西方合論 7.2

7.2

Now, as for ultimate nirvāṇa, it belongs solely to the Tathāgata. The two vehicles destroy existence and cling to emptiness, provisionally naming it quiescence; bodhisattvas give rise to the true uncontaminated [wisdom] and partially destroy ignorance. How much less can those of inferior capacity and shallow understanding, possessing but a single drop of the great ocean, recklessly display wild wisdom, severing future existence, taking unrestrained indulgence as amusement and spiritual practice as entanglement! Murdering oneself and murdering others, how does this differ from hemlock and poison? For example, when the Buddha was in the world, there was a bhikṣu who attained the fourth dhyāna and gave rise to exorbitant pride, claiming he had attained arhatship, and no longer sought progress. When his life was about to end, seeing the intermediate state signs of the fourth dhyāna appear, he gave rise to wrong views, saying: 'There is no nirvāṇa; the Buddha has deceived me!' Because this evil, wrong view arose, he lost the intermediate state of the fourth dhyāna and saw the intermediate state signs of Avīci Hell; when his life ended, he immediately was born in the Avīci Hell. These [practitioners] still sat in meditation and upheld precepts, yet through a single thought of false attainment, they sank into the dark hell. Now, when Chan practitioners are satisfied with a little and let their minds run wild beyond the rails, who knows what their evil retribution will be! An ancient said: 'If not born in the Pure Land, in what land could one be born? The journey through three asaṃkhyeyas is long; among those who enter other gates, many regress and fall.' For this reason, the holy lineage of past and present all advocate this single gate. Now I briefly show six kinds to establish a compass: