往生集 1.154

1.154

贊曰。念佛人預知時至。蓋娑婆緣盡。淨土緣成。自然聖境冥現。如遠公七日。今觀二十七日之類是也。世人生無實德。死欲效嚬。扭揑粧點。取笑於識者。甚則生身活焚。搖動遠邇。不知附鬼着邪。流入惡趣。尤可憐憫。復使無眼之徒。欣羨而希則之。其為害也大矣。我集往生。何無一人活焚其軀者。願智人觀此。普以告世。救諸愚民。

In praise: That practitioners of buddhamanasikāra know the time of their departure in advance is because their conditions in the Sahā world are exhausted and their conditions for the Pure Land are complete, so the sacred realm naturally manifests in secret. Cases like Master Huiyuan's seven days, and now Jingguan's twenty-seven days, are of this sort. Worldly people have no real virtue during life, yet in death they wish to imitate such expressions, contriving and embellishing so as to invite mockery from those who truly know. In extreme cases, they even burn their bodies alive, unsettling those near and far, not realizing that this is spirit possession and demonic clinging, leading down into the evil destinies—which is all the more pitiable! Furthermore, it causes sightless fellows to admire and emulate them, working immense harm! In my Collection on Rebirth, why is there not a single person who burned his own body alive? May the wise observe this, proclaim it universally to the world, and rescue the foolish multitude.