[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) › [龍舒增廣淨土文](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1970) › 4.38 # 龍舒增廣淨土文 4.38 龍舒增廣淨土文 4.38 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [4.38](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1970.4.38) 佛問阿難云：「汝欲見地獄人否？」阿難云：「欲見。」佛云：「身行惡、口言惡、意念惡，此地獄人也。」蓋謂人生善惡，不過身、口、意三業。今三業俱惡，是為純黑業，所以入地獄。若三業俱善，則為純白業，乃生天堂。若三業中有一業善，則為雜業，亦不入地獄。故身意雖惡，而口念佛名，亦一業善，遠勝於三業俱惡。況口念佛時，又能心想佛像，則意業善；端正其身而手提數珠，則身業善；常能善此三業以修淨土，必上品生。予甞於鎮江，聞賣蝦者叫蝦一聲，而知其三業俱惡。何則？身荷蝦擔則身業惡，意欲賣蝦則意業惡，口叫賣蝦則口業惡。是知叫蝦一聲而三業俱惡，此佛所謂地獄人也。以此觀之，則目前所謂地獄人者多矣，可不畏哉？眾生以愚癡不知因果，陷於罪惡，深可憐憫。知其說者為開導化諭，此名法施。法施為布施之大者，其為福報豈易量耶？或曰：人誦佛名一向稱誦，正如呼一人，一向呼之，其人必怒。故一向誦佛名者，未足為善也。是不然！眾生自無始以來口業，口業過惡積如山海，多誦佛名以滌蕩之猶懼不足，豈可以稱呼常人之名為比也？況諸佛自開此念誦法門，所以誘掖眾生善其口業，以漸其身意，故謂一向誦佛名未足為善者，世俗之言，非諸佛誘掖眾生之言，無足取焉。 > The Buddha asked Ānanda: "Do you wish to see a person bound for hell?" Ānanda said: "I wish to see him." The Buddha said: "One whose body commits evil, whose mouth speaks evil, and whose mind thinks evil—this is a person bound for hell." This means that the good and evil of human life are nothing more than the three karmas of body, speech, and mind. Now, if all three karmas are evil, this is purely black karma, which is why one enters hell. If all three karmas are good, then it is purely white karma, and one is born in the heavens. If among the three karmas one karma is good, then it is mixed karma, and one also does not enter hell. Therefore, even if body and mind are evil, if the mouth recites the Buddha's name, this is still one good karma, far superior to all three karmas being evil. How much more so if, while the mouth recites the Buddha's name, the mind can also visualize the Buddha's image—then the mental karma is good; and if one uprights the body and holds the counting beads in hand, then the physical karma is good. If one is constantly able to make these three karmas good so as to cultivate the Pure Land, one is certain to be born in the highest grade. I once heard a shrimp vendor in Zhenjiang cry out 'Shrimp!' once, and I knew that all three of his karmas were evil. Why? Carrying the shrimp baskets on his body made his physical karma evil; desiring to sell shrimp in his mind made his mental karma evil; calling out to sell shrimp with his mouth made his verbal karma evil. From this it is known that with a single cry of 'Shrimp!', all three karmas were evil; this is what the Buddha called a person bound for hell. Looking at it this way, there are many so-called persons bound for hell right before our eyes; can this not be feared? Sentient beings, through ignorance, do not understand cause and effect and fall into transgressive evil, which is deeply pitiable. Guiding and transforming them by explaining this teaching is called the gift of Dharma. The gift of Dharma is the greatest of givings; how could its blessed retribution be easily measured? Someone may ask: 'When a person unremittingly recites the Buddha's name, it is just like calling out to a person; if one calls out to him unremittingly, that person is bound to become angry. Therefore, unremittingly reciting the Buddha's name is not yet sufficient to be good.' This is not so! From beginningless time, the verbal karma and verbal transgressions of sentient beings have accumulated like mountains and oceans; even with frequent recitation of the Buddha's name to wash them away, one still fears it is not enough. How could this be compared to calling an ordinary person's name? Furthermore, the Buddhas themselves opened this Dharma gate of recitation in order to encourage and guide sentient beings to make their verbal karma good, so as to gradually refine their body and mind. Therefore, the claim that unremitting recitation of the Buddha's name is not yet sufficient to be good is the talk of worldly folk, not the words by which the Buddhas guide sentient beings, and is not worth adopting. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 4.37](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1970.4.37) - [Next: 4.39](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1970.4.39) - [Up: 4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1970.4) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1970~en-mt.4.38) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1970.4.38](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1970.4.38) · Pramāṇa