宗鏡錄 66.18

66.18

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.'