淨土十疑論=Ten Doubts about Pure Land; 淨土釋疑=eliminating the doubts about Western Pure Land; 淨土解行=teachings and practices of Pure Land Buddhism; 淨土教理=doctrine of Pure Land Buddhism
Pure Land Buddhism is also called the easy path. It focuses on faith, wish, action, and practice rather than the study of doctrine. Therefore, it is prone to drawbacks since people’s doubt from misunderstanding the doctrine may cause them to waver in their faith of rebirth in the Pure Land. The Patriarch was aware of the seriousness of the situation, and composed treatises to eliminate people’s doubts. “Ten Doubts about Pure Land” is one of the best. However, due to the distant era, the Patriarch’s treatise was written in a very concise way that is hard for modern people to understand. To solve this inconvenience, this commentary eliminates doubts afresh by reframing the structures and complementing the doctrine with the goal of guiding the Pure Land Practitioner. This commentary proposes twelve questions and answers according to the “Ten Doubts about Pure Land”, categorized into three classes, Discernment, Performance, and Assurance. The Discernment class is separated into two orders, one is “Doubt of Buddha's Basic Teaching”, based on views from different practitioners, and the other order is “Doubt of Amitabha Pure Land Doctrine”, which discusses why ordinary beings are able to attain rebirth in Pure Land even with defiled minds. The Performance class is separated into two orders, “Doubt of Practices to Cultivate“ and “Doubt of Mindfulness of the Buddhas and to be Reborn”, which are two doubts related to the mind of Pure Land practitioner. Lastly, the Assurance class is separated into two orders, “Doubt of Achieving the Result in This Life” and “Doubt of Attaining the Stage of Non-retrogression” which are related to “Environment of Pure Land Practice” and “All Sentient Beings Possess the Buddha-Nature”. Each question and answer consists of three parts: the first part explores the inquirer’s point of view, the second part explains and resolves the doubts, and the last part eliminates the doubts through comprehensive contexts. The analysis above can thoroughly straighten and clarify doubts of discernment, performance, and assurance to help the Pure Land Practitioner enhance their understanding of the doctrine. Stronger faith and wish are therefore generated in practitioners, and also the belief that, by reciting the name of Amitabha, rebirth in the Pure Land can be attained.
