法苑珠林 71.20

71.20

如正法念經云。閻魔羅人非是眾生。罪人見之謂是眾生。手中執持焰然鐵鉗。彼地獄人惡業既盡。命終之後不復見於閻羅獄卒。何以故。以彼非是眾生數故。如油炷盡則無有燈。業盡亦爾。不復見於閻羅獄卒。如閻浮提日光既現則無暗冥。惡業盡時閻羅獄卒亦復如是。惡眼惡口如眾生相。可畏之色皆悉磨滅。如破畫壁畫亦隨滅惡業畫壁亦復如是。不復見於閻羅獄卒可畏之色。以此文證。眾生惡業應受苦者。自然無中妄見地獄。問曰。見地獄者。所見獄卒及虎狼等可使妄見。彼地獄處閻羅在中。判諸罪人。則有此境。云何言無。答曰。彼見獄主亦是妄見。直是罪人惡業熏心令心變異。無中妄見。實無地獄閻羅在中。故唯識論云。如地獄中無地獄主。而地獄眾生依自然業。見地獄主與種種苦。而起心見此是地獄處。此是夜時。此是晝時。我以惡業故見狗見烏。或見山壓。以此文證。善惡熏心。令心異見。實無地獄。是故心外雖無地獄。惡業成時強自妄見。問曰。此苦業報既非善事。寧不直爾說善令習。何須稱情說苦業耶。答曰。善惡因果法須相對。若不說其貪等是過。何由得顯施等是善。若不宣說三塗是苦。無由得顯人天等樂。是故須說凡夫罪行。令人識知厭離歸善。若鈍根者。聞此苦業生厭離時。即求世樂。因此轉心修諸福業。若利根者。聞此苦業生厭離時。即求解脫。因此轉心能修道觀。便於惑中得起出因。故經說言。一切煩惱皆是佛種。故知苦業厭離之本起善之緣。是故須說。若不說此惡業罪行。眾生不識常行不斷。雖稱情見說諸過惡。然實心外無別業苦。唯識無境心體常淨。故經說言。雖說貪欲之過。而不見法有可貪者。雖說瞋恚之過。而不見法有可瞋者。雖說愚癡之過。而知諸法不癡無礙。雖示眾生墮三惡道悑畏之苦。而不得地獄餓鬼畜生之相。以此文證。知罪行因果唯心無外。凡愚不解。稱情方便。須說業苦。向來兩門。就其實教。說罪體真。無別可破。以愚未解。須定說罪。此是別明愚人迷真妄解。故須定說罪行意也。

As the Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna-sūtra says: "The beings of Yama are not sentient beings; sinners see them and consider them sentient beings, holding blazing iron pincers in their hands. When the evil karma of those hell dwellers is exhausted, after their lives end they no longer see Yama's wardens. Why? Because they do not belong to the category of sentient beings. Just as when the oil and wick are exhausted there is no lamp, so it is when karma is exhausted: they no longer see Yama's wardens. Just as when sunlight appears in Jambudvīpa there is no darkness, so it is when evil karma is exhausted: Yama's wardens, with their evil eyes and evil mouths resembling sentient beings, and their terrifying forms, are all wiped out. Just as when a painted wall is destroyed the painting is also destroyed along with it, so it is with the painted wall of evil karma: they no longer see the terrifying forms of Yama's wardens." Proving it with this passage: sentient beings whose evil karma dictates they should experience suffering naturally and falsely perceive hell where there is nothing. Question: As for those who see hell: it may be granted that the wardens, tigers, wolves, and so forth that they see are false perceptions; but at that hell site, King Yama resides in the midst to judge the sinners, so this realm does exist—how can you say it is absent? Answer: Their seeing the lord of hell is also a false perception; it is simply that the sinners' evil karma perfumes their minds, causing their minds to undergo transformation and falsely perceive where there is nothing; in truth there is no hell with Yama in its midst. Thus the Vijñaptimātratā-śāstra says: "Just as there is no hell-lord in hell, yet the sentient beings of hell, dependent on their natural karma, see a hell-lord inflicting various kinds of suffering, and give rise to thoughts perceiving 'this is a place of hell, this is night-time, this is day-time; because of my evil karma I see dogs, I see crows, or I see mountains crushing me.'" Proving it with this passage: good and evil perfume the mind, causing the mind to see differently; in reality there is no hell. Therefore, although there is no hell outside the mind, when evil karma is accomplished, they forcibly and falsely perceive it on their own. Question: Since this retribution of painful karma is not a good thing, why not simply speak of goodness to cause them to practice it? Why must you speak of painful karma according to their sentiments? Answer: The dharmas of cause and effect of good and evil must be set in opposition. If one does not explain that greed and the like are faults, how can one reveal that giving and the like are good? If one does not proclaim that the three lower destinies are suffering, there is no way to reveal that human and celestial realms are blissful. Therefore, one must speak of the sinful actions of ordinary persons to make people recognize them, develop revulsion, and take refuge in goodness. If they are of dull faculties, when they hear of this painful karma and give rise to revulsion, they immediately seek worldly bliss, and on this basis turn their minds to cultivate various meritorious karmas. If they are of sharp faculties, when they hear of this painful karma and give rise to revulsion, they immediately seek liberation, and on this basis turn their minds to be able to cultivate the contemplation of the Path, thereby generating the cause of transcendence within delusion. Thus a sūtra says: "All afflictions are the seeds of buddhahood." Therefore we know that painful karma is the root of revulsion and the condition for generating goodness; hence it must be taught. If one did not speak of this evil karma and sinful actions, sentient beings would not recognize them and would constantly practice them without cease. Although one speaks of various faults conforming to the perceptions of their sentiments, in truth there is no separate karmic suffering outside the mind; there is only consciousness without external objects, and the substance of the mind is ever-pure. Thus a sūtra says: "Although it speaks of the fault of sensual desire, it does not see any dharma that can be desired; although it speaks of the fault of anger, it does not see any dharma that can be angered at; although it speaks of the fault of delusion, it knows that all dharmas are not deluded and without obstruction; although it shows sentient beings the terrifying suffering of falling into the three bad destinies, it does not apprehend the characteristics of hell, hungry ghosts, or animals." Proving it with this passage, we know that the cause and effect of sinful actions is mind-only and has nothing external. Ordinary fools do not understand, so as an expedient conforming to their sentiments, one must speak of karmic suffering. In the two gates above, according to the ultimate teaching, it is taught that the substance of sin is true [suchness] and there is nothing separate to destroy; yet because the foolish do not understand, one must decisively speak of sin. This specifically explains the foolish person's confusion about truth and false understanding, and thus why one must decisively speak of the intent behind sinful actions.