法苑珠林 89.9

89.9

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.