Translations

[2] Second Universal Encouragement Of Practice: When A Person Is Living… 普劝修持二:人生时…

普劝修持二
[2] Second Universal Encouragement [Of] Practice

【人生时…】
[When (A) Person (Is) Living…]


人生时,父母、妻子、屋宅、田园、牛羊、车马以至台凳、器皿、衣服、带索等物,不问大小,或祖父以传于己,或自己营造而得,或子孙、或他人为己积累而得,色色无非己物。

When [a] person [is] living, [with] father [and] mother, wife [and] children, house, field, cattle [and] goats, horse [and] carriage, down to tables [and] stools, household utensils, clothes, rope belts [and] other things, regardless [of] big [or] small, perhaps [from one’s] paternal grandfather, with [them] passed to oneself, perhaps [from] one’s building then attained, perhaps [from] children [and] grandchildren, perhaps [from] others, for oneself accumulating then attained, [of all] kinds [of] forms, [it is] without [that] not [as] one’s thing.

且如窗纸虽微,被人扯破,犹有怒心;一针虽微,被人将去,犹有吝心。仓库既盈,心犹未足;金帛已多,营犹未止。

Moreover, like window paper, although small, [when] by people torn apart, still having [the] angry mind. One needle, although small, [when] by people taken away, still having [the] stingy mind. [With the] storehouse already filled, [the] mind [is still] yet [to be] satisfied. [With] gold [and] silk already much, [with] trading still yet [to] stop.

举眼动步,无非爱著。一宿在外,已念其家;一仆未归,已忧其失。种种事务,无非挂怀。

[With] raising [of] eyes [and] moving [of] steps, [it is] without [that] not attached. [With] one night outside, already missing [one’s] house. [With] one servant yet [to] return, already worried [of] his [or her] loss. [With] all kinds [of] affairs, without [that] not concerned.

一旦大限到来,尽皆抛去。虽我此身犹是弃物,况身外者乎?静心思之,恍如一梦。故庄子云:「且有大觉,然后知此其大梦也。」

Suddenly one day, [when the] great limit comes, all [are] completely thrown away. Although this [is] my body, [it] still [will] become [an] abandoned thing, moreover those [objects] outside [this] body? Settling [the] mind [to] contemplate this, [this is] as if a dream. Thus [did] Zhuāngzi say, ‘Moreover, having great awakening, after that knowing this [is] such [a] great dream.’

古人有言:「一日无常到,方知梦里人。万般将不去,唯有业随身。」妙哉,此言也!

Ancient people have [a] saying, ‘One day, [when] impermanence arrives, then knowing [one was a] person in [a] dream. [The] ten thousand [things] will not go [with one], only having karma carried [along].’ Wonderful [it is], this saying!

予故用此后两句添以两句而成一偈云:「万般将不去,唯有业随身。但念阿弥陀,定生极乐国。」盖业者,谓善业、恶业,此皆将得去者,岂可不以净土为业乎?

I thus used these last two lines, added with two lines, then becoming a verse, saying, ‘[The] ten thousand [things] will not go [with one], only having karma carried [along]. Only [having] mindfulness [of] Āmítuófó [阿弥陀佛: Amitā(bha) Buddha], [is] definite birth [in his] Land [Of] Ultimate Bliss.’ Because that karma, called good karma, [and] evil karma, these all will [be] those [that] have [to] go [with us], how can [we] not for [reaching] Pure Land create karma [i.e. make a living]?

有了明长老为众普说,指此身而言曰:「此为死物,其内泼泼地者为活物。莫于死物上作活计,宜于活物上作活计。」余深爱此语,故常为人言之。

[There] is [the] elder monastic Liǎomíng, [who] for [an] assembly universally spoke, pointing [at] this body, then saying, ‘This is [a] dead thing. That within [which is] lively is [the] living thing. [Do] not upon [a] dead thing make [a] living, [as there] should [be] upon [the] living thing making [a] living.’ [As] I deeply love these words, thus often for people speaking them.

凡贪种种外物以奉其身者,皆是死物上作活计也。世人虽未能免此,当于营生奉身之中,挪顷刻之暇,回光自照,以留心于净土,乃活物上作活计也。

All those [with] greed [for] all kinds [of] external things, for serving their bodies, all are upon dead things making [a] living. [The] world’s people, although yet able [to] avoid this, when within [their] livelihoods serving [their] bodies, borrowing [the] moments of spare time, returning [the] light [for] self-reflection, with [their] minds paying attention to [reaching] Pure Land, [this] then [is] upon [their] living things making [a] living.

且如汲汲营生,虽致富如石崇,贵极一品,终有数尽之期。岂若净土之无尽也?

Moreover, like [those] hastening [with their] livelihoods, although becoming rich like Shí Chóng, [with] honours utmost [of the] first grade, [in the] end [still] having [a] number, [the] date of ending. How [can this be] like [the] inexhaustibility of Pure Land?

宋‧王日休
《龙舒净土文》
第三卷:普劝修持九篇

Sòng [Dynasty’s] Wáng Rìxiū
Lóngshū’s Pure Land Text:
Third Scroll: Nine Essays [On] Universal Encouragement [Of] Practice

Namo Amituofo : Translation by Shen Shi’an

相关文章
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上篇
Previous Essay:

普劝修持一:【或人问孔子…】
[1] First Universal Encouragement Of Practice: [A Certain Person Asked Kǒngzǐ…]

https://purelanders.com/2021/12/21/1-first-universal-encouragement-of-practice/

下篇
Next Essay:

普劝修持三:【人初未尝死…】
[3] Third Universal Encouragement Of Practice: [People Have From The Beginning Of This Life Not Yet Once Died…]

https://purelanders.com/2021/12/22/3-third-universal-encouragement-of-practice/

九篇
Nine Essays:

《龙舒净土文》
第三卷:普劝修持九篇
Lóngshū’s Pure Land Text:
[3] Third Scroll: Nine Essays On Universal Encouragement Of Practice
https://purelanders.com/longshu3

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