淨土或問 1.32

1.32

問曰：念念相續之修，豈非余所願也。奈何定力未成、念頭無主，或舊學未忘、或邪想亂起、或境緣相觸照顧不牢、或情想紛飛遏捺不住，不覺念頭東走西走，眨得眼來千里萬里去了。又或惹著一毫世事，便是五日十日半月一月擺脫不去，豈特間斷而已哉。言之可慚，思之可慟。又當何策以治之？答曰：嗚呼！此天下學者之通病也。汝當間斷之時，若不痛加鞭策，則專修無間之念永無成就之期。余聞古人有三種痛鞭之策，今復為汝獻之，汝當諦而聽之。一曰報恩、二曰決志、三曰求驗。第一報恩者，既修淨土，當念報恩，佛恩、國恩固未暇論，只如父母養育之恩豈非重恩？師長作成之德豈非重德？爾最初出家，便說要報重恩；後來行脚，又說要報重德。離鄉別井二三十年，父母師長艱難困苦爾總不顧，父母老病爾又不看，及聞其死爾也不歸。如今或在三塗受罪受苦，望爾救他、望爾度他。爾却念念間斷，淨土不成。淨土不成，自救不了。自救不了，如何救他？既不能相救，爾是忘恩負義、大不孝人。經云「不孝之罪當墮地獄」，然則一念間斷之心，便是地獄業也。又且不蠶而衣、不耕而食，僧房臥具受用現成。爾當勤修淨業，圖報信施之恩。祖師道「此是施主妻子分上減剋將來。道眼未明，滴水寸絲也須牽犁拽耙償他始得。」爾却念念間斷，淨土不成。淨土不成，酬償有分。然則一念間斷之心，便是畜生業也。第二決志者，若學專修，志須決定。爾一生參禪，禪既不悟；及乎看教，教又不明。弄到如今，念頭未死，又要說幾句禪、又要說幾句教、又要寫幾箇字、又要做幾首詩，情掛兩頭、念分四路。祖師道「毫釐繫念，三塗業因。瞥爾情生，萬劫羈鎖。」爾却志無決定、情念多端，因此多端間斷正念。然則一念間斷之心，便是三塗羈鎖業也。又且守護戒根，志不決定，或因身口念念馳求。教中道「寧以洋銅灌口，不可以破戒之口受人飲食。寧以熱鐵纏身，不可以破戒之身受人衣服。」況因諸戒不嚴、邪心妄動，因此妄動間斷專修。然則一念間斷之心，何止熱鐵洋銅業也。又且斷除憎愛，志不決定，每於虛名浮利自照不破，名利屬我便生貪愛、名利屬他便生憎妬。古人云「貪名貪利，同趨鬼類。逐愛逐憎，同入火坑。」爾却因此愛憎，間斷淨土。然則一念間斷之心，便是餓鬼火坑業也。第三求驗者，既學專修，當求靈驗。爾如今髮白面皺、死相現前，知道臨終更有幾日？須在目前，便要見佛。只如廬山遠法師，一生之中三度蒙佛摩頂。又如懷感法師，稱念佛名便得見佛。又如少康法師，唱佛一聲眾見一佛從口飛出，唱佛十聲則有十佛從口飛出，如貫珠焉。此等靈驗萬萬千千。爾若心無間斷，見佛不難；間斷心生，決不見佛。既不見佛，與佛無緣。既無佛緣，難生淨土。淨土不生，必墮惡道。然則一念間斷之心，便是三塗惡道業也。戒之戒之！如上三策，當自痛鞭，使其念不離佛、佛不離念，感應道交現前見佛。既見樂邦之佛，即見十方諸佛。既見十方諸佛，即見自性天真之佛。既見自性天真之佛，即得大用現前。然後推其悲願，廣化一切眾生。此名淨土禪，亦名禪淨土也。然則永明所謂「有禪有淨土，猶如帶角虎。現世為人師，來生作佛祖。」豈不驗於此哉。勉之勉之！於是禪上人者既喜且驚，矍然久之如有所失。天如老人乃復告之曰：「禪與淨土了即俱了，心外無法莫錯會好。」上人乃稽顙再拜曰：「吾多幸矣。今吾知所歸矣。」謝而退。

The questioner asked: "Is the practice of uninterrupted mindfulness not indeed what I desire? But my power of stability is not yet established, and my thoughts have no master. Either past learning is not forgotten, or errant thoughts arise chaotically; either when coming into contact with external conditions I fail to keep firm watch, or feelings and thoughts flutter profusely and cannot be suppressed. Unawares, thoughts run east and dart west; in the blink of an eye they have gone thousands and myriads of miles. Or again, if I become entangled with the slightest worldly affair, five days, ten days, half a month, or a whole month go by without my being able to shake it off—how is it merely interrupted? To speak of it brings shame; to think of it brings sorrow. What strategy then should be used to remedy this?"

He replied: "Alas! This is the common malady of practitioners throughout the world. When you experience interruption, if you do not painfully apply the whip, your mindfulness in exclusive, uninterrupted practice will never achieve its term. I have heard that the ancients had three strategies for painfully applying the whip. Now I present them to you again; you should listen attentively. The first is called repaying debts of gratitude; the second is called determining one's resolve; the third is called seeking verification.

"First, concerning repaying debts of gratitude: since you are practicing for the Pure Land, you should be mindful of repaying debts of gratitude. We need not even speak for now of the debt to the Buddha or the debt to the state—take merely the debt of your parents' rearing: is that not a heavy debt? The virtue of your teachers in moulding you: is that not a heavy virtue? When you first left the household, you said you wished to repay these heavy debts; later, when on pilgrimage, you also said you wished to repay these heavy virtues. Leaving your native village and departing your well for twenty or thirty years, you paid no heed at all to the hardships and difficulties of your parents and teachers; when your parents grew old and fell ill you did not attend them; and upon hearing of their deaths you did not return. Now they may be suffering retribution and torment in the three wretched realms, hoping you will rescue them, hoping you will deliver them. Yet your mindfulness is interrupted from moment to moment, and the Pure Land is not achieved. If the Pure Land is not achieved, you cannot even rescue yourself. If you cannot rescue yourself, how will you rescue them? Since you cannot rescue them, you are a person who forgets kindness and betrays righteousness, one of great unfilialness. The sūtra says: 'The sin of unfilialness leads to falling into hell.' Thus, a single thought of interruption is itself the karma of hell!

"Moreover, you wear clothes without raising silkworms and eat food without ploughing; the monk's quarters and bedding are provided ready-made for your use. You ought to cultivate pure karma diligently, seeking to repay the kindness of faithful donors. A patriarch said: 'This is taken by depriving the donor's wife and children. If the eye of the Way is not clear, even for a drop of water or an inch of thread you must pull the plough and drag the harrow to repay them before you are done.' Yet your mindfulness is interrupted from moment to moment, and the Pure Land is not achieved. If the Pure Land is not achieved, retribution must be paid. Thus, a single thought of interruption is itself the karma of animals!

"Second, concerning determining one's resolve: if you learn exclusive practice, your resolve must be determined. You have spent your whole life practicing Chan, yet you have not awakened to Chan; and when it comes to examining the scriptures, you do not understand the teachings either. Having come to this pass, your worldly thoughts are still not dead: you still want to speak a few words of Chan, still want to speak a few words of doctrine, still want to write a few characters, still want to compose a few poems. Your feelings are hooked at both ends, and your thoughts are divided along four paths. A patriarch said: 'The slightest clinging of thought is the causal factor for the three wretched realms; in the flash of a thought's arising, there is fetter for myriad kalpas.' Yet your resolve is undetermined and your feelings and thoughts are manifold; because of these manifold thoughts, correct mindfulness is interrupted. Thus, a single thought of interruption is itself the karma of being fettered in the three wretched realms!

"Furthermore, in guarding the basis of the precepts, your resolve is undetermined: perhaps due to body and mouth you run after desires from moment to moment. It is said in the teachings: 'Better to pour molten copper down the throat than to receive food and drink from others with a mouth that has broken the precepts. Better to wrap hot iron around the body than to receive clothing from others with a body that has broken the precepts.' How much more so when, because various precepts are not strictly kept, errant thoughts stir falsely, and because of these false stirrings exclusive practice is interrupted! Thus, a single thought of interruption: how could it be merely the karma of hot iron and molten copper?

"Furthermore, in severing hatred and attachment, your resolve is undetermined: with regard to empty fame and fleeting gain you constantly fail to see through them. When fame and gain belong to you, greed and attachment arise; when fame and gain belong to others, hatred and jealousy arise. The ancients said: 'Craving fame and craving gain, together you hasten to the class of ghosts. Pursuing attachment and pursuing hatred, together you enter the pit of fire.' Yet because of this attachment and hatred, you interrupt the Pure Land. Thus, a single thought of interruption is itself the karma of hungry ghosts and the pit of fire!

"Third, concerning seeking verification: since you learn exclusive practice, you ought to seek efficacious verification. Now your hair is white and your face wrinkled; the signs of death appear before you. Who knows how many days remain before your end? Right in front of your eyes, you must see the Buddha! Consider Dharma Master Huiyuan of Mount Lu: during his life, three times he received the stroking of his crown by the Buddha. Consider also Dharma Master Huaigan: upon reciting the Buddha's name, he was able to see the Buddha. Consider also Dharma Master Shaokang: when he chanted the Buddha's name once, the assembly saw a buddha fly out from his mouth; when he chanted the Buddha's name ten times, ten buddhas flew out from his mouth, like strung pearls. Such efficacious verifications number tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands! If your mind is without interruption, seeing the Buddha is not difficult; if an interrupted mind arises, you definitely will not see the Buddha. Once you do not see the Buddha, you have no affinity with the Buddha. Having no affinity with the Buddha, rebirth in the Pure Land is difficult. If not reborn in the Pure Land, you will certainly fall into the evil destinies. Thus, a single thought of interruption is itself the karma of the three wretched evil destinies! Guard against it, guard against it!

"With the three strategies above, you must painfully whip yourself, causing thought not to depart from the Buddha and the Buddha not to depart from thought, so that with the resonance between stimulus and response, you see the Buddha in the present. Once you have seen the Buddha of the Land of Bliss, you immediately see the buddhas of the ten directions. Once you have seen the buddhas of the ten directions, you immediately see the inherently pure Buddha of your own nature. Once you have seen the inherently pure Buddha of your own nature, then great functioning appears before you. Thereafter, you extend your compassionate vows and broadly transform all sentient beings. This is called Pure Land Chan, and is also called Chan Pure Land. Thus, what Yongming said: 'Where there is Chan and there is Pure Land, it is like a tiger with horns: a teacher of humanity in the present life, a buddha or patriarch in the life to come'—how could this not be verified here? Strive, strive!"

Thereupon the Chan elder was both joyful and startled, dazed for a long time as if having lost something. The old master Tianru then told him again: "When Chan and the Pure Land are both understood, they are completely understood together. Outside of mind there are no phenomena; do not misunderstand this!"

The elder then touched his forehead to the ground, bowed twice, and said: "I am most fortunate! Now I know where to return!" He gave thanks and withdrew.