龍舒增廣淨土文 6.6

6.6

有官君子無非前世修種作福故受此報，譬如春時下種秋乃收獲。若不修福，何緣得此？然此報有盡，若更修福，行種種方便愛人利物之事，以此迴向西方，則直出輪迴之外，壽樂無窮，豈世間福報所能比哉？若切意斯民而不忍捨去，且生西方，了生死之後，却來此世界現宰官身，以大興功利。何有不可哉？若能轉以此化人，使更相觀化人，則以己言重，必樂從之。據大慈菩薩偈，生世可以消災獲福，身後必上品生。

Gentlemen holding office enjoy this retribution entirely because they cultivated seeds and created merit in previous lives, just as planting seeds in spring brings a harvest in autumn. If one had not cultivated merit, by what cause could one obtain this? Yet this retribution has an end. If one further cultivates merit, practicing all kinds of skillful means to love people and benefit living beings, and dedicates this merit toward the Western direction, one will go straight beyond saṃsāra, attaining endless life and joy. How could the mundane fortunate retributions of the world compare to this? If you care deeply for these common people and cannot bear to abandon them, then be born in the Western direction first; after resolving the matter of birth and death, come back to this world appearing in the body of a governing official to broadly establish beneficial deeds. How could that not be permissible? If you can turn around to transform others with this and have them observe and transform one another, people will surely be glad to follow your words, because of your authority. According to the verse of Great Compassion Bodhisattva, in this life you can eliminate disasters and obtain blessings, and after this life you will certainly attain rebirth in the highest grade.