往生集 2.83

2.83

愚聞之。古德云。士大夫英敏過人者。多自僧中來。然甞疑之。迷而不返者什九。不負宿因者什一。其故何也。五濁惡世。多諸退緣。賢者所難免也。故戒禪師後身為東坡。青禪師後身為曾魯公。哲禪師後身耽富貴。多憂苦。夫東坡最為親近法門。而曾公已不之及。彼哲老之後身。其迷抑又甚矣。古今知識。所以勸人捨五濁而求淨土也。然則劉遺民而下諸君子。所得不既多乎。

I have heard ancient masters of virtue say that those scholar-officials whose brilliance surpasses others mostly come from among the monks. Yet I have often wondered why nine out of ten become confused and do not return, while only one in ten does not fail their past causes. Why is this? In the evil world of the five turbidities, there are many conditions for retrogression, which even the worthy can hardly avoid. Thus Chan Master Jie's later rebirth was Dongpo; Chan Master Qing's later rebirth was Zeng Lugong; Chan Master Zhe's later rebirth indulged in wealth and nobility, suffering much distress. Now Dongpo was the closest to the Dharma gate, yet Lord Zeng did not equal him; as for Elder Zhe's later rebirth, his delusion was all the greater! This is why spiritual friends of past and present urge people to abandon the five turbidities and seek the Pure Land. If so, then is what Liu Yimin and the other gentlemen obtained not vast indeed?