諸經要集 19.5

19.5

夫三界遐曠。六道繁興。莫不皆依四大相資。五根成體。聚則為身。散則歸空。然風火性殊。地水質異。各稱其分。皆欲求適。求適之理既難。所以調和之。乖為易忽。一大不調。四大俱損。如地大增。則形體𪒠黑。肌肉青淤。癥瘕結聚。如鐵如石。若地大𮓪。則四支尫弱。多失半體。偏枯殘戾。毀明失聽。若水大增。則膚肉虛滿。體無華色。舉身痿黃。神顏慘怛。長脚洪腫。膀光脹急。若水大損。則瘦削骨立。筋現脈沈。脣舌乾燥。耳鼻燋閉。五藏內煎。津液外竭。六府消耗。不能自立。若火大增。則舉體煩鑊。燋熱如燒。癰癤疽腫。瘡痍潰爛。膿血流溢。臭穢競充。若火大損。則四體羸瘠府藏氷冷。焦隔凝寒。口若含霜。夏暑重裘。未甞溫慰。食不消化。恒常歐逆。若風大增。則氣滿胸塞。府𦝩否隔。手足緩弱。四體疼痺。若風大損。則身形羸瘠。氣裁如線。動轉疲乏。引息如抽。咳嗽噫噦。咽舌難急。腹厭背軁。心內若氷。頸筋喉脈。奮作鼓脹。如是種種。皆是四大。乍增乍損。致有病疾。既一大嬰羸。則三大皆苦。展轉皆病。俱生前惱。四大交反。六府難調。良由宿積惡因。今遭苦報。無愧無恥。無恩無義。常隨四時。資給所須。晝夜將養。未曾荷恩。片失供承。便招病苦。既知無恩。徒勞養育。縱加美食華服。終成糞穢。但趣得支身。以除飢渴。終不為汝。踵前蓄積。以勞我心。廢求修道。寔由身偽苦器。陰是坏瓶。易損難持。劇同泡沫。四大浮虛。極相乖反。五陰緣假。多生惱患。所以稟形人世。逢此穢濁之時。受質為身。居斯怖畏之境。幽冥無量神鬼恒沙種族尤多。草籌未辯。或依房依廟。附岳附丘。凡有含靈。並皆祇響。致使神爽冥昧。識慮昏茫。至於寤寐。多有恐怖。庶得臨危攝念。無俟三稱。在嶮逢安。寧勞千遍。願增益神道。加足威光。以善利生。無相惱害。誠言可錄。信驗有徵矣。

Now, the three realms are vast and far-reaching, and the six destinies flourish in profusion; there are none that do not rely on the mutual support of the four great elements and the five sense faculties to constitute their physical form. When gathered, they form a body; when dispersed, they return to emptiness. Yet the natures of wind and fire are distinct, and the substances of earth and water are different. Each matches its own share, and all seek to attain equilibrium. Since the principle of seeking equilibrium is difficult, the harmony between them is easily disrupted and neglected. If one great element is out of harmony, all four great elements are impaired. For instance, if the earth element increases, the body turns sallow and dark, the flesh becomes bruised and livid, and abdominal masses and swellings coalesce like iron and stone. If the earth element decreases, the four limbs become emaciated and weak, one often loses half of one's body, becoming hemiplegic and crippled, with vision ruined and hearing lost. If the water element increases, the flesh becomes puffy and bloated, the body loses its healthy lustre, the entire form turns jaundiced and yellow, the complexion becomes haggard and distressed, the legs swell heavily, and the bladder becomes distended and strained. If the water element is deficient, one becomes gaunt and skeletal, tendons become visible, the pulse sinks, lips and tongue dry out, ears and nostrils scorch and close up, the five viscera boil internally, bodily fluids dry up externally, and the six bowels waste away so that one cannot stand on one's own. If the fire element increases, the whole body feels troubled as if in a cauldron, scorching and hot as if burning; carbuncles, boils, ulcers, and swellings form, sores ulcerate and rot, pus and blood overflow, and foul reek fills the air. If the fire element is deficient, the four limbs become frail and emaciated, the bowels and viscera grow icy cold, the diaphragm congeals with chill, the mouth feels as though holding frost, and even wearing heavy furs in the summer heat brings no warm comfort; food does not digest, and one constantly vomits and retches. If the wind element increases, qi fills and blocks the chest, the bowels and viscera become obstructed, the hands and feet grow limp and weak, and the four limbs ache and turn numb. If the wind element is deficient, the body becomes frail and emaciated, breathing is as faint as a thread, moving about is exhausting, drawing breath is like pulling rope, coughing, burping, and retching arise, the throat and tongue become strained and tight, the belly retracts, the back hunches, the heart feels like ice inside, and the tendons of the neck and the veins of the throat throb and swell. Such various conditions are all caused by the sudden increase or sudden decrease of the four great elements, leading to illness. Once one great element is enfeebled, the other three suffer as well; successively, all fall ill, and together they give rise to former vexations. The four great elements conflict, and the six bowels become difficult to regulate. This is truly due to the evil causes accumulated from previous lives, resulting in the bitter retributions met today. Shameless and ungrateful, devoid of kindness and righteousness, one constantly provides whatever is needed according to the four seasons, nurturing it day and night, yet it has never felt grateful. With the slightest lapse in care, it immediately brings on the suffering of illness. Since we know it has no gratitude, nurturing it is in vain. Even if provided with fine food and splendid clothing, it ultimately turns into feces and filth. One should only seek to sustain the physical frame to dispel hunger and thirst, and never continue as before to accumulate possessions for its sake, exhausting one's mind and neglecting the pursuit of cultivating the Path. This is truly because the body is a vessel of false suffering, and the aggregates are an unfired clay pot—easily damaged and hard to maintain, far more fragile than foam and bubbles. The four great elements are fleeting and empty, mutually clashing to the utmost; the five aggregates are conditionally conditioned and unreal, giving rise to many afflictions. Therefore, receiving a physical form in the human world and encountering this era of filth and defilement, taking on material substance as a body and dwelling in this terrifying realm, the spirits and ghosts of the unseen realms are as countless as the sands of the Ganges, their tribes exceedingly numerous. Without differentiating between blade of grass and lot, they dwell in rooms, attach themselves to shrines, or adhere to mountains and mounds; wherever there are sentient beings, they all respond with reverence. This causes the spirit to become dim and obscure, and one's thoughts to become bewildered and dazed, leading to many terrors whether waking or sleeping. May one, when facing peril, gather one's thoughts without needing to call out three times; when meeting safety amidst dangers, why would it require a thousand recitations? We pray that the divine ways may flourish, their majesty and radiance increase, benefiting living beings with goodness and causing no mutual harm or affliction. These sincere words deserve to be recorded; their truth and efficacy are attested.