釋淨土群疑論 7.12

7.12

問曰：如《觀佛三昧海經》說「佛告阿難：『若有眾生，殺父害母、罵辱六親。作是罪者，命終之時銅狗張口，化十八車狀如金車，寶蓋在上，一切火焰化為玉女。罪人遙見心生歡喜，我欲往中。風刀解時，寒急失聲，寧得好火？在車上坐，然火自爆。作是念已即便命終，揮攉之間已坐金車，顧瞻玉女，皆捉鐵斧斬截其身。』又言：『復有眾生，犯四重禁、虛食信施，誹謗邪見、不識因果，斷學般若、毀十方佛、偷僧祇物，婬妷無道，逼略淨戒諸比丘尼、姊妹親戚，不知慚愧，毀辱所親，造眾惡事。此人罪報臨命終時，風刀解身，偃坐不定，如被杖楚撻。其心荒越發癡狂想，見己室宅男女大小，一切皆是不淨之物，屎尿臭處盈流于外。爾時罪人即作是語：「云何此處無好城廓及好山林使吾遊戲，乃處如此不淨物間？」作是語已，獄卒羅剎以大鐵叉，擎阿毘地獄及諸刀山，化作寶樹及清涼池，火焰化作金葉蓮花，諸鐵嘴蟲化為鳧雁，地獄痛聲如詠歌音。罪人聞已，如此好處吾當遊中。念已尋時坐火蓮華。』」寧知今日蓮華來迎非是此火花也？

Question: As the Guanfo sanmei hai jing says: 'The Buddha told Ānanda: "If there are sentient beings who kill their fathers, harm their mothers, or revile their six relations—when those who commit such sins face the end of their lives, copper dogs will open their mouths and transform into eighteen carriages shaped like golden carts, with jeweled canopies above, and all the flames will transform into jade maidens. The sinner, seeing them from afar, feels joyful in their heart: 'I want to go inside.' When the wind-knives dismember them, cold and distress cause them to lose their voice: 'How might I get a good fire, sit on the cart, and let the fire warm me?' Having thought this, they immediately die, and in a flash they are already seated in the golden cart. Looking at the jade maidens, they are all holding iron axes and chopping up their bodies." It also says: "Furthermore, there are sentient beings who violate the four grave prohibitions, consume offerings in vain without faith, hold slanderous and wrong views, do not recognize causes and effects, abandon the study of prajñā, defame the Buddhas of the ten directions, steal saṃgha property, are licentious and unprincipled, coerce and violate fully ordained bhikṣuṇīs of pure precepts or sisters and relatives, know no shame, disgrace their kin, and commit manifold evil deeds. At the end of their life, as retribution for this person's sins, wind-knives dismember their body; they lie down and sit without rest, as though beaten with sticks and whips. Their mind is deranged and gives rise to mad and deluded perceptions; they see the rooms of their house and all the men, women, young and old, to be foul things, with the stench of feces and urine overflowing outside. At that time the sinner speaks these words: 'Why is there no fine city wall or fine mountains and forests here for me to roam and play in, but instead I dwell among such foul things?' Having spoken these words, the rākṣasa hell-wardens, using great iron forks, lift up Avīci Hell and the mountains of swords, transforming them into jeweled trees and cool ponds; the flames transform into golden-petaled lotuses, and the iron-beaked insects transform into wild ducks and geese. The agonizing sounds of hell resemble the singing of songs. When the sinner hears this: 'In such a fine place, I should roam and play!' Having thought this, they immediately sit upon the lotus of fire." How do we know that the lotus coming to welcome [the dying person] today is not this flower of fire?