佛說佛名經 16.19

16.19

"Arousing such seven kinds of minds, and focusing the mind on the Buddhas and noble worthies of the ten directions, one joins the hands, palms together, completely and sincerely exposes oneself, feeling shame and reforming, pouring out one's heart and washing clean the entrails. In performing kṣamā in this way, what sin would not be eradicated, what hindrance would not be dissolved? If, on the other hand, one remains unhurried, lax, and indulges one's inclinations, one merely wears out one's physical form in vain—what benefit could there be? Moreover, human life is impermanent, like a moving torch: once a single breath fails to return, one immediately turns to ashes and earth; the painful retributions of the three bad destinies must then be personally endured, and one cannot offer money or precious goods to seek release. In murky darkness, pardon is without end; alone one suffers this torment, with no one to endure it in one's place. Do not say, 'In my present life I do not have such sins, so I cannot perform sincere kṣamā.' A sūtra says: 'Whenever an ordinary person lifts a foot or takes a step, it is nothing other than sin.' Furthermore, in past lives all have accumulated measureless evil karma, which pursues the practitioner like a shadow following a form. If one does not perform kṣamā today, the sins and evils will grow deeper day by day; therefore, concealing one's faults is not permitted in the Buddha's teaching. Performing kṣamā for past sins is praised by Vimalakīrti; know therefore that sinking long into the sea of suffering truly stems from concealing [them].