念佛鏡 2.16

2.16

答：「念佛法曰：『見佛形像及經，並遣恭敬。』何以故？准《報恩經》中所說：『釋迦牟尼佛向忉利天，為母摩耶夫人說法，經九十日。優填大王憶念世尊，不能得見，遂遣巧匠造世尊形像一軀，一倣世尊。世尊從天下來至閻浮提，其優填大王與諸群臣遂去迎佛，其形像佛亦迎世尊。世尊共形像佛，一處並立，兩佛相似，遂將手摩形像佛頂，語形像言：「我將不久入涅槃，留汝久住世間，教化眾生。」』世尊尚自敬佛形像，罪惡眾生豈不敬耶？又准《十輪經》云：『獵師被袈裟，象為起恭敬。敬袈裟功德，命終生忉利諸天，九十一劫受諸快樂。』何以故？為相似故。諸佛形像亦復如是，為相似故，恭敬之者感得尊貴榮華，生天淨土。所以《佛名經》中，有盧舍那佛敬形像佛。盧舍那佛尚自敬形像佛，何況凡夫豈不敬耶？又《華嚴經》云：『念佛三昧當得見佛，命終之後生於佛前。』彼人臨命終時，勸令念佛，為示尊像令瞻敬故，故知《華嚴經》中有遣恭敬形像佛，云何三階難云：『一切形像是埿龕，食來不合喫；一切牛驢是真佛，食來即合喫。一切形像是埿龕，衣服供養不合著。』一切眾生是真佛，昆虫上得衣，云何合著？一切眾生是真佛，不合損，一年之中損生無頭數，殺佛之罪如何除得？一切眾生是真佛，身合安置勝妙處，自身既在好房舍，佛在下惡處，豈成平等？」

Answer: "The teaching of buddhānusmṛti says: 'Whenever one sees buddha images and sūtras, one is instructed to revere them all.' Why is this? According to what is explained in the Baoen jing: 'Śākyamuni Buddha went to the Trāyastriṃśa heaven to teach the Dharma for his mother, Māyādevī, for ninety days. King Udayana recollected the World-Honoured One and was unable to see him, so he sent skilled craftsmen to make an image of the World-Honoured One, fully modeled after the World-Honoured One. When the World-Honoured One descended from heaven to Jambudvīpa, King Udayana and his various ministers went out to welcome the Buddha, and that image-buddha also went to welcome the World-Honoured One. The World-Honoured One and the image-buddha stood together side by side, the two buddhas resembling each other. [The World-Honoured One] then rubbed the crown of the image-buddha's head with his hand and said to the image: "I shall soon enter nirvāṇa, and leave you to dwell long in the world to teach and transform sentient beings."' If the World-Honoured One himself still revered an image of the Buddha, how could transgressed and evil sentient beings not revere it? Furthermore, according to the Daśacakra-sūtra: 'A hunter put on a kāṣāya robe, and an elephant gave rise to reverence toward him. By the merit of revering the kāṣāya robe, at the end of life he was born in the Trāyastriṃśa heavens, enjoying various pleasures for ninety-one kalpas.' Why was this? Because of the resemblance. The images of the buddhas are also like this: because of the resemblance, those who revere them bring about noble status, glory, and rebirth in the heavens and the pure land. Therefore in the Buddha Names Sūtra, there is Rocana Buddha revering an image-buddha. If Rocana Buddha himself still revered an image-buddha, how much more so should ordinary beings not fail to revere them? Furthermore, the Avataṃsaka-sūtra says: 'Through the buddhānusmṛti-samādhi one will see the Buddha, and after the end of life one will be born before the Buddha.' When that person is at the end of life, they are encouraged to practice buddhānusmṛti, and the venerable image is shown to them so that they may look upon it with reverence. Thus we know that in the Avataṃsaka-sūtra there is the instruction to revere image-buddhas. How can the Three Levels object: 'All images are mud niches, and if food is offered, it should not be eaten; all oxen and donkeys are true buddhas, and if food is offered, it should be eaten. All images are mud niches, and clothing offerings should not be worn.' If all sentient beings are true buddhas, how could clothes obtained from insects be worn? If all sentient beings are true buddhas, they should not be harmed; yet within a year countless lives are harmed—how can the transgression of killing buddhas be eradicated? If all sentient beings are true buddhas, their bodies should be placed in superior and wondrous places; yet if one's own body is in fine chambers while the buddhas are in inferior and evil places, how could this constitute equality?"