龍舒增廣淨土文 6.66

6.66

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?