On the phrases Yi fa ju and Qing jing ju in the Chinese Translation of the Sukhāvatīvyūhopadeśa Attributed to Vasubandhu

The * Sukhavativyuhopadesa attributed to Vasubandhu is extant only in a Chinese translation by Bodhiruci. In this translation are found two phrases difficult to understand: "yi fa ju" 一法句 and "qing jing ju" 清浄句. They have been the source of much trouble in Chinese and Japanese Buddhism. In particular, the word "ju" in these phrases is difficult to understand. However, from his standpoint as a scholar of Indian Buddhism, Prof. Susumu Yamaguchi has demonstrated that the Sanskrit original for this term is "pada." The term "pada" has two meanings: "verse" and "place." The correct meaning of this term here is "place" but it was mistranslated by Bodhiruci as "verse" ("ju" in Chinese). In this paper, I consider Professor Yamaguchi's analysis and conclusion, and inspect whether or not his interpretation of the entire phrase is correct