法苑珠林 89.9

89.9

如未曾有經云。時有外道婆羅門婦。名曰提韋。夫亡家貧。自責孤窮欲自燒身祠天求當來福。時有道人。名曰辯才。教化提韋女人云。譬如有牛厭患車故欲使車壞。前車若壞續得後車。軛其項領。罪未畢故。人亦如是。假令燒壞百千萬身。罪業因緣相續不滅。如阿鼻獄燒諸罪人。一日之中八萬過死八萬更生。過一劫已其罪方畢。況復汝今一過燒身欲求滅罪。何有得理。提韋白言。當設何方令得罪滅。辯才答言。前心作惡如雲覆月。後心起善如炬消闇。自有方便滅除殃罪。現世安隱後生善處。提韋聞已心大歡喜。憂怖即除。即率家內奴婢眷屬五百餘人。圍繞叩頭。恭敬合掌。白辯才言。尊向所說滅罪事由。願更為說除罪之法。當如法行。辯才答曰。起罪之由出身口意。身業不善殺盜邪婬。口業不善妄言兩舌惡口綺語。意業不善嫉妬瞋恚憍慢邪見。是為十惡。受惡罪報。今當一心丹誠懺悔。若於過去。若於今身。有如是罪今悉懺悔。出罪滅罪。當自立誓救度眷屬代其懺悔。所修福善施與一切受苦眾生令其得樂。眾生有罪我當代受。緣是受身至成佛道。懺悔訖已。更賜餘善。當勤奉行。辯才更為受十善之法。具如下法。

As the Weicengyou jing says: At that time there was a non-Buddhist brāhmaṇa woman named Diwei. Her husband had died and her household was poor. Reproaching herself for her solitary destitution, she wished to burn her body to sacrifice to heaven and seek future fortune. At that time there was a man of the Way named Biancai, who instructed the woman Diwei, saying: "For example, suppose an ox detests its cart and wishes to destroy it. If the former cart is broken, it will only get a later cart yoked to its neck, because its fault has not ended. People are also like this: even if you burn and destroy hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of bodies, the causes and conditions of sinful karma will continue without end. Just as in Avīci Hell sinful people are burned, dying eighty thousand times and reviving eighty thousand times within a single day, and only after passing one kalpa is their sin completed—how much more so for you now, wishing to seek the eradication of sin by burning your body once? How could there be any principle of obtaining it?" Diwei said: "What method should be established so that sin may be eradicated?" Biancai replied: "Evil committed by an earlier mind is like clouds veiling the moon; goodness aroused by a later mind is like a torch dispelling darkness. There are skillful means to extinguish and remove calamity and sin, bringing peace and security in the present life and rebirth in a good realm hereafter." Having heard this, Diwei's heart was filled with great joy, and her sorrow and fear were immediately dispelled. She then led the male and female servants and relatives of her household, more than five hundred people, to encircle [him], kowtow, and respectfully join their palms, saying to Biancai: "The Venerable One has just explained the causes of eradicating sin; we pray you will further expound the method for eliminating sin, and we will practice it in accordance with the Dharma." Biancai replied: "The arising of sin originates from body, speech, and mind. Unwholesome karma of the body is killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct. Unwholesome karma of speech is false speech, divisive speech, harsh speech, and frivolous speech. Unwholesome karma of the mind is covetousness, malice, arrogance, and wrong view. These are the ten non-virtues, and one receives the evil retribution of sin [for them]. Now you must with single-minded sincerity perform deśanā. If in the past or in this present life there are such sins, perform deśanā for them all now, so that the sins are confessed and eradicated. You should make a vow yourself to deliver your relatives and perform deśanā on their behalf. The merit and goodness you cultivate should be bestowed upon all suffering sentient beings to make them attain joy: 'If sentient beings have sins, I will take them upon myself in their place.' Due to this, take rebirth until the attainment of the Buddha path. Having completed deśanā, you will further be granted the remaining good, which you should diligently uphold." Biancai further conferred on her the method of the ten virtues, fully as set forth below.