佛頂尊勝陀羅尼經教跡義記 1.24

1.24

第七見聞得利者，有其兩種：一者見聞得利，二者不見不聞不得利。一者見聞得利者，《涅槃經》曰：「若有善男子、善女人，一聞大乘經，億百千劫不墮三塗八難。」又《涅槃經》云：「於一恒河沙諸佛前種善根，得暫聞大乘經。於二恒河沙諸佛前種善根，得聞大乘經，不生誹謗。於三恒河沙諸佛前種善根，能歡喜禮拜。於四恒河沙諸佛前種善根，能書寫流通。於五恒河沙諸佛前種善根，能受持讀誦。」明知大乘經甚難得云云。又此經下文：「若有須臾得聞此陀羅尼，千劫已來積造惡業聞悉消滅，更不復受惡道之身，當生諸佛淨土。」又《涅槃經》曰：「假使有人開王庫藏一日布施，所得功德無量無邊，不如有人一口稱佛功德，何況得聞大乘經典。」又《提謂經》曰：「不論聽法但入寺，即得五種功德：一者端正，為見三寶心生歡喜故；二者好聲，為念佛故；三者生天，不餘惡業故；四者尊貴，為禮一切三寶故；五者得證涅槃，為有餘福故。」第二不見不聞不得利者，有其七種：一者造惡眾生，二者受樂眾生，三者地獄眾生，四者餓鬼眾生，五者畜生眾生，六者病患眾生，七者遠行眾生。第一造惡眾生者，貪造十惡五逆，不得聞經云云。第二受樂眾生者，如人間富貴者，衣以羅綺，食以酒肉，若於上界諸天著三銖衣，五欲樂貪受快樂，不得聞經云云。第三地獄眾生者，為八地獄四增十六隔等皆有刀山滿目、劍樹侵身、猛火上燒、刀輪下切，貪受苦故不得聞經云云。第四餓鬼、第五畜生、第六病患、第七遠行，此之四種以義意釋之云云。

Seventh, regarding obtaining benefit through seeing and hearing: there are two kinds: first, obtaining benefit through seeing and hearing; second, neither seeing nor hearing and not obtaining benefit. First, regarding obtaining benefit through seeing and hearing: the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says, "If there is a good man or good woman who once hears a Mahāyāna sūtra, for hundreds of millions and thousands of kalpas they will not fall into the three miserable paths or the eight difficulties." Furthermore, the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: "If one has planted roots of goodness before as many Buddhas as the sands of one Gaṅgā, one obtains hearing a Mahāyāna sūtra for a moment. If one has planted roots of goodness before as many Buddhas as the sands of two Gaṅgās, one gets to hear a Mahāyāna sūtra without producing slander. If one has planted roots of goodness before as many Buddhas as the sands of three Gaṅgās, one is able to joyfully prostrate. If one has planted roots of goodness before as many Buddhas as the sands of four Gaṅgās, one is able to copy and propagate it. If one has planted roots of goodness before as many Buddhas as the sands of five Gaṅgās, one is able to receive, uphold, read, and recite it." Thus it is clearly known that a Mahāyāna sūtra is exceedingly difficult to obtain, and so forth. Furthermore, later in this sūtra it says: "If anyone for a brief moment gets to hear this dhāraṇī, the evil karmas accumulated and created over a thousand kalpas will, upon hearing it, all be eradicated; they will never again receive the body of an evil path and shall be born in the pure lands of the Buddhas." Furthermore, the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: "Suppose someone opens the royal treasury and gives gifts for a day; the merit obtained is immeasurable and boundless, yet it does not equal someone praising the Buddha's merit with a single utterance, much less getting to hear Mahāyāna scriptures." Furthermore, the Tiwei Jing says: "Regardless of whether one listens to the Dharma, simply entering a monastery one obtains five kinds of merits: first, bodily dignity and beauty, because seeing the Three Jewels gives rise to joy in one's mind; second, a pleasant voice, because of being mindful of the Buddha; third, rebirth in heaven, because there is no remaining evil karma; fourth, nobility, because of paying homage to all Three Jewels; fifth, attaining the realization of nirvāṇa, because of having surplus blessings." Second, regarding neither seeing nor hearing and not obtaining benefit, there are seven kinds: first, sentient beings who commit evil; second, sentient beings who experience pleasure; third, hell sentient beings; fourth, hungry ghost sentient beings; fifth, animal sentient beings; sixth, sick sentient beings; seventh, sentient beings traveling afar. First, sentient beings who commit evil: greedily committing the ten unwholesome actions and the five heinous crimes, they are unable to hear the sūtra, and so forth. Second, sentient beings who experience pleasure: like the rich and noble among humans who dress in silks and brocades and feast on wine and meat, or like the gods of the higher realms wearing garments of three zhu and greedily indulging in the pleasures of the five desires, they are unable to hear the sūtra, and so forth. Third, hell sentient beings: because the eight hells, the four supplementary hells, the sixteen partitions, and so on all have mountains of knives filling the gaze, sword-trees piercing the body, fierce fires blazing above, and wheels of knives chopping below, because they are engrossed in suffering they are unable to hear the sūtra, and so forth. Fourth, hungry ghosts; fifth, animals; sixth, the sick; seventh, those traveling afar: these four kinds are to be explained according to the meaning, and so forth.