English
Even if they were really counting beans, their state of mind would not be the same as people today.", "The Only Thing for Reciters of Buddha's Name is Single-Mindedness", "Someone asked: Miaoxi (a Chan Buddhist monk) said: 'Foolish people spend all day fingering prayer beads seeking Pure Land rebirth.' Is reciting the Buddha's name something that only foolish people do? Alas! I have debated this issue before. Miaoxi only said that foolish people spend all day fingering prayer beads seeking Pure Land rebirth, not that foolish people spend all day seeking Pure Land rebirth with single-mindedness. Someone also asked: An ancient master's verse says: 'Few attain Buddhahood, many recite the Buddha's name. Reciting for years, one becomes a demon instead. If you want to easily attain Buddhahood, a mind without thought is better than reciting.' Since we are to recite the Buddha's name without thought, how can we recite with a mind full of thoughts? I say: This is a word of encouragement for those who recite the Buddha's name with a scattered mind and do not contemplate their own mind. The ancient master did not say that those who recite the Buddha's name for a long time with single-mindedness will become demons. Not yet (finished)." ] } ``` -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 曾念佛。先忧有念。是犹饥人欲饮。先忧饱胀而不食者矣。又问。六祖云。东方人造恶。念佛求生西方。意旨何如。曰六祖言恶人念佛求生。不曰善人念佛。一心不乱者求生也。且恶人必不念佛。其有念佛者。伪也。非真念也。喻如恶人修十善求天堂。恶人必不修十善。其有修十善者。伪也。非真修也。曾未有善人一心念佛而不生西方者也。又问。古德云。舍秽取净。是生死业。奈何舍娑婆求极乐。曰彼言舍秽取净者为生死业。不言一心不乱取净土者为生死业也。子未舍秽。先忧取净。与前之忧有念同矣。又问禅宗云。佛之一字。吾不喜闻。又云佛来也杀。魔来也杀。则何为念佛。噫彼言佛之一字。吾不喜闻。不言一心不乱四字。吾不喜闻也。彼言佛来也杀。魔来也杀。不言一心不乱来亦杀也。夫归元无二。方便多闻。是故归家是一。舟车各行。以舟笑车。以车笑舟。俱成戏论。此理自明。无烦赘语矣。又问。近有人言吾不念佛。良繇内有能念之心。外有所念之佛。能所未忘。焉得名道。噫。彼盖以独守空静为道乎。内有能静之心。外有所静之境。不亦能所宛然乎。曷不曰一心不乱则谁能谁所。何内何外也。吾与尔既修净土。止愁不到一心不乱田地。若一心不乱。任他千种讥万种谤。当巍巍不动如泰山耳。更何疑哉。 简藏炼磨 一儒者谓予曰。吾辈负笈从学。必具束修于师。而助馆谷之资于主人。今简藏僧。览常住经典。无所助于常住。而安坐受供。又每季得䞋金五钱。此何说也。予笑曰。公犹未知炼磨期中事乎。一冬之期 ```json { "translations": [ "现代汉语译本", "曾有人问：‘以前没有念佛，现在开始念佛，却先担心自己是否真的在念。’我说，这就像饥饿的人想要喝水，却先担心喝了会腹胀而不去喝一样啊！", "又问：‘六祖慧能（638-713）说，东方人作恶，念佛求生西方极乐世界，这是什么意思？’我说，六祖说的是恶人念佛求生西方，不是说善人一心不乱地念佛才求生西方。而且恶人通常不会念佛，如果他念佛，那也是虚伪的，不是真心念佛。这就像恶人修十善业想求生天堂一样，恶人通常不会修十善业，如果他修十善业，那也是虚伪的，不是真心修持。从来没有善人一心念佛而不能往生西方的。", "又问：‘古德说，舍弃污秽而取清净，是生死的根源。那么，为什么要舍弃娑婆世界而求生极乐世界呢？’我说，他们说舍弃污秽而取清净是生死的根源，但没有说一心不乱地求生净土是生死的根源。你还没有舍弃污秽，就先担心求取清净，这和之前担心念佛一样了。", "又问：‘禅宗说，‘佛’这个字，我都不喜欢听。’又说，‘佛来了就杀，魔来了也杀。’那还念什么佛呢？’唉！他们说不喜欢听‘佛’这个字，但没有说不喜欢听‘一心不乱’这四个字啊！他们说佛来了就杀，魔来了也杀，但没有说一心不乱来了也要杀啊！回归本源没有两样，只是方便法门多种多样。所以，回家只有一条路，但舟和车各有各的用途。用舟来嘲笑车，用车来嘲笑舟，都是戏论。这个道理很明显，无需多说了。", "又问：‘最近有人说，我不念佛，是因为内心有能念的心，外在有所念的佛，能念和所念都没有忘记，怎么能说是得道呢？’唉！他们大概是把独守空寂当作道了吧？内心有能静的心，外在有所静的境，不也是能静和所静宛然存在吗？为什么不说一心不乱，就没有谁能谁所，也没有什么内外之分呢？我们既然修习净土法门，只担心不能达到一心不乱的境界。如果能达到一心不乱，任凭别人千种讥讽万种诽谤，也能巍然不动如泰山。还怀疑什么呢？’", "简藏炼磨", "一位儒生对我说：‘我们这些读书人，必须准备学费给老师，还要资助书院的费用。现在简藏僧（指只阅读经典而不做其他事务的僧人），阅读寺院的经典，却对寺院没有任何贡献，还安稳地接受供养，而且每个季度还能得到五钱银子的补贴。这是什么道理呢？’我笑着说：‘你还不知道炼磨期间的事情吗？一个冬天的期限……’" ], "english_translations": [ "English version", "Someone asked: 'I didn't recite the Buddha's name before, but now I start reciting, and I'm worried about whether I'm really reciting.' I said, 'This is like a hungry person wanting to drink water, but worrying about bloating and not drinking!'", "Another asked: 'The Sixth Patriarch Huineng (638-713) said that if people in the East commit evil and recite the Buddha's name to be reborn in the Western Pure Land, what does that mean?' I said, 'The Sixth Patriarch said that evil people recite the Buddha's name to seek rebirth, not that good people recite the Buddha's name with single-minded concentration to seek rebirth. Moreover, evil people usually don't recite the Buddha's name. If they do, it's hypocrisy, not genuine recitation. It's like an evil person cultivating the ten good deeds to seek rebirth in heaven. Evil people usually don't cultivate the ten good deeds. If they do, it's hypocrisy, not genuine cultivation. There has never been a good person who recites the Buddha's name with single-minded concentration and fails to be reborn in the Western Pure Land.'", "Another asked: 'Ancient sages said that abandoning defilement and grasping purity is the karma of birth and death. So why abandon the Saha world and seek rebirth in the Pure Land?' I said, 'They said that abandoning defilement and grasping purity is the karma of birth and death, but they didn't say that seeking rebirth in the Pure Land with single-minded concentration is the karma of birth and death. You haven't abandoned defilement yet, but you're already worried about grasping purity, which is the same as worrying about reciting the Buddha's name earlier.'", "Another asked: 'The Zen school says, 'I don't like to hear the word 'Buddha'.' And they say, 'If the Buddha comes, kill him; if the demon comes, kill him.' Then what's the point of reciting the Buddha's name?' Alas! They said they don't like to hear the word 'Buddha,' but they didn't say they don't like to hear the four words 'single-minded concentration'! They said if the Buddha comes, kill him; if the demon comes, kill him, but they didn't say that if single-minded concentration comes, kill it too! Returning to the source is no different, but the expedient methods are many and varied. Therefore, there is only one road home, but boats and carts each have their own uses. Using a boat to laugh at a cart, or a cart to laugh at a boat, is all just playful talk. This principle is clear, and there's no need to say more.'", "Another asked: 'Recently, someone said that I don't recite the Buddha's name because there is a mind that can recite internally, and a Buddha to be recited externally. The one who recites and the one who is recited have not been forgotten, so how can it be called attaining the Tao?' Alas! They probably regard guarding emptiness and stillness as the Tao? Internally, there is a mind that can be still, and externally, there is a state of stillness. Aren't the one who is still and the state of stillness clearly present? Why not say that with single-minded concentration, there is no one who can and no one who is, and there is no internal or external? Since we cultivate the Pure Land path, we only worry about not reaching the state of single-minded concentration. If we can reach single-minded concentration, then no matter how much others ridicule or slander us, we will remain steadfast like Mount Tai. What else is there to doubt?'", "Jian Cang Lian Mo (Simple Storage and Refinement)", "A Confucian scholar said to me: 'We scholars must prepare tuition for the teacher and also subsidize the academy's expenses. Now, Jian Cang monks (monks who only read scriptures and do nothing else) read the monastery's scriptures but make no contribution to the monastery, yet they sit comfortably and receive offerings, and they even receive a subsidy of five qian (ancient Chinese currency) of silver every quarter. What is the reason for this?' I smiled and said, 'Don't you know about the matters during the refinement period? A winter's term...'" ] } ``` -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 。先致米一石于常住。而昼夜鞭逼念佛。无斯须停息。仍每日必负薪。或远在十余里之外。打七然后暂免。何不移简藏之供。而供此苦功办道之行人乎。时僧颠倒。以至于是。处处皆然。吾亦不知其何说也。 云栖法汇(四十八问答录出) 问。放生鱼鸟等。念佛持咒。愿彼往生。可往生否。答。罪轻缘热。承法力亦得往生。罪重缘疏。止灭罪改形善趣。放生咒愿之人。福不唐丧。目连度蜂。作盟证。 寿光禅师偈云 放生赎命事虽庸 无限阴功在此中 一岁积成千种福 十年培养万重功 已赴网罗遭困厄 将投汤火近惊忡 临形遇赦恩无极 彼寿隆兮尔寿隆 净业弟子 (虞执西 严培西)同敬录 云栖净土汇语(终) No. 1170-A 附 答虞德园 前与彼辨者。姑置勿论。更辨之。前辨是折伏狂愚。今辨是与贤智者。平气商确。乞勿作一例视之。极知居士爱我。必欲此刻为全书耳。我今此辨。亦如居士爱我。惟谅照是幸。 共命鸟 非也已。改作恐非矣。然不可不辨。共命不专极乐。雪山五天竺皆有之。法华诸经屡取为喻。注释者止言两头。及翻译名义俱然。曾无人身之说。即鸡头摩所传图绘。然亦无存。亦未闻何经传载。此五通菩萨。言是人身也。岂得以工匠所作为准凭耶。故前辨云。有经论出载则可。且极乐地平如掌。无有诸山。今装塑西方境。作山形。安可信也。时人于古圣贤注疏。恒求其错。工匠人所作。反蹈常袭。故不敢作 ```json { "translations": [ "现代汉语译本", "先拿出米一石供给常住（寺院），然后日夜鞭打逼迫僧人念佛，没有片刻停息。仍然每天必须背柴，有时远在十几里之外，打七（禅七）之后才暂时免除。为什么不把简藏的供养，用来供养这些苦修办道的修行人呢？现在的僧人真是颠倒，以至于此。处处都是这样，我也不知道该怎么说了。", "——《云栖法汇》(四十八问答录出)", "问：放生鱼鸟等，为它们念佛持咒，希望它们往生，可以往生吗？", "答：罪业轻，因缘成熟，凭借佛法的力量也可以往生。罪业重，因缘疏远，只能灭罪改形，往生善道。放生咒愿的人，福报不会白费。就像目连尊者度蜂一样，可以作为盟誓的证明。", "寿光禅师偈语说：", "‘放生赎命事虽庸，无限阴功在此中。", "一岁积成千种福，十年培养万重功。", "已赴网罗遭困厄，将投汤火近惊忡。", "临形遇赦恩无极，彼寿隆兮尔寿隆。’", "净业弟子 虞执西（人名），严培西（人名） 同敬录", "《云栖净土汇语》(终)", "No. 1170-A 附", "答虞德园（人名）", "之前与他辩论的人，姑且放在一边不论。现在再辩论，之前的辩论是为了折服狂妄愚蠢之人，现在的辩论是与贤能智慧的人，平心静气地商榷，请不要把它们看作一回事。非常了解居士爱护我，一定要把此刻的辩论收入全书。我现在进行这场辩论，也像居士爱护我一样，希望您能谅解。", "共命鸟（佛教传说中的鸟）", "不是这样的。改作恐怕不对。然而不可不辨明。共命鸟不专属于极乐世界，雪山和五天竺（古印度）都有。法华（《法华经》）等经典多次用它来作比喻。注释的人只说有两个头，以及翻译的名义都是这样。从来没有人身的说法。即使是鸡头摩（人名）所传的图画，现在也没有留存。也没听说哪部经典记载，这是五通菩萨（具有五种神通的菩萨）说的是人身。怎么能以工匠所作的作为准则呢？所以之前辩论说，有经典论著记载才可以。而且极乐世界地平坦如手掌，没有山。现在装塑西方（极乐世界）的景象，做成山形，怎么能相信呢？现在的人对于古圣贤的注释，总是想找出错误，对于工匠所作的，反而因循守旧，所以不敢妄作。" ], "english_translations": [ "English version", "First, offer one *shi* (unit of dry measure) of rice to the Sangha (monastery), and then whip and force the monks to recite the Buddha's name day and night without a moment's rest. They must still carry firewood every day, sometimes from more than ten *li* (unit of distance) away, and only be temporarily exempted after a seven-day retreat. Why not use the offerings for the simple storage to support these practitioners who cultivate the path through diligent effort? The monks of today are truly inverted, to the point of this. It's like this everywhere, and I don't know what to say.", "—From *Yunqi Fahui* (Selected from Forty-Eight Questions and Answers)", "Question: If we release fish and birds, etc., and recite the Buddha's name and mantras for them, hoping they will be reborn in the Pure Land, is it possible for them to be reborn?", "Answer: If their sins are light and the conditions are ripe, they can be reborn through the power of the Dharma. If their sins are heavy and the conditions are unfavorable, they can only eliminate their sins, change their form, and be reborn in a good realm.