龍舒增廣淨土文 6.66

6.66

世有疾惡者，謂世間為惡人，予力不能治，死必有神以痛治之，而不欲生西方。按佛言，神在六道中，為墮落之數。而西方則超出六道輪迴，故修西方者，以正直慈悲為本，見於所為無非慈悲。若人有罪惡，則憫其愚癡。人有困苦，則欲其濟拔。是無累於己，而於一切眾生有大良緣也。為神者以正直嗔恨為本，見於所為無非嗔恨，若懲人之過則加以疾病，治人之罪則加以火鑊，是有害於物而於己則受為神福，盡以嗔恨作業，故墮地獄。自地獄出，則為蟒蛇蠆蝎之類，無時而超脫也。昔有二僧同修行，一僧作福而多嗔、一僧常戒之不從。後多嗔者死，戒之者附客舟至江上䢼亭。其廟神甚靈，能與人言。客登岸祭神，神告之曰：「與汝同舟僧可來見我。」其僧往見之，神乃言曰：「我是汝同修行僧。以多嗔故，墮於此為神。」其僧欲見神形，堅不肯，再三欲見，乃露一截蟒形。神又言曰：「有人施絹十疋，可為我作追薦，次於洪州西山上見我。」僧如其言，果於西山上見死蟒一條長二三里。嗔恨之報如此。且人有一心虛明，湛然如清冷之水，一起嗔恨則若投以污穢之物，敗其清冷甚矣；一起慈悲則若投以沈檀之香，助其清冷亦甚矣。人何苦不為慈悲以修西方，必欲嗔恨而墮於為神？豈不惑哉。

In the world there are those who detest evil, saying: "Those who do evil in the world are people whom my own power cannot punish; after they die, there must be spirits who will severely punish them!" and thus do not wish to be reborn in the Western [Pure Land]. According to what the Buddha taught, spirits dwell within the six destinies and are among those who have fallen. The Western [Pure Land], however, transcends the transmigration of the six destinies. Therefore, those who cultivate the Western [path] take uprightness and compassion as their foundation; whatever they do is nothing other than compassion. If someone has transgressions and evil, they pity his delusion. If someone is in distress and hardship, they wish to rescue and deliver him. This brings no burden upon oneself and forms great, wholesome karmic connections with all sentient beings. Spirits, on the other hand, take uprightness and anger as their foundation; whatever they do is nothing other than anger. If they punish someone's faults, they inflict diseases upon him; if they chastise someone's transgressions, they apply cauldrons of fire. This harms other beings, and for themselves they merely receive the blessings of being a spirit; since their actions are driven entirely by anger, they fall into hell. Emerging from hell, they become giant pythons, vipers, scorpions, and the like, with no time of deliverance. In the past, two monks practiced together. One accumulated merit but was prone to anger; the other constantly admonished him, but he would not comply. Later, the anger-prone monk died, and the monk who had admonished him boarded a passenger boat to Gongting on the river. The temple spirit there was very efficacious and could speak to people. When the passengers went ashore to sacrifice to the spirit, the spirit told them: "Let the monk on the same boat with you come to see me." When the monk went to see him, the spirit said: "I was the monk who practiced together with you. Because of my excessive anger, I fell here and became a spirit." The monk wished to see the spirit's form, but he resolutely refused; when asked repeatedly, he revealed a section of a python's form. The spirit further said: "Someone has donated ten bolts of silk; please perform a memorial service for me with them, and next meet me on the Western Mountain of Hongzhou." The monk did as he said, and indeed on the Western Mountain he saw a dead python two or three li long. Such is the retribution of anger. Moreover, the single mind of a person is clear and bright, limpid like cool, clean water. Once anger arises, it is as if filthy things were cast into it, greatly ruining its clarity and coolness. Once compassion arises, it is as if agarwood and sandalwood incense were cast into it, greatly aiding its clarity and coolness. Why should one suffer by not practicing compassion to cultivate the Western [Pure Land], but instead insist on harboring anger and falling into becoming a spirit? Is this not delusion?