緇門警訓 5.20

5.20

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?