鐔津文集 2.10

2.10

物有性物有命。物好生物惡死。有血氣之屬皆然也。聖人所以欲生而不欲殺。夫生殺有因果。善惡有感應。其因善其果善。其因惡其果惡。夫好生之心善。好殺之心惡。善惡之感可不慎乎。人食物物給人。昔相負而冥相償。業之致然也。人與物而不覺。謂物自然天生以養人。天何頗邪。害性命以育性命。天道至仁豈然乎哉。夫相償之理冥而難言也。宰殺之勢積而難休也。故古之法使不暴夫物不合圍不揜群也。子釣而不綱弋不射宿。其止殺之漸乎。佛教教人可生而不可殺。可不思耶諒哉。

Creatures have nature; creatures have life. Creatures love life and hate death; all that possess blood and breath are like this. This is why the sage wishes to preserve life and does not wish to kill. Now, living and killing have cause and effect; good and evil have resonance and response. If the cause is good, the effect is good; if the cause is evil, the effect is evil. The mind that loves life is good; the mind that loves killing is evil. How could one not be cautious regarding the resonance of good and evil? Humans eat animals, and animals provide for humans: in the past they incurred debts to one another, and in secret they repay one another. Karma brings this about. Humans and creatures remain unaware, saying that creatures are naturally born of Heaven to nourish humans. How could Heaven be so partial? To harm natures and lives in order to nurture natures and lives—how could the Way of Heaven, being supremely humane, be like that? The principle of mutual repayment is dark and hard to speak of; the momentum of slaughter accumulates and is difficult to halt. Therefore the laws of antiquity ensured that people did not treat creatures violently, did not close the circle of a hunt, and did not wipe out whole flocks. The Master angled but did not use a net; he shot at birds but not at those roosting. Was this not a gradual step toward stopping killing? The Buddhist teachings instruct people that one may foster life but must not kill. Should one not reflect on this? Indeed it is true!