Again, this whole "faith vs works" argument you're carrying it on is entirely inappropriate for this subforum.
You claim "Chinese Pure Land" but then quote masters who are by no means Pure Land practitioners:
Hsing Yun = Humanistic Buddhism (Ch'an)
Sheng-Yen = Humanistic Buddhism (Ch'an)
Yin-Shun = Humanistic Buddhism (Ch'an)
Cheng-Yen = Humanistic Buddhism (Ch'an)
Chin Kung = the only Pure Lander on this list and you have shared teachings that aren't in line with what he teaches.
The Humanistic Buddhist idea of creating a Pure Land on this world is pretty much antithetical to Pure Land Buddhism.
"But the Buddha remarked that, "Sarakani the Sakyan undertook the training at the time of his death." Samyutta Nikaya 55.24 The lay person Sarakani practiced the moral precepts in full before his death, thus, confirming that one cannot be a stream-entrant or higher if one violates the moral precepts.
The sutra doesn't actually bear this out. In fact it explicitly says Sarakani failed in his training and took to drink right before his death. If anything, it supports the idea that one can become a stream-winner while an alcoholic.
Just read it. This issue is a bit of a sticky wicket for some in the Theravada school. Some have created commentary to explain-away what the sutra because it goes against their doctrines. So you'll see explanations such that "the alcohol was medicinal" and other completely unfounded statements. The passage you quoted is an example of this.
What do the Pure Land Sutras say about people who cannot follow the precepts? The sutras supercede whatever traditions there are in some schools in China, rendering your entire argument moot.
First and foremost, the 18th Vow:
Infinite Life Sutra wrote:18. After I become a Buddha, in worlds in the ten directions, there will be sentient beings that, with earnest faith and delight, wish to be reborn in my land, even if by only thinking ten thoughts [of that wish]. If they should fail to be reborn there—excepting those who have committed any of the five rebellious sins or maligned the true Dharma—I would not attain the perfect enlightenment.
The five rebellious sins are serious business:
five rebellious acts or sins (五逆). These are (1) patricide, (2) matricide, (3) killing an Arhat, (4) shedding the blood of a Buddha (including maligning His Dharma), and (5) destroying the harmony of a Saṅgha. They are also called the karma of the five no interruptions because any of them drives one into Avīci Hell, the hell of the five no interruptions.
The circumstance for committing a number of these are fairly rare.
Visualization Sutra wrote:The Buddha told Ānanda and Vaidehī, “A middling rebirth in the low rank can be achieved by sentient beings that have violated any of the five precepts, the eight precepts, or the complete monastic precepts. Such fools have stolen from the Saṅgha and robbed monks. They have made defiling statements with no sense of shame or dishonor. They adorn themselves with their evil ways. These sinners, because of their evil karmas, should fall into hell. When such a person’s life is ending, the fires of hell will arrive at once. Nevertheless, he may encounter a beneficent learned friend who will describe the awesome virtues of Amitāyus Buddha’s Ten Powers, explain in detail His radiance and spiritual powers, and praise samādhi, wisdom, liberation, and the knowledge and views of liberation. After he has heard these things, his sins which would entail 80 koṭi kalpas of birth and death will all be expunged. The raging fires of hell will be transformed into cool winds, which bring celestial flowers down from the sky. Seated on these flowers will be magically manifested Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who have come to receive this person.
So we can see quite clearly that perfect conduct is by no means a requirement.
What do the sutras say about faith?
Infinite Life Sutra wrote: “Buddha-Tathāgatas in worlds in the ten directions, who are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, each praise Amitāyus Buddha’s inconceivable awesome spirit and merit. If sentient beings that hear His name elicit faith and joy in but one thought and, with an earnest wish for rebirth in that land, transfer their merits to others, they will be reborn there and attain the spiritual level of no regress. Excepted are those who have committed any of the five rebellious sins or maligned the true Dharma.”
Faith is pretty primary here and in the 18th vow quoted above.
Here, we can see that the 3 minds (of faith) supercede precepts:
Visualization Sutra wrote: The Buddha told Ānanda and Vaidehī, “Sentient beings reborn in the Western Pure Land are classified into nine grades. Those who wish to achieve a high rebirth in the high rank in that land must invoke three minds in order to succeed. What are these three? First, an earnest mind; second, a profound mind; and third, a mind wishing for rebirth in the Pure Land as one transfers one’s merits to other sentient beings. Those with these three minds will definitely be reborn in that land.
“Moreover, there are three kinds of sentient beings that will be reborn there. What are those three? First, those who, with the mind of lovingkindness, refrain from killing sentient beings and fully observe the precepts for their conduct. Second, those who read and recite Mahāyāna vaipulya sūtras. Third, those who practice the six remembrances and, with a wish for rebirth in that Buddha Land, transfer their merits to others.
Even sutras that aren't primary for Pure Land talk about faith:
The Avatamsaka Sutra wrote:Faith is the basis of the Path, the mother of virtues Nourishing and growing all good ways... Faith can assure arrival at enlightenment.
(T. Cleary, tr. The Flower Ornament Scripture. Vol. I, p. 331.)
There's no getting around faith in the context of Pure Land Buddhism. If you want to drop faith, or criticize some straw man of "cheap grace" in the context of Pure Land, then it would probably be better to post on a different subforum. Here, it comes off as proselytizing.
