弘明集 5.61

5.61

答曰。夫事起必由於心。報應必由於事。是故自報以觀事。而事可變。舉事以責心。而心可反。推此而言。則知聖人因其迷滯以明報應之對。不就其迷滯以為報應之對也。何者。人之難悟。其日固久。是以佛教本其所由。而訓必有漸。知久習不可頓廢。故先示之以罪福。罪福不可都忘。故使權其輕重。輕重權於罪福。則銓善惡以宅心。善惡滯於私戀。則推我以通物。二理兼弘情無所係。故能尊賢容眾恕己施安。遠尋影響之報。以釋往復之迷。迷情既釋。然後大方之言可曉。保生之累可絕。夫生累者雖中賢猶未得。豈常智之所達哉。

Answer: Affairs must arise from the mind; retribution must stem from affairs. Therefore, viewing affairs from retribution, affairs can be altered; bringing up affairs to reprimand the mind, the mind can be turned around. Deducing from this, one knows that the sages illuminate retribution through their delusion and stagnation; they do not merely rely on their delusion and stagnation to establish retribution. Why? People's difficulty in awakening has indeed been of long standing. Therefore, the Buddhist teachings trace its origin, and instruction must have a gradual progression. Knowing that long-standing habits cannot be abandoned at once, they first show them sin and blessing. Sin and blessing cannot be entirely forgotten, so they cause them to weigh their lightness and heaviness. When lightness and heaviness are weighed against sin and blessing, one assesses good and evil to settle one's mind. When good and evil are trapped in selfish craving, one extends oneself to connect with beings. With both principles broadly applied, feelings have no attachments; hence one can respect the worthy, accommodate the multitudes, be considerate of oneself, and bestow peace. Tracing the retribution of shadows and echoes from afar to resolve the confusion of transmigration, once the confused feelings are resolved, only then can the words of the great direction be understood, and the encumbrances of preserving life can be severed. As for the encumbrances of life, even middling worthies have not yet overcome them; how could ordinary intelligence fathom them?