[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [念佛三昧寶王論](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1967) › 1.24 # 念佛三昧寶王論 1.24 念佛三昧寶王論 1.24 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [1.24](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1967.1.24) 對曰：「如來甞於《三昧海經》為父王說：『昔有四比丘，犯律為恥，將無所怙。忽聞空中聲曰：「汝之所犯，謂無救者，不然也。空王如來雖復涅槃，形像尚在，汝可入塔，一觀寶像眉間白毫。」比丘隨之，泣淚言曰：「佛像尚爾，況佛真容乎！」舉身投地，如大山崩。今於四方，皆成正覺。東方阿閦佛，南方寶相佛，西方無量壽佛，北方微妙聲佛，是四破戒比丘也。』所以如來名此觀佛三昧，為大寶王戒品海者，可以滌破戒之罪垢，得塵累之清淨也。此四比丘，一觀寶像僉為世雄，念佛之人，豈得惑於破戒之僧歟？故《大集經》云：『若諸王臣，打罵出家持戒、破戒，罪同出百億佛身血。』若見被袈裟者，無論持、犯，但生佛想。佛想者，念佛三昧也。斯之金口，明不輕之深旨也。安得恣行打罵而不懼哉？經云：『寧為心師，不師於心。』見慳貪人，作施想；見破戒人，作持戒想。夫然則不為六蔽境界所纏，蓋成六度彼岸之觀門焉！若住分別之心，自取冥司之罰，不亦哀哉！若能翻此見心，則念佛三昧如川之流矣。」 > The reply states: 'The Tathāgata once spoke to his royal father in the Ocean of Samādhi Sūtra: "Formerly there were four monks who felt ashamed of breaking the vinaya and had nothing to rely upon. Suddenly they heard a voice in the sky say: 'You think there is no salvation for your transgression, but it is not so. Although the Tathāgata King of Emptiness has entered nirvāṇa, his image still remains. You may enter the stūpa and look once upon the ūrṇā between the eyebrows of the precious image.' The monks followed this advice, wept tears, and said: 'If the Buddha's image is like this, how much more so the Buddha's true countenance!' Casting their whole bodies to the ground, they fell like a great mountain collapsing. Today, in the four directions, they have all attained correct awakening: Akṣobhya Buddha in the east, Ratnaketu Buddha in the south, Amitāyus Buddha in the west, and Dundubhisvararāja Buddha in the north. These are those four precept-breaking monks." Therefore, the Tathāgata named this samādhi of contemplating the Buddha the "ocean of the jewel-king precept-category," as it can wash away the defiled transgressions of breaking precepts and attain the purity beyond worldly encumbrances. These four monks, merely by viewing the precious image once, all became the heroes of the world; how could a practitioner of buddha-mindfulness be deluded regarding monks who break precepts? Therefore, the Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra states: "If kings or ministers beat and revile those who have left home, whether upholding or breaking the precepts, the sin is equal to shedding the blood of a hundred billion buddhas' bodies." If one sees someone clad in the kāṣāya, regardless of upholding or breaking precepts, one should only generate the thought of the Buddha. The thought of the Buddha is indeed the buddhānusmṛti-samādhi. These golden words from his mouth illuminate the profound purport of Sadāparibhūta. How could one arbitrarily beat and revile them without fear? The sūtra states: "Better to be the master of one's mind than to take the mind as one's master." Seeing a stingy and greedy person, generate the thought of giving; seeing a person who breaks precepts, generate the thought of upholding precepts. If one does so, one will not be entangled by the realms of the six hindrances, and it will become a gate of contemplation leading to the other shore of the six perfections! If one abides in a discriminating mind, one will incur the punishments of the nether administration on oneself; is this not lamentable? If one can overturn this discerning mind, then the buddhānusmṛti-samādhi will flow like a river.' > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 1.23](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1967.1.23) - [Next: 1.25](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1967.1.25) - [Up: 1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1967.1) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1967~en-mt.1.24) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1967.1.24](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1967.1.24) · Pramāṇa