法苑珠林 71.22

71.22

述曰。此明福行者。對前罪行說此福行。先明凡夫修欲界善者。但使亂心修諸事福。定生下界名欲界業。五道之中皆悉得起。先就地獄述者。依毘曇說。地獄之人亦有三善業。即是意地三善根。此唯成就非是現行。以是難處多不聞法思量趣道。故無現行。若論生得善根。地獄亦有。如仙譽國王殺五百婆羅門生地獄中。發生信心生甘露國。故知現行。若依成論。亦說地獄有善現行。雖無力勵方便起善修獲聖道。然有生得善根起善。謂諸眾生無始已來。曾修世間信進念等。未起邪見謗無因果。此善不滅。生便得之。名為生得善。依此善根得起善心。若有宿業感緣強者。大聖現化令苦止息。為說道法得修方便。第二畜生龍等亦有修善。如涅槃經。佛說義時。無量鳥獸發菩提心生於天上。若依毘曇。鬼畜十善非律儀攝。以其身口七善律儀。普於一切眾生處起。以鬼神不能受故。故薩婆多論。畜生以癡鈍故不發律儀。若依成論。鬼神畜等亦有得戒。

The commentary says: This explains meritorious actions, setting forth these meritorious actions in contrast to the preceding sinful actions. First, in explaining ordinary persons cultivating the wholesome deeds of the desire realm: as long as they cultivate various practical merits with a distracted mind, they are definitely born in the lower realms, which is called desire-realm karma; it can arise in all of the five destinies. First, explaining in terms of the hells: according to the Abhidharma, people in hell also have the three wholesome karmas, which are the three wholesome roots of the mental ground; these are merely possessed and are not active functions. Because this is a difficult realm, they mostly do not hear the Dharma or deliberate on the pursuit of the Path, hence there is no active function. If speaking of innately acquired wholesome roots, the hells also have them: as King Xianyu killed five hundred Brahmins and was born in hell, yet he generated a faithful mind and was born in the Land of Amṛta; thus we know there is active function. If according to the Tattvasiddhi-śāstra, it is also said that hell has active wholesome functions: although they lack vigorous expedients to produce goodness and cultivate the attainment of the noble path, nevertheless they have innately acquired wholesome roots that give rise to goodness. That is to say, from beginningless time all sentient beings have cultivated worldly faith, vigor, mindfulness, and so forth, and have not given rise to wrong views slandering the nonexistence of cause and effect; these wholesome roots do not perish, and upon birth they obtain them, which is called innately acquired goodness. Relying on these wholesome roots, they can give rise to wholesome minds. If one has strong conditions from past karma, a great sage may manifest a transformation to bring an end to suffering, and teach the Dharma of the Path so that they can cultivate expedients. Second, animals, nāgas, and the like also cultivate goodness: as in the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra, when the Buddha explained the meaning, immeasurable birds and beasts gave rise to the bodhi-mind and were born in the heavens. If according to the Abhidharma, the ten wholesome deeds of hungry ghosts and animals are not subsumed under moral restraint, because the seven wholesome restraints of body and speech arise toward all sentient beings, and ghosts and spirits are unable to receive them. Thus the Sarvāstivāda-śāstra says that animals, because of their stupidity and dullness, do not generate moral restraint. If according to the Tattvasiddhi-śāstra, ghosts, spirits, animals, and the like can also obtain the precepts.