地藏菩萨本愿经白话文解释-佛家网佛教孝亲尊师网

己巳九月，余来峙山，居金仙寺。翌日，宅梵居士遇谈，赍彼所作五言古诗一卷。余谓其能媲美陶王，求诸当世未之有也。是岁十月，天台静权法师莅寺，讲地藏菩萨本愿经义。余以本愿章疏，惟有科注一部。渊文奥理，未契初机。乃劝宅梵撰白话解，而为钤键。逮于明年，全编成就。乞求禾中古农长者以剟正之。尔将付刊，请书序言。为述昔日斯事因缘，以示后之学者。

于时后二十二年岁次癸酉二月

贤首院沙门胜臂

地藏菩萨本愿经白话解释校刊序

古农

释迦世尊，化道将圆，为报母恩，特往忉利说法。以是因缘，更召地藏大士，以未来众生殷勤付嘱，令其化度。良以一切众生是菩萨过去父母，世尊是已成佛之菩萨，地藏是未成佛之菩萨，同以慈悲心、孝顺心，愿令究竟度脱。而今我等亦在化度之列，奈以刚强难化之故，屡劳世尊地藏设诸方便，委曲指导，犹复旋出旋入，依然具缚凡夫，辜负宏恩，罪戾安逭。我读地藏大士本愿经而未尝不感激涕零，惭悚无地也。胡宅梵居士亦曾以是经为功课，熟读深思。欲以世尊地藏之心，掬示众生，令诸众生深解此经义趣，得以共沐宏恩。爰依弘一法师之请，为之白话解释，更以其稿寄示，嘱为校阅。复函述意趣三点：一者，欲使阅者对于经文意义得充分之明了，故不惮重复演说；二者，以警恶劝善，离苦得乐为原则；三者，用开导方法，务使阅者起信。当时思想集中于此三点，其他未及顾虑，解释混淆，或未能免，云云。农展读一过，欢喜赞叹，得未曾有。对于经题品题之解文有未妥处，辄易己意，其余但在字句间稍稍斟酌，未敢有损胡居士之意趣也。校阅既毕，将遵付上海佛学书局刊行，因弁数语以叙因缘。世之读此书而能深解义趣，则必能发忏悔心、供养心，而为诸神圣之所拥护。其于我佛大士化度之宏恩，必获同沾于无尽矣。其庶不负胡居士之一片苦心也夫。

民国二十二年孟春之月范古农序于嘉兴月河之幻庐

地藏菩萨本愿经白话解释自序

这可是我的幸运么！在一个木叶黄落的残秋，与我素所恋慕的弘一大师相见在白洋湖滨金仙寺。大师是不大肯接见人的，经了亦幻上人的介绍，才得和他认识。初见他的时候，见他持戒的严律，和清臞的慈容，不禁油然兴敬之，复惜之之感。回首一想，他所以甘心行著这样的苦行，不是为的想早成佛果，普济众生吗？这样一想，自恨当时未能立刻就跪在他的跟前忏悔、赞叹、礼拜。从此以后，我曾去看他好几次。有一次，我去见他，他拿了一本弥陀经白话解赠给我。我不觉惊讶的说：‘啊！弥陀经白话解已经有了吗？’他说：‘这是王涵之居士著的。很精湛。我也时常要看的。’我又说：‘这，我本来也想要替他做白话解的，现在竟给王居士先做了，那到也好！’他听我如此说，便道：‘这样吧！你要做就把一部地藏菩萨本愿经去解释罢！’我说：‘恐怕很深奥的。’他说：‘不要紧。你照字义去解释就是了，也不必用什么新文艺体裁。是预备给工商界人看的，用最浅近通俗的白话去解释吧！也不要多，越简单越好。’一时我就很欢喜的答应下来，就依著大师所指示的目标开始工作了。

我因为对于佛学从未研究过，所以于未著手做这部白话解以前，自不能不经过一番很辛苦的研阅和探讨。取材与参考书是科注和演孝疏二种，自庚午十月至辛未正月上浣，把最困难的第一品总算释成功了。第二品入手，忽感到世事无常，一气不回，这本经就释不成了，于是发誓奋勇从事，日不足继之以夜，至三月廿三日止，把十二品完全释成了。在这穷搜极想之间，仿佛似有悟入，然而这书是预备唤醒初机的，所以不敢把高远的理想尽量的发挥；但既依照字面解释，也仍旧都采译原注经文，又须保留原译经句的章法，所以这里文句也许有不自然的地方；然而遇到有经注秘晦不显，原译句过于不畅达之处，只好略参私意，使他明畅，好在这也是很少很少的。还有上面解过了的，下面也不再重解，阅者不明白的地方，请检前注就得。若是处处用注见前，或是见前注等字样，不但作者不便，恐怕阅者感到很惹厌的吧！

这部经虽然是三根普被，然而重要一著就是改良人心。改良人心的工具是什么？那不能不说是因果报应。因为这一本经是完全著重因果报应的，所以我很希望本经能普遍流通，至于家弦户诵。假使把人人的心改良了，和平的社会、和平的世界、与平等大同主义也自然会实现了，更用不著口是心非阳奉阴违的一般人物纷纷扰扰的去口头宣传。所以述者要老实说一句，无论那一个伟大人物，要建设和平大同的社会和世界，必先切实的建设在人的良心上，才是根本的建设；否则，等于庸人自扰。为什么呢？因为世界大地是完全由于人心业报所造成的呀！还有修净土的应该注重这部经解，因为阿弥陀经上说，念佛七日一心不乱，阿弥陀佛来接引你，这是容易的事么？不要说七日，就是七小时之间要一心不乱，恐怕也办不到。倘若临终时心念一乱，神识就堕入幽冥界里，这时不仗地藏菩萨的大威神力来把你送到西方，还有什么地方去求救呢？所以念佛的人平时也不可以疏忽这部经的。

地藏菩萨本愿经白话解释

【地藏菩萨本愿经】

（解）这是书的题目。就是说，赞述地藏菩萨的本有愿行的一部经典。

（释）这部经的题目，佛自己说有三种：一个叫地藏本愿；一个叫地藏本行；一个叫地藏本誓力。现在即用他第一个为经题。地藏菩萨，是一个出世圣人的名字。菩萨是个通名，地藏是个专名。菩萨二字，梵文叫菩提萨埵，菩提是觉悟的意思，萨埵是众生的意思。合起来说，就是觉悟的众生或是觉悟众生的人，叫做菩萨。菩萨的专名，都是随菩萨的德行而题的。这位菩萨叫做地藏，也是他的德行，有合乎地藏二字的意义。今且分别说来。地就是土地，万物都依住地的上面，又地能生长草木的根芽。这位菩萨，有广大的慈悲，一切众生，都要靠他救护的；众生的善根，都要靠他生长的。好像土地一般，所以叫做地。藏就是宝藏，财宝足以救济人的贫苦，圆满人的事业。这位菩萨有无量的法财，布施一般苦恼众生，且使他们都能修行成就，好像宝藏一样，所以叫做藏。这一番的解释地藏二字，是譬喻菩萨的道德。再因这位菩萨，看见地狱众生的苦，发心学佛，已证得如来藏性──众生和佛平等的本性──所以救拔地狱众生，是他的特别本领，所以叫做地藏。再因这位菩萨，修地大圆通，证如来藏性，如持地菩萨，故菩萨来时，会中众生，都觉身重难举，因身中的地大──皮肉筋骨毛发爪牙属地大──受菩萨的影响，增强的缘故，所以叫地藏。这第二第三番的解释，地藏二字，都是表显菩萨的行为。总而言之，这位有地藏德行的菩萨，所以叫做地藏菩萨。

本愿二字，是说菩萨所发的愿，这个愿，是从他初发心来，常常所发的，直到现在，依然这样的发，并不是现在才发的，所以叫做本愿。又这个愿，是他多生的菩萨行为所依据的，有这个愿，才有他的行，愿是行的根本，所以叫做本愿。这样看来，这个本字，有本来和根本的两个解释了。经的一字，是世间圣人的训典，此书是佛菩萨的训典，佛菩萨是出世的圣人，所以也要称他为经。梵文本来叫修多罗。这梵文的意思，直译起来，就是一个线字，有贯穿文义的意思，正同我们华文的经纬的经字相仿；文译起来，那是契经两字的意思，契是契合的解释，因出世圣人的训典，是一种合乎道理、合乎人情的说话，所以叫做契经。

【唐于阗国三藏沙门实叉难陀译】

（解）这部经，是唐朝时候，从于阗国来的三藏沙门，名叫实叉难陀，到中国翻译出来的。

（释）唐，是李渊有天下的国号。因为李渊先在晋阳，晋阳是陶唐氏的旧都，所以封为唐王，到了受隋禅以后，统一天下，就称唐朝。其时到今，已约有一千三百年了。于阗是西域的国名，他的字义叫做地乳，因他的国祖，饮地上涌出来的乳而生长的。他的地点，在现今新疆的天山南路。三藏沙门，是译经师──翻译经典的法师──的道号。三藏是佛教经典的总称，佛教经典，共有三大集，叫做经藏、律藏、论藏。经藏是佛说法的记录；律藏是佛教的禁令规则和解释的书；论藏是佛和弟子讨论教义的记录。因这三大集的经典，形式上是包含许多的卷帙，实质上是包含许多的道理，所以叫做藏。沙门是出家修道人的通称，是勤息二字的意，因其有精勤修道，息灭烦恼的工夫。这个沙门，是通达三藏经典的，所以叫做三藏沙门。实叉难陀，是学喜二字的解释，是译经师的名字。唐朝武后圣历二年，于阗国王闻武后喜欢佛法，敬重经典，所以差沙门实叉难陀，把华严经同这部地藏经一齐送到中国来，武后受了这部经，就命这位沙门翻译成了华文，是这部地藏经出世的因缘。

忉利天宫神通品第一

（解）佛在忉利天的天宫里，显起神通来，召集会众。这是本经的第一品。品是经文段落的名称。

（释）在我们的头上，第一重是四天王天，在须弥山的半腰；第二重就是忉利天，在须弥山的山巅，通俗都叫他做三十三天的。这忉利天的天王，名叫释提桓因，也叫帝释，他从前本是一个平常的女人，这时候有一尊迦叶佛寂灭了，他便发起愿心，造一座塔来供养迦叶佛；还有三十二个女人，也发起心来，大家帮助他来造成功。有了这一种善根，他得做忉利天王。那忉利天的四边，每边有八天，总共三十二天。各天的天王，就是那帮助造塔的三十二个女子做的。这也可知道造塔造庵的功德是很大的，可得著这种好报应。天宫是帝释居的地方，在忉利善见城。城的周围四万十千由旬（每由旬四十里），纯是黄金造成的。城的四面，都是千门楼。城的中央还有一重金城，有五百道城门，门都用著种种宝贝庄严的。这宝贝名目的繁多及美丽，说也说不尽的。这金城的中央，还有宝楼重阁，长五百由旬，广二百五十由旬。重阁最上的中央，还有圆室，广三十由旬，周围九十由旬，高四十由旬，就是帝释所住的地方了。并且这重阁都用琉璃众宝造成的，所以佛就在这里升了坐，替圣母说法。佛经上说，神的名称叫天心；通的名称叫慧性。佛具天心和慧性，放出各种照澈无碍的光明来，这就是神通了。

【如是我闻。一时佛在忉利天，为母说法。】

（解）像这样的话，我亲自听见佛说的。有一个时间，佛在忉利天，专为他的母亲来说佛法。

（释）佛就是释迦牟尼佛。把释迦牟尼四字，译作中文，即是能仁寂默。他的意义，就是说佛又能干、又慈悲、还能够寂静不动，很沉默的符合本性。从前在佛（以后佛字都指定释迦牟尼佛的）说法的时间，是没有人记录的。后来佛的堂弟名叫阿难的，恐怕日期久远了，大家都记不得，特意把佛讲过的佛法，一句句都记录起来。等到佛将要入涅槃（注见后）了，阿难问佛道：‘将来把你说过的佛法都编起经来，开头一句怎样的说？’佛答阿难道：‘开头一句，就用如是我闻四字吧！那才可以证明，这种经都是你阿难亲身听见佛这样说的，不是从旁人口里听来的。’所以阿难编成的经，开头一句，就用这四个字。如是，是指佛说的经。我，是阿难自己。闻，就是听见。

一时，即是有一个时候的浑语，因为时候是各方各代不同的。譬如外人用阳历，中国先前用阴历，像夏朝用夏历，周朝用周历。所以不能限定某年某月了。

为何佛专要为他的母亲说法呢？这就是这部经的根本，和别部不同的地方。因为释迦牟尼佛本来早就成佛的，为著要来劝化我们这世界上的人，所以特意来投胎做人。当时在中印度，迦毗罗卫国，那个国王，名叫净饭王，他的夫人，名叫摩耶夫人。佛就投胎到摩耶夫人肚里。在我国周朝昭王二十六年，甲寅年的四月初八日，从夫人的右边胁骨中生出来。就是一位太子。后来长大了，看见世界上的人，受种种苦恼，就看破了一切，不情愿做太子，情愿出家去修行。从十九岁起，修到三十岁，就得道成了佛，便到各处去说佛法，劝化世人，到七十九岁，就入了涅槃。

涅槃是梵语（梵语即印度话）。涅，是不生；槃，是不灭。不生不灭，就是佛证的真如实相。证是得到的意思。真如实相，就是说佛得到的真实相，不是虚假的相，能够永久不改变、不消灭，而且凡人所瞧不到的。

在我们世界上看得到的，那是叫做应身。你看上天的日月，无论什么地方，只要有水，不管你水的多少大小，他都能把影子来照应著的。我们众生根机缘分不是一样，感应了佛，佛像日月照水一样，就现出身来救度我们，这是叫做应身。

再说摩耶夫人从佛在他的胁下生出来以后，到第七日就死了，因为他是一个佛母，所以神魂就生到忉利天宫去，做了天子。等到佛将入涅槃的时候，因生身的母恩，还没有去报答，发起一片孝心，特意把肉身飞升到忉利天上，专门为他的母亲说法（法，凡是见得到、听得到、说得出的，都可以叫做法。）以报生身的大恩。那么就将这部完全演孝的地藏菩萨本愿经，也连带的传了出来。所以经里都以孝做根本，句句可寻得出孝的脉络来。现在一般无知识的僧人，一入空门，便说释子不干俗事，就不去敬重父母，这非但不孝，简直是佛的逆子了。从来佛菩萨及祖师，没有一个不孝敬父母，不孝敬师僧三宝的。所以孝是三教同尊的一件最要紧的根本大事呀！

【尔时十方无量世界，不可说不可说一切诸佛及大菩萨摩诃萨，皆来集会。】

（解）这时候十方没有量数的世界，说不来的多，说不来的多，一切诸佛，以及有大多胜三种资格的大菩萨，都会集拢来，听佛讲经。

（释）当这个时候来的佛和菩萨，是很多很多的，所以分别不出是甚么地方，甚么刹土来的？只好统称十方无量世界。因为东方、南方、西方、北方、东南方、东北方、西南方、西北方、上方、下方这十方每方各有无量数的世界。（心量所不能知道他数目的就叫作无量数）世界既然无量，那些世界上佛菩萨，更加多了，所以称为不可说，不可说，一切（是包括全数的意思）。摩诃有大多胜三种意思。此等菩萨，心量又大、行为又大、器量又尊重，为天王等大人所尊敬的，所以叫做大。此等菩萨世世都出世间，除了佛以外没有人可同他比较的，还能够超出九十五种外道，所以叫做胜。此等菩萨都能知道世界以内、世界以外的尘沙，还能够博通正的、邪的一切经书，所以叫做多。有此三种资格，才可以称大菩萨摩诃萨。因为这各方的佛和大菩萨，知道佛要讲经，所以都来忉利天宫聚会了。

【赞叹释迦牟尼佛，能于五浊恶世，现不可思议大智慧神通之力，调伏刚强众生，知苦乐法。各遣侍者，问讯世尊。】

（解）十方诸佛，先称赞叹美道：‘释迦牟尼佛，能够在见浊、烦恼浊、众生浊、命浊、劫浊的五浊世界，现出想也想不到、说也说不出的，大智慧、大神通的法力，来调伏众生刚强难化的习性，要叫他分辨得出、知道苦和乐的方法，是多么辛苦了！’所以再各叫他侍从的菩萨，来问讯世尊，表示慰藉。（世尊即是释迦牟尼佛。）

（释）现在我先将五种浊，以及六种神通、十种神力，简单的来说一说明白。五浊：

第一是见浊。见浊有五种，其中最烈的是我见。因为人都执定了有一个我，有我的身体，就生出了这种我的见解；有了我的见解，便要分别出旁人来了；因为我同旁人有了分别，便生出种种不平等、不合理的心思来；造出杀、盗、淫、妄等种种恶业了。

第二是烦恼浊。也有五种，第一种是贪，有了贪心，就这样也要，那样也要；这也舍不得，那也舍不得，不但永远不能脱离这个世界，并且有贪心，就要造出种种恶业来了；第二种是嗔，碰到一些些不称心的事，就要发火，一些也不肯忍耐，因发了这个嗔心，又要造出许多许多的恶业；第三种是痴，一些不明白道理，假的认作真的，真的反认作假的，正路邪路都分辨不来，像这样自己不能觉悟的人，怎么可以修道呢？第四种是慢，对了随便什么人，一味的骄傲，一味的自大，没有一些虚心和恭敬心，这样人随便学什么事情，都不能上进的，何况学佛法呢？第五种是疑，无论你做什么事，一有了疑心，就没有主见，要想做，又不想做，要不做，又想做，把心思都扰乱了，生出许多烦恼来，不得一些清净，所以叫做浊。

第三是众生浊。是说众生永远在六道（天道、人道、修罗道、畜生道、饿鬼道、地狱道）里面，生生死死无了期，侥幸给你做了人，也免不了生、老、病、死等各种苦恼，若是堕到三恶道里去，那更加有说不尽的苦了，像这苦没有脱离的日期，所以叫做浊。

第四是命浊。一个人活在世上，富贵贫贱，都由命安排的，况且一年四季，寒暑风霜，无非催人老死，临终一口气呼出就了结，照此相像，人命同朝露一般，一眨眼就没有了，真是危险得很呀！所以叫做浊。

有上面四种循环的浊，才为造成最后的一个劫浊；但在这个时代，表面有成、住、坏、空四个中劫，每个中劫里各有二十个小劫，像水火、刀兵、瘟疫等等都是，到了坏劫，又会生出各种大灾来，人的寿命，忽然加多，忽然减少，有这样的坏处，所以也叫做浊。生在我们这世界上的众生，都免不了受这五浊的苦楚。

还有佛的六种神通：第一种叫天眼通。无论日间夜间，无论远到几千万亿里的路、几千万亿的世界，无论多少的大山隔著，没有一些看不见的，就是极黑暗的地方，也可以看得清清楚楚；不像我们凡夫，有了一张纸、一道墙遮阻隔，或是到了黑夜里没有光地方，就一些也看不见了。

第二种叫天耳通。无论远到几千万亿里路、几千万亿世界，很轻很低的声音，没有听不见的，连心里起的念头，也都能听见；不像我们凡夫只能听近处的高大的声音，若远一些，轻一些的，就听不出来。

三叫他心通。无论是什么人心里面的念头，没有不晓得的，无论什么书，不用读过看过，那书里所说的道理事情，都会晓得的，不识字的人也会识字了；不像我们凡夫不要说旁人的念头，就是你父子夫妻最接近最恩爱的人，他心里起的念头，也不会给你晓得一些的。

四叫宿命通。无论是自己旁人的事情，无论这一世的、前一世、前十世、前千万亿世的事情，都会明白的；不像我们凡夫自己小时候的事情也都记不得，那里还会晓得前世的事情呢？

五叫神足通，又叫如意通。只要你动一动念头，十方无穷无尽的世界，就都可以走遍，并且一些不吃力，一些不烦难，高山大海，都不会阻隔的；不像我们凡夫凭你极强健极会走路的人，也不过一天走一百里罢了，若是碰到高山大海，就过去不得，或是有了大风雨，就走不来了。

六叫漏尽通。漏字是什么意思呢？譬如一只破的瓶，把水装进去，就都要漏出来。凡夫有了贪、嗔、痴等种种烦恼，他的念头都会给烦恼牵了去，干出种种的恶业来，守不定自己的心，像这只漏瓶一样；漏尽就是这种漏的坏处，完全没有了，把贪嗔痴种种烦恼，一齐去得清清净净，一些也没有，因为这样就可得到大神通。

有了这六种神通，自然会有下面十种神力：一，知是处非处智力；二，知过去未来业报智力；三，知诸禅解脱三昧智力；四，知诸根胜劣智力；五，知种种领解智力；六，知世界智力；七，知一切至处道智力；八，知天眼无碍智力；九，知宿命无漏智力；十，知永断习气智力。须知浊世不易住、神力不易现、刚强众生不易化、苦乐法不易知，而我佛能住能现能化能知，甚为希有、甚为难行能行，所以十方诸佛既赞叹了，又遣侍者慰问世尊。所谓惟佛与佛乃能知之。这一段文，就是发起全经的张本。

【是时如来含笑，放百千万亿大光明云，所谓：大圆满光明云、大慈悲光明云、大智慧光明云、大般若光明云、大三昧光明云、大吉祥光明云、大福德光明云、大功德光明云、大归依光明云、大赞叹光明云，放如是等不可说光明云已。】

（解）这时候，佛含著笑容，放出百千万亿很多很大很光明的云来。这等云，就叫大圆满光明云、大慈悲光明云，等等云，……把这样子说不尽好的光明云放罢了。

（释）前两节，都说十方佛菩萨集会来听经，虽还没有听到佛说，都先赞叹佛的希有功德，还差侍从的菩萨慰问于佛。这时候，如来一方面欢迎诸佛，一方面召集会众，觉得机缘已至，心中非常欢悦，面上现出含笑的样子来。况且佛刚要想宣扬地藏愿力的机会，佛本来以度人作事业的现在的机缘将要完毕，未来的机缘，已经有人来负担，所以他心里很快活；心里快活，自然含笑放出种种的光明来。这部经里忉利天宫神通、如来赞叹、见闻利益三品，都是放光的。这一品放光，同如来赞叹品一样，都把全身的光明放出来。如来（是佛的又一德号，依法身不变的体，起应身随缘的用，不变名如，随缘名来，故称如来。）含笑是不放唇露齿，合口悦面，喜气盈眉，笑从口出，一切毛孔皆开，所以全身放出光明来。百千万亿是说佛光的多，佛的一身能够现出十光、百光、千光，还可以现出无穷无尽的光，都应了时机来表演他佛法的。大光明云的大，是佛称心的大，这个大是无大不包的，因为佛的光明，胜过日月的光明几万万倍，他能照破幽暗，照破日月所照不到的一切地方；云是阴阳会聚而成功的，他能逶迤上去，自然成文，他的颜色有浓淡的分别，还能变化出许多形态来，还能酿出雨降下来，似表演如来现身像云一样，说法像雨一样，使众生的菩提芽，得了云雨的滋润，自然的生长起来。

所说的大圆满光明云，是称赞佛果位的功能，佛光无处不照遍的，所以叫圆；无论那一世界有缘能行孝道的众生，都使他们得到果位，所以叫满。

慈悲是佛的本意，放出这种大慈悲光明云来，照众生；众生得照，心身立时清净，非常快乐；一得著乐，便可以脱离一切的苦恼。

智慧，是众生与佛同有的，因众生受了五浊的蒙蔽，以至昏迷不现，所以佛放出大智慧光明云来，叫众生接受了，就能够心地豁然开朗，发出本来同佛一样的智慧来。

般若是学佛最要紧的一种智慧，他能够使你破除一切妄念痴迷，所以佛放出这种大光明云，叫众生接受了，也可以得到这种般若智慧。

三昧是佛的正见正定功夫，不像我们凡夫学道，往往辨不出正见，去接近外道；辨不出正定，去接近邪定，所以佛放出这种大光明云来，叫凡夫接受了，也可以得到正见正定功夫。

有大吉的事情，方能发出一种祥瑞，在佛的意思，似说你们得听到这部演孝的地藏经，将来一定可以叫你们都得到佛果，所以先放出这种大光明云来，给你们一种很吉祥的预兆。

福是众生做了善事的好报应，所以给你享福；德是众生能够宽量饶人，存心仁义，所得来的，佛能够修六度万行，所以有此福德，证到无上果位，现在放出这种大光明云来，叫众生见了这光明云，也好学起积福德的行为来。

功德是佛修了无量无数的功行，方才成功这种大德，现在放出这样的大光明云来，叫众生也好照样去修功行，自然也可以得到这种功德。

归是归顺，依是依赖，因为我们众生世世颠倒在六道受苦，其实都为这个心没有归依的地方所造成的，所以佛放出这种大归依光明云来，叫你们众生把心思打定，一心不二的来归依佛，再照地藏经修行学孝，保你这一世可以得到佛果，不再到六道里去受苦。

赞叹是云里发出来的声音，佛放出这种大光明云来，有几种意义：一是赞叹十方来集会的佛菩萨；二赞叹地藏能这样行愿，有这样大的孝誓；（地藏菩萨曾说过：‘六道众生里面，一切男子是我父，一切女子是我母，若不度尽地狱众生，我不成佛。’所以他修到无穷无尽的劫数，仍旧在地下，有这样大的行愿孝誓，佛自然要赞叹了。每一个劫，有十三万四千四百年。）三赞叹诸佛还能差人来问讯；四赞叹自从这部地藏经出世以后，一定四方有许多孝顺父母、孝顺师僧三宝的众生出现。

【又出种种微妙之音，所谓：檀波罗蜜音、尸波罗蜜音、羼提波罗蜜音、毗离耶波罗蜜音、禅波罗蜜音、般若波罗蜜音、慈悲音、喜舍音、解脱音、无漏音、智慧音、大智慧音、师子吼音、大师子吼音、云雷音、大云雷音，出如是等不可说不可说音已。】

（解）佛把上面的各种大光明云放罢了，以后又发出种种很细很和好的声音来。这声音就是所说的檀波罗密音等十六种声音。发出这样一类说不尽的声音完毕。

（释）佛把种种大明云放罢，还不肯说这部经，又发出种种细微和好的声音。音是各种平和优美的鸣声，调和而成功的，况且佛的音更加柔和清雅，无论怎样好听的吹弹，都没有佛那样发出来的好听。

檀那是梵文，我们叫布施，布施是把自己所有的金钱等宝贵东西都去送给一般没有的人，所以布施是万种修行的第一法，也是贪欲人的忏悔法。

梵文波罗密，我们叫登彼岸，是做事成功的意思。

梵文尸罗，我们叫止得，止住了恶的事不干，得了善事很恭敬的去做，一些不偷懒。佛发这种声音来似叫你们赶紧去行布施孝道等善事，将来成了佛，度尽生生世世父母，来干最大的孝行。

梵文羼提，我们叫忍辱，忍有生忍法忍二种，生忍是不杀生，连蚊子也不拍杀一个，人家有意来扰乱你、来打你、骂你，也能忍耐得住，可以得大福报；法忍是煆炼修持，断绝一切烦恼，可以得增长智慧的报。能够修两种忍，那是最好的，佛发出这种音来，就是要你们修两种忍的意思。

梵文毗离耶，我们叫精进，是叫众生一心上进，不肯退落，很勤力的作善事念佛拜佛，这叫外精进；心里没有妄念不起恶念，这叫内精进。众生听了这种佛音，自然不敢退落，不觉疲倦了。

梵文禅那，我们叫静虑，因为我们的心，都像猴子野马一样，一息不停的乱跳乱跑，所以佛发出这种声音来，叫你们来学禅定，把心定住了，不放他散乱，自然很安静的没有思虑，修成一种出世的根本。

梵文般若，我们叫智慧，一般凡夫的智慧，早已给五浊迷住了，佛发出这种音来，叫你们的迷梦醒醒，好现出一些本有的智慧，发生一种道心来。

慈、悲、喜、舍是说四种无量音，能够使他人快乐，叫做慈；救济他人的苦楚，叫做悲；他人得了快乐，我就欢喜，叫做喜；很平等的不起一些些憎爱执著，叫做舍。这四种心的意义是很广的，你能种种做得到，自然可以得到解脱的方便。处处能够解脱，一切妄念恶浊也自然难牵缚你的道心了，终于得到无漏。（无漏的意义同前释漏尽通一样）发现本来的智慧。去修成证到佛的圆果，那就可以得到大智慧了。佛发出这种音来，无非叫你们众生发起道心，修习各种方法。狮子生在非洲的深山大谷里面，他咆哮起来，把口扣著地上，现出大威势，百兽听了都吓得逃避绝踪。小狮子吼，比喻佛说法，一切邪道听了，都也逃避绝踪；大狮子吼，比喻佛说大乘圆教，听了可以叫人得到无畏的解行。

云雷大云雷音，是比喻佛身像云，佛说法像雨，佛的音像雷一样能够远震，使众生听了雷音，猛然警悟，生欢喜心。佛发出这十六种音，说一句总话，都为著感应众生，要用什么方法得度的，便发出什么音来，所以把这样说不尽的音，都发出完毕。

【娑婆世界，及他方国土，有无量亿天龙鬼神，亦集到忉利天宫。所谓：四天王天、忉利天、须焰摩天、兜率陀天、化乐天、他化自在天、梵众天、梵辅天、大梵天、少光天、无量光天、光音天、少净天、无量净天、遍净天、福生天、福爱天、广果天、无想天、无烦天、无热天、善见天、善现天、色究竟天、摩醯首罗天，乃至非想非非想处天，一切天众、龙众、鬼神等众，悉来集会。】

（解）我们的娑婆世界，以及十方的各世界，各处的大国家、小邦土，有无量无数亿的天上的人民，以及龙、鬼神，都也集到忉利天宫来。所说的天，就是四天王天、忉利天、须焰摩天、兜率陀天、化乐天、他化自在天，这叫欲界六天的；梵众天、梵辅天、大梵天，这叫初禅三天的；小光天、无量光天、光音天，这叫二禅三天的；少净天、无量净天、遍净天，这叫三禅三天的；福生天、福爱天、广果天、无想天、无烦天、无热天、善见天、善现天、色究竟天，这叫四禅九天的；合并以上一二三禅天，总共十八重，都叫色界天的；从色界天上去，还有摩醯首罗天、非想非非想处天等四重都叫无色界天的。这许多天上的一切人民、一切的龙鬼神等等，都聚集了相会。

（释）上边说过，佛放出了种种大光明云，又发出了种种微妙之音，所以惊动了我们的世界，以及他方的各世界、各大国家、各小邦土，有无量无数亿的天上的众人，和龙，还有鬼神，都承蒙了佛的光音，也会集了到忉利天宫，来听佛说这部伟大重要的地藏经。所说的四天王天，在须弥山的半腰，一切事情和我们人间一样，须弥山的东边，有黄金埵，是持国天王住的；南边有琉璃埵，是增长天王住的；西边有白银埵，是广目天王住的；北边有水晶埵，是多闻天王住的；各一边都有十千由旬阔。凡是人间能修布施、持不杀戒、欢喜听佛法、孝顺父母、供养善人的人，死了就可以生到这重天上，他的寿命就有五百岁了，人间的五十年，只抵得他一昼夜。以后上去高一重天，寿命好处都加上一倍。忉利天（前已说过了）。

梵文须夜摩，我们叫善时分，生到这重天上去，便能叫你时时快乐，而且这天里用莲花开合以分昼夜的，赤莲开时是日间，白莲开时是夜间，这里日月已照不到了，由众人的身上，放出光明来，所以叫他做善时分的。我们能布施、不杀盗、心意柔和的去敬重父母、戒去淫欲，死了就可以生到这重天里来。

梵文兜率陀，我们叫知足，凡是生在五欲的地方，能够知足、没有口过、存心孝悌，再加清静的做功益、修福德，死了就生到这重天里。

化乐天，是说生在这重天里的人，会转变化现，忽有忽无，凭著自己的神力福力，可以现出各种随心所欲的境界；我们能孝顺父母、敬重万物、多闻佛法、领解佛学，命终便投生到这重天里。

他化自在天，是欲界六天之主，他能够将他人的快乐，来作自己的快乐，倘若他心里欲得一种境界，其余的天都会化给他的；人间一千六百年，只抵得他们的一昼夜，寿命已加到一万六千岁了。

梵众天，梵是指清净无欲的意思，众是指人民，就是说在这重天里的人民，都是很清净的，一些也没有淫欲的妄念。

梵辅天，是比喻匡助的辅臣一样。大梵天就是指天王，这天王名叫尸弃，他能够劫初先生，劫尽后灭；因为从初禅天再上去是没有言语的了，只有初禅天里心内还有观觉思念，外面也有言语号令，他有统领各天上、各世界的权衡，所以有民、臣、王三重天的分别。小光天，是说这天里的菩萨，都能修禅定，定中还能出光，还能住在云雾里面，他的光明有从身上放出来的，有从口里放出来的，光明里面还发出各种音来，心里已没有一些妄念，口中也没有一句言语，都用发出来的音，替代讲话的，所以这三天的名称都一样的。

无量光天，是说光明增加得无限量的倍数了，但是他增加光明，也有上中下三等的分别，这都是从前心爱清净，还喜布施持戒，所得来的好处，倘若还能够在黑暗地方点灯，或者在佛前、塔中、寺中，点灯供养佛、菩萨，更加可以得到增加无量光明的好报应。

光音天，是说净光能照到旁的地方去，更用著智慧的光明，来教化愚痴邪见的众生；在这重天的菩萨，身上都有赤色的光明，更有五种神通，形相也没有障碍，心中也不起观觉了，所以也叫做定心喜乐地的。

少净天，是说已经脱离了初禅天的喜心，得著静定的快乐，但是这快乐并非出于境地的，是从静性恬澹寂净之中得来的，而且都得于内心，没有一些从外境得来的，所以叫做少。

无量净天，是说在这天的菩萨，身心轻安，已经成就寂灭的快乐，净心也较胜从前了，所以身外一切，更加得著清净，无量净，就是这个意思。

遍净天，是说普遍一切，万物和我没有两样，是说前二天虽然得著清净的快乐，但是还没有周到普遍，所以还说不到遍净乐，现在他不但已达到遍净乐，而且还能够消灭一切欢喜心，纯粹的乐著清净，所以也有叫他离喜妙乐地的。

福生天，就是修胜福力的菩萨，方才可以生到这重天里，所以有这个名称。从这天以上，都居在薄云里，像星一样的散住著。

福爱天，是说喜乐都能舍去，凡有所求的，无非是修积福德，成就希上广果。

广果天，是说凡夫之果，没有比他好的，所修的功德，所得的果报，都超过以下诸天。

无想天，凡是修无想定的，都生到这重天里，寿命五百劫，除初生彼半劫，想心还在，到后来再退，灭半劫，想心又起，中间共有四百九十九劫，想心不行。无烦天，是说没有下界这样见思烦恼的杂乱。

无热天，是说在此天内心意快乐、调和、柔顺，能离去下界种种见思烦恼的执著。

善见天，是说禅的障碍已除去了，所以见识很明彻的。

善现天，是说这天里的形色，比别天更好，而且善能变现。

色究竟天，是色法最极的地方。这五重天，都是三果罗汉住的；三果，就是说初起一念无漏，次起一念无漏，后起一念无漏，由这种无漏势力所感应，生到这样清净的地方来。

梵文摩醯首罗，我们叫大自在天，在色究竟天的中央，有十住菩萨住在这地方，这菩萨也叫大自在天王的，他的形相，生著八条臂膊，三只眼睛，乘了白牛，手执了白拂，只要念头一转，就能够知道大千世界的雨滴数目，这天也是色界天的最后一重了。

乃至非想非非想处天，乃至两字，包括空无边处天、识无边处天、无所有处天，三重天的意思；合非想非非想处天共四重，总叫无色界四天的，生在这天的菩萨，连色身也看不见了，所以叫无色界。

龙是一种最长大的鳞虫，也算一种神物，他能随意变化大小长短，或隐或现的。鬼是人死后入地的魂魄所结成的。

神是一种忽隐忽现，力能拔山倒海的神道。

【复有他方国土及娑婆世界，海神、江神、河神、树神、山神、地神、川泽神、苗稼神、昼神、夜神、空神、天神、饮食神、草木神、如是等神，皆来集会。】

（解）还有别地方的国家和佛土，以及我们世界里的，海里的神、江里的神、河里的神、树里的神、山上的神、地下的神、川泽里的神、护苗稼的神、日游神、夜游神、空中的神、天上的神、草木里的神，这样许多的神，都到这里来集会。

（释）上面神字虽然已经提过，但是没说明白，要你们知道神的名目和大概，所以不嫌重复的再来说一回。

海神，是专门管理海里面事情的，他名叫海若；江神，是专门管理江里面事情的，他名叫江伯；河神，是专门管理河里面的事情的，名叫宓妃；这三位总称就叫水神。

树神，是专门管理各种植物的，所以大树里往往有树神住著，人家不敢去砍斫的。

山神，是专门管理山里面事情的，所以每座名山，就有一位山神去主管的，他的名称也没有一定，跟著山叫的。

地神，是专管地底下事情的，他名叫只；管理阎浮提的地神，名叫坚牢。

川，也可以做穿字解，是说小流的水，穿地下流的意思，也有神管著。

泽，是水汇聚的地方，也有神主管的。

苗稼神，是专门管理五谷的，苗是没有长成的禾，古时有一个人，名叫后稷，专门教百姓耕种，死后就做了苗稼神。

昼神，是专管白昼人所做的善恶；

夜神，是专管黑夜里人所做的善恶。

空神，专管半空中事情的，名叫舜若多。

天神，就是大天神，他能够伸长四手，取四海的水，可以来自己灌沐；化现一切的珍宝，来供养佛。

饮食神，是专门监管天下饮食事情的，像东厨司命的灶神、庙宇里的伽蓝菩萨等就是。

草木神，是管理天下一切草木药材，这神灵是释提桓因（前面已解说过了）所化的。

【复有他方国土及娑婆世界，诸大鬼王，所谓：恶目鬼王、啖血鬼王、啖精气鬼王、啖胎卵鬼王、行病鬼王、摄毒鬼王、慈心鬼王、福利鬼王、大爱敬鬼王，如是等鬼王，皆来集会。】

（解）开头二句，同上面解法一样的。所说的恶目鬼王，是说他眼睛生得很凶恶。啖血鬼王，是专吃活人鲜血的。啖精气鬼王，是专吃人精液的。啖胎卵鬼王，是专吃胞胎的。行病鬼王，是专管人病痛的。摄毒鬼王，专管各种毒物，不使他来害人。慈心鬼王，是常使人家快乐的。福利鬼王，是专免人罪恶，加人福德的。大敬爱鬼王，是最爱惜众人、敬重善人的。像这一类的鬼王，没有一个不来集会的。

（释）前段鬼字虽提过了，因为没有分出鬼的名目来，所以再来说一个大略。鬼是人死后的魂魄，各处都有的。在做人的时候，若肯行善事，还能够惜福积德，那么死了，阎王就封你做山林坟冢祠庙等各地方的神，享那祭祀的飨食；在做人的时候，不肯惜福积德，而且还要干五逆、（五逆是杀父、杀母、杀阿罗汉、破坏僧侣、出佛身的血五种）十恶（一，杀生，是杀死活的东西，就是蚊子也不能拍死一个的；二，偷盗，凡是人家的东西，无论一梗草，人家没有应许你过，也不能拿的；三，邪淫，除了正式的妻妾以外，其余犯的都是恶业；四，妄语，就是说谎话；五，绮语，就是讲妇女的长短；六，恶口，就是骂人；七，两舌，就是搬弄是非；八，贪欲，就是不知足；九，嗔恚，就是不能忍耐，一些不得意就发火；十，痴愚，就是不肯相信真正的佛法，去信旁的邪道。做了上面十种坏事，就是犯十恶业，死后受无穷苦楚；不做这十种坏事，就是修十善业，死了就叫你生到上面说过的各重天上去。）的坏事情，死了就罚你到最污秽的地方去，不但得不到吃食，而且还时时的用皮鞭子抽打，打死了，把你去填河，或者去塞海，所受的苦楚，是说不尽的。不惜福修德的人，到了这时，懊悔也来不及了。

鬼是很多的，说也说不尽，所以把几位重要的鬼王来说一说。

恶目鬼王，是最凶恶的，他这种凶恶的形相，却从两只眼睛的神光里透了出来。

啖血鬼王，梵文叫诃利只南，专喜吃活人鲜血的，他住在屠杀的刑场里面，也要吃腥膻的东西。

啖精气鬼王，梵文叫毗舍阇，专喜吸活人的精液，也要吃五谷的精气。

啖胎卵鬼王，是专吃胞胎的，卵是比喻胎的意思，所以妇人临产的时候，有许多的鬼，都抢著来吃胞衣恶血。

行病鬼王，是说天将降下瘟疫的灾来，东岳府君必差了这类鬼去干的。

摄毒鬼王，他专心行仁恕的事情，所以切念著要救济世人，因世间上各种的毒物很多的，像毒蛇、毒龙、毒蛊一类都是，无论什么人，一碰到他，立刻就会伤命，这鬼王都把他们收摄了，免得来害世界上的人。

慈心鬼王，是常常为给人家快乐，念念爱护众生，心慈了，面也生得慈了；名是鬼，实在菩萨的化身呀！

福利鬼王，就是各府各县的城隍，他专做赦人罪恶、加人福德这类好事的，所以有这样好的名称。

大爱敬鬼王，他很爱惜众生、记念众生，同慈母爱念儿子一样；倘若碰到了作善事的人，他就同佛一样的来敬重你。

【尔时，释迦牟尼佛告文殊师利法王子菩萨摩诃萨：汝观是一切诸佛菩萨及天龙鬼神，此世界他世界，此国土他国土，如是今来集会到忉利天者，汝知数否？】

（解）这时候，释迦牟尼佛告诉文殊师利法王子菩萨摩诃萨说：‘你瞧！这一切许多的佛菩萨，以及天龙鬼神，这个世界的、那个世界的，这个国土的、那个国土的，像这样多的天龙鬼神，今朝都会集，到忉利天来的，你知道他的数目么？’

（释）尔时，就是各世界，各国土，以及各处的天龙鬼神齐集的时候。还有十方佛菩萨的主伴也亲自来了，诸天的民众也都来了，各色异类的种族，跟著的许多伴侣也来了。来的模样，都是争先恐后的赶著，像众鸟投林一般，又像大海的容纳百川一般，顷刻之间，圣人和凡人都浑合了。因来的人有这样涌挤，所以都起了一种想发问的疑心，这来的许多人，来闻妙法来的呢？还是来授记来的？这时佛一运智慧，已经知道众人存心的疑问了，就借了他们众人的疑问，来问文殊。佛为甚不告别的菩萨，而专告问文殊呢？因文殊为众菩萨的首领，而且也最聪明的。现在给佛诱问引弄了，也好为后科启请正宗、做伏笔。

法王子，佛是法王，菩萨可补佛位的，也叫做补处子，所以称法王子。

梵文文殊师利，我们叫妙德，因他本是古佛，有三德佛性的；这部经正要显出孝行为众善的根本来，非文殊这样智慧，不能和佛相问答的。

【文殊师利白佛言：世尊，若以我神力千劫测度，不能得知。】

（解）文殊师利回答佛说：‘世尊！倘若用我的神通法力，经过千劫的长久时间，思量测度起来，还不能够知道这数目。’

（释）文殊是过去的无量阿僧祇劫以前已成佛了，过去叫龙种上尊王佛，现代叫藏摩尼宝积佛，未来叫普现佛。既然是三世古佛，难道连这一些些人数也会猜测不出的么？这是有二种妙意在里面：一是自己谦让，不像凡人一样，专喜呈自己聪明，不晓得的事情也要来说的，这样一谦让，可以显出佛的尊重；二，这许多来众，都是地藏菩萨久远劫来所化成的，也都是地藏菩萨的因地，从孝思而行愿的来源，倘若文殊认真答出了数目，那么，后文地藏久远劫来一句话，就找不到根据了。现在文殊却好说不知道法会来众数目，顺便的衬出后文，佛用五眼遍观，犹不能尽的话，而且更涵著催促佛说出地藏行孝的本愿来，一唱一和的成功一种妙曲，也是集成地藏菩萨自始至今行孝的大典呀！

【佛告文殊师利：吾以佛眼观故，犹不尽数，此皆是地藏菩萨久远劫来，已度、当度、未度，已成就、当成就、未成就。】

（解）佛告诉文殊师利说：‘用我的佛眼，（佛眼有五种，也叫五眼的，就是，肉眼、天眼、慧眼、法眼、佛眼。）来观看的缘故，还不够瞧尽这个数目，这都是地藏菩萨从久远劫数以来，已经引度的、应当要引度的、还没有引度的，已经修成功的、应当要修成功的、还没有修成功的，所以有这样多的人。’

（释）上段因文殊回答佛不知道，所以佛用了佛眼，遍处都瞧过，又用了文殊的意思，反转来告诉文殊说：‘用我的佛眼来瞧，也瞧不尽他的数目哟！’佛是具五眼的，他真的为瞧不尽么？因为这许多来的大众，都是地藏菩萨久远劫来所化成的，是指明历时长久了，方显出他所化的大众多得瞧不尽了。

已度已成就的，就是现化在十方国土，坐道场度生的都是。当度当成就的，就是各佛土的各菩萨，修上求下化的都是。未度未成就的，就是浑入在天宫大会里面，没有学道的都是。但是度和成就也不得不分开来说，度是法度，也就是投机的方法，先度量了众生根器大小的分别，随后大的，投给他大方法，小的投给他小方法，方法相宜了，方才可以依了所授的方法去修持学习，这就叫引度的；成就，是凭了这种方法去修习，修习既久，因圆果满，名叫成，随后度生的事业都可以办了，各种的机缘也自然都会凑集的，这叫就。

看到这一节，一定有许多人要疑心，以为佛坐在多重阁上，周围只有九十由旬，怎样能容受得这许多的大众呢？因佛法是不可思议的，他能够把多少融会、大小相摄，不是凡心所可以胡乱来测度他的。

【文殊师利白佛言：世尊，我已过去久修善根，证无碍智，闻佛所言，即当信受。小果声闻、天龙八部及未来世诸众生等，虽闻如来诚实之语，必怀疑惑，设使顶受，未免兴谤。唯愿世尊，广说地藏菩萨摩诃萨因地作何行，立何愿，而能成就不思议事？】

（解）文殊师利对佛说：‘世尊！我已经过去到了如今，是长久修善根的，故此能得到一种没有阻碍的大智慧，所以一听了佛所说的话，我当然是很相信的，像那修小果、闻小法、不闻大法的大众，以及天龙等八部和未来世的众生一类，虽然听到如来诚实的言语，必定要怀著疑惑不决的心意；倘若他们外面顶戴受持了，内心仍旧不能领会，难免说出不相信的话来，反要成为一种谤毁的罪业。唯独我，很愿意世尊，立刻广大的说出地藏菩萨，在修因的地位，究竟做了怎样行为、立了怎样誓愿？而能够成就这样想不到、说不出的事情呀！’

（释）上节佛说过，这许多集会的大众，都是地藏菩萨所化成的。但是文殊具大智慧的，所以表明他自己很相信了，但是还有小乘小机的大众，不免要生出疑心来谤毁，所以文殊作启请正宗，要佛说出菩萨因地行愿的详情。来代表大众发问，良好的机位到了，顺便作释疑的利益，使得一般小果声闻、小机八部，都免去疑心谤毁，都成就正信顶受，岂不是自利利他的好方法么！也可以照应到上文的伏笔。小果声闻，他们是向来修小果闻小法的，还没有闻过大法，要他怎样会知道不可思议的事情呢？

天龙八部，天龙是别名，八部是总称，现在我将他分开来说：第一是天上的人；第二是龙；第三是夜叉，就是在虚空中会飞行的鬼；第四是乾闼婆，是在玉帝那里管音乐的神道；第五是阿修罗；第六是迦楼罗，就是很大的金翅鸟，他两个翅膀，在两边隔开有三百三十六万里，专吃龙的；第七是紧那罗，像人一样，不过他头上生角的，也在玉帝那里管音乐；第八是摩侯罗迦，就是大蟒，也叫他地龙的。

【佛告文殊师利：譬如三千大千世界，所有草木丛林，稻麻竹苇，山石微尘，一物一数，作一恒河，一恒河沙，一沙一界，一界之内，一尘一劫，一劫之内，所积尘数，尽充为劫，地藏菩萨证十地果位已来，千倍多于上喻。】

（解）佛又告诉文殊师利说：‘譬如有三千的大千世界里，所有的草木丛林、稻麻竹苇、山石微尘，每一物、每一数目，都作一条恒河论；一恒河的沙，每一颗沙作一大千世界论；一大千世界内的一微尘，作一劫数论；每一劫所积微尘的数目，都来再充作劫数；地藏菩萨证得十地的果位已来，千倍多于上面所说的数目。

（释）佛欲说明地藏的因地原由，来回答文殊的请问，还可以消除将来大众的疑谤，所以详细譬喻给大众听。

什么叫三千大千世界呢？一千个的须弥日月世界，名小千世界；一千个的小千世界，名叫中千世界；一千个的中千世界，名叫大千世界，因里面有三种千数的名目，所以叫三千大千世界。这三千大千数目的地面，广大得了不得，这地上所有的各种物类，也多得没有数目的，那里还说得尽呢？只好很简单的说几种，就拿草木二种来说，你看遍地遍处都是，已经是说不尽，也不要去说许多树木结成的丛林了。其余稻麻竹苇、山石微尘，都有一样的多。现在将这许多的物，每一种物，每一个数目，来当作一条恒河，这恒河的数目已经数不尽了；再把每一条恒河里面的每一颗沙，当作一个大千世界；每一个大千世界里的一粒微尘，当作每一次的劫数；再把一次一次的大劫时间，所积聚的微尘的数目，都把他来充作劫数；地藏菩萨证得十地菩萨的果位已来，所经劫数，比上面所说的数目还要多一千倍哩！

因如来有智慧的见力，观看久远过去的事迹，同眼前一样，所以有这样明白的譬如。

【何况地藏菩萨在声闻、辟支佛地。文殊师利，此菩萨威神誓愿不可思议。若未来世，有善男子善女人闻是菩萨名字，或赞叹，或瞻礼，或称名，或供养，乃至彩画刻镂塑漆形像，是人当得百返生于三十三天，永不堕恶道。】

（解）‘何况地藏菩萨，还在小乘声闻、辟支佛的地位修起来的，所以经过的时间，更要加倍的长久了。’佛又叫著文殊师利说：‘这菩萨的威德神道，以及所发的愿力，是想不到、说不出的宏大，倘若未来的世界，有善的男子、善的女人，一听到这菩萨的名字，或者称赞叹美他、或者瞻望礼拜他、或者称念他的名号、或者用香、油、灯、幡种种东西去供养他，乃至于请丹青、用彩色去画他的形像，请会刻镂的人，去刻镂出他的形像，请会塑漆的人，去塑漆他的形像，这样子的人，应当得著生到三十三天上去受福报，而且可以生到一百次的循环往返，在往返的期内，永不堕到地狱等的三恶道里去。’

（释）佛前面譬如给文殊以及大众听了，他的意思还没有完，所以还要说地藏菩萨没有证得十地位的以前，自从人天小乘果位修起来的一句话，叫你们都可以知道他的因地，要加倍的比别人家久远了。

声闻是听了佛说法的声音得道的，是小乘的果；修这种果，最聪敏的人也要修三世，愚钝的人，要修到六十劫，方才可以得到的。

辟支佛，梵文叫辟支迦罗，我们叫缘觉，他修道常常居在水边林岩的下面，或者独宿在孤峰的上面；春天观看百花的开放，秋日观看黄叶的凋落，将外缘的境界，收归自己的观觉里来，所以叫做缘觉。修这种缘觉，聪敏的人也要修四世，愚钝的人要修到一百劫，方才可以证到。

地藏菩萨，有威德、有神通，所以能叫一切外道畏惧折伏，还发宏誓，拔尽六道众生的苦楚，愿令一切众生先成佛道。这都是他久远劫来，积累的功德，他的力量，所以出人思议的表。因此能使未来世人对于他的福田，稍些种一下子，便有伟大福报的收成。

【文殊师利，是地藏菩萨摩诃萨于过去久远不可说不可说劫前，身为大长者子。时世有佛，号曰师子奋迅具足万行如来。时长者子见佛相好，千福庄严。因问彼佛，作何行愿，而得此相。】

（解）佛又叫著文殊师利说：‘这地藏菩萨摩诃萨，在于已经过去久远得不可以说尽、不可以说尽的劫数以前，他的身曾经做了大长者子，这个时候的世上有一尊佛，名叫狮子奋迅具足万行如来。这时候长者子见了这尊佛的相好，是一千种福业所庄严的，因此就去问这尊佛：“是做了怎样的行为、立了怎样的大愿，能够得到这种好相？”

（释）上面佛曾说，地藏菩萨是从小乘修起来的，但是为甚么要发起修行的心来呢？所以又叫著文殊，说出他做凡人的时间发心修行的一节原由来。不但答尽了文殊问的妙意，而且完全可叫大众消灭疑谤。

大长者子要有十种的福德：一要姓贵；（须生在皇帝大官的宗族里。）二要位高；（像宰相等一样的大官。）三要大富；（有几千几百万的家财。）四要威猛；（生得严重威肃的模样。）五要智深；（生得聪明还有很深的学识。）六要年耆；（年纪既然高了，他人又都肯佩伏他。）七要行净；（品行高洁，没有一些龌龊举动。）八要礼备；（礼貌很完全，可以给人家做模范。）九要上叹；（使得皇帝也来称赞他。）十要下归。（四海的平民，都喜欢来归顺他。）有这十种福德，方才名义相符了。长者是有德的老年人通称；子是称他作君子，也如孔子老子一样。

狮子奋迅万行具足如来，是借狮子来比喻，狮子是百兽的王，比喻佛法是修万行法中的王；奋是发怒振作，迅是进行很快，是比喻修万行具足的人，只要有奋发的慧力，那昏瘴自然消灭的，只要有进行很快的定力，至理自然不会间隔的了。

如来也是通称。看过去有分别的叫做相；越看越爱的叫做好。佛的相是随了机缘而应现的，或现三十二种相、八十种好，或现无量的庄严、无边的相好，都从外境映入心里，现出来的，所以大小好坏也不一定。现在长者子所见的佛相，是佛修得的好相，（因菩萨修十善业，每一种业，有十种心，这样拼合起来，成会一百种福，由一百种福，再互相映照起来，就变成一千种福了。）所以没有一种相不好的、没有一种不使得人爱的，长者子也知道这相，是佛修成的，所以他便请问佛：‘是做了怎样行愿，而能够修到这种很好看的妙相？’

【时师子奋迅具足万行如来告长者子：欲证此身，当须久远度脱一切受苦众生。】

（解）‘这时候，师子奋迅具足万行如来，告诉长者子说：“你要证得这种身体，应当要久远的度脱一切受苦的众生。”’

（释）长者子既然去请问了他，师子奋迅具足万行如来，自然也要很明白的去回答告诉长者子说：‘你要希望像我一样的许多好相么？那你应当永远行菩萨的道行，来度脱六道里一切受苦的众生，方才可以得到像我一样的身体，生得有一千种福业所庄严的相好哩！’因为众生没有一个不受苦的，最可怜的受了许多苦，他还同做梦一般的不觉得，所以如来叫他，要引度超脱他们。

【文殊师利，时长者子因发愿言：我今尽未来际，不可计劫，为是罪苦六道众生，广设方便，尽令解脱，而我自身方成佛道。】

（解）佛又叫著文殊说：‘这时长者子，因听到如来告诉他这种的话，他立刻就发起誓愿来说：“我自今天起，尽我未来的时日，不可以计算的许多劫数，为这一般犯罪受苦的六道众生，很广大的设立种种的方便计策，统统要叫他们解脱了罪业苦恼，而后把我的自身，方才再来成佛。”

（释）长者子听了上面师子奋迅如来的话，就立刻先发起誓愿来。因为誓愿是修行的先导，无论你修那一种，不发愿是修不成功的，所以长者子就发誓愿，先行菩萨道，来度尽六道（六道上面已注过）众生的罪苦。我们是人道，就来谈一谈人道的苦恼罢！

我们住在娑婆世界的人，种种的苦是说不尽的，现在先将八种苦来说一回，因为这八种苦是很公平的，无论你富贵贫贱，都逃不过，都要受的。

第一种叫生苦，一个人盘在娘的肚子里，气闷得了不得，若娘吃了东西下去，像山压下去一样重的难受，等到生出来的时候，就像二座山把他夹住，他硬在山缝里钻出，这痛苦更利害了，所以小孩一下地就哭，也就是这个缘故。

第二种叫老苦，要瞧东西眼已花了、要听说话耳也聋了、要吃果饼牙齿脱落了，多走腿又酸、多坐背要痛，格外怕冷、也格外怕热，你想苦不苦呢？

第三种叫病苦，一个人一生了病痛，那是更苦了，要吃吃不下、要睡睡不著，难过得求生不得、求死不得，疼痛得叫天不应、叫地不应，人家代也代不来的，这种种痛苦，正是难以形容的哟！

第四种叫死苦，临死的苦，更利害了，要说话舌根硬了、痰也涌塞了，要透气，气管闭了，浑身上下，四肢百节，处处硬生生的拆开来，俗话说，死如黄牛活搏，你想这痛苦说得出么？

第五种叫爱别离苦，就是很可亲爱的父母兄弟、妻儿子女、要好的亲戚朋友，或为了谋衣食、或为了刀兵水火等各种恶环境的逼迫，不得不各走各的路；像要死的时候，眼瞪瞪的瞧著亲爱的人、可爱的各种东西，一一分别，所以死时都要流泪，就可以看出他心里的悲苦了。

第六种叫怨憎会苦，大凡一个人总有不知己的人，或是有仇怨的人，不要他碰见，他偏会和你碰见；譬如强盗，是人人憎恶他的，有时也会碰到他，不损失金钱，就伤你性命，这是常有的事。

第七种叫求不得苦，就是要东不得东、要西不得西，譬如我要想好的物件、我要事情成功、我要交几个好朋友，偏偏都没有，也都做不到，弄出种种不称心的烦恼来。

第八种叫五阴盛炽苦，五阴：第一叫色，是把种种看得见的东西，都包括在内；第二叫受，就是所受的各种苦乐的境界；第三叫想，就是心里乱起的好坏的杂念；第四叫行，就是说心里杂乱的念头，一个才去，一个又来，接连没有停息的；第五叫识，就是分别各种东西、各种境界的好坏的心意；这五阴，把人的本来灵性，都遮盖住了，就叫人糊里糊涂、不知不觉的生出贪嗔痴三种坏心来；五阴盛炽，是说五阴像火势一样烧得猛烈，现在再把贪嗔痴三种坏心，转到五阴上去，像把干柴投进烈火里去一样，自然烈烈烘烘烧得更利害了，就会造出种种恶业来。

要晓得上面的七种苦，就是都从著末一种造出来的，若是第八种苦不除去，下一世还要就前面的七种苦报，再下一世，也是一样的，所以这八种苦，是循环的报应。我们人道居第二，已经苦得了不得了，再下去地狱、饿鬼、畜生道的苦，自然更是说不尽了，佛所以叫菩萨，来度脱这一般受苦的众生。现在我们要解脱这种种苦，也许就在这一部经内，寻一条极便当的出路，方才可以永世不受这种种苦恼。

【以是于彼佛前立斯大愿，于今百千万亿那由他不可说劫尚为菩萨。】

（解）‘所以在于这尊佛的前面，立下了这个大愿，到如今已有百千万亿那由他不可说的劫数，尚不肯成佛，偏要做普度众生的菩萨哩！’那由他数是几千万。

（释）这一节，上面两句，是结束前面的立愿，下两句是实行所立的誓愿。地藏菩萨，在沙尘比喻劫数的以前，在师子佛前，立下这个度生的大愿，一直到现在，他要度脱众生的道心，一些也不退转，同起初一样的。他的不愿成佛，仍旧努力做菩萨，也是承顺佛的教训，承顺是不逆，就是孝顺；菩萨从先前修到现在，世世双亲，都得著超升的利益，那地藏大士，也真是无可比方的大孝子了。

【又于过去不可思议阿僧祇劫，时世有佛，号曰觉华定自在王如来。彼佛寿命四百千万亿阿僧祇劫。】

（解）‘又于过去无量无数的劫以前，这时世上有一尊佛，佛的名号叫觉华定自在王如来，这佛寿命的长，四百万亿无量无数的劫。

（释）梵文阿僧祇劫，我们叫无量数；这数的大，非我们凡夫所想得出、算得出的，叫做不可思议。觉悟时心境朗开，如华开敷，故称觉华；定能生慧，慧即觉果，故定名觉华；既得觉果，于法自在，自在即王，故称自在王；如来是各尊佛的通称，像我们称先生一样的。

佛的寿命为什么有这样长呢？因为佛有三种身体，一叫法身，是佛把真实平等的性，来做他本体；二叫报身，是佛修种种功德，修得长、积得多了，就现出极庄严好相的身体来；三叫应身，这应身是凡人修道感应了佛所化的，所以多得像天上的月光印水一样，只要地下有水，月光就为印入的。现在把佛的三种的身体寿命，都合起来，你想这寿命的长还可以计算么！但是你们也不要弄错了，当做佛真个有三个身体，其实佛仍旧只有一个法身，其余二种是修功积德，自在得来的报应呀！

【像法之中，有一婆罗门女，宿福深厚，众所钦敬，行住坐卧，诸天卫护。其母信邪，常轻三宝。是时圣女广设方便，劝诱其母，令生正见。而此女母，未全生信。不久命终。魂神堕在无间地狱。】

（解）‘在那位佛的像法时代中间，有一位婆罗门种族的女子，因前世的宿福，积得很深厚，所以大众都很钦佩、很敬重他。他行住坐卧的时候，也有各天的天神来保卫护持他的。但是他的母亲，相信了邪道，看轻佛法僧三宝的，是在这时候，圣女广大的说出方便法门，来劝他的母亲，叫他发生正真的见识，来信佛法。然而这位女子的母亲，还不能够生出完全相信的心来。但是没有多久，他的母亲命终了，他的魂神也就堕落在无间地狱里。

（释）像法，是佛的法运，不同正法时代的一样真确，不过还算像个样子；这等时间，佛早已入涅槃，但有佛像住世，所以叫像法。婆罗门是劫初梵天降下来的种族，犹如我国的道教。这个女子是精勤修行而寡欲的处女，前世也很欢喜行善事，积德很深，所以今世也生性很宽厚，人家都会钦佩他；而且他心术也是极端正，所以行住坐卧，没有不端正而威严的。他还能孝顺父母、敬重三宝，自然感应诸天鬼神来保障、来护持他；有这种种端正行为，自然可称做圣女，众人那会不来恭敬他呢！因为他很孝敬，所以见他的母亲相信邪教、看轻三宝的罪，是很重的，他就来想各种的方便法子，和顺的、慢慢的来奉劝他的母亲，来相信佛法的正道；但是他母亲外貌是像相信了，心里仍旧没有相信，这就是不完全相信，所以死了还是要堕落到地狱里去。地狱是在地下受苦的地方，犹如牢狱，在这地狱受苦，常时不休息的，叫做无间。

【时婆罗门女，知母在世，不信因果，计当随业，必生恶趣。遂卖家宅，广求香华，及诸供具。于先佛塔寺，大兴供养。见觉华定自在王如来，其形像在一寺中，塑画威容，端严毕备。时婆罗门女瞻礼尊容，倍生敬仰。私自念言：佛名大觉，具一切智，若在世时，我母死后，傥来问佛，必知处所。】

（解）‘自从他母亲死过以后，在这时，婆罗门女知道他母亲活在世上的时候，是不信因果的，若应当随他所造的罪业去计算，那么我的母亲必定要生到三恶道里面，去尝恶趣味了。但是婆罗门女是一位孝女，岂有母亲堕到恶道里去，有不去救的道理么？所以他就想出救他母亲的好方法来了。遂把他家里所有的东西，以及屋宅田产都卖去了，把卖下来的钱，再去很广遍的搜求购买许多好的香、好的花，以及种种供养佛的器具，亲自拿了这一类东西，到各处先前人所造的佛像、宝塔、寺塔里，大兴起供养佛的善事来。有一天，见一尊觉华定自在王如来，他的形像在一个寺院里，无论是塑的、是画的，都是有威德的容貌，端正庄严，没有一种不齐备的。这时婆罗门女见到了，就去瞻望礼拜这尊佛的容貌，加倍的生出一种恭敬信仰的心来。他自己私下默默的想念著，在心内说：“佛的名号叫做大觉，具足一切的智慧，倘若这尊佛还活在世上，我母虽然已经死过了，倘若来问这尊佛，他一定会知道我母亲神魂所在的地方。”

（释）凡是一个人死去到幽冥界里，善恶都是根据活在世上所做事情所定的。谤毁三宝、不信因果的罪，是很重大的，所以孝女计算他母亲一定要堕入三恶道里去。家业屋宅等，都是他父母的遗产；但是置产业，即是作罪业的根源，因为悭贪心不盛，产业就置不成了，邪见也发不起了；现在孝女把他统统卖了，就是消灭他父母罪业的根源；再把卖去的钱，买种种供养具，也就是代他父母将功赎罪的一个好方法。香有潜通法界的能力；华表示以因克果的意义；所以这两种是供佛最要紧的。佛有三十二种好相，这觉华定王如来都齐全的，所以孝女一见就很感动，凭著一片孝心，至诚专意的瞻礼他。瞻是目不动睛的望著佛祈祷；礼是五体投地的膜拜；现在孝女瞻了又拜、拜了又瞻，加倍恭敬，还不动唇舌的私心默念，要求佛指示他母亲的下落。敬念的孝心既然长久了，感动也到了极巅，自然要流出悲哀的泪来了。

【时婆罗门女垂泣良久，瞻恋如来。忽闻空中声曰：泣者圣女，勿至悲哀，我今示汝母之去处。】

（解）‘这时候婆罗门女垂下头泣得很长久，心里还不住的祈祷、瞻望、依恋这尊如来，一定要求这尊如来指示他母亲所在的地方，忽然闻得空中凭空的发出说话的声音来说：“悲泣的圣女呀！勿要过于悲哀了，我现今指示你母亲所在的去处吧！”

（释）孝女既然有这样长久恳切的情态，自然能使感应交道，动佛的慈悲，来指示他。泣是无声流泪。因眼瞻佛容、意恋如来，在这种长久的沉静中，所以能闻到佛来安慰他、指示他的说话；也就是倾家兴大供养、行孝道，感召的报应。圣女，是称他是正直贤德的女子。

【婆罗门女合掌向空，而白空曰：是何神德，宽我忧虑。我自失母已来，昼夜忆恋，无处可问知母生界。时空中有声，再报女曰：我是汝所瞻礼者，过去觉华定自在王如来，见汝忆母倍于常情众生之分，故来告示。婆罗门女闻此声已，举身自扑，支节皆损，左右扶侍，良久方苏。而白空曰：愿佛慈愍，速说我母生界。我今身心将死不久。时觉华定自在王如来告圣女曰：汝供养毕，但早返舍，端坐思惟吾之名号，即当知母所生去处。】

（解）‘婆罗门女一听到这话，立时合掌向著空中，而且望空的说：“这是何处来的神灵？有这样的大恩德，来宽慰我忧愁的思虑，我自从失了母亲以来，无论昼夜，终是忆记著、眷恋著我的母亲，但是无处可以去问，知道我母亲现在所生的境界。”这时候，闻得空中又有声，再来告诉圣女说：“我就是你所瞻礼，已经过去的觉华定自在王如来。见你忆念你的母亲，加倍的过于平常情性众生的情分，所以来告示你知道。”婆罗门女闻了这佛的声音，举了全个的自己的身体，望空扑了过去，这猛力的一扑，把四支的骨节都跌损伤了。经了他左右的侍女扶持起来，已是昏晕过去，又经过了许多时候，方才苏醒转来，而且还要向空中祈祷说：“愿佛发慈悲怜愍我，从速说出我母亲现在所生的境界，因为我现在身体和心，离将死已经不长久了。”这时，觉华定自在王如来又告诉圣女说：“你供养的事做罢，但要早些回返到家里，端正的坐定，思念我的名号，即当使你知道你母亲现在所生的去处。”

（释）孝女本来是很记忆他母亲的，并且急于要知道他母亲，生在什么地方、什么道里的心都很切，现在一听得佛的说话，自然不顾身体的扑拜过去了；况且此身本为母亲的遗体，既然死了我的母亲，我这身体还有什么可惜呢？外身既已跌伤了，内心又是这样忧苦，自知不久将要死了；但是死是不要紧的，我母现在究竟生在什么去处？那是一定要知道的，所以忍了疼痛，依旧望空的祈祷，佛来怜愍他，从速的告诉他母亲现在所在的地方。因为他既有这样至诚的孝心，佛自然也可怜他，预备告诉他了。

【时婆罗门女寻礼佛已，即归其舍。以忆母故，端坐念觉华定自在王如来。经一日一夜。】

（解）‘这时，婆罗门女听了佛的话，赶紧把遍处的佛都瞻礼供养罢了，即刻回到他的家里。因为忆念他母亲的缘故，所以很端正的趺坐好了，专心的念觉华定自在王如来。这样念到经过一日一夜。

（释）孝女能专心忆念他母亲，自然依佛的教饬，也专心一意去念佛。因他具有这种至诚的专一心，所以能和佛心相契合了。所以须一日一夜的意义，古注说，日是表示孝女觉悟心的光明；夜是表示他母亲不信因果痴迷心的晦暗。

【忽见自身到一海边，其水涌沸，多诸恶兽，尽复铁身，飞走海上，东西驰逐。见诸男子女人百千万数，出没海中。被诸恶兽争取食啖。又见夜叉，其形各异，或多手多眼，多足多头，口牙外出，利刃如剑。驱诸罪人，使近恶兽。复自搏攫，头足相就，其形万类，不敢久视。时婆罗门女以念佛力故，自然无惧。】

（解）‘正在念佛的时间，忽然瞧见自己的人身，到了一重海的边上。但见这海里的水，像滚汤一样的涌沸著，许多凶恶的兽，都是铁做的身子，飞一般的在海上东赶到西、西赶到东，很快的驰逐。又瞧见许多的男子和女人，有百千万数的多，一时浮出海面来，一时没入海中去，又被这许多凶恶的兽，像争夺一般的，把这些男女取来吃食。还瞧见有许多夜叉，他们的形状各各不同的，有的生了许多手许多眼，许多头许多足，口里的牙齿，都向外露出，锋利得像刀剑一般，驱逐这许多受罪的人，使他们跑近恶兽一边去，好叫兽把他们咬吃；而且自己也用手像捉虫一般，把他们搏攫过来，把攫来的人随便玩弄，或把人的头和足都团在一块儿，或把他拉长来，或把他撕了、折断了抛去。这种种玩弄的状态，是有千万种的样子，孝女也不敢久视。但这时，婆罗门女仗著念佛，得佛力保护的缘故，瞧到这种形状，自然也没有什么恐惧了。

（释）因孝女一心念佛，念到入定，自然使心地光明，更仗了佛力，所以可见到这种境界。夜叉，是行走很迅疾、举动很敏捷的鬼，又还能飞行空中；但是种类也很多的。搏，是用手击扑；攫，是用爪捉持的样子。

【有一鬼王，名曰无毒，稽首来迎，白圣女曰：善哉菩萨！何缘来此？】

（解）‘有一个鬼王名叫做无毒，见了圣女，对他叩了头来迎接他，而且对圣女说：“善哉菩萨，为什么缘故会到此地来？”

（释）凡是有福德的，方才可以称王。这鬼王有什么福德呢？因这个鬼，存心肯怜愍人，不肯毒害人的，所以称王，也就叫他做无毒。但是这无毒鬼王，也是菩萨所化的，不是那有这种怜愍人的慈心呢？稽首，是把首叩到地上一刻儿。善哉，是欢喜的称赞。

【时婆罗门女问鬼王曰：此是何处？无毒答曰：此是大铁围山西面第一重海。】

（解）‘这时婆罗门女，就问这鬼王说：“这是什么地方？”无毒回答说：“这里就是大铁围山的西面第一重海。”

（释）我们的碱水海外面，有一座山，就是大铁围山。这山没入水里有三百十二由旬，出水外也有三百十二由旬，山的四边都是水，这周回的水，有三十六亿八千四百七十五由旬，第一重海，就在这中间。

【圣女问曰：我闻铁围之内，地狱在中，是事实不？无毒答曰：实有地狱。】

（解）‘圣女又问他说：“我听说铁围山的里面，有地狱在这中间，这是实在的事情么？”无毒回答说：“实在有地狱的。”

（释）实有地狱，这意义是地狱本来是虚设的，因为世间上的众生，身做恶事、口出恶言、意起恶念，又喜烹杀来祀鬼神，因为积成种种的恶，造成实在的地狱了。

【圣女问鬼王曰：我今云何得到狱所？无毒答曰：若非威神，即须业力，非此二事，终不能到。】

（解）‘圣女又问鬼王说：“我现今为什么得到这地狱的地方来？”无毒回答说：“倘若不是有威德神通的人，也即须要有业力的人，不是有这二种事的人，终不能到这地方的。”

（释）圣女自己想，我是敬信佛法的人，一身没有罪业，为什么也会到地狱里来呢？所以起了疑心来问鬼王。有威德神通的人，方才可以到地狱中来，或是救度人、或是来游观；犯了身口意三恶业的人，因临终时受了业力的牵缠，到这地狱里来受苦报的。

【圣女又问：此水何缘，而乃涌沸，多诸罪人及以恶兽？无毒答曰：此是阎浮提造恶众生新死之者，经四十九日后，无人继嗣，为作功德，救拔苦难。生时又无善因。当据本业所感地狱，自然先渡此海。海东十万由旬，又有一海，其苦倍此。彼海之东，又有一海，其苦复倍。三业恶因之所招感，共号业海，其处是也。】

（解）‘圣女又问鬼王说：“这海水是为什么缘故而会涌沸的？又为什么有这许多的罪人，以及各种恶兽？”无毒回答说：“这都是我们的阎浮提世界，造恶作业的众生，是新死的人，经过四十九日以后，没有人继嗣，给他做功德，替他救拔应受的苦难；活的时候又没有乐善好施的因缘。应根据他在世本来所造的恶业，去受他自己所感召的地狱，自然一定要先度过这一重海；这海的东面过去十万由旬，又有一重海，他的苦楚还要比这重海加一倍；这重海的东面，还有一重海，他的苦楚又要加一倍；这三重海，都是众生三业恶因所感召成的，总共的名号，就叫业海，这地方就是。”

（释）阎浮提，一株大树的王，周围有七由旬，高百由旬，四布的枝叶有五十由旬。我们的世界叫南赡部洲，也依这大树王立名的。凡是人死了每七日一变化，阎王定罪，虽是照活时的恶业据定，但是也要过七七日方才判实；若这七七日内，有承继的孝顺子孙，每一七替他念佛拜忏，将功补过，自然把他应受的苦难，都救拔了；若七七日内，无人承继去替他救拔，自然要受苦受难了。但是受这利害的苦难，也都是自己三业恶因所感召的。现在我把这三业恶因来说一说，使得诸君都可以改恶向善。

一是身业，身所做的恶事有三种：第一是杀生，无论最小的蚊子跳虱，也不能去弄杀他；第二是偷盗，就是人家的一梗草，你没有问人家讨过，也不可以拿的；第三是邪淫，除了正式妻妾以外，其他都不可犯的。

二是口业，口所犯的恶业有四种：一是妄语，就是说谎；二是绮语，就是谈妇女的秽亵；三是两舌，就是搬弄是非；四是恶口，就是咒骂。

第三是意业，意所犯的恶业也有三种：一是贪欲，就是贪得而不肯知足的欲望；二是嗔恚，就是怒目发火；三是愚痴，就是不信佛法，去信邪说。由这身口意三业，做出了十种恶因，再由这三业恶因，去感召成三重倍加苦的业海，以及种种的地狱，叫作恶的人，去自作自受。

【圣女又问鬼王无毒曰：地狱何在？无毒答曰：三海之内，是大地狱，其数百千，各各差别。所谓大者具有十八，次有五百，苦毒无量。次有千百，亦无量苦。】

（解）‘圣女又问无毒鬼王说：“你说铁围山里实有地狱的，那么现在地狱在什么地方呢？”无毒回答说：“三海的里面，都是大地狱，他的数目几百几千的多，这几千几百的地狱，都不相同，每一个地狱有各式各样的差别。所说大的具有十八重，次一等的有五百重，他里面所受的毒痛的苦难，和施刑狠毒，是说不尽的；再次一等的，还有千百重的小地狱，也有说不尽的痛苦。”

（释）据经论上说，地狱可以分三类把他都收摄尽了：一是热狱；二是寒狱；三是边狱。热狱有八重，在我们阎浮海的底下重叠而居的；寒狱也有八重，在铁围山的底下，仰上居住的；边狱分山间、水间、旷野三处居住的。

十八大地狱，分八热、八寒、一正、一边，照十八泥犁经上说，第一重名光就居，他的人和人一相见，大家就互相斗杀，虽然杀伤了，也不肯死的，人又生得很长大，人间三千七百五十岁，他只有一日；（三十日为一月，十二月为一年，经过一万岁，就是人间的一百三十五亿岁。以下十七重地狱的苦，和岁数的长，倍倍加增。）第二重狱名居虚倅略，这里的一种苦，已经要当一重的二十种苦了；第三重狱，名桑居都；第四重狱，名楼；第五重狱，名房卒；第六重狱，名草鸟卑次；第七重狱，名都卢难但；第八重狱，名不卢半呼；第九重狱，名乌竟都，是寒冷冻身的；第十重狱，名泥卢都；第十一重狱，名乌略；第十二重狱，名乌满；第十三重狱，名乌藉；第十四重狱，名乌呼；第十五重狱，名须健居；第十六重狱，名末都干直呼；第十七重狱，名区逋途；第十八重狱，名陈莫。这十八重狱中，每一重分别作十八隔，从寒冰狱，到饮铜狱止，总共三百四十二隔，鬼王所说千百是总约的统计。

总之地狱都是人的恶业所感召的，人有了无穷无尽各式各样的罪恶，由自然的感召，也造成无穷无尽、各式各样的地狱了。受地狱的苦难、大小、重轻，也依他在世时，所作的恶业大小、重轻而定的。

【圣女又问大鬼王曰：我母死来未久，不知魂神当至何趣？鬼王问圣女曰：菩萨之母在生习何行业？圣女答曰：我母邪见，讥毁三宝，设或暂信，旋又不敬。死虽日浅，未知生处。】

（解）‘圣女又问大鬼王说：“我的母死了到这里来，还没有许久，不知道他魂神应到何种恶趣里去受苦？”鬼王就问圣女说：“菩萨的母亲生在世间时，习何种行业的？”圣女回答道：“我的母亲信邪见的，并且讥诮谤毁佛、法、僧三宝，设或暂时相信佛教，旋又不相信了，现在虽是死得不多日子，也已经不知道他所在的地方了？”

（释）圣女既知道地狱在此处，但是仍旧见不到他母亲，所以又要问鬼王了。魂是气的神，人死了，他一个不死的神魂，就是鬼。行是叫做进趣；业是人所造的善恶。造何种善，得何种善报；造何种恶，得何种恶报；报应分明，丝毫不差的。所以鬼王先要问明白了他母亲的行业，以便查寻。三宝，佛相端严俱备为佛宝；三乘圣教为法宝；出家修持为僧宝。

【无毒问曰：菩萨之母，姓氏何等？圣女答曰：我父我母俱婆罗门种。父号尸罗善现，母号悦帝利。】

（解）‘无毒又问圣女说：“菩萨的母亲姓氏，以及何种等级？”圣女回答说：“我的父亲和我的母亲都是婆罗门的种族，父亲号叫尸罗善现，母亲号叫悦帝利。”

（释）三代以前，姓氏分为二种的，用姓称妇人，以表其婚姻；用氏以分别贵贱，贵的有氏，贱的只有名没有氏。印土有刹帝利（五种）、婆罗门（净行）、吠奢（商贾）、戌陀罗（众庶）四姓。尸罗是梵语，我们叫性善，是说好行善道；善现是我们的华语。这名氏虽然好，但是存心不好，都是邪执谤正的。鬼王问清了行业，再问姓氏种族，那自然更容易查明白了。

【无毒合掌启菩萨曰：愿圣者却返本处，无至忧忆悲恋。悦帝利罪女生天以来，经今三日。云承孝顺之子，为母设供修福，布施觉华定自在王如来塔寺。非唯菩萨之母得脱地狱，应是无间罪人，此日悉得受乐，俱同生讫。鬼王言毕，合掌而退。】

（解）‘无毒合著掌，报告菩萨说：“愿圣者回返到本来的地方去，不要过于忧愁记忆你的母亲，也不必过于怨哀恋念你的母亲。你的母亲悦帝利罪女，脱离地狱，生到天上去以来，已经至今有三天了。天上下示，说是承孝顺的子女，为他母亲设供修福，布施觉华定自在王如来塔寺的功德。不但菩萨的母亲得脱地狱，应该在这无间地狱受苦的罪人，这一日都得受著快乐，俱同他生讫完了。”鬼王说罢，合著掌退去了。

（释）鬼王起先不知道是什么人，一听是悦帝利罪女，那就知道这位是大孝女，所以要合掌恭敬起来。因孝女有这样的大孝心，自然感动了佛，也自然感动天了，所以天下诏示，叫他的母亲上天去，连同地狱的罪人都上天去。你想孝的功德弘大不弘大呢？因此古人要说，‘百行孝为先’了。凡是孝，第一要随顺父母的心意，还要好好服侍他，使父母心中快乐。现在孝女起首，劝母信正道；中间，忆母为兴供养布施；末了，救母出苦上天；像这样的大孝顺，是从古未有的呀！

【婆罗门女寻如梦归。悟此事已，便于觉华定自在王如来塔像之前，立弘誓愿：愿我尽未来劫，应有罪苦众生广设方便，使令解脱。】

（解）‘婆罗门女，俄而如做梦一般的归来了。觉悟了这事情后，便于觉华定自在王如来塔像的前面，立了弘大的誓愿说：“愿我尽未来的劫数，为应有罪恶苦果的众生，广遍的设立便利方法，使令他们都能解脱应受的苦趣。”’

（释）寻是俄顷。因孝女本来在家里端坐念佛入定的，俄顷像做梦醒了一般，便悟到因果报应、业海地狱的种种事情，所以顿时便发起道心来。再到觉华定自在王如来塔像的前面，立下弘誓大愿，情愿尽未来劫，设方便法门，救尽一切受苦众生，在后再来成佛，以报觉华定自在王如来救度他母亲，脱苦上天的大恩德。

【佛告文殊师利：时鬼王无毒者，当今财首菩萨是。婆罗门女者，即地藏菩萨是。】

（解）佛告诉文殊师利说：‘这时候的鬼王无毒，就是现在的财首菩萨；这时候的婆罗门女呢！就是现在的地藏菩萨。’

（释）从前因文殊师利请问地藏菩萨的因地，所以释迦牟尼佛，就说这一段地藏菩萨未成道以前，行孝的事实来，使一切众生，知道广行孝道的功德，及种种行孝道的方法。地是万物所依据的，孝是无论贵贱万民所依此受用的，能行孝道，譬如能藏财宝一样，他的福德取用无尽的。可知道地藏二字，也是依孝顺立名的。财首名义，财是人所宝贵的；首是万行以布施为首。有了财方才可以布施，比喻广行孝道，如积财宝；广度众生，如大布施。

分身集会品第二

（解）在有地狱的世界，所有一切地藏菩萨的分身，应召来集，成就法会，这是本经的第二品。

（释）因前品，佛说出地藏菩萨过去种种孝顺的因地，所以地藏菩萨，就来集会，亲自证明一切。分身，是菩萨修功德时，应众的机缘而化现的，他能将一身化出无穷无尽的分身来，像天上的月亮印入水中一样。现在他就将各处的分身，都会集了，到忉利天来见佛，虽是为作证，但也特地来领受如来的嘱付。

【尔时，百千万亿不可思不可议不可量不可说无量阿僧祇世界，所有地狱处分身地藏菩萨俱来集在忉利天宫。】

（解）这时百千万亿，不可以思想、不可以议论、不可以计量、不可以说尽，无量阿僧祇数的世界，以及所有地狱的地方，各处所有的分身地藏菩萨都来了，聚集在忉利天宫。

（释）亿数可以分作四等，十万为亿、百万为亿、千万为亿、万万为亿，现在把百、千、万、亿四数并列，就是指明万万为亿的数目。像这样的数目，已经算不清了，何况再加上不可思议的，无量阿僧祇世界的一狱一分身，都来集会呢？可知道世界尚难量，那地狱和菩萨的分身，还可以计算得来么？

【以如来神力故，各以方面，与诸得解脱从业道出者，亦各有千万亿那由他数，共持香华来供养佛。彼诸同来等辈，皆因地藏菩萨教化，永不退转于阿耨多罗三藐三菩提。】

（解）以如来具有普遍神通威力的缘故，所以能把各方面的菩萨，以及诸位已得解脱的大众，还有从业道里出来的大众，都召集拢来的，也各有千万亿那由他的数目，都手持了香和华，来供养佛。他们同著地藏菩萨同来的一辈众人，都因得著地藏菩萨的教化，永不会退转于阿耨多罗三藐三菩提的了。

（释）解脱，有大小的分别，他们都得著不退阿耨菩提的解脱，就是大解脱了。阿耨多罗三藐三菩提是梵语翻出我们的文字来，阿，是无字；耨多罗三字，是上字；三字，是正字；藐字，是等字；菩提二字，是觉字；合起来，就是无上正等正觉。这正等，就是不邪不偏；觉，就是觉悟；能够不邪不偏的觉悟，就是具佛的智慧了。

【是诸众等，久远劫来流浪生死，六道受苦，暂无休息。以地藏菩萨广大慈悲，深誓愿故，各获果证。既至忉利，心怀踊跃，瞻仰如来，目不暂舍。】

（解）这诸大众等，自从久远的劫数以来，在生死的海里，随著业浪流转，在那六道轮回的受苦，没有暂时得著休息的。以地藏菩萨有广大的慈悲、深切的誓愿缘故，各人获到证得果位。既然到了忉利天，心怀都欢喜踊跃起来，很敬仰的瞻望著如来，目光都集中在如来，不肯暂时舍离到别处去。

（释）业浪，既有业海，自有业浪，众生忽生忽死，同海中一起一没的波浪一样的。人若不得解脱，终在生死海里随浪流转。你要得著解脱，不随流浪，那就要依地藏菩萨的教诫，得仗了菩萨的大誓愿，像他们一样的修成佛果。

【尔时世尊舒金色臂摩百千万亿不可思不可议不可量不可说无量阿僧祇世界诸分身地藏菩萨摩诃萨顶，而作是言：吾于五浊恶世，教化如是刚强众生，令心调伏，舍邪归正。十有一二，尚恶习在。】

（解）这时候，世尊舒放开许多金色的手臂，来摩那百千万亿，不可思、不可议、不可量、不可说阿僧祇世界，诸分身地藏菩萨摩诃萨的顶，而说出这样的话：‘我在五浊的恶世，教化这样的刚强众生，令他们顽劣的，都能调伏，舍弃邪道，归依正法，但是十分之中，还有一二份，尚还有恶习惯存在。

（释）舒是放大开化的意义，佛有如意通转变的神力，所以能将一母陀罗臂、一兜罗绵手，能够摩遍无量数，多得说不尽的分身地藏菩萨的头顶，直接慰劳安抚菩萨，也就是安慰我们的众生。世尊有智慧大悲二种性生，所以能设法调伏刚强众生，以戒律调伏我们的身；以定慧调伏我们的心；身心调伏，自然能弃邪归正了。但是还有一二份恶习未除的人，他要地藏菩萨，也同他一样的设种种方便，调伏他们，度脱他们。

【吾亦分身千百亿，广设方便。或有利根，闻即信受。或有善果，勤劝成就。或有暗钝，久化方归。或有业重，不生敬仰。如是等辈众生，各各差别，分身度脱。或现男子身，或现女人身，或现天龙身，或现神鬼身，或现山林川原河池泉井，利及于人，悉皆度脱。或现天帝身，或现梵王身，或现转轮王身，或现居士身，或现国王身，或现宰辅身，或现官属身，或现比丘、比丘尼、优婆塞、优婆夷身，乃至声闻、罗汉、辟支佛、菩萨等身，而以化度。非但佛身独现其前。】

（解）‘不但是要你地藏分身救度，就是我如来，也仍旧要分身千百亿，广大的设立方便法门去救度。或有敏利的根性，去说法给他听闻，使他即时信受；或已有善果的人，我就殷勤的劝他，就去成熟；或有呆笨暗钝的根性，我便耐性而长久的，想方法去感化他，使他来归依我正道；或有业障深重，不生敬仰心的，像这样一等的众生，也各各有差别的，我也要分身去度脱他们。或现出男子身、或现出女人身、或现出天龙身、或现出神鬼身、或现出山林川原河池泉井，都来利及我们众生，使我们都一齐度脱，在后方罢；或现出帝释身等，……菩萨等身，以去转化得度，非但只有佛身，独现在他们的前面。

（释）佛的法性是不动的，现在因为要度脱众生，自然要分身普现，委曲去就各各不同的根性，无论像化生、胎生的利根，湿生、卵生的钝根，都用口轮辩才，说种种法，去感化开示；甚至现化入于畜生、地狱等恶道去教化，并且情愿代为受苦；还更现出山岳，使人安居养道；现药物，治人病苦；现大川，使天旱不涸；现高原穴地，葬有德人的坟墓；现河池等，利益众生。

天帝，即是释提桓因，是地居的教主；梵王，初禅天，是大千的教主；转轮圣王，分金银铜铁，是四部洲的教主；居士，清净自居，爱谈名言；国王，是粟教王，各国分疆本邦内的教主；宰辅，是民众的教主；官属，即是官僚谋士一类；以上都是未闻道的，或现报身、或现应身，都给他们说法闻道。

以下都是已有道机的，比丘，是僧伽；比丘尼，是尼僧；优婆塞、优婆夷，翻华文，叫近侍男、近侍女，是喜欢亲近佛的男女；（声闻等注见前）佛便现作同类身份，去转化同伴。总而言之，世尊无处不入、无物不现、也无处不教化的。

【汝观吾累劫勤苦，度脱如是等难化刚强罪苦众生，其有未调伏者，随业报应，若堕恶趣受大苦时，汝当忆念吾在忉利天宫殷勤付嘱，令娑婆世界至弥勒出世已来众生，悉使解脱，永离诸苦，遇佛授记！】

（解）‘你瞧我经过许多劫数，勤劳辛苦，度脱像这样一等的，极难感化、生性刚强而专犯罪受苦的众生，但是还有一份未调伏的，只好随他去受所作罪业的报应；倘若他们堕落在地狱等恶趣里，受大苦难的时候，你应当忆念我现在在忉利天天宫殷勤付嘱你，要你令娑婆世界至弥勒出世已来的众生，都使他们解脱，永久离开诸般苦难，一直至于遇到佛给他授记方罢。’

（释）佛在过去无量数的劫中，因为要感化我们刚强的众生，曾舍弃了无数的妻子国城，还有舍弃的头目手足脑髓，比那高山大海加倍的多大，他这种种苦行，无非要调伏我们刚强众生，度脱我们苦难的众生；但是还有一部份业障深重不肯信仰的众生，仍旧照式的顽劣刚强、任性作为，只可以随他所作恶业去受种种苦报了。但是地藏你若瞧见他们受大痛苦的时候，你仍旧要度脱他们，令他们一一都证果成佛，这种种大责任，以后都要你负担的了。

授记，佛说给他叫授；果然与心相期叫记；比喻佛说××你在×年×月日时可成佛了，到时果然成佛，就是授记。

【尔时，诸世界分身地藏菩萨共复一形，涕泪哀恋，白其佛言：我从久远劫来，蒙佛接引，使获不可思议神力，具大智慧。我所分身，遍满百千万亿恒河沙世界。每一世界，化百千万亿身。每一身，度百千万亿人，令归敬三宝，永离生死至涅槃乐。但于佛法中所为善事，一毛一渧，一沙一尘，或毫发许，我渐度脱，使获大利。】

（解）这时候诸世界的分身地藏菩萨，听了佛的嘱付，都复并成一人了，流泪涕泣，哀哀的依恋佛前，对佛说：‘我自从久远劫以来，蒙佛接引我，又使我获得不可思议的神通法力，具得了大智慧，我所有的分身，遍满了百千万亿的恒河沙数的世界，每一个世界里，再化出百千万亿的分身，每一个分身，可以度脱百千万亿的人，令这许多人，都来归依敬信三宝，永久脱离生死苦难，直到得著涅槃的快乐。但是有人于佛法当中，所做的善事，无论你一毛一渧、一沙一尘，或者是只有毫发似的些许，我也渐渐的把他来度脱，使这人获得很大的利益。’

（释）地藏菩萨听受了世尊的付嘱，要他负担重大的责任，瞧了六道中还有这许多受苦众生，正要待他去救度；世尊付嘱过了，又要离他而去，抚今追昔，又如孝子受遗嘱一般；怎的不涕泪交流，依依哀恋呢？菩萨大孝，当然要忍住浊世，现化种种分身，入各道救度众生，以报佛的慈恩。地狱众生尚要广大救度，直使他们得涅槃的快乐，肯为善的人，自然更要令他们，早得遇佛授记的大利益了。

【唯愿世尊，不以后世恶业众生为虑！如是三白佛言：唯愿世尊，不以后世恶业众生为虑！】

（解）菩萨受付嘱之下，回答佛说：‘唯愿世尊，不要以这后世的恶业众生为忧虑。’像这样的话对佛说了三次：‘唯愿世尊，不要以这后世的恶业众生为忧虑。’

（释）菩萨安慰佛，勿要忧虑，是表明他自己能够承当负担这种重大的责任，接连对佛说三次，是表明他下一种很坚定的决心。

【尔时，佛赞地藏菩萨言：善哉！善哉！吾助汝喜，汝能成就久远劫来发弘誓愿，广度将毕，即证菩提。】

（解）这时佛就称赞地藏菩萨说：‘很好！很好！我来助你，使你喜欢，使你能够成就你的久远劫来，所发的弘誓大愿，等到广度众生将要完毕，就证得佛果。’

（释）一句善哉，是赞他分身遍处，都使众生敬信三宝，获大利益；一句善哉，是赞他能够负担后世的重任，使这造恶众生，不受大苦。吾助汝喜，是返照前品，菩萨为婆罗门女时，对塔像前所立弘愿，助他成就圆满，使他喜欢。

观众生业缘品第三

（解）佛母观照众生造业因缘受苦的事，这是本经的第三品。

（释）因为地藏菩萨，既然担任了这救苦的大任，自然要实行他的工作。但是要做这工作，应当先要观察明白，众生因何造业，以致给彼业缘牵缠，去受苦难；既然明白了这种种造业的根本来源，在后再来根本解决的救济度脱。

【尔时，佛母摩耶夫人恭敬合掌，问地藏菩萨言：圣者！阎浮众生造业差别，所受报应，其事云何？】

（解）这时候佛的母亲，摩耶夫人，很恭敬的合了掌，问地藏菩萨说：‘圣人呀！阎浮众生，造业不相同的差别，以及所受的报应的事情，是怎样的？’

（释）圣母因听了众生各各差别的，为此如来要分身度脱，又听地藏菩萨对佛说，不要以后世的造恶众生为忧虑，所以他便趁机发问了。但是会众的人，是很多的，为甚么夫人先发问呢？因如来升天宫，是专为著他母亲来说法，而且他又是佛母，所以应该要居先的。

【地藏答言：千万世界乃及国土，或有地狱，或无地狱。或有女人，或无女人。或有佛法，或无佛法。乃至声闻、辟支佛，亦复如是，非但地狱罪报一等。】

（解）地藏回答道：‘千万的世界，以及千万的国土，或有地狱的，或没有地狱的；或有女人的，或没有女人的；或有佛法的，或没有佛法的；乃至于声闻、辟支佛，也是这样的；非但是地狱罪报一等，尚且如此，地狱罪报，还可以说得尽么？’

（释）为什么菩萨的回答，不对的呢？因为世界是无边的，国土是无量的，众生是无尽的，业报是无涯的。现在圣母问得阎浮众生造业的差别，那自然问得太狭小了。所以第一句就回答他，有千万世界，像我们娑婆世界，有地狱、有女人的；极乐世界，就没有地狱、没有女人了；有的世界都是菩萨，没声闻、缘觉的；有的世界只有声闻、辟支佛乘的；有的不但没有佛，连菩萨、声闻等都没有了。这样国度和世界，多得说也说不尽的。

【摩耶夫人重白菩萨：且愿闻于阎浮罪报所感恶趣。】

（解）摩耶夫人又重对菩萨说：‘且愿听你说，阎浮世界的，犯了罪受报所感得的恶趣。’

（释）夫人听了他说出这许多的世界来，所以他就这样说：‘你别的世界且不要去说他，单说我们的阎浮世界，犯罪的众生，所感召恶趣的苦难罢！’

【地藏答言圣母，唯愿听受，我粗说之。佛母白言：愿圣者说。】

（解）地藏菩萨回答他说：‘圣母！唯愿你来听受我的话，我来粗草的说一说。’佛母说：‘愿圣者就说吧！’

（释）粗说有二种理由，一，地狱名称丛杂，若要细细说尽，就是一劫也说不尽的；二，说禅理是柔软语，说地狱是粗硬语。

【尔时，地藏菩萨白圣母言：南阎浮提罪报名号如是：】

（解）这时地藏菩萨对圣母说：‘南阎浮提罪报的名号，是这样的。

（释）地藏菩萨虽然是对圣母说，也无非是在勉励我们作业的众生，圣母尚且要情愿听受，我们可以不情愿好好的听受么？若不情愿听受，分明是菩萨把你从地狱里救了出来，你自己硬要跳进地狱里去受苦，这那里还想得出别的法子呢？

【若有众生不孝父母，或至杀害，当堕无间地狱，千万亿劫，求出无期。】

（解）‘倘若有一般众生，不肯孝顺父母，或者甚至于杀他、害他，像这般人，应因堕在无间地狱，就是经过千万亿劫，要想求出地狱来，也是没有期待的。

（释）开头就说作罪便堕地狱，是指示所感召的报应。第一罪恶，先说不孝父母，可说不孝父母的罪恶，是最重大的，因为我们所有的身体，都是从父母而来的，‘非父不生’、‘非母不育’，所以父母的亲恩，正是同天地一样大，我们做子女的，岂可以不尽孝道，去报亲恩么？‘羊知跪乳’、‘乌知返哺’，不孝的人，连禽兽也不如了，何况还要去诛杀伤害呢？所以不孝父母是第一等大罪，自然应当入地狱，去受无穷尽的苦难了。

【若有众生，出佛身血，毁谤三宝，不敬尊经，亦当堕于无间地狱，千万亿劫，求出无期。】

（解）‘倘若有一般众生，出佛身上的血、毁坏讥谤三宝、不恭敬尊重经典，也应该堕入无间地狱，虽经千万亿劫，要求跳出地狱，是没有期望的。

（释）出佛身血，是损伤佛的身体，致于出血，现生就入地狱的。倘若毁坏焚烧塑画的佛像；自负聪明，讥谤三宝；听讲经时不肯郑重，生轻慢心；乱抛经典，在于床榻等不洁净的地方；或贪藏古籍，不肯修补流传，致于失绝；见尼僧不肯恭敬；这都是与出佛身血一样的罪，应该堕入地狱。

【若有众生，侵损常住，玷污僧尼；或伽蓝内恣行淫欲，或杀或害，如是等辈，当堕无间地狱，千万亿劫，求出无期。】

（解）‘倘若有一般众生，侵害损坏僧众常住的地方；点污僧尼；或在伽蓝里面，恣意的乱行淫欲，或是杀害生命；像这样一辈众生，也应当堕无间地狱的，任你经过千万亿劫，想求出地狱来，是没有期望的。

（释）常住是往来僧众，办道的地方。僧众虽然往来无定，但是此处产业，是常常存在的，以备后人学道的根基。倘若你把这地方的无论大小事物，去侵犯损害一些，就是侵害后来学道的根本；点污僧尼，是说庵庙寺院中的舞弊，有一般无赖浪子，引诱奸淫清修女子、或尼僧、处女、寡妇等；伽蓝是大小寺院的通称，或有无耻的妇女，自己不肯守贞，假装入寺修行，心存邪淫，扰乱初学僧人，暗暗私行淫欲，没有一些惭愧的，或有偷吃荤腥的僧众，在寺院内，私杀鸡鸭鱼类的生命；像这一类，都是罪大恶极的众生，死了也应该打入无间地狱的。

【若有众生，伪作沙门，心非沙门，破用常住，欺诳白衣，违背戒律，种种造恶，如是等辈，当堕无间地狱，千万亿劫，求出无期。】

（解）‘若是有一般众生，假扮沙门模样，他的心并非学沙门的心，破坏常住的规则、乱用常住的东西、欺诳不知佛法的白衣、违背僧人应守的戒律，种种所造的罪恶，像这一等的人，应当堕入无间地狱里，就是过千万亿的劫数，要求出地狱，是没有期望的。

（释）梵语沙门，我们叫勤息，是说要勤守戒、定、慧，息除贪、嗔、痴，方才名义相符。现在有一般人，身虽假扮沙门，他的内心正是诡诈得很，专门败坏清规、荡卖寺产、欺诳哄骗不知道法要的白衣、‘非法说法’、‘自误误人’为能事的，违背了戒律，也不晓得自己省悟惭愧，依旧造出种种恶业，这等僧众，一死就要堕入地狱了。

【若有众生，偷窃常住财物、谷米、饮食衣服，乃至一物不与取者，当堕无间地狱，千万亿劫，求出无期。】

（解）‘若是有一般众生，偷窃了常住里的财物谷米、饭食的东西，及衣服，乃至无论那一件东西，主人没与给你，你把他取来了，这也应当堕落在无间地狱里，就是经过千万亿劫，要想求出这地狱，终没有期望的。’

（释）无论日间夜间，有人无人，若在常住里拿一样东西，主人没有应许你过、送给你过，你也没有问主人讨过，就是大的犯了偷盗罪，小的犯了私窃罪。财物是僧众应用的、谷米是僧众依赖活命的、衣服是僧众遮体的，此外饮食物件，以及一切香油灯烛，一些也盗劫偷窃不得。佛经里曾说过，盗僧鬘物者，其罪胜过杀八万四千父母，你想这罪业，大得还可以测量的么？

【地藏白言：圣母！若有众生作如是罪，当堕五无间地狱，求暂停苦，一念不得。】

（解）地藏说：‘圣母！若是有众生，作了这样的罪业，应当堕在五种的无间地狱，要求暂停苦楚，就是转念极促的时间，也是得不到的。’

（释）我们阎浮众生，犯了上面说过的五节罪业，是最重大的，无论何人犯了，一定要随业报应，堕入五种的无间地狱里受苦去。在受苦的时间，要想暂停一念之间的苦，也得不到的，一直要等到业满，方才可以出地狱，业未满，就是受过千万亿劫的苦，也没有出狱希望的。

【摩耶夫人重白地藏菩萨言：云何名为无间地狱？】

（解）摩耶夫人重又对地藏菩萨说：‘怎样说的，为何名称叫做无间地狱？’

（释）上面几次的说无间地狱，但是立无间名称的意义，从怎么样来的呢？

【地藏白言：圣母！诸有地狱在大铁围山之内。其大地狱有一十八所，次有五百，名号各别，次有千百，名号亦别。】

（解）地藏菩萨又回答说：‘圣母！诸般所有的地狱，都在大铁围山的里面，他里面的大地狱有十八所；次一等的有五百，名号各自分别不相同的；再次一等的有千百，他的名号也是有分别的。

（释）人所造的罪恶，都不同的，所受果报和地狱，自然也各各不同了。（详情前面已释过。）

【无间狱者，其狱城周匝八万余里，其城纯铁，高一万里，城上火聚，少有空缺。其狱城中，诸狱相连，名号各别，独有一狱，名曰无间。】

（解）‘说到无间地狱，他的狱城周匝有八万余里，他的城纯是铁的，高有一万里，城上都是火焰聚集，少微一些空缺也没有的；他的狱城中间，诸般狱所，相连接的，狱虽连接，但是名号是各别的，惟独有一处狱所，名叫做无间。

（释）阎罗王城的四面，分列各种地狱，若是人命终了，便乘了中阴身入泥犁城，未受罪之间，共聚在这里，巧风所吹，各随业的轻重，受大小身的分别；臭风所吹，就成了罪人的粗丑形状；香风所吹，就成福人微细的身体了。准定在这城里受苦的，都是粗丑的；应生到人道天道里去的，身都细微的，即等活等。七大狱、八热狱等，连在一起的。因无间受苦更重，所以用‘独有’二字表出来。

【其狱周匝万八千里，狱墙高一千里，悉是铁为。上火彻下，下火彻上。铁蛇铁狗，吐火驰逐，狱墙之上东西而走。狱中有床，遍满万里。一人受罪，自见其身遍卧满床；千万人受罪，亦各自见身满床上。众业所感，获报如是。】

（解）‘那个无间地狱，周匝围绕有一万八千里，墙高有一千里，都是铁做的，上面的火烧彻到下面来，下面的火烧彻到上面去；铁蛇铁狗，吐出火来，驱驰追逐，狱墙的上面，忽东忽西的跑走；狱中还有床，遍满了一万里，一人受罪，能自己瞧见他的身体，遍处卧满了所有的床，千万人受罪，也各人自己瞧见身满了床上；因为众业的感召，所以获得这样的报应。

（释）铁性刚强而冷，表示人心的残忍冷酷，刚强成性，作恶不肯改悔。火性猛烈，表示众人的嗔恚火、烦恼火、贪欲火的猛烈燃烧，不肯休息。铁城的二隔中间，有八万四千的铁蟒大蛇，蛇自口中，吐出毒气在火中，蛇身充满了城内，这蛇咆哮时，像天震雷、雨大铁丸。城四角有四只大铜狗，广长有四十由旬，眼光像掣电，牙齿像剑树刀山，舌像铁刺，身上的毛都是猛火，他的烟又很臭恶，一边口里吐毒火，一边在狱墙上驰逐罪人。众业，就是上面所说的，杀父母、出佛身血、邪淫偷盗等，恶业感应的果报。

【又诸罪人备受众苦。千百夜叉，及以恶鬼，口牙如剑，眼如电光，手复铜爪，拖拽罪人；复有夜叉，执大铁戟，中罪人身，或中口鼻，或中腹背，抛空翻接，或置床上。复有铁鹰，啖罪人目。复有铁蛇，缴罪人颈。百肢节内，悉下长钉。拔舌耕犁，抽肠剉斩，烊铜灌口，热铁缠身。万死千生，业感如是。】

（解）‘还有诸般罪人，完备的受过众苦：千百数个的夜叉，以及恶鬼，口中的牙齿像剑，眼睛像电光一般，手甲爪像铜一样的，拖拽著罪人；还有夜叉，把罪人做他的玩具一般，把手中的大铁戟，去抛掷中罪人的身体，或抛中了口鼻，或抛中了腹背，再把罪人拖过来，抛在空中倒翻的接著，或把他置在床上；还有铁的鹰，啄啖罪人的目；还有铁的蛇，缴住罪人的颈；四肢百节的骨节里，都钉下很长的钉；有的拔他的舌头，用耕犁来犁他；有的挖抽他的肚肠；有的用刀剉斩；有的用烊化的铜汁灌入他的口里；有的用热铁缠缚他的身体；痛得罪人万回死去，千回活来，这般都是罪人，造恶作业的感召，应该像这样子受苦的。

（释）夜叉本来也是鬼，但是有一种鬼，还要凶恶，又名兽鬼的，生得牛头人手，两脚牛蹄，力大可以排倒山；复有一类夜叉，就是极凶恶的狱卒，生了八个头，六十四只角，头角里一燃火，便化成刀轮，滚入火焰中了。

铁戟，比人间的戟大得多了，所以叫大铁戟，这大戟，都用火烧红的，铁床也用火烧红的，叫罪人多受毒痛。这都是世人专门怀著怨人恨人的心不肯改悔，成了恶习的果报。

铁鹰铁蛇是罪人生时见人家布施，去用说话毁辱他、讥笑他，又向国王大臣及一切众生前，说布施没有阴德、没有果报等话，感召来的苦报。

铁钉狱，狱卒先将罪人扑到热铁上，再舒卷他的身体，而后用烧红的钉，钉满手足遍身，要钉五百枚的多，苦痛哀号，还不能死。

抽肠拔肺狱，用长叉叉住肋骨，把心肝挖出来碓捣，把胆裂了，肠也抽出来，再将身上的肉屠割，剉的剉、斩的斩，形状弄得像虀粉一样，这都是说诳话、骗人的报应。

烊铜灌口、吞铁丸，都是贪吃四方僧人的花果饮食，不肯报谢所致的。在狱里就是受遍各种痛苦死了，或狱卒一喝，或冷风一吹，就活了，像这样的死生，千万次也无穷尽的，罪报最重的，一日一夜，有八万四千次的生死呢！

【动经亿劫，求出无期。此界坏时，寄生他界。他界次坏，转寄他方。他方坏时，展转相寄。此界成后，还复而来。无间罪报，其事如是。】

（解）‘世人作恶的业力最大，一动就可以造成地狱里亿劫的年寿，想出来是没有限期的，到这个世界坏了的时候，可以将狱所寄生到别的世界去，别的世界又坏了，又可以转寄到别的地方去，等到别的地方坏时，再辗转的相寄过去，等到这世界生成了以后，仍旧还复的到这里来，无间狱的罪报，他的事实像这样的。

（释）众生罪报的长久，连世界也比不过他，因世界有成、住、坏、空，各有二十个小劫，人的寿命也依劫有二十次增减，劫火将要从地下烧起来的以前，铁围山狱所，就像这样的辗转的迁过去，一直到这世界又生成了，在后仍旧将地狱迁到铁围山来。（要知四劫的详情，可以参阅《弥陀经白话解》。）

【又五事业感，故称无间。何等为五：】

（解）‘又因为有五种事，所感召的，故此称他做无间的，怎样的为了五种事呢？

（释）这节是分科别释的总冒。

【一者，日夜受罪，以至劫数，无时间绝，故称无间。】

（解）‘第一种是，日日夜夜受罪受苦，以至于地狱的劫数，没有一些些时间断绝的，所以称他叫做无间。

（释）时间和苦难，没有一些断绝，就是同我们作恶的妄念连续不断一样。可知报应分明，如影随形一般，丝毫不错的。因为时间不能稍得著断绝，所以叫时无间的。

【二者，一人亦满，多人亦满，故称无间。】

（解）‘第二是，一人在地狱里也是满的，多人在地狱里也是满的，所以称他叫无间的。

（释）倘若世人一身犯了，前面所说的罪多种，那恶业自然更大了，死后他的身体，就满遍了各种大小的地狱，受遍种种地狱的痛楚，这是叫形无间的。

【三者，罪器叉棒，鹰蛇狼犬，碓磨锯凿，剉斫镬汤，铁网铁绳，铁驴铁马，生革络首，热铁浇身，饥吞铁丸，渴饮铁汁，从年竟劫，数那由他，苦楚相连，更无间断，故称无间。】

（解）‘第三是，施罪的器用，没有不齐全的，像叉棒鹰蛇狼犬等类，都是铁的。或用烧热的铁杵和铁臼，碓舂罪人的身体；或把罪人用磨磨、用锯拉、用凿凿，剉的剉、斫的斫；或抛入大镬里用汤煮；或用烧红的铁网缠络他的身体；或用烧热的铁绳扎拼，使他身肢挺直，在后逐绳道的，斩斫罪人分成百千段；又的使他骑在烧热的铁驴、铁马上焚烧；生革络首，就是活剥他的皮；有的用烊化的铁汁，一边叫他跑，一边用铁汁浇他的身，使他皮肉焦烂；饥饿的时间，狱卒用铁钳钳开他的口，用烧红的铁丸，抛入他的口中，唇、舌、齶依次焦烂，经过小肠，向下而出，铁丸还是红的；有的口渴了，狱卒用铁钳钳开他的口，将热化的铁汁，灌入他的口中，唇、舌、肠、胃、小肠依次烧破，向下流出。这样的，自从年起，直到竟劫，有那由他的劫数，毒痛苦楚，相连接的，更没有一息间断的，所以叫他无间，这是受苦无间。

（释）叉、棒、鹰、蛇、狼犬、铁驴、铁马狱，这都是世人，怨枉人、嗔怒人的恶习，所感成的；碓、磨、锯、凿、剉、斫、镬汤等狱，是前世活时不相信儒释道三尊、不孝敬父母，以及屠儿魁脍等，斩截众生，所以得这样的罪业；还有铁网、铁丸等，是从前所造，若人、非人身中一切恶业，所积成功的。

【四者，不问男子女人，羌胡夷狄，老幼贵贱，或龙或神，或天或鬼，罪行业感，悉同受之，故称无间。】

（解）‘第四是，不问你男子女人，或是西戎羌胡、边境夷狄、老的、幼的、贵的、贱的，或是龙，或是神，或是天上的人，或是地下的鬼，有了造罪行恶的业感，堕在地狱里，都是同样受苦的，所以称他叫无间的。

（释）秦汉时，匈奴等国叫胡人的，四边疆域，未开化的人民，在东面叫夷人，在南面叫蛮子的。龙有行风降雨、伤害生命的罪业，神有飨食血肉的罪业，修在天上的人，等到天福享尽，也是要堕入地狱的，这是果报的无间。

【五者，若堕此狱，从初入时，至百千劫，一日一夜万死万生，求一念间暂住不得，除非业尽，方得受生，以此连绵，故称无间。】

（解）‘第五是，倘若一堕在这地狱，从初入地狱时，直到百千劫，在这期间的一日一夜，要经过一万回的死，一万回的生，要求一念极促时间的暂停，也不可得到的，要脱这苦，除非业报穷尽了，方才得著投生为人时候，以这样的连绵，所以称他叫无间的。’

（释）当罪人业报完了以后出狱时，见阎王的铁城，就都欢喜得了不得，大呼著万岁，阎王就叫罪人到他的跟前说：‘叫你受这样苦，没有怨枉你的。现在你应去投生，再做人家的儿子了，要孝顺父母，奉侍年长的人，要畏惧帝王的法律，要奉承沙门及道人。’咐嘱罢，都给他投生去。因为初入狱，及到出狱这期间，生死连绵的，所以叫做寿命无间的。

【地藏菩萨白圣母言：无间地狱，粗说如是，若广说地狱罪器等名及诸苦事，一劫之中，求说不尽。摩耶夫人闻已，愁忧合掌，顶礼而退。】

（解）地藏菩萨对圣母说：‘无间地狱，现在粗略的说说，像这样的，倘若要广大的、详细的说出地狱，以及施罪用的器具等名目，及诸般所受痛苦的事情，就是在一劫的时间之中，要求说尽，也说不尽的。’摩耶夫人听他说罢，很忧愁的合著掌，顶了个礼，而退回了原坐。

（释）因全世界众生的恶念，是昼夜不绝的，而地狱罪具，是跟著人心的恶念而发现的，你想！这还说得尽么？圣母为听了罪人受这样无穷的苦，要想救，又没有力量，所以要忧愁了。合掌表示自心的不散乱。顶礼，是谢地藏菩萨的宣讲。

阎浮众生业感品第四

（解）佛说地藏菩萨的教化阎浮提众生，造业感报的事。这是本经的第四品。

（释）阎浮提是树名（树形注见前），我们的南赡部洲，依这树立名的。众生本是通指九界的，现在指明阎浮众生，就是专指我们的世界上的众生。月中的黑影，就是这阎浮树影，月亮本是光明清净的，被这树影一来，遮染得不十分清净了；很似我们众生的心，本来是清净的，现在一寄生到阎浮世界，便像树影遮染月亮一般的不清净了。心不清净，便从身、口、意中，造出善业、恶业等业来，由各种的业力，感召成各种的因果。

【尔时地藏菩萨摩诃萨白佛言：世尊！我承佛如来威神力故，遍百千万亿世界，分是身形，救拔一切业报众生。若非如来大慈力故，即不能作如是变化。】

（解）这时候，地藏菩萨摩诃萨对佛说：‘世尊！我承了佛、如来的威德和神通力量的缘故，能够满遍百千万亿的世界，分别现出这个身体和形状，救济超拔一切受了业报的众生，倘若不是仗了如来大慈力的缘故，就不能够做出像这样的变化来了。’摩诃萨。（注见前）

（释）前品圣母问地狱的时候，正是地藏菩萨受了佛的咐嘱以后，还没有对佛说完别的话，被圣母插嘴一问，地藏菩萨所以先回答他，粗说无间狱一段的情形。现在圣母问罢了，菩萨自然仍旧要对佛去说从前未说完的话了。威是四无畏，神是六神通，力就是十力。菩萨本是没有这样威力和神通的，现在他既然承受了佛的咐嘱，所以佛就给他各种广大的威力、无穷的神通和分身的变化，好使得他救尽业报的众生。

【我今又蒙佛付嘱：至阿逸多成佛已来六道众生，遣令度脱。唯然，世尊！愿不有虑。】

（解）‘我现在又承蒙了佛的付嘱，一直到阿逸多成佛已来，六道里面的众生，都遣使我令他们度脱。唯然！世尊！愿你不必有一种忧虑的心怀。’

（释）阿逸多，翻中文叫无能胜，是弥勒佛的姓。唯然，是哦，是的，这样应答的声气。

【尔时，佛告地藏菩萨：一切众生未解脱者，性识无定，恶习结业，善习结果。为善为恶，逐境而生。轮转五道，暂无休息。动经尘劫，迷惑障难。】

（解）这时候，佛又告诉地藏菩萨说：‘一切众生，还没有得到解脱的呢，他们的性理和意识，是没有一定的，从恶习结成的业，从善习结成的果，一时会做善事，一时又会去做恶事的，这样的做事，都是追逐著他们所际遇的环境而发生的，像车轮一般，旋转在天、人、畜、鬼、狱五道里，没有暂时休息的，一动就要经过微尘数的劫数，受了他迷惑住、障蔽住的苦难。

（释）阿罗汉，是小乘的解脱，佛是大乘的解脱，没有修成证果，没有解脱的人们，都是性识不定的。性有习惯性、理性二种，识也有这样的二种，元体是随著性识而转变的，从贪、嗔、痴的恶习惯，造成三恶道的苦果，从施、仁、慈善习惯，造成人、天二道的乐果。可怜我们被习惯障蔽了真心的众生，忽上天堂、忽落地狱，忽上忽落，像辘轳一般，旋转不已的在五道里面，受尽无穷的苦恼，虽经千万劫也不肯觉悟的。一颗无明的妄心，追逐著一切虚幻的境界，一息不停的变动，障蔽住你本来所有的佛心，使你不能了生脱死，得著解脱，长劫的生在五道里受种种苦。修罗道，业障更重，永不得解脱的，所以只说五道。

【如鱼游网，将是长流，脱或暂出，又复遭网。】

（解）‘像鱼在网里游戏著一样，视作恶劣的习性，将以为是得了长流水了；刚才有脱离的机缘，又跳入去了，暂想跳出罗网，又复遭遇著网罗了。

（释）鱼，是比仿五道里的众生；网，是譬喻三界是笼罩住的网。因为我们迷醉了的众生，追随著性识业力的迁流，见著一切虚伪的外境，不知扰乱了自己的本性，反转像游鱼得著长流水一般的快乐，永远不肯舍弃这可爱的长流水，就是永远跳不出三界的罗网。唉！昏死了的鱼呀！要知道这可爱的长流水，永远笼罩在网的里面的，请大家赶快跳出这罗网，在网外就是真正的淳澄不涸的清净水了，自然永不会再遭罗网的了，岂不是得到真实的快乐么！你若要出这罗网，就从此舍弃这可爱而虚妄的长流水，自然就可以跳出了。脱入暂出，是比喻行善的，虽是升到天道，因为是仍旧不知道跳出这三界的罗网，又复遭网，譬如天福享尽，而又堕在三恶道里了。

【以是等辈，吾当忧念。汝既毕是往愿，累劫重誓，广度罪辈。吾复何虑？】

（解）‘因为有这一等类的众生，当然使吾忧愁挂念，但你既然发了这种心，要了毕这从前所发的愿，以及累劫所立的重誓，要广大的度尽这一辈的罪苦众生，我还有甚么忧虑呢？’

（释）佛因为众生的性识不定，所以很挂念的，现在地藏菩萨，既然亲口承认了度这辈众生的负担，佛当然没有忧虑了。

【说是语时，会中有一菩萨摩诃萨，名定自在王，白佛言：世尊！地藏菩萨累劫已来各发何愿？今蒙世尊殷勤赞叹，唯愿世尊略而说之。】

（解）说这样话的时候，会中有位大菩萨，名叫定自在王，对佛说：‘世尊！地藏菩萨，累劫以来，他各种所发的是什么样的誓愿，现在蒙你世尊这样殷勤的称赞他、叹美他，唯愿世尊，约略的说一说。’

（释）众生性识不定，所以出入网罗，不得解脱；这位菩萨摄心入定，所以抉破网罗，得大自在，所以叫定自在王。因世尊在法会中，赞叹地藏菩萨，说他累劫发愿，故有此问。累是一重一重的叠上去，表示回数很多的意思。

【尔时，世尊告定自在王菩萨：谛听谛听，善思念之。吾当为汝分别解说。】

（解）这时世尊告诉定自在王菩萨说：‘当心的听！仔细的听！听罢了，好好的去思念。吾当然会给你分别解说的。

（释）地藏菩萨有大誓愿、大信力，方才能受领佛的话；因恐怕别的菩萨不能领受，所以叫他要注重，不可轻忽的听过，听了还要好好的思念，那才可以得到一闻、思、修的三慧。佛叫菩萨，尚且要当心的谛听思念，我们无智慧的众生，岂不是要格外的当心谛听，格外的留心思念么！或者在此也可以得到一种智慧，竟而至于彻悟，也说不定的。

【乃往过去无量阿僧祇那由他不可说劫，尔时有佛号一切智成就如来、应供、正遍知、明行足、善逝、世间解、无上士、调御丈夫、天人师、佛、世尊，其佛寿命六万劫。未出家时，为小国王，与一邻国王为友，同行十善，饶益众生。】

（解）‘他乃是既往，已经过去的，无量数、千万亿数、不可以说尽的劫数以前，这时候有一尊佛，号叫一切智成就如来。应供，是成了佛，应该受天人的供养。正遍知，佛有正知、正见，遍知法界的智慧。明行足，身业、口业清净随意，得万行具足。善逝，即是涅槃，长揖三界，永脱轮回。世间解，佛世世出现世间，都能解脱的。无上士，说佛的智慧无上。调御丈夫，说佛的化众有度。佛度人天二道的众生最多，所以说天人师。佛为世上所共尊的，所以称世尊。佛的寿命，有六万劫，他没有出家的时间，曾做过小国的国王，给一个邻国的国王做朋友，同伴修行十善业，饶益当时许多的众生。

（释）能知一切之智，称一切智，分别有三：一是叫一切智，能成就二乘小果；二是叫道种智，能成就菩萨道；三是叫一切种智，能成就佛道。如来，是说很像古佛再来的意义。十善业。（前已注过）

【其邻国内所有人民，多造众恶。二王议计，广设方便，一王发愿：早成佛道，当度是辈，令使无余；一王发愿：若不先度罪苦，令是安乐，得至菩提，我终未愿成佛。】

（解）‘他的邻国里面，所有的人民，多数是造诸般恶业，一天两个国王说起了这事情，都想用一种计划，广大的设立方便法子，议决了就都发起愿来，一个国王说：“愿我早些成了佛道，应当来度脱这一辈的人民，要使得他没有一个剩下。”一个国王也发愿说：“倘若我不先度尽了应受罪苦的众生，得到安乐，先成佛道，我终不愿意成佛。”’

（释）发愿有二种：一种是佛的发愿，自己先成了佛，在后再度众生；一种是菩萨发愿，先度尽了众生，而后自己方才成佛。

【佛告定自在王菩萨：一王发愿早成佛者，即一切智成就如来是。一王发愿永度罪苦众生，未愿成佛者，即地藏菩萨是。】

（解）佛告诉定自在王说：‘一王发愿，要早成佛的，即是一切智成就如来；一王发愿，要永久的先度尽罪苦众生，不愿意先成佛的，即是地藏菩萨。

（释）一切修行，都以愿为先导的，发愿的大小，都是从心的宽狭而来的。就是佛与众生的心，也没有什么分别，凡夫不成佛，都是他自己的心里不愿意成佛。你想这个国王，一发愿就成功，就可以知道了。

【复于过去无量阿僧祇劫，有佛出世，名清净莲华目如来。其佛寿命四十劫。】

（解）‘还有于过去的，无量数的阿僧祇劫，有一尊佛出世，名叫清净莲华目如来，他的寿命的长有四十劫。

（释）佛有三十二种好相，因为佛诸恶都断净了，众德又都圆满的，所以他的面，像净满的月亮一样；他常常以慈悲的眼光，察看众生，所以他的目睛像清净的莲花一样。

【像法之中，有一罗汉，福度众生。因次教化，遇一女人，字曰光目。设食供养。罗汉问之：欲愿何等？光目答言：我以母亡之日，资福救拔，未知我母生处何趣？】

（解）‘像法的中间，有一尊罗汉，用修行的福德，来度众生，看他的因果依次的教化凡人。一天，遇到一个女人，名字叫做光目的，恭敬的设了饭食，去供养他。罗汉问他：“你愿意要做怎样的一等事情？”光目回答说：“我以母亲死亡的一日，出资财为他修福，救拔他，但是不知道我的母亲，现在生在什么去处？在怎样的趣向里面？”

（释）像法，是佛寂灭后，在正、末二法的中间，所有塑画的形像。罗汉是持钵乞食、修行教化众生的，所以也叫做乞士。目表定，光表慧，因定而有慧，从慧发光的。人拿了饭食施人，有五种功德：一施命；二施色；三施力；四施安；五施辩；即是五福。

【罗汉愍之，为入定观。见光目女母堕在恶趣，受极大苦。罗汉问光目言：汝母在生作何行业？今在恶趣受极大苦。】

（解）‘罗汉听了他的话，就很怜愍他，为他静坐著入定观察，见了光目女的母亲，堕落在恶趣里，受了极大的苦恼。罗汉就问光目女说：“你的母亲在生时，做了怎样的行业？现今在恶趣里，受了极大的苦楚。”

（释）一切众生所遭的横祸凶恶，并非是天降的，都是过去现在自作自受的果报。现在见他的母亲在无间地狱里，受了极大的苦报，所以一出定，就要问他活著的时候所做的行业。

【光目答言：我母所习，唯好食啖鱼鳖之属。所食鱼鳖，多食其子，或炒或煮，恣情食啖，计其命数，千万复倍。尊者慈愍，如何哀救？】

（解）‘光目女回答说：“我的母亲所有的习惯，专门欢喜啖吃鱼鳖一类，所吃的鱼鳖都是多啖吃他的子，或者炒，或者煮，恣意纵情的啖吃。计算他的性命的数目，就是一千万也还要加倍。尊者！发发慈悲，怜愍我，怎样的可怜我，救救我的母亲？”

（释）我们所造的恶业，是很多的，但是杀业更为重大。光目的母亲，不但杀食鱼鳖，还要专门吃他的子。一胞的子，为数甚多，倘子生育起来，即是一条性命，子数多，即性命多，故说何止千万。可知道他母亲杀死这许多的性命，罪业自然大得不能比喻了。（＜附录：放生鱼子的方法＞佛说鱼子不经盐渍过，经过三年，还可以再活命。施愚山先生说：‘鱼已经死了，将鱼子轻轻的拿出，勿损坏，勿著盐，分摊在稻草把的上面，等他水迹少微干一些，浅浅的埋藏在水边的沙泥下，以免别的鱼来吞吃，自然都可以活命了，但是埋藏的地方，切不可离水的。倘若在冬冷春寒的时间，用干燥的泥块捣成粉，将鱼子拌裹了、晒暖了，好好收藏起来，积到阴历四月十五以后，撤放在河滩的水草中间，没有不都活的。其余月份，随时可以放的，也更便当了。’）

【罗汉愍之，为作方便。劝光目言：汝可志诚念清净莲华目如来，兼塑画形像，存亡获报。】

（解）‘罗汉很愍怜的为他作出方便法子来，劝光目说：“你可以用志诚的心，念清净莲华目如来的名号，再去塑画这佛的形像，生存和死亡的人，都可以获得好的果报。”

（释）念佛、塑像、画像，就是哀救的方法。念佛是现生的自利自他；塑画佛像是后世的自利利他。心所主持的叫志，坚定的实意叫诚，无论何种善事，有了志诚心必成，没有志诚心必坏。念一声佛，可以消灭恒河沙数的罪业；礼佛一拜，可以增无量数的福；这都从志诚心中得来的。光目女能这样，不但他母亲可以脱地狱，就是他自己将来也会证成佛果的，所以说存亡获报。

【光目闻已，即舍所爱，寻画佛像而供养之。复恭敬心，悲泣瞻礼。】

（解）‘光目女一听这话，即刻舍弃他所爱的物，售去得钱，就去寻人请他画了佛像，而供养起来，又复生出志诚恭敬的心意，悲泣的瞻望著，恭敬的礼拜著。

（释）光目女一边想著母亲的受苦，一边想著佛对于众生有这样的恩德，所以要悲哀哭泣，感激涕零了。瞻了又拜，拜了又瞻，一片纯孝之心，那里消遣得去呢？

【忽于夜后，梦见佛身，金色晃耀，如须弥山，放大光明，而告光目：汝母不久当生汝家。才觉饥寒，即当言说。】

（解）‘忽然于夜间的后梦中，见了佛的身体，像黄金般的颜色晃曜著，又像须弥山放出大光明一般。告诉光目说：“你的母亲，不多久，应当生到你的家里来了，方才觉到饥寒，就会说话了。”

（释）梦有四种：一是四大不和梦；二是先见梦；三是天人梦；四是想梦。他所梦的是后二种。晃曜是晃动照曜，光芒很足的模样。生到他的家里，是佛安慰他的愿望，使他晓得母亲的生处。

【其后家内婢生一子，未满三日，而乃言说。稽首悲泣，告于光目：生死业缘，果报自受。吾是汝母，久处暗冥。自别汝来，累堕大地狱。蒙汝福力，方得受生，为下贱人。又复短命，寿年十三，更落恶道。汝有何计？令吾脱免。】

（解）‘以后他家内的婢女，生了一个男子，未满足三日，果然会说话了。见了光目，就稽了首，悲惨的哭泣著，告诉光目说：“生死作业的因缘果报，都是自受的。我是你的母亲，长久的住在暗冥的地方。自从和你分别以来，累次的堕落大地狱里，蒙你修福的力量，方才得著投生，做下贱人，又复很短命，年寿只有十三岁，死了还要堕落到恶道里去，你有怎么计策，令得我可以脱免了这罪业？”

（释）生三天就会说话，这都是仗佛力的冥护。在三界里面的人，不论大小贵贱，都是随著所作的业，而升沉的，他人一些也替代不得的。杀生的果报有三种：一是短命；二是多病；三是堕大地狱；所以光目女的母亲，有这样的报应。

【光目闻说，知母无疑。哽咽悲啼而白婢子：既是我母，合知本罪，作何行业，堕于恶道？婢子答言：以杀害毁骂二业受报。若非蒙福，救拔吾难，以是业故，未合解脱。】

（解）‘光目女一听了他的话，知道是他的母亲无疑的了。哽咽悲哀的啼哭著，对婢女的子说：“你既然是我的母亲，应该知道你自己本来所作的罪业，是作了何种行业，堕落于恶道里的？”婢女的子回答说：“我以杀害生命、谤毁咒骂二种的恶业，受这果报的。倘若不是蒙你替我修福，救吾的苦难，以这恶业的缘故，不能够解脱的。”

（释）喉声未出叫哽咽，放声大哭叫悲啼。身所犯的恶业，是杀业最重；口所犯的恶业，是毁骂最大；有这二种的重大恶业，自然应当堕入大地狱中受苦了。若没有孝顺的子女，替他念佛塑像修福，这重大的业报，那里有解脱的期望呢？

【光目问言：地狱罪报，其事云何？婢子答言：罪苦之事，不忍称说。百千岁中，卒白难竟。】

（解）‘光目问他说：“地狱的罪报事情，你说给我听听，是甚么样的？”婢女的子回答说：“这样的受罪受苦的事情，我也不忍心去称说，倘若要说出来，就是一百年、一千年之中，也是说不尽的。”

（释）他想起地狱的种种的苦毒，悲惨的事情，心先碎了，怎的还能说出口来呢？即使要说出来，也是形容不出的。

【光目闻已，啼泪号泣而白空界：愿我之母，永脱地狱。毕十三岁，更无重罪及历恶道。】

（解）‘光目听罢，更加放声的啼泪号泣起来，而望著天空说：“维愿我的母亲，永远脱离地狱，完毕了十三岁的寿命，更没有重大的罪业，以及不更经历恶道里去。”

（释）号是大哭，因为心里悲痛之极，所以号啕大哭了。前说十三岁后，更落恶道，所以光目发愿如此。

【十方诸佛慈哀愍我，听我为母所发广大誓愿：若得我母永离三涂及斯下贱，乃至女人之身，永劫不受者。】

（解）‘光目继续说：“十方的诸位佛呀！请发发慈悲哀愍我，听我为我的母亲所发的广大的誓愿，若得我的母亲，永远脱离了三途恶道，及这样的下贱，乃至于连女人身也永劫的不再做受。

（释）求十方佛，是求恒河沙数世界的诸佛，表示他发愿的广大。使永劫不受女人身等，即是使他自己的孝心，也永劫不消灭。虽有这种心愿，但是也要求佛，慈愍的护助他的。

【愿我自今日后，对清净莲华目如来像前，却后百千万亿劫中，应有世界所有地狱及三恶道诸罪苦众生，誓愿救拔，令离地狱恶趣、畜生、饿鬼等。如是罪报等人，尽成佛竟，我然后方成正觉。】

（解）‘“愿我自从今日以后，对清净莲华目如来画像的前面，却在后世的百千万亿的劫数中，应有的世界里，所有的地狱以及三恶道里的诸类罪苦的众生，发誓的情愿去救济超拔他们，令他们都脱离了地狱的恶趣，以及畜生、饿鬼一等，像这样应受罪报一等的众生，都令他成了佛，我然后方才成佛（正觉即是成佛）。”

（释）自今日以后，这是标发觉的初心，也是为长者子、婆罗门女、邻国王、光目女四次的发大愿行孝道，一样的要度六道众生先成佛；追根逐源，却是这末后一次为最先，可知初发心的功德，也是最大。饿鬼道，是很苦的，在无量千劫之中，也得不到浆水饮食的，他的咽喉像针一般细，腹又像山一般大，倘若得到一些饮食，一到腹里，就变成火了；这都是世人悭贪钱财，不肯施舍穷人，所得的果报。

【发誓愿已，具闻清净莲华目如来而告之曰：光目，汝大慈愍，善能为母发如是大愿。吾观汝母十三岁毕，舍此报已，生为梵志，寿年百岁。过是报后，当生无忧国土，寿命不可计劫，后成佛果，广度人天，数如恒河沙。】

（解）‘誓愿发罢了。很具全的，听得清净莲华目如来而告诉他说：“光目！你真的是大慈愍了，会想出这美善的方法来，为了你母亲发出这样大的誓愿。吾观察你的母亲，这十三岁的年寿完毕，舍弃了这报身，就到梵志的地方去，年寿也加长了一百岁；过了这梵志的报应后，应当生到无忧国土去，那寿命也长得算计不来的劫数了；然后再成佛果，广大的度脱人道天道的众生，像恒河沙一般的多。”’

（释）大慈愍，是说他能度尽三恶道。善能，是赞他发心的聪明，为他母亲发心，是平常的，但现在发出这样广大的誓愿来，求他母亲消除罪业，譬如大水灭小火，还有不善的道理么？现在命短的长了，下贱的高洁了，忧愁堕恶道的，不忧愁反得成佛果了，那种种善恶的转变，不是仗光目大愿的功德么？梵志翻华文叫净裔，是说清净的裔族。无忧国土，即是极乐世界。

【佛告定自在王：尔时罗汉福度光目者，即无尽意菩萨是。光目母者，即解脱菩萨是。光目女者，即地藏菩萨是。】

（解）佛告诉定自在王说：‘这时候福度光目的罗汉呢？就是无尽意菩萨；光目的母亲呢？就是解脱菩萨；光目女呢？就是地藏菩萨。

（释）从前的小果，现在都是大菩萨了，连堕在地狱的罪女，也都做了菩萨，可知道行孝救度众生的功德，正是大得不可以思议了。无尽意，就是说誓愿救度众生的意思，是没有穷尽的。

【过去久远劫中，如是慈愍，发恒河沙愿，广度众生。】

（解）‘在于过去的久远劫中，都像这样的慈愍，发了恒河沙数的愿，广大的救度众生。

（释）从发心起直到付嘱以后，劫数是很长远的，那里还量算得出呢？发慈悲心，是行善的根本，若是存心慈愍，所修的功德自然都会具足的。

【未来世中，若有男子女人，不行善者行恶者，乃至不信因果者、邪淫妄语者、两舌恶口者、毁谤大乘者，如是诸业众生，必堕恶趣。若遇善知识，劝令一弹指间归依地藏菩萨，是诸众生，即得解脱三恶道报。】

（解）‘还没有到来的世间中，倘若有男子女人，不做善事，而做恶事的，乃至不相信因果的、邪淫妄语的、两舌恶口的、毁谤大乘的，像有这样诸般恶业的众生，死了必定要堕落在地狱恶趣里去的人，若遇到有善知识的人，劝令他在一弹指的时间，归依了地藏菩萨，这诸多的罪恶众生，就得著解脱三恶道里的果报了。

（释）善恶的报应，像影随形一样，永不会分离的，倘若这人不信因果报应，一定会造出许多恶业来的。不信因果，就造了意业；邪淫是身造的恶业；两舌、恶口、毁谤，都是口造的恶业；但是毁谤大乘的恶业，更加重得了不得。二十念为一瞬，二十瞬名一弹指，这一弹指短促时间，就会解脱无量的诸恶业，这归依地藏菩萨的功德力量，还可以说得尽么！（邪淫、妄语等前已注过。）

【若能志心归敬及瞻礼赞叹、香华、衣服，种种珍宝，或复饮食。如是奉事者，未来百千万亿劫中，常在诸天受胜妙乐。若天福尽，下生人间，犹百千劫常为帝王，能忆宿命因果本末。】

（解）‘倘若能发志诚心归依、敬重地藏菩萨，以及去瞻仰礼拜他、称赞叹美他，用最好的香、最好的花、好的衣服、各种珍贵的宝贝，或用著清洁的饮食果品等，去供养他，像这样子奉承他、服事他的人，死了以后，可以在未来的百千万亿的劫数中，常常生在诸重的天上，受最好、最妙的快乐；倘若天福享尽了，再降下人间来，还可以在百千劫里，常常做帝王，还能够记忆明白他前几世的命运，和因果本末的事情。’

（释）平常的东西供养菩萨，功德也是很平常的，若用了最好的香、花，最贵重的珍宝，那末他的功德也最广大了。致于瞻仰、礼拜，也都是这样子的，你越是志诚恭敬，他的功德，也越是广大。

【定自在王，如是地藏菩萨有如此不可思议大威神力，广利众生。汝等诸菩萨，当记是经，广宣流布。】

（解）佛叫著说：‘定自在王！因为是这样的，所以地藏菩萨有这样子不可思议的大威神力，广大福利罪苦的众生。诸位菩萨！应当记住这部经，大家广大的宣扬、流传、散布这部经。’

（释）佛趁了这机会，不但单独的嘱付地藏菩萨，连法会中的诸大菩萨，也都普遍的付嘱过了。

【定自在王白佛言：世尊！愿不有虑，我等千万亿菩萨摩诃萨，必能承佛威神，广演是经，于阎浮提利益众生。定自在王菩萨白世尊已，合掌恭敬作礼而退。】

（解）定自在王对佛说：‘世尊！维愿你没有忧虑的心意，我等千万亿的大菩萨，必定都能够承受了佛威福的神力，广大的演说这部经，在于阎浮提地方，去利益他们的众生。’定自在王菩萨对世尊说罢了，合了掌，很恭敬的作了礼，退回原坐了。

（释）那千万亿的大菩萨，都要承认来演说这部经，可知这部经的重要了。我们的阎浮提众生，性识不定，造作恶业的更多，所以这部经能常在阎浮提中演说起来，众生得他利益的，也更多了。

【尔时，四方天王俱从座起，合掌恭敬白佛言：世尊！地藏菩萨于久远劫来，发如是大愿，云何至今犹度未绝，更发广大誓言？唯愿世尊为我等说。】

（解）这时候东西南北的四天王，都从坐位中立起来，合了掌，很恭敬的对佛说：‘世尊！地藏菩萨从这久远劫以来，发了这样的大愿，说什么，到现在还没有把众生度完，他还要发这广大誓愿的说话呢？唯愿你世尊，为我们说一说。’

（释）四天王，是保护四大洲的，东王，提头赖吒，翻名叫持国，能维持国土，管领乾闼婆（翻名义是天帝的乐神）的、富单那（翻名是说主热病的臭饿鬼）；南王，毗留勤叉，翻名叫增长，令人民善根增长，管领鸠盘荼（翻名是梦魇鬼）、薜荔多（翻名是劣的饿鬼）；西王，叫毗留博叉，翻名叫杂语，能说各种的话，管领毗舍阇（翻名是啖精气鬼、颠狂鬼）、毒龙（有眼、声、气、触曰毒）；北王，名毗沙门，翻名多闻，是说福德的名，闻于四方，管领夜叉（翻飞行鬼）、罗刹（翻名可畏的暴恶鬼）。四天王，各有九十一子，名字都叫因陀罗，都有很大的神力，现在都在会听说法，听到地藏菩萨自从久远劫来，发了大愿，到现在还没有度尽众生，还要重发誓愿，究竟还是愿力的不坚呢？还是众生的难度？所以要发问了。

【佛告四天王：善哉！善哉！吾今为汝及未来现在天人众等，广利益故，说地藏菩萨于娑婆世界阎浮提内，生死道中，慈哀救拔度脱一切罪苦众生，方便之事。】

（解）佛告诉四天王说：‘很好！很好！我今天为你们，以及未来现在的天人众生等，演说广大的利益的缘故，说这地藏菩萨，于娑婆世界，阎浮提里，生死六道的中间，慈悲哀愍的救拔、度脱一切的受罪受苦的众生，行出方便的事情。’

（释）第一善哉，是赞发问的善巧，第二赞天王护持。世间六道之中，都有生老病死的苦楚，所以佛说：一切生在六道里的众生，是长期的在牢狱中，这牢狱包围在十二重的城墙、三重的棘篱的里面，还有六个拔刀的贼监伺著，要想脱离这牢狱，是很难、很艰的。十二重城，即是十二因缘；三重篱，即是贪、嗔、痴；六贼，即是色、声、香、味、触、法。因众生不知道种种的解脱方法，所以又发起他慈悲哀愍的心，重新再想出方便的法子来。（十二因缘等等，《弥陀经白话解》内，说过大略，可以参阅，因限于册幅，不详说了。）

【四天王言：唯然，世尊！愿乐欲闻。】

（解）四天王说：‘哦！是的。世尊！我们极愿意、极欢喜要听这话。’

（释）愿乐欲闻，因为要解决这疑问，很像渴思饮、饥思食一般的盼望。

【佛告四天王：地藏菩萨久远劫来，迄至于今，度脱众生，犹未毕愿。慈愍此世罪苦众生，复观未来无量劫中，因蔓不断，以是之故，又发重愿。】

（解）佛告诉四天王说：‘地藏菩萨自从久远的劫数以来，一直到现在，度脱众生，还没有完毕；他的愿，是为了慈悲怜愍这世界，受罪受苦的众生，再观瞧还没有来的无量数的劫中，他的作业的恶因，像蔓草一般的延牵著，不肯断绝；以是为了这个缘故，所以又要发出重大的誓愿来了。

（释）地藏菩萨，因为众生终不肯断绝恶因，至于去受地狱的种种惨报；现在他为了可怜我们的众生，来为我们断绝，这蔓延不断的恶因，所以又要重发誓愿了。恶因是多得说不尽的，单拿一样杀业来说，现在你杀死他、割吃他的肉，将来他杀死你，来割吃你的肉，像这样的，怨怨相报，世世不会断绝的。

【如是菩萨于娑婆世界，阎浮提中，百千万亿方便，而为教化。】

（解）‘因为是这样的，所以菩萨在于娑婆世界，阎浮提国土之中，设出了百千万亿的方便，而为教化众生的事情。’

（释）百千万亿方便，就是菩萨随机化身，因人施教的方法。

【四天王，地藏菩萨若遇杀生者，说宿殃短命报；若遇窃盗者，说贫穷苦楚报；若遇邪淫者，说雀鸽鸳鸯报；】

（解）佛叫著说：‘四天王！地藏菩萨，倘若遇著了有杀生的人，就给他说：“这是宿世的祸殃，你将来要受短命报应的。”若遇著窃贼和强盗，就给他说：“你们这种人，将来要受贫穷苦楚报应的。”倘若遇著了邪淫的人，就给他说：“你将来要受投做孔雀、鸽子、鸳鸯报应的。”

（释）现在先说十恶业的果报。杀、盗、淫都是身所犯的恶业，孔雀不喜正偶，和蛇交的；鸽子以雌乘雄的；鸳鸯不肯一息分离的；这都是鸟类的邪淫。

【若遇恶口者，说眷属斗诤报；若遇毁谤者，说无舌疮口报；】

（解）‘若遇著骂人的人，就给他说：“你将来要受自己眷属，给你争斗诤讼的果报。”若遇著了讥毁谤讪的人，就给他说：“你将来要受哑子，或口上生疮的报应的。”

（释）恶口、谤骂，是口业。今世说大家的坏话，唆弄是非，使人家的家道不和，来世受自己眷属的人诤讼你、争斗你，也是应该的。哑吧不会说话，和没有舌头一样，祸从口出，口是毁身的利斧，所以说话最要检点，切勿伤人。

【若遇嗔恚者，说丑陋癃残报；若遇悭吝者，说所求违愿报；若遇饮食无度者，说饥渴咽病报；】

（解）‘若遇著了白著眼睛，发怒的人，就给他说：“你将来要受容貌丑陋、身肢残废的报应。”遇著了悭吝贪财的人，给他说：“你将来要求谋衣食等事情，要受违你的心愿的报应。”倘若遇著了饮食没有节度的人，就给他说：“你将来要受饥饿口渴、生咽喉病的报应。”

（释）嗔恚悭吝，都是意犯的业。现在世上所有的身体残废丑陋的人，都是前世怒目发火的人；现在贫得没有衣食的乞丐，都是前世有钱的人，还要贪财，不肯施舍僧、道、贫寒的报应；饮食都有一定的，倘若随时滥吃，或是饮食时候过度，不但死了落地狱，就是现世也要犯喉症，气噎病死的。

【若遇畋猎恣情者，说惊狂丧命报；若遇悖逆父母者，说天地灾杀报；若遇烧山林木者，说狂迷取死报；若遇前后父母恶毒者，说返生鞭挞现受报；若遇网捕生雏者，说骨肉分离报；】

（解）‘若遇著畋猎恣情的人，就给他说：“将来你要受惊吓疯狂丧命的果报。”倘若遇著了违悖忤逆父母的人，就给他说：“将来你要受天地的不容，犯劈杀的报应。”若遇著了放火烧山林草木的人，就给他说：“你将来要受癫狂痴迷自杀取死的报应。”若遇著从前父母，或是后来的父母，凶恶很毒的，鞭挞非亲生的儿女，就给他说：“你将来投生来做他的儿女，也要受他这样鞭挞的报应。”若遇著了用网捕捉鱼鸟雏卵的人，就给他说：“你将来也要受骨肉分离的报应。”

（释）伏羲氏教民畋猎，是叫百姓保护畋亩的种植，驱逐野兽；现在一般人，为贪口腹的滋味，任情的去杀死他，岂不是要还报的么？不管他生身的父母，不是生身父母，是父母，都要一概平等，如同天地一样的恭敬；不论他是亲生的儿女，不是亲生的儿女，是儿女，终要一律平等的爱护。倘若忤逆父母、不爱子女，这报应都是很凶毒的。山林草木之间，有无数的生命藏蛰著，你若放火一烧，这无数的生命，不是都给你惨杀了么？不但是一生狂迷取死，直等到还满性命，方才罢休。老小的鱼、老小的鸟，都很快乐的聚在一块儿，给你用网竿等一捕捉，都惊散了，你现在离人家的骨肉，将来天就来离你的骨肉。

【若遇毁谤三宝者，说盲聋喑哑报；若遇轻法慢教者，说永处恶道报；若遇破用常住者，说亿劫轮回地狱报；若遇污梵诬僧者，说永在畜生报；】

（解）‘若遇著了毁谤三宝的人，就给他说：“你将来要受做瞎子、聋子、喑哑人的报应。”若遇著了看轻佛法、欺慢佛教的人，就给他说：“你死了要永久的住在恶道里受报应的。”若遇著了破坏挪用常住东西的人，就给他说：“你将来要在亿万劫的轮回，和地狱里受报应的。”若遇著污渎梵行、怨诬僧伽的人，就给他说：“你将来要受永生做畜生的报应。”

（释）佛如医王，法如良药，僧如治病人；别的都可以救治，惟有这起了谤毁三宝恶毒的病，一切诸佛都没有救治你的方法了，只好任你去入恶道受苦，等到转世来，还是一个又盲又聋的哑人，使你永不得见、永不得闻、永不得赞三宝。以下各种的罪业报应，都很重的。

【若遇汤火斩斫伤生者，说轮回递偿报；若遇破戒犯斋者，说禽兽饥饿报；若遇非理毁用者，说所求阙绝报；若遇吾我贡高者，说卑使下贱报；若遇两舌斗乱者，说无舌百舌报；若遇邪见者，说边地受生报。】

（解）‘若遇著用滚汤猛火泡炙生物的毛、羽，或斩他的头，或斫他的脚，像这样杀伤生物性命的人，就给他说：“你将来转世来，照样的要受这报应的。”若遇著破戒偷荤吃的僧人，就给他说：“你将来要受做了禽兽，还要挨饥饿的报应的。”若遇著没有道理毁坏东西、乱用金钱的人，就给他说：“你将来要受所要求的东西，都会阙绝得一些没有的报应的。”若遇著了自高自傲的人，就给他说：“你将来要受做低卑的下贱人的报应。”若遇著搬弄是非，使人家争讼斗乱的人，就给他说：“你将来要受无舌百舌的报应。”若遇著邪见的人，就给他说：“你将来要受投生到边境地方去的报应。”

（释）贪口腹杀生，是最惨毒的，他的报应也最速，你现在吃他八两，他将来照样的来吃你半斤，一些也不错的。有一种人，在怒气时，常常将器皿摔坏，这就是非理毁用。凡是违理强词的人，都叫邪见。（上面所说的种种果报，在《太上宝筏》、《日记故事》等等果报书籍，都有过的，诸君可以参阅，就可证实地藏菩萨言行的不讹。）

【如是等阎浮提众生，身口意业，恶习结果，百千报应，今粗略说。如是等阎浮提众生业感差别，地藏菩萨百千方便而教化之。】

（解）‘像这等的阎浮提众生，身、口、意所作的业恶习气的结果，有百千种不同的报应，今天粗略的说说。像这一等的阎浮提众生，作业的感应，相差的分别，地藏菩萨行百千种的方便，而教化他们的。

（释）果有三种：一是果报果，一死就落地狱；二是习气果，投生人间，受短命邪见的报应；三是增上果，是自心专造十罪业的，对于一切的外物，没有恶习。

造业有四种报：一是现报；（是今生作业，今生受报。）二是生报；（今生作业，来世的后生受报。）三是后报；（今生作业，后二、三世受报。）四是无报。

无报也分四种：一是时定报不定；（时已决定，报还可以转改，故不定。）二是报定时不定；（业报已决定，但是时间还可以转改，故不定。）三是时报俱定；（业也定，时也定。）四是时报俱不定。（因业没有决定，所以时报都难决定。）

众生的作业，有先起念而后去作的，名作具足；倘若先不起念，直接的作去，名叫作事不具足；所以有时报俱定的，时报不俱定的分别。

【是诸众生先受如是等报，后堕地狱，动经劫数，无有出期。是故汝等护人护国，无令是诸众业，迷惑众生。】

（解）‘这诸般众生，先受了像这样一等的果报，在后堕入地狱，动经劫数，一时没有出狱的期限。因为是这样的，你们要保护人、保护国土，不要令这诸般罪业，迷惑了众生。’

（释）嘱咐四天王，叫他们保护众生，不使众生迷惑，即是叫他们保持众生养心的四谛。因为众生从见、思的迷惑，毁坏内心的清净境界，心王逃亡，六贼扰乱，就任意的造作恶业了。

【四天王闻已，涕泪悲叹，合掌而退。】

（解）四天王听罢了，流出涕泪，都很悲叹的合了掌，退下原座位。

（释）心本来是空寂无为的，奈众生都是庸人自扰，妄作、妄为，所以要涕泪了。作了业，要受动经劫数的地狱，怎的不使人悲叹呢？

地狱名号品第五

（解）地藏菩萨说地狱的种种名号。这是本经的第五品。

（释）前次说的业缘品，是思感；业感品，是报应；这品，是苦楚。地狱所在的地方和情形，前面已经大略的说过了，总之聪明的人，对于各种的环境，都是旷达欢喜的，就处处成了天国；愚痴的人，对于各种的环境，都是忧愁烦恼，缠扰不绝，处处就成地狱，不但死了堕地狱，现生也活受地狱的痛苦。

【尔时，普贤菩萨摩诃萨白地藏菩萨言：仁者，愿为天龙四众及未来现在一切众生，说娑婆世界及阎浮提罪苦众生所受报处，地狱名号及恶报等事，使未来世末法众生知是果报。】

（解）这时候普贤大菩萨，对地藏菩萨说：‘慈仁的！情愿希望你，给天龙四天王，以及未来现在的一切众生，说这娑婆世界，以及阎浮提众生，应该所受报应的地方，各种地狱的名号，以及恶报一等的事情，使那未来世的末法众生，知道这样的果报。’

（释）普贤，是说他能周遍施法，贤与佛等。仁者，是慈育的尊称。地狱名号，普贤菩萨虽然知道，但是天龙众生，还没有明白，所以要他说说。

【地藏答言：仁者，我今承佛威神及大士之力，略说地狱名号及罪报恶报之事。仁者，阎浮提东方有山，号曰铁围。其山黑邃，无日月光。有大地狱，号极无间；又有地狱，名大阿鼻；】

（解）地藏菩萨回答说：‘仁者！我如今承了佛的威神，以及大士的愿力，简略的说说地狱的名号，以及犯罪的果报、作恶的果报的事情。仁者！阎浮提的东方，有一座山，名号叫做铁围，他这山黑暗深邃，没有日月光照著的；有一重大地狱，名叫极无间，还有一重地狱，名叫大阿鼻。

（释）地狱是四处都有的，因为我们阎浮提在东方，所以单说东方的地狱。无间、阿鼻两大地狱，都设在一个地方，犯罪受报的苦楚，也很相同的。无间狱前已说过了，现在单说阿鼻狱，这狱横直都八千由旬，七重铁城，七层铁网，刀林剑林等，也各有七重，里面还有十八重寒冰等狱。

【复有地狱，名曰四角；复有地狱，名曰飞刀；复有地狱，名曰火箭；复有地狱，名曰夹山；复有地狱，名曰通枪；复有地狱，名曰铁车；复有地狱，名曰铁床；复有地狱，名曰铁牛；复有地狱，名曰铁衣；复有地狱，名曰千刃；复有地狱，名曰铁驴；复有地狱，名曰烊铜；复有地狱，名曰抱柱；复有地狱，名曰流火；复有地狱，名曰耕舌；复有地狱，名曰剉首；复有地狱，名曰烧脚；复有地狱，名曰啖眼；复有地狱，名曰铁丸；复有地狱，名曰诤论；复有地狱，名曰铁呋；复有地狱，名曰多嗔。】

（解）‘附设在阿鼻地狱中的，还有地狱，名叫四角，四壁都是烧红的铁壁，上面落下来的铁火，像密雨一般，把罪人都烧得化为灰烬。

还有地狱，名叫飞刀，也叫做刀轮，四面都是刀山，空中有八百万亿极大的刀轮，旋转落下，也像雨点一般，一著罪人的身，就首足分离，肌肉狼藉了。

还有地狱，名叫火箭，有万亿数的铁弩旋头，百亿的锋刃，铁□一开动，同时张发，一枝枝都射入罪人的心里。

还有地狱，名叫夹山，无数的犯人，怕入地狱，逃入山间，前后自然的起火，两山也自然的夹合磨转，一时流血成河，骨肉都糜烂尽了。

还有地狱，名叫通枪，枪是一种剡木的兵器，穿通罪人的胸背。

还有地狱，名叫铁车，用火烧红了铁车的车轮，碾研罪人。

还有地狱，名叫铁床，火烧红的铁床，罪人睡著，身体焦烂了。

还有地狱，名叫铁牛，许多铁铸的火牛，见了罪人，或用角触，或使蹄踏。

还有地狱，名叫铁衣，有千万的赤铁袈裟，以及衣服，从空落下，各各缠裹罪人，皮肉筋骨，都焦烂了。

还有地狱，名叫千刃，罪人坐大剑床上，百亿的剑刃，都出火，烧刺他的身体，空中有刀，从上而下，直劈头顶，身体碎裂，做数千段。

还有地狱，名叫铁驴（前已注过）。

还有地狱，名叫烊铜（前已注过）。

还有地狱，名叫抱柱，罪人一抱紧铜柱，铁网自然缠络他的颈项，刹时铜柱火发，身体焦焚。

还有地狱，名叫流火，遍处火烧，绝无出路，狱卒拿了火烧的铁杵，击破罪人的头胪。

还有地狱，名叫耕舌，牵住罪人的舌头，将罪人当作了耕牛，去犁别的罪人。

还有地狱，名叫剉首，用刀斧斩截、解剥罪人的头。

还有地狱，名叫烧脚，罪人所站踏的地方，很像烊化的蜡块，他的脚，随踏随焦烂，或有没到膝盖的，或有没到肚脐、没到颈项的，还有全人尽没的。

还有地狱，名叫啖眼，铁鹰飞来，爪住罪人的肩膀，啄啖他眼珠内的水。

还有地狱，名叫铁丸（前已注过）。

还有地狱，名叫诤论，罪人都生了铁爪，锋刃很像半月，时刻嗔怒，自相搏杀。

还有地狱，名叫铁呋，呋是利斧，斩腰的罪具。

还有地狱，名叫多嗔，因嗔发怒，互相残杀。’

（释）僧人闻了妇女的歌舞戏笑，心生爱染，以及世人，喜欢杀生，叫人杀生，斩斫动物的手脚，割他的背肉，死了堕四角地狱；若有聚人斗战、肆意杀害的人，死了就堕飞刀地狱；愚痴的人，为了贪欲的缘故，不孝父母，不敬师长，不听顺良善的教化，叫人杀害动物，饲养奸人，就堕火箭地狱；恶业作得多了，就堕夹山地狱；杀生害命，更加斗战，就堕通枪地狱；爱染邪淫，贪多女色，就堕铁床铜柱地狱；僧人不著袈裟，爱穿常人衣服，就落铁衣地狱；世人不顺从法师的教训，不知道报恩供养，害师、骂师、打师、杀师，做了非法的事，不知道惭愧，剥坏佛像，破坏寺塔，杀伯叔父母兄弟姊妹，死了就堕千刃地狱；有了大势力的人，虐待人民，死了就堕流火地狱；有人打破鱼、蛇、蜈蚣等的头，就堕剉首地狱；拿捉有性命的一切动物，抛置火中、热灰中、热汤中，或有偷奸人家的妻女，不守世上的理法，出家破戒，这一等人，一死就堕烧脚地狱；贪饮酒的人，就堕啖眼地狱；贪欲嫉妒，多起嗔怒，就堕诤论多嗔地狱；利口的人，常出恶言，赞不善的人，谤良善的人，就堕铁呋地狱。

【地藏白言：仁者，铁围之内，有如是等地狱，其数无限。】

（解）地藏菩萨说：‘仁者！铁围山的里面，有像这样一等的地狱，他的数目，是多得没有限量的。

（释）一一的地狱中，所附设各种的小狱，是说不尽的，终是凡夫妄起了爱取的心，将本来无为的境界，强取作有为的境界，故此生出了苦乐的报应来。

【更有叫唤地狱、拔舌地狱、粪尿地狱、铜锁地狱、火象地狱、火狗地狱、火马地狱、火牛地狱、火山地狱、火石地狱、火床地狱、火梁地狱、火鹰地狱、锯牙地狱、剥皮地狱、饮血地狱、烧手地狱、烧脚地狱、倒剌地狱、火屋地狱、铁屋地狱、火狼地狱。】

（解）‘在这无间、阿鼻二大地狱的里面，还有叫唤地狱，这地狱，是八热狱中的第四叫唤、第五大叫唤，狱卒捉了罪人，掷入大镬中，用热汤沸煮，又提到大鏊盘里，反覆煎熬，所以痛得号哭叫唤。

拔舌地狱，狱卒用铁钩钩开罪人的口，拔取出他的舌头，用称钩钩住。

粪尿地狱，受罪的人，都漂没在粪堆、尿河之间，秽臭不可闻受。

铜锁地狱，把大铁炼，系锁罪人的颈项，一端系住铁山，叫他负走。

火象地狱，象遍身赤火，追烧罪人。

火狗地狱，热沸灰河的两岸，所有的诸狗，身都紫黑色，垢腻得很可怕，把狱里的罪人身上的肉，块块咬吃。

火牛火马地狱，牛马身上一纵火，便尽力的去追逐狱里的罪人，都给他踏死、触死、焚死。

火山地狱，两山都是火，罪人入山内，两山自会相合，磨打化成虀粉。

火石地狱，将罪人放在烧热的铁石上，再拿了别的铁石，压覆在罪人身上，便细细的磨研，脓血流出，髓骨也化作灰末。

火床地狱（和铁床狱同）。

火梁地狱，把罪人悬在火梁上烧焚。

火鹰地狱（同铁鹰地狱）。

锯牙地狱，把罪人用黑铁绳绑直，用锯破锯身体，破而再破，身体破完，再破齿牙。

剥皮地狱，先把罪人的皮剥下，再一块块割他的肉，堆在他的皮上。

饮血地狱，狱里有许多的恶虫，咬吃罪人的血肉，还要咬吃他的筋髓。

烧手烧脚地狱，八热狱里面的第六烧炙、第七大烧炙，统身都烧，皮肉焦烂，这狱单独烧他的手足。

倒刺地狱，里面有火烧的大铁树，刺长十六寸，狱卒牵拖罪人上树，树刺皆向下，牵拖罪人下树，树刺便会向上，经了几次的拖牵，皮肉都割尽了。

火屋铁屋地狱，把罪人都关在大铁屋内，再纵火焚烧，罪人无处可逃，便都焦烂灼死。

火狼地狱，粗恶的火狼，浑身是火，扑逐罪人，脚踏、口咬，块块吃尽。

（释）堕落叫唤地狱，是嗔恚怀毒，造诸般恶业，习种种邪见的报应；堕拔舌粪尿铜锁等地狱，是行梵志一等人，是法说非法，非法说是法，犯了戒不肯忏悔的报应；堕火狗狱，是养蚕煮食的报应；堕火牛火马狱，是邪行淫欲的报应；堕火山火石等地狱，都是多作罪业的报应；堕锯牙地狱，是口中作恶业的报应；堕剥皮地狱，是做屠脍业的，专门杀猪、羊、牛、鹿，以活自己的命，或者专做捕捉鱼、鸟等生活的报应；堕饮血地狱，是偷盗、邪淫的报应；堕烧手脚地狱，是贪口腹的滋味，杀害生灵，断手断足，炮烧煮炙的报应；堕倒刺地狱，是邪淫的妇女，或妇人欺侮夫主，违背夫主，再加各种增上的恶业，受这报应；堕火屋等狱，皆是自己作业的报应。

【如是等地狱，其中各各复有诸小地狱，或一或二、或三或四，乃至百千。其中名号各各不同。】

（解）‘像这样一等的各种地狱之中，还有各种的诸般小地狱，或附一种，或附二种，或附设三、四种，乃至于附入百千种，其中的名号，也是各各不同的。’

（释）各种的地狱里，还有许多的小地狱，做他的附属，这地狱还可以说得尽么？

【地藏菩萨告普贤菩萨言：仁者，此中皆是南阎浮提行恶众生，业感如是。】

（解）地藏菩萨告诉普贤菩萨说：‘仁者！这样的都是南阎浮提行恶众生的业力，感召得像这样的。

（释）菩萨常指阎浮众生，是因为阎浮众生习性纷乱，随环境习恶业，不肯行善，积了种种的恶业，然后造成种种的地狱。

【业力甚大，能敌须弥，能深巨海，能障圣道。是故，众生莫轻小恶，以为无罪，死后有报，纤毫受之。父子至亲，岐路各别。纵然相逢，无肯代受。我今承佛威力，略说地狱罪报之事，唯愿仁者暂听是言。】

（解）‘而且这业力很大的，高大能够比须弥山，深沉可以比深的巨海，还能障蔽住佛的圣道，是为业力有这样大的缘故，所以叫众生勿看轻了小恶，以为是没有罪的，要知道，死后的报应，是纤毫都要受的，父子虽然是至亲，到了受报时间，也分歧了，各走各的路，各有各的分别，倘若给你碰见了，也是不能代受的。我今朝承了佛的威力，约略的说说地狱罪报事情，唯愿你仁者，暂时听我这话。’

（释）业力要比须弥山还高，比大海还深，甚至于还能障蔽住无边的佛法圣道，你想世人的业力，大得可怕不可怕呢？我们凡人，一日一夜，有八亿四千万的起心动念，念念不息，一念有一念的因缘报应，恶念得恶报，善念得善报，如影随形，一些也不讹的。念尚有报应，何况身为小恶呢！善积得多了，一死就升上天，恶积得多了，一死就堕地狱，自作自受，一些不能方便，赤条条一个人来，还是赤条条一个人去，说甚么父母、兄弟、妻子、朋友，帮不得一些忙，作不得一些主。总而言之，万法都从心生，万法也都从心灭，能够到了不生不灭的境界，佛心自然发现了。心念迷乱了，障住佛心，作了诸不善的事，就积成了无形无相的恶业，（经里说，业有形相，大虚空不能容受。）将来受地狱恶报，切勿以为业是见不到的，任意作恶。

【普贤答言：吾已久知三恶道报，望仁者说，令后世末法一切恶行众生闻仁者说，使令归佛。】

（解）普贤回答说：‘吾所以晓得你，久已知道三恶道的果报，希望仁者说这话，令后世的末法时候，一切恶行的众生，听了仁者的话，使令他归依了佛。’

（释）普贤菩萨晓得地藏菩萨是地狱里的教主，是已经久远的了，现在地狱里的教主，来说地狱的形情，众生听了，一定很相信的，既然有了信心，那么劝他们归依了佛，免得受地狱中的罪。

【地藏白言：仁者，地狱罪报，其事如是：】

（解）地藏菩萨说：‘仁者！地狱的罪报，他的事情，是像这样子的。

（释）这几句是证实这种种地狱的形状，实在是这样的，好使众生坚信无疑。

【或有地狱，取罪人舌，使牛耕之；或有地狱，取罪人心，夜叉食之；或有地狱，镬汤盛沸，煮罪人身；或有地狱，赤烧铜柱，使罪人抱；或有地狱，使诸火烧，趁及罪人；或有地狱，一向寒冰；或有地狱，无限粪屎；或有地狱，纯飞镞鑗；或有地狱，多攒火枪；或有地狱，唯撞胸背；或有地狱，但烧手足；或有地狱，盘缴铁蛇；或有地狱，驱逐铁狗；或有地狱，尽驾铁骡。】

（解）‘还有地狱，拔取了罪人的舌头，用牛去耕犁他。

还有地狱，在灰河中的剑树中间，罗刹用铁叉叉出罪人的心，叫夜叉去吃。

还有地狱，有五百个罗刹，鼓大石灰，烧大铜镬，烧沸了汤，去煮罪人，一息身体都消烂了，用叉撩出，喂铁狗吃，吃了呕吐，罪人又活，再捉入镬里烧煮。

还有地狱，用诸般火，去烧焚追逐罪人。

还有地狱，一向都沉埋在寒冰里，纵广有二万里，风吹寒冰，透入骨髓，便死了。

还有地狱，是无限的沸粪狱，分有十八隔，每隔八千由旬，隔中都有四壁，还有百万亿的剑样，都生铁虫，口吐热屎，罪人饮了屎，这虫就唼他的舌，啖他的心。

还有地狱，罪人落在黑暗中，有铁乌，嘴距又长又利，从山上飞来，抓啄罪人，罪人急得乱跑，脚下的热铁镞鑗，又刺痛得穿骨彻髓，这样的要经过百万亿岁，现在说纯飞，大约满狱都是。

多攒火枪，与通枪相同的，不过他还加多一种火。

还有地狱，独击撞罪人的胸背。

还有地狱，但烧手脚的，守狱的叫罪人拿了热铁斛，去量火，好使得罪人烧手烧脚。

铁蛇、铁狗，同前一样的。

铁骡地狱，是人变了骡，用火焚烧，或骑在骡上烧灼。

（释）犯水两舌、恶口、妄语、绮语、谤毁三尊，死了就要落拔舌狱；偷盗了师长父母罪因的缘故，落取心地狱；若专做生蟹投糟、养了鱼造脍、刺血生吞、汤杀鳝鳖的事，死了落镬汤地狱；（抱铜柱前注过）心怀坷刻、嗔恨他人，死了落火烧地狱；心生怨恨，结毒解化不开，死了落寒冰地狱；破坏八斋戒，秽亵神物座前、以及佛像佛经等书籍，死了就落粪尿地狱；猎杀飞禽，落镞鑗地狱；火枪撞胸等狱，是背后毁人、用器物击人的报应；铁骡地狱，是当厨的僧人，私下留食自吃，不平均的分与他僧，死了落地狱，化作骡身，受火焚的苦楚。镞鑗是一种三角式，多刺的东西。

【仁者，如是等报，各各狱中有百千种业道之器，无非是铜、是铁、是石、是火。此四种物，众业行感。】

（解）‘仁者！像是这一等的报应，各式各种的狱中，有百千种的业道里用的器具，无非是铜、铁、石、火这四种东西，也是众生造业行恶，所感召成的。

（释）地狱各种的罪具，本是没有的，都是众生作恶造业，所感成的。铜铁石等的比喻众生造恶，同他一样的坚利顽劣，不肯改悔；火是喻造恶的猛力，恶事若不消灭，便会像火一般，到处蔓延的。

【若广说地狱罪报等事，一一狱中，更有百千种苦楚。何况多狱。我今承佛威神及仁者问，略说如是。若广解说，穷劫不尽。】

（解）‘倘若要广大的说地狱罪报一等事情，那么一种一种的狱中，每一种狱里，还有百千种的苦楚，何况有这许多的狱呢！今天我承了佛的威神，及承仁者的询问，我大略的说说，是这样的，若广大的解说起来，就是穷尽了这一劫，也是说不尽的。’

（释）一切的地狱，本来是没有的，因为众生不知道守戒，妄起了贪、嗔、痴的恶念，演出种种杀、盗、淫等恶业，所感成的；而且心中起念的业力，本来同画师一样的，自己心和身，作诸般的业，就是自己去画成演成了诸般的地狱，预备死了，去自己受罪，因为我们众生所作的恶业，是多得无穷尽说不尽的，所以地狱也是多得无穷尽说不尽了。

如来赞叹品第六

（解）如来称扬赞叹地藏菩萨的大力救护事。这是本经的第六品。

（释）如来是指释迦牟尼佛。因为地藏菩萨的大慈悲，救护我们的众生、利益我们的末法众生，他的功德很大，我们凡夫是都不晓得的，现在佛告诉给我们听了，好晓得他对于我们的末法众生，有这样的慈悲、这样的利益。他未说以前，就自然的先赞叹起来了，我们听了佛说出他救护利益的慈悲以后，自然也要赞叹他的大恩德了。

【尔时，世尊举身放大光明，遍照百千万亿恒河沙等诸佛世界。出大音声，普告诸佛世界一切诸菩萨摩诃萨及天龙鬼神人非人等：听吾今日称扬赞叹地藏菩萨摩诃萨，于十方世界，现大不可思议威神慈悲之力，救护一切罪苦之事。】

（解）这时候世尊举起遍身所有的手足等等，都放出很大的光明来，照遍了百千万亿恒河沙等，诸佛所在的世界；从光中更放出很大的音声，普遍的告诉诸多世界，一切诸位大菩萨，以及天龙鬼神、人、非人等：‘听吾今天称扬赞叹地藏菩萨大菩萨，在于十方世界，发现大得不可以思议的威神慈悲的力量，救护我们一切众生罪苦的事情。’

（释）举身的放光，是足十趾、两踝、膝、□、髀、腰、腹、背、脐、心、胸、肩、臂、指、项、口、齿、鼻孔、眼、耳、毫、相、肉髻，各各放出六百万亿的光明，照遍十方恒河沙数诸佛的世界，在这光明之间，又放出大声音，这音声清彻深远，使人听了和悦敬爱，因为人的外面引透力最强的，就是眼耳，但眼见的，不及耳听来得深入，所以如来叫你们收视反听，听他在光中赞叹，好使这十方诸佛世界，以及那天龙八部、人、非人等，统统来称扬拥护这一部经，众生有了这原因，可以感动地藏菩萨，菩萨有了这机缘，可以来应化，救度我们的罪苦众生。

【吾灭度后，汝等诸菩萨大士及天龙鬼神等，广作方便，卫护是经，令一切众生证涅槃乐。】

（解）佛继续说：‘吾灭度了以后，你们诸位菩萨和大士，以及天龙鬼神等，广大的作出种种的方便，保卫守护这部经，令一切的众生，证得涅槃的快乐。’

（释）灭度是佛救人的责任有人负担了，应身将灭的意思。汝等，是指在会的一切大众，以及光音所及的十方诸世界的，一切佛菩萨等。广作和方便，是菩萨救度众生的二大利器，不可以一息分离的。这部经是众生的对症良药，能在这经里悟道，没有一人不度脱的，所以更要加意卫护。涅槃乐，是不生不灭，一种静寂的快乐。

【说是语已，会中有一菩萨，名曰普广，合掌恭敬而白佛言：今见世尊赞叹地藏菩萨有如是不可思议大威神德，唯愿世尊为未来世末法众生，宣说地藏菩萨利益人天因果等事。使诸天龙八部及未来世众生顶受佛语。】

（解）佛说罢了这话，会中有一位菩萨，名叫普广，合了掌，恭敬的对佛说：‘今天见世尊赞叹这地藏菩萨，有这样子的想不到、说不出的大威力的神通、福德，唯愿你世尊，为未来世的末法众生，宣扬演说这地藏菩萨利益人道、天道，因果一等的事情，使诸般的天龙八部，以及未来世的众生，顶戴听受了佛的言语。’

（释）佛这样的赞叹，所以普广要代众生请问佛了，待佛说出了以后，可以使得众生都起了信仰心，如法的去修持，好使感应了地藏大士，一一的都来度脱。从心发智，智满法界，叫做普；行满虚空，叫做广。合掌是身业，恭敬是意业，白佛言是口业，三业清净，自然志诚了。

【尔时，世尊告普广菩萨及四众等：谛听谛听，吾当为汝略说地藏菩萨利益人天福德之事。】

（解）这时候，世尊告诉普广菩萨，及天龙四众等说：‘当心的听！当心的听！吾应当给你们大略的来说说地藏菩萨，利益人道、天道的福德的事情。’

（释）嘱咐我们当心的听，当心的听，重说两句，是说这不可思议威神慈悲的事，是穷劫也遇不到的，所以要这样子慎重。福，是天神保佑善人；德，是人应有的正大的善行；所以每月的六斋日，能吃素、净心、念地藏菩萨，可以得到无穷尽的福德。

【普广白言：唯然，世尊！愿乐欲闻。】

（解）普广对佛说：‘哦！是的。世尊！我很愿意要听你说这话。’

（释）愿乐欲闻，是表示一种早已盼切，要想听的意思。

【佛告普广菩萨：未来世中，若有善男子善女人，闻是地藏菩萨摩诃萨名者，或合掌者、赞叹者、作礼者、恋慕者，是人超越三十劫罪。】

（解）佛告诉普广菩萨说：‘未来世的中间，倘若有行善的男子、行善的女人，听了这地藏菩萨大菩萨的名号的人，或有合掌恭敬的、赞叹的、礼拜的、恋慕的，这些人就可以超越过三十劫的罪业。’

（释）专修善事，不作恶业的男女，都称做善男子、善女人。听了地藏菩萨的名，合了掌恭敬，追想他历劫行孝救苦的慈悲大愿，就可以超过三十劫大罪了。若听了他的名号，就称扬赞叹，展转的宣传，这是口的功德；或听了他的名，就礼拜奉行，这是身的功德；或听了他的名号，就恋慕系念，这是意的功德；只要有一种功德，就都可以照样的超过三十劫大罪，尤其是宣传最要紧，不宣传，人家那里能知道呢？

【普广，若有善男子善女人，或彩画形像，或土石胶漆、金银铜铁，作此菩萨。一瞻一礼者，是人百返生于三十三天，永不堕于恶道。假如天福尽故，下生人间，犹为国王，不失大利。】

（解）佛继续叫著普广说：‘倘若有善男子、善女人，或用了彩色去画形像，或用土石胶漆金银铜铁等类，制造地藏菩萨的像，再去瞻望一回、礼拜一回，这人可以一百次的，往返生在三十三天，永远不堕落在恶道里，假如因为了天福享尽的缘故，下生到人间来，还可以做一个国王，不失掉这样的大利益。

（释）最大的功德，就是铸造菩萨的全身形像，因为用金、银、铜、铁四宝铸成，坚固不坏，能够永远流传、庄严，使众生作福，有依据的地方，所以有人临终的时间，发愿造像；就是小得大麦似的，也能除三世八十亿劫生死的罪业。还有十一种功德：一，世世眼目清洁；二，生处没有恶趣；三，常生长在富贵人家；四，身体像紫磨金色；五，丰饶珍玩；六，生长在贤善的人家；七，来生得做帝王；八，可以做金轮王；九，往生梵天；十，不堕恶道；十一，后世能够敬重三宝。（若造像，要造全身，不能造半身像；泥要用净泥，牛胶多不洁净，可以用石膏或树胶。）

【若有女人，厌女人身，尽心供养地藏菩萨画像及土石胶漆铜铁等像。如是日日不退，常以华香、饮食、衣服、缯彩、幢旛、钱宝物等供养。】

（解）‘倘若有女人，厌恶自己是女人身，尽心的供养地藏菩萨画像，以及土石胶漆铜铁等像，像这样的天天不退心，常常用鲜花好香、饮食衣服、缯彩幢幡、钱宝一类东西，去供养。

（释）作了女人身，是最没有幸运的，不能做王，不能成佛，生时父母又不很爱，长了生别父母，又受夫婿的禁制，怀孕生产又很苦难，所以都要厌恶的。能对菩萨尽心，自然肯施舍各种的财宝供养，倘若心愿坚定，自然天天不退了。缯彩是用绸缎结彩装饰。幢幡高悬，表示庄严。

【是善女人，尽此一报女身，百千万劫，更不生有女人世界，何况复受。除非慈愿力故，要受女身，度脱众生。承斯供养地藏力故及功德力，百千万劫不受女身。】

（解）‘这个善女人，完毕了这一世的报身，百千万劫，再不生到有女人的世界里去，何况给他再受女身呢？除非自己的慈悲，发愿的缘故，要再受女身，度脱众生。承受了这供养菩萨福力的缘故，以及这功德的力量，百千万劫，也不受这女人身了。’

（释）这女人，因为厌恶女人身而发心的，又能尽心的供养，所以尽了现世这一个报身，就可以不再受女人身了。更不生有女人世界，就是指西方极乐世界。慈愿受女身，度脱众生，譬如像摩耶夫人，做千佛之母，是用顺爱的法门；又像须密多女，欲先以勾引，然后令入佛智，是逆爱的法门。专意供养，用精进的功德，薰习身心，自然永远不再受女人身了。

【复次普广，若有女人，厌是丑陋，多疾病者。但于地藏像前，志心瞻礼，食顷之间，是人千万劫中所受生身，相貌圆满。】

（解）佛又对普广说：‘倘若有女人，厌恶他这样丑陋，或多疾病的，但在地藏菩萨的像前，一志专心的瞻望礼拜，一餐饭的时间，这人就千万劫中所受生身，自然相貌圆满，令人爱敬了。

（释）相貌生得丑陋，使人瞧见你，厌恶你，都不欢迎，尤其是女人，生得丑陋，就要使他丈夫嫌憎，连旁人也要讥笑；倘若再常常多病，带了残疾，不但自己忧愁，家人也要轻视欺侮了；倘若你肯去瞻望礼拜地藏菩萨，只要吃餐饭一样的短时间，来世就可以使你貌相圆满，疾病残废都没有，永远的使得你很满意。

【是丑陋女人，如不厌女身，即百千万亿生中常为王女，乃及王妃，宰辅大姓、大长者女，端正受生，诸相圆满。】

（解）‘这个丑陋的女人，若不厌恶做女身，就百千万亿的，投生常常做王帝的女儿，或者做王妃，或去做宰相大姓人家、大长者的女儿，去端正的受生，诸相都生得很圆满。

（释）你想只有一餐饭时间的瞻望礼拜，就不但使你相貌圆满，疾病不生，而且还给你百千万亿的生到王帝宰相、富贵人家去。少微一些的善业，获得这许多的福德，还有再比这便宜的事情么？倘使人家都晓得，还有那一个不去瞻礼呢？

【由志心故，瞻礼地藏菩萨，获福如是。】

（解）‘是从一志专心的缘故，瞻望礼拜地藏菩萨，获得的福分，像是这样的。’

（释）无论瞻礼那一尊佛菩萨，专心一志，方才是恭敬，可以获福；倘若随便做一些形式，没有恭敬心，不但没有获福，恐怕还要获罪呢！

【复次普广，若有善男子善女人，能对菩萨像前，作诸伎乐及歌咏赞叹，香华供养，乃至劝于一人多人，如是等辈，现在世中及未来世，常得百千鬼神日夜卫护，不令恶事辄闻其耳，何况亲受诸横。】

（解）佛又对普广说：‘倘若有善男子、善女人，能对菩萨的像前，作诸般歌舞的伎乐，以及歌咏他、赞叹他、香花供养他，乃至于劝一人、许多人去供养，像这一等的人，现在的一世之中，以及那未来世，常常得著百千鬼神，日夜保卫守护，恶事尚且不常给他耳闻，何况亲身去受诸般的横祸呢！’

（释）伎是做戏的优伶，乐是音乐，歌咏是言志，歌咏不尽，所以叹赞；但是这功德，还不及去宣传，劝人信仰的功德大，能劝醒五十人，这功德更大得不可思议。礼乐是圣人感天地、通鬼神的礼节，且使民众有荡秽涤邪的功德，现在不为自己取乐，去敬菩萨，功德自然更大了。

【复次普广，未来世中，若有恶人及恶神恶鬼，见有善男子善女人归敬供养赞叹瞻礼地藏菩萨形像，或妄生讥毁，谤无功德及利益事，或露齿笑，或背面非，或劝人共非，或一人非，或多人非，乃至一念生讥毁者。】

（解）佛又对普广说：‘未来世的中间，倘若有恶人，以及恶神恶鬼，见了有善男子、善女人，归依恭敬、供养赞叹、瞻礼地藏菩萨的形像，或妄生了讥笑毁坏心，谤讪著说：“这是没有功德的。”以及说：“没有利益的事情。”或露出齿冷笑，或背面说非理的坏话，或劝人共同作非理的坏事，或个人做，或许多人一起做非理的坏事，乃至于有一念生出讥讽谤毁的心。

（释）善恶的因果，是绝对相反的。善人志心的归依、恭敬，恶人见了说：‘没有功德的。’善人虔诚的恭养，恶人说：‘这是没有利益的事情。’善人赞叹，恶人露齿嘻笑；善人礼拜，恶人见了背后就说他坏话；善人塑画形像，恶人便都毁坏他；善人念念劝人行善，恶人劝人大家为非作恶。人是这样子，神和鬼的善恶也一样的。天大的祸事，都从微微一念发生的，所以起了一念之恶，就要获罪。

【如是之人，贤劫千佛灭度，讥毁之报，尚在阿鼻地狱受极重罪。过是劫已，方受饿鬼。又经千劫，复受畜生。】

（解）‘像是这样的人，就是贤劫的千佛都灭度了，为讥毁的报应，还当在阿鼻地狱里，受极重的罪苦；过了这劫数，方才去受饿鬼；又经过千劫，方才给他做畜生去；

（释）梵名劫簸，我们翻时分，这时候有许多贤人出世，所以叫做贤劫。在这贤劫期间，有千佛出世，释迦是第四尊佛，还有九百九十六佛，一个个出世。等一个个灭度，这时间的长，还可以用年月去计算得来的么？即使到了这时间，他还在地狱里受极重罪苦，再过一劫，方才做饿鬼。这讥毁佛道，劝人为非作恶的罪业，大得还可以比喻么？

【又经千劫，方得人身。纵受人身，贫穷下贱，诸根不具，多被恶业来结其心。不久之间，复堕恶道。】

（解）‘做了畜生，还要经过千劫，方才得著做人；纵然受了人身，也是贫穷下贱，诸根不完全的，一个残废人，多被了恶业来缠结他的心，不久的时间，还要堕落在恶道里去。

（释）作福有余报的，所以说不失大利；作恶也有余报的，所以受了人身，仍要使他贫穷下贱，再带了盲、哑、跛、挛等残疾，再给他受横祸凶恶等事情，这样种种的遭遇，他的心，自然要受忧愁烦恼的缠结了。

【是故普广，讥毁他人供养，尚获此报。何况别生恶见毁灭。】

（解）‘都是为了这缘故，普广！讥毁他人的供养，尚且要获这种果报，何况再生出别种的恶见，来毁灭佛法呢！’

（释）单犯了一种口业，讥毁人家供养礼拜，就要落阿鼻地狱等，去受种种三恶的罪苦，倘若身行、意念三业俱造别的邪见恶事，这苦报还大得了得么！

【复次普广，若未来世，有男子女人，久处床枕，求生求死，了不可得。或夜梦恶鬼乃及家亲，或游险道，或多魇寐共鬼神游，日月岁深，转复尪瘵，眠中叫苦，惨凄不乐者，此皆是业道论对，未定轻重，或难舍寿，或不得愈。男女俗眼，不辨是事。】

（解）佛又对普广说：‘若未来世，有男子女人，长久的处在床枕，想求生，或求死，都不可得到；或者夜间，梦见了恶鬼，以及死过的家人和亲眷；或游行在危险的道途；或多魇不醒，共鬼神游行。这样从日到月，从月到岁，年久月深，转变为尪弱痨瘵的模样，眠中叫著痛苦，惨凄不快，这都是业道里的冤魂，正在论对，未定罪业的轻重时间，所以或者难舍寿命而死，或者疾病迁延不能痊愈。凡世间男女的俗眼，不晓得分辨这事的。

（释）四肢不能支撑，只可以处在床上或枕边，要活活不来，要死死不去，这叫生死不得；睡著被鬼压住，苏醒不转，这叫魇寐；尪（音汪）弱，是瘠病；瘵（音债）是五痨七伤等病。业道是因，果报是果，夙业道中，应得苦报，但为他业所牵，未能即报，或轻重未定，如判官审罪一般，叫做论对。

【但当对诸佛菩萨像前，高声转读此经一遍，或取病人可爱之物，或衣服宝贝、庄园舍宅，对病人前，高声唱言：我某甲等，为是病人对经像前，舍诸等物。或供养经像，或造佛菩萨形像，或造塔寺，或燃油灯，或施常住。】

（解）‘倘若有人犯了这样的病症，但是应当对诸位佛菩萨的像前，高声的把这本愿经转读一遍，或拿取了病人可爱的东西，或衣服珍器宝贝，庄屋园林舍宅等，对了病人的前面，高声像唱一般的说：“我某甲等，为这病人，对经像的座前，舍诸等物件，或说供养经像，或造佛菩萨的形像，或造塔寺院，或燃油灯，或者把这物件施给常住。”

（释）凡人感冒寒热等病，是药饵可以医治的，惟有这类业报的病，须要请佛法来治的了，因为佛是慈悲的医王，能够医治八万四千的病源。读经一转，是至理一言，有革凡成圣的功德。施舍病人珍贵的爱物，是割断病人的贪爱心，也是根本的治疗法；或把他爱物供养像前，或助入寺院，或都把他变卖了，造寺院塔像、点油灯。病人不能起床，只好别人替他做代表，做代表的人，就对著病人的面前，譬如这高声说：‘我×××等，为病人×××，愿仗佛的慈力，使他业报消除，病痛痊愈，愿将病人所爱的×种、×种东西，在××处的，×园、×宅，情愿割爱施舍，或变卖了，作××等，各种××功德。’

【如是三白病人，遣令闻知。假令诸识分散至气尽者，乃至一日二日三日四日至七日已来，但高声白，高声读经，是人命终之后宿殃重罪，至于五无间罪，永得解脱。所受生处，常知宿命。】

（解）‘像是这样的对病人说三次，使病人听得很明白，假使病人的识神已分散了，或者已经气尽，乃至于一日至七日已来，但要高声的说这话，高声的读经，这病人命终之后，宿世的祸殃和重罪，至于无间地狱罪，永远的得著解脱，所受生的地方，常常知道前世的事情。

（释）要令得病人听明白，是使得他心中知道，我有这样的功德，藉了这佛法的福分，病一定就会痊愈的了。人的身中有八识神，七识神寿尽分散了，第八识一时不散的，倘若高声的说，高声念经，才死的人，也能听清楚，他心里知道，我有这样功德，仗佛法的保护，一定可以投生福地，不落地狱了。

【何况善男子善女人，自书此经，或教人书，或自塑画菩萨形像，乃至教人塑画，所受果报，必获大利。】

（解）‘何况善男子、善女人自己书写这部经，或教人也去写这部经；或自己塑画菩萨的形像，乃至于教人也去塑画这像，所受果报，必定可以获得大利益的。

（释）前面说业报缠身，受病的人，只要有孝子良朋，替病人舍物代求，尚且有这样功德，何况没有恶报的人，自己书写经法、塑画形像，流传不足，再教人去同做，这功德真要像经里说，比四天下的江河海水，还要多十倍了。

【是故普广，若见有人读诵是经，乃至一念赞叹是经，或恭敬者，汝须百千方便劝是等人，勤心莫退，能得未来现在千万亿不可思议功德。】

（解）‘有这缘故，普广！倘若见有人，读诵这部经，乃至一念赞叹这部经，或有恭敬这部经的，你须要用百千种的方便，劝这等人，勤心的读诵，不要使他退心，能得未来现在，千万亿不可思议的功德。’

（释）读，是对了经阅读；诵，是读熟了以后背诵；是经，指本愿经的全体。不识字的人，听人说了这经的功德，就赞叹、恭敬这部经，或是从此念念‘南无地藏菩萨’，只要念得专心恭敬，他的功德，也同读经一样的大。

【复次普广，若未来世诸众生等，或梦或寐，见诸鬼神乃及诸形，或悲、或啼、或愁、或叹、或恐、或怖，此皆是一生十生百生千生过去父母、男女弟妹、夫妻眷属，在于恶趣，未得出离，无处希望福力救拔，当告宿世骨肉，使作方便，愿离恶道。】

（解）佛又对著普广说：‘倘若未来世的诸众生等，或是做梦，或睡著，见诸般的鬼神，乃及诸形状，或是悲伤、或是啼哭、或是忧愁、或是叹息、或恐怕、或惊怖，这都是一生、十生、百生、千生过去的父母，或是过去的男女、弟妹、夫妻、眷属，在恶道里受苦，得不到出离，又没有地方希望福力去救拔，应当告诉宿世的骨肉，使他作方便，愿脱离这恶道。’

（释）这一类的梦，和前面的梦不同的，前面是自己迎上去，和鬼神去游的；这次是自己没有迎上去，人家过来，表演种种可怜的形状给他看，要他救拔的；这都是前几世的亲族，堕落在三恶道里了，想你超拔他；也并不是内体的作用。

【普广，汝以神力，遣是眷属，令对诸佛菩萨像前，志心自读此经。或请人读，其数三遍，或七遍。如是恶道眷属，经声毕是遍数，当得解脱。乃至梦寐之中永不复见。】

（解）佛叫著普广说：‘普广！你用了你的神力，遣令了这一类在世的眷属，令他们对了诸佛菩萨的像前，志心的，自己去读这部经，或去请人读，他的遍数，三遍，或是七遍。像这样在恶道的眷属，等到遍数读完，经声一歇，当时得到解脱，乃至于梦寐之中，永远不再给你瞧见了。’

（释）世上的人，情谊很薄，现生的六亲，尚且不顾，何况去顾死过的呢？若不令普广去叫他们读，他们就不读。自己不识字，或是没有佛堂，那末请人去读，也是一样的。三遍、七遍，都是阳数，属于天道的，可以得著超度。经声一毕，他们或上天，或投生，所以都不见了。

【复次普广，若末来世，有诸下贱等人，或奴或婢，乃至诸不自由之人，觉知宿业，要忏悔者。志心瞻礼地藏菩萨形像，乃至一七日中，念菩萨名，可满万遍。如是等人，尽此报后，千万生中，常生尊贵。更不经三恶道苦。】

（解）佛又对普广说：‘倘若未来世，有诸般下贱一等的人，或是奴仆，或是婢女，乃至于诸般不能得到自由的人，自己觉到：“这是我自己宿业的报应。”要忏悔的人，志心瞻望、礼拜地藏菩萨的形像，乃至于一日至七日之中，念菩萨的名号一万遍，像这样的，尽了这世的报身，以后千万生中，常常投生到尊贵人的家里去了，更且不经三恶道的苦报。’

（释）下贱人，也不单指是奴婢，不孝不敬、不信三尊、窃盗等都是。不自由人，一切听人指挥，由人作主的都是。若自己觉悟了，就向像前诚心忏悔，惭心一发，若泰山崩，无罪不灭，何况再加读经、称名的功德呢！奴婢也是人家的儿女，也应当顾他的饥寒，有病替他医治，有过也要宽恕，不可任意乱打，更要好好的教训。

【复次普广，若未来世中阎浮提内，刹利、婆罗门、长者、居士，一切人等及异姓种族有新产者，或男或女，七日之中，早与读诵此不思议经典，更为念菩萨名，可满万遍。是新生子，或男或女，宿有殃报，便得解脱，安乐易养，寿命增长。若是承福生者，转增安乐及与寿命。】

（解）佛又对著普广说：‘若未来世之中，阎浮提世界里，刹利种族、婆罗门种族、长者、居士、一切人等，及异姓的种族，有新产生的，或男或女，在七日之中，赶早给他读诵，这不思议的经典，更给代念菩萨名号，满一万遍，这新生的小孩，不论男女，前世所有的祸殃夙报，便都得著解脱，安乐的容易养育，寿命也增长了，若是承了他自己的福分来投生的，也转要增加他的安乐和寿命。’

（释）无论中国外国，凡是生在阎浮提中的女人，生产时，都很痛苦，很危险的，遇著种种难产，连母子都遭惨死送命，这都是前世的冤业，或恶鬼的主使。惟有将要临盆的一月，每日读这经一遍，以七日为限，共读七遍，每日除读经以外，再念‘南无地藏菩萨’名号，七日之中，积满一万句，这样一来，菩萨就来保佑你，不但临产平安，减少痛苦，且能叫这新生的小孩，安乐易养，增福加寿。倘若自己不便，请他人代读代念，也是一样的。

【复次普广，若未来世众生，于月一日、八日、十四日、十五日、十八日、二十三、二十四、二十八、二十九日乃至三十日，是诸日等，诸罪结集，定其轻重。】

（解）佛又对普广说：‘若有未来世的众生，于每月的一日、八日、十四日、十五日、十八日、二十三日、二十四日、二十八日、二十九日，乃至于三十日止，这诸日等，是所作诸般的罪业，都要结集的时间，正要定他罪业的轻重。

（释）这十日，天神下降鉴察世人的善恶，而结算清楚，善多的，增福加寿，将来令他上天；恶多的，折福减寿，使他落地狱；所以这十天要戒杀放生、素食，名叫十斋日。

一日钵阇底下凡，叫建名日。

初八、二十三两天，娑婆善人下降，名叫力战日，做事更要公平。

十四、二十九两天，药刍神下降，叫勇猛日，要孝敬、放生。

二十四日，噜达啰尼神下降，叫凶猛日。

二十八日，钵折底神下降，叫最胜日，要持戒。

十五、三十两天，必多卢神下降，叫吉相日，宜祭先亡，及布施、供养诸佛菩萨，最得利益。

十斋若依阴历，月小可以改廿七、廿八、廿九。

三长斋，正月、五月、九月吃三月素。

六斋，每月初八、十四、十五、廿三、廿九、三十。（月小改廿九。）

【南阎浮提众生，举止动念，无不是业，无不是罪。何况恣情杀害、窃盗、邪淫、妄语，百千罪状。能于是十斋日，对佛菩萨诸贤圣像前，读是经一遍。东西南北，百由旬内，无诸灾难。当此居家，若长若幼，现在未来，百千岁中，永离恶趣。】

（解）‘我们南阎浮提的众生，举止动念，没有一种不是业因，没有一种不是罪过，何况再恣情任性的杀生害命、偷盗、邪淫、妄语等百千种的罪状呢！能够在这十斋日，对了佛菩萨诸圣贤的像前，读这经一遍，东西南北，百由旬里面，便没有诸般灾难了；当居住在这由旬内的人家，若长老的、幼稚的，现在未来，百千年中间，永远脱离恶趣。

（释）我们阎浮提的人，不论一动一静，一起念，都是业因，何况任意的去杀害生命，犯十恶业呢！我们的一动念，有九十刹那，每一刹那中，还有九百的生灭，一一的生灭，在天眼观瞧，一一都成形相的，（这里，我们可以想到念一句佛的功德了。）这形相无非是业是罪，所以我们的起心、动念，刻刻最要检点。每遇到了十斋日，读这经一遍，只一遍经，便能叫四方百由旬内，消除灾祸，家家老小，都离恶趣。是这样，可知这部经的功德和利益之大，真是不可以思议的了。倘若有不灵验的，这也不能怪这部经，是读诵的人不恭敬、不志诚的缘故，或是作恶的人太多了，福力不能胜过罪业。

【能于十斋日，每转一遍，现世令此居家无诸横病，衣食丰溢。】

（解）‘能于每逢十斋日，每日转读这经一遍，现在居在这家人家里的人，都没有诸般横病，衣食也都丰溢有余。

（释）横病，是流行的时疫。使没有横染疫病，是离苦；使贫穷的也能衣食丰溢，是得福；都是靠托这部经，有想不到、说不出的大功德。

【是故普广，当知地藏菩萨有如是等不可说百千万亿大威神力利益之事。閰浮众生，于此大士有大因缘。是诸众生闻菩萨名，见菩萨像，乃至闻是经三字五字，或一偈一句者，现在殊妙安乐，未来之世，百千万生，常得端正，生尊贵家。】

（解）‘是为这缘故，普广！你应当知道，地藏菩萨有这一等不可说，百千万亿的大威神力，利益众生的事情。都因为阎浮提众生，对于这大士有很大的因缘，是诸多的众生，听了菩萨的名、见了菩萨的像，乃至于听了这部经的三字、五字，或一偈、一句的人，现在保他得到特别好的安乐，未来之世，百千万生，常得端正，生在尊贵的人家。’

（释）从前普广菩萨请问佛一节起，到这一节止，所说的种种，不是地藏菩萨的大大威神力，利益众生，那里会办得到呢？但是菩萨有这样的威神，不去利益别的世界的众生，单来利益我们这世界的众生，这不是地藏菩萨，对于我们的世界，有很大的因缘么？你想，只要闻名见像，或听了这经的三字、五字、一偈、一句，就有这样的大功德，这不是地藏菩萨，对我们的众生，特别的慈悲哀怜么？所以我要为我们不见这经、不信这经、不知道地藏菩萨对我们的慈悲哀怜、不知感激菩萨慈恩的众生，要洒一掬伤心之泪了。

【尔时，普广菩萨，闻佛如来称扬赞叹地藏菩萨已，胡跪合掌，复白佛言：世尊！我久知是大士有如此不可思议神力及大誓愿力。为未来众生，遣知利益，故问如来，唯然顶受。世尊！当何名此经，使我云何流布？】

（解）这时普广菩萨，听了佛如来的称扬赞叹地藏菩萨罢，胡跪著，合了掌，又复对佛说：‘世尊！我已长久的知道这大士，有像这样不可思议的神力，及宏大发誓的愿力，为未来的众生，遣令他都知道这利益，所以请问如来的。唯然！顶戴受领。世尊！应当怎样名称这部经？使得他怎样的流布？’

（释）胡跪，是胡人的礼节，用右膝著地，不同我们华人，用双膝著地的。普广菩萨请佛，是使佛金口演说，地藏菩萨大威神力；使在会的大众，及恒河沙佛世界的众生，都认真相信，又可趁此宣传发扬；但是流布和宣传，总要有名称方好，所以再请佛说。

【佛告普广：此经有三名：一名地藏本愿，亦名地藏本行，亦名地藏本誓力经。缘此菩萨，久远劫来，发大重愿，利益众生。是故汝等，依愿流布。普广闻已，合掌恭敬，作礼而退。】

（解）佛告诉普广菩萨：‘这部经有三种名称：一，叫地藏本愿经；二，叫地藏本行经；三，也可叫地藏本誓力经。因为这菩萨经久远劫以来，发又大又重的誓愿，来利益我们的众生，是故叫你等依了他的愿，去流传宣布。’普广听罢，合了掌，很恭敬的退回原坐。

（释）本愿，是本初的心愿；本行，是历劫度生的行事；本誓力，是愿行两用的作用。佛虽说这三名，但是有愿而无行，其愿是落空，不会成就的；有行而无愿，其行是盲行，没有结果的；所以说愿必赅行，说行必赅愿，誓力即是愿行；所以三名即是一名。现在经名，但取本愿，即此道理。

利益存亡品第七

（解）地藏菩萨说，生存和亡故的众生，能够都得利益的事情。这是本经的第七品。

（释）因为地藏菩萨有威神慈悲，不可思议的利益，以立这品题的；而且这品，内要包涵四种利益：一自利；二利他；三利生存的；四利死亡的。自利，这品经里说，众生于诸善事，最少的利益，都自得的；利他，本品曾说，知识有大力故，相扶助人，劝令牢足等都是；利存，本品也说，七分功德，生存的得获六分；利亡，本品也说，一名一号，听在本识，众罪悉消灭。

【尔时，地藏菩萨摩诃萨白佛言：世尊！我观是阎浮众生举心动念，无非是罪。脱获善利，多退初心。若遇恶缘，念念增益。】

（解）这时，地藏菩萨大菩萨对佛说：‘世尊！我观瞧这阎浮众生，举心动念，无非是罪业，倘若获得善利，也多半要退回初心，若一遇著了恶缘，便会念念的增长起来。

（释）我们南州众生，杂念更多，扰乱纷纭，不暂停止，推他的来源，都受了眼、耳、鼻、舌、身、意的六识的主动，以及那色、声、香、味、触、法的六境的引诱，而起因缘的，继著就发起贪、嗔、痴的心念，便都变成罪业。若得到一些善利，就不肯用功进取，不久，就懒怠的退却了；若遇著了恶境、邪缘，那习惯的心，和这境缘一凑合，就炽然增长了，从此就循环不息的牵缠下去。要知道我们的心念，一一都会种生死根的，百念百身，千念千身，善念享天福，恶念堕恶道，所以修道的人，最要制伏这心念，不使他妄动。现在的众生，那一个肯觉悟呢？无怪要使菩萨泣涕了。

【是等辈人，如履泥涂，负于重石，渐困渐重，足步深邃。若得遇知识，替与减负或全与负，是知识有大力故，复相扶助，劝令牢脚。若达平地，须省恶路，无再经历。】

（解）‘这等一辈的人，像行走在泥涂里，再负了重石，渐渐的困苦，渐渐的重压，脚步也渐渐深邃的陷下去了。若得遇到有知识的人，替代他，给他减少一些所负的重压，或者都给他除去了重负；因这智识有大力量的缘故，又复再去扶助他，劝令他脚根立得坚定牢稳，倘若你要达到平地里去，须要省悟这是一条恶路，从此不要再在这里经历了。’

（释）作恶的人，已经是走入邪恶陷人的泥涂里了，还要把山石般的重罪，叫他去负担，虽不入地狱，已现出地狱的罪相了。遇智识有两种：一是善友，身口皆善，劝他改恶行善，犹如减少他的重负；一是遇大智识，不但教他行善，而且教他内心起善念、教他省悟：‘这是恶途，回头来走一条平坦天堂的大路，从此不再经历这邪恶的泥涂。’这就是大力扶助他，都给他除去这所有的重负了。

【世尊！习恶众生，从纤毫间，便至无量。是诸众生，有如此习。临命终时，父母眷属，宜为设福，以资前路。】

（解）菩萨继续叫著佛说：‘世尊！习恶业的众生，从纤细毫毛一些的罪业起，便至于积集至无量数。这诸般的众生，有像这样的恶习，临命终的时候，父母和眷属应当给他设些福，以资送他的前途。

（释）众生所作的恶业，起初是轻得像毛发似的，日渐的加重来，越负越加重，积到无量数的罪，都压上了，所以父母的临终时，做儿女的要相扶他，替他修福资助，儿女死了，做父母的也要是这样做了的。

【或悬旛盖及燃油灯、或转读尊经、或供养佛像及诸圣像，乃至念佛菩萨及辟支佛名字，一名一号，历临终人耳根，或闻在本识。】

（解）‘这是教你修福的法子，或向佛悬挂幡幢伞盖，以及点油灯；或转读各种经典；或供养佛像，以及诸圣像；乃至于给他念念佛菩萨的名号，以及辟支佛的名，一名一号，都要经过临终人的耳根，使得他听在本识里去。

（释）造黄色旛，以及伞盖，于死亡日，悬佛像前，可以离去八苦难，生十方诸佛的净土；点灯供佛，能照破幽冥界，痛苦的众生，蒙这光明的福力，救拔他的痛苦，都得休息；一句佛菩萨名号，念入将死人的耳根，传进他的本识里去，便可做一个善命人，永为道种；这都是福利。这个心识，是一切心识的根本，就是身心世界的根本，叫做本识，又名阿赖耶识，是人死时最后离身的。

【是诸众生所造恶业，计其感果，必堕恶趣。缘是眷属为临终人修此圣因，如是众罪，悉皆消灭。】

（解）‘这诸类的众生，所造的恶业，计量他所感的果报，必定要堕落在恶道里受苦，因为他的眷属，为这临终的人修设了圣因，像这样的众罪，悉数都消灭了。

（释）这是都说临命终时间的修福。圣因，是指供养佛像，以及读经、念佛等类。因为作恶业的众生，临终时，受恶业的牵缠，将要堕入恶道，他的眷族替他一修福，便像大风吹浮云一样，顷刻把这牵缠的恶业，消灭得不知去向，这也是全仗智识的大力了。

【若能更为身死之后，七七日内，广造众善，能使是诸众生，永离恶趣，得生人天，受胜妙乐。现在眷属，利益无量。】

（解）‘若能更为他身死过了之后，七七的日内，广大的给他修造许多善事，能使这诸多的众生，永远脱离恶趣，得著投生做人，或上天去受很好很妙的快乐，现在在世的眷属，所得的利益，也是无量的。

（释）这节仍接上面所说的，仗了智识的大力，去扶助他。每七中，给他广做善事，七个七做满，就是资助他上天去享福，不但是死者上天，就是现在存活的眷属，也得到无量的利益。资助是比喻发他川费一样，或是上海是地狱，北平是天堂，现在我不愿在地狱受苦，想到天堂去享福，但是没有川费，那里办得到呢？只好在地狱受苦。所以死过后七七日内，你给他修福，即是发他上天去的川费一样。

【是故我今对佛世尊及天龙八部，人非人等，劝于阎浮提众生，临终之日，慎勿杀害及造恶缘，拜祭鬼神，求诸魍魉。】

（解）‘是为了这缘故，我今天对佛世尊，及天龙八部、人、非人等说，叫他们都相劝于阎浮提众生，临命终的时间，小心谨慎，切勿杀害生命，及造去拜祭鬼神、求乞诸魍魉的恶缘。

（释）凡是给亡人治丧事，不准杀生，虽然极细微的生命，也杀不得的。若有病痛，拜鬼祭神，这就是引鬼入门，更使不得；或是志诚的请拜观世音、地藏两大菩萨，求乞消除灾障，那是可以的。

魍魉，是居在山水间的一种鬼。

【何以故？尔所杀害乃至拜祭，无纤毫之力利益亡人。但结罪缘，转增深重。假使来世或现在生，得获圣分，生人天中，缘是临终被诸眷属造是恶因。亦令是命终人殃累对辩，晚生善处。何况临命终人，在生未曾有少善根，各据本业，自受恶趣，何忍眷属更为增业。】

（解）‘为甚么缘故呢？你所杀害的生命，乃至于祭拜鬼神，没有纤毫微力，能够利益亡人，不过反结罪缘，使罪业转加深重；假使来世，或现生，得著圣人的气分，可以生到人天中去享福，因为临终时，被他眷属造了这恶缘，就令这命终人，受祸殃的累，被杀死的生命，围困了去对辩，就要迟生到善处了；何况临命终的人，在生未曾有少份的善业，各人依据了本业，自受恶趣去，这眷属如何这样的残忍，再要增加他的罪业呢？

（释）鬼神浮游人间，不得吃食，便变怪起来，扇动人心，教他作恶，杀害生命，你加了罪业，他来现成飨受血肉，是最坏的东西；无知识的人，往往受他的愚，连累了临终人，并连累了自己。

【譬如有人从远地来，绝粮三日，所负担物，强过百斤。忽遇邻人，更附少物。以是之故，转复困重。】

（解）‘譬如有人，从远的地方来，绝粮已经三日了，所负担的东西，勉强负过一百斤，忽然遇著了一个邻人，更要附带一些东西，以是这个缘故，反又加上困重了。’

（释）从远地来，譬如我们从无始生死旷大劫以来，久已缺绝戒、定、慧的三日的食粮了，腹饿力弱，十恶互照，勉强的支持百斤的重担，已是没有善根的人了，这附带重东西的邻人，就是给他杀生的眷属，再给他加上一些重罪，这危险很像是‘落井投石’一般，可以不谨慎的么！

【世尊！我观阎浮众生，但能于诸佛教中，乃至善事，一毛一渧、一沙一尘，如是利益，悉皆自得。】

（解）菩萨继续叫著佛说：‘世尊！我观瞧这阎浮提的众生，只要能够在诸佛教之中，乃至于所有的善事，虽是小得像一毛、一渧、一沙、一尘，他那样的利益，悉数都要使他自己获得，没有一些空做的。’

（释）能对于佛教中，发信心，虽是微细的善事，都是成佛的正因。譬如有人，将一毛分作百分，拿了百分之一的毛，沾一滴的水，寄在佛的地方，佛就把这一滴水，和入恒河里，不增不减的，渐渐和入大海，就要把这人度到成佛，仍旧把这水还他，所以说少善不积，何以成圣呢？

【说是语时，会中有一长者，名曰大辩。是长者久证无生，化度十方，现长者身。合掌恭敬，问地藏菩萨言：大士，是南阎浮提众生，命终之后，小大眷属，为修功德，乃至设斋，造众善因，是命终人得大利益及解脱不？】

（解）说这话的时间，会中有一位长者，名叫大辩的，这长者久已证得无生的了，为化度十方世界的众生，常常现化长者身分的，这时合掌恭敬的问地藏菩萨说：‘这南阎浮提的众生，命终了之后，小大的眷属，为他修功德，乃至设斋供养，造众善因，这命终的人，就可以得到大利益，以及解脱的么？’

（释）梵语钵底婆，翻名辩才，辩，是问答辩驳没有阻碍的，所以也说辩才无碍。他这辩字内，包涵著善、法、词、乐说四种意义，现在他能一义中演说无量义，一法中演说无量法，一词中演说无量词，尽那未来的时际，乐说这三种法门，所以有这大辩的佳号。他还久已证到不生不灭的大涅槃了，地位的崇高，已同佛差不多，因为他要化度十方的众生，所以依旧现长者的身分。他这时听地藏菩萨的话，所以接著来问的。

功德，是指悬旛等事。

设斋，就是供佛斋僧。

众善因，就是布施、建造塔像等都是。

利益解脱，是问菩萨：‘眷属给死亡的人，做佛事的功德，死的人，真得到利益，可以解脱生死轮回的么？还是得不到利益，不能解脱生死呢？’

【地藏答言：长者，我今为未来现在一切众生，承佛威力，略说是事。长者，未来现在诸众生等，临命终日，得闻一佛名、一菩萨名、一辟支佛名，不问有罪无罪，悉得解脱。】

（解）地藏菩萨回答说：‘长者！我今天为这未来现在一切的众生，承佛的威力，简略的说说这事情。长者！未来现在诸众生等，临命终的一日，得听到一佛的名、一菩萨的名、一辟支佛的名号，不问他有罪没有罪，都得到解脱。’

（释）一切的众生，命终的一天，自已不能念，叫他人代念，临终的人，听了诸佛菩萨的一名一号，不论有无罪业轻重的人，都得著了生脱死，超升佛国里去了。为甚么临终的时间，有这样的灵感？现生活著的人，不很灵感呢？这也有一种道理，因为临终的人，心急念专，像小孩子遇著了强盗追赶，要叫喊他父母来救他一般，很诚恳拚命的念，所以感应快得很；平常人念佛，往往心不对口，不肯诚恳恭敬，那里来的感应呢？所以古人说：‘口里念佛心散乱，喉咙喊破也徒然。’何况还有一种没有知识的人，他念一句佛，还要当铜钱用，念念贪心，那更是无效的了。

【若有男子女人，在生不修善因，多造众罪，命终之后，眷属小大为造福利一切圣事，七分之中，而乃获一；六分功德，生者自利。以是之故。未来现在善男女等，闻健自修，分分己获。】

（解）菩萨继续说：‘倘若有男子女人，在活的时间，不修善因，造了许多罪恶，命终了之后，不论他大小的眷属，为他修造福利，一切的佛事，七分之中，只有获得一分，六分功德是活人自得的。以是这缘故，未来现在的善男女，趁著现在耳目聪明、强健的时间，自己来做佛事修福，不要等待临死时，眷属给我代修，那么，分分利益，都可以自得了。’

（释）大人给他小人做功德，是大眷属；小人给他大人做功德，叫小眷属。凡关于佛教中所做的功德，都可以叫作圣事。死了做功德，只有得到一分，所以叫你现生的人，趁早自修福利，点灯、悬幡、请僧读经，做一个活七七，功德就更大得无量的了。

【无常大鬼，不期而到。冥冥游神，未知罪福。七七日内，如痴如聋。或在诸司，辩论业果。审定之后，据业受生。未测之间，千万愁苦，何况堕于诸恶趣等。】

（解）菩萨又继著说：‘无常的大鬼，不用你约期等待，他自然会到的，冥冥的游人，自己不知道是罪是福，随著无常去了，这七七的日内，如痴如聋一般，或在诸阴司中，和判官辩论他在生时所作的恶因业果，经过了这审定之后，各人依据了他的业果去投生，在那辩论未测的时间，已有千万种的愁苦了，何况堕于诸般恶道里受苦去呢？

（释）梵语萨迦耶萨，翻名作无常，凡是世人所作之事，旋生旋灭，都是无常的，所以古人说：‘性命在於呼息之间。’大丈夫旦不保暮，俗谚说：‘无常叫你三更去，断不宽留到五更。’可怜一般昏庸的世人，性命尚且不能自主，何况其他比性命轻贱的一切呢？

诸司就是赏善、罚恶的判官。

辩论，是辩论十善十恶的因果。

阎王之下，有五位官，一叫鲜官，是禁人杀生的；二叫水官，是禁偷盗的；三叫铁官，是禁邪淫的；四叫土官，是禁妄语的；五叫天官，禁饮酒的；所以这五戒是最要紧的，倘若不能够全戒，戒一、二种也是好的。

【是命终人，未得受生。在七七日内，念念之间，望诸骨肉眷属与造福力救拔。】

（解）‘这命终的人，尚未得著投生的七七日之内，在这千万种愁苦的念念之间，希望他们的骨肉至亲的眷属，给他修造福利，好仗佛力救拔他。

（释）人死了，在阴司里辩论，要经过七七四十九天，然后方才把他罪业判决，所以在这七七日内，罪业还没有判决的时间，时时刻刻想望他的骨肉眷属去救拔他，好借这功德来赎他的罪业，或者可以仗了佛力上天去。

【过是日后，随业受报。若是罪人，动经千百岁中无解脱日。若是五无间罪，堕大地狱，千劫万劫永受众苦。】

（解）‘过了这七七四十九日以后，就随了他所作的业，受报去了，倘若是罪重的人，一动这恶刑，就要经过千百岁中，没有解脱的时日了；若是应该受这五无间的大罪业，堕落到大地狱，就千劫万劫，永远的要受许多痛苦了。’

（释）有形，方才有影；有声，方才有应响。有因，方才有果；或有作了恶事没有报应，是前生的余福没有尽，福尽，祸自然会来的。

【复次，长者，如是罪业众生，命终之后，眷属骨肉，为修营斋，资助业道，未斋食竟，及营斋之次，米泔菜叶，不弃于地，乃至诸食未献佛僧，勿得先食。】

（解）地藏菩萨又复对长者说：‘像这样有罪业的众生，命终了以后，或是他的眷属和骨肉，为他修营办斋，资助他，免得他在业道里受苦。倘若斋食尚没有完竟，以及正在办斋的时间，淘米泔水和菜叶等类不可以抛弃在地上，乃至于诸种食物，未献过佛与僧，勿得自己先吃。

（释）做佛事求福利，无非想超度死亡的人，倘若不诚心恭敬办斋，去供养佛、法、僧三宝，那里来的功德呢？在这办斋的时间，或是淘米泔水、黄的坏的菜叶，以及不好的东西、剩下来的东西，一些也不能抛弃在地上，用器物盛贮收藏起，等到斋过了已后，或者施给乞丐，或者施给畜生去吃；若有好的菜肴没有供过佛、没有斋过僧，无论何人不能先吃，这样方才有功德。若有先尝的人，这人要五百世中，受饿鬼道的苦。

【如有违食及不精勤，是命终人了不得力。如精勤护净，奉献佛僧，是命终人七分获一。】

（解）‘倘若有违背了这上面所说的规矩，自己先吃，以及不精勤的保护办得洁净，这命终的人，得不到一些功德；倘若很恭敬的，能守这规矩，精勤的保护，办得很洁净，奉献佛和僧人，这七分的功德，命终人可以获得一分，六分功德，是办斋的眷属获得的。’

（释）若不是依经中所说的方法去办斋，不但死亡的人，也难得利益，就是给他做佛事的眷属，也得不到一些利益；倘若照他的规矩去办，办得很精诚、很洁净，那么诸天都欢喜，百神也庆悦，天神也来拥护了，自在存亡都可以得到福利。

【是故长者，阎浮众生，若能为其父母乃至眷属，命终之后，设斋供养，志心勤恳，如是之人，存亡获利。】

（解）地藏菩萨继续的说：‘是因为这缘故，长者！阎浮提的众生，倘若能为他的父母，或者乃至于至亲骨肉眷属，命终了之后，设了斋去供养，终要志心勤恳，像这样的人，所做的佛事，生存和死亡的，都可以获得利益了。’

（释）志心勤恳，就是精勤护净的意思。能志心，方才能精，精诚到极点，自然可以感动诸佛菩萨、诸天神的赐与福泽了，所以能够得到两全俱美的利益。

【说是语时，忉利天宫有千万亿那由他阎浮鬼神，悉发无量菩提之心。大辩长者，作礼而退。】

（解）菩萨说罢了这话的时间，在这忉利天宫集会的，千万亿数的、那由他数的阎浮提的鬼神，都发出了无量数的菩提之心。那一位大辩长者，也作了一个礼，退回了原座。

（释）为什么邪劣的鬼神，到这时也发心了呢？因为听了上面地藏菩萨说过，拜祭鬼神是无益的，临终时听念佛号，罪业自然会解脱等等言论，所以那一般专做教人杀生造业的鬼神，自己也觉得惭愧得很，就都发心做诸佛菩萨的护法鬼神了。其实，也是佛和地藏菩萨教化他发心的。

阎罗王众赞叹品第八

（解）阎罗王和鬼王的大众自述利生愿力，间接的赞叹地藏菩萨。这是本经的第八品。

（释）这阎罗王和许多的鬼王，都是蒙了佛的放光和声音而来集会，有的是跟了地藏菩萨的分身来的，但是这一般的鬼王，也无非是无相如来，权示现化，来利益我们阎浮州的众生。

【尔时，铁围山内有无量鬼王与阎罗天子，俱诣忉利，来到佛所。】

（解）这时铁围山里，有无量数的鬼王，跟了阎罗天子，都来到忉利天宫佛的地方。

（释）阎罗王是鬼官的总司令，这许多的鬼王，都是他所统摄的。现在阎王既然来了，这些做臣子的，当然也要伴著他同来的。

【所谓恶毒鬼王、多恶鬼王、大诤鬼王、白虎鬼王、血虎鬼王、赤虎鬼王、散殃鬼王、飞身鬼王、电光鬼王、狼牙鬼王、千眼鬼王、啖兽鬼王、负石鬼王、主耗鬼王、主祸鬼王、主食鬼王、主财鬼王、主畜鬼王、主禽鬼王、主兽鬼王、主魅鬼王、主产鬼王、主命鬼王、主疾鬼王、主险鬼王、三目鬼王、四目鬼王、五目鬼王、祁利失王、大祁利失王、祁利叉王、大祁利叉王、阿那吒王、大阿那吒王。】

（解）所说的这些鬼王呢！第一是恶毒鬼王，这鬼王，是鬼王的首领；三毒都属于意的，就是身口七恶的根本，他用以恶攻恶、以毒攻毒的方法，使那十恶三毒的众生，化恶为善。

多恶，是外现忿怒的恶相，内起慈悲的善念。

大诤，是诤斗，这一切的诤讼、争斗，都是从贪嫉而来的，这贪嫉又都是从憎爱而来的；这鬼王用大诤的法门，去化人无诤。

虎，是威猛的野兽；白虎、血虎、赤虎，这鬼王，都是人身虎头的，是随著他各种生成的颜色，定他名称的。

殃，是祸殃灾晦，世上有不敬天地、不孝父母师长的人家，这鬼王就到他的门上，使他们家庭不和，时多祸殃，好使他改恶向善。

飞身鬼王，就是飞行夜叉一类。

电光鬼王，他的眼睛像电光一样，察人的善恶，给他的吉凶。

狼牙，狼是一种恶兽，牙尖向口外露出的；这鬼王的牙尖，也向外露出，同狼牙一样的。

千眼，观音大士，有千手千眼，这鬼王也有千眼，大约也是见机利人的用处。

啖兽，凶恶的野兽要害人的，这鬼王都把他捉来啖吃；世上有一种不习礼节，人面兽心的凶恶暴徒，恐怕给他遇见了，他也不肯放过的，好为地方除害。

负石，就是负石担沙，塞海填河一类的鬼。

主耗、主祸，这二鬼王，是使犯恶的人，家道贫耗，刑祸随之，若能悔过行善，他仍旧使他发财得福的。

主食，食是活命的五谷，这鬼王见行善的人家，使他丰足，犯恶的人家，使他饥饿，所以毁弃衣食的人，他终要犯冻饿死的。

主财，富家若不肯乐善好施，这鬼王瞰视他的旁边，很妒恨他，常使他多疾病、死亡、口舌等事。

主产，是主管送子投胎，保护生产一类的事情。

主疾，是主管世人一切疾病。

主险，是主管高山大海危险处的旅行人，应死的使他死，不应死的保护他。

三目，是两目中间，直嵌一目，像摩醯首罗天王一样。

四目，是额上横开四目，像苍颉一样。

五目，是在上下之中，竖嵌一目。

祁利失等六鬼王名，诸经都没有翻译，现在照录演孝疏，随文解释的意义：祁利失，是本来没有福德的人，欲贪多财物，反失了财，得不到富利。

祁利叉，或是有仁德的人，一切希望都可以随念满足，交指叉手的庆贺著，就是招财聚宝的王。

阿那吒，有的翻作色质坚碍，能辅助天行，或是扶众生上天的意义。

（释）上面所说的种种鬼王，他们的貌相，都是可怕，但是他们的心，都很慈悲的，无非要使我们众生改恶行善，然而众生都是强顽的多，不肯改恶向善，他没法子，只好现出凶恶的形相，拿出凶恶的手段，来征服你们了。

【如是等大鬼王，各各与百千诸小鬼王，尽居阎浮提，各有所执，各有所主。是诸鬼王与阎罗天子，承佛威神及地藏菩萨摩诃萨力，俱诣忉利，在一面立。】

（解）像这一等的大鬼王，各各和百千数诸多的小鬼王，都居住在阎浮提，各有所执司的，也各有所主持的。这诸类的鬼王，同著阎罗王，承了佛的威神，及地藏菩萨大菩萨的福力，都到了忉利天宫的法会，都在同一面的排立著。

（释）所说有名称的，都是大鬼王，每一个大鬼王之下，还各有百千的小鬼王，这小鬼王各有大鬼王管领的。这许多的鬼王，就都在我们的南洲，各各所司的执守，都是劝人为善、警人为恶、代天道行那赏善罚恶的事情。立著不坐，是表示恭敬佛的意思。

【尔时，阎罗天子，胡跪合掌白佛言：世尊！我等今者与诸鬼王，承佛威神及地藏菩萨摩诃萨力，方得诣此忉利大会，亦是我等获善利故。我今有小疑事敢问世尊，唯愿世尊慈悲宣说。】

（解）这时间，阎罗天子胡跪著，合了掌，对佛说：‘世尊！我们今天和诸般鬼王，承佛的威神，以及地藏菩萨大菩萨的福力，方才得到这忉利天宫的大会来，这也是我等可以获得善利的缘故。现在我们有一点细小疑惑的事情，敢来叩问世尊，唯愿你世尊，发慈悲宣扬演说这事情。’

（释）我等，是概括的指十殿阎王，既然仗了佛菩萨的力，到了天宫，又得在这法会，闻法修心，还能听地藏菩萨处处法化的方便法门，这就是他们所获的利益，但是还有几处疑点，所以要问佛说明白了。

【佛告阎罗天子：恣汝所问，吾为汝说。】

（解）佛告诉阎罗王说：‘随便你问就是了，吾来给你们说明白。’

（释）恣，是放纵的意思，是叫有所疑的事情，不必隐瞒，也不必避忌，任你的意来问，没有不解说给你听的。这正表示世尊，有无限的慈悲。

【是时阎罗天子瞻礼世尊及回视地藏菩萨，而白佛言：世尊！我观地藏菩萨在六道中百千方便而度罪苦众生，不辞疲倦。是大菩萨有如是不可思议神通之事。】

（解）这时间，阎罗天子瞻望著礼拜世尊，及回过头来，顾视地藏菩萨，而对佛说：‘世尊！我观瞧著地藏菩萨在这六道之中，想出那千万种的方便法子，而救度这罪苦的众生，一些也不怕疲倦，这大菩萨竟有像这样不可思议神通的事情。

（释）回视地藏菩萨，是欲赞叹他的现像：菩萨现在梵天，教化天人除去憍慢；现在人道，教化我们布施守戒；现在地狱，替代罪人就苦；现在饿鬼道，使他们都饱满；现在修罗道，教化他们调伏恶心；现在畜生道，教化他们都得智慧。总之他在六道中，随机应化，救度众生，从无量劫以来，没有现出一些疲倦的样子，这种勇猛的智慧，都可表示他不可思议的神通。

【然诸众生，脱获罪报，未久之间，又堕恶道。世尊！是地藏菩萨既有如是不可思议神力，云何众生而不依止善道，永取解脱？唯愿世尊为我解说。】

（解）‘然而这诸众生，刚才解脱所获的罪报，没有多久的时间，又堕入恶道里去了。世尊！这地藏菩萨既然有了这样不可思议的神力，为甚么众生而不肯依止善道里，好永远的取得解脱？唯愿世尊，给我解说出来。’

（释）地藏菩萨，他既然有这样的神力，为甚么不使众生永久的依止在善道里？又为甚么得到解脱了以后，又堕到恶道里去了呢？这还是菩萨的神力不及呢？还是众生的心力不及？所以要请佛解说这疑点了。

【佛告阎罗天子：南阎浮提众生，其性刚强，难调难伏。是大菩萨于百千劫，头头救拔如是众生，早令解脱。是罪报人，乃至堕大恶趣，菩萨以方便力，拔出根本业缘，而遣悟宿世之事。】

（解）佛告诉阎罗王说：‘南阎浮提的众生，他的生性很刚强，难调和他，又难去制伏他，这大菩萨于百千劫以来，一头一头的去救拔他们，像这样的众生，早令他们得到解脱；这应受罪报的人，乃至于要堕落在大恶趣里去了，菩萨用方便的方法，拔出他们的根本业缘，而遣令他觉悟他宿世的事情。

（释）地藏菩萨虽然也知道众生刚强，难调难伏，也要凭著他不倦的神力、慈悲的心肠，一头头来救拔我们。用种种的方法，刚的使他柔；强的使他和；罪报轻的，给他救拔；罪业重的，应堕阿鼻大地狱的，也用方法去拔除他的业缘。一切诸恶，都是从贪爱立根本的，贪同树根一样，贪根不拔去，他的贪念常在；爱不截断，爱则润生；所以说，贪爱一拔除，一切业障恶习，像烈日消薄冰一样。根本业缘既拔去，宿世的事情，自然都会觉悟的，可知能依十善业，便能解脱生死了。

【自是阎浮众生结恶习重，旋出旋入。劳斯菩萨，久经劫数，而作度脱。】

（解）‘自然是阎浮提众生，结恶的习惯重的缘故，所以像旋转一般的，一旋出恶道，又旋入恶道了。劳苦了这菩萨，经过了久远的劫数，而专门做他救度解脱众生的事业。’

（释）现在菩萨为甚么还没有把众生都作永远的解脱呢？实在因为众生造恶的业力太重了，像扑火的飞蛾、作茧的春蚕一般的自作自受，所以菩萨要一个个的，细细的替我们解脱，经久远劫数的劳苦，终得不到暂时休息的机会。

【譬如有人迷失本家，误入险道。其险道中，多诸夜叉及虎狼师子、蚖蛇蝮蝎，如是迷人在险道中，须臾之间，即遭诸毒。】

（解）佛继续说：‘譬如有人迷失了他本来的家乡，错误的走进危险的道路中去。这危险的道路中，有许多的夜叉，以及虎狼狮子蛇蝎等毒物，这迷人一些不知道，只在这迷路中走去。在须臾的时间，就要遭著诸般的毒物害死了。

（释）有人，是指三界十恶众生，这人既然迷失了法性的本来家乡，误走入了生死的险道中，就违背了智觉，去合上了尘障，流落在五浊恶世的险道中了。飞行夜叉，譬如做了人的五利使；虎狼狮子等，譬如做了人的五钝中的慢使；蚖蛇蝮蝎，譬如做了人的嗔毒使。像这样放纵十使十恶业的人，就是在迷途中了。须臾之间，就被那贪嗔痴三毒的中伤，害死了法身慧命，这正是无形的危险呀！

【有一知识，多解大术，善禁是毒，乃及夜叉诸恶毒等。忽逢迷人，欲进险道，而语之言：咄哉男子！为何事故而入此路？有何异术能制诸毒？】

（解）‘有一个有知识的人，多能够了解大的法术，很会禁制这各种毒害，乃及夜叉一类诸般恶毒害命的东西。忽然碰见了迷路的人，将要走进这条危险的道路里去，便连忙告诉他说：“喂！有这样奇怪的男子！你为了甚么事情，要走进这条路去？你有甚么异常的本领，能够会制伏这许多的毒物？”

（释）地藏菩萨是前佛之后，后佛之前的，唯一无二的大智识，多解一切佛法，有调伏一切众生身心的法术。善禁，就是持戒律，可以使你诸恶莫作。五逆十恶等，以及其他一切恶事，都可以称为毒物。咄者，是警觉人发急的声音。忽逢，是菩萨逢机教道，逗留凡愚，使他们勿进这危险的迷路里去。

【是迷路人，忽闻是语，方知险道。即便退步，求出此路。是善知识提携接手，引出险道，免诸恶毒，至于好道，令得安乐。】

（解）‘这迷路的人，忽然听到这话，方才觉到这是险道，即便退步了，想求出这条险路。这个善知识，就提携他、接挽他的手，引他出了这条险路，免得这许多的恶毒物去害死他；再使他到于很好的道路里去，令他得到安稳快乐。

（释）忽闻，是听得四谛的妙法，方才知道走错了路，就亟急退步，去寻本来的家乡。是善知识，就是知道一切法门，识众生根本的人。去教化他人灭恶行善，就是提携扶助，出这危险恶毒的迷路。善事渐渐的积得多了，自然可以到天道去享安乐。

【而语之言：咄哉迷人！自今已后，勿履是道。此路入者，卒难得出，复损性命。是迷路人亦生感重。】

（解）‘既然把他救出了，再告诉他说：“喂！你这迷人！自从今天以后，不要再走这迷道了，走进了，终于难得走出的，又复损坏了性命。”这迷路的人，听了他的话，也生出感激尊重的意思来了。

（释）咄者，是再警醒他的用意，如今勿再重造恶业，再入三途的生死轮回的险道了，因为这险道，有五尘六欲，往往迷障住了你的本性方向，使你奔走不出，结果终损害了性命。现在他被这善知识一救出来，真如飘流者得到还家，沉溺者得到登岸，还有不感激尊重的么？

【临别之时，知识又言：若见亲知及诸路人，若男若女，言于此路多诸毒恶，丧失性命。无令是众，自取其死。】

（解）‘这知识者，和这迷路的人临别的时间，又同他说：“你倘若见了亲族和相知的朋友，以及诸多无知识的人，走进这条迷路中的，无论他是男是女，你要同他去说：“这条迷路，有许多恶兽毒蛇，你进去就要丧你性命的！”你终要同他们说的，不要令他们自己去取死呀！”

（释）这一节，上段是教他转告；下段是教他转告的方法。总之，我们无论是甚么人，见他走进了这条恶毒的迷路，就要想种种的方法，去警觉他，赶紧的叫他退出来，不要叫他自己去寻死；再教退出来的人，一样的去指导人家。这样一来，自然可以辗转传化无穷尽了，也就是自利利他的正法。

【是故地藏菩萨具大慈悲，救拔罪苦众生，生人天中，令受妙乐。是诸罪众，知业道苦，脱得出离，永不再历。】

（解）‘是为了这缘故，地藏菩萨具了很大的慈悲心，救拔罪苦的众生，生到天道中去，令他去受很好的快乐。这样一来，这诸般的受罪苦的众生，方才知道了这业道中，有这样的苦趣，一经解脱得著出离，自然永远的不肯再来经历这苦趣了。

（释）这一节，是表明譬喻的意义。地藏菩萨具有大慈悲，视这许多的罪苦众生，如同自己的身体一样。给他的快乐，就是拔他的苦楚，这一类的罪苦众生，一受到天道里的快乐，方才知道业道的苦楚，自然知罪悔过，不敢再造业了。

【如迷路人误入险道，遇善知识引接令出，永不复入。逢见他人，复劝莫入。自言因是迷故，得解脱竟，更不复入。若再履践，犹尚迷误，不觉旧曾所落险道，或致失命，如堕恶趣，地藏菩萨方便力故，使令解脱，生人天中，旋又再入。若业结重，永处地狱，无解脱时。】

（解）‘像这样迷路的人，误入了险道，遇到了善知识，引接了令他退出，永远不再走入了险道；碰见了他人，又复劝他不要走入。自然因为有这迷路的缘故，所以能得到解脱的境界；既然得到了觉悟解脱的境界，自然不再走入了。倘若再要履践进去，并非是正真的觉悟，一进去，还是照旧要迷误的；一迷误，就不觉得这是旧时曾所堕落的险道了，或再仍旧伤失了性命。这正像堕入了恶趣一样，譬如有人，虽然靠地藏菩萨方便救度之力，解脱了恶趣之苦，而转生于人趣天趣之中，但是他脚力不坚，仍旧退落于恶趣之中，又去造种种恶业，等到恶业重时，便永远处在地狱内面，受诸苦恼，再没有解脱的机会了。’

（释）这一节是直接上文，结恶习重，旋出旋入一段。既然出了三途，生在天道，自应该精勤的修习。现在他因为习惯的结恶，还没有除尽，重新又造了恶，所以又要堕到迷途里去。本性一迷，自然不晓得这条路是从前走过的。倘若不失性命，是夙世还有一些善根，出险也很快；若失了性命，不但不拔除根本业缘，连宿世的事都迷住了，和堕落恶道有甚么两样呢？

【尔时，恶毒鬼王合掌恭敬白佛言：世尊！我等诸鬼王，其数无量。在阎浮提，或利益人，或损害人，各各不同。然是业报，使我眷属，游行世界，多恶少善。】

（解）这时间，恶毒鬼王合了掌，很恭敬的对佛说：‘世尊！我们诸般的鬼王，他的数目，是多得没有限量的，都住在这阎浮提世界里，有的去利益人们，有的去损害人们，所做的事情，都各人各不相同的。然而是都根据了众生自作的业报，遣使我们的部下眷属，到世界上去游行鉴察，但是众生都是恶的多、善的少。

（释）恶毒鬼王，是鬼王的领袖，所以要先代他们的大众发言了。鬼王有威德的，也有宫殿居室；没有威德的，都散住在草木坟墓，以及粪秽不净的地方。本来我们的人，无论男女，都有鬼神追随守护的，但现在为甚么反要受鬼神的触犯呢？这都是我们世人，专做杀、盗、淫、谎、贪、嗔等邪事，自己去引动他的。要晓得他们的总旨，是这样的，见你是善人，他都保护你，见你是恶人，他们都来损害你，世间上的人恶的多、善的少，所以世间上的鬼神，也变成恶的多、善的少了。

【过人家庭或城邑聚落、庄园房舍，或有男子女人修毛发善事，乃至悬一旛一盖，少香少华，供养佛像及菩萨像。或转读尊经，烧香供养，一句一偈。】

（解）‘这许多游行的鬼神，行过世人的家庭，或是行过城邑、聚落、庄园、房舍时间，或见了有男子女人，修做了像毛发一般的善事，乃至于悬一幡、一伞盖，少许的香、少许的花，供养佛和菩萨的像，或转读各种的佛经，烧香供养，一句一偈的经文。

（释）不要说是省城、县邑、乡村、聚落一等的大地方，就是我们所居的半间一室等的小地方，也有鬼神鉴察著的，所以孔圣要说‘十手所指，十目所视’了。就是你在极幽密的地方，做一些极细小的善事，将来也有极大的福报给你；你若做一些小恶，将来自然也有极大的恶报给你的。所以古人说：‘勿以善小而勿为，勿以恶小而为之。’因为事情虽小，报应却都是很大的。

【我等鬼王敬礼是人，如过去现在未来诸佛。敕诸小鬼，各有大力及土地分，便令卫护，不令恶事横事、恶病横病乃至不如意事，近于此舍等处，何况入门。】

（解）‘倘若做了上节所说的，悬幡、烧香、鲜花等供养佛菩萨的人，我等鬼王，都敬重礼拜这人，像敬礼过去现在未来三世的诸佛一样；督敕著许多小鬼，各个都有大力的小鬼，以及土地分神，教令他们保卫拥护，不令凶恶的事、横暴的事、恶毒的病、凶横的病，乃至于不如意的事，来逼近这宅舍所在的一等地方，何况令他们入门呢？’土地分，是说分界所守的本分。

（释）为甚么只做了些供养佛一类的细小事情，他们就要这样敬礼我们呢？因为念佛、礼佛、敬佛，将来必定成佛，况且三世诸佛，都从小善而积成的，所以他们要这样的敬礼卫护了。既然有这许大力鬼神在屋宅外守御，那横祸、恶事、凶病时疫一类，还能够近门么？这样一来，还有甚么事不如意呢？

【佛赞鬼王：善哉！善哉！汝等及与阎罗能如是拥护善男女等，吾亦告梵王帝释，令卫护汝。】

（解）佛听了这话，就称赞恶毒鬼王说：‘很好！很好！你们一等，以及阎罗王，能像这样的拥护善男女一等人，吾也要告诉梵王和帝释，令他们来卫护你们。’

（释）如来为甚么欢喜称赞呢？因为鬼王所领的鬼，都是很凶恶的，有的去挠害诸天，又有的去挠害人民，又很嫉恶，令人家杀生祭祀他们。现在他们既然能这样拥护善男女，转凶恶，做护法，自然是最好的了。所以一善，称他会改恶护善；一善，赞他却退横祸，增人福德。为此，佛也要告诉统率小千世界的大梵王，和主摄欲界六天的释提桓因，转来保护他们了。这方才是循环的天理。

【说是语时，会中有一鬼王，名曰主命，白佛言：世尊！】

（解）说这话的时间，在会中有一个鬼王，名叫做主命的，对佛说：‘世尊！’

（释）我们的人虽然是生死都有命的，但是命也可以自己改造的。命短的人，倘若肯修做布施、放生等善事，这就是保卫生命，命也加长了，福也加多了；倘若命长的人，他专做悭贪杀生的恶事，这就是自杀生命，自然寿命也减短了，祸殃也多了。

【我本业缘，主阎浮人命。生时死时，我皆主之。在我本愿，甚欲利益。自是众生不会我意，致令生死俱不得安。】

（解）主命鬼王对佛说：‘世尊！我根据了世人自作的业缘，主管阎浮世界的人命，生的时间，死的时间，都是我所主管的。在我的心愿呢！很想要利益他们，因为是众生不能领会我的意思，致令他们生死都得不到平安。

（释）因为我们世人的命运，都随著他所做的善恶业缘，时时改变的。他虽然要利益人们，但是人们都领会不到他的好意，在那生死关头，常常杀生害命的祈神祷鬼，自取祸殃，那当然反要得不到安乐了。

【何以故？是阎浮提人初生之时，不问男女，或欲生时，但作善事，增益舍宅，自令土地无量欢喜，拥护子母，得大安乐，利益眷属。】

（解）‘为甚么缘故呢？这阎浮提的人，起初欲生子受胎的时间，不问他是男是女，或是怀孕满足欲生产的时间，但要做放生一等的善事；一做善事，自然能增益家宅的光辉，自然能令土地神无量的欢喜来拥护，这子母都得到很大的安乐，而且还可以利益到这一家的大小眷属。

（释）凡是妇人受了胎，就要修福，做布施等善事，等到十月满足了，生产的时间，更要紧做放生等善举，可以消除这小孩的业障，增加他今生的福基。不但是土地等来拥护母子，就是一家的眷属，也都可得到平安。

【或已生下，慎勿杀害，取诸鲜味供给产母，及广聚眷属，饮酒食肉，歌乐弦管，能令子母不得安乐。】

（解）‘或者是小孩已经生下了，要当心！切勿杀害性命，取了诸般的鲜味，供给产母去吃，以及广大的邀请亲朋，聚集眷属，办了筵席，饮酒吃肉，再勿歌唱弦管音乐，因为这样的一来，能令这母子两个，都得不到安乐了。

（释）凡人没有儿子，就要悲叹；有了儿子，自然欢喜。不想一切的禽兽水属，也是一样的爱惜他的儿子的，现在你去杀死了他人的儿子，来庆贺我的儿子，试问你的心安乐不安乐？为甚么叫你们谨慎切勿杀生呢？因初生的孩子和产母，你应该去做放生一类的善事，增加他们的福寿；你现在反去造杀生一等恶事，去减削他们寿命，这不是很危险么？况且那弥月汤饼会的酒席，多半是糜费的，能将这费去救济贫寒，更有功德；就是不能节省，也应改设素席，何必定要杀生呢？歌乐难免触犯鬼神，也是没有利益的事。

【何以故？是产难时，有无数恶鬼及魍魉精魅，欲食腥血。是我早令舍宅土地灵只，荷护子母，使令安乐而得利益。如是之人，见安乐故，便合设福，答诸土地。翻为杀害，聚集眷属。以是之故，犯殃自受，子母俱损。】

（解）‘为甚么缘故呢？因为是在这产难的时间，有无数恶鬼，及魍魉鬼、精怪、妖魅，要吃这腥血，是我早令舍宅土地的灵只，保护他母子两个，使他安乐，而得到利益。像这样的人，见得到了安乐的缘故，便合修福修善，报答诸位土地的神灵；他们现在不但不报答他们，翻做杀生害命，聚集了亲友眷属，任意饮酒吃肉。以是这个缘故，犯了祸殃，就是自作自受，子母都要受损害了。

（释）主命既然是我，那么我自然要负荷保护这母子的责任了。母子既然都平安快乐，应该修做善事，报答他们荷护的恩德；现在翻设席请客，饮酒食肉，弦管歌唱，自然要触犯了神鬼的恼怒，使你们母子都受祸殃了。怎样的祸殃呢？使罗刹等恶鬼吃掉你的胞胎，使产母无子，夺小孩的生命，使他夭殇。这要责罚自己的杀生不好，并不能怪主命、土地、宅神等不来保护你们。

【又阎浮提临命终人，不问善恶，我欲令是命终之人，不落恶道。何况自修善根，增我力者。】

（解）‘还有那阎浮提临命终的人，不问他是善是恶，我欲令这命终的人，不堕落恶道里去，何况他生时能够自己修习善事，来增加我愿力的缘故呢！

（释）我们人的生死，在佛看起来，犹如幻灭的水泡一般，一息不来，性命就没有了。到临死的时间，在生所作的业，顿时都现出他的前面，但是世人都是随业循环的，有几人肯修习善事呢？所以都要落到恶道里去。幸得这主命鬼王的慈悲，都不令他堕落，那么肯修布施、守戒等善业的人，再去加增主命的威德，一定自然令你生到天上去了。

【是阎浮提行善之人，临命终时，亦有百千恶道鬼神，或变作父母乃至诸眷属，引接亡人，令落恶道，何况本造恶者。】

（解）‘就是这阎浮提行善的人，临命终的时间，也有百千数恶道里的鬼神，变作了父母，乃至于变作诸般亲眷家属一类的人，假意来接引亡人。其实呢！令他堕落到恶道里去。何况是本来是造业的人呢！’

（释）一个人到临终的时间，像欠债人到了年三十夜一样，各处的债主，都包围拢来，逼迫得你不可开交；见了刀山剑树，会认作园林的；见了马腹牛胎，会认做堂宇的。善人尚且如此，何况造恶的人呢！倘若你是平日发愿念佛的人，这时间，佛就放光来接引你，那恶魔自然都远避了。

【世尊！如是阎浮提男子女人，临命终时，神识惛昧，不辨善恶，乃至眼耳更无见闻。是诸眷属，当须设大供养，转读尊经，念佛菩萨名号。如是善缘，能令亡者离诸恶道。诸魔鬼神，悉皆退散。】

（解）主命又继续叫著佛说：‘世尊！像这样的阎浮提的男子女人，临命终的时间，神灵和知识都是很惛昧迷惑的了，自己已经不会辨别是善是恶，乃至于眼和耳都没有见闻的能力了。当这时候，诸般亲眷家属应当须要替他供养佛菩萨的像，转读这部地藏经，或是他种佛经，念了佛菩萨的名号。有像这样的善缘，能够令这死亡的人，脱离诸般恶道，那许多的魔鬼神祇，也都退散了。’

（释）无论何人，在命终将死的时间，神识都已惛迷了。这时候，家人切勿号哭，因为死人一听哭声，神魂忙乱，就会堕落地狱里去的。最好在气息将断未断之间，立刻代他焚香念佛，自己不会念，请和尚来念一样的，（这和尚要敬重他）佛要念得字字响喨清楚，令死人听进去，这样一来，就是要落地狱的人，也会上天去了。要等过八小时以后，身体完全冷透，那么哭就不要紧的。这时死人的紧要关头，做父母、子女、夫妻、亲眷一等，切切注意。（要知道详细，可以买一册《饬终津梁》看看。）

【世尊！一切众生临命终时，若得闻一佛名、一菩萨名，或大乘经典一句一偈，我观如是辈人，除五无间杀害之罪，小小恶业，合堕恶趣者，寻即解脱。】

（解）主命又叫著佛说：‘世尊！一切的众生，临命终的时间，倘若听到一佛的名号、一菩萨的名号，或听到大乘经典的一句一偈，我瞧像这一辈的人，能消除五无间地狱，以及杀害生命的大罪的苦楚，一些小小的恶业，就是合当堕入恶道里去的，顷刻就给他解脱了。’

（释）临终的时间，一听到这佛和菩萨的名号，心一起正念，业障自然都消除了。这一念的发心，且已经种下将来成佛的圣因；这小小的罪业，正像赤日晒微霜一样，那里还有余业呢！

【佛告主命鬼王：汝大慈故，能发如是大愿，于生死中护诸众生。若未来世中，有男子女人，至生死时，汝莫退是愿，总令解脱，永得安乐。】

（解）佛告诉主命鬼王说：‘你有这样大慈悲的缘故，于世人的生死中间，能够保护诸类的众生。倘有未来世之中，有男子女人，到了生死的时间，你不要退失了这愿力，总要令他们得到解脱，使他们永远的得到安乐。’

（释）鬼王竟有这样的存心，所以佛要称赞他发慈悲的大愿了。现在他既然能发这慈悲的大愿，就是佛菩萨了，那么还可以去退失这慈悲愿力么？但是这愿力，要普遍的，不论是男是女，是死是生，有罪无罪，大恶小恶，统统令他们解脱，常常得在人道天道里去享安乐，方才不负我今天的叮嘱了。

【鬼王白佛言：愿不有虑。我毕是形，念念拥护阎浮众生。生时死时，俱得安乐。但愿诸众生于生死时，信受我语，无不解脱，获大利益。】

（解）鬼王对佛说：‘愿你不要忧虑！我当毕尽我的形体、寿命，念念要去拥护这阎浮世界的众生，生的时间，死的时间，都可以教他们得到安乐。但愿这诸类的众生，于这生死的时间，相信听受我的话，自然没有一个不得到解脱，获到这大利益的。’

（释）但愿众生信受我语，是重指前文：慎勿杀生、念佛、供像、读经等就是。我们生在这阎浮提世界的众生，生和死的时间，都得到这许多的佛菩萨和鬼王等来保护，这是多么的幸运呀！若能听从他的话，自然感应交道，更加可以得到安乐幸福。云栖大师说：‘祭祀先亡，也切勿杀生，可以增加他的冥福。’

【尔时，佛告地藏菩萨：是大鬼王主命者，已曾经百千生作大鬼王，于生死中，拥护众生。是大士慈悲愿故，现大鬼身，实非鬼也。】

（解）这时候，佛告诉地藏菩萨说：‘这大鬼王主命的，已曾经历过百千生作大鬼王了，在于世人的生死中间，专门拥护众生。这位大士，因为要行慈悲的大愿的缘故，所以现化这鬼王的身形，其实他并非是鬼。

（释）诸佛的根本，是相同的；著迹的现相，是各各不同的。他现在现这个相，也无非是抱著慈悲的大愿，来普利众生而已。譬如天上一月，印在各处的水里，水里的月，原是作不得真的，若要当作他是真，那就失了根本了。可知所现的大鬼王身，那里是真的呢！

【却后过一百七十劫，当得成佛，号曰无相如来，劫名安乐，世界名净住。其佛寿命不可计劫。】

（解）‘却后过一百七十劫，自然应得著成佛了，名号叫无相如来；在他成佛的一劫，名叫安乐劫；他所修成作佛的世界，名叫净住；这佛寿命的长，不可计算他的劫数了。’

（释）利益众生的万事做毕，自有万德庄严的果位，这都出于自然的。佛本是无相的，就是无相也是没有的，现在以鬼相而现无相，就是无相的相了；用无相法门去观瞧，各种狰狞可怕的鬼相，就是有相也等于无相了。相相都无，空无一物，那末还有那一处不是安乐地？那一处不是净住世界呢？

【地藏！是大鬼王，其事如是不可思议。所度天人，亦不可限量。】

（解）佛又叫著地藏说：‘这般的大鬼王，他的事情，是这样子不可以思议的，所度脱的天道和人道的众生的多，也不可以限量的了。’

（释）这一类的鬼王，都是解脱菩萨的慈悲誓愿，分形布影，示现化身在六道之中，化成同类，为善知识，行种种方便，去引道利乐一切众生，同证佛果，在天人两道化度得更多。要知道世界上一切现相，都是浮尘幻化，在相当之时，随生随灭的，真性本是寂默不动，不可以思议的。

称佛名号品第九

（解）地藏菩萨说，称念佛号的功德。这是本经的第九品。

（释）念佛是人家都晓得的，为甚么也要列一品经呢？因为有许多人只晓得念佛，不晓得其中的意义，还有一种贪欲的乡下老婆婆，说念佛可以作铜钱用的，这种荒谬怪诞的论调，正是可怜又复可笑了！从来不晓得念佛的真实利益，和真实的功德。现在地藏菩萨来详细的说给我们听。所以这品题看去是很平常的，其实是最紧要的一品，我们要格外认真的去读。

【尔时，地藏菩萨摩诃萨白佛言：世尊！我今为未来众生演利益事，于生死中得大利益。唯愿世尊听我说之。】

（解）这时候，地藏菩萨大菩萨叫著佛说：‘世尊！我现在为未来的众生，来演说最有利益的事情，在他们的生死中间，都可以得到大利益，唯愿你世尊听我说这话。’

（释）我佛出世，无非要为我们众生解脱生、老、病、死四大苦难，又早已晓得末劫众生业障深重，难解难脱，因此又复设立这念佛方便的大法门，可以依仗佛力，了脱这生死的四大苦难。所以说念佛一句，可以消无量罪，得无量福。现在菩萨要世尊听，是要佛金口来证实，可以使我们更加相信了。

【佛告地藏菩萨：汝今欲兴慈悲，救拔一切罪苦六道众生，演不思议事。今正是时，唯当速说。吾即涅槃，使汝早毕是愿，吾亦无忧现在未来一切众生。】

（解）佛告诉地藏菩萨说：‘你现在欲发兴慈悲的大愿，救拔那一切在六道里的罪苦众生，演说这不可思议的念佛法门，现在正是到了这个时间了。是的！应当快要说了，吾就是入了涅槃；倘使你早早了毕这大愿，吾也可以不必再去忧愁现在未来的一切众生了。’

（释）菩萨说这方便度残机的法门，一是为了体会佛在天宫的付嘱他的心意；二是要救拔我们南州众生的苦难。佛为什么催促他快说呢？因为佛自己化缘将息，已将灭度，见这六道众生，还是沉沦受苦，若不从此救济，不但佛涅槃了于心不安，就是地藏菩萨的大愿，也永难圆满了。现在有了这称名的法门，不论贤愚，人人可以解脱苦难，终至同成佛果。

【地藏菩萨白佛言：世尊！过去无量阿僧祇劫，有佛出世，号无边身如来。若有男子女人闻是佛名，暂生恭敬，即得超越四十劫生死重罪。何况塑画形像，供养赞叹，其人获福无量无边。】

（解）地藏菩萨叫著佛说：‘世尊！过去无量数的阿僧祇劫，有一尊佛出世，名号叫无边身如来，倘若有男子或是女人，听了这佛的名号，就是暂时的生出恭敬心来，就得到超越过四十劫的生死重罪，何况塑画他的形像，去供养他、赞叹他呢！这个人获得的福德，是无量无边的了。

（释）所说的佛，都是指已经过去的，越是在后指出的，却越是在前。这诸佛是地藏菩萨所亲自见到的，于此可以证明他的发心是最久远的了。无边身是指佛随机应化的应身。因为一切诸佛从无量劫以来，所修习的福德是无量的，所以你能去端正专一的去恭敬他、香花去供养他，你所得到的福分，自然也无量无数的了。

【又于过去恒河沙劫，有佛出世，号宝性如来。若有男子女人闻是佛名，一弹指顷，发心归依。是人于无上道，永不退转。】

（解）‘又在于过去的恒河沙的劫数，有一尊佛出世，他的名号叫做宝性如来，倘若有男子女人，听了这佛名，一弹指的时间，发心去归依他，这人对于这无上的佛道，就可以永不退转了。

（释）恒河沙劫，较前又要多了。宝性，宝是珍宝，性是本性，是说诸佛如来，是我们众生的最宝贵的本性一样。有修行经过阿僧祇劫的功行，还没有成功，反不及念佛法门，在一弹指顷，他的果位就不退了。有教化四天下，以及六欲天，已经得到四乘果位的，还不及三归依的功德。这可知念佛是有不可思议的大功德了。一闻佛名便起信心，那都是凭了自性的佛宝，来归宝性，那自然可以永不退转了。

【又于过去有佛出世，号波头摩胜如来。若有男子女人闻是佛名，历于耳根，是人当得千返生于六欲天中，何况志心称念。】

（解）‘又在比前还要过去的时间，有一尊佛出世，他的名号叫做波头摩胜如来，倘若有男子女人，听了这佛名，经历过耳根，这人应当得著一千回的往返，生在六重的欲界天中间去，何况一志诚心的去称念呢！

（释）波头摩，翻中文叫红莲花，莲花有数种，红的最好，所以叫胜。佛莲千瓣，此喻作千返。六欲不净，佛法和莲花一样，可以出污泥不为他污染。但是一名经耳，便可以千返生天，志心念佛，自然有成佛的期望了。

【又于过去不可说不可说阿僧祇劫，有佛出世，号师子吼如来。若有男子女人闻是佛名，一念归依，是人得遇无量诸佛摩顶授记。】

（解）‘再过去不可说不可说的阿僧祇劫，有一尊佛出世，他的名号叫做师子吼如来，倘若有男子和女人，一听到这佛的名号，起了一个想去归依他的念头，这个人就得到无量数诸佛摩他的顶，给他受记了。

（释）如来修到了正等正觉，当于大众广说佛法的时间，自在没有一些畏惧，所以称做师子吼；是譬如佛说法，法音大震，一切邪道像禽兽一样，畏怖慑伏。一念归依，就得到诸佛的摩顶授记，将来就有佛的一切种智了。

【又于过去，有佛出世，号拘留孙佛。若有男子女人闻是佛名，志心瞻礼，或复赞叹，是人于贤劫千佛会中，为大梵王，得授上记。】

（解）‘又在于比前过去的时间，有一尊佛出世，他的名号叫拘留孙佛，倘若有男子和女人，听到了这佛的名，一志诚心的去瞻礼他，或是赞叹他，这人在于贤劫千佛的会中，就可以做大梵王了，还得著受无上的菩提记。

（释）拘留孙，翻中文叫所应断，这是从五住二死立名的；人寿在六万岁的时间，这佛就在世界上出现，救度众生。志心属于意，瞻礼属于身，赞叹属于口，三业清净，福慧渐渐的上去，可以做到大梵王，再一直上去，就可以受无上菩提记成佛了。

【又于过去，有佛出世，号毗婆尸佛。若有男子女人闻是佛名，永不堕恶道；常生人天，受胜妙乐。】

（解）‘又在于比前过去的时间，有一尊佛出世，他的名号叫毗婆尸，倘若有男子女人，一听到了这佛的名号，就不堕落到恶道里去，常常生在人道和天道里，去享受快乐。

（释）这一尊佛，在已过去的庄严劫的千数之中，第九百九十八尊，毗婆尸，翻名维卫，也叫做胜观。不堕恶道，是全仗佛力的护持；倘一闻到这名号之后，肯不间断念佛，一定可以超升天道，享种种的快乐了。

【又于过去无量无数恒河沙劫，有佛出世，号宝胜如来。若有男子女人闻是佛名，毕竟不堕恶道；常在天上，受胜妙乐。】

（解）‘又在过去无量无数恒河沙的劫数，有一尊佛出世，名号叫宝胜如来，倘有男子或是女人，一听到这佛的名号，毕竟终不会堕落在恶道里去，常常生在天上，受很好的快乐。

（释）宝胜如来，宝有在世间的宝，有出世间的宝，世人万物，最尊贵的就是宝，但是念佛就可以得到了生脱死，可知道佛宝是胜过世间的宝，又胜过各种出世间的宝了。如来的誓愿，本来是拔济众生的，一闻佛名，就不堕恶道，时时称念，自然能够证到无上的佛道。（胜妙也可以作无上道解的。）

【又于过去，有佛出世，号宝相如来。若有男子女人闻是佛名，生恭敬心，是人不久得阿罗汉果。】

（解）‘又在比前过去的时间，有一尊佛出世，他的名号叫宝相如来，倘若有男子女人，听到了这佛的名号，就生出了一种恭敬的心来，这个人不要许久的时间，就可以得到阿罗汉果。

（释）宝相，就是佛的无去无来的法性实相，所以叫做宝相。

【又于过去无量阿僧祇劫，有佛出世，号袈裟幢如来。若有男子女人闻是佛名者，超一百大劫生死之罪。】

（解）‘又在比前过去的无量阿僧祇劫，有一尊佛出世，名号叫袈裟幢如来，倘若有男子或是女人，听到这佛的名号，可以超过一百大劫里的生死的大罪。

（释）袈裟，就是如来宝幢的形相，是表佛的庄严；倘若著袈裟的时间，生出一种作佛宝幢的思想，就能消灭许多的罪业。因为如来修习万行，能得到这样庄严，所以世人一闻其名，立时就可以超脱百劫生死的大罪了。

【又于过去，有佛出世，号大通山王如来。若有男子女人闻是佛名者，是人得遇恒河沙佛，广为说法，必成菩提。】

（解）‘又在比前过去的时间，有一尊佛出世，名号叫大通山王如来，倘若有男子或是女人，一听到了这佛的名号，这个人可以得到遇著恒河沙数的佛，广大的给他说法，将来定可以修到菩提的果位。

（释）妙高峰是山中的王，有八万四千由旬大，是金、银、铜、铁四宝所合成的，映照明彻叫做通；譬如佛的报身，像妙高峰一样的高，都是佛修万行功德所成就的，这报身能够通法身和应身的理用。不但是一佛是这样，佛佛都是这样的，所以听到这一佛的名号，就有无量数的佛来给你说法了。依法修持，必定可以成就正觉的果海。

【又于过去有净月佛、山王佛、智胜佛、净名王佛、智成就佛、无上佛、妙声佛、满月佛、月面佛，有如是等不可说佛。】

（解）‘又在比前还要过去的时间，有净月佛，不染一尘叫净，随机应现，如水中月。山王佛，是佛修成的报身，高大如山王，恭敬仰瞻，可以得无量福。智胜佛，是佛的智慧，胜过一切，所以也叫一切种智。净名王佛，一切业障断尽，清净自然，以断惑立名的。智成就佛，是功德的修成，性体的成就，都从智力成就的。无上佛，无上是尊极的称谓，惑尽理极，方才可称；佛法就是无上法，我们能够起信，就可以得无上果。妙声佛，是说如来应机说法，圆妙声音，遍布十方。满月佛，是譬如十五夜的明月，圆满具足。月面佛，佛的面清朗圆满，人人见了都很欢喜，是比喻佛的好相。还有像这样一等的说不尽的佛，不再说出劫数，这是总结了。’

（释）地藏菩萨说出了这许多的佛，可知他发心以来，是很远很远的了。叫他救度众生，并不是受释迦佛的一个人付嘱，已经受等等佛付嘱过了。

【世尊！现在未来一切众生，若天若人、若男若女，但念得一佛名号，功德无量，何况多名。是众生等，生时死时，自得大利，终不堕恶道。】

（解）地藏菩萨又叫著佛说：‘世尊！现在和未来的一切众生，无论是在天上、在人间的男子和女人，但只要念得一佛的名号，就有无量数的功德了，何况念这许多的名号呢！这一等的众生在生的时间和死的时间，自然都可以得到大利益，终于不堕落恶道的了。

（释）这一节是总说念佛的利益。但是念佛最要紧是很恭敬的摄心念，念念都要从心中流出，方才可以得到无量无边的真实功德。佛本来是一样的，为甚么我们都要念阿弥陀佛呢？因阿弥陀佛接引我们的娑婆世界众生的愿力，要比一切诸佛更大，你能够念他，在活著时间，放光来摄受你、保护你安宁快乐；死的时间，一念就可以往生极乐，那里还会堕落恶道呢？

【若有临命终人，家中眷属，乃至一人，为是病人，高声念一佛名，是命终人，除五无间罪，余业报等，悉得消灭。是五无间罪，虽至极重，动经亿劫，了不得出。承斯临命终时，他人为其称念佛名，于是罪中，亦渐消灭。】

（解）‘倘若有临命终将要死的人，这病人的家中的眷属，就是只有一个人，为这病人提高了声音，念一尊佛的名号，这命终的人，除五无间的罪报外，其余的一等业报，都得著消灭；这五无间的罪，虽然是犯得极重，动经亿劫，还不能够了、不能够出的重罪，承了这临命终时间，他人给他称念佛名，在于这大罪中的人，也渐渐的会给他消灭起来了。

（释）倘若有人临死的时间，家人都给他念佛，人越多，功德越大，不但是死人得大利益，就是活人，得到的利益也很多的。因为死的人，一提正念，便可以不落邪思了，这样大的五无间罪，尚且要消除，何况一些小狱的余报呢！不但消罪，也许神识超升，可以往生极乐。

【何况众生自称自念，获福无量，灭无量罪。】

（解）‘何况众生能够自己称名，自己念佛呢！这不但是获得的福德无量，简直还可以消灭无量的罪。’

（释）他人代念有这样的功德，何况自己念呢！因为临死的时间，能够决心念佛，应验要比平常胜过百倍，可以往生净土；但是，不是平常时间用功念佛，临死的时间，那里还有这样的功夫和决心呢？

校量布施功德缘品第十

（解）佛答地藏菩萨问，校量布施功德因缘差别的事。这是本经的第十品。

（释）修万种的功德，以布施为第一，布施是救度众生的出发点，是成佛惟一的资助。总之有大功德就是了，还何必再校量呢？因布施也有三种分别：一是用财布施；二是用法布施；三是用无畏的事理去布施；所以就要分别校量了。施财，只得到享天福的报应；施法，法有世法、出世法二种，也有深浅；施无畏，有事无畏、理无畏二种，也分深浅的。但是无论你做那一种，倘若不将所有布施的功德，去回向法界众生，这功德都是小的了。而且做了布施，不能将这功德牵缘在心里，要这样想，这本来是我们应该要做的事情，福报不福报，都不希望的，这就是毕竟可以成佛了。

【尔时，地藏菩萨摩诃萨承佛威神，从座而起，胡跪合掌白佛言：世尊！我观业道众生，校量布施，有轻有重。有一生受福，有十生受福，有百生千生受大福利者，是事云何？唯愿世尊为我说之。】

（解）这时候，地藏菩萨大菩萨承了佛的威神，从座位上立起来，到佛的前面，胡跪著合了掌，对佛说：‘世尊！我观看业道里的众生，较量布施的事情，有一生受福的，有十生受福的，有百生千生受大福报的，这里面的事情，是甚么样的？唯愿你世尊，解说给我听。’

（释）我们在业道里的众生，无论你做那一种事，都有业跟著的，一是黑业，一是白业，黑业是做恶事，白业是做布施等善事。但是布施有轻重，受福也有大小的，所以要叩问佛了。地藏菩萨并不是真的不晓得，不过他慈悲心切，为我们众生代问罢了。

【尔时佛告地藏菩萨：吾今于忉利天宫，一切众会，说阎浮提布施校量功德轻重，汝当谛听，吾为汝说。】

（解）这时间，佛告诉地藏菩萨说：‘吾今天在这忉利天宫，一切众会的地方，来说这阎浮提布施较量功德的轻重，你应该当心的听，吾给你说。’

（释）佛当著法众这样的说，是表示一种很尊重、很紧要的一件大事，使在法会的大众，更加注意。

【地藏白佛言：我疑是事，愿乐欲闻。】

（解）地藏菩萨对佛说：‘我疑心这等事情，很愿意要听你说！’

（释）因为菩萨正在疑心这一等事情，自然罢不得立时叫他解说明白，还有不愿意听的么？

【佛告地藏菩萨：南阎浮提有诸国王、宰辅大臣、大长者、大刹利、大婆罗门等，若遇最下贫穷乃至癃残喑哑、聋痴无目，如是种种不完具者。】

（解）佛告诉地藏菩萨说：‘南阎浮提世界，各国的国王，以及宰相大臣、大长者、大刹利、大婆罗门一等，倘若遇著了最下一等的贫穷的民众，乃至于癃、残、喑哑、聋子、瞎子，像这样种种肢体残废、不完全的一等人。

（释）国王能够做发心布施的事情，就可以救济许多人了；宰相大官等，都同万民的父母一样，应当有抚恤贫民的良心；还有王族的刹利、净行修道的婆罗门，以及闲居享福的富家子弟等人，这都是应该做布施的人。为什么呢？因为这般享福的人，都是前世做布施修来的；像这驼子、哑子、痴子、聋子、瞎子等等，肢体不完具的残废者，因为他们前生只贪自己享乐，不肯布施贫穷残废，见人家做布施，还要讥笑，使人家不信，所以现在得到这种苦报应。

【是大国王等，欲布施时，若能具大慈悲，下心含笑，亲手遍布施，或使人施，软言慰喻。是国王等所获福利，如布施百恒河沙佛功德之利。】

（解）‘这国王、大官一等的人，要布施的时间，倘若能够具足了大慈悲的心意，自然肯屈尊就卑，降下自高的心，含著慈悲的笑容，亲手的、普遍的去布施；或者差使用人代去布施，也要叫他用了和软的说话，去安慰他们。像这国王一等的人，所获得的福利，像布施了恒河沙数佛的功德和利益，还要加一百倍哩！

（释）这是佛教我们行布施时的方法。凡是布施，从自身的慈悲心、怜愍心发出的，这方才是真正的布施，也方才肯降下尊贵的品格，去迁就下贱。内存慈悲心，外现慈悲相，含著笑容，一些不吝惜的亲手去布施；或在别的地方叫用人去布施，也要叫他不可骄傲，看轻人家，终要用软话去安慰他，这就可叫做善法施，所以功德就重大得了不得！或是自己本来不愿意的，被人家劝募强捐的，那功德就轻，就小得很了。

【何以故？缘是国王等，于是最贫贱辈及不完具者，发大慈心。是故福利有如此报，百千生中，常得七宝具足。何况衣食受用。】

（解）‘为甚么缘故呢？因为这国王一等，能够对于这最贫贱一辈，以及残废的人，发出很大的慈悲心，所以得到的福利能够像这样的，百千世的中间，常常得到七宝具足，何况衣食等，自然受用不尽了。’

（释）布施虽然以慈悲心为主，但是也有缓急的分别，譬如我布施身体健全的贫穷者，当然要布施身体残废的孤独者。钱多的人，布施得多，钱少的人，布施得少，但是心一样的慈悲，所得的功德也是一样的。有一种只求慈善名望的人，不注重实际，见了贫穷下贱的人，任意呵骂，不加怜惜，这种人钱虽花得多，福就获得很少了。

【复次，地藏！若未来世有诸国王至婆罗门等，遇佛塔寺，或佛形像，乃至菩萨声闻辟支佛像，躬自营办，供养布施。】

（解）佛又给地藏菩萨说：‘倘若未来世有诸国的国王，至于修净的婆罗门一等人，遇著佛的塔寺，或是佛的形像，乃至于菩萨、声闻、辟支佛一等的形像，亲身的去营造创办，去供养布施。

（释）前节是说我们应该去布施的人，这一节是说我们应该去布施的地方。未来世，是菩萨远顾后人的慈悲。躬自营办，是表示一种尊重。塔、墓，是葬埋圣人灵骨和舍利的地方。创造寺院可以安供佛像，使他人得瞻礼获福。这都是重大的布施。

【是国王等，当得三劫为帝释身，受胜妙乐。若能以此布施福利，回向法界，是大国王等，于十劫中，常为大梵天王。】

（解）‘像这国王一等的人，应当可以得到三劫做天上的帝释，受最胜最好的快乐。倘若能够将这种的布施的福利，不占做私有，就去回向给法界众生，那么这大国王一等，能于十劫之中，常常可以做到大梵天王了。’

（释）倘若不是布施塔、寺、庵、庙一等地方，那里可以得到这样的大功德呢？但是功德虽大，只有个人贪著受乐；现在一回向给法界，譬如一杯水，泻入大海里，共大海浑化，那么这一杯水，仿佛就是大海了，你要收回这杯水，除非要将这大海的水，一杯一杯舀干不可。这就是以少化多、以小化大的重要方法。我们有了一毫一滴的功德和福利，都要回向法界，也就是这个道理。

【复次，地藏！若未来世有诸国王至婆罗门等，遇先佛塔庙或至经像，毁坏破落。乃能发心修补。是国王等，或自营办，或劝他人，乃至百千人等布施结缘。】

（解）佛又对地藏菩萨说：‘倘若未来世，有诸国的国王，至于婆罗门一等人，遇著前人所造的塔庙，或者至于佛经、佛菩萨的圣像，已经毁坏、破损、剥蚀了，乃能够发心去修补他，这国王一等的人，或者自己个人营造办理，或者劝他人去办，乃至于劝百千人等，共同来做布施结缘的事情。

（释）因为塔、寺、庵、庙这等，都是供奉佛像、保藏经典的地方，倘若年代久远了，寺院倒塌，应当从新建造；佛像剥蚀，失了庄严，应该重新修饰；佛经书籍纸页破裂、蠹蛀，应该去装订修补，或者重新印刷办理。这种事情，财力足的，一人独做；财力不足，同他人合做；自己没有财力，劝人家去做，这个不肯，劝那个，劝到成百成千，不会厌倦；或是一任成百成千的人，来结缘辅助布施，这功德是很大的。

【是国王等百千生中，常为转轮王身。如是他人同布施者，百千生中，常为小国王身。更能于塔庙前发回向心，如是国王乃及诸人，尽成佛道。以此果报无量无边。】

（解）‘这国王一等的人，百千世之中，常常做转轮王的；同他做这事情的人，百千生之中，常常可以做各国的小国王。倘若修造好了塔庙，就向这塔庙的前面发了回向的心，像这样一来，国王以及同造的许多人，便可以都成佛道了，因为这种功德的果报，是无量无边的。’

（释）无论合做那一种布施，就是所出的金钱，都是平均的，所得的功德，终是一个发起的主动者最大，其余的都要次一等了。这样功德，能够一回向法界众生，就可以成佛道，得无量的果报。在此，可以证明回向功德的大，正是不可思议的了。

【复次，地藏！未来世中，有诸国王及婆罗门等，见诸老病及生产妇女，若一念间具大慈心，布施医药、饮食、卧具，使令安乐。】

（解）佛又对地藏菩萨说：‘未来世之中，若有诸国的国王，及婆罗门一等人，见了诸般年老人和生病的人，以及生产的妇女，倘若在一念的时间，发出具足了很大的慈悲心来，来布施他们饮食、医药、卧具，使他们得到安乐。

（释）除了上面说过的残废人以外，还有更苦的几种人：一种是耳聋眼花，行动不利的老年人，我们应该很恭敬的去布施他衣食；一种是卧在床上活不来死不去，久病的人，我们应该好好的去安慰他、布施他的医药；一种是一身负著两条命的产妇，我们也应该去照顾他、布施他衣、食、床、榻一等东西。这都是在孤苦贫穷环境以内的人，倘若不是一念慈悲，他们怎样可以活命呢？

【如是福利最不思议，一百劫中，常为净居天主。二百劫中，常为六欲天主。毕竟成佛，永不堕恶道。乃至百千生中，耳不闻苦声。】

（解）‘像这样布施的福利，最是不可思议的，在一百劫之中，常常做净居天主，二百劫之中，还可以做六欲天主，然后毕竟成佛，永不堕在恶道里，乃至于百千生之中，耳朵里可以不听到叫苦的声音。’

（释）只一念的慈悲，就感到这样的福报，这也是布施时间，心念清净的缘故。净，可以感净天居的果报；倘若心念少有爱染，就感六欲天主的果报；倘若布施完全出于慈悲心作用，愿意救济一切众生，不望果报的，这就是毕竟成佛了。现在各处灾荒的地方，有许多嗷嗷待哺的难民，能发慈悲心去救济他，这所有的功德，也恐怕不在这种之下呢！

【复次，地藏！若未来世中，有诸国王及婆罗门等，能作如是布施，获福无量。更能回向，不问多少，毕竟成佛，何况释梵转轮之报。是故地藏！普劝众生，当如是学。】

（解）佛又对地藏菩萨说：‘倘若有未来世之中，有诸国的国王，以及婆罗门一等的人，能做这样的布施，获得的福利是无量的；更能够将这无量的福利，都回向给法界众生，不问你是多是少，毕竟可以成佛，何况这类帝释、转轮王一等果报呢！因为是这样的缘故，地藏！你应该普遍的去劝化众生，应当像这样的去学做。’

（释）能做这种种布施的人，还能够将所有的功德都去回向，普愿自己和众生统统成佛。既然佛果也可以成就，何况做些天帝的小果呢！佛叫地藏菩萨劝众生去学所说种种的布施，最重要的，尤其是学习发真切的慈悲心，去救济众生，得来的功德，不占为私有，再回向法界，愿法界众生都成佛道。

【复次，地藏！未来世中，若有善男子善女人，于佛法中种少善根，毛发沙尘等许，所受福利，不可为喻。】

（解）佛又对地藏菩萨说：‘未来世的当中，倘若有善男子、善女人，在佛法当中，种了一些很小的善根，只有像毛发沙尘一等的一些些，所受的福利的多和大，不可以比喻的了。’

（释）前面说过，一杯水倒入大海里，就和大海仿佛大了，现在佛的功德和福田的大，是无量无边的，恐怕还要胜过大海，那么我们在佛、法、僧三宝的当中，做一些善根，或是用财力去做一种善事，去回向法界，就可以浑化在佛的大福田里，你想这功德和福利大得还可以比喻么？因为这回向法界的，都可以叫做法布施，财施有限的，法施是无量的了。以下讲的就都叫我们行法布施了。

【复次，地藏！未来世中，若有善男子善女人，遇佛形像、菩萨形像、辟支佛形像、转轮王形像，布施供养，得无量福。常在人天，受胜妙乐。若能回向法界，是人福利不可为喻。】

（解）佛又对地藏菩萨说：‘未来世当中，倘若有善男子、善女人，遇著了佛的形像、菩萨的形像、辟支佛的形像、转轮王的形像，都去布施供养他，可以得到无量的福利，常在人道天道之中，享受最好的安乐；倘若能够把这安乐，回向给法界，这个人的福利，就大得不可以比喻了。’

（释）佛、菩萨、辟支佛、声闻，这是出世的四圣众，都有无量的福利，所以你去布施供养他，你所得的福利，也是无量的了；但是这无量的福利，我也不要享，人天的安乐，我也不要受，情愿都把我的福利和安乐，都一概回向给法界众生，大家都得到福利，都享受安乐，在后我方才也受享安乐，这样一来，福利就大得不可以比喻的了。

【复次，地藏！未来世中，若有善男子善女人，遇大乘经典，或听闻一偈一句，发殷重心，赞叹恭敬，布施供养。是人获大果报，无量无边。若能回向法界，其福不可为喻。】

（解）佛又对地藏菩萨说：‘未来世的当中，倘若有善男子、善女人，遇到大乘经典，或是听到这经的一偈一句，发出殷勤尊重的心来，赞叹恭敬这部经，布施他、供养他，这人可以获得很大的、无量无边的果报；倘若能将这果报回向法界，他的福利是不可以比喻的了。’

（释）大乘，是说菩萨等出世大人，乘了这尊法，可以达到如来之地。（起信论另有解法，更较深奥，故不录入。）这大乘经，是出世间的明灯，遇也难得遇到的，何况听到人家讲解一句一偈，（所以我们听法师讲经，是最紧要的，切不可错过呀！）或是自己研究略有悟解，就要发出尊重的恭敬心来赞他，或是请买这种经去布施人家，叫人家去供养、流通。这功德已大得了不得了，何况再去回向法界呢！

【复次，地藏！若未来世中，有善男子善女人，遇佛塔寺、大乘经典，新者，布施供养，瞻礼赞叹，恭敬合掌。若遇故者，或毁坏者，修补营理。或独发心，或劝多人同共发心，如是等辈，三十生中，常为诸小国王。檀越之人，常为轮王。还以善法教化诸小国王。】

（解）佛又对地藏菩萨说：‘倘若有未来世当中，有善男子、善女人，遇到了佛的塔寺，以及大乘经典，见是新的，要去布施供养，要很恭敬的，合了掌，去瞻礼他、赞叹他；倘若遇到是旧的，或者是已经毁坏的了，要去装修整理，或是重新刊印流通，或是独人发心，或是劝许多人共同发心。像这样一等的人，三十生的当中，常常可以做诸小国的国王，或是檀越一人发心的，就可以常常做转轮王，还欢喜用善法，去教化诸小国的国王。’

（释）倘若遇到佛寺和大乘经典，都应该合掌恭敬、供养、去布施。佛寺旧了，发心修理；经典旧了，也应该发心补订。倘若共同发心，做布施的各人，可以都做各国的小国王；倘若是檀越（就是施主）个人发心的，自己做了，劝化人家也去做布施，这施主可以常做转轮王，还欢喜用善法去教化人。所以有蛀坏破损的经典，切勿抛弃焚毁，终要达到重刊流通的目的。

【复次，地藏！未来世中，若有善男子善女人，于佛法中所种善根。或布施供养，或修补塔寺，或装理经典，乃至一毛一尘、一沙一渧，】

（解）佛又对地藏菩萨说：‘未来世的当中，倘若有善男子、善女人，在于这佛法的当中，所种的善根，或是布施供养一类，或是补修塔寺一类，或是装订经典一类，乃至于只有一毛、一尘、一沙、一渧。

（释）为甚么佛教我们在佛法中做布施呢？因佛为救度众生，发了许多的大愿和布施，方才修成无上的尊法，我们在此中做布施，自然也可以得无上的功德、种无上的善根。但是只用香花供养，还是小功德、小供养，能够依佛法去修持，这是真法供养了。修补旧塔寺和旧经典，他的功德要比建造新的还大。一毛一尘的布施虽小，只要你心大，福也大了，所以我们无论做那一种布施，终要发大心的回向法界，方才可以得到真实的大福利。

【如是善事，但能回向法界，是人功德，百千生中受上妙乐。如但回向自家眷属，或自身利益，如是之果，即三生受乐，舍一得万报。】

（解）‘像这一等最小的善事，但能回向法界众生，这人的功德，百千生当中，受上等的安乐；倘若但只回向自己的家眷，或是只求自身的利益，这样的果报，就只有三生的受享安乐了，舍了一份，只得到一万份的果报。’

（释）做了布施，虽然回向，但是向也有大小的分别，修之善事虽小，我回向的心一定要发得大的，譬如说回向法界众生，普愿众生同成佛道。这样一来，受过百千生安乐的报果之后，还有成佛的希望，可知回向法界功德是无量的。倘若回向家族和自己个人，弃大就小，不免太痴呆、太可惜了。

【是故地藏！布施因缘，其事如是。】

（解）佛又继续说：‘为了这缘故，地藏！布施的因缘，他的事实是这样子的。’

（释）做布施的方法和回向，前面都讲过了，但是做布施，虽然离不开财、法、无畏三种，然而由这三种里变化出来的，那是很多很多，说不尽的了。往往还有三种互相缘助著，做成一种，譬如用财物去布施得来的功德，再去回向法界，这就是财、法二种合做布施，最显明的地方了。总之，布施的功德的大小，和得福的多少，都依据发心的大小和慈悲的重轻，作准则的，那么要较量布施的因缘，就先较量你们自己的心罢！

地神护法品第十一

（解）坚牢地神说，拥护众生供养地藏菩萨和诵地藏经的事。这是本经的第十一品。

（释）既然有了这大地，当然要有地神来保护的。土地神是到处有的，不过这来护法的地神，是最大的一位。他来护法，也为是赞叹地藏菩萨的誓愿广大，和这部经的重要，使现在和未来世的众生，依了这本愿经修持，就都可以圆成佛道。

【尔时，坚牢地神白佛言：世尊！我从昔来，瞻视顶礼无量菩萨摩诃萨，皆是大不可思议神通智慧，广度众生。是地藏菩萨摩诃萨，于诸菩萨誓愿深重。】

（解）这时候，有一个名叫坚牢的地神对佛说：‘世尊！我从起先以来，瞻视顶礼过无量无数的菩萨大菩萨，都是有大得不可思议的神通和智慧，广度世界的众生。这地藏菩萨大菩萨，对于我所顶礼过的诸尊大菩萨之中，誓愿要算他最深重了。

（释）梵文涅哩锄，翻名叫坚牢，是说地的坚实牢固，能够承负一切，产生万类的意义。这坚牢地神，早已归依佛的，修成这地神，还比世尊为前，所以他所瞻礼过的大菩萨，是多得不可计量的了。但是比较誓愿的深大，谁也比不过地藏菩萨的了。

【世尊！是地藏菩萨于阎浮提有大因缘。如文殊、普贤、观音、弥勒，亦化百千身形，度于六道，其愿尚有毕竟。是地藏菩萨，教化六道一切众生，所发誓愿劫数，如千百亿恒河沙。】

（解）‘世尊！这地藏菩萨对于阎浮提众生，有很大的因缘，像文殊、普贤、观音、弥勒这一等的大菩萨，也化出百千的身形，也在这六道里来化度众生，但是他们的誓愿，尚且有毕竟的一天，独有这地藏菩萨，教化六道里的一切众生，所发的誓愿的劫数，像千百亿的恒河沙数一样。

（释）菩萨是很多的，为甚么要举这四尊呢？因为这都是最大的等觉菩萨，而且也是对于我们的阎浮世界，有很大因缘的，而且也是一样教化的，但是在誓愿上比较一下，毕竟地藏菩萨要胜一筹了。

【世尊！我观未来及现在众生，于所住处，于南方清洁之地，以土石竹木作其龛室，是中能塑画，乃至金银铜铁作地藏形像，烧香供养，瞻礼赞叹，是人居处，即得十种利益。】

（解）地神又叫著佛说：‘世尊！我观未来世以及现在的众生，在所住的地方，拣一处向南方的清洁的地方，用了土、石、竹、木一等的原料，造一个菩萨的龛室。这龛室的当中，能够塑，或是画，乃至于用金、银、铜、铁，去铸造地藏菩萨的形像，天天去烧香供养他、瞻礼赞叹他，这人所居的地方，就可以得到十种的大利益。

（释）既然众生信仰了地藏菩萨的大誓愿，和不可思议的神力，应该造龛、塑像去供养他。造龛和塑像的原料，虽然不一定，总要以清洁为主。龛就是一切菩萨的神座。

【何等为十？一者，土地丰穰。二者，家宅永安。三者，先亡生天。四者，现存益寿。五者，所求遂意。六者，无水火灾。七者，虚耗辟除。八者，杜绝恶梦。九者，出入神护。十者，多遇圣因。】

（解）‘是怎样的十种呢？一是在这地方的土壤都变成很丰润的了，在这土里所种的五谷，也格外繁盛、格外丰足了；二是这人家宅里的大小家眷都可以没有病痛，都永远的受享安乐；三是从前亡过的祖宗先人，都可以超升上天；四是现在所生存的人，都可以增加福寿；五是所求的事情，都可以遂意求到；六是没有水淹、火烧的灾难；七是一切虚损衰耗的事情，都得辟除消灭；八是可以杜塞断绝一切恶梦；九是昼出夜入，都有许多天神护卫；十是多遇到说法读经、修理布施塔寺佛像一类的圣因。’

（释）只做了这一些造龛、塑像的事，就可以得到这十大利益，天下的事还有比这便宜的么？我很希望人家阅过这部经以后都去做，不但使处处地方太平，而且可以人人遇圣因，个个成佛道。

【世尊！未来世中及现在众生，若能于所住处方面，作如是供养，得如是利益。】

（解）地神继续叫著佛说：‘世尊！未来世当中，以及现在的众生，倘若能够在住的地方，向南的一面，造了龛，塑了像，去供养，就可以得到这样子的利益了。’

（释）他的话虽在是对佛说，其实是很珍重的叮嘱我们众生，不过请佛作证罢了。

【复白佛言：世尊！未来世中，若有善男子善女人，于所住处有此经典及菩萨像，是人更能转读经典，供养菩萨，我常日夜以本神力，卫护是人，乃至水火盗贼、大横小横，一切恶事，悉皆消灭。】

（解）地神又叫著佛说：‘世尊！未来世中，倘若有善男子、善女人，在所住的地方，有这部经典，以及地藏菩萨的像，这个人还能够转读这经典，供养这菩萨，我常常日夜以我本愿的神力，来保卫拥护这人，乃至于水、火、盗贼、大横祸、小横祸一切恶事，都一概消灭。’

（释）不但是鬼神拥护，就是这坚牢地神，他也要发愿来拥护了。这地神的神力，是大得了不得的，一来拥护，那水、火、盗贼、横祸、恶梦、瘟疫一切的恶事，还有不消灭的么！

【佛告坚牢地神：汝大神力，诸神少及。何以故？阎浮土地，悉蒙汝护。乃至草木沙石、稻麻竹苇、谷米宝贝，从地而有，皆因汝力。】

（解）佛告诉坚牢地神说：‘像你这样的大力，许多神鬼少有及得你的，为甚么缘故？阎浮提世界的土地，都蒙你保护，乃至于草、木、沙、石、稻、麻、竹、苇、谷、米一切的宝贝，凡是地上所有的东西，都是因为你保护的力量。’

（释）在光明会上，这地神曾说过：‘这大地的深厚，有十六万八千由旬，在世界初成的时间，本来没有一切种子的。这时间有大乱风，从别的世界，吹过种子来，一根子、二茎子、三节子、四疐（同蒂）中子、五子子。这五子虽由他世界吹来，但是也由众生业力所感成的。’

【又常称扬地藏菩萨利益之事，汝之功德及以神通，百千倍于常分地神。若未来世中，有善男子善女人，供养菩萨及转读是经，但依地藏本愿经，一事修行者，】

（解）佛又继续说：‘你还要应当称扬地藏菩萨利益的事情，你的功德以及神通，对于平常分的地神，要比他们加大百千倍分了。若未来世当中，有善男，或是善女，供养菩萨，及转读这部经，但只要依了这地藏本愿经，修习一种事的人，你要去保卫他的。’

（释）坚牢地神一赞叹这地藏菩萨的利益，就可以增加百千倍的神通，可知这部经的神力是不可思议的了。现在我们得了这样具大神力的经，应该天天去读，处处依这部本愿经去修行。

【汝以本神力而拥护之。勿令一切灾害及不如意事，辄闻于耳，何况令受。】

（解）佛又继续对地神说：‘倘有依经修行的人，你应该要用你本愿的神力去拥护他，勿要叫他有一切的灾害，不要叫不如意的事情，常常听进他耳朵里去，何况叫他去受呢！’

（释）倘若能依这经义去修习一种二种，佛就要叫地神来拥护你来了，一切像飓风、暴雨、地震、海啸等灾害，都不会给你听到的，何况去身受呢！

【非但汝独护是人故，亦有释梵眷属，诸天眷属，拥护是人。】

（解）佛又继续说：‘非但叫你独个去保护这个人，因为他有这样依经修行的缘故，释梵的眷属、诸天的眷属，也都要来拥护这个人的。

（释）这人倘若认真的一心依这本愿经修学，不但是地神日夜来保卫他，就是三十三天帝释部下的大臣和将军，以及初禅天的梵王、梵辅、梵众里外文武的眷属，还有二十八部鬼神大将，以及诸天的无量无数的天神天将，都受了佛的付嘱来拥护他了。

【何故得如是圣贤拥护？皆由瞻礼地藏形像，及转读是本愿经故。自然毕竟出离苦海，证涅槃乐。以是之故，得大拥护。】

（解）‘为甚么缘故可以得到像这一般的圣贤来拥护呢？都从瞻望礼拜地藏菩萨的形像，以及转读这本愿经的缘故。自然的，毕竟可以脱离苦海，证到涅槃的安乐。以是这个缘故，所以得大拥护了。’

（释）既然一心恭敬读经、依经修持，将来必毕竟成佛，现在这个人，就是未来的佛了。这许多的天神，自然应该来拥护。圣，是指诸佛权化的神；贤，是指位居天上的大臣。依世间讲说，有甚大功德之人，叫圣；正直聪明叫贤。苦海，就是我们众生贪爱之业，注流成河，汇纳成渠、生死浩瀚的大海。我们能乘这部经的愿船，有地藏菩萨的主舵，赖菩萨的威神帆力，自然可以超度出这生死的苦海，到彼涅槃的快乐之岸了。

见闻利益品第十二

（解）佛告观世音菩萨说，见地藏像和闻地藏名的功德利益。这是本经的第十二品。

（释）如来顶上放光示现八部，叫做见；光中出微妙音，赞叹大士，使法会大众同听，叫做闻；这可以叫做普见、普闻。细阅这部经，领会妙悟，这是见的利益；临终堕苦，闻地藏菩萨名，离苦得乐，这是闻的利益。这品里所说的，都是地藏菩萨利济众生不可思议的胜利，完全用众生的见、闻二利根，来开引普救九界众生的入道之门。

【尔时，世尊从顶门上放百千万亿大毫相光。所谓：白毫相光、大白毫相光、瑞毫相光、大瑞毫相光、玉毫相光、大玉毫相光、紫毫相光、大紫毫相光、青毫相光、大青毫相光、碧毫相光、大碧毫相光、红毫相光、大红毫相光、绿毫相光、大绿毫相光、金毫相光、大金毫相光、庆云毫相光、大庆云毫相光、千轮毫光、大千轮毫光、宝轮毫光、大宝轮毫光、日轮毫光、大日轮毫光、月轮毫光、大月轮毫光、宫殿毫光、大宫殿毫光、海云毫光、大海云毫光，于顶门上放如是等毫相光已。】

（解）这时候，世尊从顶门上，放出百千万亿道的大毫相光来。大是说法身的大，可以遍满虚空；毫相，是表现外实内空，解脱无碍，譬如般若，能够照破万法。现在佛体既大，毫光当然也大了。毫虽是一，光色不同，比喻人体一式，各人的行为各不相同的。

白毫相光、大白毫相光，是教黑恶众生，改做白净，可以超凡入圣。

瑞毫相光、大瑞毫相光，瑞是祥瑞，是说众生从此可以乘地藏菩萨的愿船，不但只超凡，竟可以修成佛道，所以现这吉祥的预兆。

玉毫相光，是教众生能够依经修习，便像经过磨琢的白玉一样，就可以成圣器了。

紫毫相光，紫是黑赤浑杂的颜色，是喻杂类的众生，心意虽然不同，能依本经修持，所得的福利，是一样的。

青毫相光，青是春天树木发生青葱的颜色，是说有了这部经，地狱里黑业众生，也有蓬蓬的生气了。

碧毫相光，碧是深青的颜色，是说地狱众生，不但有生气，能依这经去调伏心身，虽在地狱里，也可以得到天堂一样的安乐。

红毫相光，红是像火的颜色，是教我们众生，能依这经修持，虽在三界火宅，也可以解脱红尘的。

绿毫相光，是说既能解脱红尘，则性海定水，湛然碧绿，自然可以化火宅为清凉了。

金毫相光，能够化火宅为清凉，就可以证金刚不坏之身了。

庆云毫相光，是说众生既然依经修习，能证金刚之身，便去佛果不远了，这是应该可以庆祝贺喜的。

千轮毫光，这是说比从前更进步了，轮是比圆满的月，光明清凉，自能照破业障。

宝轮毫光，意义虽然是同上一样，现在加一宝字，可知比前又进一步，已具有佛的智慧了。

日轮毫光、月轮毫光，表示智光无私，普照四天，任运自然，像经天的日月一样。

宫殿毫光，宫殿是至尊所居极庄严的地方，是说已是修成佛的境界了。

海云毫光，到此已成正觉，慈云如海，普覆十方，一切有情，可以都沾法雨了。佛在于顶门上放出了像这样一等的毫光相放罢。

（释）因为前品经，地神证明地藏菩萨大愿比胜一切菩萨，所以佛也为证前启后的大意，来放光赞叹，使一切众生见光悟心，一一依经修习，可以同证正觉。头是一身的主，顶是一头的尊，今佛从此处放光，可知佛推尊地藏菩萨，和尊重这部经的用意，是到了极巅。

【出微妙音，告诸大众、天龙八部、人非人等：听我今日于忉利天宫，称扬赞叹地藏菩萨于人天中利益等事、不思议事、超圣因事、证十地事、毕竟不退阿耨多罗三藐三菩提事。】

（解）从这毫光中，再放出微妙的音声来，告诉诸天的大众，和天龙八部、人，以及不是人类的一等众生说：‘听我今天在忉利天宫，称扬赞叹地藏菩萨，在人道、天道中，利益人的一等事、真是不可以思议的事情、超入圣因的事、证到十地果位的事、毕竟不退无上正等正觉成佛的事。’

（释）妙音，是随机所闻，各得圆妙的法音。地藏菩萨不可思议的是甚事呢？前面说过的，分身集会，这也是不思议事；称佛名号，是超圣因事；忉利天宫神通品，不退菩萨，是证十地事；令众生先成佛，然后方成正觉，是不退菩提事。显然还有不可思议的利益事，佛一一说在下面。

【说是语时，会中有一菩萨摩诃萨，名观世音，从座而起，胡跪合掌白佛言：世尊！是地藏菩萨摩诃萨，具大慈悲，怜愍罪苦众生。于千万亿世界，化千万亿身。所有功德及不思议威神之力，】

（解）佛说这话的时间，法会中有一尊大菩萨，名号叫观世音，从座位上起身，到佛的前面，胡跪著合了掌，叫著佛说：‘世尊！这地藏菩萨大菩萨，具有很大的慈悲心，怜愍一切众苦的众生，在千万亿的世界，化出千万亿的身形来。他所有的功德，以及不可思议的神力，’

（释）世尊正要宣扬利益的事，观世音菩萨代天龙八部一切众生接口请问。以后一唱一和，无非是赞叹宣扬地藏菩萨不可思议利益的事情罢了。但是菩萨无量慈悲，欲六道众生先成佛道，不得不化身救度，以了他的大愿，所以他所积的功德，已是无量的了。观是返观内性，音是寻世上的声音救苦，可知观音菩萨，也是在我们世界上，救苦的一尊慈悲的大菩萨。

【我闻世尊与十方无量诸佛，异口同音赞叹地藏菩萨云：正使过去现在未来诸佛，说其功德，犹不能尽。】

（解）观音菩萨继续说：‘我听到世尊与十方无量数的诸佛，异口同音的，说赞叹地藏菩萨的话，就是叫过去、现在、未来的诸佛，都来说他的功德，还不能说尽呢！

（释）世尊赞叹地藏菩萨，每品里都有的，但是他最注重的，就在这一品里。十方无量诸佛，因佛顶门放光，从光音中遍告诸佛，十方无量诸佛一听到这事情，自然也都要赞叹起来。这赞叹的音声，观音菩萨都听得很清楚，所以会晓得的。

【向者又蒙世尊普告大众，欲称扬地藏利益等事。唯愿世尊为现在未来一切众生，称扬地藏不思议事。令天龙八部瞻礼获福。】

（解）‘前面又承蒙世尊，普遍的告诉大众，要称赞宣扬地藏利益一等的事情，现在唯愿你世尊，再为这现在未来一切的众生，称扬这地藏不可思议的事，令天龙八部，也都晓得瞻望礼拜，可以获福。’

（释）观音菩萨请求世尊，再为众生、八部等说这不思议事，也是菩萨的慈悲深思远虑，照顾后世一切众生。因为众生从多生劫以来，业障覆心，烦恼蔽意，虽见圣像，不知恭敬；把这不思议的神力，说给众生知道了，就可以使这众生起信瞻礼，福满慧足，自然成佛有期望了。

【佛告观世音菩萨：汝于娑婆世界，有大因缘。若天若龙、若男若女、若神若鬼，乃至六道罪苦众生，闻汝名者，见汝形者，恋慕汝者，赞叹汝者，是诸众生，于无上道必不退转，常生人天，具受妙乐，因果将熟，遇佛授记。】

（解）佛告诉观世音菩萨说：‘你对于这娑婆世界，也有很大的因缘，若天若龙、若男若女、若神若鬼，乃至于六道里的众苦众生，一听到你的名号，或是见了你的形像，有来恋慕你的人、有来赞叹你的人，这般众生对于佛法的无上道，必定不会得退转的，还可以常常生到人道、天道里，都去受很好的安乐，等到因果将熟的时候，又可以遇到佛来授记。

（释）大因缘，也可以作大感应解。娑婆世界完全是苦境，观音菩萨原是闻声救苦的，所以对于我们这世界，更有极大的灵感。

【汝今具大慈悲，怜愍众生及天龙八部。听吾宣说地藏菩萨不思议利益之事。】

（解）‘你今天具足这样大的慈悲心，怜愍众生以及天龙八部，现在就从你的请求，我来宣说地藏菩萨，不可思议利益的事情给你听。

（释）观世音菩萨，来求恳佛说地藏菩萨的利益，无非为慈悲一切众生，使众生听了地藏菩萨不可思议的威神利益，一念归依，都得解脱苦难。

【汝当谛听，吾今说之。观世音言：唯然，世尊！愿乐欲闻。】

（解）‘你应该当心的听！我今天来给你说。’观世音菩萨说：‘唯愿你世尊说，我极愿意，及快乐的想听这话。’

（释）观世音菩萨既然发了大慈悲，恳求佛说，自然把不得佛快些说出来的。现在佛说这话，己遂他的心愿了，还有不快乐的么？

【佛告观世音菩萨：未来现在诸世界中，有天人受天福尽，有五衰相现，或有堕于恶道之者。如是天人，若男若女，当现相时，或见地藏菩萨形像，或闻地藏菩萨名，一瞻一礼，是诸天人转增天福，受大快乐，永不堕三恶道报。】

（解）佛告诉观世音菩萨说：‘未来现在诸世界之中，有在天上的人，天福享尽了，就有五种衰败的相发现，或者竟有堕落到于恶道里的。像这样子的天人，无论男女，当现出这衰相的时间，或是见了地藏菩萨的形像，或是听到地藏菩萨的名号，瞻望一会、礼拜一会。这样一来，反增加了天福，不但是不堕落到恶道里去，反而受到了大快乐，永远不会堕落到三恶道里受罪报的了。

（释）这一节之中，可以分开来作三层说：一是罪相；二是见像忏悔；三是转报。

五衰相，有小和大二种：一身出恶声，二身光微昧，三浴水著身，四著境不舍，五身虚眼瞬，这是小五衰现相；一衣服秽污，二华冠光萎，三两腋汗流，四体生鼻气，五不落本座，这是大五衰现相。当见小五衰发现，不即礼念地藏菩萨，求转福报，到大五衰发现时，已经来不及了，恐怕要堕恶道。

见像瞻礼、闻名称念，一仗誓愿威神，二从心念悔过，这都是转祸为福的报本。

【何况见闻菩萨，以诸香华、衣服饮食、宝贝璎珞，布施供养，所获功德福利，无量无边。】

（解）‘一瞻一礼，就可以转报，何况见闻了地藏菩萨，用诸般香、华、衣服、饮食品、珍宝的玩具、璎珞去行布施供养呢！所以所得的功德福利，是无量无边的。’

（释）前面说天人一瞻礼，尚可消罪增福，何况现在我们依法去修持供养，志诚不退，这福报当然是无穷的了。璎珞，是缀珠玉等为圈，悬挂项颈上的。

【复次，观世音！若未来现在诸世界中，六道众生临命终时，得闻地藏菩萨名，一声历耳根者，是诸众生，永不历三恶道苦。】

（解）佛又对观世音菩萨说：‘倘若有未来世、现在诸世界之中，六道里的众生，临命终的时间，能听到地藏菩萨的名号，只要有一声听到耳朵里去，像这一般众生，永远可以不经历三恶道的苦楚了。

（释）只听到一句，就有这样神力，这正是不可思议的了。

【何况临命终时，父母眷属，将是命终人舍宅、财物、宝贝、衣服，塑画地藏形像。】

（解）‘听到一声，就得神力，何况临命终时间，父母眷属，将这命终的人，所有的屋宅、财物、宝贝、衣服卖去了，去塑画地藏菩萨的形像呢！

（释）若将遗产变卖，作世间的功德，不过将功赎罪罢了。倘若将卖下来的钱财，去塑画菩萨的形像，一定可以承神力超升天道了。

【或使病人未终之时，眼耳见闻，知道眷属将舍宅宝贝等，为其自身塑画地藏菩萨形像。是人若是业报合受重病者，承斯功德，寻即除愈，寿命增益。】

（解）‘假使这病人未死的时间，叫他亲自眼见耳闻，知道他的家里的人，将他的田宅宝贝一等，都卖去了，为了他自身，去塑画地藏菩萨的形像。倘若这病人，是业报合该受生重病的，那么承了这塑像的功德，立即给他消除业报，病自在痊愈了，而且还可以增加寿命。

（释）人命本是无常的，病就是死的现状。倘能照这方法去做，不但前生的业报、今生的病痛都消灭尽，而且仗了这大功德，就可以延年益寿了。

【是人若是业报命尽，应有一切罪障业障，合堕恶趣者，承斯功德，命终之后，即生人天，受胜妙乐。一切罪障，悉皆消灭。】

（解）‘这个人倘若是业报，命已经没有了，应有一切的罪障业障，合该堕落恶趣的，承了这塑像的功德，死了以后，就可以超升到天上去，受很好的快乐，一切的罪障，都可消灭。’

（释）福命都没有了，这时挽救不转的。倘然这人在世时间，造五忤罪、做十恶业，一定要堕落恶道里去的，幸得有家人给他卖宅、卖衣物等，塑像的功德，不独是罪业消灭，神魂也上天去了。

【复次，观世音菩萨！若未来世，有男子女人，或乳哺时，或三岁、五岁、十岁已下，亡失父母乃及亡失兄弟姊妹。是人年既长大，思忆父母及诸眷属，不知落在何趣？生何世界？生何天中？】

（解）佛又对观世音菩萨说：‘倘若未来世有男孩子、女孩子，在乳哺的时间，或是三岁、五岁、十岁以下的孩子们，已经亡失了父母，乃至于或是亡失了兄弟姊妹的。这人年纪既然大了，思忆父母以及所说家里的人，不知落在甚么趣道里？生在甚么世界里？还是生在甚么天道之中？

（释）初生的孩子全赖父母乳哺得活的。乳，是母血变乳，给他吮饮；哺，是嚼烂了食物，以口喂吃。父母有这样的大恩，年大有了智识，怎么会不追忆的呢？就是兄弟姊妹，本是手足连枝，也应该记念的。

【是人若能塑画地藏菩萨形像，乃至闻名。一瞻一礼，一日至七日，莫退初心。闻名见形，瞻礼供养。是人眷属，假因业故，堕恶趣者，计当劫数。承斯男女兄弟姊妹塑画地藏形像，瞻礼功德，寻即解脱。生人天中，受胜妙乐。】

（解）‘这个人倘若能够塑画地藏菩萨的形像，乃至于听到菩萨的名号，一会瞻望、一会礼拜，照这样子一日到七日，不退转当初所发的心，过这以后，凡是听到名号、遇见形像，更能瞻礼供养。这人已死的家眷，假使因为在生造恶业的缘故，堕到恶趣里，他的受苦应当用劫数去计算的，承了他的男女，或是兄弟姊妹的塑画地藏菩萨的形像，以及瞻礼的功德，就可以得到解脱恶趣，生到人道、天道之中，去受很好的快乐。

（释）这一句莫退初心，是最要紧的训诫，倘若有始无终，这就是信心的不坚切，那里还有感应呢？能够真信不退，就是这死过的人，因在世作恶，现在已经堕入地狱了，也承这阳间的家眷，替他修福，就可以脱苦升天了。所以父母、家眷等死后，若不给他造像瞻礼，那里可以算孝子仁人呢？

【是人眷属，如有福力，已生人天，受胜妙乐者。即承斯功德，转增圣因，受无量乐。】

（解）‘这个人的家眷，倘若是本来有福力的，已经生在人道、天道享受很好的安乐了，就承了这功德，转又增加了圣因，可以受无量的安乐了。’

（释）这也是指死过了人的说话。倘使这人在世作恶的，就可脱苦生天；倘若这人本来是善人，已经生在天道了，也可以藉了他家眷塑像、礼拜七日、虔诚不退初心的供养，便得闻佛法入圣因，心身就可永受无量的快乐了。

【是人更能三七日中，一心瞻礼地藏形像，念其名字，满于万遍，当得菩萨现无边身，具告是人眷属生界，或于梦中，菩萨现大神力，亲领是人于诸世界，见诸眷属。】

（解）佛又继续说：‘这个人更能够在三日，或是七日之中，一心瞻礼地藏菩萨的形像，念他的名字满一万遍，当时可以得到菩萨现出无边的身形，具来告诉这个人家眷所生的世界，或者在梦中，菩萨现出很大的神力，亲身领导了这个人，到诸世界中，去见诸个要见的家眷。

（释）这是说在阳间的孝子仁人，更能够在瞻礼的期内，一心注念地藏菩萨的名号，每日满一万声，菩萨就随机感应了。这个人在梦中，菩萨就亲身来领他到各世界去，陪你去见你心里记念的亲人。

【更能每日念菩萨名千遍，至于千日，是人当得菩萨遣所在土地鬼神，终身卫护。现世衣食丰溢，无诸疾苦。乃至横事不入其门，何况及身。是人毕竟得菩萨摩顶授记。】

（解）‘这个人既然见过亲人以后，从此更能够每日念菩萨名号千遍，至于千日不间断，这人就应当得著菩萨，遣令他所居地方的土地鬼神，终身保卫拥护，使他在现世，衣食丰足有余，没有诸般疾病痛苦，乃至于凶横的祸事，都不入他的门，何况会近他的身呢！这个人毕竟可以得到菩萨来摩他的顶、给他授记。’

（释）前面说的是只有七日，这里说的是三年长期，每日念地藏菩萨名号千句，工夫较胜，感报自然也大了，不但家道丰溢、横事远离、疾病不生，三大利益，而且毕竟得著菩萨摩顶授记，圆成佛道。可知地藏菩萨真是慈悲得了不得的。

【复次，观世音菩萨！若未来世，有善男子善女人，欲发广大慈心，救度一切众生者，欲修无上菩提者，欲出离三界者，是诸人等，见地藏形像及闻名者，至心归依。或以香华衣服、宝贝饮食，供养瞻礼。是善男女等，所愿速成，永无障碍。】

（解）佛又对观世音菩萨说：‘倘若未来世，有善男子、善女人，欲发广大的慈悲心，救度一切众生的人，欲修习无上菩提的人，欲出离三界的人，这一等的人，见了地藏菩萨的形像，以及听到他的名，一心至诚的去归依他，或者用香、花、衣服、宝贝、饮食供养了他，再去瞻礼。这善男女等，所发的心愿，速能成就，永远没有障碍了。’

（释）欲发广大慈心，这句概括三种根性：心融妙理，万法具含，叫做广心；发觉初心，与究竟觉同等，叫做大心；无缘慈而被群机，叫做慈心。无上菩提，就是佛果。地藏菩萨九界都归心的，能去求祷，所愿自然都可速成。

【复次，观世音！若未来世，有善男子善女人，欲求现在未来百千万亿等愿，百千万亿等事，但当归依瞻礼，供养赞叹地藏菩萨形像，如是所愿所求，悉皆成就。】

（解）佛又对观世音菩萨说：‘倘若有未来世的善男、善女，欲求现在未来，百千万亿一等的心愿，以及百千万亿一等的事情，但只要归依瞻礼、供养赞叹地藏菩萨的形像，像这样所愿所求的心愿和事情，就都可以遂意的成就。

（释）地藏菩萨自从沙尘喻劫以来，劫劫广度众生，真是可以称大愿王了。应众生各求所愿的事，譬如大海潮涨，分给江河一样，那一些小小事愿，还有不如意的么？

【复愿地藏菩萨具大慈悲，永拥护我。是人于睡梦中，即得菩萨摩顶授记。】

（解）‘或是又复情愿求乞地藏菩萨，具发大慈悲，永远的来拥护我这个人。一发了这心愿，在睡梦之中，就可以得到菩萨摩顶授记。’

（释）倘若归依供养、恭敬合法、恳切求祷，便能感动大士梦中摩顶授记。摩顶示安慰你的极果，授记得证到圆因。这都是从信力坚切得来的瑞相。

【复次，观世音菩萨！若未来世善男子善女人，于大乘经典，深生珍重，发不思议心，欲读欲诵，纵遇明师教视令熟，旋得旋忘。动经年月，不能读诵。是善男子等，有宿业障，未得消除，故于大乘经典无读诵性。】

（解）佛又对观世音菩萨说：‘倘若未来世有善男子、善女人，对于大乘经典生出很深的珍重心，发出不可以思议的大心，欲想读诵。虽然是遇到明师教视令熟，旋即记得，旋又忘记了，经年累月，还不能够读诵。这善男子等，就有宿世的业障，不得消除，所以对大乘经典，没有读诵的惯性了。

（释）大乘经典是出世的梯级，是男女二众，明性证心、自利利他的工具。因佛法像如意珠一样，随时能发现众宝，所以要深加珍重的。但是前世业障未除的人，给业障迷蔽了智慧，就是遇到明师来指教他，也是记得前，忘了后，记了后，忘了前的，穷年累月，终读不会，那里会通达本性呢？

【如是之人，闻地藏菩萨名，见地藏菩萨像，具以本心恭敬陈白。更以香华、衣服饮食、一切玩具，供养菩萨。以净水一盏，经一日一夜安菩萨前，然后合掌请服，回首向南，临入口时，至心郑重。服水既毕。慎五辛酒肉、邪淫妄语及诸杀害。一七日，或三七日，】

（解）‘像这样的人，听了地藏菩萨的名号，见了地藏菩萨的像，具以本来的心愿，恭敬的陈说，告诉给菩萨听；更以香、花、衣服、饮食品、一切的玩具供养菩萨；用净水一盏安放在菩萨的像前，经过了一日一夜，然后合掌请服，回转头来向著南方，把这水饮了；但入口的时间，要至心郑重，服水完毕之后，谨慎的，切勿吃五辛、酒、肉，不可犯邪淫、妄语，以及诸般杀生害命的事情，经过七日，或是二十一日。

（释）业障重的人，听了这菩萨灵感的名号，应该供养瞻礼，然后再对像，诉说他心事，依法履行，自然业消智朗了。净水能去浊湛明，又能洗涤妄虑尘垢，一供菩萨，可以更蒙菩萨福慧加被了。五辛是葱、韭、大蒜之类，斋戒的人切须禁忌，而且蚊子、虱、蚤的命也杀害不得。

【是善男子善女人，于睡梦中具见地藏菩萨现无边身，于是人处，授灌顶水。其人梦觉，即获聪利。应是经典，一历耳根，即当永记，更不忘失一句一偈。】

（解）‘这个善男子善女人，在睡著做梦的当中，都能瞧见地藏菩萨，现出无边的身形，在这个人的地方，用法水来灌他的颈顶。这人的梦醒觉了以后，就得到聪明了。这一应的大乘经典，一经历耳根，就永远的会记得了，再也不会忘失一句一偈的。’

（释）要求聪明智慧的心，是个个人都欲的，但是一心致诚，方才能感动灵应。灌顶，是地藏菩萨亲自来给他授记，从顶门上把法水灌注进去。这人自然觉得一派清凉，直透六根，尘障全消；睡蒙、迷梦，顿时醒觉，从此读诵经典，像日月临水，光明照映，还愁甚么不贯彻呢！

【复次，观世音菩萨！若未来世有诸人等，衣食不足，求者乖愿，或多病疾，或多凶衰，家宅不安，眷属分散，或诸横事，多来忤身。睡梦之间，多有惊怖。】

（解）佛又对观世音菩萨说：‘倘若未来世有诸般的人，衣食不足，求谋又违乖愿望；或者是多疾病；或者是多凶事衰象，家宅不平安，家眷又分别离散；或者是遭了诸般凶横的祸事，又多来忤逆心意，睡梦之间，神魂不安，又发生许多惊惧恐怖的现像。

（释）衣食不足，必定要受冻挨饿了。这一来，家眷各谋生活，自然都要离散了；就是有在家的，也要怨苦叫穷的愁闷。何况再有许多横事来忤逆心身呢！

【如是人等，闻地藏名，见地藏形，至心恭敬，念满万遍。是诸不如意事，渐渐消灭，即得安乐。衣食丰溢，乃至于睡梦中悉皆安乐。】

（解）‘像这一等的人，听到地藏菩萨的名，或是见了地藏菩萨的像，至心恭敬的念地藏菩萨的名，满一万遍，这许多不如意的事，渐渐消灭，就可以得到安乐，衣食也丰足有余了，乃至于睡梦之中，都也得到安乐。’

（释）念满万遍不难，所难的是恭敬和至心。倘若认真的至心念满万遍，自然万德圆融，万惑全消，还有甚么不如意呢？

【复次，观世音菩萨！若未来世，有善男子善女人，或因治生，或因公私，或因生死，或因急事，入山林中，过渡河海乃及大水，或经险道。】

（解）佛又对观世音菩萨说：‘倘若未来世，有善男子、善女人，或是因为办治生活的，或是为了公事或私事，或是因报生和讣死的事情，或因为紧急的要事，走入山林之中，过河渡海的时间，及遇著大水，或是经过危险的道路。

（释）治生，就是经商贸易。为大众的叫公事，为自己的叫私事。生，是妇人产生了去报生；死，是人死了去报丧。或是为了紧急的要事，须要经过大山峻岭、深谷荒丛。这一类地方，都是有盗匪、恶兽埋伏著的。长河大海，更有风浪的险恶。

【是人先当念地藏菩萨名万遍，所过土地，鬼神卫护，行住坐卧，永保安乐。乃至逢于虎狼师子、一切毒害，不能损之。】

（解）‘这个要出门的人，应当先念地藏菩萨的名号一万遍。这样一来，所过的地方，就有鬼神都来卫护了，无论是行走、是居住、是坐、或是卧，可以永远保护你平安，乃至于碰著了虎、狼、狮子，一切要毒害人的东西，都不能来损害你了。’

（释）一切毒害，就是前面说过的蚖、蛇、蝮、蝎等类。因为虎、狼、狮子、蛇、蝎等类，都是由鬼神管领的，现在这鬼神都奉了菩萨的命，尚且要来拥护，还愁甚么这类恶毒来损害你呢！

【佛告观世音菩萨：是地藏菩萨于阎浮提，有大因缘。若说于诸众生见闻利益等事，百千劫中，说不能尽。】

（解）佛告诉观世音菩萨说：‘这地藏菩萨对于阎浮提有很大的因缘，倘若要把他利益众生的一等事情，都来说出来给众生听，就是百千万劫的当中，也说不尽的。

（释）地藏菩萨自从无始劫以来，累劫的度脱众生，总不离慈悲大愿，和不可思议的神力来利益众生。众生能至心归依，随便你要求甚么事情、甚么东西，没有不依你心愿的。

【是故观世音，汝以神力，流布是经。令娑婆世界众生，百千万劫，永受安乐。】

（解）‘是为这缘故，观世音！你应该要以你的神力，流布这部经，使娑婆世界的众生，百千万劫永远的享受安乐。’

（释）这两尊大士，对于我们娑婆世界的众生，是有很大的因缘、很大的感应。现在佛叫观音大士去流布宣传这部经，真可谓同声相应、同气相求，如日月并行，相得益彰了。我们六道众生，倘若能够相信，还愁甚么罪业不消、福利不聚呢？所以这部本愿经和观音大士的普门品，正是两条离苦得乐平坦的大道。一走上这路，就可以叫你得到百千万劫永远受享不尽的快乐。

【尔时，世尊而说偈言：吾观地藏威神力，恒河沙劫说难尽。见闻瞻礼一念间，利益人天无量事。】

（解）这时间世尊说出了偈言：‘吾观看这地藏菩萨威神和福力，虽然是穷尽恒河沙数的大劫，也难说尽的；一经眼见耳闻以后，就去瞻礼他，只在一念之间，就可以得到利益人道、天道里无量的事情了。

（释）地藏菩萨有无量无数不可思议的功德，所以众生一请求，便可以事事如意满足。就是这里才生一念的瞻礼，人天都得到无量的利益，这不是不可思议的威神么！

【若男若女若龙神，报尽应当堕恶道，至心归依大士身，寿命转增除罪障。】

（解）‘倘若有男女、龙神一等，这报身一尽，应该堕落到恶道里去的；在这时间，能够一念归依了大士，不但是罪障消除，寿命也转增长了。

（释）无论甚么人，要罪业销除，寿命增长，那么应该去归依地藏菩萨，一定可以使你满意的。有病重将死的人，一念去归依他，更是有特别的灵感。

【少失父母恩爱者，未知魂神在何趣？兄弟姊妹及诸亲，生长以来皆不识。或塑或画大士身，悲恋瞻礼不暂舍，三七日中念其名，菩萨当现无边体。示其眷属所生界，纵堕恶趣寻出离。若能不退是初心，即获摩顶受圣记。】

（解）‘从小的时间就亡失了恩爱的父母，到大了要想见，不知道神魂的所在，或是早死的兄弟姊妹，及诸亲人，现在我长大了，要想去见他，但是不晓得在甚么地方？倘若你肯去塑画大士的身形，然后对了像，悲哀的恋慕，瞻礼大士，不愿暂时舍离；三日、七日之中，再去念菩萨的名号，菩萨当时现化出无边的身体来，来指示他所想念的家眷，生在的世界。假使是已经堕落恶道的了，赖他阳间家眷瞻礼的功德，也就出离了；倘若是这人再不退初心，继续的瞻礼称名，当即获得菩萨给他摩顶来受圣记。

（释）这一节的偈言的情节，都是前面说过了的，阅者一定还能够记得，也可以毋须重释了。

【欲修无上菩提者，乃至出离三界苦。是人既发大悲心，先当瞻礼大士像，一切诸愿速成就，永无业障能遮止。】

（解）‘倘有欲修习菩提的人，或是要出离三界苦楚的人；这人既然发了大悲心，应该要先瞻礼大士的形像，自然一切所愿可以成就，永远没有业障再来遮止住的。

（释）业障遮止，就是将来成佛之后，出假位中，去教化众生的时间，不受尘沙的迷惑。

【有人发心念经典，欲度群迷超彼岸，虽立是愿不思议，旋读旋忘多废失。斯人有业障惑故，于大乘经不能记。】

（解）‘有人发心要读大乘经典，欲觉悟群众的迷惑，超度他们到岸上来；虽然立了这个不思议的大愿，但是一边读，一边废失；这个人因为有业障迷惑住的缘故，对于这大乘经，总归记不得的。

（释）大乘经，是苦海的大渡船，现在为了业障的缘故读不会；虽有了这只大愿船，同没有舵桨一样，那里能摇得动，去救沉溺的众生呢？

【供养地藏以香华，衣服饮食诸玩具，以净水安大士前，一日一夜求服之。发殷重心慎五辛，酒肉邪淫及妄语，三七日内勿杀害，至心思念大士名。】

（解）‘这人去用香、花供养地藏菩萨，衣服、饮食品、诸般的玩具都去供他；再用净水安放在大士的前面，经过一日一夜；求服的时间，发殷勤尊重的心，谨慎五辛、酒、肉勿入口，邪淫、妄语也切勿犯，二十一日以内，切勿杀害，再至心称颂著念大士的名号。

（释）在二十一日以内，吃斋守戒方才有效。

【即于梦中见无边，觉来便得利根耳。应是经教历耳闻，千万生中永不忘。以是大士不思议，能使斯人获此慧。】

（解）‘当即在睡梦之中，瞧见无边的菩萨；梦醒了以后，即便得到了通利根性的耳朵。一应的经教，一历耳根，千万生中就永不忘记了。这是全仗大士不思议威神，能够使这人获到这样的智慧。

（释）这就是吃素守戒、严慎的感应。梦中一见菩萨，醒来便有智慧，苦读十年不通的人，何勿去仿效一个呢？

【贫穷众生及疾病，家宅凶衰眷属离，睡梦之中悉不安，求者乖违无称遂。至心瞻礼地藏像，一切恶事皆消灭，至于梦中尽得安，衣食丰饶神鬼护。】

（解）‘倘有贫穷的众生，以及有疾病的人，家宅发生凶衰不安的景像，家眷也都分离了；睡梦之中，又都不安宁，凡是所求的事，又多乖违，不能称心遂愿。这人能够至心瞻礼地藏菩萨的形像，一切恶事，自然都会消灭的；至于在睡梦之中，也都得到安宁，衣食也丰足了，鬼神也来拥护了。

（释）一贫穷、二疾病、三家宅凶衰、四眷属分离、五睡梦不安、六心愿相违，这六种都是最不吉祥的了。须赶紧的去至心瞻礼地藏菩萨的像，方才可以转祸为福。

【欲入山林及渡海，毒恶禽兽及恶人，恶神恶鬼并恶风，一切诸难诸苦恼，但当瞻礼及供养，地藏菩萨大士像，如是山林大海中，应是诸恶皆消灭。】

（解）‘倘若要入山林及渡海洋，这山里有毒恶的禽兽，以及凶毒的盗匪，在大海里也有恶神恶鬼，掀风作浪，所以都有一切的灾难，一切的苦恼了。但只要瞻礼，以及供养地藏大士的像，这样山林大海之中，应有的那些恶毒一概都消灭了。

（释）倘若有渡海入山的人，恐怕有这样的危险，就去瞻礼菩萨、称念名号，一切毒恶，自然消灭了，可以得到一路平安。

【观音至心听吾说，地藏无尽不思议。百千万劫说不周，广宣大士如是力。地藏名字人若闻，乃至见像瞻礼者，香华衣服饮食奉，供养百千受妙乐。】

（解）‘观音！你至心的听我说话！那地藏利益众生的威神，是没有穷尽的、不可思议的，就是百千万劫，也是说不周全的。你应该去广大的宣传：地藏大士有这样种种的威力，地藏的名字，倘若这个人听闻了，乃至于有见像瞻礼的，或是再用香、花、衣服、饮食去奉敬他、去供养他的人，百千劫之中，就都可以享受很好的安乐了。

（释）虽然是佛专嘱观世音菩萨去广大的宣传流布，也是间接的去嘱付在法会的大众，共同去宣传流布的。

【若能以此回法界，毕竟成佛超生死。是故观音汝当知，普告恒沙诸国土。】

（解）‘倘若依了这经去修行，那得来的功德和福利，无论他是大是小，都去回向给法界众生，这个人就可以毕竟成佛的了。是为这缘故，观音！你应该要知道的，普遍的去告诉恒河沙数的诸国土。’

（释）经大士这样一宣传，自然可以流通无碍了。奉行的人，也好知道是真实的利益。

嘱累人天品第十三

（解）佛付嘱地藏菩萨，受累担荷超度人间、天上的众生。这是本经的第十三品。

（释）嘱累可以作两种意义来解释：原因为六道众生，始终不能超脱轮回，为此世尊付嘱地藏菩萨护卫超度，所以菩萨要受累担任了；二，累字含有重叠的意义，前次分身集会品，世尊已经付嘱过了，这次又来重叠的付嘱，所以叫做嘱累。但是世尊嘱了又嘱，无非是慈悲心切，眷恋受苦众生，不忍竟抛弃可怜无智的众生，归入涅槃，所以这样的殷勤付嘱，要地藏大士一概担任。

【尔时，世尊举金色臂，又摩地藏菩萨摩诃萨顶，而作是言：地藏！地藏！汝之神力不可思议！汝之慈悲不可思议！汝之智慧不可思议！汝之辩才不可思议！正使十方诸佛赞叹宣说汝之不思议事，千万劫中不能得尽。】

（解）这时间，世尊举动紫金色的手臂，又来按摩地藏菩萨大菩萨的头顶，这样的叫著说：‘地藏！地藏！你的神力真是不可以思议的！你的慈悲真是不可以思议的！你的智慧真是不可以思议的！你的辩才真是不可以思议的！正使十方诸佛，都来赞叹宣说你的不可思议的事，就是在千万劫之中，也是不能够说得尽的！’

（释）世尊又去摩他的顶，连呼地藏菩萨的名号，真是爱惜的深切之至，托付的郑重之至了！未付嘱之先，称赞他的神力，因为有这样不思议的神力，方才可以担负这样的重任。

【地藏！地藏！记吾今日在忉利天中于百千万亿不可说不可说一切诸佛菩萨、天龙八部大会之中，再以人天诸众生等，未出三界，在火宅中者，付嘱于汝。无令是诸众生，堕恶趣中一日一夜，何况更落五无间及阿鼻地狱，动经千万亿劫，无有出期。】

（解）佛又叫著菩萨的名字说：‘地藏！地藏！你要记得我今天在这忉利天宫，在百千万亿不可说不可说的一切诸佛、菩萨、天龙八部齐集的大会当中，再将这人间、天上诸众生一等未出离三界火宅之中的人，都来付嘱给你，不要令这诸般众生堕恶趣里，去受一日或是一夜的苦难，何况更去使他们堕落五无间及阿鼻两大地狱里，去受动经千万亿劫无有出期的大苦难去呢！

（释）佛前面叫地藏是欢喜的声音，这里叫地藏，是带悲声的了。这付嘱的一番话，仿佛同父亲的遗嘱一样，做孝子当然要铭心刻骨的记住了。火宅，是三千大千为宅；火，是烦恼嗔恚的火。在这火宅中的众生，佛又都交付大士，嘱大士紧紧的照顾著，不要使他们堕到恶道里去，何况堕入地狱呢！

【地藏！是南阎浮提众生，志性无定，习恶者多，纵发善心，须臾即退。若遇恶缘，念念增长。以是之故，吾分是形，百千亿化度，随其根性而度脱之。】

（解）‘地藏！这南阎浮提的众生，他的志愿和生性，是没有一定的，终是习恶的多；就是发出善心，一息就退转了，倘若遇著了恶的因缘，念念的会增长起来的。所以为这缘故，吾分出了百千亿的身形，随众生的根本习性，而来度脱他们。

（释）这一节，不过是回顾上文，重提业感品中的前事，再明付嘱的大旨，并且似也叫大士学他化身的方法，去度脱众生。

【地藏！吾今殷勤以天人众，付嘱于汝。未来之世，若有天人及善男子善女人，于佛法中种少善根，一毛一尘、一沙一渧，汝以道力拥护是人，渐修无上，勿令退失。】

（解）‘地藏！吾今天很殷勤的以这天上、人间的众生，完全的都付嘱给你了。未来之世，若有天上的人，以及人间的善男子、善女人，于佛法当中，种了一些很小的善根，小得像一毛、一尘、一沙、一渧的一般，你也要以你的道力，拥护这个人，教他渐渐修到无上道，勿令他退失。’

（释）殷勤这二字，真要声泪俱下了，佛的慈悲委曲，有说不尽的话，要托付大士，都包涵在这二字之间了。种了一些善根，教大士去拥护，譬如慈母抚育婴孩一样，终要培养他成人自立。

【复次，地藏！未来世中，若天若人，随业报应，落在恶趣，临堕趣中，或至门首，是诸众生若能念得一佛名、一菩萨名，一句一偈大乘经典，是诸众生，汝以神力方便救拔。于是人所，现无边身，为碎地狱，遣令生天，受胜妙乐。】

（解）佛又对地藏菩萨说：‘未来世之中，若是天上的人，或是人间的人，随他所作的业去受报应，要堕落在恶趣里了，或是到了地狱的门头。这诸般众生，倘若能够会念一佛、一菩萨的名号，或是一句一偈的大乘经典，有这诸般众生，你用了你的神力，去方便的救拔他，怎样的方便救拔呢？就是于这所在的地方，你即刻现出无边的身形，来化碎了这个地狱，遣令这一般众生，都生到天上去，受很好的快乐。’

（释）这节是全仗念佛灭罪的。从前有一个太子，弑了国王，自己做王了。死时落阿鼻地狱去，这王就念南无佛，狱里的犯人一听，也都同声念了，这地狱就立时碎灭，犯人都得解脱。

【尔时，世尊而说偈言：现在未来天人众，吾今殷勤付嘱汝，以大神通方便度，勿令堕在诸恶趣。】

（解）这时候，佛又说出偈言来：‘现在未来天上、人间的众生，我今天都殷勤的付嘱你了；以你的大神通，去行种种方便，度脱他们，勿令他们堕在诸般恶趣里。’

（释）上二句，就是付嘱他保护有少善的众生；下几句，就是赞他的神力灭恶。

【尔时，地藏菩萨摩诃萨，胡跪合掌白佛言：世尊！唯愿世尊不以为虑，未来世中，若有善男子善女人，于佛法中，一念恭敬。我亦百千方便，度脱是人，于生死中，速得解脱。何况闻诸善事，念念修行，自然于无上道，永不退转。】

（解）这时间，地藏菩萨大菩萨胡跪著合了掌，对佛说：‘世尊！唯愿你世尊，不要以这事情为忧虑。未来世之中，倘若有善男子、善女人，对于这佛法当中，只要有一念的恭敬，我也要用百千种方便，度脱这个人于生死之中，迅速的可以得到解脱；何况听到了诸般的善事，念念的要修行，自然于这无上的佛道，可以永远不退转了。’

（释）要行万里路程，总不离当前一步的；一念虽小，就是修行的根本，所以地藏大士就要来保护你、度脱你了，何况念念不间断的想修行呢！这当然可以成佛道的。

【说是语时，会中有一菩萨名虚空藏，白佛言：世尊！我自至忉利，闻于如来赞叹地藏菩萨威神势力不可思议。】

（解）说这话的时间，法会中有一尊菩萨，名叫虚空藏，对佛说：‘世尊！我自从至忉利天，听到如来赞叹地藏菩萨的威神势力的一番话，真是闻所未闻不可以思议的了。

（释）这虚空藏菩萨在佛未放光的时间，已来法会了，所以佛赞叹地藏威神，他都知道的。虚空藏，是一切所有圆融妙理，尽归虚空秘藏。非这菩萨，岂能摄受这不可思议的经典呢？

【未来世中，若有善男子善女人，乃及一切天龙，闻此经典及地藏名字，或瞻礼形像，得几种福利？唯愿世尊，为未来现在一切众等，略而说之。】

（解）‘未来世之中，倘若有善男、善女，乃及一切天龙，听到这一部经典，及地藏菩萨的名字，或是瞻礼他的形像，可以得到几种福利？唯愿你世尊，为未来现在一切众生等，约略的说一说。’

（释）听了这部经，起了仰慕心，听了名字，起称念心，瞻礼形像，也不知道回向，只有像这样的小善，可以得几种福利？

【佛告虚空藏菩萨：谛听谛听，吾当为汝分别说之。若未来世，有善男子善女人，见地藏形像及闻此经乃至读诵，香华饮食、衣服珍宝、布施供养，赞叹瞻礼，】

（解）佛告诉虚空藏菩萨说：‘当心的听！当心的听！吾要给你分别的来说。倘若未来世有善男、善女，见了地藏的形像，及听到这一部经，乃至于去读诵，再用香、花、饮食、衣服、珍宝一类，去布施供养他、赞叹瞻礼他。

（释）这一则所说的善行，又要比前面虚空藏菩萨所问的大些了。

【得二十八种利益：一者，天龙护念。二者，善果日增。三者，集圣上因。四者，菩提不退。】

（解）‘能依了上来所说的去做，就可以得到二十八种的大利益：一是天龙来护念你；二是善果也天天增加；三是聚集圣上的因缘；四是菩提心不会退转了；

（释）天龙之内，要包括八部的，这是护卫念佛读经人的总持，所以要举在第一。善果，是专做福德的事。圣因，是聚集做佛法中义务。梵语菩提，翻名叫觉道，就是道心不退转。

【五者，衣食丰足。六者，疾疫不临。七者，离水火灾。八者，无盗贼厄。九者，人见钦敬。十者，神鬼助持。】

（解）‘五是衣和食，也都丰足了；六是疾病瘟疫，也不会来临你的门了；七是可以远离水火的灾难；八是没有盗贼困厄的横事；九是人家见了你，都会钦仰你、敬重你；十是鬼神也都来帮助扶持你；

（释）这利益都是天龙八部护念你所得来的；但是感应天龙护念，也是你自己供养的周到，瞻礼恭敬中得来的福德。

【十一者，女转男身。十二者，为王臣女。十三者，端正相好。十四者，多生天上。】

（解）‘十一是女子转化男身；十二是做帝王大臣的女儿；十三是相貌生得端正美好；十四是这人死了，多数可以生到天上去；

（释）有厌恶女人身的人，读经供像，来世就可以女转男身，或是来世可以生到没有女人的世界里去。若是为了度人的愿力，自己欢喜做女人身，那么常常投生到帝王家里去做女儿，端正相好，人家自然都会敬重你了。或者是承了这福利上天去享乐。

【十五者，或为帝王。十六者，宿智命通。十七者，有求皆从。十八者，眷属欢乐。十九者，诸横消灭。二十者，业道永除。二十一者，去处尽通。二十二者，夜梦安乐。二十三者，先亡离苦。二十四者，宿福受生。二十五者，诸圣赞叹。二十六者，聪明利根。二十七者，饶慈愍心。二十八者，毕竟成佛。】

（解）‘十五是即使天福享满了，降下人间，还可以做帝王；十六是不但做帝王，还能够知道宿世的事情；十七是有所求的事，都可从愿；十八是家眷亲族大家都很快乐；十九，诸般的横祸也都给你消灭；二十，三业恶道，可以永远免除；二十一是所去的地方，都可以通达；二十二是连夜间睡梦也都安乐；二十三是先死亡的家眷，仗了这功德的资助，都能离苦得乐；二十四是倘若这先死的人，本来有宿福的，就仗了这资助受生天上去了；二十五是诸尊佛菩萨也都来赞叹你；二十六是六根都很聪明敏利；二十七是使你饶足慈悲心，多怜愍人家的心意；二十八是毕竟使你成佛。’

（释）能够依了佛的话去做，做得周全恭敬，人人可以得到这二十八种大利益，或者这利益你要现世受、来世受，都可以依你的心愿。倘若能够将这种种的大福利，自己一种也不要，都回向法界，这个人是慈悲极了，一定得到诸佛菩萨的赞叹，毕竟可以令你成佛。

【复次，虚空藏菩萨！若现在未来天龙鬼神，闻地藏名，礼地藏形，或闻地藏本愿事行，赞叹瞻礼，】

（解）佛又对虚空藏菩萨说：‘倘若现在未来的天龙鬼神一类，听到地藏菩萨的名号，礼拜地藏菩萨的形像，或是听到地藏菩萨的本愿所修行的事，赞叹瞻礼。

（释）人和天既是有高下的分判，修法当是不一样的，况且他们所修，不过了因罢了，不像人因缘并了的。

【得七种利益。一者，速超圣地。二者，恶业消灭。三者，诸佛护临。四者，菩提不退。五者，增长本力。六者，宿命皆通。七者，毕竟成佛。】

（解）‘便可以得到七种的利益：第一从凡夫或天龙鬼神的地位，很疾速的超入圣地；第二生生世世所作的恶业，都可以完全消灭；第三常得诸佛菩萨的保护监临，不受恶魔的侵害；第四所得的菩提，再不退失；第五增长自己本有的智慧能力；第六得宿命智，能知过去未来之事；第七即身成佛。’

（释）依据了地藏大士的本愿修行，无论那一种，都可以超入圆教佛法的地位，何况已有根本的神物呢！宿命一通，在法界中的过去未来，都能晓得了。

【尔时十方一切诸来不可说不可说诸佛如来及大菩萨、天龙八部，闻释迦牟尼佛称扬赞叹地藏菩萨大威神力，不可思议，叹未曾有。】

（解）这个时间，十方一切许多所来的不可说不可说数的诸佛如来，以及诸大菩萨、天龙八部，听了这位释迦牟尼佛称扬赞叹地藏菩萨的大威神力，真是不可思议，使他们都叹美道：‘从来所未有的！’

（释）十方八部，是总结开首的云集圣众。诸佛菩萨在未放光之前，已聚集了，是发起本经的原因；天龙八部在放光后，方才会集，也是发起的大众；一直听了佛赞叹这地藏菩萨的不思议的大威神力，现在又见大士担负了这样的重任，当然是要叹美从来所未有的了。

【是时忉利天，雨无量香华，天衣珠璎，供养释迦牟尼佛及地藏菩萨已。一切众会，俱复瞻礼，合掌而退。】

（解）这时间忉利天里，像下雨一样的，落下无量数的香、华、天衣，以及珠玉璎珞，来供养释迦牟尼佛及地藏菩萨。供罢，一切集会的大众，俱来重复的瞻礼世尊。瞻礼罢，都合掌退散了。

（释）释提桓因本是本会的主人，应该是要散下香、华、天衣（天衣从树里生出来的，又轻细又自然。）等，来供养佛，以及地藏菩萨的，也是表谢佛的说法，以及大士救度六道的慈悲。别的经，佛说罢了，在会的大众皆大欢喜；因为佛说罢这部经，就入涅槃了，大众悲哀也来不及，那里还会欢喜呢？所以含悲的瞻礼了这最后一次，就都合了掌，默默的退散了。仁者！你们阅完这一部经，一定还记得布施校量品里面，佛告诉我们的‘一毛一渧回向法界，百千生中，受上妙乐。’这几句，我们既然都是佛弟子，应该要听佛的话。况且地藏大士的威神不可思议，这部经当然也不可思议的，那么我解释的，和你们阅读的，所得的功德福利，自然也不思议的了。现在不分你我，把这所有的许多不可思议不可思议的功德，和应得的无边福利，大家发出至心慈悲的切愿来，回向法界。我再写四句回向偈在这里：

愿以不思议功德，回向法界诸众生；

普愿尽授菩提记，大士毕愿取正觉。

英文版楞严经（大势至菩萨念佛圆通章出处）
发表时间：2019-04-04 阅读次数： 2 字体：【大中小】
The Loving Heart A Study of "the Shurangama Sutra" By Bartholomew M. Klick This book is dedicated to my father and teacher, without whom this commentary would have been impossible. This book may be freely distributed in any format. Volume One "The Shurangama Sutra" is a long, complex Mahayana text that is mentioned several times in the Gosho. This aroused my interest and since I knew the text was in our library I began to spend time studying it. The commentary that follows is the result of my efforts. I hope you find this of some use in your own study of the Dharma. Book One The Sutra states that all of the two hundred and fifty monks present were great Arhats who had no outflows. This means that they had achieved a certain level of mental clarity. However, this teaching was given in an early part of Shakyamuni’s career so his students were still striving for what they believed to be the "eternal peace" of nirvana. They thought that nirvana was a state of "non-existence" because they earnestly believed that this was the only way for them to ever achieve a lasting state of serenity. (See Chapter four of "A House On Fire" for more information) When the Buddha preached "The Lotus Sutra" he revealed, in chapter seven ("The Phantom City") that "…he preaches two nirvanas in order to provide a resting place along the road." The nirvana being preached in "The Shurangama Sutra" is a phantom city; you will never die and remain anywhere forever. Nirvana is a state of mind where we do not experience mental suffering; it doesn’t really matter where you physically live. (For more information on "The Lotus Sutra" see "Inside The Lotus Sutra" from BIONA Books.) The sutra continues by telling us that all of the Buddha’s primary disciples were present, including Shariputra, Maudgalyayana, Subhuti, and ánanda. They were attending a feast with the Buddha, which was being held by the new king of Shravasti whose father had just died. It was a vegetarian meal, though the monks as well as the Buddha had never restricted their diet to just vegetation. They had to eat what was given to them as alms food, and were not permitted anything else. The meal was vegetarian possibly because the host himself did not eat meat. There is also a rule that says monastic followers may not eat meat that has been butchered especially for them. ánanda was traveling alone gathering alms at the time, and was contemplating the people who gave him offerings. He did not view them as pure or impure, but only as human beings. He did not take their chaste into consideration when they gave him something, nor did he critique the way they looked. He did not look at some as spiritually advanced or others as spiritually in decline, he saw only people who all possessed the potential to become Buddhas. On his way, a prostitute approached him and attempted to seduce him. ánanda was not yet even an Arhat, he had only a minimal amount of personal realization because he had devoted himself to an unusual task: he was the Buddha’s personal attendant but he was also committing to memory all of the Buddhas teachings. In other words, ánanda studied but did not practice and this is a recipe for disaster. This woman caught ánanda's eye and they were mutually attracted to each other. The young monk was in danger of violating his vow of chastity. If he had actually slept with the woman then he would have had to disrobe and return to lay society. The Buddhist world would have suffered a great loss if this had been allowed to occur! ánanda had the good fortune to have a friend like Manjushri to save him from destroying his vow. Manjushri is used in a symbolic manner in the sutra to represent either ánanda's conscience, or one of his friends in the Sangha. ánanda was not to attain even the level of Arhat-ship until after the Buddha’s death. The "Evil Mantra" that the sutra tells us seduced the Buddha’s attendant was nothing more than a combination of his lack of self-control, and the seductive nature of that particular woman. Everyone goes through this eventually, whether they have married, or taken monastic vows. It is a test, some people pass it, possibly without even giving it much thought while others fail, and often wreck their lives. Congressman Condit recently faced a similar situation; he was approached by "an evil mantra" and couldn’t resist the temptation to betray his wife. His failure to ignore this evil mantra of lust has led directly to his present difficulties. ánanda's situation was in no way different, except that he made the right decision, kept his vows and therefore his life did not self-destruct. ánanda returned to the monastery. He saw the Buddha, "and wept sorrowfully, regretting that from time without beginning he had been preoccupied with erudition and had not yet perfected his strength in the Way. He then respectfully and repeatedly requested an explanation of the initial expedients of the wonderful shamatha (Samádhi), Samapatti, and Dhyana, by means of which the Thus Come Ones of the ten directions had realized Bodhi." This demonstrates an almost alarming level of blindness in this disciple. He was just in difficulties because he spent all of his time performing services for the Buddha and memorizing all his words while ignoring his practice. Does he return and begin to devote himself sincerely to practice? No. Instead he requests another teaching! This is why the Buddha asks him why he became a monk in the first place. He is trying to arouse in ánanda the desire to practice and find out for himself. Sadly it took the death of Shakyamuni to awaken ánanda. It is clear that Shakyamuni preached the "The Shurangama Sutra" to his followers because it suited the level of spiritual development they had attained. The Buddha spends a lot of time in this teaching helping his disciples break free of the mental constrictions they imposed upon themselves through their lack of awareness. The other students heard that Shakyamuni was going to give a teaching to ánanda, and were pleased to have the opportunity to listen. Their good fortune was to receive this teaching then but this fortune is in no way different from the opportunity you have now to learn the very same things from the very same teacher. The Buddha announced that he would preach the Shurangama (‘resilient strength’) Sutra. The Buddha said that this sutra he was about to preach was the door to transcendence that all the Buddhas in the entire universe, (‘the ten directions:’) passed through to attain transcendence. This means that the concepts he was about to teach are universally true. The Buddha asks ánanda what it was that first attracted him to the Dharma. ánanda replies that it was the Buddha’s "Thirty Two Hallmarks (or features)." The thirty-two Hallmarks are concepts from the pre-Buddhist era. They actually come from the Brahmanic culture that Buddhism was formed in. These Hallmarks are supposedly the signs on a person’s body, which demonstrate that he is an enlightened being. These signs consist of things like glowing, purple golden skin, arms that reach down past the knees, and a third eye in the middle of the forehead. This of course was not meant to be a literal description of Shakyamuni. When a Buddhist Text describes a man with the thirty-two Hallmarks, it merely means that he is a great person. ánanda goes on to say that a man with a perfect body like the Buddha’s could not have been born through normal circumstances, and that a regular human body is conceived through blood and puss. He knew that the Buddha was enlightened and not born from "Blood and Puss" because he bore the thirty-two hallmarks, so he "Eagerly gazed upward, followed the Buddha, and let the hair fall from his head" ánanda is telling the Buddha that he is following him for reasons that are pretty superficial. It is certainly possible to have a noble appearance and to even be in a position of great spiritual authority without having a tamed mind and a good heart. At this point the Buddha asks ánanda how it is that he saw those thirty-two hallmarks, and ánanda tells him that he used his eyes and his mind. The Buddha asks ánanda where his eyes and mind are. ánanda tells him that it is the same with all beings; the eyes are located on the face, while the mind is within the body. "You are now sitting in the Thus Come One’s lecture hall, where is the Jeta Grove that you are gazing at, ánanda?" "At present" ánanda replied, "The Jeta Grove is … outside the Hall." "ánanda, as you are now inside the hall, what do you see first?" ánanda responds by saying that he sees, first, the Buddha, then the great assembly, and then the garden grove, making sure to point out that he can only see the garden grove because the doors and windows are open. The Buddha asks ánanda if it would be possible for some one inside the Hall to see the Garden Grove, but not the Buddha, and the response is that such a thing would be impossible. "ánanda, you are like that too." The Buddha states that if your mind was located inside of your body, then you would first perceive the innards of your body, your pulse, the moving of your various muscles, and even the breeze that moves through your hair. If you cannot see these things, then your mind could not be located within the body. If it were then they would be not only be perceivable, but also they would be the very first things you perceived. This is not the case. Therefore it is impossible that the mind is located within the body. ánanda tells the Buddha that, upon hearing his words, he understands where mind is really located. When Shakyamuni asks him where he now believes his mind is located he replies that the mind is outside of the body. He reasons: "A lamp lit in a room will certainly illuminate the inside of the room first, and only then will its light stream through the doorway to reach the recesses of the hall. Beings’ not being able to see within their bodies but only see outside them is analogous to having a lighted lamp placed outside the room, so that it cannot illuminate the room. "This principle is clear and beyond all doubt. It is identical with the Buddha’s complete meaning, is it not?" The Buddha asks ánanda if a monk by finishing his own meal could be said to have eaten for the entire Sangha and ánanda of course, replied that such a thing was impossible. Shakyamuni argues that if the mind were actually outside of your body, then your body and your mind would be mutually exclusive. They would have no relationship with one another. The mind would not sense what the body senses, and the body could not perceive what the mind does actually perceive. Then the Buddha shows ánanda his hand, which was soft like cotton (One of the thirty-two Hallmarks) and asks if his mind could distinguish the hand when his eyes saw it. ánanda replied that his mind did, in fact, distinguish the hand when his eyes saw it. Shakyamuni continues by logically demonstrating that it is impossible that the mind is not in the body, for if it were the eyes and the mind would not interact. Saying that the Mind is outside of the Body is an impossible statement. Then ánanda responds " it must be as the Buddha has said: Since I cannot see inside my body, my mind does not reside in the body but since my body and mind have a common awareness, they are not separate and so my mind does not dwell outside my body. As I now fully consider the matter, I now know exactly where my mind is; since the mind does not perceive what is inside but can see outside, upon reflection I believe mind is concealed in the eyes." He goes on to say that it is like a man who covers his eyes with clear crystal lenses, his eyes would be covered, but he would still be able to see. If ánanda's thinking about the crystal lenses were true, then in his analogy the eyes would be the mind, and the lenses would be eyes. He is arguing that the mind resides within the eyes, and uses them like your eyes would use contact lenses. However, as the Buddha points out, if this analogy were true then our mind would see our eyes in the same way as our eyes can detect contact lenses. ánanda might have also considered that blind people are not necessarily mindless. The Buddha tells ánanda that his scenario is impossible, so ánanda replies, "World Honored One, I now offer this reconsideration: internal organs and bowels lie inside the bodies of living beings, while the apertures are outside. There is darkness within where the bowels are and light at the apertures. Now, as I face the Buddha and open my eyes, I see light: that is seeing outside. When I close my eyes and see darkness that is seeing within. How does that principle sound?" The Buddha responds, "If the darkness you saw could in fact be seen then it was in front of your eyes, and not within them!" The Buddha also points out that if the darkness you saw were seeing within yourself, then you would not see darkness, but you would instead see your organs. ánanda finally concludes that the mind does not exist inside or outside of the body and that it also does not exist in between. The Buddha says to ánanda, "Now you say that because dharmas arise, every kind of mind arises. Wherever it joins with things, the mind exists in response. But mind has no substance and mind cannot come together with anything. "If mind had substance, when you pinch your body with your fingers, would your mind which perceives that pinch come out from the inside, or from the outside? If it came from the inside, then, once again, it should be able to see within your body. If it came from outside, it should see your face first." ánanda replies that seeing is done with the eyes alone, and has no help from the mind. To call mental perception seeing makes no sense! If the eyes did your seeing for you, it would be similar to having a sentient window. For something to perform an action, it has to have a will. For something to have a will, it needs to be alive. Your eyes are not independently alive; they ‘die’ when you do. Also, if your eyes were independently alive, they would be self-governing and free from the control of mind, a person’s eyes would continue to act and move, and even to look at things after the body died. Implying that mind is separate from the body also assigns this mind a worldly substance or it could not exist apart from a body. The Buddha continues the analysis by asking, ‘if your mind had substance would it be of a single material, or of many? Would this substance perceive the body? If it were of a single substance then you could pinch yourself one place, and feel that pinch all over. However, if the pinch was felt all over, then it could not have occurred on any one part of the body. If this is the case, then the mind could not be made of a single substance. However, if the mind consisted of many substances, than you would be many beings. Which of these substances would be you?’ ánanda responds; "World Honored One, I also have heard the Buddha discuss reality with Manjushri and other disciples of the Dharma King. The World Honored one also said, ‘the mind is neither inside nor outside.’ ‘As I now consider it, it cannot be inside since it cannot see within, and it cannot be outside since in that case there would be no shared perception. Since it cannot see inside, it cannot be inside; and since the body and mind do have shared perception, it does not make sense to say it is outside. Therefore, since there is a shared perception and since there is no seeing within, it must be in the middle.’ Where is this middle that ánanda has proposed? It could not be in the body, that would make it ‘Inside the body,’ but it could not be outside either. If it were outside of the body there would be hard evidence that it existed. It would also have to have some sort of fixed location and form. If there is no evidence that mind exists, then it amounts to mind not existing at all. At this point ánanda said, "World Honored One, when I have seen the Buddha turn the Dharma Wheel in the past with Maha Maudgalyayana, Subhuti, Purna, and Shariputra, four of the great disciples, he often said that the nature of the mind which is aware, perceives, and makes discriminations is located neither within nor outside nor in the middle; it is not located anywhere at all." This passage concludes with the disciple asking if non-attachment is mind. ánanda is in essence now arguing that the mind exists nowhere at all. The Buddha then describes for him the physical world, saying that all the things that exist have a physical presence. Would Non-Attachment, which is where ánanda feels the mind is located, also have a physical body? It couldn’t. As the Buddha states, it would be like fur on a turtle or horns on a rabbit. Non-attachment exists, but it does not exist. Non-attachment cannot be said to not exist, or else what would non-attachment be? If it did exist it would have to have a physical presence, which it does not. How could the mind reside in such a state? The Buddha asserts that it cannot. Then ánanda demonstrated the respect he felt for the Buddha by exposing his right shoulder pressing his hands together, and bowing down. Since this was something very much on his mind he explained that he was unable to overcome the ‘evil mantra’ of the prostitute because he did not know how to attain "the realm of reality." Then he asked the Buddha to instruct and guide all of his students in the path. (Notice here, that ánanda felt that the woman was a bad influence; he did not at this time seem to realize that the problem was his own mind, not some evil influence from the woman he was attracted to.) The earth shook, light emitted from the Buddha, and all the realms became as one. This indicates that the Buddha was about to give a major teaching. All of the people in the assembly listened respectfully. The Buddha begins by stating that all living beings have lived throughout eternity, making causes, and thereby creating effects. The reason that people are born as people, gods are born as gods and demons born as demons, is because they do not know the two fundamental roots. These two roots are (1 the root of beginning-less birth and death, which means that everyone, everywhere is endlessly born over and over again in the Saha world, and (2 they do not understand their pure and good nature. They consider this pure nature to be unattainable, or lost, even though they already always possess it. (Shakyamuni is talking here, about Buddha nature.) The Buddha then raised his hand up, and asked ánanda if he saw the hand. ánanda replied that he did indeed see the hand, which he said dazzled his eyes and mind" What do you see it with? My eyes. Your eyes are seeing my hand, but your mind is dazzled? What is the mind that is dazzled by my fist? ánanda answers, ‘I will use my mind to search for itself thoroughly, and I propose that that which is able to investigate is my mind.’ Then the Buddha shouts, "Hey! ánanda, That is NOT your mind!" ánanda was startled, and he jumped up from his seat. "If that is not my mind, then what is?" The Buddha says, "It is your perception of false appearances based on external objects which causes your true nature to be deluded and this false perception has caused you, from beginning less time right up to your present life, to take a thief for your son, to lose your eternal source, and to undergo transmigration." ánanda then declared that, with his mind he has made offerings to the Buddha and that he serves all Buddha’s. He continues, "If I were to sever all my good roots, and become lost from the Dharma, this too would be my mind, if it is not my mind, then I have no mind at all, and I am as a lump of dirt. Why do you say that this is not my mind?" The first Book concludes with this explanation: All Dharmas are manifestations of the mind. All causes, all effects are manifested from mind. If we look with worldly eyes then everything from the brightest galaxy right down to the individual blades of grass, or every strand of spider-spun silk, each is seen to have a nature, a true and unchangeable, inherent "it" that makes this object what it is. This, however, is never true. The mind makes these discriminations by itself, there is no unchangeable, eternal blade of grass, anymore then there is an eternal unchangeable ‘you.’ The eternal part of mind is pure, and it always is pure no matter what actions we take. We have filled our own minds with deluded thought patterns since the beginning-less past. We now have an opportunity to advance spiritually because we have encountered the dharma. So where exactly is the mind located? It does not matter where the mind is physically located, it is not important! What is important is that we begin the process of purifying our own mind, and that we begin the job of working to bring benefit to all sentient beings. Volume Two Book Two begins with the Buddha asking ánanda questions, "ánanda, you have told me that you saw my fist of bright light. How did it take the form of a fist? How did the fist come to emit light? How was the fist made? By what means could you see it?" ánanda proclaims that the fist emitted light, perfect in every way because the Buddha was free from all defilement’s, his skin like refined gold, with a wonderful red hue, and that he can see all things clearly, as they are, with his eyes. The Buddha tells ánanda that any one with wisdom (open mindedness, and a willingness to learn) can become enlightened through example, and he uses his fist to demonstrate. If he did not have a hand, he could not make a fist. If ánanda did not have eyes, he could not see the fist. Then the Buddha asks ánanda if these two examples are the same, and if they could be applied in the same way. ánanda argues that they do have the same meaning. What ánanda doesn’t realize is that an arm without a hand does not have the potential to make a fist, while eyes are always trying to see, even if they are damaged. When ánanda is told this, he proclaims that blind men cannot see and that all they are ever aware of in front of them is blackness! However, if missing eyes were like a missing hand, the potential for sight would be forever lost. However, the brain will always try to use the eyes, even if they are not working. When the eyes do not work all that they report to the brain is blackness. To say that a blind man cannot see, and will never be able to see, is like saying that a man who walked into a dark room will not be able to view light again. The potential is always there. If a man were in a dark room, and a lamp was suddenly lit then the man would be able to see again. By ánanda's reasoning it becomes clear that it is the lamp that has gained sight and not the man. If the lamp had gained the power of sight, how would that effect any one but the lamp? If the lamp did gain this power, how would you even know? Why would you care? Just as the lamp only reveals forms to your eyes, the eyes only show things that they are actually aware of to the mind. A man without light and a man without sight both see a similar darkness. "Then the World Honored One extended his bright hand that is as soft as tula cotton, opened his five webbed fingers, and told ánanda and the great assembly, "When I first accomplished the Way I went to the Deer Park, and for the sake of Ajnata Kaundinya and all five of the Bhikshus, as well as for you of the four-fold assembly, I said, ‘It is because beings are impeded by transitory defilement’s and afflictions that they do not realize Bodhi or become Arhats.’ At that time, what caused you who have now realized the various fruition’s of sage hood to become enlightened?" Then Ajnata Kaundinya (Annasi Kondanna) arose and said to the Buddha, "Of the elders now present in the great assembly, only I received the name "Understanding" because I was enlightened to the meaning of transitory defilement’s and realized the fruition. Ajnata Kaundinya gives an example, saying that transitory defilements could be compared to dust moving and whipping about in a ray of sunlight. They move in emptiness, they always change, and never stop their constant shifting. The emptiness these particles move in is perfectly still; they never disturb the emptiness but this emptiness cannot be seen because of the activity of the particles. The Buddha told Ajnata Kaundinya that this analogy was correct. Then he raised his hand, and began to bend and uncurl his fingers, asking ánanda what he saw. "I see the Thus Come One’s hand opening and closing in the midst of the assembly, revealing his hundred-jeweled wheeled palms," was the reply. ‘You see with your eyes my hand opening and closing. Is it, ánanda, my hand that opens and closes, or your eyes that open and close’? ‘The World Honored One’s jeweled hand opened and closed in the assembly. I saw the Thus Come One’s hand itself open and close while my seeing-nature neither opened nor closed.’ ‘What moved and what was still?’ the Buddha asked. ánanda replied that his seeing nature could never move, while the Buddha’s hand was quite plainly in motion. Suddenly, a fierce light came from the Buddha’s hand, and flashed by ánanda, causing him to look behind him. Then he asked ánanda, "Why do you move your head?" The disciple responds that he could not control his head, it moved by itself trying to see the light as it went by. ‘When you moved your head, was it the seeing that moved, or the head itself’? Once again ánanda states that his seeing could never move, so it must have been his head. ‘Ananda, you observed my hand opening and closing, yet your seeing never bent or stretched, you saw the light go by your head, but your seeing never moved. Why do you continue to rely on your physical bodies, which move, and on the external environment, which also moves’? ‘From beginning to end, this causes your every thought to be subject to production and extinction. Because of this you take objects to be yourself. You say, "This body is me, and you have insulted it! I shall now hurt the body that we both perceive to be you!" or "This body is me, I want it to look good." You spend a huge amount of time pampering this body, even though it will die in a very short amount of time. It is transitory, yet you treat it like it is eternal’. ‘You have been wired to always look for more comfortable ways to treat your body, which is really just a vehicle. It will eventually be too old to use, or it will become damaged, and you will need to replace it. You do not grieve and mourn when your car becomes insulted, or needs new tires, but let anyone insult your body and you become angry! You also devote much effort to prayer so that you will never be hurt’. Then King Prasenajit rose and said to the Buddha, "In the past, when I had not yet received the teachings of the Buddha, I met Katyayana and Vairatiputra, both of whom said that this body ends at death, and that this is Nirvana. Now, although I have met the Buddha, I still wonder about that. How can I go about realizing the mind at the level of no production and no extinction? Now all beings in this Great Assembly who still have outflows also wish to be instructed on this subject." The Buddha asks the King if his body, as it is now, will remain that way forever, or if it will change. King Prasenajit replies by saying that change is inevitable, and unstoppable. This change will eventually lead to death. ‘Great King, you have not yet perished, how can you be certain that you will’? ‘As every moment arises and leaves, my thoughts change. New ones come, old ones die, and the ones that I have now will eventually be forgotten. These thoughts are not apart from me; they are products of me, so how could I not have that same nature’? ‘So it is, Great King. At your present age, with the effects of old age sinking in quickly, how does your present body compare with the body you possessed as a youth’? "World Honored One, in the past when I was young my skin was moist and shining. When I reached the prime of life, my blood and breath were full. But now in my declining years, as I race into old age, my form is withered and wizened and my spirit dull. My hair is white and my face is wrinkled and not much time remains for me. How could one possibly compare me now with the way I was when in my prime?" These changes did not come at once. You often do not realize that they even have occurred until you suddenly notice them. Ageing is a subtle, continuous process. A man does not look in the mirror one day and suddenly discover that he has crossed over some invisible boundary and become ‘old’. It is because of this that the King realizes that he also will age until he dies. Anything that changes will eventually expire and since all phenomena change everything (including the universe itself) will someday die. The fundamental truth for any person is that they possess a Buddha nature. You have it, but you cannot see it, just as a man who has a wonderful, beautiful perfect jewel sewn into the lining of his coat. He wears this coat everyday so the potential for wealth is there, but because the jewel is out of sight and he is unaware of its presence, it has no value at all to him. This pure Buddha nature is a kind of energy so that part of ‘you’ cannot die. The king realized this, and was relieved because he now understood that death was nothing to be afraid of. At the same time you should realize that while death is not to be feared, it is also not to be embraced. Death should embrace you, not you it. At this point ánanda broke in and asked the Buddha ‘why, if seeing and hearing are "neither produced or extinguished" he referred to worldly beings as people who have lost their true nature and go about things in up-side-down ways’. The Buddha let his arm go limp, it was now pointing towards the ground. Then he asked ánanda if his arm was now up side down. ánanda replied that beings in the world would take it to be up side down, but that he himself could not distinguish between the two. The Buddha asked what the people of the world would consider to be right side up, and ánanda said that when his arm is raised, and is pointing upwards. So the Buddha raised his arm back up, and said that the people of the world indeed considered this to be right side up. They do the same thing with people’s bodies. They look at the Buddha, and say he has a perfect dharma body, while they would look at ánanda, and say he does not have a perfect dharma body, he has an "up-side-down" body. Now examine my body and yours. Do you see any "right-side-up-ness" or "up-side-down-ness"? No one spoke so the Buddha said, "I say that you have lost track of what is fundamentally wonderful, the perfect, wonderful bright mind, and that in the midst of your gem-like bright and wonderful nature you wallow in confusion while being right within enlightenment." The body is filled with inner-turmoil and that turmoil is mistaken to be the true us. That turmoil is ignorance. Ignorance is the root of all problems. Ignorance makes ego. Ignorance makes Hatred. Ignorance breeds contempt and jealousy. Your delusion is in not understanding that all of this good or bad is born within your own mind. One person can think, "That river is beautiful" while another can think, "What a stupid river," just because he has to cross it. It is not possible that the river have a good and evil nature simultaneously. The river’s only nature is wetness! It is a negative frame of mind that can make the river evil, and a good frame of mind that will make it beautiful. This is what makes his students ‘up side down’ and the Buddha ‘right side up’. They both see the same thing but the student projects fantasy images onto the environment while a Buddha sees reality. The Buddha tells ánanda that all things are a manifestation of the mind, even your body. This does not mean you are somehow illusory. He is saying that the way we see things is manifested in your mind. If you were truly illusory as some would try to suggest, you could mold the outside world to your liking, and change anything that displeased you. It would be a dream. When the Buddha says that everything come from mind, he means our thoughts, good and evil do not exist in the world, they exist in the mind. Many would say that Hitler was evil, while some his followers considered him to be a great leader. It is all in the way you look at things. Hitler is not ‘good’, he is not ‘evil’; rather ‘Hitler’ is a name given to a long dead German dictator who committed many atrocities because of his own delusions. The Buddha teaches that our physical bodies and the environment we live in are also a result of mind. By this he means that if our mind was not in it’s present condition, we would be somewhere else. Out of all the places in the universe to be born, you were born here. This is because of good and bad causes you made in the past, and karmic connections you formed with other people. Had you made different causes and connections, you would have been born elsewhere. The Buddha tells ánanda, "You people are doubly deluded among the deluded. Such delusion does not differ from that caused by my lowered hand. The Thus Come One says you are pathetic." ánanda heard these words and began to weep, and he begged the Buddha to explain how they could rectify this horrible situation, and understand the true meaning of this teaching. The Buddha told them that they listened to the Dharma with conditioned minds, so the Dharma was also conditioned, and accordingly they could not understand the true dharma. He said: "This is similar to a person pointing his finger at the moon to show it to someone else. Guided by the finger, the other person should see the moon. If he looks at the finger instead and mistakes it for the moon, he loses not only the moon but the finger also. Why? Because he mistakes the pointing finger for the bright moon." A person who does this not only loses the vision of the moon, but he also loses the finger as well. The finger was supposed to be a guide to help point out the moon, but because you have mistaken the finger for the moon itself, the purpose of the finger is lost. You also lose the light, for when you mistake the finger for the moon you see light, but do not understand where it comes from. Arguing that your mind is permanent, or that your "seeing nature" is permanent as ánanda does in the above passages, is suggesting that the mind never moves. The seeing nature is a part (or function) of your mind so it is like saying that your mind does not move, but your own experience demonstrates that this not true. When any student first begins to train his mind he will have trouble keeping that mind still for any length of time, and it takes years of meditation practice to still it. If your mind were permanent and non-changing, your thoughts would also be permanent and non-changing and no amount of training could ever change any feature of it. Obviously this is not the case. The Buddha said that our mind could not be constantly still because all the things it relies on are dependent on causes. Light needs the sun, darkness needs the lack of light, and all the things we depend on to survive could not exist without a cause. In turn these causes need causes, and those causes need causes as well. "That which can be returned to other sources clearly is not you; if that which you cannot return to anything else is not you, then what is it? Therefore I know that your mind is fundamentally wonderful, bright, and pure. You yourself are confused and deluded. You abuse what is fundamental, and end up undergoing the cycle of rebirth, bobbing up and down in the sea of birth and death. No wonder the Thus Come One says that you are the most pathetic of creatures." ánanda inquires ‘what must we do to come to know this ‘true nature’ of ours’. The Buddha replies that it is his turn to ask a question! ánanda is told that his vision is not very clear. He can see deluded forms of the world by himself, but with the help of a Buddha he can see the world around him the way it really is. A Bodhisattva can see much more clearly than this, and a Buddha can see everything the way it truly is. When comparing ánanda's vision to that of a Buddha, he is almost completely blind. ‘Ananda, we sit in this Palace, and we see various shapes and colors. These shapes and colors have no real names, or real function, they are indeed like dust, and nothing can be made of them except by our own distinction making.’ Say they were looking at a priceless vase. That vase could be used to hold flowers, or to plant spices in, when filled with dirt. Or they could store dried food in it, or break it, and use the sharp bits to cut their meals with. ‘That is not what a vase is for!’ some might argue, but that is their perception and their distinction of the vase, not ours. In a different light we could make the vase part of a game, keeping it in the air until it broke, or passing it among ourselves. There is no definite use for the vase, there is no universal law carved into steel about what a vase can and cannot be used for. The Buddha goes on, still not having asked his question. He says that their vision could allow them to see all the sights in the world, golden mountains, birds, forests, and anything else imaginable. While that varied phenomenon is different from one another, they are all seen with the same seeing nature. If all phenomena change, why does not the seeing nature, which is identical from person to person? For the seeing nature to exist in this world it must be phenomena, but if it were, then we could both see it. When we looked at the same thing, I should be able to see your seeing, and you should be able to see mine. Also, if this was the case, I could see when you were not seeing as well, and you could do like-wise. Clearly since you cannot see my seeing, it is not phenomena. This seeing nature is not phenomena, so it must be a part of your mind. Besides that, if you’re seeing of phenomena was like that, when you saw things, things should also see you, everything in the world would have an identical seeing nature, and we would not longer be distinguishable from anything else. Yet, when you see it is you who sees and nobody else. How then could this seeing nature not be your own, and therefore distinct? ‘My question to you, ánanda, is this: Why do you have doubts about your own true nature, and come to me seeking verification when you think that your nature is not true in the first place’? ánanda contends that the seeing nature he possesses is his and his alone. He tells the Buddha that seeing fills the space where the person is, and while the seeing is present then objects are visible, assuming there is sufficient light. The seeing can stretch to fill the world, or shrink to fit a room. The Buddha tells ánanda that this is wrong: ‘look at a square shaped container, is it a fixed square shape, or is it not a fixed square shape? If it were fixed as a square, when it was switched with a round container, the emptiness left over would not take the shape of a sphere. It would still be square, if it were not fixed then there would never be a square shaped emptiness within it’. The Buddha continues by telling ánanda that ‘if he is displeased with the square-ness of the container, he can remove it, and it will be gone. Emptiness takes no shape, though it can be fitted into various shaped containers, it ultimately has no true form’. Then the Buddha explains why ánanda's statement about seeing is incorrect. If what he said had been true then we would not need the aid of telescopes and spyglasses to see at far distances. Our vision would simply extend to the area where we wanted to see. ánanda argues further, stating that if his mind truly did allow him to see, then the seeing nature would actually be him, and not the mind. He asks the Buddha how this would be different from phenomena being able to being able to look as if seeing were bestowed upon it. The Buddha replied that ‘for this to be the case, seeing would have to be located in front of you. If it were in front of you, you could see it because there would be tangible evidence of it. If you’re seeing is in front of you, as you have suggested, please point it out to me. Show me the location of this seeing’. ánanda could not point to any location and he reported this fact to the Buddha. The Buddha further clarified this teaching to ánanda, "It is as you have said. No seeing-essence that would have a nature of its own apart from all phenomena can be found. Therefore, all the phenomena you point to are phenomena, and none of them is the seeing." ‘Now I will tell you something else, ánanda. As you and I sit in the grove and look at the plants and trees, and all the other various things here, all of which look different from one another, we have determined that seeing nature is not something we can point to, and look at. I ask you to look around and point out to me what is not your seeing nature.’ ánanda replied that he did not know what was not his seeing. He explains himself by saying that if an object out there really were his non-seeing, he would not be able to see or locate it. The Buddha told ánanda that this was correct. By this time the assembly was very confused, and agitated at not knowing what was going on. The Buddha sensed this, and said: "Good people, what the unsurpassed Dharma King says is true and real. He says it just as it is. He never deceives anyone; he never lies. He is not like Maskari Goshaliputra advocating his four kinds of non-dying, spouting deceptive and confusing theories. Consider this carefully and do not be embarrassed to ask about it." Manjushri rose from his seat, and told the Buddha that the assembly was not awakened to this principle. He stated, "World Honored One, if conditioned forms, emptiness, and other phenomena mentioned above were the seeing, there should be an indication of them; and if they were not the seeing, there should be nothing there to be seen. Now we do not know what is meant, and this is why we are alarmed and concerned." "Yet our good roots from former lives are not deficient. We only hope the Thus Come One will have the great compassion to reveal exactly what all the things are and what the seeing-essence is. Among all of those, what exists and what doesn’t." The Buddha instructs the assembly by stating that ‘seeing was originally "the wonderful pure bright substance of Bodhi." This being the case, how could any of them question its existence’? Then the Buddha turned to Manjushri, and asked him if there could be more than one of him, or if there could be another Manjushri standing beside him, and if there were, which of them would be the real Manjushri. Manjushri stated that under all these circumstances he would remain the true Manjushri. There could not be any extra Manjushris anyway. If there were two, the term existent and non-existent would not apply. One would be existent while the other would not, when in actuality Manjushri exists, but he does not exist. He is empty. It would be, the Sutra goes on to say, as if there were two moons. Since the moon can only travel a predetermined course, these two moons would be on the same path. Since you cannot see an extra moon in front of, or to the sides of the original moon, there cannot be another moon. After this example is given ánanda says to the Buddha, "World Honored One, it is truly as {Manjushri} has said: the condition of enlightenment pervades the ten directions. It is clear and eternal; its nature is neither produced nor extinguished. How does it differ, then, from the Elder Brahmin Kapila’s teaching of the mysterious truth or from the teaching of the ash-smeared ascetics or from the other externalist sects that say there is a true self, which pervades the ten directions?" "Also, in the past, the World Honored One gave a lengthy lecture on this topic at Mount Lanka for the sake of Great Wisdom Bodhisattva and others: ‘Those externalist sects always speak of spontaneity. I speak of causes and conditions, which is an entirely different frame of reference.’ "Now as I contemplate original enlightenment in its natural state, as being neither produced nor extinguished, and as apart from all empty falseness and inversion, it seems to have nothing to do with your causes and conditions or the spontaneity advocated by others. Would you please enlighten us on this point so we can avoid joining those of deviant views, thus enabling us to obtain the true mind, the bright nature of wonderful enlightenment?" The Buddha told ánanda that he was mistaking what he described for spontaneity. He states, ‘Ananda, if it definitely were spontaneous, you should be able to distinguish the substance of the spontaneity.’ He instructs ánanda to investigate seeing, and then to tell him what the spontaneous aspect of seeing actually is. No matter what this spontaneous aspect was, you could not see anything that was not aligned with it. If the spontaneous aspect were light, you could not see darkness, or if it were emptiness you could not see non-emptiness. ánanda agreed that the nature of seeing could not be spontaneous. Then he declared that its nature must be produced from causes and conditions. The Buddha asked ánanda if seeing existed because of light and darkness, or because of solid objects, or emptiness. It is the same as before, if light were the cause of seeing, you would never experience darkness. If emptiness was the cause, you could not see non-emptiness. It is also not the negation of spontaneity, or the denial of it. Then ánanda responds, ‘If the nature of the wonderful enlightenment has neither causes nor conditions then why do you always tell us that the nature of seeing derives from the four conditions of emptiness, brightness, the mind, and the eyes? What does that mean?’ The Buddha tells him that what he has stated about causes and condition is not untrue, but it is not the primary meaning. Then the Buddha again asked ánanda what seeing was. ánanda replied that seeing had to be made up of light, for without light people cannot see. The Buddha tells ánanda ‘if seeing did not exist in the absence of light there would be no darkness to see. Since darkness is in fact a lack of light, how can you say that seeing depends on light, even though you can see darkness’? ‘If you say that seeing darkness does not help you, then you could call that ‘not seeing’, but if you say that in seeing light, you can no longer see darkness, you could also call that ‘not seeing’. Since it is not possible for them both to be ‘not seeing’ it is easy to understand that neither of them can be what you believe they are. Even in the total and almost complete darkness of a deep cave, your seeing nature does not lapse for an instant, it always stands ready to report the first sign of light that it can detect. When you see light, the seeing is not the light itself. It is the same with darkness, emptiness, and all other phenomenon. Then the Buddha stated, "You narrow-minded Hearers are so inferior and ignorant that you are unable to penetrate through to the purity of ultimate reality. Now I will continue to instruct you. Consider well what is said. Do not become weary or negligent on the wonderful road to Bodhi." ánanda told the World Honored One that he and the rest of the assembly still did not understand, and he begged the Buddha to explain himself in more detail. (Shakyamuni was not rebuking those who felt themselves to be voice-hearers out of anger, aversion, or any kind of negative mental state; he was attempting to motivate them to reach for a higher spiritual condition. [See "Inside The Lotus Sutra" from BIONA Books] Nichiren wrote: "Good advice grates on the ear" ["The Essentials For Attaining Buddhahood"]) Shakyamuni told ánanda that, although his memory was incomparable, it only benefited him in a superficial manner because his mind had not yet truly realized the meaning of these teachings. Nonetheless the infinitely compassionate Buddha agreed to explain himself again. He began by telling ánanda that all beings are stuck in the cycle of birth and death because of two false and discriminating views. "What are the two views? The first consists of the false view based on living beings’ individual karma. The second consists of the false view based on living beings’ collective karma." The Buddha begins to explain this to ánanda with a simile about a man with cataracts. The man sees things differently than those not afflicted with his disease. His vision is not true and no one with normal vision can see what he sees. When he perceives color distortions it is analogous to us seeing incorrectly because we assign distinctions to events (good, bad, or neutral) and create categories that are not real. The same is true with the people who see the evil omens in their skies. They see these comets and star alignments, and interpret them as evil. Other people see these same events and realize that they are merely natural phenomena. In our society we often find these ‘evil omens’ attractive and colorful. When we think, for example, that a river is stupid, evil or ‘in the way’ this is not reality. It is like we are seeing with cataracts in our eyes. We do understand what we are looking at is simply the river. At this point you may be asking yourself why the Buddha and ánanda are talking about eyes and sight so much. It is all a simile designed to assist the student to realize that mind is pure Buddha Nature, and your present set of eyes are distorted orbs that see things incorrectly because you have failed to adequately train your mind. Even though the Buddha explains himself again and again, ánanda does not realize it, and he clings to his false views about the world. This is, no doubt, because ánanda did not really begin to train his mind until after the Buddha died. When the Buddha talks about ‘vision’ or ‘seeing’ he is not talking about your physical eyes, he is talking about the way you see and respond to the things that occur in your environment. We must learn to see without defilement clouding our vision, and this is no simple task. The only way we can achieve this is through practice, study, and the development of a loving heart. Volume Three, Part 1 Volume three is unlike the rest of the document thus far, as it is not a series of questions and answers but rather a lengthy statement from the Buddha. The Buddha states that all things that exist are like an illusion, their forms can all be reduced to dust, and from dust they can be made whole again. Their essence however, is a bright and eternal energy called Buddha Nature. Everyone has this Buddha nature; the only difference between living beings that really matters is how deeply buried this pure and wonderful energy is. Some people are so defiled that Buddha Nature cannot be dug out of the muck and grime they have buried it in only one lifetime. The Buddha tells us that there are beings whose defilements are so bad that it will be trillions of years before they are born as any kind of sentient being again. We are, in comparison, living in very fortunate circumstances, no matter how desperate your current situation might seem. The Buddha continues, saying that beings are falsely born, and they die a false death. This means that while people consider birth to be a beginning, it is not actually so. This also means that death is not any kind of personal end. Yes you are really born, and death will come no matter what, but the way most people see them is vastly different from how they should be viewed. Birth is not the beginning; you have been born countless times in the past, and you will always be re-born. When the Buddha says birth is false, he means that the way we view birth is incorrect and it is the same with death. The Buddha then makes the statement, "Thus it is throughout, up to the five Skandhas and the six entrances, to the twelve places and the eighteen realms; the union and mixture of various causes and conditions account for their illusory and false existence, and the separation and dispersion of the causes and conditions result in their illusory and false extinction." The six entrances are your sense organs, the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, skin, and mind. The Five Skandhas are the components or aggregates that you are made of. The Twelve places and the eighteen realms are the different places where you can be born. We were born because of causes we made in the past, and we will die when the energy of these causes is exhausted. "Who would have thought that production and extinction, coming and going are fundamentally the eternal wonderful light of the Thus Come One, the unmoving, all-pervading perfection, the wonderful nature of True Suchness! If within the true and eternal nature one seeks coming and going, confusion and enlightenment, or birth and death, one will never find them." The first sentence is saying that everyone has the potential to display Buddha nature. The other sentence that makes up this paragraph is telling us that you will never see reality so long as you continue to place things into mental categories. False views are common and we often accept them at face value. If you stare into the sky, the clouds will look like various different things to you. They are not really these various shapes; your mind has associated their current form with an everyday object from your daily life. If you stare into the sun or a bright lamp for a few moments, lights will dance in front of your eyes when you turn your head. If you are in a dark room for a long time, images will appear before you because your brain will produce images rather than report nothing. None of these images are real and yet we can see them. They are not really different from other phenomena. Your eyes and brain are the cause, along with the light, or lack of light as the case may be. These illusory objects are similar to our lives. They are born, they linger a while, and then they go away. These illusions can be created whenever we make the causes to bring them forth. After they are brought into being, they linger a short while, and then vanish. At any time after they vanish, they could come back as soon as the causes they are made by are manifested. These causes do not die, yet they are not permanent either. Rather, you could say that they die, but the death itself is not permanent. It makes as much sense to say that death is interrupted by life, as it is to say that life is interrupted by death. The Buddha tells ánanda that these illusions we can see do not originate from the eyes, nor do they just "pop up" from empty space. In either case they would, when they vanish, return to wherever they came from. If they came from empty space, then by definition that space would not be empty because the illusions would have to return to it. If illusions came from your eyes you would always be able to see them. He goes on to say the same thing about our skin. If we rub our hands together, it creates friction and it warms our palms. If this sensation of warmth ‘originated’, or was some how created miraculously from the air around us, then we would be able to feel it all over our body and anywhere else where the air touched us. If it originated from the hands, then we would not need to rub them together to get the warm sensation. Therefore we can safely say that the only thing that brought about the warm feeling was the rubbing of the surface of our palms together rapidly, thereby creating friction. The same example is made with the remaining Skandhas and Entrances. Things that we perceive are not illusions, they do not come out of nothing, but they are also not made up of organs perceiving them either. Combinations of causes create them, and they die when these causes separate. The Buddha is trying to get ánanda to understand the concept of emptiness. All sense organs and actions are empty because they are dependent on causes. He is taking it a step further and saying that everything we see in the world is emptiness. ALL phenomena are dependent on other phenomena. Your ability to hear is dependent on there being things to hear and to not hear. Hearing does not come from the ears, or the air, or empty space. It comes from the mind. Without empty space, ears and air could not exist. Without air, sound could not travel, and without the ear this traveling sound could not be heard. Volume Three, Part 2 The way ánanda now sees things, the eyes, and visual form create eye consciousness. Does this make the eyes the place where this consciousness dwells, or does it make the outside forms the place where this consciousness dwells? If the eye consciousness dwelled in the eyes themselves then when the eyes were destroyed so would be the consciousness. If the eye consciousness dwelt in forms then when there were no forms present your consciousness would die. Furthermore, if it were produced from outside forms, then when outside forms changed, so would the eye consciousness. It would have no attributes, yet if it did not then your eye consciousness would be a permanent object, and would cease to function, as it could never see emptiness. You should realize that the eye consciousness always exists, but is only manifested when form and the eyes come together as causes for it. You cannot visit your eyes as if they were a place, and you can only visit some forms, so this eye consciousness could not dwell in either of them. The same is true of the ear consciousness. Is the ear where your ear consciousness resides? Is it the sound? If it were either of these two, then hearing would be impossible. Hearing does not come from the ears or the sound; it comes from sounds reaching your ears. Sound with out ears is silent. Ears without sound are worthless. The same can be said of the Nose Consciousness, the Tongue Consciousness, and the Body Consciousness, as well as the Mind Consciousness. After the Buddha is finished telling ánanda about each one of these in turn, ánanda asks, "World Honored One, in discussing the dharmas of mixing and uniting of causes and conditions, the Thus Come One has often said that the transformations of all mundane phenomena can be discovered in the mixing and uniting of the four elements. Why does the Thus Come One now reject causes, conditions, and spontaneity as well? I do not know what your meaning pertains to. Please be so compassionate as to instruct us beings in dharmas that adhere to the complete meaning of the Middle Way and are not philosophical speculations." The Buddha replies by saying that ánanda is very learned, but while he can recognize various medicines when he sees them, he will not take medicine that it placed before him. ‘Why do you waste your time thinking false thoughts about cause and effect?’ The way ánanda is now thinking, the four elements can be found mixed in all things. If the natures of the four elements were permanent then they could not combine with other elements, just in the same way that empty space and solid form cannot mix. Life will eventually come to an end. Death will eventually lead to rebirth, and that rebirth will lead to death like the circle of flame that is produced when a torch is spun in a circle. It is like Ice that becomes water, and then freezes again later. ánanda’s point of view is that if all things are empty, then they come from emptiness. The Buddha tells him that if you were to destroy a speck of dust, you should then be able to bring it back from emptiness. If dust comes from emptiness in the sense that ánanda means, then enough emptiness mixed together would make a speck of dust. In the same way you should be able to take dust and transmute it into emptiness. However, when dust is massed together you get nothing but a pile of dust. You can never accumulate so much dust that it forms emptiness. It can be divided and added to like all material things. Emptiness is not like other phenomena; if you divide up emptiness and try to move it around, you might get some exercise but the emptiness would never change. A mass of emptiness could not exist. If we suppose for a moment that such a thing could be acquired, it could not ever make form, because there is no form in it. Things that manifest themselves in this world do so because of, and in compliance with karma. While causes and conditions are accountable for the existence of everything, those causes and conditions would not have been brought into play if you did not have the karma for it to happen. That is what the Buddha means when he talks about the incorrectness of spontaneity. The Buddha explains to ánanda that while the monks make up the Sangha, every one of them is a unique individual who bears his own past, his own name, and his own family. The Sangha is considered a single entity, even though it is composed of many people. Suppose a family desired to have a fire with which they could cook their supper with. To get this fire, they hold up a brass mirror so that the sun’s light is reflected onto the flammable tinder. Can you say where the fire comes from? Does it originate from the Tinder? The Mirror? The Sun? No. If fire came from the sun, then everything would burn up. If fire comes from the mirror, then why wouldn’t the mirror melt? If the fire came from the tinder, then why would there only be a fire when heat and light was reflected onto it? Even further still, the tinder comes from the ground, the mirror is held in your hands, and the sun lies high above our sky, so where does fire come from? Since the sun is so far away from the mirror and tinder, how could it ‘mix and unite’ with either of them, as ánanda has suggested? Where does fire come from? The Buddha states, "You still have not realized that in the Treasury of the Thus Come One the nature of fire is true emptiness, and the nature of emptiness is true fire. That fundamental purity pervades the Dharma Realm. Beings’ minds absorb it according to their capacity to know. "ánanda, you should know that fire can be generated anyplace where a mirror is held up to the sunlight. If mirrors were held up to the sunlight everywhere in the Dharma Realm, fire would be generated everywhere. Since fire can come forth throughout the whole world, can there be any fixed place to which it is confined?" The Buddha is trying to make ánanda understand that things do not happen spontaneously. Causes and conditions do not occur spontaneously, we are responsible for all of our actions. In the same manner as fire, water cannot come from the moon, or from space, any other single place. An alchemist cannot pull it from a crystal ball, nor can a magician summon it from nothing. Water has to come from the aggregates of water. Wind is the same way. Whenever wind is blowing hard you always dress warmer, when something is moving it can cause wind. If some ones robe were to brush past some one else’s face it would cause wind to hit the face. Does the wind come from the robe? Does it arise from emptiness? Perhaps it comes from the persons face. If the wind had arisen from the robe then it would be like wearing the wind, and the robe could be expected fly away from you. Does a robe do that? No. It is still when no wind is present, and it hangs down limply, therefore wind cannot come from the robe. If wind came from emptiness, why wouldn’t wind be constantly hurling us about? Since the nature of emptiness never changes, the wind would be constant as well. If it worked the other way around, then when wind stopped, emptiness would cease to exist. If wind is lacking we could tell, but how would one know if emptiness had vanished? If emptiness were to come and go like ordinary phenomena then it would no longer be emptiness. Also, once again, if emptiness were the cause of something, it would no longer be empty, because it would have to have the materials necessary to make wind. If this wind came from the face, then it would blow upon you as well. When you closely examine all of the materials involved with the wind, you will realize that they alone are not the cause. The robe caused a disturbance in the air around it, making the air fly into the other persons face. Without empty space to convey they air, and without a face to feel the air, then there would have been no wind to be felt. "The wind and emptiness cannot mix and unite, since they are different from each other. Nor could the wind exist spontaneously without an origin." In the treasury of the Buddha the nature of the elements is true emptiness, and the nature of emptiness is the true elements. Fire is emptiness and emptiness is fire. Water is emptiness and emptiness is water. Wind is emptiness and emptiness is wind. This fundamental truth pervades all things. Everything that manifests does so in total compliance with Karma. This is the message that the Buddha is trying to get through to ánanda. Then the Buddha begins to tell ánanda about the nature of emptiness. It has no shape, it is only apparent to us because of forms that reside in it. The Buddha uses the example of men digging wells. As they dig, emptiness takes the place of the dirt they have removed. As a square foot of earth is removed, a square foot of emptiness becomes evident. As ten square feet of earth are removed, ten feet of emptiness become evident. The depth of the emptiness corresponds to the amount of earth removed. Whence does this emptiness come? Does it exist because of the digging? Does it just come of itself? Did the dirt create it? If emptiness came of itself then it would have been evident before they started digging. If emptiness came about when the dirt was removed, then you should have saw it take the place of the dirt. As you dug you could see the dirt actively change places with the emptiness. If no such entering took place how could you say that emptiness came from the removal of dirt? In that case then there would be no difference between emptiness and dirt, and when you dug out dirt emptiness would also be removed. If emptiness appeared because of digging then digging would bring about emptiness not dirt. Then the Buddha highlights this point. He says that digging is an act from an individual, and that the dirt exists because it was removed from the ground. The digging and the emptiness, one being substantial and the other insubstantial, are not compatible. They do not mix and unite. Nor could emptiness exist spontaneously without an origin. The Buddha continues by saying, once again, that the nature of the five elements is emptiness, or the Treasury of the Thus Come One. The source of these elements is emptiness, and the nature of enlightenment is emptiness. The nature of emptiness is enlightenment. An empty well is filled with emptiness, and it is the same way with the rest of the universe. Since emptiness then fills the universe, how could there be any fixed place where it can be found? It doesn’t have a fixed position. It is empty. Just like this the seeing awareness cannot perceive sights alone. If it’s nature was not emptiness it could not exist. This seeing nature is aware of light and darkness. Is the seeing nature made of the same thing as darkness or of light? If the nature of the seeing awareness was darkness, then it would vanish in the light, and if it’s nature was of light it would evaporate in the dark. ánanda, suppose seeing shared a single substance with brightness, darkness, or emptiness, darkness and brightness cancel each other out. When it is dark, there is no light; when it is light, there is no darkness. If seeing were one with either of these two things how could you ever see anything? If, however, the seeing nature is separate from these two things, what form does the eye nature take? With the absence of light and darkness seeing would be like finding fur growing on a turtle shell. How could the seeing nature be one with light and darkness since they are opposites? Would they not cancel each other out? However, if the seeing nature was different from these things, how is it we can see them? Say that light comes from the sun and that darkness comes from the new moon. The penetration of light and darkness, the fact that it can travel to our eyes so we can see it, is given to emptiness. Solidity of form is given to earth. From which of these does the seeing nature arise. It does not come from any of these things. We are able to see because we are alive, because we have eyes, and because of light and darkness. If we were not alive eyes would do us no good. If there were no light and darkness what good would eyes be? If we had no eyes our seeing nature would have no purpose. The seeing nature arises from our mentality. Our mentality arises from karma. The nature of our consciousness is a false manifestation of the six sense organs and the objects they perceive. You can compare the things your eyes witness to something a mirror reflects, in that both of these things, the mirror and the eyes, are devoid of the ability to distinguish between objects. Your consciousness will attempt to identify what it is the eye sees, and in the case of failing to do so, it will attempt to make sense of the object. Consciousness does not arise spontaneously, it is not an illusion, and it does not come from the forms it perceives. Consciousness comes from karma. That is the message of this part of the Sutra: all things come from karma. Volume Four Part 1 Volume Four begins with Purnamaitreyaniputra (Purna) asking the Buddha to expound ‘the primary truth’. Why, if all physical phenomena are a part of the treasury of the thus come one, do all conditioned phenomena arise, live, and die cyclically? If the nature of earth is pervasive how could it contain water? If the nature of water is pervasive how could fire ever arise? Would not the existence of water pervading empty space and fire encompassing empty space displace each other? The nature of earth is solidity and the nature of emptiness is vacuum, so how could both of these saturate the world? What is this doctrine aiming at? The Buddha declared that Purna spoke of understanding enlightenment. ("Those who are like ánanda, although enlightened, have not yet ended their outflows of their habits.") Then he asked this question; does your nature understand these things, and is that called enlightenment, or does enlightenment fundamentally lack understanding, and is that why you speak of understanding it? Purna replied that if a lack of understanding could be called enlightenment then there could never be understanding. The Buddha said to Purna, if there were no understanding at all then an understanding of enlightenment would be impossible. If understanding is added, that could not be called enlightenment, but ignorance, or a lack of this understanding, cannot be said to be the nature of enlightenment. In short, the Buddha and Purna agree that ignorance couldn’t be enlightenment, or any aspect of it. We say that someone "realizes" enlightenment because people understand something about their nature that has always been present. If you were to "attain" enlightenment then that would imply that it is some kind of outside state, when in actuality enlightenment is one of our fundamental components. The Buddha stated, "The nature of enlightenment certainly includes understanding. It’s redundant to speak of understanding enlightenment." Then he went on to say that enlightenment is not understanding alone, because understanding sets an ‘objective realm’ or a visible point where you will know when enlightenment comes. Once you have set up such an ‘objective realm’ (such as, ‘If I realize emptiness I will be enlightened’) your false subjective state arises. This means that you have embraced a delusion. Where there was neither sameness nor difference, you have created difference. What differs from the different becomes ‘same’ and what differs from ‘same’ becomes different. Once these two, sameness and difference mutually arise they create something that is neither different nor the same. The Buddha calls this turmoil, and he says that it brings about weariness, which produces defilement, and the combination of defilement and weariness inside of this turmoil creates afflictions: this world that we live in is directly caused by this arising. ‘Sameness’ is emptiness and ‘difference’ is our world. That which is neither different or the same is called dharma. "The understanding added to enlightenment creates a light that stands in mutual opposition with the darkness of emptiness. As a result, wind wheels (a type of ancient Indian machinery) that support the world come into being." The Buddha begins to describe what brings a world into being. He states that the tension of the light against the darkness makes the machinery (wind wheel), which is responsible for our universe. He is saying that our false views have produced this world, causing it to come into being. The Buddha is giving the disciples a description of this process because of where they are in their understanding of reality. So far, they are still struggling with the common mental block of ‘There has to be a beginning’, so the Buddha is providing them with a description of this false beginning. In this description he answers Purna’s second question, about elements, specifically those that he considered to oppose one another (like fire and water), can exist together in this world. "The tension between emptiness and that light creates movement. The false, persistent light congeals into a solidity that becomes metal. A lack of enlightenment nurtures that persistence and causes metal wheels to secure all lands. Metal produces moisture, which causes flame to rise from the fire. Thus the wheel of water that encompasses all realms in the ten directions comes about. Fire rises and water falls, and the combination becomes tenacious. What is wet becomes the oceans and seas; what is dry becomes the continents and islands. Because of this, fire often rises up in the oceans, and on the continents the streams and rivers ever flow. The interaction of that false dichotomy in turn creates these elements as seeds and from these causes and conditions comes the continuity of the world." The Buddha tells Purna and the assembly that false understanding is nothing other than the mistake of adding understanding to enlightenment. Once again, Enlightenment is something you realize, not attain, or discover. So the false objective realm is established and the subjective understanding cannot surpass it. This is like saying sight does not go beyond form, and that hearing does not go beyond sound. For example, you have in your mind the idea ‘I will have attained enlightenment when I have understood emptiness,’ and so, your mind cannot go beyond that. If you think ‘There has to be a beginning for everything,’ then you can never see past this delusion. The Buddha explains to Purna that all things are brought about by Karma, not just phenomena, but emotions and actions as well. He explains that greed is the basis for all hatred and that emotional love is the basis of all attachment. All of these things come from adding Understanding to Enlightenment. Purna asked the Buddha "If this wonderful enlightenment, the wonderful awareness of fundamental enlightenment, which is neither greater than nor less than the mind of the Thus Come One, abruptly brings forth the mountains, the rivers, and the great earth, and all conditioned phenomena, then now that the Thus Come One has attained the wonderful emptiness of clear enlightenment, will the mountains, the rivers, the great earth, and all conditioned habitual outflows arise ever again?" The Buddha asked Purna, if a man lives in a village, and is confused about directions thinking that north was south and that south was north, would that confusion be the result of confusion itself, or of awareness? Purna tells the Buddha that confusion has no basis for existence because it arises from the negative karma of people. Confusion is a lack of understanding, and the only way to overcome confusion is to gain an understanding of whatever it is you are ignorant about. The Buddha tells us that confusion is not real, but anyone who has been in a state of confusion would be inclined to disagree. However, the Buddha is not saying confusion does not exist, he is saying that it is not a real thing because anything that has a basis in reality can be the direct cause for a disciple to have an understanding of truth. If some one were to point out this confused mans mistake, and he learned where the cardinal directions actually were, could he ever lose his direction in that village again? No. Shakyamuni tells Purna that the Buddhas are the same way. Confusion is a groundless concept, which is empty by nature. When the delusion about the two concepts of confusion and enlightenment is dispelled you will see clearly that there is no confusion, only enlightenment. Enlightenment does not give rise to confusion; it gives rise to clarity. Delusion gives rise to confusion, and confusion alone. The Buddha asks Purna to consider a man who has cataracts in his eyes and because of them sees flowers in space. Once the cataracts are removed the flowers will vanish. Suppose this man where to then rush to the point where he saw the flowers and wait for them to reappear. Would you consider him wise or stupid? Purna replied that since the flowers were the man’s delusion, and since their disappearance was also a delusion, to rush up and wait for them to reappear would be madness. Why would he bother to determine such a man’s wisdom or stupidity? The Buddha said in turn, ‘if you see it that way then why, Purna do you ask if the emptiness of enlightenment could once again give rise to mountains, rivers, and planets’. This question means, ‘Can a Buddha revert back to an ordinary human being?’ If you find a lump of ore that had gold in it, but then extract the gold, it will never be ore again. Also if you reduce wood to ashes, it can never become wood again. "The Bodhi and Nirvana of all the Buddhas… are the same way." ‘Purna’, the Buddha says, ‘You also asked whether the natures of water and fire would not destroy each other if the natures of earth, water, fire, and wind were all perfectly fused and pervaded the Dharma Realm, and whether space and the great earth would not be incompatible if both pervaded the Dharma Realm. The substance of space is not phenomena, and yet that does not prevent phenomena from being inside of it. You recognize space, and space appears. Recognizing earth, water, fire, and wind, each will appear. If all are recognized, all will appear’. ’How can they all appear? Purna, consider the sun’s reflection as it appears in a single body of water. Two people gaze at it, both at the same time. Then one person walks east and the other walks west. Each person, still looking at the water will see a sun go along with him, one to the east, one to the west, while there seems to be no fixed direction for the movement of the sun’s reflection.’ One sun obviously cannot be following both people, and there certainly are not two (visible) suns. There is no use in contemplating why there seems to be two suns. (The reason is that when both people look down, they see the sun’s light reflected back. To anyone at any point in the lake the sun will be visible because of the way the light reflects.) It is an illusion, like a flower that a man with cataracts sees hanging in space. There is no point in waiting for the flower to come back once the cause of the illusion is gone. The nature of everything is ultimately truth, and truth is founded solely on enlightenment. Fire and water have the same origins, so why could the two not exist together? So long as they are both phenomena that obey the rules of the universe then there is no reason that they can’t be contained in the same system, along with the rest of the elements. The "treasury of the thus come one" is the Buddha nature. It is not anything other than this. Then the Buddha lists the things that it is not. All of these things he lists, the various phenomena including the six sense organs, dharma, everything is dependent on emptiness, and the energy it is made of is identical to the energy that is the universe. He tells us this by going back and explaining that it is all of these things. The Treasury of the Thus Come One is the nature of all things. It is emptiness. It is our sense organs and it is the universe. Shakyamuni goes on to say that the Treasury of the Thus Come One is truth, that it is awareness of that truth! There are two kinds of truth, the relative, and absolute. The relative truth is the daily reality we experience, we have a body, and we live in a physical world. The absolute truth is that everything is dependent on causes and conditions. "How can beings in the three realms… make suppositions about the unsurpassed Bodhi of the Thus Come One with the minds that they know of, or enter the knowledge and vision of the Buddha through the medium of worldly language?" If an untrained man picks up a violin and begins to play it, horrible non-music sounds come from it. However, if some one who knows how to play the violin begins to play it, the sound that comes forth is beautiful. All beings are this way. They have in them this wonderful perfect enlightenment, (the music), but they are untrained and so cannot bring it out. If you do not seek to learn to play the instrument (of life), you will never be able to play music (live skillfully). You must want to uncover the Buddha nature that lies buried beneath your defilements. Then, just like a student with a violin you must practice hard, or else you will never master the instrument. Then Purna said to the Buddha, "My mind and the Thus Come One’s true wonderful pure mind are no different in their perfect precious enlightenment and complete understanding. But I have long been plagued with beginning-less false thoughts and have long endured the cycle of rebirth. As of yet my attainment in the sagely vehicle is not ultimate. The World Honored One has completely ended all falseness and attained wonderful eternal truth. I venture to ask the Thus Come One why all beings exist in falseness and conceal their own wonderful understanding, so that they keep drowning in this deluge?" The Buddha told him that, although beings can dispel their doubts, they still have not eliminated their delusions. The Buddha then relates a recent incident concerning a man who became enraged by staring at a distorted reflection of him-self in the mirror. The Buddha asks Purna to explain this mans actions. Purna replies the man is insane. What Purna does not realize is that this man is a perfect example of what we call normal human behavior. We are all running about in search things that we think will make us happy. In actuality these things we grasp after are the wrong things, they do not lead to happiness, they only lead to more suffering. The Buddha asked Purna how he could say that the wonderful bright perfection inside this man was false. If there is a reason, then how does he define false? All of our false thinking has become the cause for more. From confusion we accumulate confusion through eon after eon and although the Buddha is aware of it, he cannot counteract it. A man who realizes Bodhi is like one who awakens from a dream. Since his thinking is now clear, why would he grasp at the unreality of his dream? Once this madness we trap ourselves in ends, we enter a state called Bodhi. Only you can realize enlightenment, nobody else can save you but yourself. This is why you do not hear Buddhist Students say, ‘I am Enlightened’. There is nothing to attain. Then the Buddha says that we are like men who have a pearl sewn into our robe that is capable of granting all of our wishes. We roam the country begging for our sustenance, filthy and destitute. Then a wise man points out our possession of this pearl to us, and we can suddenly have anything we want. All this time we have been living a hellish life, even though we had this wonderful wish fulfilling pearl. Then ánanda enters the scene, and asks the Buddha why he rejects causes and conditions ‘all of a sudden’, saying that his own attainments have come about because of causes and conditions. "Now you say that Bodhi does not come from causes and conditions. That would make the spontaneity that Maskari Goshaliputra and others advocated in Rajagriha the primary meaning!" The Buddha tells ánanda to consider again the case of the man who went insane while looking at his reflection in the mirror. That man did not lose his head like he had believed, and should the causes and conditions for his madness cease he will become sane again. His head never once went missing, so why then would he run and go mad from fear that his head had vanished? His fear and madness arose from falseness, and we can never truly know what the causes and conditions were that made him go mad, so what it the use of talking of them? If this madness had been a natural state of mind, and it would merely would have been latent inside of him. Before he went mad, when this insanity was still latent, where was his madness hidden? If the madness is not a natural state (thus making madness an impossibility), his head would have in fact gone missing, then he would not be mad, his head would be lost and he would merely be in a state of panic until such time as he was calmed down, or his head was retrieved. If he had realized that his head was still with him and then saw the insanity of his tantrum, then both the spontaneity and the causes and conditions would become ‘idle theories’. He would realize what was wrong, his Bodhi Mind would be manifesting and he would see the truth, and there would be no reason to run about like a mad man. Nothing can be spontaneous. Spontaneity implies that there can be an effect without a cause; it is like saying that for absolutely no reason a rabbit was just mystically created from a hat. If you claimed to have seen a mystically created rabbit that was born from effects that have no cause, then people would likely think you were insane, deceived, or a liar. If you abandon the concept of spontaneous events (or ‘magical thinking’), then it will die because it is a concept founded on impossibilities. Part four ends with the Buddha telling ánanda that one single day of correct practice is more valuable than eons worth of isolated study. Volume Four, Part 2 Part Two begins with ánanda telling the Buddha that he understands, and begging him not to let any one else in the assembly misunderstand. The Buddha proclaims that all of the disciples in this assembly have already resolved to attain Bodhi, and he urges them not to grow weary along the path. Then he tells them that that they must understand and put into practice the two absolutes if they want to realize the ultimate wisdom. The first absolute is determining if ‘the cause-ground’ is any different from ‘the fruition ground’, or in easier terms, is the path of the voice hearer any different from the Bodhisattva. There is no more work involved for either the voice hearer or the Bodhisattva student; the difference is their ultimate goal. The voice hearer wants to attain the state of never returning, he wants liberation for himself, the freedom of personal nirvana, while the Bodhisattva wants all beings everywhere to realize enlightenment. The Buddha tells ánanda that, because of this, it is impossible to cultivate your mind while you are on ‘the cause-ground’, or while you are a voice-hearer. "For this reason, you should realize that all composite dharmas belonging to the material world will decay and disappear." ‘ánanda, What dharmas will not wear out?’ ánanda replies that he has never heard of empty space decaying or dying; space cannot die because it is not composed of physical matter. Is the emptiness of ten millennia ago identical to the emptiness of today? Emptiness cannot be changed because it is the lack of any physical presence. ánanda’s thinking is not flexible enough, and he is putting things into rigid categories. Dharma is emptiness; emptiness cannot change, ergo Dharma cannot change. The Buddha reminds ánanda that our bodies are tied to the world by the four elements, and because of this our minds are divided into the sense organs. "From [the bodies] beginning to [the bodies] end you are immersed in the five layers of turbidity." Then the Buddha explains what he means by turbidity (turmoil). Take, as an example, pure water. If you look at it, you see that it is not a solid mass. However, if you take dirt and throw it in, it loses its clarity, and you can no longer see through it, at least until the sediment settles. The Buddha tells us that the resulting opaqueness caused by the dirt is similar to the five layers of turbidity. The first layer is the Turbidity of Time. We know that space pervades the Universe, and yet there is no visual indication that it exists. The only reason we can see into space is because there are objects out there for us to see, and there is a person to do the seeing. It is because we see things improperly that we become entangled in this first layer. The second layer is the Turbidity of Views. The body is composed of the four elements, and from them the six senses are defined. The four element-senses will then fluctuate from sensation to thought and back again, causing false views as we place things improperly into categories. The third layer is the Turbidity of Afflictions. From your mind come the functions of memory, discrimination, and verbal comprehension, and these bring into existence knowledge and views. Knowledge and views spawn the six defiling objects, which without the consciousness would lack attributes. Without cognition objects would have no false nature. "Day and night there is endless arising and ceasing as your knowledge and views continually wish to remain in the world, while your karmic patterns constantly move you to various places. This entanglement becomes falseness, which is the fourth layer, called the Turbidity of Living Beings." The fifth layer is the Turbidity of a Life Span. Your sense organs used to be of a single nature, but with the vast number of defiling objects, they have been divided so that now they have differences. The natures of our sense organs all have mutual awareness’s, but their functions are now in opposition, (eyes can’t hear, ears can’t see, etc). Emptiness and form become entangled, and we think of them as two different things despite the fact that they have the same origin (emptiness). We use emptiness to define form, and we use form to define emptiness but this view is false. "ánanda, you now want to cause your seeing, hearing, sensation, and cognition to return to and tally with the eternity, bliss, true self, and purity of the Thus Come One." To do this you must first rely on the Buddha Wisdom within you to discover what it is that causes people to be born over and over again in a state of suffering. With this Buddha Wisdom you will realize that what you have called birth and death, or arising and falling, is not really what it seems. You do not ‘arise’ because that would mean you are coming from someplace, and you do not ‘fall’ because that means you would be returning somewhere. It is a cycle of birth and death, and you cannot escape it to somewhere outside of system; you can however stop suffering within this vicious cycle and live in the state of Nirvana. If you do this then you will realize the wisdom of Bodhi and to see the fruit of this effort in your life. The Sutra says that it is like taking the muddy water that represents our life and watching all the dirt and sediment sink to the bottom. The ultimate goal in this case would be the complete removal of the impurities in our lives. The Second Absolute is that you renounce improper attachment to all conditioned phenomena. You should carefully consider the origin of afflictions: who creates and who endures the beginning-less creation of karma and perpetual rebirth? If you do not reflect on the origin of your personal afflictions then you will not see that they come from improper understanding of conditioned phenomena. The sutra says that it would be like trying to untie a knot that you have never seen while in total darkness. Continuing his argument ánanda replies that he has never heard of anyone having to unbind empty space, because there is nothing to untie. The Buddha tells him that his sense organs are like six thieves who seek only to plunder his household. Would you trust the word of six armed men who broke into your house? If they assured you that they were just passing through, and that they were not going to rob you or hurt you, would you even for a second consider not calling the police? The Buddha explains that the efficiency our six senses can be measured. The eyes cannot see anything but what is in front of them, leaving what is behind us, and sometimes to the sides, so it is a shallow sense organ. The ears can hear anything, whether it comes from above, below, from back or front, and from the sides, so it is a more efficient organ. The Nose can smell things only when it is used as a tool for breathing, so it is a shallow organ. The tongue is capable of speaking any language, and is only limited by the person using it, so it is a non-shallow organ. The Body is only aware of things that come into direct contact with it, so our skin is a shallow sense organ. The mind is the least shallow of all; there is nothing it cannot grasp with sufficient effort. If you wish to free yourself from improper attachment you must consider which of your senses are shallow and which are deep. The other senses are imperfect, so to attain enlightenment you must realize that the deepest of all your senses is the Mind. If you purify your mind then your senses will become pure, or as the Sutra says: "Enter one without falseness, and the six sense-organs will be simultaneously pure." ánanda asked the Buddha how they would go about entering the door of wisdom purifying their mind thus cleansing the six sense organs. He responded by saying, ‘You have already realized the level of Srotaapanna so you have already put an end to your delusions, but you cannot see that your senses have accumulated habits so numerous that they cannot be counted. You must sever these habits, ánanda, and you must sever them by way of cultivating the senses.’ ‘Think about your senses for a moment; are they one single sense, or six separate senses? They could not be one single sense, or your eyes would be able to hear and your ears could detect scent. Yet, if they are six separate organs, which of them is receiving this teaching?’ ánanda replied ‘My ears receive your teaching because my ears are the only sense I have that can hear sounds.’ ‘Your ears can hear by themselves then, ánanda? Pray tell me what that could possibly have to do with the body and mouth. You ask about the principles I expound with my mouth, and your body puts them into practice, and displays veneration for receiving the teaching as well.’ ‘Therefore you should know that if your senses are not one, they must be six, and if they not six, then they must be one. I say to you that these sense organs are all different facets of the same design. It is only through your confused way of thinking carried over from time without beginning that you do not realize this.’ If you were to take six containers, you could say that they were filled with emptiness. If these containers are all shaped differently, then you could also say that the emptiness would change to fit the vessels. However, were you to dispose of the vessels or fill them so that there was no emptiness in them, you could not say that in any way the emptiness had been altered. You also cannot say that the emptiness in one container was different from the emptiness in another. It is the same way with your sense organs. It is their job to sense things and they have developed individual consciousnesses and habits. Because you have been manifested in a body that possesses eyes you have an eye consciousness and can see. However, were you to die and be reborn as a being that had no use for eyes, the substance of your eye consciousness would divert to some other sense. While the eye is limited to what it can do, it is a part of one vast and pure consciousness. However, these organs are clouded with defilements because of causes we have made in the past, and the information you receive from them is distorted. Because of our bad karma our senses are very limited in what they can accomplish. Only when we have purified our senses will they become clairvoyant. ánanda stated that the Buddha’s present teaching was contradictory and could lead one into confusing circles of reasoning. He said, "Then my comparisons become circular, and no matter how carefully I search, there seems to be no such thing as my mind or what pertains to it. Just what should be used to seek the Unsurpassed Enlightenment?" The Buddha replied, "Lest your sincerity and faith remain insufficient, I will try to make use of an ordinary event to dispel your doubts." The Buddha told Rahula to strike the bell, and then he asked ánanda if he could hear the noise it made. The entire assembly replied that they could indeed hear the bell. When it stopped resounding the Buddha asked them if they could still hear it, and they relied that they could not. Then he had Rahula strike the bell once again, and he asked if there was a sound. They replied that there was. When the bell became still the Buddha asked them again in there was a sound and they responded ’there is no sound’. The Buddha then asked ánanda, ‘what do you mean by sound and no sound?’ ánanda and the assembly told the Buddha that when the bell is struck it emits a sound, and when the bell is left alone no sound comes forth. The Buddha asked them why they were being inconsistent with their view on this, and the assembly lapsed into confusion. Shakyamuni told them, "When I asked if it was your hearing, you said it was your hearing. Then, when I asked you if it was sound, you said it was sound. I cannot ascertain from your answers if it is hearing or if it is sound. How can you not say that is inconsistent?" ‘ánanda when the sound was gone you told me that there was no hearing, but if this was the case your hearing nature would cease to exist. The hearing nature being dead, how could you ever hear the bell again?’ The sound is fooling your hearing nature by making you think that the hearing nature comes and then goes away. Your hearing nature does not turn on and off when sound arises, it is the sound that comes and goes. If your hearing nature does not hear anything for a few moments, it will invent imaginary sounds, which is solid evidence that it does not come and go like sounds do. Even when a man is asleep his hearing does not go away. If he hears something while dreaming, he might mistake it for something else. In his dream, the person hears the sound of beating and pounding and takes it for something else, perhaps for the striking of a drum or the ringing of a bell. In his dream he wonders why the bell sounds like stone or wood. Suddenly he awakens and immediately recognizes the sound of pounding. He tells the members of his household, ‘I was just having a dream in which I mistook the sound of pounding for the sound of a drum.’ Although his physical body is asleep, his hearing nature is still alert. Even if your physical body were to die, the energy that you and your sense organs are made of would not perish. However, because beings, from the beginning-less time, have chased after sensory pleasures, following those wherever they lead, they have not realized their pure and eternal nature. Following these sensory pleasures leads us only to defilement. ánanda tells the Buddha that the knot of suffering that we all strive to untie is complicated, and that if the center is not found there is no chance of untying it. ánanda says that, "From time without beginning we have been accompanied in birth and death by ignorance." Then ánanda tells the Buddha that the explanation of these two absolutes will enable him, and future beings to escape the suffering of cyclical existence. The Buddha tells ánanda that it is good that he wishes to recognize and eliminate the ignorance, which causes him to be born in hellish circumstances life after life. The knot of birth and death is made of our six sense organs. To realize the unsurpassed wisdom, which will directly lead to bliss and liberation, you must purify the senses. The Buddha closes this section, and begins the next by repeating this teaching in verse form. Volume Five, Part One The first part of volume five has a theme based on a single question, which is directed towards the entire assembly: ‘What expedient, teaching, or experience helped you attain samádhi?’ The volume opens with ánanda asking the Buddha to further explain the meaning of ‘untying the knot of birth and death’ and purifying the six senses. In response the Buddha took a piece of fine cloth and tied into it a knot, then asked the entire assembly what it was. They replied that it was a knot. Again he tied a knot into the cloth, and posed the same question, at which point he was told that there were two knots. This process was repeated until there were a total of six knots tied into the cloth. When the disciples reported the presence of the six knots the Buddha demonstrated that it was merely a single strip of cloth, and asked how they claim that it was more than one object. ánanda replies that each individual tie the Buddha put into the cloth was called a knot, so that if there were a hundred ties, they could be called one hundred knots. Then he asked the Buddha why he was only supposed to look at it as a single object. Here, ánanda has misunderstood the Buddha’s meaning. The Buddha points out that the cloth is only one single strip, ‘but when six ties are put into it you say it is six knots. If you examine the cloth you can easily discern that it is singular, and yet you say it is six knots. The first knot that I tied you would call number one. Would the last knot also be called the first knot?’ ánanda replies that only one knot on that piece of cloth could be called the first, and that you could not have six ‘first’ knots. The Buddha points out that they are not identical knots. The cloth is a single entity with six separate knots in it. The assembly believes that this single piece of cloth has turned from one into many, but this is not the case. The knots are made of the cloth. To assert that the presence of knots in the cloth some how magically changes it from one into several is illogical. The sense organs are the same way; they are like six individual knots in a single piece of cloth. You can’t say that your senses are the same, but, like the knots, they are all a part of the same system. Then the Buddha asked ánanda what he would do if he would rather have one single unified cloth instead of six knots. ánanda replies that so long as the six senses continue, and people remain ignorant, these false distinctions will be made. People will say this is touch, not sight, or this is smell and not hearing. They fail to realize that these things are all perception. The Buddha has been saying that categories are false distinctions. The six senses (or six knots), when viewed correctly, become the single cloth of perception. The Buddha points out, however, that when you view perception itself correctly even that disappears because perception is dependent, and therefore empty. Because the mind has been severely unsettled by bad causes the view from the input of the sense organs is seen as being separate things. This unsettling has caused false and evil views, and the mind becomes lazy. (If your eyes get tired and you force them to remain open, images will manifest in the space around you. These images are not real, and if you let your eyes rest they go away and your vision will be clear again. In the same way, your delusions arise from the weariness of your mind.) ánanda asked the Buddha how they could untie these ‘sense knots’. To reply, Shakyamuni tugged on the left end of the knotted cloth, and asked ánanda if it could be untied in this manner. The answer was no. Then he tried the same thing with the other side of the cloth, and asked the same question. The answer was still no. ánanda told him that the only way to remove them was by pulling from the center. The Buddha said to ánanda, "So it is, so it is. If you want to undo them, you have to untie them from the center." This Dharma that the Buddha is teaching also comes from causes meeting the proper conditions. Shakyamuni understood all dharmas, and what causes and conditions were required for them to be brought into being. When the Buddha states that he understands, ‘why the crow is black and why the goose is white’, he is telling us that he understands the way to world works. Pick any of the sense organs you like; if its defiling object is removed by viewing it through the prism of wisdom then the ‘falseness’ that engulfs it will vanish. If what remains after the impurities have been removed is not the truth, then what is? Can these six ‘sense knots’ that have been tied into this cloth all be untied simultaneously? ánanda tells the Buddha that this is impossible. Since all the knots were made in sequence they must in turn be untied one by one. There is no way to untie them all at once. The Buddha explains to ánanda that it is the very same way with the sense organs. As the sense organs become purified "one realizes the emptiness of people first." The Buddha is saying that it is easier to realize that people are empty and that only later can you fully understand that all phenomena are exactly the same, when you completely realize emptiness then all suffering ceases. Upon hearing the Buddhas words ánanda and the entire assembly understood this teaching. At this point Shakyamuni turns to the students who had attained high realizations and asks them, ‘When you first became enlightened through my instruction which expedient teaching helped you to attain samádhi?’ Annasi Kaundinya as well as the rest of the original five monks arose from their seats. Kaundinya told the Buddha that, for him, it was the teaching on the Four Noble truths. Kaundinya was the first monk to understand this teaching and that is why he was given the name ‘Annasi’. He realized the teaching by hearing the Buddha’s voice and adds that it was through sound that he became an Arhat. The importance of sound should not be passed over lightly. Earlier in the sutra you will recall that the Buddha declared that our ears are second only to our mind when it comes to attaining realizations. As you study the sutras you will encounter the Buddha’s repeated emphasis on the importance of sound as a way of attaining these higher realizations. When Annasi has finished his statement, he proclaims that sound is the foremost means of attaining realizations. The monk named ‘Exalted By Fragrance’ stood up, and told the Buddha that he entered Samádhi because the Buddha taught him how to contemplate conditioned phenomena. He told the Buddha that he attained the ‘absence of outflows’ because of a realization, which occurred while contemplating a burning incense offering. (Hence the name ‘Exalted By Fragrance’.) Then he states that the foremost means of attaining realizations is through the nose. Then ‘Medicine King’ and ‘Superior Medicine’ as well as five hundred Brahma gods in the assembly arose from their seats and said to the Buddha, "From beginning-less eons until now, we have been good doctors for the world. Our mouths have tasted many herbs, wood, metals, and stones of the Saha world, a hundred and eight thousand flavors." ‘While we have been the Buddha’s students we have come to know that the nature of all the various phenomena’s in this world are empty. We have attained the Bodhisattva level because we have understood and purified our taste organs.’ Bhadrapala and sixteen others, who were his companions, then arose from their seats in the assembly. Bhadrapala informs the Buddha that he became a Bodhisattva because of a realization he had while bathing. "Once, when it was time for the Sangha to bathe, I followed the custom and entered the bathhouse. Suddenly I awakened to the fact that water does not wash away the dust, nor does it cleanse the body and in that moment I became peaceful and attained the state of there being nothing at all." Bhadrapala finished by stating that the Body is the foremost tool to use to gain realizations. Mahakashyapa in turn states that he attained Arhat-ship through mental comprehension of the dharma. He told the Buddha and the assembly that the mind was the foremost tool to attain realizations with. Aniruddha arose from his seat and stated that he attained Arhat-ship by perceiving all pervading clarity, or the ceasing of delusions about conditioned phenomena. Aniruddha felt that this clarity was the foremost path that leads to higher spiritual realizations. Kshudrapanthaka stated that he attained Arhat-ship through the removal of mental blocks and that the removal of these obstructions was the best way to attain realizations. Many other disciples, some historical and some phantasmal, rise from their seats to deliver speeches about the best way to attain spiritual growth. They all have a different teaching that they used to attain realizations, and they each claim that theirs is the best possible path to follow. Maitreya Bodhisattva relates his experience; he states that in a past life, he was under the tutelage of a Buddha called ‘Light of the Sun, Moon, and Lamp’. Even though he had left the home life, he was still attached to worldly fame, until the Buddha taught him the Samádhi of "Consciousness-Only Concentration." From the time he understood this teaching up until the present moment he has never been concerned with petty politics or material possessions. Then he states that the foremost means of acquiring realizations is through the samádhi of "Consciousness-Only Concentration." Finally, ‘The Dharma Prince Great Strength’ spoke, saying that the foremost means of attaining realizations was the cultivation of the sensory organs through mindfulness, as that is the central ingredient necessary for attaining Nirvana. These various practices that the bodhisattvas are describing are the knots in the cloth. They have failed to understand that these practices are all a part of the same thing. They all attained the same level of realization, and they attribute this newfound wisdom to the teaching that benefited their human development. However, these knots are all part of the same system and no single practice is any better then another, the ‘best practice’ for any student is the one that works for them. Volume Five, Part Two Part two of volume 5 starts by telling us that if we remember and are mindful of the Buddha then we will see him now and in future lives. Keeping the Buddha in mind and remembering him means that we should be aware of our actions and make sure we are not going against the teachings found in the dharma. If we do this, then our Buddha nature will manifest itself, and we will see the Buddha in ourselves, and even more importantly in all the beings around us. Also, by being in accord with the teachings you are making the cause to be (eventually) reborn in the lifetime of a Buddha. The next line states that just by being near a Buddha, people can and will awaken by themselves, even without him teaching them. The Sutra tells us that it is like a person who puts on cologne or perfume. Wherever he goes people are aware of the scent he carries with him. People who are near a Buddha would be able to feel the good energy he is constantly putting into the environment. A Buddha can teach someone without words, because we are a visual species, so often times it takes a visual example for us to learn something. It is after this last statement was made, that the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Contemplator of the Worlds Sounds) gets up from his seat, and addresses the Buddha saying that he used to serve a Buddha who carried the same title: "Contemplator of the Worlds Sounds." This Buddha, he tells us, taught him to enter Samádhi "through a process of hearing and reflecting." It was through this teaching that Bodhisattva attained "the two supreme states." Those two states are the compassion equal to that of the Buddhas which he attained by uniting with the true law, and having compassion for all being everywhere, not just a selected few. Avalokiteshvara states that because of offerings he made to his teacher (who in this case was the Buddha "Contemplator of Sounds"), he received from him a teaching on emptiness; because he had a realization on this teaching he developed a much greater state of compassion and understood the concept of the ten worlds (or he "entered all lands") Avalokiteshvara at this point makes a vow to the Buddha that if a bodhisattva enters a state of ‘"samádhi’’ then this will cause them to spiritually progress and display "superior understanding," at that time he will appear before them and teach them dharma that will lead them to liberation. This does not mean that Avalokiteshvara will magically appear in your life and personally instruct you but it does mean that when you reach the proper state of spiritual development these teachings will become available to you. His vow continues, now including Pratyekabuddhas; he will appear to them as another Pratyekabuddha and teach them dharma that will cause them to attain liberation. If the practitioner is an arahant he will appear to them as a fellow ‘voice hearer’ and also teach them the path to liberation. The next part of the vow is encouraging to people like most of us in the world today. I am not sure that I am a bodhisattva, Pratyekabuddha or even an arahant, but I do know that I have good intentions and that I do work hard to spread the dharma. So when Avalokiteshvara promises to appear in the form of some upstanding individual (or Brahma King) to teach us dharma, I realize that it is the spirit of Avalokiteshvara who appears as the friends and neighbors that make available texts or instruct us. There are other individuals in the world who have not developed so far as to even raise the aspiration for enlightenment. These beings long to be reborn in some heavenly realm. Avalokiteshvara’s vow includes these individuals because he will appear to them and help them to accomplish their goal. From this point on this lengthy vow in essence promises to deliver aid to anybody who needs it, provided they have a good heart, and are trying to develop themselves as a human being. Avalokiteshvara then addresses the Buddha saying that it was because of the strength of this samádhi, which he developed by following the teachings that he was given, that he developed a kind hearted empathy for all beings, especially for those in the six lower paths. It was because he followed these teachings that he increased his physical and mental abilities to a high degree. He uses these abilities to help people attain the virtue that comes from spiritual development. This samádhi was attained because (1) he did not contemplate the sounds themselves but rather focused on the person doing the contemplating. You can end your suffering and distress by doing the same thing. (2&3) He turned his vision inward and realized that the person causing him to suffer was himself. You can keep from being "Burned" by this same suffering by turning your vision inward. (4) He removed the false belief that a 'self' existed and so he lost all thoughts of killing or harming others. You can make a determination to do the same and if you do you will be free from all harm. (5) Since he has attained these realizations there is no such thing as really being wounded or really having people attack you. In other words if you are attacked, it is because you made the cause to be attacked. If you don’t make the cause to be attacked then you can’t be assaulted, no matter what the circumstances. (6) These realizations have caused Avalokiteshvara to perceive his essential energy, and to understand that this same energy permeates the entire universe. When you realize the same thing then you will be safe from the lower realms that he mentions here. He gives the example of yakshas, garudas, and so on, which we already know represent the lower worlds. (7) His realization has led him to understand the nature of sense objects, which frees him from craving for them. If you follow this same path, you too will be free from the locks and chains of this defilement. (8) This realization has also caused him to develop immense compassion for others. When you reach that level of development, you realize that there is no such thing as personal property, because everything is transient; personal property becomes illusory; "T’was mine, `tis his, and has been slave to thousands." (9) By having this understanding you are no longer a slave to objects, or any kind of form. Under these circumstances it is easy "to leave greed and desire far behind" (10) Please realize that you are pure and that objects do not have to defile us if we are free from improper craving and desires. When you realize your inherent purity you will be free from rage and hatred. (11) Having this level of realization will open your intellect and you will be free "from stupidity and (inner) darkness" (12) Achieving this level of understanding means that your heart and mind is free from anger so that you do not disturb other beings. This means that you can interact successfully with anyone. You realize that you are not just ‘suitable for hauling dung’ you really are the Buddha! (See chapter 4 of "The Lotus Sutra") Everywhere you go you teach dharma to people and since your mind is free from hatred and anger you can go anywhere. The dharma you teach to others takes root and you produce "meritorious, virtuous, and wise sons." (13) When you have purified your senses you will not see things as separate from each other. If there are objects that you have misconceptions about, then the misconceptions will vanish. When you have realized emptiness you will understand that all beings are the same, and inherently there are no differences to be found in sentient life forms. (14) An enlightened being will always cultivate the dharma, and expound the dharma through his or her speech and actions. They way they expound the dharma will differ for every type of person. By upholding the ideals of Avalokiteshvara you can obtain more merit than an individual who paid homage to tens of thousands of Buddhas. Anywhere you see a Buddhist text talking about upholding the name of Avalokiteshvara, that is what it means. His name translates as, "Perceiver of the Worlds Cries", and by upholding his name; we too can hear the cries of our fellow living beings and help them out of the endless loop of suffering. To ‘uphold’ the name of Avalokiteshvara means to perceive things as they really are, and this will lead you to develop the loving heart. Avalokiteshvara states that his name has the same merit as the names of all the other dharma princes put together because his teaching is based on the very highest form of bodhisattva training. As I said, this training will teach you to perceive reality correctly, and that will lead you to develop the loving heart because you will realize that there isn’t any difference between you and every other being in the universe. We all have compassion for ourselves. This training teaches us to develop that same compassion for others because we can see that all beings are in the same situation, we all want as much happiness as we can get, and we don’t want suffering of any kind. The Samádhi Avalokiteshvara is teaching came to be called "The Fourteen Powers of Bestowing Fearlessness." Over the centuries the people who uphold the ideals of Avalokiteshvara have lived lives free from fear. Avalokiteshvara also states that he has "four inconceivable and effortless wonderful virtues." The first of these virtues is the ability to teach and assist many people at once. When he states that he can appear with multiple heads, it means that while teaching the dharma he can reach everyone who is listening. There would not be one person in the audience who could not grasp his meaning; he would make sure of that. The multiple arms indicate the desire and willingness to help anyone he can. The second of these powers is the ability to not be hindered by obstacles. He will be in the position to help any one, and no physical or karmic barriers will be able to stop him. The third power is to be able inspire beings to dedicate their life to spreading and expounding the dharma. This means that beings that uphold the values of Avalokiteshvara will give up doing trivial things when they have an opportunity to help some one. The fourth power is the power of prayer. If an upholder of Avalokiteshvara’s ideals makes a prayer, that prayer’s conditions will be met (assuming it is within the boundaries of reality). Then the Buddha emitted light from his body, and when it had shone upon the Buddhas in other, distant lands, they too emitted light and the entire universe was illuminated. This means that the truths being taught are universal and apply to all beings everywhere. At this point in the text the Buddha said to the bodhisattva Manjushri, ‘Think on these 25 great Bodhisattvas (see previous section). They have all explained their accomplishments on the way to Bodhisattva-hood, and each one states that he has reached perfect penetration of the truth. Now I wish for ánanda to attain enlightenment, and so I ask which of these 25 expedients will suit him the best, as well as all other living beings who seek enlightenment after my death.’ In response, Manjushri gets up from his seat, and expounds, in verse form, a simplified version of what has been stated in the last few parts of the Sutra before answering the question. The answer that Manjushri finally gives is, "The best way is to contemplate the sounds of the world." To "contemplate the sounds of the world" means that correct practice leads to the correct perception of reality. This perception leads to the development of intense compassion; which for the purpose of this study, I am calling the loving heart. Part Six Part six begins with ánanda speaking of the Bodhisattva vow and realizing how admirable it is to want to save all other beings. At this point ánanda vows to save all other beings in the universe before he has himself attained liberation. Then he asks what method he should use to actually free all beings from "the morass of the final age." The Buddha praises ánanda for his desire to free beings from suffering and states that there are three aspects to the cultivation of Bodhisattva: collecting your thoughts from the Precepts, collecting the Precepts from samádhi, and collecting samádhi from wisdom. The Buddha tells ánanda that it does not matter how many teachings he can memorize or how many verses he can recite. In the Latter Age (or Latter Day Of The Law) there will be people who pretend to represent something noble so that they may gain followers. They too will memorize the teachings, but they will warp their meaning for their own foul purposes. You must resolve therefore to follow the teachings in the spirit in which they were given and you must resolve not to commit evil actions. For people to cultivate Samádhi they must first conquer lust. The Buddha tells us that if we try to cultivate Samádhi without conquering lust, it will be like trying to get steamed rice from sand. No matter how long you cook the sand, you will never get rice. Samádhi is the same way. You cannot cultivate it if you cannot control your thoughts. The Buddha finishes by saying that this is his teaching, and any teaching that goes counter to it, is the teaching of a demon. The Buddha further explains to ánanda that if people in the lower six paths of existence (or the lower six worlds) did not have thoughts of killing and harming others, then they could be liberated. Thoughts of killing lead to the action of killing and the action of killing ensures that you will be killed. The Buddha then tells ánanda that beings who steal cannot attain liberation. If you steal, you make the cause to become the future victim of a thief. People who try to develop samádhi while still engaging in thievery will not attain bliss. They will become people who disparage true Buddhism, and who trick people into giving them things for false teachings that lead only to more suffering. Although people may refrain from all of these things, the Buddha tells us that if they tell lies then the samádhi they enter will not be pure. In future lives they will claim to have attained what they have not, and trick people into thinking they are Great Beings when they are merely great fools. The Buddha tells ánanda that he has begun to explain about cultivating one’s thoughts. To enter into samádhi one must be "as pure as glistening frost." You must maintain the four rules of proper deportment, keeping free of the three evils of the mind and the one great evil of the mouth. If one is mindful of these matters and does not neglect them, and if one does not out of attachment pursue physical pleasures then ‘demonic’ desires will not arise. If a person cannot put these things behind him, the Buddha suggests that we teach him to single-mindedly chant a mantra. He begins to explain to us the value of the Shurangama Mantra, saying that even the prostitute who tried to defile ánanda was benefited from the reciting of it. She will become an arahant in her next life, and will have given up her thoughts of lust. If, through one recitation of this mantra, someone who has no interest in developing spiritually can attain arahant-ship, how much better will it work for someone who is devoted to self-perfection? For them, the Buddha says that it is as ‘simple as throwing dust into a favorable wind.’ In the First Dharma Age, Hinayana (Theravada is the last remaining School of Hinayana) Buddhism prevailed; these monastic Schools taught that the highest form of practice was to live up to the set of moral Precepts taught by the Buddha. This is where they were in their personal spiritual development. What really marks the three periods of the Law is the type of minds that are born into them. Hinayana Buddhism was a huge movement, with a large number of different Schools. Their emphasis was on monks whose only goal was to attain what they considered personal liberation; the only way that a layperson could attain merit was to support the monks. Also, any monk who broke one of the major Precepts was forced to disrobe. As Buddhism evolved into the Middle Period of the Law, the Hinayana School all but vanished, as people were becoming more interested in personal salvation. Supporting the monks and their practice was fine, but the laypeople wanted something that would improve their life as well. The Monastic Precepts were still very important in this period, but it had become clear that they were empty; and that there was a higher truth beyond just practicing correct morality. Monks in this period who broke a major Precept were able to repent, and remain in the Spiritual Order they belonged to. In the Final Age monastic Precepts have no value because "The Lotus Sutra" will be transmitted by the common people of the age. Nichiren states; "One should give alms to those without Precepts, treating them in the same way as if they were the Buddha." ("Teaching, Capacity, Time and Country"). People in the final Dharma age, our age, must be able to uphold a moral way of life and cut off lust. All throughout the sutra the Buddha explains to us the importance of upholding the Precepts and even the people of this final age must practice correct morality if they are to progress spiritually. These people in the final age should keep themselves well groomed and easy to look at, as well as attractive smelling. They should also recite mantras every day. They should also be compassionate and caring for everyone. The Buddha vows to ánanda that if any person in the final age upholds virtue and purity in this manner for a period of three weeks, he will appear before them and comfort them. This does not mean that the Buddha will materialize before your eyes; it means that your practice will be supported, because positive forces start to gather around you when you work to develop a loving heart. You will be able to see the effect of serious practice manifest as positive results in your life. ánanda tells the Buddha that he can see how one can do these things in the present age, but he wonders how people will accomplish the attainment of wisdom in the ages to come when there is no Buddha to instruct them. Starting with the passage "The Buddha said to ánanda, "If there are people in the Dharma-ending age who wish to establish a Way-place…" we are given a glimpse into the future of Buddhist practice and its inevitable evolution. The passages describe the Gohonzon as the future object of worship and predict the presence of Bodhisattva "Superior Practices" or Nichiren Daishonin. In simpler terms, the message here is that if you purify your thoughts and actions, eliminate the negativities in your life, and practice correctly you will see Buddhas all around you. To see Buddhas in your life means that you will see your Buddha Nature, and that you will recognize the Buddha nature in all the beings around you. ánanda tells the Buddha that because he has concentrated on memorizing the teachings instead of practicing them he has still not attained mental peace. It is because of this that ánanda did not have the strength to overcome his lust earlier in the sutra. The Buddha tells the assembly that Mantra recitation has a special quality, making it one of the most valuable forms of mindfulness meditation. It is through mantras that the Buddhas attained enlightenment, and it is also our key to attaining enlightenment. Anyone can attain realizations through proper mantra recitation. The Buddha lists all the various benefits of mantra recitation. Chanting mantras can open the floodgates of wisdom to the Dharmakaya. It is the highest practice that one can possibly engage in, because it utilizes all of the senses, and develops your concentration. It helps people to stay mindful not only when they are studying, but throughout everyday daily life. This is why the Buddha says mantra recitation will stop people from becoming ‘hungry ghosts’ and ‘demons’. If you are mindful of your surroundings then you will not slip up and make bad causes; and as I have already indicated chanting mantra is the best possible way to build that state of mindfulness. The Buddha further tells of the benefits of mantra recitation by saying that those who do not practice it will be unable to escape the lower realms of existence. He says that he could sit and explain the various benefits and values that mantra recitation has for thousands upon thousands of years, never using the same example, expedient means, simile or parable twice, and still not have conveyed through words its true worth. He tells ánanda that Mantra Recitation is the Crown of the Buddhas Head. We should take this to mean that Mantra Recitation is the pinnacle, the acme of practices among mindfulness meditation techniques. Chanting mantra leads us to develop Buddha Wisdom, as well as conventional wisdom. Those who do not practice Mantra Recitation, the Buddha tells ánanda, will find it impossible to remove their mind from the muck and mire of demonic and evil thoughts and desires. Even if someone practices mantra recitation without understanding it, he will still reap benefits from it. More so, if beings in the Dharma Ending Age, the Latter Day of the Law, Our Age, practice mantra recitation: "such people who recite and uphold it will not be burned by fire, will not be drowned by water, and will not be harmed by mild or potent poisons." This means the our minds will not be overcome by the burning of hatred, or jealousy, not be drowned by the sorrows of Samsára, or filled with any of the mental poisons that retard spiritual growth. Shantideva wrote: "Fearing slight pain from a wound, I guard it with great care. Why don’t I, fearing the crushing of the mountains of the Samghata hell, guard the wound of my mind?" The Shurangama mantra was but one of the mantras that would be revealed to Buddhist students as efficacious. The Lotus Mantra must be viewed as supreme because it connects the practitioner directly to the Mystic Law that runs the entire universe but students who sincerely practice the Shurangama mantra will receive benefit as long as they do not slander the teachings found in "The Lotus Sutra." The sutra lists many benefits that the student will accumulate by sincere practice of mantra recitation. Your mind will become stable and pure. People guilty of offences, major or minor, can purify themselves and eradicate the negative causes they have made simply by sincerely practicing mantra recitation. Even the negative energy created by the five cardinal sins, "grave offenses warranting un-intermittent retribution" will be eliminated by sincere mantra recitation. Even those in the Latter Age, who uphold no monastic Precepts, will gain the same benefits as those who do. At the time of death, a practitioner will be reborn in favorable circumstances. Even students new to the Way will gain protection that will allow them to eventually attain Samádhi. If they continue with this type of practice even ancient enemies from former lives will not appear to disturb their mind or harm them. Buddhist students of any time period who uphold the practice of chanting mantra are guaranteed to have realizations on the nature of mind; by this is meant an understanding on the nature of reality; why we are here, and how we can become happy and live in peace. The sutra says that if this is not so then the Buddha, and all the Buddhas in the universe are great liars. When the Buddha had finished explaining, measureless numbers of "Vajra Power Knights", or forces of nature, (Shoten Zenjin) walked up to the Buddha, bowed, and made a vow to protect students "who cultivate Bodhi in this way." Also, the Brahma King, (also called the Christian god ‘Jehovah’), Shakra, and all the other heavenly kings, as well as demons, and various spirits all vowed to protect these practitioners. The final section of volume six deals with ánanda’s question, ‘what must we do to attain the final stages of wisdom,’ as well as the first part of Shakyamuni’s answer to this query. The Buddha begins by reminding us of the unreal nature of the Saha World ("Basically there is no world, nor are there any sentient beings," and, "From absolute nothingness comes ultimate existence.") It is because people fail to realize the unreal nature of everything around them that they keep reappearing in this Saha-system. The Buddha describes the ‘normal’ world as upside down. As beings become more attached to that which is not real they create even stronger karma, which in turn reinforces their state of delusion. Shakyamuni states, "Everything that is dependent has nothing on which it is dependent, and so it shifts and slides ceaselessly. Because of this, the world of the three periods of time and four directions come into being." People are always grasping after things that they believe will bring them happiness. However, because of the improper way they view things, continuous transmigration in realms filled with suffering relentlessly occurs. They become attached to things or objects and this leads, not to happiness, but only to more needless suffering. This section breaks off in the middle of the Buddha’s discourse; as this is a strange decision doubtless some editor made it arbitrarily in the past. Since this division has now become traditional, I will honor custom by ending this analysis here, and continuing in the next section. Volume 7, Part 1 We will continue where the Buddha left off in the last section. Shakyamuni was describing the twelve categories of beings. "Each of these categories" the Buddha tells us, "is replete with all… kinds of upside down states." We are inversing our wonderful natures, we are told, and in doing so we become confused with "false and random thoughts." As you cultivate Samádhi you will experience three stages of development; these stages are like a powerful soap used to clean the filth that we have covered our minds with. The first of these three stages is to correct your vices by eliminating the things that encourage them. If you are a compulsive thief, than to stop stealing you would refrain from going near the things that you want to steal. Soon the thought of stealing would never enter your mind; and with proper mindfulness you would never again desire objects that do not belong to you. The Buddha gives us an example; saying that if you stop eating poisonous food you will soon cease to be sick. Even if someone teaches and practices the Dharma, if he steals or kills for a living, much of the benefit accrued will be lost. Therefore even if you have taken the cure for a poison, you will never truly be healed until you stop ingesting the toxin. The Buddha states, "People who eat pungent plants and also cultivate samádhi will not be protected by the Bodhisattvas, gods, immortals, or good spirits of the ten directions." In other words, people who still poison their minds with anger, greed, and lust while attempting to cultivate Samádhi will reap no lasting benefit. They will become teachers who praise lust and other bad behaviors because they are still attached to the material world and accordingly, they drag others who mistakenly follow them down into hellish suffering. Therefore we are told in the scripture to avoid "the five pungent plants," which are the poisons of the five senses. The best way to achieve this is through daily study and practice. This is the first gradual stage of cultivation. Various sutras were devised by the Buddha to aid the student in this process. "All of The Taints" is a good example of this kind of teaching. The Buddha asks ánanda, "what is the essence of karmic offenses" in a rhetorical manner. He teaches that beings who want to enter samádhi must abandon doing wrong. They must eliminate lustful thinking, and not kill as a way of life. If they do not do these two things, obtaining liberation and enlightenment will be impossible. We are told that we should look upon lust and the desire to kill not as a friend; but as a viper filled with poison whose only desire is to bite us, or as a bandit who wishes to rob and slay us. Uphold good morals, follow the eightfold path, and abandon killing and lust. Then you should cultivate your mind that you may control what goes on in it. People who cultivate their minds without even attempting to abandon lust and killing will pervert themselves and become a demon that tears down the Dharma. Once you cease the outflow of the negative karma caused by lust and killing, you are on the path to becoming truly pure. Students who abandon these negativities will find that their mental development will take an upward turn, putting them on the path to enlightenment. This is the second stage. The Buddha again asks in a rhetorical manner, "What is the manifestation of karma?" It is because students have abandoned the activities and thoughts that create negative karma, they do not become lost in lust and attachment and they become teachers of the true Dharma, rather than demons who preach false ways. False views and the fact that we label things in our mind are the very habits that keep us from attaining enlightenment. Once we have stopped this discriminative thinking then the state has been attained where all of the "outflows and inflows" become positive, we will see the world as a Pure Land, and suffering will end. The person who has recognized that lust and attachment to material things are an illusion is seeing the world as it truly is. This initial wisdom is called "The Stage of Dry Wisdom" because although the student has ‘dried-up’ improper desires they have not yet tapped into dharma wisdom. After they begin this process they will initiate the attainment of realizations about the simpler teachings and this is called "The Mind that Resides in Faith." Once Faith has been entirely comprehended, then this penetration into Dharma Wisdom is complete. Your mind is no longer obstructed by phantasmal categories. You will become incredibly sharp; there will be nothing you cannot comprehend. The Sutra also states that you will be endowed with exceptional memory, being able to see into the past, as well as predict the future. "Then all their habits throughout…eons of past and future will come to them in the present moment. These good people will remember everything and forget nothing." This state of mind is called, "The Mind that Resides in Mindfulness." "The Mind of Vigor" is achieved when the practitioner has deepened his faith even further. Nichiren uses the example of dying clothes to illustrate this: dying a white cloth with indigo once will change the color of it, but dying it again and again will result in the cloth becoming a richer, darker blue, far more so than the original color of the dye itself. Once this level of total faith is attained, the mind will "reveal itself as total wisdom," which means that the practitioner will have a great realization. This is called "The Mind that Resides in Wisdom." Once this wisdom mind has been maintained for a long enough time, that wisdom will fortify the mind until it is ‘constant and solid.’ This is called "The Mind that Resides in Samádhi." The Buddha continues to explain the various levels of progression, up until the point where the Practitioner will completely understand emptiness. He expresses this as being able to see through the illusions of life. When these forty-one states of mind have been accomplished, the Buddha tells us that "The Four Kinds of Wonderfully Perfect Aiding Practices" will further be attained. At this point, the practitioner is on the verge of attaining enlightenment, just as a piece of wood, hot with friction, is at the point of almost being on fire. Enlightenment has not yet emerged from the practitioner, but soon he will combust into the flame of wisdom. This is called "The Level Of Heat." The student will continue to follow the Buddhas teachings, just as a man climbing a steep mountain will follow a beaten path to reach the summit, instead of trying to advance over abysses or scale steep cliffs. They are at the summit of this mountain, they have almost emerged into the space or freedom of enlightenment, but they are still tied to their present condition by some obstructions, which they have almost conquered. This is called "The Level Of The Summit." When the mind of the practitioner is identical to the mind of a Buddha, then he has truly entered the Middle Way. He is like one who endures problems, even when they seem impossibly difficult. This is called "The Level Of Patience." Then, once the practitioner has dispelled from his mind the possibility of limitations, things are no longer labeled "good" or "bad," they are also not neutral nor are they to be treated indifferently. Matter exists, but no concrete label accurately describes it. This is called "The Level of Being Born First In The World." When these men and women have completely realized Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi, their enlightenment will be no different from that of a Buddha. This difference "enters into identity", or affects the concept of identity, making even the notion of a personal identity a glaring mental error. True "such-ness" will be perceived. To perceive Suchness we must see things the way they really are. If someone says something ‘unpleasant,’ we realize that all that actually happened was that a person made a comment. We come to understand that dwelling on this comment or analyzing it is pointless, inaccurate, and only leads to suffering. This state of mental development is called "The Ground Of Leaving Filth." The Buddha says that "bringing forth the function of true such-ness" or actualizing such-ness in our life is called "The Ground of Good Wisdom." All bodhisattvas beyond this stage have completed the cultivation of Bodhi, and have perfected their merit and virtue, which means that they have gained a complete understanding about how the universe functions. Any student in this state has attained true Nirvana—not the Nirvana of those who want to vanish from the world, but the Nirvana of those who realize that the world is where the work is. Accordingly, a ‘great cloud of compassion’ floats over this ‘sea of Nirvana.’ This manner of accomplishing Bodhi is called "Proper Contemplation." All other ways are to be considered as "Deviant Contemplation." After the Buddha explained these fifty-five stages required to accomplish Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi, Manjushri stood and asked what the name of this Sutra is. The Buddha replies that it is called "Great Buddha at the Crown, Syi Dan Dwo Bwo Da La, the Unsurpassed Precious Seal and Pure, Clear, Ocean-like Eye of the Thus Come Ones of the Ten Directions", as well as "The Cause for Saving a Relative, the Rescue of ánanda and the Bhiksunis Nature, and the Attaining of the Bodhi Mind and Entry into the Sea of Pervasive Knowledge," "The Thus Come Ones’ Secret Cause of Cultivation that Brings Certification to the Complete Meaning. The Great Expansive Means, the Wonderful Lotus Flower King, the Dharani Mantra which is the Mother of all Buddhas of the Ten Directions, and The Foremost Shurangama, Sections and Phrases for Anointing the Crown of the Head, and All Bodhisattvas' Myriad Practices." These names are meant to express to the reader the full merit of this Sutra, and to emphasize how important it is to our mental development that we comprehend these teachings. ánanda asks the Buddha how everything can have a Buddha Nature, from trees to insects when, for example, such a thing as hell exists. Since the embodiments or qualities of the Buddha are real, do the paths of suffering that demons follow exist inherently? Or are they somehow created by the ‘falseness and habits’ of beings? "World Honored One, the Bhikkhuní Precious Lotus Fragrance, for example, received the Bodhisattva Precepts and then indulged in lustful desire, recklessly saying that sexual acts did not involve killing or stealing and they carried no karmic retribution. But after saying that she…fell into the Un-intermittent Hell alive." Is this hell in a fixed place, or does it arise spontaneously? Or is it that beings merely experience whatever karma they have set in place? The Buddha exclaims, "What a good question! It is your wish to keep beings from adopting deviant views," and as you listen attentively I shall explain the truth of the matter for you. When the Buddha says, "all beings are true and pure" he is saying that all beings have an inherent Buddha potential. It is the garbage we produce in our minds when we misinterpret outside phenomena that causes us to build this samsaric world. This "falseness of habit" is divided into internal and external aspects. The internal aspect of things is a way of describing what happens inside the mind of a being that is attached to things improperly. The Buddha is not saying, in this analogy, that love is bad. He is saying that love with improper attachment is bad. To advance spiritually you have to love everybody in the same manner that you love yourself. All other forms of ‘love’ are not real. The Sutra breaks at this point, and continues with Volume Seven, Part Two, so we will do the same. Vol. 7, Part 2 We turn our attention now to the external aspect, which is exactly what it says it is, that which happens outside of the student because of the negativities in the mind. These negativities are produced because of the fantasies that go through our untrained mind. When these negativities have been abandoned for more positive thoughts, the life condition of the practitioner will rise. His understanding of how things work will be enhanced, and he will recognize the world for what it is, a true Pure Land. The Buddha tells ánanda, that when a man is on the verge of death, he will mentally experience all of his good and evil actions simultaneously. This energy, good or bad, determines where he will be born next, and what state of mind he will be in for the duration of his time in "Ku." The more mindfulness and "bodhi" they have cultivated, the higher the life condition they will experience. However, if they are given to emotional fits, or they are improperly attached to this world, they will be reborn in a lower human state filled with unavoidable problems and suffering or perhaps they will reappear as an animal or in extreme cases, even an insect. "Although one receives one’s due according to the evil karma one has created, a group can undergo an identical lot, and there are definite places where it occurs." This is telling us that people with similar karma will be born in close proximity of each other, and will experience similar things, such as being invaded, or finding something like a gold mine, that may effect the entire community in a positive way. The Buddha states that all things that happen to us come from the karma we have created. In other words, if someone has attacked you, it is because you attacked someone else in the past. In the sutra this is expressed as "they create ten habitual causes and undergo six interacting retributions." The first of these is lust, which leads to hellish suffering in what are commonly referred to as the ‘Hot Hells.’ These hells are filled with spiritual torments such as anger, and fear. The second is greed, which leads a different kind of torment in the "cold hells," which imply suffering from want of necessities, such as the torment one goes through when denied access to water. The third is the habit of arrogance, in any form, which leads "to molten copper forced down ones throat." This means that we will suffer various pains of the mouth or head, which can really hurt (trust me here). Defiance or hatred is the fourth evil habit, and the punishment for it is listed as various objects of torture, most of which involve spikes and blades. Hatred leads directly to violence in almost every case. Hatred is also listed as the seventh, under enmity and mutual suspicion. This is merely a different ‘flavor’ of the same thing, and leads to similar punishments or beatings and imprisonment in small spaces. The fifth evil habit is deception, and any sort of misleading action. The punishment for this is imprisonment, and in some cases, torture. I should mention here that these punishments are karmic, and will be carried out even if they have to follow the person into the next life. This is why a person who is innocent of any evil action in this lifetime, can end up being executed for a crime, or shoved into a gas chamber. The sixth is the habit of lying, mixed with fraud, like cheating someone out of money you owe them. This leads to "sinking and drowning, tossing and pitching, flying and falling, floating and submerging, and other such experiences." The ninth evil habit, instigating injustice is also a form of lying, and its punishment leads to being crushed between stones or metal. The Eighth evil habit is the deliberate expressing of wrong views, which is any teaching that deviates from Shakyamuni’s instruction. These false teachers will do anything to hide the correct path from people, so that they may gain material wealth and worldly fame. They will use (or abuse) societies laws, or any official power they have access to in the effort to ‘crush’ the people who uphold and teach right view. This leads to the punishment of being led by baited questions, dragged into courtrooms, and forced to reveal that what you do is dishonest. The tenth evil habit is that of litigation. Evil litigation would be taking someone to court for something you know they did not do, arguing for the sake of instigating hatred or embarrassment to an enemy, or a prosecutor who knowingly keeps an innocent man in prison, because he does not want to lose the conviction. These activities give rise to covering. My teacher says that this is akin to throwing dirt on the mirror of your mind, instead of polishing it. The punishment for these actions is the premature ripening of evil karma, and the acquisition of evil companions. After having explained the ten Evil habits, the Buddha asks ánanda in a rhetorical manner, "What are the six retributions that arise from the six sense organs?" All beings create karma, and all the evil consequences people endure come from the immorality they create with their senses. The first evil retribution from the sense organs is that of sight. When you die, you will see a great fire, and then enter a state of hell. There, no matter if your vision is obscure or clear, what you see will cause terror. The Buddha goes on to describe all the tormenting retributions that a person who follows evil paths will undergo, saying that if they experience them all at once then they are in the Avici Hell. He also describes the combinations that are required to enter the other hells. After they have finished their punishment they will be reborn as various kinds of "ghosts." This means that when they finally take on a new physical form, it will repeatedly be in undesirable circumstances. When these beings have paid back their debt, they will eventually be reborn into desirable circumstances where they can, if they so choose, began to improve spiritually. The Buddha tells us that there are beings that waste time cultivating things that are unimportant, that do not lead to enlightenment, and will not help them in the long run to avoid unnecessary suffering. It is possible, through the development of your spiritual practice to obtain various mental powers. However, if the development of these powers is your goal then you will continue to experience the round of birth and death in the Samsaric or Saha realm. Even people who are pure in heart, wish to do no wrong, and are basically good, will eventually fall into unpleasant circumstances if they do not cultivate samádhi. They may well enter the various heaven realms upon death, but they will still not have attained anything permanent and they still dwell in the Saha world. Those who have given up desire will begin to manifest thoughts that transcend desire, and in this manner they will follow the precepts, even though they do not develop samádhi. The Buddha says this is the first stage of Dhyana. Then, once they have achieved an even finer level of purity, and have ceased coarse outflows, they have attained the Second stage of Dhyana. The third Dhyana to be attained, when there is no cultivation of Samádhi, is when the individual obtains ‘limitless bliss.’ It is not genuine Samádhi, but it is still a very high state of mind. Even after they have obtained the fourth Dhyana, called ‘Ultimate Bliss,’ they are still slightly attached to the material world, this is the stage called Pratyekabuddha. After this, the Buddha describes to ánanda the various heaven realms that beings can enjoy, as well as the various stages of mental states, such as the "dull arahant." He also tells of ghosts and demons (Asuras) that protect the dharma in their otherworldly form, and obtain great merit for it, as well as lower forms of demons that are not so fortunate. Finally the Buddha tells ánanda that none of these various ‘mundane forms of life’ (or beings who do not develop samádhi) have gained anything permanent. They all fail to recognize the ‘fundamental mind’ or the fact that their minds are innately pure, and it is because of this that they are reborn in various fortunate and unfortunate circumstances over and again. Developing Samádhi is the only path that leads out of suffering! The Buddha says that this elucidation of the paths is the only correct explanation, and that all other explanations lead only to deviation. Volume Eight, Part 1 The Word Shurangama means a state of mind in which an individual no longer experiences mental illusion. Once you have dispelled illusion from your mind, you will see things the way they really are and you will recognize that each and every living being is precious because they all have the potential to become Buddhas. You directly realize that all beings have been your parents at some time in the past and that accordingly we owe these people a great debt that can only be repaid by the attainment of enlightenment. As the mind becomes clearer through practice and study, you perceive how much suffering there is in the world because of the untreated mental poisons afflicting worldly beings. Consequentially you develop a great state of compassion, which is why I have entitled this commentary "The Loving Heart." The Buddha tells ánanda and the assembly that, although they have learned to recognize the cruder mental states, such as lust and anger, there are subtle demonic influences that still go on in their mind. If they cannot distinguish such a thought from others when one arises in the mind, it is because their training has not been properly completed. This will lead the student into being ‘engulfed by deviant views.’ Developing deviant views means that all sorts of mental ‘demons’ will pester you without ceasing and your mind will become restless and disturbed. This is the opposite of what the Buddha intends, you cannot attain enlightenment if your mind is agitated and troubled. The Buddha gives the example of a monk who attains a fairly high state of realization, but believes that he has attained enlightenment. When the merit of this high state shows signs of decay, the monk slanders the dharma, saying that enlightenment is not outside the realm of birth and death. This causes him to fall into the Avichi Hell. The Buddha then explains that all beings possess the potential to become enlightened. The mind you have right now is not any different from the mind of any Buddha in the ten directions. People have developed deviant views, which creates negative karma. When enough of this karma is accumulated by sufficient numbers of beings, a world is created for them and they are born into it. This is why the Buddha says that all these worlds are contained in your mind. If even a single person realizes the truth, he sees that all these worlds are but karmic constructs, they are like illusions. By mixing practice and study correctly, which are the cause of your attaining Dhyana and Sambodhi, your mind becomes equal to that of the great bodhisattvas and saints. When a student begins to practice correctly the ten world states within the mind begin to shift and change. It often seems to the student that he is being assaulted by everything around him, including his family, environment, and old ways of thinking. This causes ‘garbage mind’ to arise during the early phases of meditation training. If you persevere through this stage your mind begins to become clear and bright. At this point in the Buddha lists ten states that might occur during your practice, which can fool misguided people into believing that they have become enlightened. Worldly people are "dull and confused" because they do not engage in self-analysis. Should one of them experience these states they will believe themselves to be wise men and since this is not so they will fall into undesirable circumstances. We will continue with part 2. Volume Eight, Part Two When the practitioner has realized the truth of emptiness then the form Skandha has been ended and he will ‘see the minds of the Buddhas’ within himself as if he were looking in a mirror. This means that he will have completely realized that all forms are truly empty because of their dependency. Transcending the problem of paralysis, as the sutra mentions, is a way of saying that he will overcome physical obstacles. Before you have completely realized emptiness (not just grasped the concept intellectually) you are like a paralyzed person, you have dharma knowledge and dharma wisdom, but you don’t always use it. You will remind yourself of correct behavior only after you have misbehaved. Once this problem of paralysis has passed you forget about improper attachment to objects, and you ‘can leave your body and look back upon your face’. This means that you will have recognized that your body is not "you" and with this freedom you will perceive your own Buddha nature. The Buddha continues the list he started in the prior section. He begins with the things that are most common; number one on the list is a stage of light, airy bliss that everyone experiences at some point early in their practice. In the same way the first state discussed in this section is a stage of extreme compassion that a student also experiences at an early stage. He will begin the process of developing immense compassion for all living beings, even insects. Once again this is not to be confused with sage hood, or else it will lead to extreme suffering. The first ten states belong to the form Skandhas and the second ten belong to the feeling Skandhas. Skandhas are also known as the five aggregates. We will continue the analysis with part 3. Volume 8, Part 3 When the practitioner has purified the feeling Skandha, he will have almost completely stopped making negative causes. This is because he understands the nature of reality, and realizes that his body and persona are not ‘self’. The causes that he makes will be positive, because he has developed the loving heart of a Bodhisattva and is capable of attaining any of the sixty levels of "Bodhisattva sage hood." The sutra tells us that we are like a sleeping person. Our environment controls our thoughts and what we say and do makes little sense. If you rid yourself of improper thinking, and if you stay mindfully in the present, then your mind will become ‘understanding’ because you have developed the eyes of enlightenment. You overcome mental turbulence, which confuses your thinking and leads you into the endless swamp of samsaric misery. After the feeling Skandha has been purified, the practitioner will no longer be troubled by ‘deviant mental states.’ He will crave more understanding of the Dharma. There will be people who will have claimed to have attained what they have not. They may beguile the unwary practitioner; subtly distort his practice, and lead both to their downfall. These false dharma teachers may foretell of doomsday, or of wars in faraway lands for the sole purpose of frightening people into giving him what he desires. Since the practitioner is very careful to control his own deviant thoughts, he is most susceptible to the false teachings of beings that claim to be enlightened. The list in this section deals with making sure that your teacher is humble, and is not making false claims of enlightenment. The Buddha is speaking directly to the dharma teachers in this age who are practicing his highest teachings. He tells us that even though we are close to attaining enlightenment we should not enter nirvana because of our previous vow to teach in this dharma ending age (the latter day of the Law). He urges us to "bring forth great compassion" to help those living beings that want to be helped. By "not begrudging our lives" we devote ourselves to spreading Buddhist mental culture for the benefit of those beings that are striving for self-perfection. This is the end of the thinking Skandha. Volume 8, Part 4 This section of the sutra begins by again telling the teachers of "The Lotus Sutra" that they are close to enlightenment, but that they should not now enter Nirvana. Instead, they should remember their vow to be born in the Dharma Ending Age (The Latter Day of the Law) and to save the people who want to be saved, those students who are willing to make the effort needed to train their mind. These states that the Buddha has been describing are natural conditions that most practitioners will encounter as they are purify their mind with proper practice. The beings that mistake these stages of realization for complete enlightenment create causes for hellish suffering both for themselves and others. The Buddha reiterates that in the Latter Day of the Law advanced Dharma students should teach all of the beings that choose to make the effort to end unnecessary mental suffering. The method these teachers should use is to expound the entire Dharma from beginning to end. If you only teach a part of the Dharma, then the message becomes distorted. We see this all around us, some Teachers acknowledge only a small part of the Dharma: they will tell you that the Pure Land Sutras are the Buddha’s entire message, or they focus on the Wisdom sutras and say that they encompass the Buddha’s complete intention. However, Shakyamuni taught for over forty years and everything that he expounded has value and is part of the Dharma Way that all students must follow if they are to attain the highest goal. Using only part of the Dharma is like building only part of a house. No one would live in a home consisting of two walls, or just a roof. They insist on inhabiting a complete structure because less than that is irrational or impossible. The Dharma is not any different, if you only look at part of the teachings, you will never understand them because your views are going to be distorted. When we understand the Dharma taught in "The Lotus Sutra" we realize that all of the sutras are chapters of the same vast teaching. A person who is cultivating Samádhi through proper practice and study will eventually "put an end to the thinking Skandha" or realize the true nature of emptiness. When this happens then the sutra says that your mind will become aware and clear and you will be peaceful and happy. At this point you will see clearly the roots of ‘production and destruction’ or cause and effect. You will understand that all of the living beings around you are all the same: they all have Buddha potential, they all want the highest possible happiness they can attain, and they do not want any suffering at all. The list in this section describes the various pitfalls that arrogant practitioners can encounter if they prematurely believe themselves to be enlightened. This is the end of the formations skandha. Volume 8, Part 5 When the practitioner has successfully cultivated Samádhi then he has "put an end" to the formation Skandha. At this point his negative karma; "the common foundation" of all the worlds, is eliminated and he will see the "great illumination" of Nirvana. "He enters without entering" because he enters Nirvana knowing that there is no ‘he’ to do the actual entering. He contemplates the "original life source" (Myoho Renge Kyo) but understands the emptiness of categories and does not see himself in any of them. Being "identical with the realms of the ten directions" means that he perceives emptiness in all things, including himself. What was obscure or hidden in the teachings becomes clear to him. If his realizations are pure enough he may obliterate the individuality of his six senses, the sutra uses the example of seeing and hearing becoming linked so that they function interchangeably. Please remember that sight and hearing are both different aspects of perception. The practitioner clearly perceives that the universe, as well as his body and mind, are empty, bright and pure. This is the end of the consciousness skandha because the student has at this point transcended life and death. The final ten states that the Buddha discusses deal, once again, with arrogance. The reason we need to be unassuming is that, if we believe we are enlightened when are not, then what we teach others will not be accurate. Also if you are claiming to be enlightened when you are not, then your behavior will sometimes be inappropriate, causing mental problems, or even obstacles for other students who see you behaving badly. This is the Dharma entrance used by all the enlightened beings of the past as well as the present and future. If you recognize a demonic mental state when it occurs and clean away the filth that it leaves then you will not fall into deviant views. The negative mental imprints that formerly troubled your mind will vanish completely and you will arrive at the state of enlightenment. At this point in the text, ánanda says, that the Buddha has taught us that when the five Skandha are manifested there are five kinds of basic errors that are created by our own mind. He asks the Buddha to explain the boundaries of these aggregates and also enquires if mental impurities are extinguished in some particular progression. The Buddha replies that enlightenment is pure and always perfect. Our own erroneous thinking creates the mental negativities we suffer but these defilements do not affect our enlightened nature. The Buddha concludes that the five skandhas, or aggregates are created by our own false thinking. The Buddha expounded this list of fifty possible troublesome states that an unwary practitioner can encounter because of the arrogant belief that he is already enlightened. When we do attain enlightenment, we will not have bad habits or negative thoughts. If these are still appearing in your life, then there should be no doubt that there is more work for you to do. Next, the Buddha defines the ‘depth’ and ‘scope’ of the aggregates, which the sutra defines clearly: "Form and emptiness are the boundaries of form. Contact and separation are the boundaries of feeling. Remembering and forgetting are the boundaries of thinking. Destruction and production are the boundaries of formations. Deep purity entering to unite with deep purity belongs to the boundaries of consciousness." These aggregates arise within you in layers because of negative thinking, which means that realizations will occur in the same manner. The Buddha refers again to the strip of cloth, which he tied into knots earlier in the sutra to remind them again that perception is one thing. He informs the assembly, (which is not limited to the people who were sitting and listening to this teaching when it was given, it includes everyone who receives and understands it) that they must gain a thorough understanding of what causes false thinking, and then transmit this comprehension to others. At this point the sutra concludes with an explanation of the merits attained by students who understand, live by, and spread this teaching. When the Buddha finished speaking the assembly felt elated, bowed respectfully, and departed. Before we depart, going our various ways, let us resolve to completely realize and demonstrate the wisdom taught here to us by the Buddha. I dedicate any merit acquired by giving this Teaching for the benefit of all those who cannot yet hear the cries of the world. Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, may all beings benefit.

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命自我立改变命运

The Loving Heart

A Study of "the Shurangama Sutra"

Volume One

Volume Two

Volume Three, Part 1

Volume Three, Part 2

Volume Four Part 1

Volume Four, Part 2

Volume Five, Part One

Volume Five, Part Two

Part Six

Volume 7, Part 1

Vol. 7, Part 2

Volume Eight, Part 1

Volume Eight, Part Two

Volume 8, Part 3

Volume 8, Part 4

Volume 8, Part 5