龍舒增廣淨土文 9.18

9.18

有官員二人，求夢於京師二相廟中，以問前程。其夜一人，夢見有人持簿一扇，揭開版云：此汝同來之官人前程也。視之，乃自小官排至宰相，仍有句之者。其官員問云：「句之者何也？」持簿者答云：「此官人愛財，世間不義取一頃，此間句一頃。若急改過，尚可作監司。」其人聞之，更不敢妄取財，其後果至監司。又何仙姑在世間，有一主簿家，忽有天書降。為不識字畫，乃往見仙姑問之。仙姑設香案，拜而後看，看畢微笑。主簿云：「持來拜問，何故乃笑？」仙姑云：「天書言『主簿受金十兩，折祿五年。』」以此觀之，不義之財誠可畏也。移是心於淨土，其熟善緣多矣。

There were two officials who prayed for a dream at the Temple of the Two Ministers in the capital to inquire about their future prospects. That night, one of them dreamed that he saw someone holding an account ledger. Opening the cover, the person said: "These are the future prospects of the official who came with you." Looking at it, he saw a list from minor official up to prime minister, but with some entries crossed out with hooks. The official asked, "Why are they crossed out?" The one holding the ledger replied: "This official loves wealth; whenever he takes an unjust measure of land in the world, an entry is crossed out here. If he quickly reforms his errors, he may still become a surveillance commissioner." When that person heard this, he never dared to take wealth unjustly again, and later he indeed reached the post of surveillance commissioner. Furthermore, when Immortal Maiden He was in the world, an edict from heaven suddenly descended upon the household of an assistant magistrate. Because they could not read the characters, they went to visit the Immortal Maiden to ask her about it. The Immortal Maiden set up an incense altar, bowed, and then looked at it; having finished reading, she smiled faintly. The assistant magistrate said: "I brought it to respectfully inquire; why do you smile?" The Immortal Maiden said: "The heavenly writing says: 'The assistant magistrate received ten taels of gold, reducing his allotted salary by five years.'" Looking at it from this, unjust wealth is truly something to be feared. If one transfers this mind to the Pure Land, one's wholesome conditions will ripen in abundance.