鐔津文集 2.9

2.9

心動曰業。會業曰感。感也者通內外之謂也。天下之心孰不動。萬物之業孰不感。業之為理也幽。感之為勢也遠。故民不睹而不懼。聖人之教謹乎業。欲其人之必警也。欲其心之慎動也。內感之謂召。外感之謂應。召謂其因。應謂其果。因果形象者皆預也。夫心動有逆順。故善惡之情生焉。善惡之情已發。故禍福之應至焉。情之有淺深。報之有輕重。輕乎可以遷。重乎不可却。善惡有先後。禍福有遲速。雖十世萬世而相感者不逸。豈一世而已乎。夫善惡不驗乎一世而疑之。是亦昧乎因果者也。報施不以夫因果正。則天下何以勸善人。樹不見其長而日茂。礪不見其銷而日無。業之在人也如此。可不慎乎。

The stirring of the mind is called karma. The convergence of karma is called resonance. Resonance means that which connects the internal and the external. Among the minds in the world, which does not stir? Among the actions of the myriad things, which does not resonate? Karma as a principle is dark and subtle; resonance as a force reaches far. Therefore the common people, not seeing it, do not fear it. The teaching of the sage is careful regarding karma, desiring that people be thoroughly alerted and that their minds be cautious in stirring. Internal resonance is called summoning; external resonance is called response. Summoning refers to the cause; response refers to the effect. All appearances and forms of cause and effect are prepared in advance. The stirring of the mind has the contrary and the compliant; hence feelings of good and evil arise from it. Once feelings of good and evil have been issued, the response of fortune and misfortune arrives. Feelings have shallowness and depth; retribution has lightness and gravity. What is light can be shifted; what is heavy cannot be turned back. Good and evil have earlier and later; fortune and misfortune have slowness and swiftness. Even through ten lifetimes or ten thousand lifetimes, those that resonate with one another will not slip away; how could it be a matter of one lifetime alone? To doubt good and evil because they are not verified within a single lifetime is likewise to be blind to cause and effect. If recompense and retribution were not rectified by cause and effect, how could the world encourage good people? A tree is not seen growing, yet daily it flourishes; a whetstone is not seen wearing down, yet daily it diminishes. Karma in human beings is just like this. How could one not be cautious?