如何知道临终所见是佛非魔？
[45] How To Know Who Seen When Approaching Life’s End Is The Buddha And Not A Demon?
【解】：问：临终佛现，宁保非魔？
[Explanation]: Question: [When] approaching [life’s] end seeing [the] Buddha appearing, can there be guarantee [that he is] not [a] demon?
答：修心人不作佛观，而佛忽现，非本所期，故名魔事。
Answer: [When] people cultivating [their] minds [are] not doing Buddha contemplation, yet [with the] Buddha suddenly appearing, not [being] that originally expected, therefore [is this] named [as a] demonic matter.
[Note 1: For example, if mindful of breathing, yet seeing a Buddha appearing, with such cause and effect not matching, this is considered a demonic matter. Some of these matters are not caused by external demons, but inner demons, in terms of false (or stray) thoughts arising from the Three Poisons of greed, hatred and delusion.]
念佛见佛，已是相应。
[When] mindful [of the] Buddha, seeing [that] Buddha, [this] already is correspondence.
[Note 2: As taught in the Great Buddha Crown’s Śūraṅgama Sūtra’s Section On Great Power Arrived Bodhisattva’s Perfect Penetration With Mindfulness Of Buddha《大佛顶首楞严经大势至菩萨念佛圆通章》:
「若众生心，忆佛念佛，先前当来，必定见佛。」
‘If sentient beings’ minds, recollect (Amitā) Buddha, (or are) mindful (of the) Buddha(‘s name: “Āmítuófó”], manifesting (in the) present (or in the) future, (they) will definitely see (the) Buddha, (with the) Buddha not far away.’]
况临终非致魔时，何须疑虑？
Moreover, when approaching [life’s] end, not leading to [that] demonic, why should [there be] doubts [and] worries?
[Note 3: When mindful of Buddha, there will be the mindful protection of all Buddhas. Also, the demonic will disappear when there is mindfulness of Buddha, and the Buddha will appear. As taught in the Amitā(bha) Sūtra《阿弥陀经》:
「若有善男子、善女人，闻是经受持者，及闻诸佛名者，是诸善男子、善女人，皆为一切诸佛之所护念」
‘If (there) are good men (and) good women, who hear this sūtra, accept (and) uphold (it), and hear all those Buddhas’ names, all these good men (and) good women, (will) all by all Buddhas, be those protected mindfully’]
– 净土宗九祖蕅益大师
《佛说阿弥陀经要解》
– Pure Land Tradition’s 9th Patriarch Great Master Ǒuyì
(Essential Explanation [Of The] Sūtra [In Which The] Buddha Speaks [Of] Amitā[bha] Buddha)
Namo Amituofo : Translation and notes by Shen Shi’an
相关教理
Related Teachings:
下文: 应当何时一心念佛？
Next Section: When To Have Wholehearted Mindfulness Of Buddha?
https://purelanders.com/2019/09/06/when-to-have-wholehearted-mindfulness-of-buddha
《佛说阿弥陀经要解》全英译
Complete English Translation Of The Essential Explanation Of The Sūtra In Which The Buddha Speaks Of Amitābha Buddha
https://purelanders.com/yaojie
