心常憶。」—“Third, from ‘accords with the twelve divisions of the scriptures’ down to ‘does not lose it,’ directly clarifies that neither concentration nor scattering is left out, the mind being guarded and constantly remembering” 〔T37n1753 0269b29〕. 「一則觀心明淨，二則諸惡不生。由內與法樂相應，外則無三邪之障。」—“First, the contemplating mind becomes bright and pure; second, the several evils do not arise. Because within there is correspondence with the joy of the Dharma, without there is no obstruction from the three wrong things” 〔T37n1753 0269c02〕.
The proof that the contemplation is accomplished — the commentary states it as 「了了常如眼見」, clear and distinct and constantly as though seen with the eye:
「斯乃群生注念願見西方依正二嚴，了了常如眼見。」—“This is the multitude of beings pouring out their thought in the wish to see the twofold adornment of the west, dependent and direct, clear and distinct and constantly as though seen with the eye” 〔T37n1753 0269c07〕.
V. Divergent Readings of the Commentators (in parallel columns — recorded without adjudication)
| Point | Shandao, Commentary in Four Fascicles (Tang) | Anchor | Zhiyi’s commentary (Sui, Tiantai) | Anchor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The division of this contemplation | Six segments (citing what precedes and giving rise to what follows · gathering the mind into contemplation · neither concentration nor scattering left out · the benefit of the contemplation accomplished · general conclusion · raising again the one who contemplates) | 〔T37n1753 0269b22〕 | Two segments (forming the image of one’s own body going there · the manifested bodies coming and appearing) | 〔T37n1750 0193a25〕 |
| Why the universal and the mixed are set up as two | He does not pose this question, but explains in order as the text runs | 〔T37n1753 0269b22〕 | 「普觀作自身往想，稱彼境界一一具觀。」—“The universal contemplation forms the image of one’s own body going there, and, matching the objects of that land, contemplates them one by one and in full.” | 〔T37n1750 0193a22〕 |
| The effect of this contemplation | 「一則觀心明淨，二則諸惡不生。」—“First, the contemplating mind becomes bright and pure; second, the several evils do not arise.” | 〔T37n1753 0269c02〕 | Nothing in this passage | — |
| The outline of the closing segment | The sixth segment closes at 「常來至此行人之所」—“constantly come to the place of this practitioner,” and no topic for showing the contemplation to be wrong or right is set up | 〔T37n1753 0269c04〕 | The second segment closes at the manifested bodies coming and appearing, and here too no topic for showing the contemplation to be wrong or right is set up | 〔T37n1750 0193a26〕 |
The two houses bear down at different places in this contemplation: Shandao divides the nine images finely, which is a matter of the gate of practice; Zhiyi poses the single question 「普雜何異而為二耶」—“how do the universal and the mixed differ, that they should be made two?” and divides them by whether the object is fixed or unfixed, which is a matter of doctrinal classification. Both readings are recorded, and no reconciliation is imposed.
VI. Terms (first occurrences — all glosses drawn from the two mirrors)
| Term | The commentary’s gloss, verbatim | Anchor | Mirror |
|---|---|---|---|
| The universal contemplation | 「普觀作自身往想，稱彼境界一一具觀。」—“The universal contemplation forms the image of one’s own body going there, and, matching the objects of that land, contemplates them one by one and in full.” | 〔T37n1750 0193a22〕 | Zhiyi |
| Mixed (as against universal) | 「雜觀明佛菩薩神力自在，轉變非恒、大小不定，或隨物現，故名為雜。以此為別。」—“The mixed contemplation clarifies that the spiritual power of the Buddha and the bodhisattvas is unhindered, that their transformations are not constant and their size is not fixed, and that they appear according to what is before them; hence it is named mixed. By this the distinction is made.” | 〔T37n1750 0193a23〕 | Zhiyi |
| The good done in concentration · the good done in a scattered mind | 「從日觀下至十三觀已來名為定善。三福九品名為散善。」—“From the contemplation of the sun down to the thirteenth contemplation is called the good done in concentration. The three kinds of merit and the nine grades are called the good done in a scattered mind.” | 〔T37n1753 0247b23〕 | Shandao |
| Guarded and kept in mind by the three bodies | 「正明重舉能觀之人即蒙彌陀等三身護念之益。」—“Directly clarifies the raising again of the one who contemplates, that is, the benefit of being guarded and kept in mind by the three bodies of Amitābha and the rest.” | 〔T37n1753 0269c06〕 | Shandao |
「十二部經」, the twelve divisions of the scriptures — a name the sūtra raises of itself; both mirrors cite it in this passage without explaining its roster (Shandao uses it only to mark where his third segment begins and ends 〔T37n1753 0269b29〕). This edition does not supply that roster in their stead: what the commentaries have not transmitted is not filled in.
「結跏趺坐」, sitting cross-legged — an expression the sūtra uses of itself; Shandao sets out the manner of sitting in full at the first contemplation and does not set it out again here. Recorded honestly.
This passage of the sūtra contains no Sanskrit transcription, and the two commentaries give no Sanskrit form here; this edition does not supply one in their stead.
VII. Similes and Rhetoric
Similes the sūtra uses of itself: there are none in this passage. The whole of it teaches the forming of images directly and sets up no simile. Recorded honestly.
One expression of the mirror commentaries may be recorded: 「了了常如眼見」—“clear and distinct and constantly as though seen with the eye” 〔T37n1753 0269c08〕 — it states the clarity of what is seen in concentration by what the fleshly eye sees. It is not a separate simile set up on its own; it is no more than adding to the word 「見」, to see, the single word 「如」, as though.
Two things may be recorded as rhetoric. First, this passage is built upon the bone of the word 「想」, image — 「想作心」, raising up thought and image and setting the mind; 「蓮華合想」, the image of the lotus closing; 「蓮華開想」, the image of the lotus opening; 「來照身想」, the image of the light coming to shine upon the body; 「眼目開想」, the image of the eyes opening — one image to each sentence; in a passage of one hundred and ninety-four characters the word 「想」 occurs six times, and it is upon this that the commentary breaks the passage into nine consecutive images (see the first topic). Second, the passage opens with 「見此事時」, when you see this matter, and closes with 「見此事已」, when this matter has been seen: the head and the tail of one passage set the same four characters over against each other, and what lies between them is the whole course of the nine images.
VIII. Citation and Carrying Forward
- Nothing outside this edition cites the scriptural text of this unit; there is not a single hit (the expressions 「普觀想」, 「當起想作心」, and 「常來至此行人之所」 have been searched: apart from the source layer of this edition and the line-by-line mirror files, no other edition yields one). Recorded honestly.
- How this contemplation carries forward within the sūtra itself: it is the contemplation before last among the contemplations of the direct recompense, and once the contemplation of mixed images that follows it is done, the gate of the good done in concentration is complete — Shandao gathers the whole up at the end of the next contemplation: 「上從日觀下，至雜想觀已來，總明世尊答前韋提第四請云教我思惟正受兩句。」—“From the contemplation of the sun above down to the contemplation of mixed images, the whole clarifies the World-Honored One’s answer to Vaidehī’s fourth request above, the two sentences ‘teach me reflection’ and ‘teach me right reception’” 〔T37n1753 0270a16〕.
- Shandao attaches the benefit of this contemplation to the guarding and keeping in mind by the three bodies of Amitābha 〔T37n1753 0269c06〕; this meaning runs in the same vein as what is said of 「望佛願意」, looking to the intent of the Buddha’s vow, in the several ranks of the lowest grade below, while this passage does not touch the uttering of the Name. The boundary is recorded honestly.
IX. Placement Among the Recensions
The Taishō collation notes within the domain of this unit come to eight in all (all of them belonging to the notes as now current):
| Anchor | Base text | Variant | Witnesses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0344b14 | The eight characters 「佛告阿難及韋提希」 (the Buddha told Ānanda and Vaidehī) | These eight characters absent | Song · Yuan · Ming · Dunhuang · current-circulation printing |
| 0344b15 | 「想作心，自見」 (raise up thought and image and set the mind, and see for oneself) | 自心 (one’s own mind) | Song · Yuan · Ming · Dunhuang · current-circulation printing |
| 0344b16 | 「跏」 | 加 | Song · Yuan · Ming |
| 0344b19 | 「若」 (if) | This character absent | Dunhuang · current-circulation printing |
| 0344b20 | 「定」 (concentration) | 定之 | Yuan · Ming · Dunhuang · current-circulation printing |
| 0344b21 | 「想」 (image) | 相 | Dunhuang |
| 0344b22 | 「及」 (and) | This character absent | Dunhuang · current-circulation printing |
| 0344b23 | The sixteen characters 「作是觀者，名為正觀。若他觀者，名為邪觀」 (to make this contemplation is called right contemplation; to make another contemplation is called wrong contemplation) | These sixteen characters absent | Song · Yuan · Ming · Dunhuang · current-circulation printing |
The first item and the eighth belong to one family — the eight characters 「佛告阿難及韋提希」 at the head of this unit 〔T12n0365 0344b14〕 and the sixteen characters of the judgment of right and wrong at its end 〔T12n0365 0344b23〕 are present in the base text and absent alike from the five witnesses, Song, Yuan, Ming, Dunhuang, and the current-circulation printing, making a pair at the head and the tail of this one unit. This pairing is stated only of the units listed below and is not carried over into a general rule: the head and the tail of the eleventh contemplation stand as this unit does 〔T12n0365 0344a18〕〔T12n0365 0344b13〕; the eighth contemplation has a note only at the last sixteen characters 〔T12n0365 0343b13〕, with none at its opening eight; the last sixteen characters of the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth contemplations belong to the series that follows this precedent, and their witnesses read as the four, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Dunhuang 〔T12n0365 0344c07〕〔T12n0365 0345b06〕〔T12n0365 0345c08〕; the ninth and the tenth contemplations have the text of these sixteen characters at their end but carry no collation note 〔T12n0365 0343c09〕〔T12n0365 0344a16〕; and the sixteenth contemplation does not even have the text of these sixteen characters, its text stopping at 「名第十六觀」—“it is named the sixteenth contemplation” 〔T12n0365 0346a26〕. The earliest member of this family stands at the end of the first contemplation 〔T12n0365 0342a04〕 and has been recorded in that unit. Not one character of the base text is altered on that account, and no judgment is made in their stead as to which is the original text.
The second item is the variant in this unit most worth attention — the base text reads 「當起想作心，自見生於西方極樂世界」, one should raise up thought and image and set the mind, and see for oneself that one is born in the world of Ultimate Bliss in the west, while the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Dunhuang witnesses and the current-circulation printing read 「當起自心」, one should raise up one’s own mind. What both mirrors had before them differs from the base text: Shandao marks the opening of his second segment as 「二、從當起自心下」—“second, from ‘one should raise up one’s own mind’ onward” 〔T37n1753 0269b23〕, and Zhiyi marks the opening of his first segment as 「初、從「見此事時當起自心」下」—“first, from ‘when you see this matter you should raise up your own mind’ onward” 〔T37n1750 0193a25〕 — what both commentaries cite is 「自心」, and neither reads 「想作心，自見」. This is an instance in which the commentaries differ from the base text and agree with the other witnesses. Both are recorded without adjudication: the base text is not altered to suit what the commentaries cite, nor are the commentaries judged mistaken in what they had before them.
The witness of the Dunhuang recension is densest in this unit — the earliest note citing Dunhuang in this sūtra stands at 〔T12n0365 0343b10〕, within the domain of the eighth contemplation, and of the eight notes in this unit seven involve it, the single exception being the note on 跏 and 加. Its distribution is recorded honestly.
Gaiji: nothing found in this unit.
Inline glosses (place="inline" notes): nothing found in this unit.
Ideographic space (U+3000): nothing found in this unit.
Newly added CBETA collation notes: nothing found in this unit (the five in this sūtra stand at 〔T12n0365 0342a12〕〔T12n0365 0342c19〕〔T12n0365 0343a29〕〔T12n0365 0344a10〕〔T12n0365 0346b09〕, and not one falls within the domain of this unit).