No. 1180-A重訂西方公據敘
吳門諸信士集西方公據一書行世。閱今四十餘年。板漸模糊。或欲重刊新本。屬予校其得失。予閱其書。所繪諸圖。誘掖之意頗勤。而於古德遺文。信手攈拾。都無倫次。其詞句亦間有謬誤。不可不正也。於是芟煩補闕。釐為七門。由淺既深。背小向大。庶乎淨土之指南矣。公據之名。本東坡居士。東坡南行。以阿彌陀佛畫像自隨。曰。此軾往生公據也。至疾亟時。一方外友䇿以西方之事。東坡曰。西方不無。然箇裏著力不得。又云。著力即差。夫生死之際著力不得者。由其平日未嘗著力也。未嘗著力而曰著力即差。是猶枵腹而談龍肉也。吾甚惜東坡知有西方。而不能發至誠心深心回向發願心。徒取口頭解脫。遂至束手臨岐而莫能自拔。豈不痛哉。菩薩從十信初心。發大勇猛。起大精進。歷十住十行十回向。復從初地乃至八地。方入無功用道。然猶不舍悲願。饒益眾生。不如是。無以滿足菩提分故。安有凡夫地中。未曾發足。便擬懸車。亦終老死於蓬蓽之間而已。將次探泰華之嵯峨。窮江湖之浩渺。其可得乎。是書出。普願見聞隨喜。如說修行。不離當處。而脚下蓮華大如車輪。三心具足。一念往生。猶壯士之伸臂。不煩著力。正好著力。儻復較量於得與不得之間。真似癡人說夢也。遂錄付刻工而識其緣起如此。
The book *Western Testament* was compiled by lay devotees from the Wu region and has circulated for over forty years. As the printing blocks have gradually worn down, some wish to reprint a new edition and entrusted me to review its merits and flaws. Upon reading it, I found the illustrations earnest in their intent to guide, but the selected writings of ancient masters were gathered haphazardly without proper order, and the wording occasionally contained errors that needed correction. Thus, I removed redundancies, filled omissions, and organized the text into seven sections, progressing from shallow to deep, turning from the lesser toward the greater, making it a true guide to the Pure Land.
The name "Testament" originates from Layman Su Dongpo. When Dongpo traveled south, he carried an image of Amitabha Buddha with him, saying, "This is my testament for rebirth." Yet when gravely ill, a monastic friend urged him toward the Western Pure Land. Dongpo replied, "The West is not nonexistent, but one cannot force it here," adding, "To force it is mistaken." That one cannot force matters at the moment of death is due to never having exerted effort in ordinary times. Never having exerted effort, yet saying "to force it is mistaken," is like discussing dragon meat while starving. I deeply regret that Dongpo knew of the Western Pure Land but failed to arouse sincere resolve, profound faith, and the mind of dedication and aspiration—merely grasping at verbal liberation, leaving him helpless at the crossroads, unable to save himself. How sorrowful!
A bodhisattva, from the initial stage of faith, arouses great courage and diligence, passes through the ten abodes, ten practices, and ten dedications, and from the first ground to the eighth ground, enters the effortless way. Yet even then, they do not abandon compassionate vows to benefit beings. Without this, the factors of enlightenment cannot be fulfilled. How could an ordinary person, without even taking the first step, expect to halt the cart? They would only grow old and die within their thatched hut. To then hope to ascend the towering peaks of Mount Tai or Mount Hua, or to explore the vastness of rivers and lakes—how could that be possible?
May all who encounter this book rejoice, practice as taught, and without leaving their present place, find lotus blossoms beneath their feet as large as chariot wheels. With the three minds complete, rebirth in a single thought is like a strong man stretching his arm—no need to force it, yet precisely where effort is rightly applied. To still calculate between attainment and non-attainment is truly like a fool discussing dreams. I thus recorded this for the engravers and noted its origin here.
乾隆五十七年夏六月知歸學人彭際清題於文星閣僧舍