釋淨土群疑論 7.31

7.31

釋曰：以善翻惡，義亦應有，如一念瞋心能障百千法門。如《遺教經》言「瞋恚之害，即破諸善法。」又言「劫功德賊，無過瞋恚。」故知惡亦能滅善。非滅善，滅善種感果功能。故知。又善惡相違，更互相滅。如一生修善能感善趣，垂終失念起諸惡業，遂滅生來一切善品，垂此後惡即落三塗。如有生來具諸不善五逆十惡，無罪不造，臨終念佛具足十聲，滅眾重罪得生淨土。以此准知，觀諸行者至命終日，當須用心勿起惡念喪諸善品，專心念佛往生淨土。經有誠教，可不信哉。

Explanation: Taking good as reversing evil, this principle should also hold. Just as a single thought of anger can obstruct hundreds of thousands of Dharma gates. As the Bequeathed Teaching Sūtra says: 'The harm of anger destroys all wholesome dharmas.' It also says: 'Among thieves who plunder merit, none surpasses anger.' Therefore we know that evil can also extinguish good. It does not extinguish the [substance of the] good; it extinguishes the function of the wholesome seeds to bring about fruitions. Therefore we know this. Furthermore, good and evil are mutually opposed, and they mutually extinguish each other. For example, if someone cultivates good throughout life that can bring about the good destinies, but at the brink of death loses mindfulness and gives rise to evil karmas, this immediately extinguishes all the wholesome categories of their lifetime, and on the brink of this subsequent evil, they fall straight into the three paths. Or, for example, if someone throughout their lifetime possesses all kinds of unwholesome actions—the five heinous crimes and the ten unwholesome deeds, committing every kind of sin—yet on the brink of death practices buddhānusmṛti for a complete ten recitations, they extinguish all heavy sins and attain rebirth in the pure land. Inferring from this, when observing all practitioners, on the day life comes to an end, they must certainly guard their minds and not let evil thoughts arise to destroy all wholesome categories, but focus their minds on buddhānusmṛti and achieve rebirth in the Pure Land. The sūtras provide sincere teachings—how could one not believe them?