---
title: "淨土十要 · 第三明宗"
description: "淨土十要由明代高僧成時大師評點節要，匯集了淨土宗歷代祖師的核心著述。該書輯錄了智者大師、善導大師等十種淨土教典精要，系統闡述了念佛往生西方極樂世界的理論與方法。其編撰於明末佛教復興期，旨在匡正禪淨流弊、彰顯淨土他力易行道。作為淨土宗根本教典之一，該書被譽為修學淨土法門的權威指南，在漢傳佛教中具有崇高地位，是深入理解淨土思想不可或缺的重要文獻。"
url: "https://rushiwowen.co/en/r/cmcxvu5tp0pkfky04ba52b7yy"
---

### 第三明宗

> Clarifying the Purpose

宗是修行要徑會體樞機而萬行之綱領也。提綱則眾目張。挈領則襟袖至。故體後應須辨宗。此經以信願持名為修行之宗要。非信不足啟願。非願不足導行。非持名妙行不足滿所願而證所信。經中先陳依正以生信。次勸發願以導行。次示持名以徑登不退。信則信自信他信因信果信事信理。願則厭離娑婆欣求極樂。行則執持名號一心不亂。信自者。信我現前一念之心。本非肉團亦非緣影。豎無初後橫絕邊涯。終日隨緣終日不變。十方虗空微塵國土元我一念心中所現物。我雖昏迷倒惑。苟一念迴心。決定得生自心本具極樂。更無疑慮。是名信自。信他者。信釋迦如來決無誑語。彌陀世尊決無虗願。六方諸佛廣長舌決無二言。隨順諸佛真實教誨。決志求生。更無疑惑。是名信他。信因者。深信散亂稱名猶為成佛種子。況一心不亂安得不生淨土。是名信因。信果者。深信淨土諸善聚會皆從念佛三昧得生。如種瓜得瓜種豆得豆。亦如影必隨形響必應聲。決無虗棄。是名信果。信事者。深信只今現前一念不可盡故。依心所現十方世界亦不可盡。實有極樂國在十萬億土外。最極清淨莊嚴。不同莊生寓言。是名信事。信理者。深信十萬億土實不出我今現前介爾一念心外。以吾現前一念心性實無外故。又深信西方依正主伴皆吾現前一念心中所現影。全事即理全妄即真。全修即性全他即自。我心徧故。佛心亦徧。一切眾生心性亦徧。譬一室千燈。光光互徧重重交攝不相妨礙。是名信理。如此信已則娑婆即自心所感之薉。而自心薉理應厭離。極樂即自心所感之淨。而自心淨理應欣求。厭薉須捨至究竟方無可捨。欣淨須取至究竟方無可取。故妙宗云。取捨若極與不取捨亦非異轍。設不從事取捨但尚不取不捨。即是執理廢事。既廢於事。理亦不圓。若達全事即理。則取亦即理捨亦即理。一取一捨無非法界。故次信而明願也。言執持名號一心不亂者。名以召德。德不可思議。故名號亦不可思議。名號功德不可思議。故使散稱為佛種。執持登不退也。然諸經示淨土行萬別千差。如觀像觀想禮拜供養五悔六念等。一一行成皆生淨土。唯持名一法收機最廣下手最易。故釋迦慈尊無問自說。特向大智舍利弗拈出。可謂方便中第一方便。了義中無上了義。圓頓中最極圓頓。故云明珠投於濁水。濁水不得不清。佛號投於亂心。亂心不得不佛也。信願持名以為一乘真因。四種淨土以為一乘妙果。舉因則果必隨之。故以信願持名為經正宗。其四種淨土之相。詳在妙宗鈔及梵網玄義。茲不具述。俟後釋依正文中當略示耳。

> The core principle is the essential path of practice, the pivotal hinge of realization, and the guiding thread of all spiritual endeavors. Once you raise the main thread, the entire net opens; once you grasp the collar, the sleeves and front fall into place. Therefore, after discussing the essence, one must define the core principle. This sutra takes Faith, Vows, and Mindfulness of the Buddha's Name as the essentials of practice. Without faith, vows cannot arise; without vows, practice cannot be guided; without the excellent practice of mindfulness, one cannot fulfill one's vows nor realize what one has taken on faith. The sutra first describes the magnificent realms of the Buddha and his land to inspire faith. Next, it encourages the making of vows to direct practice. Then, it teaches mindfulness of the Name as the direct path to irreversible awakening. Faith involves believing in oneself, believing in others, believing in the cause, believing in the effect, believing in phenomena, and believing in the principle. Vows mean renouncing the Saha world of suffering and aspiring wholeheartedly for the bliss of the Pure Land. Practice means sincerely upholding the Buddha's name until the mind reaches single-minded focus without wavering. \*\*Believing in oneself\*\* means believing that the single thought in one’s present mind is fundamentally not the physical heart nor fleeting mental images. It has no beginning or end vertically, no boundaries horizontally. Though it follows conditions moment by moment, it never changes; the ten directions of space, the countless lands of dust—all are originally manifestations of the things within this single thought. Although I may be confused and deluded, if I turn my mind around for just one moment, I will certainly be born into the Pure Land, which is inherent in my own mind. Without any doubt or hesitation, this is called believing in oneself. \*\*Believing in others\*\* means trusting that the Tathagata Shakyamuni never lies, that the World-Honored One Amitabha never makes empty vows, and that the Buddhas of the ten directions, with their vast and broad tongues, never speak two words. Following the true teachings of all Buddhas, determined to seek rebirth, without confusion or doubt—this is believing in others. \*\*Believing in the cause\*\* means deeply believing that even distracted recitation of the Buddha's name is the seed of Buddhahood; how much more so when the mind is focused and undisturbed—how could one not be reborn in the Pure Land? This is believing in the cause. \*\*Believing in the effect\*\* means firmly trusting that all the excellent assemblies of the Pure Land attain birth through the samadhi of mindfulness of the Buddha. Just as planting melons yields melons and planting beans yields beans, as a shadow follows its form and an echo responds to a sound, there is certainly no waste. This is believing in the effect. \*\*Believing in phenomena\*\* means deeply believing that because the present single thought is inexhaustible, the worlds of the ten directions manifest from the mind are also inexhaustible. There truly exists the Land of Ultimate Bliss, beyond a hundred thousand million lands, supremely pure and adorned; this is no Daoist fable like Zhuangzi’s stories. This is believing in phenomena. \*\*Believing in the principle\*\* means deeply trusting that those hundred thousand million lands do not actually lie outside my current, present single thought; because the nature of this single thought truly has no “outside.” Furthermore, one deeply believes that the environments and inhabitants of the Western Pure Land, both host and retinue, are all reflections present within my present single thought. In this way, the entire phenomenon is the principle; the entire delusion is reality. The entire practice is the inherent nature; the entire “other” is oneself. Because my mind is all-pervading, the Buddha’s mind is also all-pervading, the mind-nature of all sentient beings is also all-pervading. It is like a thousand lamps in one room; each light pervades the others, interpenetrating without obstruction. This is believing in the principle. With such faith, one understands that the Saha world is the impurity brought forth by one’s own mind, and therefore its filthy conditions should rightly be renounced. The Pure Land is the purity brought forth by one’s own mind, and its pure conditions should rightly be sought. Renouncing filth must be pursued to the ultimate point where there is nothing left to renounce; seeking purity must be pursued to the ultimate point where there is nothing left to seek. Hence, the \*Wonderful Doctrine\* says: If we reach the ultimate of acceptance and rejection, it is no different from non-acceptance and non-rejection. If one abandons acceptance and rejection in practice but merely advocates non-attachment, that is clinging to principle while discarding practice. Having discarded practice, one’s understanding of principle is also incomplete. But if one realizes that all phenomena are exactly the principle, then acceptance is the principle and rejection is also the principle; every acceptance and every rejection is none other than the Dharma-realm. That is why faith is followed by understanding vows. \*\*"Holding the Name until the mind is single and undistracted."\*\* The Name refers to the Virtue; the Virtue is inconceivable, therefore the Name itself is also inconceivable. The merit of the Name is so inconceivable that even scattered recitation becomes a seed for Buddhahood, and focused mindfulness brings one to irreversible attainment. Although various sutras offer different methods for Pure Land practice—such as visualizing the Buddha’s image, visualization, prostrations, offerings, the five forms of repentance, and the six kinds of mindfulness—each practice, when perfected, can lead to rebirth in the Pure Land. Among all these, only the method of holding the Buddha’s name receives the widest scope of beings and is the easiest to practice. For this reason, compassionate Shakyamuni spontaneously taught it without being asked, specifically pointing it out to the wise Shariputra. It may be called the supreme skillful means among all skillfully means, the ultimate true meaning among all true-meaning teachings, and the most perfect and sudden among perfect and sudden paths. Thus it is said, "When a bright pearl is placed in muddy water, the muddy water cannot but become clear. When the Buddha’s name is placed in a confused mind, the confused mind cannot but become the Buddha." Faith, vows, and mindfulness of the Name serve as the true cause of the One Vehicle; the four kinds of Pure Lands serve as the wondrous result of the One Vehicle. Once the cause is raised, the result certainly follows. Therefore, faith, vows, and mindfulness of the Name are the authentic core of this sutra. As for the detailed features of the four kinds of Pure Lands, they are explained thoroughly in the Commentary on the Wonderful Doctrine and the Profound Meaning of the Brahma Net Sutra, and will not be repeated here. They will be briefly mentioned later in the explanation of the main text.