念佛鏡 2.63

2.63

Facing all the sufferings among humans, one generates the mind [of repentance], repents of errors, observes all the precepts, and performs all merits; then all sufferings are suddenly eliminated, faith begins to be accomplished, birth-and-death falls away, and one knows clearly that one will not enter the hells again. If among the sufferings of humans the suffering were not extinguished and the illness were not cured, not one in a thousand would have faith; even if there were one who had faith, it would not exceed ten days or a month before they immediately backslid, for not having seen the scriptural passages, not knowing future suffering, their minds would be unsettled, and since present suffering was also not extinguished, sentient beings would give rise to slander. Furthermore, relying on the scriptures, present suffering is definitely eliminated, and future suffering will certainly not exist. Now, people in the present world who are able to recite scriptures or whose extraordinary conduct wins the favour of kings need only shave their hair and don the kāṣāya, even lacking precept-conduct, and within the worldly realm everyone from the king above to their parents below reveres them in return. Whose power is this? Could it be anything other than the power of the Three Jewels? Within the worldly realm, regardless of noble or base, male or female, they are all made sovereign, their clothing and food come naturally, and those who see them are respectful and do not tire of toil. By this meaning, one should know that the power of the Three Jewels can only be known through faith; people without faith are like the blind and the deaf, no different at all. Therefore know that for a person of buddhānusmṛti, sound after sound without interruption, there is no illness that is not cured, no sin that is not extinguished, and they definitely do not fear, nor do they turn back. Day by day, their mental eye naturally opens, their intentional mindfulness increasingly grows, all in accord with the scriptures and teachings; whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, their minds are never distracted, nor do they lose deportment. Even if they hear all the sūtras and treatises, these all accord with their mental practice; they rejoice all the more and guide people of faith one after another, like a mother saving her child without wearying of toil. A person without faith should rather keep their mouth shut until death; they must not speak out and cause others to give rise to slander, for that is not slandering a person, but directly slandering the Buddha. When the Amitābha-sūtra was spoken, Śākyamuni expounded this Dharma that is difficult to understand for all sentient beings; if there are those who have faith, the Buddhas of the six directions knew this is a Dharma extremely difficult to believe, and fearing that later sentient beings would give rise to doubt and slander, they extended their tongues to bear witness, manifesting that this scriptural passage is definitely not false. Moreover, hearing that among recent practitioners all gave rise to alarm, doubt, and slander, for this reason the Buddhas foresaw again and again that in the age of the Final Dharma there would be sentient beings without faith, but if there are those who have faith, all the Buddhas jointly protect and keep them in mind. If one does not believe the Buddha's words oneself, one will have no good to obtain for oneself. 'Abiding in the stage of non-retrogression' are all words of the Amitābha-sūtra. If one does not perform the practice, one obstructs the noble path oneself; both these scriptural teachings are spoken by the Buddha. Deeply produce faithful reverence for the teaching of one's own cultivation and the method protected by good spirits; cultivate without abandoning it, and all the Buddhas will protect and aid you. Furthermore, this is the teaching of the power of the Buddhas' original vows; if hearing it now one does not believe, one will go straight into the hells without any time of emergence—is that not an utter delusion?