寶王三昧念佛直指 2.28

2.28

有客問曰：念佛三昧直指，始於極樂依正之境，終則求生行願之門，無不畢備。但經有稱佛一聲能滅八十億劫生死重罪之句，某於此語不能無惑。若果有此理，今觀世人若貴若賤，於盡生中未有不一稱其名者，則當皆滅如是重罪、悉生極樂世界矣。何故世人依舊業識茫茫，死時如落湯螃蟹，昇墜不識所之？滅罪之義何在？不應佛語有虛妄者，願為釋答。答曰：至哉問也。彼世間未悟之人因子所問，於此三昧必不退轉直生淨土矣。今世行人皆謂此說是方便勸進之語，豈知是佛真實之說，必不我欺也。子豈不聞汝於無量劫前與世尊釋迦牟尼同為凡夫之義否？而我世尊成道以來，已經爾所塵點劫數，此塵點劫妙經委明。然我亦於爾所劫中，在凡夫地漂零六道，造諸結業不可限量，同佛至今久遠無異。如此塵劫安可稱量？假使有人於一生內不說餘善但稱佛名，盡壽聲聲不絕，隨其所稱之名，一一皆滅八十億劫生死重罪。然盡一生以及他生稱佛，滅罪劫數雖多，若比如是極大久遠塵點之劫，正如指上土欲比大地土耳。豈可謂稱佛名能滅多劫罪故，更無餘劫之業障我生淨土耶？而不知未滅之罪劫數長久，無始無際與佛同壽，實過如是八十億等數量劫外。又如炬火雖熱，欲消大地之雪，豈易融泮？故雖念佛滅罪，未得生者，其義如是。況人長劫造業心堅、念佛片時心弱，退易進難。又況與佛同為凡夫之前劫數轉倍，乃至煩惱無始、發心在近，罪豈易滅？可不思之。今謂一日至七日一心不亂即得往生，及臨命終時一心不亂稱佛一聲即滅八十億劫生死重罪，乃至極惡逆人臨終獄火相現能稱十念悉生淨土者，蓋仗我稱佛名號滅罪威神一隙之功，承佛速疾救護大願之力。譬如壯士正戰，墮圍臨危倉卒之際，得一勇夫與之強弓銳刃良馬善策，即便猛發其志，勇身馬上奮揚威武，努力揮挽突圍而出，戰勝獲功偃寇施恩，歸奉其主永享豐樂。此亦如是，彼佛接引生極樂國，其義若此。故云稱佛一聲滅八十億劫生死重罪。非謂如今念佛人，今日三、明朝四，且猶且豫。或見目前些兒聲色境界，便被牽拽將去，全無把捉，與不曾念者一般。欲因一稱之中真實滅多劫罪，使便不為障即生淨土，其可得乎？然如此念者，聲聲非不滅如是劫數罪。但因初心緩故報生亦緩，止可作他世生緣耳。或能稱念不息，雖成聚露成流之功，豈得與前說較優劣速疾哉？若人精進能如前說，生猶反掌，如箭取的決無不中。故知散心念者，及雖志誠未離妄想者，或被如是劫外之罪所障，但報在他生，不能即應其功。若勵聲竭志勇猛念者，既滅爾所劫罪，由勇疾力，餘劫之罪不為障礙，便得十念成就往生淨土。此義瞭然可見，決定無疑。豈可因悠悠念佛之人，依舊業識茫茫，死時如落湯螃蟹，而疑佛為妄語。但是勸進之說哉。故知佛力廣大遍覆一切時處，能攝我小善入佛大願使同一味，拔諸眾生置安樂地，使一切劫罪皆得消滅，何止滅八十億劫之罪耶？如是稱佛功德實難可測，大乘圓頓橫超直截之旨於斯可見。《十疑論》云「譬如十圍之索，千夫莫制；童子揮刃，須臾兩分。」如《觀經》下輩生因之說，此喻纔念滅罪即生者也。又如佛世有人，於佛眾會欲求出家，歷遍聖眾，悉以道眼觀察，皆謂此人永無善種，無肯度者。後至佛所，佛乃度之。比丘以是問佛，佛言：「此人雖無善根，但於無量劫前，非二乘道眼所知，此人因採薪，為虎所逼，上樹避之，忽失聲稱南無佛。以此一稱名故，於此賢劫之中值我得度，後當會道。」此明一生念佛未即獲報，於後世方得往生者也。以此例之，則知一稱佛名，雖未著何佛，尚能令人滅罪得道。何況彌陀願力超過十方，專注彼佛稱名功德，所滅罪障可思議耶？經云：一稱南無佛，皆已成佛道。是斯說之明證也。故知若能稱彌陀名念念不休，此功德實難稱量。雖障重人有散心退轉者，其於往生之驗必在將來。又稱佛屬口，惟論其功；念佛在心，乃彰其德。論功則在我不倦，彰德乃見佛現前，二義不同，優劣可見。口稱尚爾，況心念乎。是故我今因汝所問，依經述事，達諸同行決志之人，願於此義如說修行，慎毋疑慮。

A guest asked: "The Direct Pointers to Buddha-Mindfulness Samādhi is fully complete, from the objective realm of Sukhāvatī's circumstantial and primary [rewards] at the start, to the gate of practicing vows for rebirth at the end. However, the sūtra contains the statement that uttering the Buddha's name a single time can extinguish the grave sins of birth and death for eighty hundred million kalpas. I cannot but have doubts about these words. If such a principle truly holds, then observing people of the world today, whether noble or base, there are none who throughout their entire lives have not uttered his name once; they ought then all to extinguish such grave sins and entirely attain rebirth in the world of Sukhāvatī. Why, then, are worldly people still as boundless as ever in their karmic consciousness, dying like crabs dropped into boiling water, having no idea where they will ascend or fall? Where lies the meaning of extinguishing sins? The Buddha's words could not be false; I beg you to explain and answer." I replied: "An exquisite question indeed! Due to what you ask, unawakened people of this world will surely achieve non-retrogression in this samādhi and be reborn directly in the Pure Land. Practitioners today all claim this statement is merely an expedient teaching to encourage advancement; how could they know it is the Buddha's true words, which certainly do not deceive us? Have you not heard the principle that immeasurable kalpas ago you were a common mortal together with the World-Honoured One, Śākyamuni? Yet since our World-Honoured One attained the Way, as many dust-particle kalpas have already elapsed—these dust-particle kalpas are fully explained in the sublime sūtra. Meanwhile, through just as many kalpas, we have drifted through the six paths in the stage of common mortals, creating boundlessly immeasurable karmic bonds, no different in ancient duration from the Buddha down to the present day. How could such dust-like kalpas ever be measured? Even if someone throughout an entire life did not speak of any other good deeds but only uttered the Buddha's name, unceasingly voice by voice until the end of their days, and with each uttered name extinguished the grave sins of birth and death for eighty hundred million kalpas—yet, though the kalpas of extinguished sins throughout one lifetime and even other lifetimes be many, if compared to such immensely ancient dust-particle kalpas, they would be just like the earth on a fingernail compared to the earth of the great world. How could one claim that because uttering the Buddha's name can extinguish the sins of many kalpas, there remains no karma of other kalpas to obstruct my rebirth in the Pure Land? You do not realize that the kalpas of unextinguished sins are so long-lasting that, beginningless and boundless, sharing the same lifespan as the Buddha, they truly exceed the quantity of eighty hundred million kalpas. It is also like a torch: though hot, if one wishes to melt the snow of the great earth, how could it easily dissolve? Therefore, even though buddha-mindfulness extinguishes sin, the reason those who do so have not yet attained rebirth is precisely this. Furthermore, in creating karma over long kalpas a person's mind is firm, whereas in buddha-mindfulness for a brief moment the mind is weak; retreat is easy and advance is difficult. Even more so, the kalpas before being a common mortal together with the Buddha are doubled, down to afflictions being beginningless while the aspiration was generated only recently; how could sins be easily extinguished? How could one not ponder this? Now, as for saying that achieving single-mindedness without distraction for one to seven days immediately brings rebirth, or that single-mindedly uttering the Buddha's name once at the end of life immediately extinguishes the grave sins of birth and death for eighty hundred million kalpas, or even that an extremely evil and rebellious person, upon seeing the signs of hellfire at the end of life, can utter ten recitations and entirely be reborn in the Pure Land—this is because one relies on the cleft-second efficacy of the majestic spiritual power that extinguishes sin through uttering the Buddha's name, supported by the power of the Buddha's great vow of swift rescue and protection. This is like a warrior in the midst of battle who falls into an encirclement and reaches a moment of urgent danger: if he encounters a brave man who provides him with a strong bow, sharp blade, fine steed, and good strategy, he then fiercely rouses his determination, boldly mounts his horse to display his might and prowess, and with vigorous effort shoots and slashes to break through the encirclement, winning the battle, gaining merit, subduing the foes, bestowing favor, and returning to serve his lord to enjoy abundance and joy forever. This is just like that: the Buddha's welcoming and leading one to rebirth in the Land of Bliss has this very meaning. Therefore it is said that uttering the Buddha's name once extinguishes the grave sins of birth and death for eighty hundred million kalpas. It does not mean those who practice buddha-mindfulness today, who do three today and four tomorrow, wavering and hesitating. Or when seeing trivial sensory realms of sounds and sights before their eyes, they are immediately dragged along, having no hold over themselves at all, just like those who have never practiced mindfulness. If, through a single recitation, one expects to truly extinguish the sins of many kalpas so that they immediately cease to obstruct and one is reborn in the Pure Land, how could that be possible? Yet for one who recites in this way, each utterance is not without extinguishing the sins of such kalpas; it is simply that because the initial mind is lax, the retribution of rebirth is also delayed, serving merely as a condition for rebirth in another lifetime. Or if one can recite unceasingly, though achieving the effect of drops accumulating into a stream, how could that be compared in excellence and swiftness to what was described before? If a person is diligent and able to act as described before, rebirth is as easy as turning over one's hand, like an arrow aimed at a target that never fails to hit. Therefore we know that those who recite with a scattered mind, or those who, though sincere, have not yet parted from false thoughts, may be obstructed by such sins beyond those kalpas; the retribution merely occurs in another lifetime, and cannot immediately respond with its efficacy. But if one raises one's voice, exhausts one's will, and recites with fierce vigor, having extinguished the sins of so many kalpas, through that courageous and swift power the sins of the remaining kalpas will not cause obstruction, and one will achieve rebirth in the Pure Land with ten recitations. This meaning can be clearly seen, determined without doubt. How could one, because of those who practice buddha-mindfulness sluggishly and remain boundless in their karmic consciousness, dying like crabs dropped into boiling water, suspect the Buddha of lying and that it is merely an expedient to encourage advance? Therefore we know the Buddha's power is vast and covers all times and places; it can gather our small goods into the Buddha's great vows to make them of one flavor, pulling sentient beings out and placing them in the stage of peace and bliss, causing the sins of all kalpas to be eliminated—how could it stop at merely extinguishing the sins of eighty hundred million kalpas? The merit of uttering the Buddha's name in this way is truly difficult to fathom; here one can see the purport of the Mahāyāna complete, sudden, horizontal escape and direct cut. The Treatise on the Ten Doubts states: 'For example, a rope ten fathoms thick cannot be controlled by a thousand men; yet a child wielding a blade can part it in two in an instant.' Like the explanation of the causes for rebirth of the lower grade in the Contemplation Sūtra, this analogy illustrates those who attain rebirth the moment their sins are extinguished by mindfulness. Again, during the Buddha's time there was a man who wished to leave the household in the assembly of the Buddha. He went to all the holy assembly, who observed him with the eye of the Way, and all said that this person forever lacked any good seed, and none was willing to deliver him. Later he came to where the Buddha was, and the Buddha delivered him. When the monks asked the Buddha about this, the Buddha said: 'Although this man has no [recent] good roots, yet immeasurable kalpas ago—which cannot be known by the eye of the Way of the Two Vehicles—this person, when gathering firewood, was pressed by a tiger; fleeing up a tree, he suddenly blurted out the words "Namo Buddhāya." Because of this single recitation of the name, in this Auspicious Kalpa he meets me, attains deliverance, and will later realize the Way.' This clarifies that when one recites the Buddha's name in one lifetime and does not immediately obtain the retribution, one only attains rebirth in a future life. Using this as an example, we know that uttering the Buddha's name once, even without specifying which Buddha, can still cause a person to extinguish sin and attain the Way. How much more so when Amitābha's vow power surpasses the ten directions—could the sins and obstacles extinguished by focusing on that Buddha and the merit of uttering his name be conceivable? The sūtra says: 'A single recitation of "Namo Buddhāya" and all have already realized the Buddha Way.' This is clear proof of this statement. Therefore we know that if one can recite Amitābha's name continuously thought after thought, this merit is truly difficult to measure. Even if those with heavy obstacles have scattered minds and backslide, the verification of their rebirth will surely be in the future. Moreover, uttering the Buddha's name belongs to the mouth and concerns only its efficacy; buddha-mindfulness resides in the heart and reveals its virtue. To speak of efficacy lies in my untiring effort; to reveal virtue is to see the Buddha appear before one. These two meanings are different, and their relative excellence can be seen. If oral recitation is already like this, how much more so the mindfulness of the heart? Therefore, because of your question, I have recounted the matter relying on the sūtras to inform all people of resolute aspiration who walk this path together, wishing that regarding this meaning they will practice according to the teachings, and be careful not to doubt."