觀無量壽佛經疏 4.24

4.24

Furthermore, I address all people seeking rebirth: I shall now present another parable for practitioners to protect faith, in order to guard against the difficulties of external heterodoxies and differing views. What is it? Suppose a traveler wishes to journey hundreds of thousands of li to the west. Suddenly, halfway along the road, he sees two rivers: the first is a river of fire to the south; the second is a river of water to the north. Each of the two rivers is a hundred paces wide, each bottomlessly deep, and endless to the south and north. Directly between the water and fire, there is a single white path, roughly four or five inches wide. This path extends from the eastern bank to the western bank, also a hundred paces long. Waves of water surge across and drench the path, and flames of fire also come and scorch the path; water and fire intersect constantly without rest. When this person reaches this remote wilderness, there are no other people or dwellings, but many bandits and vicious beasts. Seeing him alone, they vie to come and kill him. Terrified of death, this person runs straight toward the west, and suddenly seeing this great river, he thinks to himself: 'This river has no visible boundary north or south, and in the middle I see a single white path, extremely narrow. Although the two banks are close, how could it be crossed? Today I will surely die without doubt.' Just as he intends to turn back, the bandits and beasts gradually press closer. Just as he intends to flee to the south or north, the vicious beasts and venomous insects rush toward him. Just as he intends to follow the path to the west, he fears falling into these two rivers of water and fire; his terror at that moment is beyond words. He then thinks: 'If I turn back now, I die; if I stay, I die; if I go forward, I die. Since death is equally unavoidable, I would rather follow this path and proceed forward. Since this path exists, it must surely be passable.' As he forms this thought, he suddenly hears a person's encouraging voice from the eastern bank: 'O traveler, simply proceed along this path with determination, and you will surely suffer no calamity of death. If you stay, you will die!' Furthermore, someone on the western bank calls out: 'With a single mind and right mindfulness, come straight ahead! I can protect you; have no fear of falling into the perils of water and fire!' Having heard this sending off from this side and calling from the other, this person straightens his body and mind, and with determination follows the path, advancing straight forward without giving rise to doubt, cowardice, or retrogression. After taking one or two steps, the bandits on the eastern bank call out: 'O traveler, come back! This path is perilous and impassable; you will surely die without doubt! We have no malicious intent toward you.' Although this person hears their calls, he does not look back; single-mindedly advancing straight ahead, mindful of the path as he walks, in an instant he reaches the western bank, forever free from all perils. Meeting good friends, his rejoicing is boundless. This is the parable.