觀音義疏 1.42

1.42

果報火難者，從地獄有，上至初禪皆有火難，如阿鼻鬲子八萬四千，內外洞徹，上下交炎；餓鬼支節煙起，舉體焦然；畜生燠煮湯炭；修羅亦有火難，人中焚燒現見故。若至劫盡，須彌洞然，諸天宮殿悉皆都盡，初禪已下無免火災。凡一十五有眾生百千萬億諸業苦惱，持是觀世音名，火不能燒，何但止就閻浮提人作解耶？直就一十五有果報，望舊解火，誠可笑哉，餘九番非彼所知。次明修因惡業火者，隨有改惡修善之處，若五戒十善，多為惡業所難，故經云：「燒諸善根無過瞋恚，雖生有頂，頭上火然。」術婆伽欲火所燒，《金光明》云：「憂愁盛火今來燒我。」能破善業，退上墮下，皆名為火。若能稱名，得離惡業，故《請觀音》云：「破梵行人作十惡業，蕩除糞穢，今得清淨，由斯菩薩威神之力也。」

Regarding the peril of the fire of retributive result: from hell-existence upwards to the first dhyāna, all possess the peril of fire. For instance, the eighty-four thousand compartments of Avīci Hell are fully illuminated inside and out, with flames crossing above and below. Among hungry ghosts, smoke rises from their limbs and their entire bodies are scorched. Animals are boiled in cauldrons and [scalded on] coals. Asuras also have the peril of fire, and among humans, burning is directly seen. When the end of the kalpa arrives, Mount Sumeru blazes through, the palaces of all the devas are completely exhausted, and below the first dhyāna none escape the disaster of fire. For the hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of suffering afflictions of karmic result among sentient beings of all fifteen realms of existence, if they keep this name of Avalokiteśvara, fire cannot burn them—why should an explanation be restricted solely to the people of Jambudvīpa? Directly considering the retributive results of the fifteen realms of existence in comparison to the old explanations of fire, [those older interpretations] are truly laughable; the remaining nine turns are not known to them. Next, explaining the fire of evil karma cultivated as cause: wherever there is reforming evil and cultivating good—such as the five precepts and ten good deeds—they are mostly obstructed by evil karma. Therefore a sūtra says: 'In burning the roots of goodness, nothing surpasses anger; though one be born in the Peak of Existence, fire burns atop one's head.' Subhaga was burned by the fire of desire. The Suvarṇaprabhāsa says: 'The blazing fire of sorrow and grief now comes to burn me.' What can destroy good karma and cause one to regress from above and fall below is in all cases called fire. If one is able to recite the name, one attains freedom from evil karma; therefore the Qing Guanyin jing says: 'Those who violate the pure life and commit the ten evil deeds have their dung and filth washed away and now attain purity, through the awe-inspiring spiritual power of this bodhisattva.'