觀念阿彌陀佛相海三昧功德法門 1.73

1.73

問曰：準依佛教，精勤苦行，日夜六時禮念行道，觀想轉誦，齋戒一心，厭患生死、畏三塗苦，畢此一形誓生淨土彌陀佛國者，又恐殘殃不盡，現與十惡相應，覺有斯障者，云何除滅？具引佛經示其方法。答曰：依佛經答者，即如《觀佛三昧海經》說，佛為父王及諸大眾說：「過去有佛，名曰空王，像法住世時有四比丘，破戒犯重。時空王佛於夜空中出聲告四比丘言：『汝之所犯名不可救。欲滅罪者，可入我塔中觀我形像至心懺悔，可滅此罪。』時四比丘萬事俱捨，一心奉教，入塔於佛像前自撲懺悔，如大山崩，婉轉於地，號哭向佛。日夜相續，至死為期。捨命已後，得生空王佛國。」今以此經證，行者等欲懺悔時，亦依此教法門。佛言：「若我滅後，佛諸弟子捨離諸惡、樂少語法，日夜六時能於一時分為少時少分之中，於須臾間念佛白毫者，若不見，如是等人除却九十六億那由他恒河沙微塵劫生死之罪。若復有人聞是白毫，心不驚疑，歡喜信受，此人亦除八十億劫生死之罪。若諸比丘、比丘尼、若男女人，犯四根本、十惡等罪、五逆罪及謗大乘。如是諸人若能懺悔，日夜六時身心不息，五體投地如大山崩，號泣雨淚，合掌向佛，念佛眉間白毫相光，一日至七日，前四種罪可得輕微。觀白毫闇不見者，應入塔中觀眉間白毫，一日至三日，合掌啼泣。又暫聞亦除三劫之罪。」佛告父王及勅阿難：「吾今為汝悉現身相光明。若有不善心者、若毀佛禁戒者，見佛各不同。」時五百釋子見佛色身猶如灰人，比丘千人見佛由如赤土，十六居士二十四女人見佛純黑，諸比丘尼見佛如銀色。時諸四眾白佛：「我今者不見佛妙色。」自拔頭髮，舉身投地，啼泣雨淚，自撲婉轉。佛言：「善男子！如來出現正為除滅汝等罪咎。汝今可稱過去七佛，為佛作禮，說汝先世邪見之罪。汝當向諸大德僧眾發露悔過，隨順佛語。於佛法眾中，五體投地如大山崩，向佛懺悔。既懺悔已，心眼得開，見佛色身，心大歡喜。」佛告諸比丘：「汝等先世無量劫時，邪見疑師，無戒虛受信施。以此因緣故，墮餓鬼地獄，八萬歲受苦。今雖得出，於無量世不見諸佛，但聞佛名。今見佛身如赤土色，正長五尺。」佛說語已，千比丘等向佛懺悔，五體投地如大山崩，悲號雨淚。猶如風吹重雲四散，顯發金顏。既見佛已，比丘歡喜發菩提心。佛告父王：「此千比丘慇懃求法，心無懈息。」佛與授記同號南無光照如來。已前懺悔法，出《觀佛三昧海經》第二第三卷。

Question: In accordance with the Buddha's teachings, one engages in diligent ascetic practices, venerating, reciting, and circumambulating during the six periods of the day and night, contemplating and chanting, maintaining pure precepts with single-mindedness, loathing birth-and-death and fearing the sufferings of the three wretched realms, vowing to be reborn in the Pure Land of Amitābha Buddha for the rest of this physical life. Yet, fearing that residual karmic misdeeds are not exhausted and that in the present one is still complicit with the ten unwholesome actions, when one perceives such hindrances, how are they to be eradicated? Extensively cite the Buddha's sūtras to demonstrate the method. Answer: Replying according to the Buddha's sūtras: as stated in the Guanfo sanmei hai jing, the Buddha preached for his father the king and the great assembly: “In the past there was a Buddha named King of Emptiness (Śūnyarāja). During the Semblance Dharma period of his presence in the world, there were four monks who broke the precepts and committed grave offenses. At that time, the Buddha King of Emptiness produced a voice in the night sky, addressing the four monks: ‘What you have committed is called incurable. If you wish to eradicate your sins, you may enter my stūpa, contemplate my image, and repent with the utmost sincerity; this can eradicate these sins.’ At that time, the four monks abandoned all affairs and single-mindedly followed the instruction. Entering the stūpa, they threw themselves down before the Buddha's image in repentance, like a great mountain collapsing, writhing on the ground and weeping aloud toward the Buddha. Continuing day and night until the end of their lives, after shedding their bodies they attained rebirth in the land of the Buddha King of Emptiness.” Now, using this sūtra as proof, when practitioners wish to repent, they should also rely on this teaching and Dharma gate. The Buddha said: “If, after my passing, the Buddha's disciples abandon evil, take pleasure in speaking little, and during the six periods of the day and night can, in a small portion of a single period, even for an instant, contemplate the Buddha's white ūrṇā—even if they do not see it, such persons will eradicate the sins of birth-and-death spanning ninety-six hundred million nayutas of Ganges sands of atom-kalpas. If there are people who hear of this white ūrṇā and their minds feel no alarm or doubt, but rather rejoice and faithfully accept it, such persons will also eradicate the sins of birth-and-death of eighty hundred million kalpas. If there are monks, nuns, or men and women who have committed the four fundamental offenses, the ten unwholesome actions, the five heinous sins, and slander of the Great Vehicle, if such persons are able to repent without ceasing in body and mind during the six periods of the day and night, throwing the five limbs to the ground like a great mountain collapsing, weeping and crying tears like rain, with palms joined facing the Buddha, and contemplating the light of the mark of the white ūrṇā between the Buddha's eyebrows for one to seven days, the former four kinds of sins can be lightened. If one contemplates the white ūrṇā but it is dark and unseen, one should enter a stūpa, contemplate the white ūrṇā between the eyebrows for one to three days, joining the palms, weeping, and crying. Moreover, hearing of it even for a moment eradicates the sins of three kalpas.” The Buddha addressed his father the king and instructed Ānanda: “I shall now manifest for you all my physical marks and radiance. If someone has an unwholesome mind, or if they have violated the Buddha's prohibitive precepts, what they see of the Buddha will vary individually.” At that time, five hundred Śākyan youths saw the Buddha's physical body as resembling a person made of ash; a thousand monks saw the Buddha as resembling red clay; sixteen laymen and twenty-four women saw the Buddha as completely black; and the nuns saw the Buddha as silver-coloured. Then the fourfold assembly said to the Buddha: “We now cannot see the Buddha's wondrous physical form.” They tore out their own hair, threw their entire bodies to the ground, weeping with tears raining down, throwing themselves down and writhing. The Buddha said: “Good men! The Tathāgata appears precisely to eradicate your sins and faults. You should now invoke the seven Buddhas of the past, pay homage to the Buddhas, and speak of the sins of wrong views in your past lives. You must reveal and repent your faults before the assembly of monks of great virtue, complying with the Buddha's words. Amidst the assembly of the Buddha's Dharma, throw the five limbs to the ground like a great mountain collapsing, and repent before the Buddha. Having repented, your mind's eye will open, you will see the Buddha's physical body, and your hearts will be filled with great joy.” The Buddha addressed the monks: “In your past lives across incalculable kalpas, you held wrong views and doubted your teachers; lacking precepts, you vainly received offerings from the faithful. Due to these causes and conditions, you fell into the hungry ghost realm and the hells, enduring suffering for eighty thousand years. Although you have now emerged, for incalculable lifetimes you did not see the Buddhas, but only heard the Buddhas' names. Now you see the Buddha's body as the colour of red clay, exactly five cubits tall.” After the Buddha spoke these words, the thousand monks repented before the Buddha, throwing the five limbs to the ground like a great mountain collapsing, crying aloud with tears raining down. Like the wind blowing heavy clouds away in the four directions, the golden countenance revealed itself. Having seen the Buddha, the monks rejoiced and generated the bodhicitta. The Buddha addressed his father the king: “These thousand monks have earnestly sought the Dharma, their minds never slacking.” The Buddha bestowed a prophecy upon them, all sharing the name Namo Radiance-Illuminating Tathāgata (Namo Prabhāsaprabhāsa). The preceding method of repentance is from fascicles two and three of the Guanfo sanmei hai jing.