釋淨土群疑論 5.17

5.17

釋曰：此有數意，不可預聞淨教棄而不修，待至終時方當念佛。一即汝欲願生淨佛國土，推欲避斯苦惱生彼西方，不求無上菩提、不行菩薩之行，但欲縱情寶樹恣意珍臺，不願悟無生，就此垂終一念也。若為志佛果證三菩提，愍諸有情速證正覺，於此穢土恐退菩提，就彼淨土方增修妙行、登不退位救苦眾生，方欲無間長時具修萬行。何為今聞淨法不肯修行，更事憍奢、廣行放逸，垂臨終日念佛生耶？若欲至求無上大果，發菩提心願生淨土，所恨流浪生死、無始沈淪。聞說西方淨土教法，即須身毛皆竪猶如拔出，悲泣雨淚，恨聞此法晚至今生，即須晝夜精勤一心匪懈。寧得聞佛淨教，更縱六情，繫日連宵造十惡罪，推至終日方念佛名？無慚愧言豈成道理。又若垂終念佛、長時稱名，功行不殊、悟道無別，可須任汝此言推至在後。如其念增，念念增道功不唐捐，罪業轉微福德漸勝，成其上輩速悟無生，利益不同，豈得唯修一念？且麁衣妙服好飡細食，一種蓋形並除飢渴，爾即去斯弊服著彼羅紈，不食穢飡欲求美膳。況念佛多少功行不同，便即棄彼長修，就斯促念、貪好衣食，曾無此言。聞修淨行，捨長就短，是汝煩惱無慚愧言，魔語鬼語，壞亂佛法，實無一念願生之心。見他長時專誠苦行，故為此語，壞他淨意自損損他，深須覺察。又汝今時聞說淨法，內無苦惱、外具善緣，不肯修行，待終念佛。臨終念佛雖亦得生，然此輩人萬不一往。或善友邂逅未必相逢，或眾苦纏身不遑念佛，或偏風不語不得稱名，或狂亂失心，豈能注想？或忽逢水火不暇至誠，或輒遇豺狼以斯夭命，或逢值惡友壞爾信心，或飲酒過差惛眠致殞，或軍陣鬪戰奄爾命終，或逈墜高巖難修正行，眾多障難率述難周。無得一向不修耽茲五欲，但言終日一念即生。宜應發精進心除懈怠想，勵茲三業策彼六時，晝夜精勤學與時競，一生淨土永離蓋纏，乃至菩提常無退轉。利益弘廣，宜須用心。

I explain: There are several points here. One cannot hear the pure teaching beforehand and cast it aside without practicing it, waiting until the time of death to finally practice buddhānusmṛti. First, if your desire to be reborn in the pure Buddha land is merely out of a wish to escape this suffering and affliction to be born in that Western direction, without seeking unexcelled bodhi and without practicing the bodhisattva path, but only wanting to indulge your desires among jeweled trees and give free rein to your whims on precious terraces, without wishing to awaken to the unproduced, then you cling to this single thought at the verge of death. But if it is for the sake of setting your intention on the fruit of buddhahood to realize sambodhi, pitying sentient beings so as to quickly realize correct awakening, fearing that in this defiled land you might regress from bodhi, and going to that pure land only to augment the practice of wondrous deeds, ascend to the non-regressing stage, and save suffering sentient beings, then you would wish to fully cultivate the myriad practices continuously for a long time. Why, upon hearing the pure Dharma now, would you refuse to practice it, and instead engage in pride and luxury, broadly indulging in heedlessness, only practicing buddhānusmṛti at the verge of death to attain rebirth? If you wish to seek the supreme great fruit earnestly, generating the bodhicitta and vowing to be reborn in the pure land, what you should lament is drifting through birth and death, sinking from beginningless time. Hearing the teaching of the Western Pure Land expounded, your body's hairs should all stand on end as if plucked out; you should weep tears like rain, lamenting that you heard this Dharma so late, only in this life. You should then be diligent day and night, single-minded and unflagging. How could you hear the Buddha's pure teaching, yet further indulge your six senses, committing the ten unwholesome deeds day and night, postponing it until your dying day to finally recite the Buddha's name? Such shameless talk—how could it be reasonable? Furthermore, if reciting the Buddha's name at the verge of death and reciting the name over a long time were of no different efficacy and their awakening to the Way had no distinction, one might concede to your words to postpone it until later. However, as recitations increase, each thought increases the Way, and the effort is not in vain: karmic guilt becomes subtler while blessings and virtues gradually grow superior, accomplishing the higher grades and swiftly awakening to the unproduced. The benefits being different, how could one cultivate only a single thought? Moreover, coarse clothes and fine robes, plain food and delicate dishes—both serve to cover the body and eliminate hunger and thirst; yet you discard those ragged clothes to wear silk and satin, and refuse defiled food to seek delicious banquets. How much more so when the greater or lesser extent of buddhānusmṛti produces different efficacy; yet you immediately abandon that long-term practice to cling to this brief recitation! Coveting fine clothes and food, you have never spoken in this way; yet upon hearing of cultivating pure practice, you discard the long to take up the short. These are the shameless words of your defilements—the speech of demons and ghosts, disrupting and ruining the Buddha's Dharma, completely devoid of even a single thought of wanting to be reborn. Seeing others practice austere asceticism with long-term, focused sincerity, you intentionally utter these words, ruining their pure intention, harming yourself and harming others. You must deeply recognize this! Furthermore, hearing the pure Dharma expounded at this time, you have no suffering or affliction within and possess good conditions without, yet you refuse to practice and wait for death to practice buddhānusmṛti. Although reciting the Buddha's name at the verge of death can also bring rebirth, among such people not one in ten thousand succeeds. Perhaps a good friend might not be encountered by chance; or myriad sufferings may afflict the body so that there is no leisure to practice buddhānusmṛti; or one may suffer a stroke and be unable to speak, unable to recite the name; or one may become mad and lose one's mind, so how could one focus one's thoughts? Or one may suddenly encounter flood or fire with no time for sincerity; or one may abruptly meet jackals and wolves and end one's life prematurely; or one may meet an evil companion who ruins one's faithful mind; or one may drink excessive alcohol and die in a drunken stupor; or one may suddenly die in the midst of military combat; or one may fall from a high cliff, making it difficult to cultivate correct practice. There are so many obstacles and difficulties that they can hardly all be recounted. One must not solely neglect practice and indulge in these five desires, merely saying that a single thought on one's dying day will immediately bring rebirth. You should generate a mind of vigor, eliminate thoughts of indolence, urge on the three karmas, spur yourself during the six periods of the day, and study diligently day and night, racing against time. Once reborn in the pure land, you will be forever free from hindrances and fetters, and will remain non-regressing all the way to bodhi. The benefits are vast and extensive; you should apply your mind to this.