續法《楞嚴經勢至念佛圓通章疏鈔》對華嚴思想之運衡 -- 以五教判與持名念佛為核心之考察=Appling Huayan Thinking on Xu Fa's Commentaries of the Mahā-sthāma-prāpta's Perfect Understanding by Being Mindful of the Meritorious Virtues of the Buddha: Discussion on Amitabha Recitation and the Five Classifications of Huayan
續法=Xu Fa; 勢至菩薩念佛圓通章=The Commentaries of the Mahā-sthāma-prāpta’s Perfect Understanding by being Mindful of the Meritorious Virtues of the Buddha; 持名念佛=Chanting the name of Amitābha Buddha; 華嚴五教判=the Five Classifications of Huayan
This paper focuses on the three issues of Xu Fa’s The Commentaries of the Mahā-sthāma-prāpta’s Perfect Understanding by being Mindful of the Meritorious Virtues of the Buddha (abb. The Commentaries), including the explanation of the emptiness-observation of Pure-land Teaching, the school’s properties of Pure-land Teaching to the Five Classifications of Huayan, and the reason of choosing the teaching of chanting the name of Amitābha Buddha. Xu Fa implies that the chanting of samādhi has direct correlation with “samādhi of perfect unity of body and mind” in all activities of the prajñā system. He connects the thoughts to the Huayan School and implies that Huayan Teaching and Pure-land Teaching arise in concert with each other, which further explains Pure-land Thought from the Huayan perspective. In addition, Xu Fa uses the Five Classifications of Huayan to categorize it to the Final Doctrine of Mahāyāna (dasheng zhongjiao), and emphasizes it also reflects the thought of the Sudden Enlightenment doctrine of Mahāyāna as well as the perfect doctrine of Mahāyāna. Thus, Xu Fa concludes The Commentaries belongs to zhongjiao, dunjiao, and yuanjiao. Finally, Xu Fa highlights that The Commentaries emphasizes the chanting the name of Amitābha Buddha to be the method for practice. This method has a broad and deep meaning in doctrine, and especially sacred, which is bounded to the human being’s spiritual ability. To keep away from reincarnation, the Pure-land Teaching is a kind of short cut, and Amitabha Recitation is the greatest shortcut among all. One should devote his mind to the true teaching for the purpose of obtaining rebirth in the Pure-land.
