佛說阿彌陀經註釋會要序
Preface to the Essential Commentaries on the Amitabha Sutra
淨土宗之奉佛說阿彌陀經也久矣、明蓮池大師之彌陀疏鈔、徵引繁富、事理悉備、清徐雲鶴先生為初學計、欲其簡而明、乃節錄疏鈔、分列之、為彌陀疏鈔擷、志淨業者得以問津、誠至便矣、然若欲進而求之、則關於彌陀之著述、尚有多書、足備參考、而惜其未皆流通、求之匪易也、乃不揆檮昧、博觀諸書、仿疏鈔擷例、於摘錄疏鈔疏鈔擷外、又擇尤要者、條舉件繫、分次經文之下、其書為何、曰義記、隋智顗著、曰疏、唐基法著、曰通贊疏、唐窺基著、曰義述、唐慧淨著、曰義疏及義疏聞持記、宋元照著、曰句解、元性澄著、曰略解及略解圓中鈔、明大佑著、曰疏鈔演義、明古德著、曰已決、明大慧著、曰要解、明智旭著、曰要解便蒙鈔、清達默著、曰略註、清續法著、曰略解、清海寬著、曰直解正行、清了根著、曰摘要易解、清真嵩著、曰註、(一名修西定課)清鄭澄德澄源著、曰約論、清彭際清著、而又間附他書以證之、名之曰佛說阿彌陀經註釋會要、亦聊以省檢校之煩、資講習之便云爾、
For the Pure Land school, devotion to the Buddha's teaching of the *Amitabha Sutra* has been practiced for a long time. The Ming master Lianchi’s *Commentary and Notes on the Amitabha Sutra* is vast in its citations and fully covers both principles and details. During the Qing dynasty, Mr. Xu Yunhe, considering beginners, sought to make it simple and clear. He thus excerpted the *Commentary and Notes*, organizing it into sections to create *Essentials of the Commentary and Notes on the Amitabha Sutra*, providing a gateway for those devoted to Pure Land practice. This was indeed very convenient. However, for those wishing to delve deeper, there are many other writings on Amitabha, all worthy of reference, yet most have not been widely circulated and are not easy to obtain. So, without considering my own ignorance, I extensively consulted various texts, following the format of *Essentials of the Commentary and Notes*. Besides selecting from the *Commentary and Notes* and the *Essentials*, I also chose the most essential points, listing them item by item and arranging them under the corresponding passages of the scripture. What are these texts? They include: *Records of Meaning* by Zhiyi of the Sui dynasty; *Commentary* by Jifa of the Tang dynasty; *Comprehensive Commentary* by Kuiji of the Tang dynasty; *Explanation of Meaning* by Huijing of the Tang dynasty; *Meaningful Commentary* and *Records for Remembering the Meaning* by Yuanzhao of the Song dynasty; *Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation* by Xingcheng of the Yuan dynasty; *Brief Explanation* and *Circle Seal Notes on the Brief Explanation* by Dayou of the Ming dynasty; *Elaboration of Commentary and Notes* by Gude of the Ming dynasty; *Settled Decision* by Dahui of the Ming dynasty; *Essential Explanation* by Zhixu of the Ming dynasty; *Essential Explanation for Beginners* by Damos of the Qing dynasty; *Brief Commentary* by Xufa of the Qing dynasty; *Brief Explanation* by Haikuan of the Qing dynasty; *Direct Explanation and Proper Practice* by Liaogen of the Qing dynasty; *Summary and Easy Understanding* by Zhensong of the Qing dynasty; *Commentary* (also known as *Fixed Course for Cultivation of the Western Pure Land*) by Zheng Chengde and Zheng Chengyuan of the Qing dynasty; and *Discourse on Ethics* by Peng Jisheng of the Qing dynasty. Additionally, I have occasionally included other texts as evidence. I have named this work *Essential Collection of Commentaries on the Amitabha Sutra*, which can somewhat save the trouble of cross-referencing and aid in the convenience of lecturing and studying.
佛降生二千九百五十一年甲子(中華民國十三年)春杭縣徐珂仲可熏沐稽首謹序於上海寓廬之純飛館
In the spring of the 2951st year after the Buddha's birth, during the year of Jiazi(the thirteenth year of the Republic of China), Xu Ke, also known as Zhongke, having purified himself through bathing and incense, respectfully bows his head and writes this preface at the Chunfei Pavilion of his Shanghai residence.