諸經要集 19.87

19.87

Furthermore, the *Weicengyou jing* says: A king addressed the Buddha, saying: 'My father, the former king, served non-Buddhists and constantly practiced giving, seeking the merit of the Brahmā heaven. Into what heaven is he reborn from such merit?' The Buddha told the king: 'The retribution of the former king is that he is now in hell. Why? He did not encounter a good time, he did not meet good friends, and he had no good skillful means. Although he cultivated merit, he could not avoid sin; yet the merit of giving is not lost either. When his sins are later exhausted, only then will he receive the merit. You should know that the cultivation of merit does not merge with sin. The former great king had five kinds of evil karma for which he was born in hell: first, he was arrogant and jealous, administering whipping and punishment over matters whether coarse or fine, because he lacked forbearance (kṣānti); second, he was greedy for precious goods and judged matters unfairly, causing all under heaven to harbor resentment; third, he went hunting for sport, distressing the people and harming the lives cherished by living beings; fourth, he was obsessed with women, wearying of the old upon obtaining the new, and treating them unfairly, thus incurring resentment; fifth, he broke the precepts.' By this textual testimony, we know that when serving heterodoxy while cultivating merit, good and evil are always distinct, and the two retributions of suffering and happiness do not commingle. How much more so for one with sharp faculties, vast learning, and correct faith in the Triratna—how could he invite retributions of suffering? Furthermore, the *Weiwu sanmei jing* says: The Buddha told Ānanda: 'Good man, when a person seeks the Way and pacifies dhyāna, he must first cut off thoughts. The reason people born in the world do not attain the Way is solely because their thoughts and defiled contemplations are so numerous. One thought comes, one thought goes; in a single day and night, there are eight hundred and forty million thoughts, rising and ceasing without pause. A single good thought also obtains a good retribution; a single evil thought also obtains an evil retribution—just like an echo answering a sound, or a shadow following a form. Therefore, good and evil, sin and merit, are entirely distinct.'