『観無量寿経』=the Sutra on Contemplation of Amitāyus; 「観経類」=the Visualization Sutras; 滅罪=Remission; 「生死之罪」=the transgression of birth and death
摘要
The aim of this paper is to elucidate a framework for remission that focusses on the relationship between the objects of remission and the person addressed in the sermon. This is done by reexamining how methods of contemplation are classified based on remission after identifying what characterizes the objects of remission in the Sutra on Contemplation of Amitāyus through comparisons with the Six Visualization Sutras and other sutras associated with the Sutra on Contemplation of Amitāyus.
In this paper, I focus on the Sutra on Contemplation of Amitāyus as a Visualization Sutra, even though it is usually considered as a Pure Land Sutra,because the framework for remission can be found by focusing on it. The reason for this is that the objects of remission in the Sutra on Contemplation of Amitāyus have been described using the same words as Visualization and Buddha’s Name Sutras.
First, I investigated the objects of remission in the Six Visualization Sutras,which were influenced by treatises translated into Chinese prior to the 5th century.I also consider the objects of remission in the Sutra on Contemplation of Amitāyus and provide a new perspective on its structure of remission by clarifying the relationship between the objects of remission and the sermon’s addressee.
Consequently, I identify the principal objects of remission in the Sutra on Contemplation of Amitāyus, such as evil deeds and transgressions of birth and death. I determined that these were influenced by Buddha’s Name Sutras,circulating in the western regions of China around the same time, and the Da zhidu lun and other works translated by Kumārajīva.
Furthermore, a structural comparison of previous studies on the Sutra on Contemplation of Amitāyus, with a focus on remission, shows that the sermon’s objects of remission might differ depending on the addressee in the various circulating books and that Ānanda and Vaidehī fulfilled different functions. In other words, sermons addressing Ānanda were about the remission of transgressions of birth and death, considered to be related to the real nature of all phenomena,while those addressing Vaidehī were about the remission of evildoings committed by ordinary people in the real world.
The structure of the sutra clarifies these differences. However, the eight and ninth visualizations, which are observations directly related to Amitābha and occupy an important place in the first half of the sutra, are exceptions to the above conditions. This important issue needs to be clarified in future studies.
