釋氏要覽 3.330

3.330

人亡每至七日。必營齋追薦。謂之累七。又云。齋七。瑜伽論云。人死中有身（冥間化起一相。似身傳識。謂之中有）若未得生緣。極七日住（中陰經云中有。極壽七日）若有生緣即不定。若極七日。必死而復生。如是展轉生死。乃至七七日住。自此已後。決定得生。又此中有七日死已。或於此類。由餘業可轉中有種子。便於餘類中有生。今尋經旨。極善惡無中有。既受中有身。即中下品善惡業也。故論云。餘業可轉也。如世七日七日齋福。是中有身。死生之際。以善追助。令中有種子。不轉生惡趣故。由是此日之福。不可闕怠也。

When a person dies, every seventh day one must arrange a fast to make dedications, calling it "cumulative sevens"; it is also called "fasting the sevens." The Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra states: "When a person dies, there is an intermediate state body (a form manifesting in the netherworld, resembling a body transmitting consciousness, called the intermediate state). If it has not yet obtained the conditions for rebirth, it remains for a maximum of seven days (the Antarābhava-sūtra says that the maximum lifespan in the intermediate state is seven days). If conditions for rebirth exist, it is not fixed. At the end of seven days, it inevitably dies and is born again; continuing in this way through births and deaths, it remains for up to seven times seven days (forty-nine days). From this point onward, it is certain to obtain rebirth. Furthermore, after this intermediate state dies on the seventh day, perhaps within this category, by other karmas the seeds of the intermediate state can transform, and it is then born into the intermediate state of another category." Examining the meaning of the sūtras now: for the extremes of good and evil there is no intermediate state; having received an intermediate state body, it belongs to middling or lower-grade good and evil karma. Therefore the śāstra states that "other karmas can transform it." Just as in the world the merit of fasting every seven days comes at the boundary between the death and birth of the intermediate state body, assisting it with goodness causes the seeds of the intermediate state not to transform into birth in the evil destinies. For this reason, the merit of this day must not be neglected or omitted.