無量壽經優波提舍 偈頌部Treatise on Birth in That Land: The Upadeśa on the Sūtra of Measureless Life · The Verses

Placement of the passage as a whole. This unit is the whole verse portion of the treatise: three lines of head title, author, and translator, followed by forty-eight lines of five-character verse, two lines to a verse, twenty-four verses in all, from 「世尊我一心」 (World-Honored One, with one mind I) to 「往生安樂國」 (to be born in the Land of Peace and Bliss). Tanluan’s Commentary on the Upadeśa on the Sūtra of Measureless Life, with Verses of Aspiration for Birth (hereafter the Commentary on the Treatise on Birth in That Land) judges the whole treatise to have two parts; the verses are the 「總說分」 (division of the general statement), and the whole of his first fascicle is devoted to explaining them. The five gates of mindful practice are already present in the verses: the first verse contains the three gates of worship, praise, and making the vow; the second verse establishes the name 「優婆提舍」 (upadeśa) and links what precedes to what follows; from the third verse on, the seventeen kinds of adornment of the land, the eight kinds of adornment of the Buddha, and the four kinds of adornment of the bodhisattvas are contemplated; the last verse is the gate of dedication and direction. In his verse-by-verse explanation in the first fascicle, Tanluan repeatedly marks sections in the form 「此二句名」 (these two lines are named …) or 「此四句名」 (these four lines are named …) (for example, 「此二句名莊嚴量功德成就」—“these two lines are named the accomplishment of the merit of the adornment of measure”), and asks 「佛本何故起此莊嚴」 (why did the Buddha originally raise this adornment?), using the lacks of this world to show in reverse why that land is as it is; at the end of the fascicle he adds eight rounds of question and answer on the five heinous acts, slander of the Dharma, and the ten thoughts. The place of Tanluan’s sentence 「總說竟」 (finished stating it as a whole), and the boundaries of his sections on the twenty-nine kinds of adornment, do not wholly coincide with the four-line boundaries of the treatise’s verses; see the first topic. The variants between the treatise’s verses and the verse text as cited in the mirror come to ten; see the ninth topic.

I. Doctrinal-Outline Placement

The two parts of the whole treatise — Tanluan’s judgment of the treatise from beginning to end:

「此論始終凡有二重：一是總說分、二是解義分。總說分者，前五言偈盡是。解義分者，「論曰」已下長行盡是。所以為二重者，有二義：偈以誦經，為總攝故；論以釋偈，為解義故。」—“This treatise, from beginning to end, has two parts in all: first, the division of the general statement; second, the division explaining the meaning. The division of the general statement is the whole of the five-character verses in front. The division explaining the meaning is the whole of the prose from ‘the treatise says’ onward. There are two reasons for making two parts: the verses recite the sūtra, in order to gather it whole; the treatise explains the verses, in order to unfold their meaning.” 〔T40n1819 0826b28〕

The verses divided into the five gates of mindful practice — having finished explaining the title, Tanluan first divides the verses into sections:

「解論名目竟。偈中分為五念門，如下長行所釋。第一行四句相含有三念門：上三句是禮拜讚歎門、下一句是作願門。第二行論主自述我依佛經造論，與佛教相應，所服有宗。何故云此？為成優婆提舍名故。亦是成上三門起下二門，所以次之說。從第三行盡二十四行是觀察門。末後一行是迴向門。分偈章門竟。」—“The explanation of the treatise’s name and title is finished. Within the verses they are divided into the five gates of mindful practice, as the prose below explains them. The four lines of the first stanza together contain three gates of mindful practice: the upper three lines are the gates of worship and praise, the lower line is the gate of making the vow. In the second stanza the author states of himself that he relies on the Buddha’s sūtra in composing the treatise, in accord with the Buddha’s teaching, so that what he holds to has its source. Why does he say this? In order to establish the name upadeśa. It also completes the three gates above and opens the two gates below, and so it is spoken next. From the third stanza to the twenty-fourth is the gate of contemplation. The final stanza is the gate of dedication and direction. The division of the verses into sections and gates is finished.” 〔T40n1819 0826c17〕

Tanluan himself marks the boundaries of the internal divisions of the gate of contemplation:

「此已下是第四觀察門。此門中分為二別：一者觀察器世間莊嚴成就、二者觀察眾生世間莊嚴成就。此句已下至「願生彼阿彌陀佛國」，是觀器世間莊嚴嚴成就。觀器世間中復分為十七別，至文當目。」—“From here on is the fourth, the gate of contemplation. Within this gate there are two divisions: first, contemplating the accomplishment of the adornment of the vessel world; second, contemplating the accomplishment of the adornment of the world of sentient beings. From this line on, down to ‘aspire to be born in that land of the Buddha Amitābha,’ is contemplating the accomplishment of the adornment of the vessel world. Within the contemplation of the vessel world there are again seventeen divisions, each to be named when its text is reached.” 〔T40n1819 0827c29〕 「此二句結成上觀察十七種莊嚴國土成就，所以願生。釋器世間清淨訖之于上，次觀眾生世間清淨。」—“These two lines conclude the contemplation of the seventeen kinds of accomplishment of the adornment of the land above, and so one aspires to be born there. The explanation of the purity of the vessel world is completed above; next one contemplates the purity of the world of sentient beings.” 〔T40n1819 0831b11〕 「觀佛莊嚴八種功德訖之于上，次觀安樂國諸大菩薩四種莊嚴功德成就。」—“The contemplation of the eight kinds of merit of the Buddha’s adornment is completed above; next one contemplates the accomplishment of the merit of the four kinds of adornment of the great bodhisattvas of the Land of Peace and Bliss.” 〔T40n1819 0832c28〕 「觀菩薩四種莊嚴功德成就訖之于上，次下四句是迴向門。」—“The contemplation of the accomplishment of the merit of the four kinds of adornment of the bodhisattvas is completed above; the four lines next below are the gate of dedication and direction.” 〔T40n1819 0833c13〕

Tanluan’s sections do not wholly coincide with the four-line boundaries of the treatise’s verses — in the treatise four lines make one verse; Tanluan’s sections run sometimes two lines, sometimes four. The most conspicuous case is that the last two lines of verse thirteen and the first two lines of verse fourteen are joined into one section:

「大乘善根界，等無譏嫌名，女人及根缺，二乘種不生。此四句名莊嚴大義門功德成就。」—“‘A realm of Mahāyāna roots of good, all equal, with no name that invites reproach; women and those deficient in faculties, and the seed of the two vehicles, do not arise there.’ These four lines are named the accomplishment of the merit of the adornment of the gate of the great meaning.” 〔T40n1819 0830c04〕

Further, for the last two lines of verse fourteen, the mirror text cites 「眾生所願樂，一切能滿足此」—“whatever beings aspire to and delight in, all can be fulfilled, this” and opens the section with 「二句名」 (two lines are named), which differs from the form 「此二句名」 (these two lines are named) used elsewhere: 「眾生所願樂，一切能滿足此。二句名莊嚴一切所求滿足功德成就。」—“‘Whatever beings aspire to and delight in, all can be fulfilled.’ This—two lines are named the accomplishment of the merit of the adornment of the fulfillment of all that is sought.” 〔T40n1819 0831b04〕. Recorded side by side, without adjudication.

Tanluan’s statement 「從第三行盡二十四行是觀察門」—“from the third stanza to the twenty-fourth is the gate of contemplation” — its numbers do not wholly correspond to the twenty-four verses of the treatise: 「從第三行盡二十四行是觀察門。末後一行是迴向門。」—“From the third stanza to the twenty-fourth is the gate of contemplation. The final stanza is the gate of dedication and direction.” 〔T40n1819 0826c23〕 According to Tanluan’s verse-by-verse explanation, the gate of contemplation ends with the twenty-third verse and the gate of dedication and direction is the twenty-fourth (see the table above). What the number in 「盡二十四行」 (to the twenty-fourth stanza) refers to is recorded without adjudication.

The place of the sentence 「總說竟」 (finished stating it as a whole) — the treatise’s sentence 「無量壽修多羅章句，我以偈總說竟。」—“The chapters and lines of the Sūtra of Measureless Life I have finished stating as a whole in verse” stands at the head of the prose after the verses; Tanluan instead attaches this sentence to the end of his verse-by-verse explanation in the first fascicle, reading:

「無量壽修多羅章句，我以偈誦總說竟。」—“The chapters and lines of the Sūtra of Measureless Life I have finished stating as a whole in verse-recitation.” 〔T40n1819 0833c19〕

The second fascicle opens anew with 「論曰」 (the treatise says): 「論曰。已下，此是解義分。」—“‘The treatise says’: from here on is the division explaining the meaning.” 〔T40n1819 0835a06〕 Tanluan’s boundary thus falls after this sentence and before 「論曰」 (the treatise says); the present edition assigns this sentence to the head of the next unit. The two boundaries differ by one sentence; recorded.

Title and commentator — at the head of the mirror’s fascicle: 「無量壽經優婆提舍願生偈婆藪槃頭菩薩造〔并〕註卷上」—“Verses of Aspiration for Birth: An Upadeśa on the Sūtra of Measureless Life, composed by the bodhisattva Vasubandhu, [with] commentary, first fascicle” 〔T40n1819 0826a24〕, 「沙門曇鸞註解」—“commentary and explanation by the śramaṇa Tanluan” 〔T40n1819 0826a27〕

Start and end of this unit — it begins at 「無量壽經優波提舍願生偈」—“Verses of Aspiration for Birth: An Upadeśa on the Sūtra of Measureless Life” 〔T26n1524 0230c13〕 and ends at 「普共諸眾生，往生安樂國。」—“together with all beings everywhere, to be born in the Land of Peace and Bliss.” 〔T26n1524 0231b06〕. The whole unit runs to six hundred and five characters including punctuation, five hundred and nine Chinese characters alone.

II. Collation with the Alternate Translations — recorded without adjudication

There is no alternate translation of this treatise; for the text of the Sūtra of Measureless Life on which the verses rely, see the third topic.

The verse lines cited in the mirror text differ here and there from the treatise (for instance 「焰」 (blaze) written 「炎」 (blaze), 「熏」 (perfume) written 「薰」 (perfume), 「語」 (words) written 「悟」 (awaken)); these are copying variants within a single recension, not alternate translations, and are recorded in the ninth topic.

III. Scriptural and Treatise Grounding (the “eye”)

The sūtra on which the verses rely — Tanluan says that the author composed the verses alongside the sūtra:

「釋迦牟尼佛在王舍城及舍衛國，於大眾之中說無量壽佛莊嚴功德，即以佛名號為經體。」—“Śākyamuni Buddha, at Rājagṛha and in the land of Śrāvastī, in the midst of great assemblies, taught the merit of the adornment of the Buddha of Measureless Life, taking the Buddha’s name as the substance of the sūtra.” 〔T40n1819 0826b12〕 「婆藪槃頭菩薩服膺〔一升反〕如來大悲之教，傍經作願生偈，復造長行重釋。」—“The bodhisattva Vasubandhu, holding to his breast the Tathāgata’s teaching of great compassion, composed the verses of aspiration for birth alongside the sūtra, and further composed the prose to explain them again.” 〔T40n1819 0826b14〕

In verse two, 「我依修多羅」—“I rely on the sūtra,” Tanluan makes clear that the 「修多羅」 (sūtra) is not a Hīnayāna sūtra:

「此中言依修多羅者，是三藏外大乘修多羅，非《阿含》等經也。」—“Where it says here ‘I rely on the sūtra,’ this is a Mahāyāna sūtra outside the three baskets, not the Āgamas and the like.” 〔T40n1819 0827c15〕 「何所依者，依修多羅。何故依者，以如來即真實功德相故。云何依者，修五念門相應故。」—“On what does he rely? He relies on the sūtra. Why does he rely on it? Because the Tathāgata is the mark of true merit. How does he rely on it? By practicing the five gates of mindful practice in accord with it.” 〔T40n1819 0827c11〕

Why the treatise was composed — Nāgārjuna’s two paths, the difficult and the easy: at the very head of his explanation of the title, Tanluan ties this treatise to Nāgārjuna’s teaching:

「謹案：龍樹菩薩《十住毘婆沙》云「菩薩求阿毘跋致有二種道：一者難行道、二者易行道。」」—“Respectfully I note: the bodhisattva Nāgārjuna’s Treatise on the Ten Abodes says, ‘A bodhisattva seeking non-retrogression has two kinds of path: the first, the path of difficult practice; the second, the path of easy practice.’” 〔T40n1819 0826a28〕 「易行道者，謂但以信佛因緣願生淨土，乘佛願力便得往生彼清淨土。佛力住持，即入大乘正定之聚，正定即是阿毘跋致，譬如水路乘船則樂。」—“The path of easy practice is this: merely through the condition of faith in the Buddha one aspires to be born in the pure land, and riding the power of the Buddha’s vow one attains birth in that pure land. Sustained by the Buddha’s power, one enters at once the group of right fixity of the Mahāyāna; right fixity is non-retrogression. It is like traveling by water in a boat: pleasant.” 〔T40n1819 0826b07〕 「此《無量壽經優婆提舍》，蓋上衍之極致、不退之風航者也。」—“This Upadeśa on the Sūtra of Measureless Life is indeed the utmost of the great vehicle, the wind-borne boat of non-retrogression.” 〔T40n1819 0826b10〕

The scriptural warrant for the gate of praise in verse one — Tanluan takes the Tathāgata of Unobstructed Light throughout the ten directions as the gate of praise; its warrant lies in the Buddha’s own explanation of the name:

「依舍衛國所說《無量壽經》，佛解阿彌陀如來名號「何故號阿彌陀？彼佛光明無量，照十方國無所障礙，是故號阿彌陀。又彼佛壽命及其人民，無量無邊阿僧祇劫，故名阿彌陀。」」—“According to the Sūtra of Measureless Life spoken in Śrāvastī, the Buddha explains the name of the Tathāgata Amitābha: ‘Why is he called Amitābha? That Buddha’s light is measureless and shines on the lands of the ten directions without obstruction; therefore he is called Amitābha. Again, the life of that Buddha and of his people is measureless and boundless, for asaṃkhyeya kalpas; therefore he is named Amitābha.’” 〔T40n1819 0827b02〕

The sūtra spoken in Śrāvastī is now seen in The Amitābha Sūtra: 「舍利弗！彼佛光明無量，照十方國無所障礙，是故號為阿彌陀。」—“Śāriputra! That Buddha’s light is measureless and shines on the lands of the ten directions without obstruction; therefore he is called Amitābha.” 〔T12n0366 0347a26〕 Tanluan’s citation reads 「是故號阿彌陀」 (therefore he is called Amitābha), the sūtra 「是故號為阿彌陀」 (therefore he is called Amitābha, with one further character); the difference of one character is recorded.

The warrant for taking refuge in verse one as worship — Nāgārjuna’s praise:

「龍樹菩薩造《阿彌陀如來讚》中，或言稽首禮、或言我歸命、或言歸命禮。」—“In the Praise of the Tathāgata Amitābha composed by the bodhisattva Nāgārjuna, sometimes he says ‘I bow my head in worship,’ sometimes ‘I take refuge,’ sometimes ‘I take refuge and worship.’” 〔T40n1819 0827a21〕

The warrant for the adornment of nature in verse four — Tanluan explains 「性」 (nature) by the meaning of nature-origination in the Avataṃsaka Sūtra and by the causal ground of the bodhisattva Dharmākara:

「性是本義，言此淨土隨順法性不乖法本。事同《華嚴經》寶王如來性起義。」—“Nature means root: it says that this pure land accords with the nature of dharmas and does not depart from the root of dharmas. The matter is the same as the meaning of the nature-origination of the Tathāgata Jewel King in the Avataṃsaka Sūtra.” 〔T40n1819 0828b25〕 「又言積習成性，指法藏菩薩集諸波羅蜜積習所成。」—“It also means that nature is formed by accumulated practice: it refers to what the bodhisattva Dharmākara formed by gathering and accumulating the pāramitās.” 〔T40n1819 0828b27〕 「序法藏菩薩於世自在王佛所悟無生法忍，爾時位名聖種性。於是性中發四十八大願修起此土，即曰安樂淨土。是彼因所得，果中說因故名為性。」—“The introduction tells that the bodhisattva Dharmākara, in the presence of the Buddha World-Sovereign King, awakened to the patience of non-arising; his stage at that time is called the nature of the holy lineage. Within this nature he made the forty-eight great vows and cultivated this land into being, which is called the Pure Land of Peace and Bliss. It is what was attained by that cause; speaking of the cause within the fruit, it is therefore called nature.” 〔T40n1819 0828c01〕

The sūtra phrase attached to 「性」 (nature) in verse five: 「能生既淨，所生焉得不淨？故經言「隨其心淨則佛土淨」。」—“Since what gives birth is already pure, how could what is born be impure? Hence the sūtra says, ‘as the mind is pure, so the buddha-land is pure.’” 〔T40n1819 0829a04〕

The sūtra phrases attached to verse ten: 「經言「日夜六時雨寶衣雨寶華，寶質柔軟，履踐其上則下四寸，隨舉足時還復如故。用訖入寶地，如水入坎。」」—“The sūtra says, ‘In the six periods of day and night it rains jewel-robes and rains jewel-flowers; their jewel-substance is soft, and when one treads on them they sink four inches, and when the foot is lifted they return as before. When their use is done they enter the jewel-ground, as water enters a pit.’” 〔T40n1819 0829c26〕; 「經言「或有佛土以光明為佛事」」—“The sūtra says, ‘There are buddha-lands that do the Buddha’s work by means of light.’” 〔T40n1819 0830a06〕

The sūtra and treatise attached to verse eleven:

「經言「若人但聞安樂淨土之名，欲願往生，亦得如願。」此名悟物之證也。」—“The sūtra says, ‘If a person merely hears the name of the Pure Land of Peace and Bliss and wishes to be born there, he too attains his wish.’ This is the proof that the name awakens beings.” 〔T40n1819 0830a16〕 「《釋論》言「如斯淨土非三界所攝。何以言之？無欲故非欲界，地居故非色界，有色故非無色界。」」—“The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom says, ‘Such a pure land is not included in the three realms. Why? Because it is without desire, it is not the realm of desire; because it is a dwelling on the ground, it is not the realm of form; because it has form, it is not the formless realm.’” 〔T40n1819 0830a17〕

The difficulty of 「二乘種不生」 (the seed of the two vehicles does not arise) in verses thirteen and fourteen — Tanluan himself raises three proofs:

「問曰：案王舍城所說《無量壽經》法藏菩薩四十八願中言「設我得佛，國中聲聞有能計量知其數者，不取正覺。」是有聲聞一證也。」—“Question: According to the Sūtra of Measureless Life spoken at Rājagṛha, among the forty-eight vows of the bodhisattva Dharmākara it says, ‘If, when I attain buddhahood, the śrāvakas in my land could be counted and their number known, may I not take right awakening.’ This is the first proof that there are śrāvakas.” 〔T40n1819 0830c14〕

The vow among the forty-eight that he cites now reads in the sūtra: 「設我得佛，國中聲聞有能計量，乃至三千大千世界眾生緣覺於百千劫悉共計挍知其數者，不取正覺。」—“If, when I attain buddhahood, the śrāvakas in my land could be counted—even if all the beings and pratyekabuddhas of the three-thousandfold great-thousand world-system, over a hundred thousand kalpas, together reckoned and knew their number—may I not take right awakening.” 〔T12n0360 0268a17〕 Tanluan’s citation is abridged, lacking the passage 「乃至三千大千世界眾生緣覺於百千劫悉共計挍」—“even if all the beings and pratyekabuddhas of the three-thousandfold great-thousand world-system, over a hundred thousand kalpas, together reckoned”.

「又《十住毘婆沙》中龍樹菩薩造《阿彌陀讚》云「起出三界獄，目如蓮華葉，聲聞眾無量，是故稽首禮。」是有聲聞二證也。」—“Again, in the Treatise on the Ten Abodes, the Praise of Amitābha composed by the bodhisattva Nāgārjuna says, ‘He has risen out of the prison of the three realms; his eyes are like the leaves of the lotus; the assembly of śrāvakas is measureless; therefore I bow my head in worship.’ This is the second proof that there are śrāvakas.” 〔T40n1819 0830c17〕 「又摩訶衍論中言「佛土種種不同，或有佛土純是聲聞僧、或有佛土純是菩薩僧，或有佛土菩薩聲聞會為僧，如阿彌陀安樂國等是也。」是有聲聞三證也。」—“Again, a Mahāyāna treatise says, ‘Buddha-lands differ in various ways: there are buddha-lands whose saṃgha is wholly śrāvakas, there are buddha-lands whose saṃgha is wholly bodhisattvas, and there are buddha-lands where bodhisattvas and śrāvakas together form the saṃgha, such as Amitābha’s Land of Peace and Bliss.’ This is the third proof that there are śrāvakas.” 〔T40n1819 0830c20〕

Tanluan’s reconciliation rests on the Lotus Sūtra: 「《法華經》言釋迦牟尼如來以出五濁世故，分一為三。淨土既非五濁，無三乘明矣。」—“The Lotus Sūtra says that because the Tathāgata Śākyamuni appeared in a world of five turbidities, he divided the one into three. Since the pure land is not of the five turbidities, it is clear that it has no three vehicles.” 〔T40n1819 0830c28〕 The text of the sūtra itself: 「於一佛乘分別說三」—“within the one buddha-vehicle he distinguishes and teaches three” 〔T09n0262 0007b26〕

The sūtras and treatises attached to verse fifteen — the Mahāyāna meaning of “beings”: 「如《不增不減經》言「言眾生者，即是不生不滅義。何以故？若有生，生已復生，有無窮過故、有不生而生過故，是故無生。若有生，可有滅；既無生，何得有滅？是故無生無滅是眾生義」。」—“As the Sūtra of Neither Increase nor Decrease says, ‘‘Beings’ means neither arising nor ceasing. Why? If there were arising, then having arisen it would arise again, and there would be the fault of endlessness, and the fault of arising without arising; therefore there is no arising. If there were arising, there could be ceasing; since there is no arising, how could there be ceasing? Therefore neither arising nor ceasing is the meaning of beings.’” 〔T40n1819 0831b23〕 For the measure of the adornment of the seat, Tanluan cites the text of the Sūtra on Contemplating the Buddha of Measureless Life: 「七寶地上有大寶蓮華王座，蓮華一一葉作百寶色有八萬四千脈，猶如天畫。」—“On the ground of the seven precious substances there is a lotus king-seat of great jewels; each leaf of the lotus has the colors of a hundred jewels and eighty-four thousand veins, like a heavenly painting.” 〔T40n1819 0831c06〕

The sūtra attached to verse sixteen — the measure of the body and the body of the dharma-realm; both citations are from the Sūtra on Contemplating the Buddha of Measureless Life:

「如《觀無量壽經》言「阿彌陀如來，身高六十萬億那由他恒河沙由旬，佛圓光如百億三千大千世界。」」—“As the Sūtra on Contemplating the Buddha of Measureless Life says, ‘The Tathāgata Amitābha’s body is sixty myriads of koṭis of nayutas of yojanas high, as many as the sands of the Gaṅgā, and the Buddha’s round halo is like a hundred koṭis of three-thousandfold great-thousand world-systems.’” 〔T40n1819 0831c29〕 The text of the sūtra itself: 「身高六十萬億那由他」—“his body is sixty myriads of koṭis of nayutas high” 〔T12n0365 0343b17〕 「問曰：《觀無量壽經》言「諸佛如來是法界身，入一切眾生心想中。是故汝等心想佛時，是心即是三十二相八十隨形好，是心作佛、是心是佛，諸佛正遍知海從心想生。」」—“Question: The Sūtra on Contemplating the Buddha of Measureless Life says, ‘The buddhas, the tathāgatas, are bodies of the dharma-realm and enter the thought of every being’s mind. Therefore, when you think of the Buddha in your minds, this mind is the thirty-two marks and the eighty secondary signs; this mind makes the Buddha, this mind is the Buddha; the sea of the right and universal knowledge of the buddhas arises from the mind’s thought.’” 〔T40n1819 0832a08〕 The text of the sūtra itself: 「諸佛如來是法界身」—“The buddhas, the tathāgatas, are bodies of the dharma-realm” 〔T12n0365 0343a19〕

After verse nineteen — the scriptural warrant for contemplating the bodhisattvas: 「如經言「阿彌陀佛國有無量無邊諸大菩薩，如觀世音、大勢至等，皆當一生於他方次補佛處。」」—“As the sūtra says, ‘In the land of the Buddha Amitābha there are measureless and boundless great bodhisattvas, such as Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta, who are all to succeed to the place of a buddha in another direction after one more life.’” 〔T40n1819 0833a05〕

The sūtra attached to verse twenty: 「如《大集經》言「譬如有人善治堤塘，量其所宜，及放水時不加心力」。」—“As the Great Collection Sūtra says, ‘It is like a person who tends embankments and dikes well, gauging what is fitting, so that when the water is released he need add no effort of mind.’” 〔T40n1819 0833a25〕

Appended to the chapter of dedication in verse twenty-four — whom “together with all beings everywhere” points to: Tanluan takes two sūtras as proof.

「佛告阿難：「十方恒河沙諸佛如來皆共稱嘆無量壽佛威神功德不可思議。諸有眾生聞其名號，信心歡喜，乃至一念至心迴向願生彼國，即得往生，住不退轉；唯除五逆、誹謗正法。」」—“The Buddha told Ānanda: ‘The buddhas, the tathāgatas of the ten directions, as many as the sands of the Gaṅgā, all together extol the inconceivable majestic power and merit of the Buddha of Measureless Life. Whatever beings hear his name and rejoice in faith, even for a single thought, and with utmost mind dedicate and direct it in aspiration to be born in that land, attain birth there at once and abide in non-retrogression—excepting only those who commit the five heinous acts and slander the right Dharma.’” 〔T40n1819 0833c22〕 The text of the sūtra itself: 「十方恒沙諸佛如來皆共讚歎無量壽佛威神功德不可思議。諸有眾生聞其名號信心歡喜，乃至一念，至心迴向願生彼國，即得往生住不退轉，唯除五逆、誹謗正法。」—“The buddhas, the tathāgatas of the ten directions, as many as the sands of the Ganges, all together praise the inconceivable majestic power and merit of the Buddha of Measureless Life. Whatever beings hear his name and rejoice in faith, even for a single thought, and with utmost mind dedicate and direct it in aspiration to be born in that land, attain birth there at once and abide in non-retrogression, excepting only those who commit the five heinous acts and slander the right Dharma.” 〔T12n0360 0272b10〕 Tanluan’s citation reads 「恒河沙」 (the sands of the Gaṅgā) and 「稱嘆」 (extol), the sūtra 「恒沙」 (the sands of the Ganges, in the shorter form) and 「讚歎」 (praise); recorded side by side. 「案此而言，一切外凡夫人皆得往生。」—“Judging from this, every ordinary person outside the path can attain birth there.” 〔T40n1819 0833c26〕 「又如《觀無量壽經》有九品往生。」—“Again, as in the Sūtra on Contemplating the Buddha of Measureless Life, there is birth in that land in nine grades.” 〔T40n1819 0833c27〕 The lowest birth of the lowest grade in the sūtra: 「或有眾生作不善業」—“There may be beings who commit unwholesome deeds” 〔T12n0365 0346a12〕

The doctrinal attachment of the treatise — the verses gather the sūtra by 「總持」 (holding it all): 「說願偈總持與佛教相應者，持名不散不失，總名以少攝多。偈言五言句數，願名欲樂往生，說謂說諸偈論，總而言之說所願生偈，總持佛經與佛教相應。」—“‘Speaking verses of aspiration that hold it all, in accord with the Buddha’s teaching’: ‘holding’ means not scattering and not losing; ‘all’ means gathering much with little. ‘Verses’ refers to the number of five-character lines; ‘aspiration’ means the wish and delight to be born there; ‘speak’ means speaking the verses and the treatise. Taken together, it means speaking the verses of aspiration for birth, holding the whole of the Buddha’s sūtra, in accord with the Buddha’s teaching.” 〔T40n1819 0827c24〕; why the verses are the general statement: 「偈以誦經，為總攝故；論以釋偈，為解義故。」—“The verses recite the sūtra, in order to gather it whole; the treatise explains the verses, in order to unfold their meaning.” 〔T40n1819 0826c02〕

IV. Essentials of the Commentary on This Passage (the Commentary on the Treatise on Birth in That Land, line by line)

Explanation of the title — the treatise’s name explained word by word:

「梵言優婆提舍，此間無正名相譯。若舉一隅，可名為論。所以無正名譯者，以此間本無佛故。如此間書就孔子而稱經，餘人製作皆名為子，國史國紀之徒各別體例。然佛所說十二部經中有論議經名優婆提舍，若復佛諸弟子解佛經教與佛義相應者，佛亦許名優婆提舍，以入佛法相故。此間云論，直是論議而已，豈得正譯彼名耶？」—“The Indian word upadeśa has no exact equivalent here by which to translate it. If one raises a single corner, it may be called a treatise. The reason there is no exact equivalent is that originally there was no buddha here. Just as in the writings here, what is attributed to Confucius is called a classic, and what others compose is all called a master’s work, while state histories and annals each have their own forms, so among the twelve divisions of scripture spoken by the Buddha there is a scripture of discussion named upadeśa; and if the Buddha’s disciples explain the Buddha’s sūtras and teachings in accord with the Buddha’s meaning, the Buddha also permits them to be named upadeśa, because they enter the mark of the Buddha’s Dharma. What is called a treatise here is simply a discussion—how could it exactly translate that name?” 〔T40n1819 0826b16〕 「無量壽者，言無量壽如來壽命長遠不可思量也。」—“‘Measureless Life’ means that the life of the Tathāgata of Measureless Life is long and far beyond reckoning.” 〔T40n1819 0826c03〕 「經者，常也，言安樂國土佛及菩薩清淨莊嚴功德。國土清淨莊嚴功德，能與眾生作大饒益，可常行于世，故名曰經。」—“‘Sūtra’ means constant: it speaks of the merit of the pure adornment of the Buddha and bodhisattvas of the Land of Peace and Bliss. The merit of the pure adornment of the land can bring great benefit to beings and can constantly be practiced in the world; hence it is called a sūtra.” 〔T40n1819 0826c05〕 「願是欲樂義。生者，天親菩薩願生彼安樂淨土。如來淨華中生，故曰願生。」—“‘Aspiration’ means wish and delight. ‘Birth’: the bodhisattva Vasubandhu aspires to be born in that Pure Land of Peace and Bliss. One is born in the Tathāgata’s pure flower; hence it says aspiration for birth.” 〔T40n1819 0826c08〕 「偈是句數義，以五言句略誦佛經，故名為偈。」—“‘Verse’ means a number of lines: because it briefly recites the Buddha’s sūtra in five-character lines, it is called a verse.” 〔T40n1819 0826c09〕 「譯婆藪云天，譯槃頭言親。此人字天親，事在《付法藏經》。」—“Vasu is translated ‘heaven,’ bandhu is translated ‘kin.’ This person’s name is Heaven-Kin; the matter is in the Sūtra on the Transmission of the Dharma Treasury.” 〔T40n1819 0826c11〕 「菩薩者，若具存梵音，應言菩提薩埵。菩提者，是佛道名。薩埵，或云眾生或云勇健。求佛道眾生有勇猛健志，故名菩提薩埵。今但言菩薩，譯者略耳。」—“‘Bodhisattva’: if the Indian sound is kept in full, it should be bodhisattva. Bodhi is the name of the buddha-path. Sattva is rendered sometimes ‘being,’ sometimes ‘valiant and strong.’ A being who seeks the buddha-path has a valiant and strong resolve, and so is named bodhisattva. Now it says only ‘bodhisat,’ which is the translators’ abbreviation.” 〔T40n1819 0826c12〕 「造，亦作也。庶因人重法，故云某造。」—“‘Composed’ also means made. In the hope that the Dharma may be honored because of the person, it says ‘composed by so-and-so.’” 〔T40n1819 0826c15〕

Verse one · three gates of mindful practice —

「世尊者，諸佛通號，論智則義無不達、語斷則習氣無餘，智斷具足能利世間，為世尊重，故曰世尊。」—“‘World-Honored One’ is a title common to all buddhas. As to wisdom, there is no meaning he does not penetrate; as to severance, no habit-energy remains. Complete in wisdom and severance, he can benefit the world and is honored by the world; hence he is called World-Honored One.” 〔T40n1819 0827a03〕 「此言意歸釋迦如來。何以得知？下句言「我依脩多羅」。天親菩薩在釋迦如來像法之中，順釋迦如來經教，所以願生。願生有宗，故知此言歸于釋迦。若謂此意遍告諸佛，亦復無嫌。」—“This intention is directed to the Tathāgata Śākyamuni. How is this known? The next line says, ‘I rely on the sūtra.’ The bodhisattva Vasubandhu lived in the age of the semblance Dharma of the Tathāgata Śākyamuni and followed the Tathāgata Śākyamuni’s sūtras and teaching, and so aspires to be born there. Since his aspiration to be born has its source, it is known that this phrase is directed to Śākyamuni. If one takes the intention to be addressed to all the buddhas, that too is no fault.” 〔T40n1819 0827a05〕 「我一心者，天親菩薩自督之詞，言念無礙光如來願生安樂，心心相續無他想間雜。」—“‘I, with one mind’ is the bodhisattva Vasubandhu’s word of self-exhortation: it means that keeping in mind the Tathāgata of Unobstructed Light and aspiring to be born in Peace and Bliss, mind follows upon mind without interruption, with no other thought mixed in.” 〔T40n1819 0827a13〕

Question and answer one (Tanluan poses the question and answers it himself): 「問曰：佛法中無我，此中何以稱我？答曰：言我有三根本，一是邪見語、二是自大語、三是流布語。今言我者，天親菩薩自指之言，用流布語，非邪見、自大也。」—“Question: In the Buddha’s Dharma there is no self; why does it say ‘I’ here? Answer: Saying ‘I’ has three roots: first, the speech of wrong view; second, the speech of self-conceit; third, the speech of common usage. The ‘I’ here is the bodhisattva Vasubandhu’s word pointing to himself, using the speech of common usage—not wrong view or self-conceit.” 〔T40n1819 0827a15〕

「歸命盡十方無礙光如來者，歸命即是禮拜門。盡十方無礙光如來即是讚歎門。」—“‘I take refuge in the Tathāgata of Unobstructed Light throughout the ten directions’: taking refuge is the gate of worship; the Tathāgata of Unobstructed Light throughout the ten directions is the gate of praise.” 〔T40n1819 0827a18〕 「然禮拜但是恭敬，不必歸命；歸命必是禮拜。若以此推，歸命為重。偈申己心，宜言歸命；論解偈義，汎談禮拜。彼此相成，於義彌顯。」—“Yet worship is merely respect, and need not be taking refuge; taking refuge is necessarily worship. Reasoning from this, taking refuge is the weightier. The verse declares his own heart, so it fittingly says ‘take refuge’; the treatise explains the meaning of the verse, so it speaks broadly of worship. The two complete each other, and the meaning becomes all the clearer.” 〔T40n1819 0827a25〕

Question and answer two: 「問曰：若言無礙光如來光明無量照十方國土無所障礙者，此間眾生何以不蒙光照？光有所不照，豈非有礙耶？答曰：礙屬眾生，非光礙也。譬如日光周四天下，而盲者不見，非日光不周也。」—“Question: If it is said that the light of the Tathāgata of Unobstructed Light is measureless and shines on the lands of the ten directions without obstruction, why do beings here not receive its illumination? If there are places the light does not reach, is that not an obstruction? Answer: The obstruction belongs to the beings; it is not the light that is obstructed. It is like the sunlight that reaches all four continents, yet the blind do not see it; it is not that the sunlight does not reach them.” 〔T40n1819 0827b06〕

「願生安樂國者，此一句是作願門，天親菩薩歸命之意也。」—“‘And aspire to be born in the Land of Peace and Bliss’: this one line is the gate of making the vow; it is the intent of the bodhisattva Vasubandhu’s taking refuge.” 〔T40n1819 0827b16〕

Question and answer three: 「問曰：大乘經論中處處說眾生畢竟無生如虛空，云何天親菩薩言願生耶？答曰：說眾生無生如虛空，有二種：一者如凡夫所謂實眾生、如凡夫所見實生死，此所見事畢竟無所有，如龜毛、如虛空。二者謂諸法因緣生故即是不生，無所有如虛空。天親菩薩所願生者是因緣義，因緣義故假名生，非如凡夫謂有實眾生、實生死也。」—“Question: The Mahāyāna sūtras and treatises say in place after place that beings are ultimately unarisen, like empty space. How can the bodhisattva Vasubandhu say ‘aspire to be born’? Answer: That beings are unarisen like empty space is said in two senses. First, the real beings that ordinary people suppose, and the real birth and death that ordinary people see—these things they see are ultimately nonexistent, like the hair of a tortoise, like empty space. Second, because all dharmas arise from causes and conditions, they are unarisen, nonexistent like empty space. What the bodhisattva Vasubandhu aspires to be born in has the sense of causes and conditions; because it has the sense of causes and conditions, it is provisionally called birth—not as ordinary people suppose that there are real beings and real birth and death.” 〔T40n1819 0827b18〕

Question and answer four: 「問曰：依何義說往生？答曰：於此間假名人中修五念門，前念與後念作因。穢土假名人、淨土假名人，不得決定一、不得決定異，前心後心亦復如是。何以故？若一則無因果，若異則非相續。是義觀一異門，論中委曲。」—“Question: In what sense is birth in that land spoken of? Answer: Here, as a provisionally named person, one practices the five gates of mindful practice, the earlier thought serving as cause for the later. The provisionally named person of the defiled land and the provisionally named person of the pure land cannot be fixed as one nor fixed as different; the earlier mind and the later mind are likewise. Why? If they were one, there would be no cause and effect; if they were different, there would be no continuity. This meaning, the gate of examining oneness and difference, is set out in detail in the treatises.” 〔T40n1819 0827b26〕

Verse two · establishing the name upadeśa · completing what precedes and opening what follows —

「修多羅是佛經名，我論佛經義與經相應，以入佛法相故，得名優婆提舍。」—“Sūtra is the name of the Buddha’s scriptures. My treatise on the meaning of the Buddha’s sūtra accords with the sūtra; because it enters the mark of the Buddha’s Dharma, it obtains the name upadeśa.” 〔T40n1819 0827c08〕 「真實功德相者，有二種功德：一者從有漏心生，不順法性，所謂凡夫人天諸善。人天果報，若因若果，皆是顛倒、皆是虛偽，是故名不實功德。二者從菩薩智慧清淨業起莊嚴佛事，依法性入清淨相，是法不顛倒、不虛偽，名為真實功德。云何不顛倒？依法性順二諦故。云何不虛偽？攝眾生入畢竟淨故。」—“‘The mark of true merit’: there are two kinds of merit. The first arises from a mind with outflows and does not accord with the nature of dharmas—namely, the various goods of ordinary humans and gods. The rewards of humans and gods, whether cause or effect, are all inverted and all false; therefore they are called untrue merit. The second arises from the bodhisattva’s wisdom and pure karma and adorns the work of a buddha; relying on the nature of dharmas it enters the pure mark. This dharma is not inverted and not false, and is called true merit. How is it not inverted? Because it relies on the nature of dharmas and accords with the two truths. How is it not false? Because it gathers beings into ultimate purity.” 〔T40n1819 0827c17〕 「相應者，譬如函蓋相稱也。」—“‘Accord’ is like a box and its lid fitting each other.” 〔T40n1819 0827c27〕

Verse three · purity · measure —

「此清淨是總相。佛本所以起此莊嚴清淨功德者，見三界是虛偽相、是輪轉相、是無窮相。如蚇〔尺音〕蠖〔屈伸蟲，一郭反〕循環，如蠶〔才含反〕繭〔蠶衣，公殄反〕自縛。哀哉眾生締〔結不解，帝音〕此三界顛倒不淨，欲置眾生於不虛偽處、於不輪轉處、於不無窮處、得畢竟安樂大清淨處，是故起此清淨莊嚴功德也。」—“This purity is the general mark. The reason the Buddha originally raised this merit of the adornment of purity is that he saw the three realms as a mark of falsity, a mark of turning, a mark of endlessness—like the inchworm looping round, like the silkworm binding itself in its cocoon. Alas for beings, knotted into these three realms, inverted and impure! Wishing to place beings where there is no falsity, where there is no turning, where there is no endlessness, in the great pure place of ultimate peace and bliss, he therefore raised this merit of the adornment of purity.” 〔T40n1819 0828a06〕 「成就者，言此清淨不可破壞、不可污染，非如三界是污染相、是破壞相也。」—“‘Accomplishment’ means that this purity cannot be destroyed and cannot be defiled—unlike the three realms, which are a mark of defilement and a mark of destruction.” 〔T40n1819 0828a12〕 「道者通也。以如此因得如此果、以如此果酬如此因，通因至果、通果酬因，故名為道。」—“‘Path’ means passing through: by such a cause one obtains such a fruit, and with such a fruit one answers such a cause; passing through the cause to reach the fruit, and passing through the fruit to answer the cause—hence it is called a path.” 〔T40n1819 0828a16〕 「此三界蓋是生死凡夫流轉之闇宅，雖復苦樂小殊、脩短暫異，統而觀之莫非有漏，倚伏相乘、循環無際，雜生觸受四倒長拘，且因且果虛偽相襲。」—“These three realms are indeed the dark house in which ordinary beings in birth and death keep turning. Though their pleasures and pains differ a little and their spans are briefly unequal, seen together there is nothing in them without outflows; they lean on and lie in wait for one another, ride upon one another, revolving without end; mixed births and contact and feeling keep them long bound by the four inversions; now cause, now effect, falsehood follows upon falsehood.” 〔T40n1819 0828a22〕 「如虛空者，言來生者雖眾，猶若無也。廣大無際者，成上如虛空義。何故如虛空？以廣大無際故。成就者，言十方眾生往生者，若已生、若今生、若當生，雖無量無邊，畢竟常如虛空，廣大無際終無滿時。」—“‘Like empty space’ means that though those who come to be born there are many, it is as if there were none. ‘Vast and without bound’ completes the sense of ‘like empty space.’ Why is it like empty space? Because it is vast and without bound. ‘Accomplishment’ means that though the beings of the ten directions born there—those already born, those now being born, those yet to be born—are measureless and boundless, in the end it is always like empty space, vast and without bound, and is never full.” 〔T40n1819 0828b09〕

Question and answer five: 「問曰：如維摩方丈苞容有餘，何必國界無貲〔子支反〕乃稱廣大？答曰：所言廣大，非必以畦〔五十畝，下圭反〕畹〔三十畝一遠，一萬反〕為喻。但言如空，亦何累方丈。又方丈之所苞容，在狹而廣。覈〔實，下革反〕論果報，豈若在廣而廣耶？」—“Question: Vimalakīrti’s room of ten feet held a multitude with room to spare; why must a land be without measure before it is called vast? Answer: What is called vast need not be compared by fields of fifty or thirty acres. To say only ‘like space’—how does that burden the room of ten feet? Moreover, what the room of ten feet held was vast within narrowness. Weighed truly as a result of karma, how could it compare with vast within vastness?” 〔T40n1819 0828b14〕

Verse four · nature · form —

「以無上正見道起清淨土出于三界。」—“By the path of unsurpassed right view he raised a pure land that goes beyond the three realms.” 〔T40n1819 0828b25〕 「又言性是必然義、不改義。如海性一味，眾流入者必為一味，海味不隨彼改也。」—“Again, nature means what is necessary, what does not change: like the nature of the sea, one taste—every stream that enters it must become that one taste, and the taste of the sea does not change according to them.” 〔T40n1819 0828c05〕 「安樂淨土諸往生者，無不淨色、無不淨心，畢竟皆得清淨平等無為法身，以安樂國土清淨性成就故。」—“Those born in the Pure Land of Peace and Bliss have no impure form and no impure mind, and in the end all attain the pure, equal, unconditioned dharma-body, because the land of Peace and Bliss is accomplished in the nature of purity.” 〔T40n1819 0828c08〕 「平等道所以名為正道者，平等是諸法體相。以諸法平等故發心等，發心等故道等，道等故大慈悲等。大慈悲是佛道正因，故言正道大慈悲。」—“The reason the path of equality is called the right path is that equality is the substance and mark of all dharmas. Because all dharmas are equal, the arousing of the mind is equal; because the arousing of the mind is equal, the path is equal; because the path is equal, great compassion is equal. Great compassion is the right cause of the buddha-path; hence it says ‘the right path and great compassion.’” 〔T40n1819 0828c11〕 「慈悲有三緣：一者眾生緣，是小悲；二者法緣，是中悲；三者無緣，是大悲。大悲即出世善也。安樂淨土從此大悲生故，故謂此大悲為淨土之根，故曰出世善根生。」—“Compassion has three objects: first, beings as object—this is small compassion; second, dharmas as object—this is middling compassion; third, no object—this is great compassion. Great compassion is itself supramundane good. Since the Pure Land of Peace and Bliss is born from this great compassion, this great compassion is said to be the root of the pure land; hence it says ‘born from supramundane roots of good.’” 〔T40n1819 0828c14〕 「以是故起滿淨光明願，如日月光輪滿足自體。彼安樂淨土雖復廣大無邊，清淨光明無不充塞，故曰淨光明滿足如鏡日月輪。」—“For this reason he raised the vow of full and pure light, like the orbs of sun and moon, full and complete in themselves. Though that Pure Land of Peace and Bliss is vast and boundless, there is no place its pure light does not fill; hence it says ‘its pure light is full and complete, like a mirror, like the orbs of the sun and the moon.’” 〔T40n1819 0828c22〕

Verse five · the various things · wondrous color —

「願我成佛必使珍寶具足、嚴麗自然，相忘於有餘、自得於佛道。」—“May it be that when I attain buddhahood, jewels shall be complete and adornment beautiful of itself, so that people forget what is beyond enough and find themselves in the buddha-path.” 〔T40n1819 0829a01〕 「性者本義也。能生既淨，所生焉得不淨？」—“Nature means root. Since what gives birth is already pure, how could what is born be impure?” 〔T40n1819 0829a04〕 「是故興大悲心起平等願，願我國土光炎熾盛第一無比，不如人天金色能有奪者。」—“Therefore he aroused the mind of great compassion and raised the vow of equality: may the blaze of light in my land be foremost and beyond compare, so that the golden color of humans and gods cannot outshine it.” 〔T40n1819 0829a10〕 「所以者何？彼土金光絕從垢業生故、清淨無不成就故。安樂淨土是無生忍菩薩淨業所起，阿彌陀如來法王所領，阿彌陀如來為增上緣故，是故言無垢光炎熾，明淨曜世間。」—“Why is this? Because the golden light of that land is entirely free of arising from defiled karma, and because there is nothing pure that is not accomplished there. The Pure Land of Peace and Bliss is raised by the pure karma of bodhisattvas with the patience of non-arising and is governed by the Tathāgata Amitābha, the Dharma-king; because the Tathāgata Amitābha is its dominant condition, it says ‘its stainless radiance blazes, bright and pure, shining on the world.’” 〔T40n1819 0829a23〕 「曜世間者，曜二種世間也。」—“‘Shining on the world’ means shining on the two kinds of world.” 〔T40n1819 0829a27〕

Verse six · touch —

「使我國土人天六情和於水乳，卒去楚越之勞，所以七寶柔軟，悅目便身。」—“May the six senses of the humans and gods of my land blend like water and milk, and be suddenly rid of the toil of being as far apart as Chu and Yue; therefore the seven precious substances are soft and yielding, pleasing to the eye and suited to the body.” 〔T40n1819 0829b04〕 「生勝樂者，觸迦旃隣陀生染著樂，觸彼軟寶生法喜樂，二事相玄，非勝如何！」—“‘Give rise to a surpassing pleasure’: touching the Jiazhanlintuo grass produces a pleasure of attachment; touching those soft jewels produces the joy of the Dharma. The two are worlds apart—how could it not be surpassing!” 〔T40n1819 0829b10〕

Verse seven · water, verse eight · ground, verse nine · space — three verses forming the three matters of a single section (the treatise has 「莊嚴三種」—“the three kinds of adornment”; see the ninth topic):

「菩薩見此興大悲心，願我成佛，所有流泉池沼〔池之小反〕與宮殿相稱〔事出經中〕，種種寶華布為水飾，微風徐扇映發有序，開神悅體無一不可。」—“The bodhisattva, seeing this, aroused the mind of great compassion: may it be that when I attain buddhahood, all the flowing springs and pools shall be in keeping with the palaces, with jewel-flowers of every kind spread as the water’s ornament, and a gentle breeze fanning them softly so that they glow in due order, refreshing the spirit and gladdening the body, with nothing that is not delightful.” 〔T40n1819 0829b20〕 「菩薩見此興大悲願，願我國土地平如掌，宮殿樓閣鏡納十方，的無所屬亦非不屬，寶樹寶欄互為映飾。」—“The bodhisattva, seeing this, aroused the vow of great compassion: may the ground of my land be level as the palm of the hand, and its palaces and towers hold the ten directions as a mirror does, truly belonging to nothing yet not without belonging, with jewel-trees and jewel-railings adorning one another with their reflections.” 〔T40n1819 0829c04〕 「菩薩見此興大悲心，願我國土寶網交絡羅遍虛空，鈴鐸〔大鈴，大各反〕宮商鳴宣道法，視之無厭懷道見德。」—“The bodhisattva, seeing this, aroused the mind of great compassion: may jewel-nets interlace and spread across the whole of space in my land, and its bells, in the notes of gong and shang, ring out to proclaim the Dharma of the path, so that those who see them never tire, cherish the path, and see virtue.” 〔T40n1819 0829c13〕

Verse ten · rain · light —

「何故以雨為言？恐取者云：若常雨華衣，亦應填塞虛空。何緣不妨？是故以雨為喻。雨適時則無洪滔〔水漫大，他高反〕之患，安樂報豈有累情之物乎？」—“Why does it speak of rain? Because one fears that someone taking it in will say: if flowers and robes rained constantly, they ought to fill up space—how could they not get in the way? Therefore rain is used as the simile. When rain comes in its season there is no disaster of flood; how could the rewards of Peace and Bliss include anything that burdens the feelings?” 〔T40n1819 0829c23〕 「使我國土所有光明，能除癡闇入佛智慧，不為無記之事。亦云：安樂國土光明，從如來智慧報起，故能除世闇冥。」—“May all the light of my land be able to dispel the darkness of folly and lead into the Buddha’s wisdom, and not be for neutral matters. It is also said: the light of the land of Peace and Bliss arises as the reward of the Tathāgata’s wisdom, and so can dispel the darkness of the world.” 〔T40n1819 0830a04〕

Verse eleven · wondrous sound · the lord —

「天竺國稱淨行為梵行，稱妙辭為梵言。彼國貴重梵天，多以梵為讚。」—“In India pure conduct is called Brahmā conduct, and wondrous speech is called Brahmā speech. That country holds the god Brahmā in high honor and often uses ‘Brahmā’ as a word of praise.” 〔T40n1819 0830a13〕 「聲者，名也，名謂安樂土名。」—“‘Sound’ means name: the name meant is the name of the land of Peace and Bliss.” 〔T40n1819 0830a15〕 「出有而有曰微〔出有者，謂出三有。而有者，謂淨土有也〕。名能開悟曰妙〔妙好也，以名能悟物故稱妙〕。」—“Being that has gone beyond being is called subtle [‘gone beyond being’ means gone beyond the three kinds of existence; ‘being’ means the being of the pure land]. A name that can awaken is called wondrous [wondrous means good; because the name can awaken beings it is called wondrous].” 〔T40n1819 0830a20〕 「願我國土常有法王，法王善力之所住持。」—“May my land always have a Dharma-king, and be abided in and sustained by the power of the Dharma-king’s goodness.” 〔T40n1819 0830a27〕

Verse twelve · retinue · enjoyment —

「使我國土悉於如來淨華中生，眷屬平等與奪無路。」—“May all in my land be born within the Tathāgata’s pure flower, a retinue equal, with no road for favoring or slighting.” 〔T40n1819 0830b08〕 「願我國土以佛法、以禪定、以三昧為食，永絕他食之勞。」—“May my land take the Buddha’s Dharma, meditation, and samādhi as its food, forever free of the toil of other nourishment.” 〔T40n1819 0830b15〕

Verse thirteen · freedom from all hardship —

「使我國土安樂相續畢竟無間。身惱者，飢渴寒熱殺害等也。心惱者，是非得失三毒等也。」—“May the peace and bliss of my land continue, ultimately without interruption. Afflictions of the body are hunger and thirst, cold and heat, killing and harming, and the like. Afflictions of the mind are right and wrong, gain and loss, the three poisons, and the like.” 〔T40n1819 0830b29〕

Verses thirteen and fourteen · the gate of the great meaning —

「門者，通大義之門也。大義者，大乘所以也。如人造城，得門則入。若人得生安樂者，是則成就大乘之門也。」—“‘Gate’ is the gate that opens on the great meaning. ‘The great meaning’ is that by which the Mahāyāna is what it is. As when someone builds a city: find the gate, and you enter. If a person attains birth in Peace and Bliss, that is the accomplishment of the gate of the Mahāyāna.” 〔T40n1819 0830c05〕 「使我國土皆是大乘一味、平等一味，根敗種子畢竟不生，女人殘缺名字亦斷。」—“May my land be wholly of one taste, the Mahāyāna, of one taste, equality, where rotten seeds never arise, and even the names of women and the deficient are cut off.” 〔T40n1819 0830c11〕

Under this section there are three further rounds of question and answer (questions and answers six to eight):

「答曰：以理推之，安樂淨土不應有二乘。何以言之？夫有病則有藥，理數之常也。《法華經》言釋迦牟尼如來以出五濁世故，分一為三。淨土既非五濁，無三乘明矣。《法華經》噵諸聲聞是人於何而得解脫？但離虛妄名為解脫，是人實未得一切解脫。以未得無上道故。覈推此理，阿羅漢既未得一切解脫，必應有生。此人更不生三界，三界外除淨土更無生處，是以唯應於淨土生。」—“Answer: Reasoning it out, the Pure Land of Peace and Bliss should not have the two vehicles. Why? Where there is sickness there is medicine—this is the constant pattern of things. The Lotus Sūtra says that because the Tathāgata Śākyamuni appeared in a world of five turbidities, he divided the one into three. Since the pure land is not of the five turbidities, it is clear that it has no three vehicles. The Lotus Sūtra asks of the śrāvakas, by what were these people liberated? Only by departing from the false is it called liberation; these people have not truly attained complete liberation, because they have not attained the unsurpassed path. Examining this reasoning: since the arhat has not attained complete liberation, he must have a birth. This person is not born again in the three realms, and outside the three realms there is no place of birth other than the pure land; therefore he can only be born in the pure land.” 〔T40n1819 0830c26〕 「又此論但言「二乘種不生」，謂安樂國不生二乘種子，亦何妨二乘來生耶？」—“Moreover, this treatise says only ‘the seed of the two vehicles does not arise,’ meaning that the land of Peace and Bliss does not give rise to the seed of the two vehicles—what prevents those of the two vehicles from coming to be born there?” 〔T40n1819 0831a10〕 「問曰：以名召事，有事乃有名。安樂國既無二乘、女人、根缺之事，亦何須復言無此三名耶？答曰：如軟心菩薩不甚勇猛，譏言聲聞；如人諂曲或復儜弱，譏言女人。又如眼雖明而不識事，譏言盲人；又如耳雖聽而聽義不解，譏言聾人；又如舌雖語而訥口𠽱吃，譏言瘂人。有如是等根雖具足而有譏嫌之名，是故須言乃至無名，明淨土無如是等與奪之名。」—“Question: A name summons a thing; only where there is the thing is there the name. Since the land of Peace and Bliss has no two vehicles, no women, and none deficient in faculties, why must it further say that it has not even these three names? Answer: A soft-minded bodhisattva who is not very brave is derided as a śrāvaka; a person who is flattering and crooked, or feeble, is derided as a woman; again, one whose eyes are clear but who does not recognize things is derided as blind; one whose ears hear but who does not understand the meaning of what is heard is derided as deaf; one whose tongue speaks but who is slow and stammering is derided as dumb. There are such names of reproach even where the faculties are complete; therefore it must say ‘not even the names,’ making clear that the pure land has no such names of favoring and slighting.” 〔T40n1819 0831a15〕 「問曰：尋法藏菩薩本願及龍樹菩薩所讚，皆似以彼國聲聞眾多為奇。此有何義？答曰：聲聞以實際為證，計不應更能生佛道根芽。而佛以本願不可思議神力攝令生彼，必當復以神力生其無上道心。譬如鴆鳥入水魚蜯咸死，犀牛觸之死者皆活。如此不應生而生，所以可奇。然五不思議中佛法最不可思議，佛能使聲聞復生無上道心，真不可思議之至也。」—“Question: Looking into the original vow of the bodhisattva Dharmākara and the praise of the bodhisattva Nāgārjuna, both seem to take the great number of śrāvakas in that land as a marvel. What does this mean? Answer: A śrāvaka takes the limit of reality as his realization, and by rights should not again be able to sprout the root of the buddha-path. Yet the Buddha, by the inconceivable spiritual power of his original vow, gathers him in to be born there, and must then by spiritual power give rise in him to the mind of the unsurpassed path. It is like the zhen bird entering the water so that fish and mussels all die, while the rhinoceros touches them and the dead all revive. What should not arise arises; that is why it is a marvel. And of the five inconceivable things, the Buddha’s Dharma is the most inconceivable; that the Buddha can make a śrāvaka again give rise to the mind of the unsurpassed path is truly the utmost of the inconceivable.” 〔T40n1819 0831a23〕

Verse fourteen · the fulfillment of all that is sought — 「是故願言：使我國土各稱所求滿足情願。」—“Therefore he vowed: may all in my land be fulfilled in their wishes, each according to what is sought.” 〔T40n1819 0831b09〕

Verse fifteen · conclusion · the seat —

「此門中分為二別：一者觀察阿彌陀如來莊嚴功德、二者觀察彼諸菩薩莊嚴功德。觀察如來莊嚴功德中有八種，至文當目。」—“Within this gate there are two divisions: first, contemplating the merit of the adornment of the Tathāgata Amitābha; second, contemplating the merit of the adornment of the bodhisattvas there. Within the contemplation of the merit of the Tathāgata’s adornment there are eight kinds, each to be named when its text is reached.” 〔T40n1819 0831b14〕

Question and answer nine: 「問曰：有論師汎解眾生名義，以其輪轉三有受眾多生死故名眾生。今名佛菩薩為眾生，是義云何？答曰：經言「一法有無量名，一名有無量義。」如以受眾多生死故名為眾生者，此是小乘家釋三界中眾生名義，非大乘家眾生名義也。」—“Question: There are treatise masters who explain the meaning of the name ‘beings’ broadly: because they revolve in the three kinds of existence and undergo many births and deaths, they are called beings. Now buddhas and bodhisattvas are called beings—what does this mean? Answer: The sūtra says, ‘One dharma has measureless names; one name has measureless meanings.’ To call them beings because they undergo many births and deaths is the Hīnayāna explanation of the meaning of the name ‘beings’ within the three realms, not the Mahāyāna meaning of the name.” 〔T40n1819 0831b17〕

「是故願言：我成佛時，使無量大寶王微妙淨華臺以為佛座。」—“Therefore he vowed: when I attain buddhahood, may a wondrous pure flower-dais of a king of measureless great jewels be the Buddha’s seat.” 〔T40n1819 0831c04〕

Verse sixteen · bodily action · verbal action —

「案：此間詁訓，六尺曰尋。」—“I note: by the glosses of this land, six feet make a fathom.” 〔T40n1819 0831c29〕 「譯者以尋而言，何其晦〔木代反〕乎！」—“That the translator should speak of a fathom—how obscure!” 〔T40n1819 0832a02〕 「若譯者或取此類用準阿彌陀如來舒臂為言故稱一尋者，圓光亦應徑六十萬億那由他恒河沙由旬。」—“If the translator perhaps took this kind of reckoning, measuring by the Tathāgata Amitābha’s outstretched arms, and so said ‘one fathom,’ then the round halo too should measure as many yojanas across as the sands of the Gaṅgā, sixty myriads of koṭis of nayutas of them.” 〔T40n1819 0832a04〕

Question and answer ten: 「答曰：身名集成，界名事別。如眼界緣根、色、空、明、作意五因緣生，名為眼界。是眼但自行己緣，不行他緣，以事別故；耳鼻等界亦如是。言諸佛如來是法界身者，法界是眾生心法也。以心能生世間出世間一切諸法故，名心為法界。法界能生諸如來相好身，亦如色等能生眼識，是故佛身名法界身。是身不行他緣，是故入一切眾生心想中。心想佛時，是心即是三十二相八十隨形好者，當眾生心想佛時，佛身相好顯現眾生心中也。譬如水清則色像現，水之與像不一不異，故言佛相好身即是心想也。是心作佛者，言心能作佛也。是心是佛者，心外無佛也。譬如火從木出，火不得離木也。以不離木故，則能燒木。木為火燒，木即為火也。諸佛正遍知海從心想生者，正遍知者，真正如法界而知也。法界無相故諸佛無知也，以無知故無不知也，無知而知者是正遍知也。是知深廣不可測量，故譬海也。」—“Answer: ‘Body’ means what is gathered and formed; ‘realm’ means what is distinct in its function. The eye-realm, for instance, arises from five causes and conditions—the faculty, form, space, light, and attention—and is called the eye-realm. This eye only performs its own function and not another’s, because functions are distinct; the realms of ear, nose, and the rest are likewise. ‘The buddhas, the tathāgatas, are bodies of the dharma-realm’: the dharma-realm is the mind-dharma of beings. Because the mind can give rise to all dharmas, worldly and supramundane, the mind is called the dharma-realm. The dharma-realm can give rise to the bodies of the marks and signs of the tathāgatas, as form and the rest can give rise to eye-consciousness; therefore the Buddha’s body is called the body of the dharma-realm. This body does not perform another’s function; therefore it enters the thought of every being’s mind. ‘When you think of the Buddha in your minds, this mind is the thirty-two marks and the eighty secondary signs’: when beings think of the Buddha in their minds, the marks and signs of the Buddha’s body appear in the minds of beings. As when water is clear the image appears—the water and the image are neither one nor different—so it says the Buddha’s body of marks and signs is the mind’s thought. ‘This mind makes the Buddha’ means that the mind can make a buddha. ‘This mind is the Buddha’ means that outside the mind there is no buddha. It is like fire coming from wood: the fire cannot leave the wood. Because it does not leave the wood, it can burn the wood; the wood burned by the fire becomes fire. ‘The sea of the right and universal knowledge of the buddhas arises from the mind’s thought’: right and universal knowledge is knowing truly and rightly as the dharma-realm is. Because the dharma-realm is without marks, the buddhas are without knowing; because they are without knowing, there is nothing they do not know. Knowing without knowing is right and universal knowledge. This knowledge is deep and vast beyond measuring, and so it is likened to the sea.” 〔T40n1819 0832a12〕

「是故願言：使我成佛，妙聲遐布，聞者悟忍。」—“Therefore he vowed: when I attain buddhahood, may my wondrous voice spread far, and those who hear it awaken to patience.” 〔T40n1819 0832b06〕

Verse seventeen · mental action · the great assembly —

「是故願言：使我成佛，如地荷負無輕重之殊，如水潤長無莦〔惡草〕葀〔瑞草，括音〕之異，如火成熟無芳臭之別，如風起發無眠悟之差，如空苞受無開塞之念。得之于內、物安於外，虛往實歸於是于息。」—“Therefore he vowed: when I attain buddhahood, may I be like earth, which bears its load without distinguishing light from heavy; like water, which nourishes growth without distinguishing weeds [evil grass] from auspicious herbs [auspicious grass]; like fire, which ripens without distinguishing fragrant from foul; like wind, which rises without distinguishing the sleeping from the awake; like space, which holds all without any thought of open or shut. Attained within, beings are at peace without; they go empty and return full, and here they rest.” 〔T40n1819 0832b13〕 「海者，言佛一切種智深廣無涯，不宿二乘、雜善、中下死屍，喻之如海。」—“‘Sea’ means that the Buddha’s all-knowing wisdom is deep and vast without shore, and does not harbor the two vehicles, mixed good, or the corpses of the middling and lower; so it is likened to the sea.” 〔T40n1819 0832b24〕 「不動者，言彼天人成就大乘根，不可傾動也。」—“‘Unmoving’ means that those gods and humans have accomplished the Mahāyāna root and cannot be shaken.” 〔T40n1819 0832b26〕

Verse eighteen · the leader · the lord —

「是故願言：我為佛時，願一切大眾無能生心敢與我等，唯一法王更無俗王。」—“Therefore he vowed: when I am a buddha, may no one in the whole great assembly dare to think himself my equal; may there be only the one Dharma-king and no worldly king.” 〔T40n1819 0832c04〕 「所以但言天人者，淨土無女人及八部鬼神故也。」—“The reason it says only gods and humans is that the pure land has no women and none of the eight classes of spirits and ghosts.” 〔T40n1819 0832c15〕

Verse nineteen · abiding and sustaining that is not in vain —

「是故願言：使我成佛，時值遇我者皆速疾滿足無上大寶。」—“Therefore he vowed: when I attain buddhahood, may all who then meet me be swiftly filled with the unsurpassed great jewel.” 〔T40n1819 0832c25〕 「住持義如上。」—“The meaning of abiding and sustaining is as above.” 〔T40n1819 0832c27〕

Question and answer eleven (why the bodhisattvas are contemplated as well): 「問曰：觀如來莊嚴功德何所闕少，復須觀菩薩功德耶？答曰：如有明君則有賢臣，堯舜之稱無為，是其比也。」—“Question: What is lacking in contemplating the merit of the Tathāgata’s adornment, that one must also contemplate the merit of the bodhisattvas? Answer: Where there is a wise ruler there are worthy ministers; that Yao and Shun were praised for governing without action is a comparison for this.” 〔T40n1819 0832c29〕

Verse twenty · the body unmoving yet reaching everywhere in the ten directions —

「是故興願：願我國中有無量大菩薩眾，不動本處遍至十方，種種應化如實修行常作佛事。譬如日在天上而影現百川，日豈來耶？豈不來耶？」—“Therefore he raised the vow: may there be in my land a measureless assembly of great bodhisattvas who, without moving from their own place, reach everywhere in the ten directions, in manifold responsive transformations practicing in accordance with reality and constantly doing the work of buddhas. It is like the sun in the sky casting its image in a hundred rivers—does the sun come? does it not come?” 〔T40n1819 0833a22〕 「如實修行者，雖常修行實無所修行也。」—“‘Practicing in accordance with reality’ means that though one constantly practices, in truth there is nothing practiced.” 〔T40n1819 0833b01〕

Verse twenty-one · in one thought, at one time — 「是故興願：願我佛土諸大菩薩，於一念時頃遍至十方作種種佛事。」—“Therefore he raised the vow: may the great bodhisattvas of my buddha-land, in the space of a single thought, reach everywhere in the ten directions and do the manifold work of buddhas.” 〔T40n1819 0833b09〕

Question and answer twelve: 「問曰：上章云身不動搖而遍至十方。不動而至，豈非是一時義耶？與此若為差別？答曰：上但言不動而至，或容有前後；此言無前無後，是為差別。亦是成上不動義。若不一時則是往來，若有往來則非不動，是故為成上不動義，故須觀一時。」—“Question: The chapter above said that the body does not move yet reaches everywhere in the ten directions. To reach without moving—is that not already the meaning of one time? How does this differ from it? Answer: Above it said only that one reaches without moving, which might still allow a before and after; here it says there is no before and no after—this is the difference. It also completes the meaning of not moving above. If it were not at one time, it would be going and coming; if there were going and coming, it would not be unmoving. Therefore, to complete the meaning of not moving above, one must contemplate one time.” 〔T40n1819 0833b12〕

Verse twenty-two · reaching everywhere in the ten directions with offerings and praise —

「雖歎穢土如來大慈謙忍，不見佛土有雜穢相；雖歎淨土如來無量莊嚴，不見佛土有清淨相。何以故？以諸法等故。諸如來等，是故諸佛如來名為等覺。若於佛土起優劣心，假使供養如來，非法供養也。」—“Though they praise the great compassion, humility, and forbearance of the tathāgatas of defiled lands, they do not see the buddha-land as having the mark of mixed defilement; though they praise the measureless adornment of the tathāgatas of pure lands, they do not see the buddha-land as having the mark of purity. Why? Because all dharmas are equal. Because the tathāgatas are equal, the buddhas, the tathāgatas, are called equally awakened. If one raises a mind of better and worse toward buddha-lands, then even in making offerings to a tathāgata, it is not an offering according to the Dharma.” 〔T40n1819 0833b28〕

Verse twenty-three · sustaining the jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Saṃgha — 「是故興願：願我成佛時，我土菩薩皆慈悲勇猛堅固，志願能捨清淨土，至他方無佛法僧處住持莊嚴佛法僧寶，示如有佛，使佛種處處不斷。」—“Therefore he raised the vow: when I attain buddhahood, may the bodhisattvas of my land all be compassionate, valiant, and firm, with a resolve able to leave the pure land and go to other places where there is no Buddha, Dharma, or Saṃgha, there to sustain and adorn the jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Saṃgha, showing as if a buddha were present, so that the seed of buddhahood is nowhere cut off.” 〔T40n1819 0833c08〕

Verse twenty-four · the author’s gate of dedication and direction — 「迴向者，迴己功德普施眾生，共見阿彌陀如來生安樂國。」—“To dedicate and direct is to turn one’s own merit and give it to all beings, so that together they may see the Tathāgata Amitābha and be born in the Land of Peace and Bliss.” 〔T40n1819 0833c16〕

Appended to the chapter of dedication · eight rounds of question and answer (questions and answers thirteen to twenty; all posed and answered by Tanluan himself):

The three senses of question and answer eighteen Tanluan weighs one by one; his concluding words: 「校量三義，十念者重。重者先牽能出三有，兩經一義耳。」—“Weighing the three senses, the ten thoughts are heavier. The heavier pulls first and can carry one out of the three kinds of existence; the two sūtras have one meaning.” 〔T40n1819 0834c11〕

V. Divergent Readings of the Commentators (in parallel columns — recorded without adjudication)

This treatise has Tanluan alone as its mirror; the places where, in explaining the verses, Tanluan cites another view himself, or discusses a translated term himself, are listed verbatim.

Recorded: in his discussion of 「尋」 (fathom), Tanluan himself calls it a conjecture as to the translator’s intent, comparing it with the measure of the round halo, and in the end returns to the treatise’s text with 「是故言相好光一尋，色像超群生」—“therefore it says, ‘the light of his marks and signs extends one fathom; the image of his form surpasses all beings,’” without altering the treatise’s characters. Of the discussion of translating 「寶」 (jewel) as 「草」 (grass), Tanluan himself says 「余若參譯，當別有途」—“had I taken part in the translation, there would have been another way,” and likewise does not alter the treatise’s characters. His discussions are recorded here as they stand, without adjudication.

VI. Terms (first occurrences — all glosses drawn from the mirror commentary)

Sanskrit: in this passage Tanluan gives three Sanskrit forms—「優婆提舍」 (upadeśa), 「婆藪槃頭」 (Vasubandhu), and 「菩提薩埵」 (bodhisattva)—and the table above adds their IAST as an aid to pronunciation; 「迦旃隣陀」 (Jiazhanlintuo) Tanluan explains only as 「天竺柔軟草名」—“the name of a soft grass of India,” giving no other form, so the Chinese sound is kept here and nothing is supplied in his stead.

The treatise’s names and the mirror’s names: the treatise’s verses do not themselves give the names of the form “accomplishment of the merit of the adornment of such-and-such.” Those names—seventeen kinds for the land, eight for the Buddha, four for the bodhisattvas—the treatise sets out in its prose (in the second unit below), while Tanluan assigns them verse by verse in advance in his first fascicle. The table above therefore draws mainly on Tanluan’s explanations in the first fascicle; the details of the names of the adornments belong to the unit on the gate of contemplation.

VII. Similes and Rhetoric

Similes the treatise’s verses use of themselves:

In the first two lines of verse seventeen, five things—earth, water, fire, wind, and space—are used as similes for the Buddha’s mind without discrimination, and Tanluan matches each in turn: 「如地荷負無輕重之殊，如水潤長無莦〔惡草〕葀〔瑞草，括音〕之異，如火成熟無芳臭之別，如風起發無眠悟之差，如空苞受無開塞之念。」—“like earth, which bears its load without distinguishing light from heavy; like water, which nourishes growth without distinguishing weeds [evil grass] from auspicious herbs [auspicious grass]; like fire, which ripens without distinguishing fragrant from foul; like wind, which rises without distinguishing the sleeping from the awake; like space, which holds all without any thought of open or shut.” 〔T40n1819 0832b13〕

Similes set up by the mirror commentary (not present in the treatise’s verses; recorded here for reference and not to be confounded with the treatise’s own similes):

Two things may be recorded as rhetoric. First, for the seventeen kinds of adornment of the land and the eight kinds of adornment of the Buddha, Tanluan uses the same form of question for every verse—“Why did the Buddha originally raise this adornment? He saw that there were lands where … therefore he vowed …”—first raising a lack of this world, then setting up the vow of that land, and lastly citing the verse-lines again to conclude: three stages, uniformly; the four kinds of adornment of the bodhisattvas also use this form. Second, from verse one to verse two the author calls himself 「我」 (I) twice (「我一心」 (I, with one mind), 「我依修多羅」 (I rely on the sūtra)), and the last verse again calls him 「我作論說偈」 (I have composed this treatise and spoken these verses), so that beginning and end answer each other; Tanluan sets up a special question on the character 「我」 (I) and settles it as 「流布語」 (the speech of common usage).

VIII. Citation and Carrying Forward

• Shandao (Commentary in Four Fascicles on the Contemplation Sūtra) cites the whole of verse three to clarify the extent of the ground of that land: 「又天親讚云：『觀彼世界相，勝過三界道，究竟如虛空，廣大無邊際。』」—“Again, Vasubandhu’s praise says: ‘Contemplate the aspect of that world: it surpasses the paths of the three realms; ultimately like empty space, vast and without bound.’” 〔T37n1753 0263a04〕 He also cites the whole of verse four: 「讚云：「正道大慈悲，出世善根生，淨光明滿足，如鏡日月輪。」」—“The praise says: ‘From the right path and great compassion, from supramundane roots of good it arises; its pure light is full and complete, like a mirror, like the orbs of the sun and the moon.’” 〔T37n1753 0264b10〕 And he raises a question with verse fourteen, 「女人及根缺、二乘種不生」—“women and those deficient in faculties, and the seed of the two vehicles, do not arise there”: 「何故天親《淨土論》云：『女人及根缺、二乘種不生』？」—“Why does Vasubandhu’s Treatise on the Pure Land say, ‘women and those deficient in faculties, and the seed of the two vehicles, do not arise there’?” 〔T37n1753 0251a10〕 Within the volumes of this series, the apparatus layer of the unit on the contemplation of water in The Sūtra on Contemplating the Buddha of Measureless Life has already recorded the first of these.
• Zhiyi (Commentary on the Sūtra on Contemplating the Buddha of Measureless Life) sets the meaning of verse fourteen against the middle grade of the Contemplation Sūtra: 「釋會經論者，問：依《往生論》二乘不得生，此經中輩小乘得生。」—“To explain and reconcile sūtra and treatise—question: according to the Treatise on Birth in That Land, those of the two vehicles cannot be born there, yet in this sūtra, in the middle grade, those of the small vehicle are born there.” 〔T37n1750 0193b12〕
• Huiyuan (Commentary on the Meaning of the Sūtra of Measureless Life) likewise raises this verse as a question: 「問曰：天親作《往生偈》「女人根缺，及二乘種，皆不得生」；」—“Question: Vasubandhu composed the Verses on Birth in That Land: ‘women and the deficient in faculties, and the seed of the two vehicles, all cannot be born there’;” 〔T37n1745 0107c10〕
• Kuiji (Commentary on the Amitābha Sūtra and Comprehensive Praise Commentary on the Amitābha Sūtra) takes 「二乘種不生」 (the seed of the two vehicles does not arise) as the starting point of a question in both commentaries: 「問：「《無量壽論》曰：二乘種不生。云何得有聲聞眾？」」—“Question: ‘The Treatise on Measureless Life says the seed of the two vehicles does not arise. How then can there be an assembly of śrāvakas?’” 〔T37n1757 0323c29〕; 「問：「《淨土論》云：女人及根缺，二乘種不生。云何相違？」」—“Question: ‘The Treatise on the Pure Land says, women and the deficient in faculties, and the seed of the two vehicles, do not arise there. How do these conflict?’” 〔T37n1758 0343b23〕
• Jingxing (Linked-Meaning Exposition and Praise of the Sūtra of Measureless Life; the head of the fascicle gives the attribution as 「釋璟興撰」—“composed by Shi Jingxing,” with a variant character in the name) matches verse-lines to the adornments of the sūtra: 「論云「觀彼世界相勝過三界道」故。」—“because the treatise says, ‘Contemplate the aspect of that world: it surpasses the paths of the three realms.’” 〔T37n1748 0155a22〕; 「論云「相好光一尋色像超群生」故。」—“because the treatise says, ‘The light of his marks and signs extends one fathom; the image of his form surpasses all beings.’” 〔T37n1748 0155c13〕; 「釋《往生論》「二乘種不生」」—“explaining the Treatise on Birth in That Land’s ‘the seed of the two vehicles does not arise’” 〔T37n1748 0156a24〕
• The Commentary on the Medicine Buddha Sūtra (T85n2767) also cites verse fourteen: 「又往生論云。女人及根缺。二乘種不生。」—“Again, the Treatise on Birth in That Land says: women and the deficient in faculties, and the seed of the two vehicles, do not arise there.” 〔T85n2767 0311c03〕
• Tanluan’s own repeated citation in the second fascicle: the verse-lines of the seventeen kinds of adornment of the land, the eight of the Buddha, and the four of the bodhisattvas Tanluan cites again item by item in the section on the substance and characteristics of contemplation in his second fascicle (belonging to the unit on the gate of contemplation).

Recorded: the wording with which the various authors cite verse fourteen is sometimes 「女人及根缺、二乘種不生」 (women and those deficient in faculties, and the seed of the two vehicles, do not arise there), sometimes abridged as 「女人根缺，及二乘種，皆不得生」 (women, the deficient in faculties, and the seed of the two vehicles all cannot be born there) (Huiyuan), sometimes only 「二乘種不生」 (the seed of the two vehicles does not arise); the names under which the authors cite the treatise also differ—「往生論」 (Treatise on Birth in That Land), 「淨土論」 (Treatise on the Pure Land), 「無量壽論」 (Treatise on Measureless Life), 「往生偈」 (Verses on Birth in That Land). They are recorded as they stand, without alteration, and no judgment is made as to which is the correct name.

IX. Placement Among the Recensions

The collation notes (<app>) to the treatise within the domain of this unit come to seven in all:

There is one further collation remark with no corresponding variant, anchored at the first line of verse one: 「世尊前行宋元明三本俱有無量壽經優波提舍願生偈十一字」—“Before the line ‘World-Honored One,’ the three witnesses of the Song, Yuan, and Ming all have the eleven characters Verses of Aspiration for Birth: An Upadeśa on the Sūtra of Measureless Life”—that is, the three witnesses repeat the head title before the verses.

Agreements and differences between the treatise’s verses and the verse text as cited in the mirror (the treatise follows the base text; the mirror follows the verse-lines Tanluan cites verse by verse in his first fascicle):

Recorded without adjudication: (1) in two places—verse eleven, 「語」 (words) and 「悟」 (awaken), and verse twenty-three, 「皆願」 and 「願皆」—what the mirror cites agrees with the variant of the three witnesses of the Song, Yuan, and Ming. (2) For the first two lines of verse fifteen, the treatise has 「故我願往生」 (therefore I aspire to be born there), the mirror 「是故願生彼」 (therefore I aspire to be born in that land), and Tanluan’s words dividing the sections of the gate of contemplation likewise read 「願生彼阿彌陀佛國」—“aspire to be born in that land of the Buddha Amitābha” 〔T40n1819 0828a03〕; the treatise has no collation note here. (3) The distinction between 「花」 and 「華」 (two forms of the character for flower): the treatise’s verses have 「花」 in two places (verses fifteen and twenty-two), and when the treatise’s prose cites these two verses again it has 「華」. All are recorded as they stand without alteration, and no judgment is made in their stead as to the original text.

Verse form: four five-character lines make one verse, twenty-four verses in all; in the treatise each verse is written in two rows, forty-eight rows in all for the verse portion; lines are separated by 「，」 (comma) and verses end with 「。」 (full stop); the second line of verse twenty-three carries 「？」 (question mark), which the mirror’s citation does not.

Two forms of the title: the head title is 「無量壽經優波提舍願生偈」—“Verses of Aspiration for Birth: An Upadeśa on the Sūtra of Measureless Life,” while the closing title at the end of the treatise reads 「無量壽經論一卷」 (Treatise on the Sūtra of Measureless Life, one fascicle) (the closing title belongs to the fifth unit); the mirror’s title is 「無量壽經優婆提舍願生偈」—“Verses of Aspiration for Birth: An Upadeśa on the Sūtra of Measureless Life,” the difference between 「波」 and 「婆」 (two characters for the syllable pa) being recorded side by side. As for the author, the treatise has 「婆藪槃豆」 (Vasubandhu), the mirror 「婆藪槃頭」 (Vasubandhu, with a variant character); recorded side by side.

「大乘善根界」 (a realm of Mahāyāna roots of good): its character 「界」 (realm) — for the 「界」 (realm) of the third line of verse thirteen, the treatise has at the end of its fascicle a passage of interlinear note standing within the main text: 「大乘善根界　天台智者即曰「界」字乃「男」字之錯，則宜改作。而諸疏家皆作「界」字，故今存之。」—“‘A realm of Mahāyāna roots of good’: Zhiyi, the Master of Tiantai, said that the character ‘realm’ is an error for the character ‘man,’ and that it should be corrected. But all the commentators read the character ‘realm,’ and so it is kept here.” 〔T26n1524 0233a27〕 The three witnesses of the Song, Yuan, and Ming lack this passage. In all three places where Tanluan cites the line it reads 「界」 (realm). The passage stands at the end of the treatise; for details see the fifth unit.

The attribution of author, translator, and commentator: the treatise is signed 「婆藪槃豆菩薩造」—“composed by the bodhisattva Vasubandhu” and 「元魏天竺三藏菩提流支譯」—“translated in the Northern Wei by Bodhiruci, Tripiṭaka master from India,” without a year of translation; the head of the mirror’s fascicle is signed 「沙門曇鸞註解」—“commentary and explanation by the śramaṇa Tanluan.” What the various catalogues record of the year and place of translation and of Tanluan’s life is not uniform, and cannot be settled from the text of this treatise and its mirror; recorded without adjudication.

Gaiji: none in the treatise within this unit. Interlinear notes (place="inline" notes): none in the treatise within this unit. The mirror text has many original interlinear notes (fanqie readings and glosses of characters), whose positions are kept in brackets; all are cited above as they stand.