緇門警訓 5.20

5.20

世之學佛者。其始莫不皆曰為生死事大。及乎聲利所動世緣所汩。則生死大事置而弗論。或為人扣擊。則它辭託跋不能自決。或云。此不須問。或云。不必用知。或云。符到奉行莫作計較。或云。隨處受生出入自在。或云。且生不高不下之家復男子身。或云。把定精神見善惡相不得隨去。或令預候之時。或教臨終奪陰。或云。百骸潰散一物長靈。或云。形散氣消歸於寂滅。如是種種臆度矯亂。皆不出凡夫外道斷常二見。逮乎四大解分病苦所道。識神無主隨業輪迴。決無疑矣。假令定日剋時坐脫立化。世德可致未足為奇。斯由不見十六觀經。不知九品生相。不信彌陀願力。而堅侍所具自甘塗炭。豈不為之悲哉。

Among those in the world who study the Buddha, at the beginning none fail to say that birth and death is the great matter. But when they are swayed by fame and profit and submerged in worldly conditions, the great matter of birth and death is set aside and not discussed. Or when questioned by others, they make evasive excuses and cannot decide for themselves. Some say: 'This need not be asked.' Some say: 'One need not know this.' Some say: 'When the tally arrives, just carry it out; do not make calculations.' Some say: 'Take birth anywhere; going out and coming in at will.' Some say: 'Just be born into a family that is neither high nor low, and regain a male body.' Some say: 'Hold fast your spirit; seeing signs of good and evil, you must not follow along.' Some tell people to wait in advance for the time; some teach seizing the skandhas at the verge of death. Some say: 'When the hundred bones collapse and scatter, one thing remains eternally numinous.' Some say: 'When the physical form disperses and the breath dissipates, one returns to quiescence and extinction.' Such various conjectures and confused delusions never depart from the two views of annihilationism and eternalism held by ordinary people and non-Buddhists. When the four great elements disintegrate and the suffering of sickness presses in, the conscious spirit will have no master and follow karma in saṃsāra—of this there is definitely no doubt. Even supposing that on a fixed day and at a precise hour one can sit and cast off or stand and transform, this can be achieved through worldly virtue, and is not yet enough to be considered extraordinary. This is because they have not seen the Sixteen Contemplations Sūtra, do not know the signs of birth in the nine grades, and do not believe in Amitābha's vow power, but instead stubbornly adhere to their own opinions and willingly content themselves with ruin and misery. How could one not grieve for them?