破不信地獄 四八
Breaking the Hell of Unbelief 48
或曰地獄之說不足信也一元曰牢獄之說亦不足信也曰牢獄現存焉可不信曰牢獄雖存吾即無也或曰師雖不受牢獄之苦亦不可以斷其無曰如是如是地獄亦現在子何不信乎或曰朱子所言人死之後形既朽滅神亦飄散雖有剉燒舂磨具無所施是以冥府十王不足信也明矣一元曰朱子之說謬之甚矣反越夫子之大理又失自己之妄言我以審問朱子既以神亦飄散如何却有鬼神孔子曰敬鬼神而遠之非其鬼而祭之又曰為之宗廟以鬼饗之春秋祭祀以時思之又曰生則親安之祭則鬼饗之又曰宗廟致敬鬼神著矣孝弟之致通於神明又曰禹吾無間然矣菲飲食而致孝乎鬼神禮記孔子曰人死曰鬼此五代之所不變也由此觀之不唯夫子所說鬼神乃百家諸子皆共說之不見聖經賢傳中盡載鬼神之事豈無朱子之言乎朱子又言范文正公曰若獨享富貴而不恤宗族異日何以見祖宗於地下將何顏以入家廟乎既謂形朽滅神飄散泯然無迹何人在於地下家廟乎何人去見祖宗乎如此者朱子之欺心妄語斯可見矣昔日唐太宗早聞武后欲壞其成法故欲殺之袁天剛曰殺之則再生人世怨怒愈深太宗然之故令為尼建立感業寺處之出劉三吳細鑑唯通鑑略之天剛謂再生人世怨怒愈深朱子謂形朽滅神飄散兩家之言天地懸隔孰是孰非夫天剛明理之人也豈眾人可同日而語哉又司馬溫公與元城劉先生曰佛家言天堂地獄且夫實有此否元城曰佛之設此有理有迹推其理俾人易惡向善耳論其迹則實有地獄也且鄒衍謂天地之外如神州赤縣者八九莊子謂六合之外聖人存而弗論凡人耳目所不及安知其無溫公動容而服膺自此敬佛復引古德云天堂無則已有則君子登地獄無則已有則小人入誠哉是言也今將一喻以破多惑諸仁者汝等有夢否曰有夢曰夢中曾受苦樂否曰曾受苦樂余曰受苦樂之時要見是身受耶神受耶或曰身臥於床豈是身也曰元來是神受耶地獄之苦皆是䰟神受之實非形體也在生夢中尚有苦樂況死去而無地獄乎若聽朱子之言反累後人入地獄也何則若有不信罪福之徒使其放縱造惡而墮地獄却不是反被朱子之害也朱子故排佛氏謬出此言而惑其眾是以不足信也明矣噫胡子不懼地獄偽造崇正之辯誹謗大聖誑惑迷人令自他同入地獄可悲也哉嗚呼牢獄有作者去受地獄有亦是作者去受我不作牢獄之罪不受牢獄之刑不造地獄之業不受地獄之苦豈可執其己見斷其無也或曰如是如是何以修持不墮地獄一元曰汝等堅持齋戒念佛參禪果證菩提高超極樂依此而行非但地獄不去受天堂亦不去受也。
Someone said, "The teachings about the hell realm are not credible." Yiyuan replied, "Then the idea of prisons is not credible either." The person said, "Prisons exist right now—how can you not believe in them?" Yiyuan said, "Prisons certainly exist, but for me there are none." The person said, "Even if the master does not personally suffer the torments of prison, you still cannot conclude that prisons don't exist." Yiyuan said, "Exactly, exactly—the hell realm likewise exists right now. Why don't you believe in it?"
The person said, "What Master Zhu said is that after death the body decays and the spirit scatters; even if there were instruments for hacking, burning, pounding, and grinding, there would be no one to apply them to. Therefore it is clear that the Ten Kings of the underworld are not to be believed." Yiyuan said, "Master Zhu's claim is deeply mistaken. It turns against the Master's own great principles and also contradicts his own careless words. Let me examine this: if Zhu Xi holds that the spirit scatters, how is it that there are still ghosts and spirits? Confucius said, 'Respect ghosts and spirits and keep them at a distance,' and 'To sacrifice to a spirit that is not one's own is flattery.' He also said, 'They established ancestral temples so that ghosts might receive offerings,' and 'offer sacrifices in spring and autumn, remembering them in due season.' He also said, 'While alive, one brings comfort to one's parents; after death, ghosts receive the offerings.' He also said, 'When one pays respect in the ancestral temple, the ghosts and spirits are manifest.' The utmost of filial piety and fraternal duty reaches through to the divine. He also said, 'For Yu I find no fault: he was sparing in food and drink but lavish in filial offerings to ghosts and spirits.' The Book of Rites records Confucius saying, 'When a person dies, he is called a ghost—this the Five Dynasties did not change.' From this we see that ghosts and spirits were spoken of not only by the Master but by all the philosophers and schools alike. Do we not see that the sagely scriptures and worthy traditions are filled with accounts of ghosts and spirits? How could Zhu Xi's words stand?
Zhu Xi also quotes Lord Fan Wenzheng: 'If I alone enjoy wealth and honor and do not care for my clan, how will I face my ancestors underground in days to come? With what face will I enter the family temple?' If, as he says, the body decays and the spirit scatters without a trace, then who is it that is underground and in the family temple? Who goes to see the ancestors? In this way Zhu Xi's self-deceiving and reckless words become evident.
Long ago, Emperor Taizong of Tang learned early that Empress Wu would destroy his established laws, so he wanted to kill her. Yuan Tiangang said, "If you kill her, she will be reborn into the world and her resentment will only deepen." Taizong agreed, and so had her made a nun, establishing the Ganye Temple to place her there. (This comes from Liu Sanwu's Detailed Mirror; the Comprehensive Mirror omits it.) Tiangang's words—"reborn into the world, resentment deepening"—and Zhu Xi's words—"the body decays, the spirit scatters"—are as far apart as heaven and earth. Which is right and which is wrong? Tiangang was a man who understood principle—how could he be spoken of in the same breath as ordinary people?
Also, Sima Wengong said to Mr. Liu of Yuancheng, "The Buddhist teachings speak of heaven and hell—do such things actually exist?" Yuancheng said, "The Buddha established these teachings with both principle and evidence. Examining the principle, it is to make people turn from evil and incline toward good. Examining the evidence, hell truly exists. Moreover, Zou Yan said that beyond heaven and earth there are eight or nine regions like Shenzhou and the Red County; Zhuangzi said that of what lies beyond the six directions, the sage preserves it but does not discuss it. What ordinary people's eyes and ears do not reach—how can one know it does not exist?" Wengong was moved and accepted this wholeheartedly; from then on he respected the Buddha. He further cited an ancient worthy: "If heaven did not exist, that would be the end of it; but since it exists, the noble enter it. If hell did not exist, that would be the end of it; but since it exists, the petty enter it." Truly, these are wise words.
Now let me use one analogy to dispel many doubts. Good people, do you have dreams? They said, "We have dreams." He said, "In dreams have you ever experienced suffering and pleasure?" They said, "We have experienced suffering and pleasure." I said, "When you experience suffering and pleasure, is it the body that experiences it or the spirit?" Someone said, "The body lies in bed—how could it be the body?" I said, "So it is the spirit that experiences it. The sufferings of hell are all experienced by the soul, not by the physical body. Even while alive, in dreams there is still suffering and pleasure—how much more after death, when there is no hell?"
If one listens to Zhu Xi's words, one instead burdens later generations and causes them to fall into hell. Why? If there are those who do not believe in sin and blessing, and one lets them act without restraint and do evil, and they fall into hell—is that not, then, being harmed by Zhu Xi instead? Zhu Xi deliberately opposed the Buddhists and recklessly produced these words to confuse the multitude. Therefore they are clearly not to be believed.
Alas! The lay scholar Hu, unafraid of hell, fabricated the treatise "Exalting Orthodoxy" to slander the great sage and deceive deluded people, causing himself and others alike to fall into hell—how pitiful!
Oh! If there is one who commits a crime deserving prison, he goes to suffer the punishment of prison. If there is one who commits a crime deserving hell, he likewise goes to suffer it. If I do not commit the crime deserving prison, I do not suffer the punishment of prison. If I do not create the karma of hell, I do not suffer the sufferings of hell. How can one cling to one's own view and declare that it does not exist?
Someone said, "Exactly, exactly—but how should one practice so as not to fall into hell?" Yiyuan said, "You should firmly uphold the Precepts, practice Buddha Recitation and Zen Meditation, and realize Enlightenment, transcending to the Pure Land. Practice in this way, and not only will you not go to suffer in hell—you will not go to enjoy heaven either."