諸經要集 8.86

8.86

若欲修造。理須如法。造作雖少。得福無量。若不依法。縱多無益。故佛在金棺敬福經云。經像主莫論道。雇經像之匠。莫云客作。造佛布施。二人獲福。不可度量。欲說其福。窮劫不盡。受吾約勅。是佛真子。如是精誠。造少福多。問工匠之法。作經像得物。合取直不。佛言。不得取價直。如賣父母取財者。逆過三千。真是天魔。急離吾佛法。非我眷屬。飲酒食肉五辛之徒。不依聖教。雖造經像數如塵沙。其福甚少。蓋不足言。劫燒之時。不入海龍王宮。勞而少功。不敬之罪。死入地獄。主匠無益。諸天不祐。不如不造。直心禮拜。得福無量。如向所列。造多福少。若像師造像。不具相者。五百萬世中。諸根不具。第一盡心為上。妙果先升。

If one wishes to build or fabricate [images or texts], it must by principle accord with the Dharma. Even if the making is small, the merit obtained will be boundless; if it does not accord with the Dharma, even if vast, it is of no benefit. Therefore, the Fozai jinguanguan jingfu jing says: "The commissioner of sūtras and images must not haggle over price; the artisan hired for sūtras and images must not treat it as mere wage labor. When one makes a Buddha [image] and gives it away, both persons obtain immeasurable merit. If one wished to expound that merit, kalpas would be exhausted before one finished. Those who accept my injunctions are true children of the Buddha. With such devotion and sincerity, though the production is small, the merit is great." Question: "Concerning the artisan's method: when he makes sūtras and images and receives goods, is it permissible to take a price?" The Buddha said: "He must not take a price. To take goods like one selling one's parents is an outrage surpassing the three thousand [punishments]; such a person is truly a heavenly Māra. Let him quickly depart from my Buddha-Dharma; he is not of my retinue. Those who drink alcohol, eat meat, and consume the five pungent roots do not rely on the holy teachings; though they make sūtras and images numerous as grains of sand, their merit is exceedingly small—scarcely worth mentioning. At the time of the kalpa-fire, they will not enter the palace of the Ocean Dragon King; they will toil with little result. For the sin of irreverence, upon death they enter hell; it is of no benefit to either patron or artisan, and the devas will not protect them. It would be better not to make them, but simply worship with a straightforward mind—one will then obtain immeasurable merit. As listed above, much is made but little merit gained. If an image-maker crafts an image and fails to make the marks complete, for five million lifetimes his sense faculties will be incomplete. Utmost devotion is foremost; the wondrous fruit will be attained first."