西方合論 1.33

1.33

萬曆甲寅冬十月十五日，予晚課畢微倦，趺坐榻上，形體調適，心神靜爽；忽爾瞑去，如得定狀。俄魂與魄離，躍出屋上，時月色正明，予不覺飄然輕舉，疾于飛鳥。雲霄中見二童子，清美非常，其去甚駛，予不暇問，但遙呼子曰：「快逐我來！蓋西行也。」予下視世界，高山大澤、平疇曠野、城邑村落，有若垤土柸水、蠭衙蟻穴。子飛少墜，即覺腥穢不可聞，極力上振迺否。俄至一處，二童子忽下至地，曰：「住。」子亦隨之而下，見有坦道如繩，其平如掌，細眎其地，非沙非石，光耀滑膩。逐路有渠，皆文石為砌，寬可十餘丈許；中種五色蓮花，芬香非常。渠上有樹，枝葉晃耀，好鳥和鳴；間有金橋界渠，欄楯交羅；樹內隱隱，朱樓畫閣，整麗無比。見樓中人，清美妍好，宛若仙人，皆睨予而笑。童子行疾，子常追之不及，迺大呼曰：「卿可於前金橋邊少待，我當有所言。」童子如言，予始及之，共倚橋上寶欄少息。予揖二童子，問：「卿何人？此地何處？幸為我言。」二童子曰：「予靈和先生之侍者也。先生欲與卿有所晤言，特遣相迎耳。」予問曰：「靈和先生何人也？」二童子曰：「即令兄中郎先生是也。今生西方淨域，易今稱矣。相見自為卿言，可疾往。」予遂與二童子復取道，俄至一處，有樹十餘株，葉如翠羽，花作金瓣，樹下有池，泉水汩汩，池上有白玉扉，一童先入，如往報者，一童導予入內。所過樓閣，凡二十餘重，皆金色晃耀；靈花異草，拂于檐楹。至一樓下，俄見一人，下樓相迎，神情似中郎，而顏色如玉，衣若雲霞，可長丈餘。見予而喜曰：「吾弟至矣！」因相携至樓上，設拜共坐，有四五天人，亦來共坐。中郎謂予曰：「此西方之邊地也。凡信解未成，戒寶未全者，多生此地，亦名懈慢國。其上方有化佛，樓臺前有大池，可百由旬，中有妙蓮，眾生皆托體于其中。時滿，則散居各處樓臺之上，與有緣清淨道友相聚。以無淫聲美色，故勝解易成，不久陞進為淨土中人耳。」予私念：「如此美妙之處，尚是邊地耶？」仍問中郎曰：「兄今生在何處？」中郎曰：「我初亦以淨願雖深，情染未除，生于此地少時，今已居淨域矣。然終以乘急戒緩，僅與西方眾生同一地居，不得與諸大士同升于虛空寶閣，尚需進修耳。幸宿生智慧猛利，又曾作《西方論》，讚嘆如來不可思議度生之力，感得飛行自在，游諸剎土，凡諸佛說法之處，皆得往聽，此實為勝，非諸眾生所能及也。」拉予行，中郎冉冉上升，予亦不覺飄然輕舉。倏忽虛空千百萬里，至一處，隨中郎下，無有日月，亦無晝夜，光明照耀，無所障蔽。皆以琉璃為地，內外映徹；以黃金繩，雜廁間錯；界以七寶，分劑分明。地上有樹，皆旃檀吉祥，行行相值、莖莖相望，數萬千重；一一葉出眾妙花，作異寶色。下為寶池，波揚無量自然妙聲，其底沙純以金剛；其中生眾寶蓮葉，作五色光。池之隱隱，危樓逈帶，閣道傍出，棟宇相承，窓闥交映，階墀軒楹，種種滿足；皆有無量樂器，演諸法音。大約與大小《阿彌陀經》所載，覺十不得其一。抄一忽耳，予愛玩不捨。已仰而睇之，見空中樓閣，皆如雲氣上浮，中郎曰：「汝所見，淨土地行諸眾生光景也；過此以上，為法身大士住處，甚美妙千倍萬倍于此，其神通亦千倍百倍于此。吾以慧力能游行其間，終不得住也。又過此以上為十地等覺所居，即吾亦不得而知也。又過此為妙覺所居，惟佛與佛乃能知之，即等覺諸聖亦莫能測度矣！」語罷，復引予至一處，無牆垣，而有欄楯，其中院宇，光耀非常，不知俱以何物為之，第覺世間之黃金白玉，皆如土色矣！共坐一樓下少談，中郎曰：「吾不圖樂之至此極也，然使吾生時嚴持戒律，則尚不止此。大都乘戒俱急，則生品最高；其次戒急，則生最穩。若有乘無戒，多為業力所牽，流入八部鬼神眾去，予親見同學諸人矣！弟之般若氣分頗深，而戒定之力甚少；夫悟理不能生戒定，亦狂慧也。歸至五濁，趁此色力強健，實悟實修，兼之淨願，勤行方便，憐憫一切，不久自有良晤。一入他途，可怖可畏！如不能持戒，有龍殊六齋，遺法見存，遵而行之。諸戒之中，殺戒尤急，寄語同學，未有日啟鸞刀，口貪滋味，而能生于清泰者也。雖說法如雲如雨，何益于事？我與汝于空王劫時，世為兄弟，迺至六道輪迴，莫不皆然。幸我此生，已得善地，恐汝墮落，故以方便神力，攝汝至此。淨穢相隔，不得久留。」予更問伯修諸人生處，曰：「生處皆佳，汝後自知。」言已，忽凌空而逝，俄已不見。予起步池上，忽如墮者，一駭而醒，通身汗下。時殘燈在篝，明月照窓，更已四漏矣。

On the fifteenth day of the tenth winter month in the jiayin year of the Wanli reign (1614), having finished my evening recitation and feeling slightly weary, I sat cross-legged on my couch. My body was comfortable and attuned, and my mind was serene and fresh; suddenly my eyes closed as if entering samādhi. In an instant my soul and spirit separated [from the body] and leapt up above the house. At that time the moonlight was bright, and without being aware of it I drifted lightly upward, faster than a flying bird. Amidst the clouds I saw two boys of extraordinary pure beauty travelling very swiftly. Having no time to question them, I only called out to them from afar: "Quickly follow me! For we are travelling west!" Looking down upon the world, its high mountains and great marshes, level fields and vast wildernesses, walled cities and villages appeared like anthills and cups of water, like bee hives and ant nests. Whenever my flight dipped slightly lower, I immediately detected a foul and reeking stench too intolerable to smell, and only by exerting my full strength to shake myself upward was it dispelled. Presently we arrived at a place, and the two boys suddenly descended to the ground, saying, "Halt." I also followed them downward and saw a smooth road straight as a plumb line and level as an open palm. Inspecting its ground closely, it was neither sand nor stone, but lustrous and smooth. Along the road was a canal, all lined with patterned stone and about ten zhang wide, wherein five-coloured lotus flowers were planted, extraordinarily fragrant. Above the canal stood trees whose branches and leaves glistened, and fine birds sang in harmony. Here and there golden bridges spanned the canal, their railings interlaced. Looming within the trees were red towers and painted pavilions of incomparable order and splendour. I saw the people within the towers, purely beautiful and charming, just like immortals, all looking askance at me and smiling. The boys walked swiftly, and I constantly failed to keep up with them, so I shouted loudly, "Sirs, could you wait a moment by the golden bridge ahead? I have something to say!" The boys did as I said, and I was then able to catch up with them. Together we leaned on the jewelled railing of the bridge to rest for a short while. I bowed to the two boys and asked: "Who are you, sirs? What place is this? Please tell me." The two boys said: "We are attendants of Master Linghe. The Master wishes to have an audience and speak with you, and has sent us specially to welcome you, that is all." I asked: "Who is Master Linghe?" The two boys said: "He is your elder brother, Master Zhonglang. Having now been reborn in the Western Pure Realm, he has changed to his present designation. When you meet he will tell you himself; you may proceed quickly." Thereupon I set out again with the two boys. Soon we came to a place with a dozen or so trees whose leaves were like emerald feathers and whose flowers were of golden petals. Beneath the trees was a pool with babbling spring water, and above the pool was a white jade gate. One boy went in first, as if to make a report, while the other guided me inside. The towers and pavilions through which I passed numbered over twenty stories in all, each glistening with a golden hue; wondrous flowers and strange herbs brushed against the eaves and pillars. Arriving beneath a tower, I suddenly saw a person descending the tower to welcome me; his countenance resembled Zhonglang's, but his complexion was like jade, his robes like clouds and mists, and he was about a zhang tall. Seeing me, he was delighted and said: "My younger brother has arrived!" Thereupon he took me by the hand up to the tower; we bowed and sat down together, and four or five devas also came and sat with us. Zhonglang said to me: "This is the borderland of the Western Land. All those whose faith and understanding were not fully formed and whose jewel of precepts was incomplete are mostly reborn in this land; it is also called the Land of Indolence and Arrogance. Above it is a transformation Buddha. In front of the towers and terraces is a great pool, about a hundred yojanas wide, wherein are wondrous lotuses in which sentient beings entrust their forms. When their time is fulfilled, they disperse to live upon the various towers and terraces, gathering with pure spiritual companions with whom they have karmic connections. Because there are no lustful sounds or seductive forms, superior understanding is easily accomplished, and before long they advance to become inhabitants of the Pure Land." I thought to myself: "Can such a wondrous and beautiful place still only be a borderland?" I then asked Zhonglang: "Where do you live now, elder brother?" Zhonglang said: "At first, although my pure vow was deep, because my affective attachments were not yet eliminated, I also dwelt in this land for a short while; now I already reside in the Pure Realm. Yet in the end, because my understanding was urgent but my adherence to precepts was lax, I only dwell upon the same ground with ordinary sentient beings of the Western Land, and cannot ascend together with the great beings to the jewelled pavilions in empty space; I still need to advance in cultivation. Fortunately, in past lives my wisdom was sharp and vigorous, and I once composed the Treatise on the Western Land, praising the Tathāgata's inconceivable power to liberate sentient beings; thus by karmic response I obtained the freedom to fly, wandering through the various lands and able to go and listen wherever the Buddhas preach the Dharma. This is truly superior, something beyond the reach of ordinary sentient beings." Taking me along, Zhonglang ascended gently, and I too drifted lightly upward without realizing it. In an instant we traversed thousands and millions of leagues through empty space to a place. Descending with Zhonglang, there was neither sun nor moon, nor day nor night; bright light shone everywhere without obstruction. The ground was entirely of lapis lazuli, gleaming clear inside and out, interwoven with golden cords and partitioned distinctly with the seven treasures. On the ground were trees, all of sandalwood and auspiciousness, standing in matching rows and facing one another trunk to trunk in tens of thousands of layers; each leaf brought forth wondrous flowers showing the colours of diverse jewels. Below was a jewelled pool whose waves stirred with immeasurable, natural, wondrous sounds; its bottom sand was purely of vajra, and within it grew lotuses of various treasures emitting five-coloured light. Looming beyond the pool were towering halls stretching into the distance, with galleries branching out sideways, rafters supporting one another, windows and doors reflecting one another, and stairs, courtyards, verandas, and pillars, all complete and perfect; everywhere there were immeasurable musical instruments proclaiming the sounds of the Dharma. Roughly speaking, compared to what is recorded in the larger and smaller Amitābha Sūtras, not even one-tenth seemed to be captured there. Taking only a brief glance, I gazed with delight, unable to turn away. Looking up and gazing into the air, I saw towers and pavilions floating like cloud-vapours. Zhonglang said: "What you see is the scenery of the ground-dwelling sentient beings of the Pure Land; above this is the dwelling place of the Dharmakāya Great Beings, which is thousands and tens of thousands of times more wondrous than this, and their supernatural powers are likewise thousands and hundreds of times greater than this. By the power of my wisdom I can roam among them, but in the end I cannot dwell there. Further above this is the dwelling of the Ten Stages and samyaksaṃbodhi, which even I cannot know. Further above this is the dwelling of wondrous enlightenment, known only by Buddha and Buddha, which cannot be measured even by the sages of samyaksaṃbodhi!" Having finished speaking, he led me again to a place where there were no walls, but only railings. The courtyards within were extraordinarily radiant; I knew not what they were made of, but only felt that all the gold and white jade of the mundane world seemed like the colour of dirt! Sitting together under a pavilion, we conversed briefly. Zhonglang said: "I did not imagine that bliss could reach such an extreme! Yet had I strictly maintained the precepts when alive, it would still not be limited to this. Generally, if both one's understanding and one's precepts are urgent, one's grade of rebirth is the highest; next, if one's precepts are urgent, one's rebirth is the most secure. If one has understanding without precepts, one is mostly dragged by karmic force and sinks among the eight classes of ghosts and spirits; I have seen fellow students of mine do so with my own eyes! Brother, your disposition for prajñā is quite deep, but your power of precepts and samādhi is very meager. Now, an awakening to the principle that cannot produce precepts and samādhi is merely reckless wisdom. When you return to the five defilements, taking advantage of your vigorous physical strength, attain true awakening and engage in true practice, combining them with pure vows; diligently practice skillful means and have compassion for all beings, and before long you will have a fortunate reunion. Once you enter another destiny, it is dreadful and terrifying! If you cannot keep all the precepts, there are the six days of purification of Nāgārjuna, whose bequeathed practices still exist; follow and practice them. Among all precepts, the precept against killing is especially urgent; send word to our fellow students that no one who daily wields the butcher's knife and whose mouth craves rich flavours has ever been able to be reborn in the Realm of Pure Peace. Even if they preach the Dharma like clouds and rain, what benefit is it to the matter? You and I have been brothers in life after life since the kalpa of the Void King, and the same was true throughout our transmigrations in the six destinies. Fortunately, in this life I have already attained an excellent land; fearing that you might fall, I used the supernatural power of skillful means to draw you here. Pure and defiled are separated; you cannot linger long." I further asked about the places of rebirth of Boxiu and the others, and he said: "Their places of rebirth are all good; you will know of your own accord later." Having spoken, he suddenly soared into the void and vanished, and in an instant was no longer seen. As I began to walk along the pool, I suddenly felt as though I were falling; startled, I awoke, sweating all over. At that time the dying lamp was in its bamboo shade, the bright moon was shining upon the window, and the water clock had already struck the fourth watch.