樂邦文類 2.115

2.115

世之學佛者，其始莫不皆曰為生死事大故也。及乎聲利所動、世緣所汩，則死生大事置而弗論。或為人所扣擊，則他辭託跋，不能自決。或云此不須問、或云不必須知、或云符到奉行莫作計挍、或云隨處受生出入自在、或云且生不高不下之家復男子身、或云把定精神見善惡相不得隨去、或令預候知時、或教臨終奪陰、或云百骸潰散一物長靈、或云形散氣消歸去寂滅。如是種種臆度矯亂，皆不出凡夫外道斷常二見。逮乎四大解分、病苦所迫，識神無主隨業輪迴決無疑矣。借令定日剋時坐脫立化，世術可致，未足為奇。斯由不見十六觀經、不知九品生相、不信彌陀願力，而堅持所見、自甘塗炭，豈不為之悲哉。姑蘇逸上人，久歷叢林，不滯偏見，屬意《觀經》蓋有年矣。將恐道俗未閱經本，乃命工圖繪九品之相，具引經文以示其說，隨於經後各以偈頌為之激勵，且使知死生事大者有超越之路，而不溺於異見枉受輪轉。若乃因相以舉目、因文而動懷，是必有信者解者修者生者焉，以至疑者謗者，莫不皆為往生因種，則斯文於世，豈小補哉。青山安忍子仰之不已，輒復命筆隨喜讚嘆云。

Among those in the world who study the Buddha's path, at the beginning none fails to say it is for the sake of the great matter of birth and death. Yet when moved by fame and profit or muddled by worldly conditions, they set aside this great matter of birth and death and do not discuss it. Or when questioned by others, they make evasive excuses, unable to decide for themselves. Some say: 'There is no need to ask about this.' Some say: 'It is not necessary to know.' Some say: 'When the tally arrives, just carry it out; do not calculate or deliberate.' Some say: 'Take birth according to where you are, moving in and out with ease.' Some say: 'Just be born into a family neither high nor low and regain a male body.' Some say: 'Hold your spirit steady, and seeing marks of good or evil, do not follow them away.' Some tell people to anticipate and know the time beforehand; some instruct them to seize control of the intermediate existence (antarābhava) at the point of death. Some say: 'When the hundred bones collapse and scatter, one thing remains forever luminous.' Some say: 'When the form dissolves and breath dissipates, one returns to quiescent extinction.' Such various conjectures and fraudulent confusions all do not stray beyond the two views of annihilationism and eternalism held by worldlings and non-Buddhists. When the four great elements disassemble and one is pressed by the pains of illness, the conscious spirit will be without a master, inevitably revolving in the cycle of rebirth according to karma. Even if one were to set the day, fix the hour, and cast off the body while sitting or pass away while standing, this can be achieved through worldly techniques and is not worthy of wonder. This is entirely due to not having seen the Sūtra of the Sixteen Contemplations, not knowing the marks of rebirth in the nine grades, and not believing in the power of Amitābha's vows, stubbornly clinging to their own views and resigning themselves to torment and ruin. How can one not grieve for them? The Venerable Yi of Gusu has long traversed the monastic groves without clinging to biased views; his intent has been set on the Contemplation Sūtra for years. Fearing that clergy and laity have not read the sūtra text itself, he commanded craftsmen to paint the marks of the nine grades, fully citing the sūtra passages to demonstrate its explanations, and appended gāthās after each passage to inspire and encourage them. This was to enable those who know that birth and death is a great matter to have a path of transcendence, so that they are not submerged in heterodox views and vainly undergo transmigration. If, by lifting their eyes because of the images and being stirred in their feelings because of the text, there surely will be those who believe, those who understand, those who practice, and those who are reborn, and even those who doubt and those who slander will without exception make this a karmic seed for rebirth—then how could this work's contribution to the world be slight? Anrenzi of Qingshan cannot cease admiring it, and so has taken up the brush to rejoice in its merits and praise it.