西方合論 1.56

1.56

三、因果不思議義者，有二義：一、因先果後義：如念佛是因，見佛是果；見佛是因，成佛是果；成佛是因，度眾生是果。二、因果無前後義：即念即見，即成即度，一時具足。如人三十至四十歲，三十是因，四十是果。然三十四十無間斷相，若無四十，三十不立；無三十者，四十不成；是故當知，非離三十至四十；故若離三十至四十者，中間即有分限相，而我此身，無分限故。若由三十至四十者，中間即有相續相，而我此身，乃至相續不可得故。念佛因果亦復如是，是因果不思議義。

Third, as for the inconceivable meaning of cause and effect, there are two senses. First, the sense of cause preceding effect: for instance, buddhānusmṛti is the cause, and seeing the Buddha is the effect; seeing the Buddha is the cause, and attaining buddhahood is the effect; attaining buddhahood is the cause, and delivering sentient beings is the effect. Second, the sense of cause and effect having no before and after: precisely as one is mindful one sees; precisely as one attains one delivers; all is complete at one time. It is like a person going from thirty to forty years of age: thirty is the cause, and forty is the effect. Yet between thirty and forty there is no mark of discontinuity. If there were no forty, thirty could not be established; if there were no thirty, forty would not be achieved. Therefore, one should know that it is not apart from thirty that one reaches forty; for if it were apart from thirty that one reaches forty, there would be a mark of demarcation in between, but this body of mine has no demarcation. If it proceeds from thirty to forty, there would be a mark of continuity in between, but in this body of mine, even continuity cannot be grasped. Cause and effect in buddhānusmṛti is also like this. This is the inconceivable meaning of cause and effect.