慈悲道場懺法 1.21

1.21

今日道場同業大眾！一心諦聽。夫因果影響感應相生，必然之道理無差舛。而諸眾生業行不純，善惡迭用。以業不純、所以報有精麁，或貴或賤、或善或惡，其事匪一參差萬品。既有參差不了本行，以不了故疑惑亂起。或言：精進奉戒應得長生，而見短命；屠殺之人應見促齡，而反延壽。清廉之士應招富足，而見貧苦；貪盜之人應見困躓，而更豐饒。如此疑惑，人誰無念？而不知往業植因所致。又如般若所明：若有讀誦此經，為人輕賤者，是人先世罪業應墮惡道，以今世人輕賤故，先世罪業則為消滅。而諸眾生所以不能深信經語、有此疑者，皆由無明惑故妄起顛倒。又不信三界內是苦、不信三界外是樂，每染世間皆言是樂。若言樂者，何意於中復生苦受？飲食過度便成疾疹，氣息喘迫鼓脹絞痛。又至衣服彌見憂勞，寒得絺𥿭則恩薄念淺、熱見重裘則苦惱已深。若言是樂，何意生惱？故知飲食衣服真非是樂。又言眷屬以為樂者，則應長相歡娛歌笑無極，何意俄爾無常倏焉而逝，適有今無、向在今滅，號天叩地肝心寸斷。又不知生所從來、死所趣向，銜悲相送直至窮山，執手長離一辭萬劫。諸如此者其苦無量，眾生迷見謂其是樂，出世樂因皆言是苦。或見進噉蔬澁節身時食，去於輕軟習糞掃衣，皆言是等強自困苦，不知此業是解脫道。或見布施、持戒、忍辱、精進、經行禮拜、誦習之人翹勤不懈，皆言是苦，而不知是等修出世心。脫有疾病死亡之日，便起疑心：終日役此心形無時暫止，人之氣力何以堪此？若不勤勞，豈當致困？徒喪身命，於事無益。或復自秉其說，理實如之。不知推果尋因，妄搆此惑。若遇善知識則其惑可除，遇惡知識則其愚更甚。因疑惑故墮三惡道，在惡道中悔何所及。

Assembly sharing this karmic endeavor in the bodhimaṇḍa today! Listen attentively with one mind. Causes and effects, like shadows and echoes, arise in mutual response; this is an inevitable principle, a truth that never errs. Yet the karmic actions of sentient beings are not unmixed: good and evil operate alternately. Because their karma is not unmixed, their retributions have the refined and the coarse—some are noble, some lowly; some good, some evil; the affairs are not of one kind, differing in ten thousand varieties. Being so varied, they do not understand their original actions; and because they do not understand, doubts and confusion arise in disorder. Some say: 'Those who are vigorous and observe the precepts should obtain long life, yet we see them die young; those who slaughter and kill should meet with a shortened lifespan, yet on the contrary they prolong their years. Upright and honest people should invite wealth and sufficiency, yet we see them in poverty and hardship; greedy and thieving people should experience stumbling and distress, yet they are even more opulent.' Regarding such doubts, who among people has not had such thoughts? Yet they do not know that these are caused by the planting of causes in past karma. Moreover, it is as explained in the Prajñā[pāramitā]: 'If there is someone who recites this sūtra and is despised by others, this person’s sinful karma from previous lives would have caused them to fall into the evil destinies; because they are despised by people in the present life, the sinful karma from their previous lives is eliminated.' That sentient beings are unable to deeply believe the words of the sūtras and harbor such doubts is entirely due to the confusion of ignorance, from which they mistakenly produce inverted views. Moreover, they do not believe that within the three realms is suffering, and do not believe that outside the three realms is bliss; whenever they become stained by worldly things, they always declare it to be bliss. If one calls it bliss, why does one again give rise to painful feelings therein? Overeating immediately turns into sickness and disease, with panting breath, abdominal distension, and gripping pain. Turning to clothing, one sees even more worry and toil: in cold, getting light linen means little favor and slight concern; in heat, facing heavy furs means afflictions have already deepened. If one calls this bliss, why does it give rise to distress? Thus we know that food, drink, and clothing are truly not bliss. Again, if one says that family and kin are bliss, then they should perpetually rejoice together with endless singing and laughter; why then does impermanence arrive abruptly and they suddenly pass away—just now present, now absent; a moment ago here, now perished—so that one cries to heaven and pounds the earth, one's liver and heart cut to pieces? Moreover, they do not know where life came from or where death proceeds to; nursing grief, they escort them all the way to the desolate mountains, holding hands in parting forever, a single farewell lasting ten thousand kalpas. Things like these are immeasurable in their suffering; yet sentient beings in their deluded view call it bliss, and speak of the causes of world-transcending bliss as suffering. Or seeing someone eating rough vegetables, disciplining the body to eat only at regulated times, renouncing soft and light fabrics, and practicing the wearing of rag robes, they all say: 'These people are forcing themselves into hardship,' not knowing that this karma is the path to liberation. Or seeing people engaged in giving, observing precepts, forbearance, vigor, walking meditation, prostrations, and chanting and recitation who are assiduous and unflagging, they all call it suffering, not knowing that these people are cultivating the world-transcending mind. If by chance a day of sickness or death comes, they immediately give rise to doubts: 'Toiling this mind and body all day without resting for a moment, how could human strength endure this? If they had not toiled so diligently, how would they have arrived at such exhaustion? They have thrown away their life in vain, with no benefit to the matter.' Or they cling to their own explanation, taking it to be really so. Not knowing how to trace the fruit back to seek the cause, they mistakenly construct this confusion. If they encounter a kalyāṇamitra, their confusion can be removed; if they encounter an evil acquaintance, their folly becomes even worse. Because of doubt and confusion, they fall into the three evil destinies; and once in the evil destinies, of what avail is regret?