宗鏡錄 66.18

66.18

答。佛說作善生天。為惡受苦者。此但因緣法爾。非是我能為受也。若言是我非因緣者。作惡何不生天。乃墮地獄耶。我豈愛彼地獄。故受苦耶。我既作惡而不受樂者。故知善惡感報。唯因緣非是我也。如論云。因緣故生天。因緣故墮地獄。是此意也。

Answer: 'When the Buddha said that performing good brings birth in heaven and committing evil brings suffering, this is merely the nature of causes and conditions; it is not that a self can perform or receive them. If one says that it is a self and not causes and conditions, why does committing evil not bring birth in heaven instead of falling into hell? Could the self love that hell and therefore receive suffering? Since the self performs evil and does not receive pleasure, know therefore that good and evil inducing retribution is solely due to causes and conditions, not a self. As the treatise says: "Due to causes and conditions one is born in heaven; due to causes and conditions one falls into hell"—this is the meaning.'