---
title: "雲棲法彙（選錄） · 放生文"
description: "雲棲法彙是明代高僧袾宏的著作彙編，由後人輯錄補印而成。袾宏世稱蓮池大師，身處明末佛教復興時期，他融通禪教律而歸宗淨土，力主念佛往生。該書內容廣博，涵蓋經論註疏、禪修指導、戒律闡釋、淨土法門及書信雜文等，系統闡述了其圓融的佛學思想與修行實踐。作為中國佛教史上具有深遠影響的文獻，雲棲法彙集中體現了明代淨土宗的理論精髓與實修體系，對後世漢傳佛教特別是淨土信仰的發展起到了重要的推動與規範作用。"
url: "https://rushiwowen.co/en/r/cmgn10lks1n3ejl044n9ha70a"
---

### ○放生文

> Liberation of Living Beings

蓋聞世間至重者生命，天下最慘者殺傷。

> I have heard that in this world, nothing is more precious than life, and nothing is more tragic than killing and harming.

至重有二：一者、世人於金寶、官爵、妻子以至己身，皆其所重，然不可得兼，則重之中必取其尤重者。是以為救己身，不吝金寶；為救己身，不惜官爵；為救己身，不顧妻子，故云至重。二者、凡厥有生，皆能作佛，則生為佛種，故云至重。最慘者，如捶打等，雖皆苦事，未至斷命，惟殺最慘。

> There are two things of utmost importance. First, people in the world value gold and treasures, official rank, wife and children, and even their own body—all of these they hold dear. Yet when they cannot have all at once, they must choose the most important among the important. Thus, to save their own body, they do not begrudge gold and treasures; to save their own body, they do not spare official rank; to save their own body, they do not care for wife and children. Therefore, it is called the utmost importance. Second, all living beings can become Buddhas, so life is the seed of Buddhahood—hence it is called the utmost importance. As for the most cruel act, such as beating and striking, though these are all painful, they do not end life. Only killing is the most cruel.

是故逢擒則奔，蟣蝨猶知避死；將雨而徙，螻蟻尚且貪生。

> Therefore, when captured, they flee—even lice and fleas know to avoid death. Before rain falls, they move—even ants and mole crickets cling to life.

因命至重，為全命故；因殺至慘，為逃殺故。是以蟣蝨螻蟻，皆知避死貪生。微命尚然，大者可知也。

> Life is precious above all, so we act to preserve it; killing is the most dreadful act, so we flee from taking life. Even lice, fleas, and ants know to avoid death and cling to existence. If even the tiniest beings cherish life this way, how much more must the greater ones?

何乃網於山、罟於淵，多方掩取；曲而鉤，直而矢，百計搜羅。

> Why cast nets on the mountains and traps in the deep, capturing by every means? Bend to hook, straight to arrow—devising countless schemes to snare and seize.

一切眾生，既皆避死貪生，何乃昧此良心，行諸毒事，網擒山獸，罟覓淵魚，俯水垂鉤，仰空發矢，以至暗施陷阱，密設牢籠，百計多方，莫能盡舉，良可歎也。

> Every living being naturally flees death and clings to life. So how can anyone, turning a blind eye to their own conscience, commit such cruel acts—spreading nets to catch mountain beasts, casting traps to snare fish in the deep, dropping hooks into the water, shooting arrows into the sky, even secretly laying pits and quietly setting cages? There are countless ways, too many to list, and it is truly a cause for deep sorrow.

使其膽落魂飛，母離子散。

> That it causes them to be terrified out of their wits, and separated from their mothers and children.

如上網罟鉤矢，見之驚怖，則魂膽飛揚；中之喪亡，則母兒離散。如人遭亂世，兵火臨身，一何異乎！

> Like nets, hooks, and arrows, they bring terror at the sight, making the soul and courage fly away; when struck, they bring ruin, scattering mothers and children apart. How is this any different from one caught in a turbulent age, with flames of war closing in?

或囚籠檻，則如處囹圄；或被刀砧，則同臨剮戮。

> Those who are imprisoned in cages or shackles suffer as if confined in a dungeon; those subjected to blades or chopping blocks face a fate akin to execution.

幽繫之，則禁錮不異囹圄；宰割之，則痛苦同於剮戮。設以身處，當何如其為情也？

> If we chain them up, their confinement is no different from imprisonment; if we slaughter them, their agony is the same as execution. Put ourselves in their place—how would we feel?

憐兒之鹿，舐瘡痕而寸斷柔腸；畏死之猿，望弓影而雙垂悲淚。

> The deer, moved by pity for its young, licks its wounds as its tender heart breaks inch by inch; the ape, fearing death, sees the shadow of a bow and sheds bitter tears from both eyes.

憐兒之鹿者，許真君少時好畋獵，一日射中一鹿，鹿母為舐瘡痕，良久不活，鹿母亦死。真君剖其腹視之，腸寸寸斷，蓋為憐子死，悲傷過甚，至於斷腸。真君大恨悔過，折弓矢入山修道，後證仙品，拔宅飛昇。此證上文母子離散意。畏死之猿者，楚王與養繇基出獵，遇猿，令射之，猿望見繇基即淚下。蓋猿臂柔捷，能接飛矢，繇基神射，矢到之處，臂不及接，知其必死而悲也。此證上文魂膽飛揚意。

> The hunter who pitied the deer: When Xu Zhenjun was young, he loved hunting. One day, he shot a deer. The mother deer licked the wound, but the deer did not survive, and the mother died as well. When Zhenjun cut open her belly, he found her intestines broken inch by inch—because she grieved so deeply for her child's death that her heart broke. Filled with deep regret, Zhenjun threw away his bow and arrows, went into the mountains to cultivate the Way, and later attained immortality, ascending with his entire household. This illustrates the meaning of mother and child being separated, as mentioned above. The ape that feared death: The King of Chu went hunting with Yang Youji. They encountered an ape, and the king ordered him to shoot it. When the ape saw Youji, it immediately wept. This is because the ape's arms are agile and can catch flying arrows, but with Youji's divine archery, the moment the arrow arrives, the arms cannot catch it in time—so the ape knew it would surely die and wept in sorrow. This illustrates the meaning of the soul and spirit scattering in fear, as mentioned above.

恃我強而陵彼弱，理恐非宜；食他肉而補己身，心將安忍？

> Relying on my own strength to bully the weak is hardly appropriate; consuming the flesh of others to nourish my own body—how can my heart bear it?

觀上二事，則知殺生甚所不應。且世人謂禽獸之肉，人所應食，不知皆是強陵弱耳。不然，猛虎食人，亦將曰人之肉，虎所應食乎？螳螂食蟬，雀食螳螂，鷹鸇食雀，弱之肉，強之食，此理甚明，當不疑也。又世人謂蔬食者瘠，肉食者肥，為肥己身，不念他苦，人心安在哉？

> Reflecting on these two points, it becomes clear that killing living beings is utterly wrong. Some people claim that meat from animals is rightfully human food, not realizing this is merely the strong oppressing the weak. If that logic held, when a tiger eats a person, could we also say human flesh is rightful tiger food? A mantis eats a cicada, a bird eats the mantis, a hawk eats the bird—the weak become prey of the strong. This principle is obvious and should not be doubted. Others argue that vegetarians are thin while meat-eaters are fat, seeking only to fatten their own bodies without considering other beings' suffering—where is the humanity in that?

繇是昊天垂憫，古聖行仁。

> Thus Heaven above showed its compassion, and the ancient sages practiced kindness.

繇世迷，故殺氣動天。而天本好生，常示下民，下民不知，是以殺生太重，則雨暘不時，刀兵災起。人修善事，則年歲豐登，海宇寧謐。世人殺生，是逆天也。古之聖人，因此上順天心，下悲物命，行仁救濟，事見下文。

> Because the world is lost in confusion, the energy of violence stirs the heavens. Yet Heaven itself loves life and constantly shows this to the people below—but the people do not understand. Thus, when killing is too heavy, rain and sunshine fall out of season, and disasters of war arise. When people cultivate good deeds, harvests are abundant and the world is at peace. The killing of living beings by people is an act against Heaven. Therefore, the sages of old, aligning above with Heaven's heart and below with compassion for all creatures, practiced kindness and brought relief. Their deeds are recorded below.

解網著於成湯，畜魚興於子產。

> The net was cast aside by King Tang, and the keeping of fish began with Zi Chan.

解網者，商王成湯出，遇獵人，布四面網，祝曰：「從天來者，從地來者，從四方來者，皆入吾網。」湯為解三面，止留其一，改祝曰：「欲左者左，欲右者右，欲上者上，欲下者下，不用命者，乃入吾網。」畜魚者，鄭大夫子產，人有饋之生魚者，子產不食，令校人畜之池中。觀此二事，則知放生非獨佛教，儒中君子，無不奉行。

> The one who loosened the nets: King Cheng Tang of Shang once came upon hunters who had spread nets on all four sides, praying: "Let those from the heavens, from the earth, and from all four directions come into my nets." Tang loosened three sides, leaving only one, and changed the prayer to: "Those who wish to go left, go left; those who wish to go right, go right; those who wish to go up, go up; those who wish to go down, go down. Only those who do not obey will enter my nets." As for the one who kept fish: Zi Chan, a senior minister of the state of Zheng, was once gifted a live fish. He did not eat it, but had his caretaker keep it in a pond. From these two examples, we can see that releasing living beings is not unique to Buddhism—Confucian gentlemen have always practiced it as well.

聖哉流水，潤枯槁以囊泉；悲矣釋迦，代危亡而割肉。

> Holy is the flowing water, nourishing the withered with its spring; gracious is Shakyamuni, sacrificing his flesh to save those in peril.

囊泉者，《金光明經》流水長者子出，見十千遊魚困涸水中將欲危斃，用象囊水傾注得全，復為說法，魚命過皆生天上。割肉者，釋迦牟尼佛往昔為菩薩時，遇鷹逐鴿，鴿見菩薩投身避難，鷹語菩薩：「爾欲救鴿，奈何令我饑餓而死？」菩薩問鷹：「汝須何食？」鷹答：「食肉。」菩薩割臂肉償之，鷹欲肉與鴿等，菩薩割肉彌割彌輕，至肉將盡不能等鴿，鷹問：「生悔恨否？」菩薩答言：「吾無一念悔恨，若此語不虛，當令吾肉生長如故。」立誓願已身肉如故，鷹化天帝身空中禮拜讚歎。

> The story of the water bag comes from the "Golden Light Sutra," where the elder's son, Flowing Water, saw ten thousand fish trapped in a dried-up pond, about to die. He used a water bag to carry water and pour it in, saving their lives. He then preached the Dharma to them, and after the fish died, they were all reborn in heaven. The story of cutting flesh concerns Shakyamuni Buddha in a past life as a bodhisattva. A hawk was chasing a dove, and the dove took refuge with the bodhisattva. The hawk said to him, "If you want to save the dove, how can you let me starve to death?" The bodhisattva asked, "What do you need to eat?" The hawk replied, "Meat." The bodhisattva cut flesh from his own arm to offer it, but the hawk demanded the flesh be equal in weight to the dove. As the bodhisattva cut more and more, the flesh grew lighter, and when it was nearly gone, it still couldn't match the dove's weight. The hawk asked, "Do you feel regret?" The bodhisattva replied, "I have not a single thought of regret. If these words are true, may my flesh be restored as before." Having made this vow, his flesh returned to its original state. The hawk then revealed himself as the Heavenly King, bowed in the sky, and offered praise.

天台智者，鑿放生之池；大樹仙人，護棲身之鳥。

> The wise master of Tiantai dug a pond to release living creatures; the great tree immortal protected the birds that nested in his care.

鑿池者，天台智者大師，諱智顗，隋煬帝號為智者，曾鑿池勸人放生。又不但智者，古來多有此事，今西湖亦古放生池也。世遠人亡，時更法壞，漁火星飛於水面矣，悲夫！護鳥者，古有仙人，常坐一大樹下，思禪入定。有鳥棲其懷中，恐驚鳥，故跏趺不動，候鳥別棲，然後出定。慈物之心，一至於是。

> The pond-digger was Master Zhiyi, the Great Master of Tiantai, whose personal name was Zhiyi. Emperor Yang of the Sui dynasty gave him the title "the Wise One." He once dug a pond and urged people to release living creatures into it. Nor was he the only one—many throughout history have done such things. Even today's West Lake was an ancient release-life pond. But as the ages pass and the people are gone, times change and the Dharma declines, and now the glimmer of fishing lights flickers across its waters. How sad! As for the bird-protector: in ancient times there was an immortal who always sat beneath a great tree, meditating and entering concentration. A bird nested in his lap, and fearing to startle it, he held perfectly still in the cross-legged posture, waiting until the bird had settled elsewhere before rising from his meditation. Such was the depth of his compassion for living beings.

贖鱗蟲而得度壽，禪師之遺愛猶存；救龍子而傳方孫，真人之慈風未泯。

> She paid to save the scaly creatures and gained a long life—the loving kindness of the Zen Master still remains. He rescued the dragon's child and passed down the method to his descendants—the compassionate spirit of the True Man has not faded.

贖鱗蟲者，永明大師，諱延壽。吳越王鎮杭，師為餘杭縣庫吏，屢以庫錢買魚蝦等物放之。後坐監守自盜，法當棄市。王頗知其放生也，諭行刑者觀其辭色以覆。師臨死地，面無戚容。人怪之，師曰：「吾於庫錢毫無私用，盡買放生命，莫知其數。今死徑生西方極樂世界，不亦樂乎？」王聞而釋之，乃出家為僧，修禪禮懺，得無礙辯才。師涅槃後，有僧入冥，見閻羅王時時出座，禮一僧像。問之，則陽間永明壽禪師也，已生西方上品上生。王敬其德，故時禮耳。救龍子者，孫真人未得仙時，出遇村童擒一蛇，困憊將死，真人買放水中。後默坐間，一青衣來請，隨而赴之。至一公府，則世所謂水晶宮也。王者延置上座，曰：「小兒昨者出遊，非先生則幾死矣。」設宴畢，出種種珍寶為謝。真人辭不受，曰：「吾聞龍宮多祕方，傳吾救世，賢於金玉多矣。」王遂出玉笈三十六方。真人繇此醫術彌精，後證仙品。

> The one who redeemed the scaled creature was Master Yongming, whose ordained name was Yanshou. When the King of Wuyue governed Hangzhou, the Master served as a clerk of the treasury in Yuhang County. He repeatedly used treasury money to buy fish, shrimp, and other creatures to set them free. Later he was charged with embezzling public funds as a custodian, and by law was condemned to public execution. The King knew quite well that he had been releasing living beings, so he instructed the executioner to observe his words and expression and report back. As the Master faced death, his face showed no sorrow. People found this strange, and the Master said: "I have not used a single coin of the treasury money for myself—all of it went to buying and freeing living creatures, beyond counting. Now by dying I go straight to be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Is that not a joy?" When the King heard this, he released him, and the Master left home to become a monk. He practiced Chan and performed repentance rituals, and attained unobstructed eloquence. After the Master entered Nirvana, a monk went to the underworld and saw King Yama repeatedly rising from his seat to pay homage to the portrait of a monk. When asked about it, it turned out to be the Chan Master Shou of Yongming in the land of the living, who had already been reborn in the West in the highest grade of the highest tier. The King revered his virtue, and so paid him homage from time to time. The one who saved the dragon's child was Master Sun. Before he attained immortality, he went out and came upon a village boy who had caught a snake. The snake was exhausted and about to die, so the Master bought it and released it into the water. Later, as he sat in silent meditation, a messenger in blue came to invite him, and he followed. He arrived at a public hall—it was what the world calls the Crystal Palace. The King welcomed him to the seat of honor and said: "Yesterday my little child went out to play; if not for you, sir, he would nearly have died." After the banquet was over, the King brought out all kinds of precious treasures as thanks. The Master declined them, saying: "I have heard that the dragon palace holds many secret prescriptions. Passing them on to me so I may save the world would be worth far more than gold and jade." The King then brought out thirty-six prescriptions from a jade box. From this, the Master's medical skill became ever more refined, and later he attained the rank of immortal.

一活蟻也，沙彌易短命為長年，書生易卑名為上第。一放龜也，毛寶以臨危而脫難，孔愉以微職而封侯。

> A single act of saving an ant's life allowed the novice monk to change his short lifespan into a long one, and the scholar to change his lowly status into top honors in the imperial exams. A single act of releasing a turtle allowed Mao Bao to escape danger in a crisis, and Kong Yu to rise from a minor post to become a marquis.

活蟻二事：一短命長年者，昔有沙彌侍一尊宿，尊宿知沙彌七日命盡，令還家省母，囑云：「七日當返。」欲其終於家也。七日返，師怪之，入三昧勘其事。乃還家時，路見群蟻困水，作橋渡之，蟻得不死，繇此高壽。二卑名上第者，宋郊、宋祁兄弟也，俱應試。郊嘗見群蟻為水所浸，編竹橋渡之。時有胡僧睹其貌，驚曰：「公似曾活數百萬命者。」郊對：「貧儒何力致此？」僧云：「不然，凡有生者皆命也。」郊以活蟻對。僧云：「是已，公弟當大魁多士，然公亦不出弟下。」後唱名，祁果首選。朝廷謂不可以弟先兄，改祁第十，以郊為第一，始信僧言不妄云。放龜二事：一臨危脫難者，毛寶微時，路遇人攜一龜，買而放之。後為將，戰敗赴水，覺水中有物承足，遂得不溺。及登岸，則承足者前所放龜也。二微職封侯者，孔愉本一卑官，亦曾放龜，龜浮水中，頻回首望愉，然後長逝。後愉以功當侯，鑄印時，印上龜紐，其首回顧，毀而更鑄，鑄之數四，模直首偏，迴顧如舊。鑄者大怪，以告愉。愉忽憶放龜之時，龜首迴顧，恍然悟封侯者放龜之報也。

> Two stories about saving ants: \*\*A short life becomes a long one.\*\* Long ago, a young monk lived as an attendant to an elderly master. The master knew the young monk had only seven days left to live, so he sent him home to visit his mother, telling him, "Come back in seven days." He intended for the young monk to die at home. But seven days later, the young monk returned, and the master was astonished. Entering deep meditation, he investigated what had happened. It turned out that on his way home, the young monk had seen a swarm of ants trapped in water and made a bridge to help them across, saving their lives. Because of this, he gained a long life. \*\*A lowly name takes the top place.\*\* Song Jiao and Song Qi were brothers who both sat for the imperial exams. Song Jiao had once seen a swarm of ants drowning in water and wove a bamboo bridge to carry them across. At the time, a monk from the western regions saw his face and exclaimed in surprise, "Sir, you look like someone who has saved millions of lives." Song Jiao replied, "How could a poor scholar like me have the power to do that?" The monk said, "Not so—every living creature's life counts as a life." Song Jiao then told him about saving the ants. The monk said, "That's it. Your younger brother will come first among all the candidates, but you will not rank below him." Later, when the results were announced, Song Qi was indeed first. But the imperial court said a younger brother could not rank above his elder, so they moved Song Qi to tenth place and made Song Jiao first. Only then did people believe the monk's words were true. Two stories about releasing turtles: \*\*Escaping danger at the brink.\*\* When Mao Bao was still of humble status, he came across someone carrying a turtle and bought it to set it free. Later, as a general, he was defeated in battle and leapt into the water. He felt something beneath his feet holding him up, and so he did not drown. When he reached the shore, he saw that what had supported his feet was the very turtle he had released before. \*\*A minor official becomes a marquis.\*\* Kong Yu was originally a low-ranking official who had also once released a turtle. The turtle floated in the water, turning its head again and again to look back at Kong Yu, and only then swam away. Later, Kong Yu was to be made a marquis for his merits. When they cast the seal, the turtle-shaped knob on top had its head turned backward. They destroyed it and cast it again—four times they cast it, and each time the mold came out with the head tilted to one side, looking back just as before. The caster was greatly puzzled and told Kong Yu. Kong Yu suddenly remembered the time he released the turtle, when the turtle's head had turned back to look at him—and in a flash he understood that becoming a marquis was the repayment for releasing the turtle.

屈師縱鯉於元村，壽增一紀；隋侯濟蛇於齊野，珠報千金。

> Teacher Qu released a carp at Yuancun, and his lifespan was extended by twelve years. The Marquis of Sui saved a snake in the fields of Qi, and was repaid with a pearl worth a thousand pieces of gold.

縱鯉者，屈師於元村遇一赤鯉，買放之。後夢龍王延至宮中，謂曰：「君本壽盡，以君救龍，增壽一紀。」濟蛇者，隋侯往齊國，路見一蛇，困於沙磧，首有血出，以杖挑放水中而去。後回至蛇所，蛇銜一珠向侯，侯意不敢取。夜夢腳踏一蛇，驚覺，乃得雙珠。

> The one who released a carp: Qu Shi was traveling through Yuan Village when he came across a red carp. He bought it and set it free. Later, he dreamed that the Dragon King invited him to his palace and said to him, "Your lifespan was meant to be over, but because you saved a dragon, twelve years have been added to your life." The one who saved a snake: The Marquis of Sui was traveling to the state of Qi when he saw a snake on the road, trapped in the desert sands, with blood coming from its head. He lifted it with his staff and released it into the water, then went on his way. Later, when he returned to that spot, the snake held a pearl in its mouth and offered it to him. The Marquis did not dare take it. That night he dreamed his foot stepped on a snake, and when he woke with a start, he found two pearls.

拯已溺之蠅，酒匠之死刑免矣；捨將烹之鱉，廚婢之篤疾瘳焉。

> He rescued a drowning fly, and the winemaker escaped the death penalty. He spared a turtle about to be cooked, and the kitchen maid recovered from her serious illness.

拯蠅者，一酒匠見蒼蠅投酒甕，即取放乾地，以灰擁其體，水從灰拔，蠅命得活。如此日久，救蠅數多。後為盜通，無能自白。獄將成，主刑者援筆欲判決，蠅輒集筆尖，揮去復集，判之莫得。因疑其冤，詳問之，則誣也。呼盜一訊而服，遂得釋歸。噫，亦異矣哉！捨鱉者，程氏夫婦性嗜鱉。一日，偶得巨鱉，囑婢修事。時暫出外，婢念手所殺鱉，不知其幾，今此巨鱉，心欲釋之，吾甘受箠撻耳。遂放池中。主回索鱉，對以走失，遂遭痛打。後感疫疾將死，家人舁至水閣，以俟盡命。夜忽有物從池中出，身負濕泥，塗於婢身，熱得涼解，疾乃甦愈。主怪不死，詰之，具以實對。主不信，至夜潛窺，則向所失鱉也。闔門驚歎，永不食鱉。

> The Fly Savior: A winemaker once saw a fly fall into his wine jar. He immediately took it out and placed it on dry ground, covering its body with ash. The water was drawn out through the ash, and the fly's life was saved. Over time, he saved many flies this way. Later, he was falsely implicated by thieves and could not clear his name. When his case was about to be decided, the judge raised his brush to write the verdict, but flies kept gathering on the tip of the brush. He waved them away, but they returned. The verdict could not be written. The judge grew suspicious of the injustice and questioned him in detail, discovering he had been falsely accused. The real thief was summoned and confessed under questioning, and the winemaker was released. How extraordinary! The Turtle Liberator: A couple surnamed Cheng loved to eat turtle. One day, they happened to get a huge turtle and instructed their maid to prepare it. They stepped out for a moment, and the maid thought to herself: "I have killed countless turtles with my own hands already. Today, for this giant turtle, I want to set it free. I am willing to endure a beating for it." So she released it into the pond. When the master returned and asked for the turtle, she said it had escaped, and she received a severe beating. Later, she fell ill with a plague and was near death. Her family carried her to the waterside pavilion to await the end. Suddenly at night, something emerged from the pond, its body covered in wet mud, and smeared the mud onto the maid. Her fever cooled and subsided, and she recovered from her illness. The master was puzzled that she did not die, and questioned her. She told him the whole truth. The master did not believe it, so that night he secretly watched, and saw it was the turtle he had lost. The whole household was amazed, and they never ate turtle again.

貿死命於屠家，張提刑魂超天界；易餘生於釣艇，李景文毒解丹砂。

> A merchant risked his life at a butcher's shop, yet Judge Zhang's soul rose to heaven; a man traded his remaining years aboard a fishing boat, and Li Jingwen was freed from poison by cinnabar.

貿命屠家者，張提刑常詣屠肆，以錢贖物放之。後臨終時，語家人言：「吾以放生積德深厚，今天宮來迎，當上生矣。」安然而逝。易生釣艇者，李景文常就漁人貨其所獲，仍放水中。景文素好服食，常火煉丹砂餌之，積熱成疾，疽發於背，藥莫能療。昏寐之中，似有群魚濡沫，其毒清涼快人，疾遂得瘥。亦鱉報廚婢之類也。

> Those who traded their lives by slaughtering animals: Inspector Zhang often visited butcher shops and used money to buy animals to set them free. Later, when he was near death, he told his family, "Because I have accumulated deep merit by releasing living beings, the heavenly palace has come to welcome me, and I will be reborn in heaven." He passed away peacefully. Those who made their living by fishing: Li Jingwen often bought the fishermen's catch and released them back into the water. Li Jingwen had always enjoyed taking medicinal substances, frequently refining cinnabar over fire and consuming it. The accumulated heat caused illness, and a malignant sore broke out on his back. No medicine could cure it. In a drowsy daze, he seemed to feel a school of fish moistening him with their foam, and the poison was soothed and cooled, bringing relief. His illness then healed. This is also the same kind of retribution as the turtle that repaid the kitchen maid.

孫良嗣解矰繳之危，卜葬而羽蟲交助；潘縣令設江湖之禁，去任而水族悲號。

> Sun Liangsi once saved a bird from the danger of arrows and snares, and when he divined for a burial site, winged creatures came together to help him. Magistrate Pan once enforced a ban protecting the waters, and when he left his post, the creatures of the water cried out in grief.

解矰繳之危者，孫良嗣遇禽鳥被獲，輒買縱之。後死欲葬，貧莫能措，有鳥數百，銜泥疊疊，觀者驚歎，以為慈感所致。設江湖之禁者，縣令潘公禁百姓不得入江湖漁捕，犯者加罪。後去任，水中大作號呼之聲，如喪考妣，人共聞之，莫不歎異。

> Sun Liangfei once came across birds that had been caught, and he would always buy them and set them free. When he later died and his family wanted to bury him but was too poor to afford it, hundreds of birds came carrying mud in their beaks, piling it up layer upon layer. Onlookers were amazed, seeing it as a sign that his compassion had moved the birds to repay his kindness. Magistrate Pan Gong once banned the local people from fishing and hunting in the rivers and lakes, punishing those who broke the rule. After he left his post, great wailing sounds rose from the water, as though the creatures were mourning a parent. Everyone heard it, and all were astonished.

信老免愚民之牲，祥符甘雨；曹溪守獵人之網，道播神州。

> Faith made the old man spare the sacrificial animal, and auspicious rain fell as a blessing; at Cao Creek, the hunter's net was set aside, and the Path spread throughout the land.

免牲者，信大師遇時亢旱，民殺牲請雨。師憫其愚，謂曰：「汝能去牲勿用，吾為汝請。」民允之。師乃精誠以禱，甘雨驟降，遠近多感化者。守網者，六祖既佩黃梅心印，以俗服隱於獵人。獵人令守網，祖瞰其亡也，獐兔之類可放者，輒放之。如是一十六年。後坐曹溪道場，廣度群品，燈分五宗，澤垂萬世焉。

> Those who spared animals: When Master Xin encountered a severe drought, the people slaughtered animals to pray for rain. The Master pitied their ignorance and said to them, "If you can stop using animals for sacrifice, I will pray for you." The people agreed. The Master then prayed with sincere devotion, and a sweet rain suddenly fell. Many near and far were moved and transformed. The net keeper: After the Sixth Patriarch received the mind-seal of Huangmei, he concealed himself among hunters, wearing layman's clothes. The hunters had him watch their nets. Whenever the Patriarch saw that the hunters were away, he would release any deer, rabbits, and the like that could be freed. In this way he lived for sixteen years. Later he sat at the Caoxi teaching site, broadly liberating countless beings. The lamp divided into five schools, and his blessings flowed down through ten thousand generations.

雀解銜環報恩，狐能臨井授術。

> Even a sparrow understands how to repay kindness by bringing back a ring, and a fox can teach a man a lesson at the edge of a well.

雀銜環者，楊寶幼時，見黃雀為梟搏墜地，復為螻蟻所困，取而畜諸笥中，給以黃花，痊乃放去。夜夢黃衣童子拜謝，贈玉環四枚，曰：「我王母使者，荷君濟命，願君子孫潔白，位列三公，亦如此環矣。」後四世貴顯。狐臨井者，一僧素無賴，聞黃精能駐年，欲試其驗。置黃精於枯井，誘人入井，覆以磨盤。其人在井，遑迫無計。忽一狐臨井，語其人言：「君無憂，當教汝術。我狐之通天者，穴於塚上，臥其下，目注穴中，久之則飛出，仙經所謂神能飛形者是也。君其注視磨盤之孔乎？吾昔為獵夫所獲，賴君贖命，故來報恩耳，幸毋忽也。」人用其計，旬餘從井飛出。僧大喜，以為黃精之驗，乃別眾負黃精入井。約一月開視，至期視之，死矣。僧蓋不知前人得出者，狐之力也。悲夫！

> When Yang Bao was a child, he saw a yellow sparrow struck down by an owl and then trapped by ants. He rescued it, kept it in a bamboo box, and fed it yellow flowers until it recovered, then set it free. That night, he dreamed of a boy in yellow robes who bowed in gratitude and gave him four jade rings, saying: "I am a messenger of the Queen Mother of the West. I am indebted to you for saving my life. May your descendants be pure and honorable, rising to the rank of the Three Dukes, just like these rings." Indeed, for four generations his family prospered in high office. As for the fox at the well: there was once a monk of disreputable character who had heard that the herb huangjing could prolong life and wanted to test whether it worked. He placed huangjing in a dry well, lured a man into the well, and sealed it with a millstone. The man was trapped with no way out and panicked helplessly. Suddenly a fox appeared at the well and said to him: "Do not worry. I will teach you a technique. I am a fox who has mastered the way to heaven. I den in a burial mound and lie beneath it, gazing into my hole. After a long time, I can fly out. This is what the immortal scriptures call 'the spirit that can make the body fly.' Now, fix your gaze on the hole in the millstone above you. I was once caught by a hunter, and you saved my life by ransoming me. So I have come to repay your kindness. Please do not neglect this." The man followed the method, and after about ten days he flew out of the well. The monk was overjoyed, believing it proved the power of huangjing. He bid farewell to the others, carried huangjing into the well, and sealed himself in. After about a month, they opened it to check, and when the time came and they looked, he was dead. The monk never realized that the man who escaped before had done so through the fox's power. How tragic!

乃至殘軀得命，垂白壁以聞經；難地求生，現黃衣而入夢。

> Even when our bodies are broken and barely alive, we can be saved—like someone sensing the scriptures while facing a white wall. And when we struggle to survive in a hopeless place, help may appear in a dream, like a figure in yellow robes.

白壁聞經者，予掛搭一庵，有人擒蜈蚣數條，以竹弓弓其首尾。予贖放之，餘俱半死，惟一全活，急走而去。後共一友夜坐，壁有蜈蚣焉，以木尺從傍極力敲振，驅之使去，竟不去。予曰：「昔所放得非爾耶？爾其來謝予耶？果爾，吾當為爾說法，爾諦聽毋動。」乃告之曰：「一切有情，惟心所造，心狠者化為虎狼，心毒者化為蛇蝎，爾除毒心，此形可脫也。」言畢令去，則不待驅逐，徐徐出窗外。友人在坐，驚歎希有。時隆慶四年事也。黃衣入夢者，杭州湖墅干氏者，有鄰家被盜，女送鱔魚十尾，為母問安，畜甕中，忘之矣。一夕，夢黃衣尖帽者十人，長跪乞命。覺而疑之，卜諸術人，曰：「當有生求放耳。」遍索室內，則甕有巨鱔在焉，數之正十，大驚放之。時萬歷九年事也。

> The one who heard the scripture at the white wall: I was staying at a small hermitage when someone caught several centipedes and pinned their heads and tails with bamboo bows. I ransomed and released them, but most were half-dead—only one was still fully alive and scurried away quickly. Later, I was sitting at night with a friend when a centipede appeared on the wall. I struck and vibrated the wall beside it with a wooden ruler with all my strength, trying to drive it away, but it would not leave. I said, "Could you be the one I released before? Have you come to thank me? If so, I shall speak the Dharma for you—listen carefully and do not move." Then I told it: "All sentient beings are created by the mind alone. Those with cruel minds transform into tigers and wolves; those with venomous minds transform into snakes and scorpions. If you rid yourself of a venomous mind, you can escape this form." When I finished speaking and told it to leave, it did not wait to be driven out but slowly crawled out the window. My friend sitting there was astonished and marveled at the rarity. This happened in the fourth year of Longqing. The one in yellow robes who appeared in a dream: there was a woman of the Gan family in Hushu, Hangzhou. A neighbor's house had been burglarized, and her daughter sent ten eels as a gift to inquire after her mother's health. They were kept in a jar and forgotten. One night, she dreamed of ten figures in yellow robes and pointed caps, kneeling upright and begging for their lives. She woke and wondered about it, then consulted a diviner, who said, "There must be living creatures seeking release." She searched everywhere in the room and found a large eel in the jar. Counting them, there were exactly ten. Greatly startled, she released them. This happened in the ninth year of Wanli.

施皆有報，事匪無徵。

> Giving always brings reward; this is not without evidence.

諸放生者，或增福祿，或延壽算，或免急難，或起沈痾，或生天堂，或證道果，隨施獲報，皆有徵據。然作善致祥，道人之心，豈望報乎。不望報而報自至，因果必然，辭之亦不可得耳。放生者宜知之。

> Those who release living beings may gain blessings and prosperity, extend their lifespan, escape sudden dangers, recover from serious illness, be reborn in heaven, or attain the fruit of the Path to Cessation. Each act of giving brings its corresponding reward, and all of these have been verified. Yet when a person cultivates goodness and brings about good fortune, would a practitioner's heart ever seek a reward? By not seeking a reward, the reward comes naturally. This is the certainty of cause and effect — it cannot be declined even if one wished to. Those who release living beings should understand this.

載在簡編，昭乎耳目。

> It is recorded in the concise texts, clear to eyes and ears.

明有徵也。如上所錄，遠則載在簡編，有典有據；近則昭乎耳目，共見共聞。考古驗今，定非虛謬。

> The evidence for these things is clear. As recorded above, going back far in time, they are documented in written records, with reliable sources and proof; coming closer to the present, they are plainly seen and heard, witnessed by all. When we examine the past and verify it against the present, we can be certain these are not false or mistaken.

普願隨所見物，發慈悲心，捐不堅財，行方便事。

> May I always aspire that, wherever I see any being, I give rise to a heart of compassion, let go of this impermanent wealth, and act in helpful ways.

此下普勸世人，隨所見生命，發慈悲心，繇是捐捨世財，作斯方便。財不堅者，謂水得漂，火得焚，官得取，盜得劫，危脆無常，非堅物也。捐此作福，所謂以不堅財易堅財也。若無財者，只發慈悲心，亦是福德。或勸他人放生，或見人放生，讚歎隨喜，增其善念，亦是福德。

> Now I will encourage everyone to look at the living beings around them and develop a heart of compassion. In this way, they may give up their worldly wealth and use it for this good purpose. Wealth is not lasting—it can be washed away by water, consumed by fire, seized by officials, or stolen by thieves. It is fragile and impermanent, never truly secure. To give it away and create merit is what is called trading non-lasting wealth for lasting wealth. If someone has no wealth, simply developing a heart of compassion is itself a blessing. Or one may encourage others to release living beings, or seeing others release living beings, praise and rejoice with them—this increases their good intentions and is itself a blessing.

或恩周多命，則大積陰功；若惠及一蟲，亦何非善事。

> Sometimes, saving many lives builds up great hidden merit. But even if your kindness reaches just one small insect, isn't that also a good deed?

有力者恩周多命，固陰功也。無力者惠及一蟲，亦善事也。毋曰小善為無益而勿為也。世有不明此理者，必擇身細數多之生，方肯買放。路遇大生，目視而過。此則惟貪自己之福，非憫眾生之苦也。其福甚少，戒之戒之。

> A powerful person who saves many lives is certainly performing a hidden act of merit. A person without such means who extends kindness to even a single insect is also doing a good deed. Do not say that a small good deed is useless and therefore neglect to do it. There are people in the world who do not understand this principle — they insist on choosing creatures that are tiny and numerous before they are willing to buy and release them. When they encounter a large living creature on the road, they simply look at it and pass by. This is nothing but greed for one's own blessings, not compassion for the suffering of sentient beings. Such blessings are very few. Take heed, take heed.

苟日增而月累，自行廣而福崇。

> Each day it grows, each month it accumulates; naturally your practice deepens and your blessings increase.

善無大小，惟貴久長。日日增之，月月累之。善多則行廣，行廣則福崇矣。

慈滿人寰，名通天府。

慈功久積，遍滿寰區。人情既孚，天心必眷。或謂穹蒼渺邈，何得相通？不知天王以六齋之日，巡狩人間，有善必知，無惡不察。又人行十善則天勝，人行十惡則脩羅勝。故天帝時時欲人為善，一人為善，飛天神王報達天京。經有明文，非臆說也。

蕩空冤障，多祉萃於今生。培漬善根，餘慶及於他世。

放而不殺，與物無冤，非惟安樂今生，以此善根，當來之世，長壽永福，乃至成佛，萬類有情，傾心歸附，皆餘慶也。

儻更助稱佛號，加諷經文。

遇生能放，雖是善功，但濟色身，未資慧命，更當稱揚阿彌陀佛萬德洪名，諷誦大乘諸品經典。然雖如是，但凡買生，火急須放，諷經不便，只以念佛相資。若隔宿買而來朝始放，或清晨買而午後猶存，必待陳設道場，會集男女，遷延時久，半致死亡。如是放生，虛文而已。

為其回向西方，令彼永離惡道。

念佛功德，願諸生命，盡此報身，往生西方極樂世界，蓮華化生，入不退地，永離惡道，長息苦輪。惡道者，六道之中，三道為惡，地獄、餓鬼、畜生是也。

則存心愈大，植德彌深。

見苦放生，所存者善心也，今則是大菩提心矣，故云愈大。放生得福，所植者世間之德也，今則是出世之德矣，故云彌深。

道業資之速成，蓮臺生其勝品矣。

心大德深，其事何驗？蓋利他者，菩薩之行也。以此行門，助修道業，譬如船得順風，必能速到涅槃彼岸矣。淨業三福，慈心不殺，實居其一。今能不殺，又放其生。既能放生，又以法濟，令生淨土。如是用心，報滿之時，九品蓮臺，高步無疑矣。普勸世人，幸勿以我德薄人微，而不信其語也。