龍舒增廣淨土文 9.20

9.20

人不可不兼修福慧。種種利物、常行方便，作一切善、戒一切惡，所謂修福也。知因果、識罪福，觀釋氏書內明性理、觀儒家書外明世道，所謂修慧也。修福得富貴，修慧得明了。修慧不修福，明了而窮困；修福不修慧，富貴而愚癡；福慧若兼修，富貴而明了；二者皆不修，愚癡而窮困。佛以福慧兼修，故謂之兩足尊，謂福慧兩足也。昔有二人同修行，一人專修福、一人專修慧。經數世後，專修福者因受福而作惡，墮於象中。以有餘福，人乘之以戰，有勝敵之功，國王賜以瓔珞。其專修慧者得阿羅漢果，以不曾修福故，為僧而乞食，多不得之。故偈云「修福不修慧，象身掛瓔珞。修慧不修福，羅漢應供薄。」此福慧所以不可不兼修也。必不得已，寧使慧勝於福，莫令福勝於慧。若慧勝於福，則知罪福而戒慎，故無墜墮。若福勝於慧，則因受福而作惡，故有墜墮。《楞伽經》云「受現在樂，種未來苦」是也。偈云「兼修福與慧，又復念阿彌，九品蓮花裏，第一更何疑。」齋戒明了人，修者必上品上生故也。又偈云「雖修福與慧，不知念阿彌。未得阿羅漢，輪迴無了時。」在此世界修行得阿羅漢果，方脫輪迴故也。

Humans cannot fail to cultivate both blessings and wisdom together. Benefiting beings in various ways, constantly practicing skillful means, doing all good deeds, and abstaining from all evils—this is what is called cultivating blessings. Knowing cause and effect, discerning sin and blessing, examining Buddhist books to illuminate inner nature and principle, and examining Confucian books to illuminate outer worldly ways—this is what is called cultivating wisdom. Cultivating blessings yields wealth and nobility; cultivating wisdom yields clear understanding. Cultivating wisdom without cultivating blessings results in clear understanding but poverty and hardship; cultivating blessings without cultivating wisdom results in wealth and nobility but ignorance and folly; if blessings and wisdom are cultivated together, one attains both wealth, nobility, and clear understanding; if neither is cultivated, one is ignorant, foolish, poor, and destitute. Because the Buddha cultivated both blessings and wisdom together, he is called the Most Honored of the Two-Footed, meaning complete in both blessings and wisdom. In the past, there were two people who practiced together: one cultivated blessings exclusively, and one cultivated wisdom exclusively. After several lifetimes, the one who cultivated blessings exclusively committed evil due to receiving blessings, and fell among elephants. Because he still had remaining blessings, people rode him into battle, where he had the merit of defeating enemies, and the king bestowed him with pearl necklaces. The one who cultivated wisdom exclusively attained the fruit of an arhat; because he had never cultivated blessings, when he became a monk and begged for food, he mostly received none. Therefore a verse says: "Cultivating blessings without cultivating wisdom, / the elephant's body hangs with necklaces. / Cultivating wisdom without cultivating blessings, / the arhat's offerings are sparse." This is why blessings and wisdom cannot fail to be cultivated together. If one has no choice, it is better to let wisdom exceed blessings than to let blessings exceed wisdom. If wisdom exceeds blessings, one knows sin and blessing and is cautious, and therefore will not fall. If blessings exceed wisdom, one commits evil due to receiving blessings, and therefore falls into lower realms. The Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra says: "Experiencing present pleasure plants future suffering"—this is just it. A verse says: "Cultivating both blessings and wisdom, / and furthermore reciting Amitābha, / among the nine grades of lotus blossoms, / why doubt being in the first?" This is because those who observe fasts and precepts with clear understanding and cultivate will certainly attain the highest rebirth of the highest grade. Another verse says: "Though cultivating blessings and wisdom, / not knowing to recite Amitābha, / having not yet attained the fruit of an arhat, / there will be no end to transmigration." This is because only when one practices in this world and attains the fruit of an arhat does one escape transmigration.