諸經要集 19.5

19.5

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.