廬山蓮宗寶鑑 10.46

10.46

大珠慧海禪師云：「九類眾生，一心具足，隨造隨成，無明暗蔽為卵生、煩惱包裹為胎生、愛水浸潤為濕生、欻起妄念為化生。悟即成佛，迷號眾生。菩薩只以念念心為眾生，若了心體空寂，名為度眾生也。智者於自本際，上度於未形。未形既空，即知實無眾生得滅度者。」有等愚人不識自心，胡卜亂度妄說，臨終之時眼見轎馬樓臺幡蓋鐃鈸之類，為四生六道胎窠，不隨他去者脫四生也。殊不知臨終現境，是儞平時所作善惡業相，神識自現即非外來。故先德云「作惡而惡境現前，念佛而佛界自至。」若是時中把捉不住、做不得主，常被妄想顛倒所使，臨當風火散壞之時，如落湯螃蟹相似，又焉能作主宰耶？是以圭峯禪師云：「作有義事，是惺悟心。作無義事，是狂亂心。狂亂隨情念，臨終被業牽；惺悟不由情；臨終能轉業。」今以此語直告諸人，當自念言：我今修行淨業本為生死，佛祖垂教豈欺我哉？當依正法真實存心，專念彌陀捨諸虛妄，朝思夕想念念願生西方。如此則塵勞業識當下瓦解氷消，反觀自己生死尚不可得，又喚甚麼作眾生乎？故懺云「於一念中得念佛三昧，普度十方六道一切眾生，各各出離苦輪，同生淨土」者是也。可謂妄心無處即菩提，生死涅槃本平等。

Chan Master Dazhu Huihai said: "The nine classes of sentient beings are fully contained within the single mind, arising as it creates: dark obscuration by ignorance makes womb-born [beings]; wrapping by afflictions makes egg-born [beings]; soaking by the waters of craving makes moisture-born [beings]; sudden stirring of deluded thought makes transformation-born [beings]. When awakened, one becomes a buddha; when deluded, one is called a sentient being. A bodhisattva regards only the thought-by-thought mind as sentient beings; if one realizes that the substance of mind is empty and tranquil, this is called saving sentient beings. The wise person, at their own fundamental source, liberates above before forms arise. Since the unformed is already empty, one knows that in truth no sentient beings attain extinction." There are foolish people who do not recognize their own minds, blindly guessing and wildly speculating, claiming that at the point of death seeing palanquins, horses, towers, pavilions, banners, canopies, cymbals, and the like are the womb-nests of the four forms of birth and six destinies, and that not following them means escaping the four forms of birth. Little do they know that the scenes appearing at death are the manifestations of the wholesome and unwholesome karmas one has committed throughout life; one's own mental consciousness manifests them naturally, and they do not come from outside. Thus the virtuous ones of the past said: "Commit evil, and evil scenes appear before you; practice buddhānusmṛti, and the realm of the Buddha arrives of itself." If during ordinary times one cannot hold oneself firm and cannot be the master, but is always driven by deluded thoughts and perversions, then at the time when wind and fire scatter and disintegrate, one will be just like a crab dropped into boiling water—how then could one be the master? Therefore Chan Master Guifeng said: "Performing meaningful actions comes from an awakened mind. Performing meaningless actions comes from a frantic and confused mind. The frantic and confused follow emotional desires, and at the point of death are dragged along by karma; the awakened do not follow emotional desires, and at the point of death can transform karma." Now I state these words directly to everyone: you should reflect upon yourself, saying: "My current cultivation of pure karma is originally for the sake of birth and death; how could the teachings handed down by the buddhas and patriarchs deceive me?" One must base oneself on the correct Dharma and genuinely preserve one's intention, focusing on mindfulness of Amitābha and casting aside all falsehoods, wishing in thought after thought, morning and evening, to be born in the West. If one does so, the karmic consciousness of mundane toil will collapse like tiles and melt like ice right on the spot; turning one's gaze back upon oneself, even birth and death cannot be found, so what could still be called a sentient being? Therefore the repentance text says: "In a single thought attaining buddhānusmṛti-samādhi, universally delivering all sentient beings of the ten directions and the six destinies, causing each and every one to transcend the wheel of suffering and be born together in the Pure Land"—this is precisely what it means. It can be called: where the deluded mind has no place is bodhi; birth-and-death and nirvāṇa are fundamentally equal.