復
印光大師文鈔（增廣正編卷第一）
（Letters from Patriarch
Yin-Kuang, Chinese ed. Vol. I, p.37; VN ed., p.7）
相晤己來．忽滿六年（Since we last met, six years have gone by in a flash.）。不但星霜屢更．即國曆已非其舊（During that time, not only have the snow and dew
undergone change, the destiny of our nation has been profoundly transformed as
well.）。世相無常．誠可歎悼（The evanescence of life is truly
something we all deeply mourn!）。
接手書．知不廢淨業．洵足嘉美（I am pleased to learn from your letter
that you have not neglected your Pure Land practice.）。而云身心不安之至（However, you indicated that you are not at peace in body and mind.）．為境遇不嘉．致不安耶? 抑或疾病纏綿．致不安耶？（Could this be the result of financial
difficulties or chronic illness?）。
若境遇不嘉者．當作退一步想（If you suffer financial hardship, I
suggest you retreat
a step.）。試思世之勝我者固多．而不如我者亦復不少（You
should reflect thus: “although there are many in this world more fortunate than
I, those who are less well off are hardly few
in number.）。但得不飢不寒．何羨大富大貴（I should seek only to escape hunger and
cold; why dream of riches and honor?”）。
樂天知命．隨遇而安（Moreover, if you are content and at peace with your circumstances and
surroundings,）。如是則尚能轉煩惱成菩提（you can even turn afflictions into Bodhi
(Enlightenment),）．豈不能轉憂苦作安樂耶（not to mention grief into peace and joy!）。
若疾病纏綿者（If you suffer chronic illness,）．當痛念身為苦本（you should reflect deeply that this body is the very source of suffering,）．極生厭離．力修淨業（develop a revulsion toward it and strive to cultivate the Pure Land path,）．誓求往生（determined to achieve
rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.）。諸佛以苦為師（The Buddhas view suffering as
their teacher,）．致成佛道（thus
achieving Ultimate Enlightenment.）。吾人當以病為藥（Likewise, you should consider illness as medicine,）．速求出離（to escape Birth and Death.）。
須知具縛凡夫（You should realize that human beings are bound by all kinds of karmic afflictions.）．若無貧窮疾病等苦（Without the sufferings of poverty and illness,）．將日奔馳于聲色名利之場（they will, by nature, pursue the world of sight and sound, fame and profit,）．而莫之能已（finding it difficult to let go.）。誰肯于得意烜赫之時．回首作未來沈溺之想乎（Who would then willingly turn around to
watch and ponder the state of perdition to
come?）。
孟子曰．（The sage Mencius once said: ）
故天將降大任于是人也．必先苦其心志．勞其筋骨（Those who will be entrusted
with great tasks should first endure hardship both in body and mind,）．餓其體膚．空乏其身．行拂亂其所為（suffering hunger and destitution or
failure in their undertakings.）．所以動心忍性．增益其所不能（Only then will they be able
to forge their character, develop patience and endurance and attain outstanding
abilities, beyond the ken of the
multitude.）。
故知天之成就人者多以逆．而人之祇承天者宜順受也。（Therefore, you should realize that human character is
usually forged in adversity. If adversity cannot be avoided, you should remain
at peace and practice forbearance.）
然孟子所謂大任．乃世間之爵位（Moreover, in speaking
of great tasks, the sage Mencius was referring merely to mundane
undertakings.）．尚須如此憂勞．方可不負天心。（Even so, enduring hardship is necessary
for success）何況吾人以博地凡夫．直欲上承法王覺道．下化法界有情（– how much more so when lowly beings such as ourselves undertake the great dual task
of achieving Buddhahood and rescuing sentient beings!）。倘不稍藉挫折于貧病（If you are not tested to a certain extent by
financial hardship and disease,）．則凡惑日熾（your worldly delusions will know no bounds）．淨業難成（and your Pure Land practice will be difficult to perfect.）。迷昧本心（With your Mind-mirror clouded,）．永淪惡道（you will
revolve for many eons in the evil realms –）。盡未來際．求出無期矣（not knowing when you will ever achieve liberation!）。
古德所謂（The
ancients have said:）
不經一番寒徹骨．爭得梅花撲鼻香者．（If it were not for a period
of penetrating cold, the plum blossom could never develop its exquisite
perfume!）
正此之謂也（This is the meaning of what I said earlier.）。
但當志心念佛以消舊業（You should persevere in reciting the Buddha’s name,
to eradicate past karma swiftly）．斷不可起煩躁心（and
avoid developing a mind of afflictions,）．怨天尤人（resenting the Heavens, blaming your
fellow beings,）．謂因果虛幻（considering the
law of Cause and Effect as a fairy tale）．佛法不靈。（and rejecting
the Buddhas and their teachings as ineffective.）須知吾人自無始以來（You should know
that from time immemorial,）．所作惡業．無量無邊。（we have all created immeasurable evil karma.）華嚴經謂：
「假使惡業有體相者（As the Avatamsaka Sutra states: If evil karma
had physical form,）．十方虛空．不能容受。」（the empty space of the ten directions could not contain it.）
豈泛泛悠悠之修持．便可消盡也。（Thus, how can haphazard,
intermittent cultivation possibly annihilate all afflictions and
obstructions?）
所以釋迦彌陀兩土教主（Sakyamuni Buddha and Amitabha Buddha,）．痛念眾生無力斷惑（out of compassion for sentient beings who lack the
strength to rid themselves of evil karma,）．特開一仗佛慈力．帶業往生之法門。（specifically taught the method of “relying
on the Buddha’s power to take their residual karma
along to the Pure Land.”）其宏慈大悲（Such compassionate action is
all-encompassing;）．雖天地父母．不能喻其恆河沙分之一。（even our obligations to the Heavens or to
our parents cannot be compared to it – not even on a scale of ten thousand to
one.）只宜發慚愧心．發懺悔心．（Therefore, you should engage in earnest
repentance,）自可蒙佛加被．業消身安耳。（seeking the Buddhas’ assistance in
eradicating past karma and achieving peace and tranquility of body and mind.）
若病苦至劇．不能忍受者（If illness and suffering become unbearable,）．當于朝暮念佛回向外．專心致志．念南無觀世音菩薩。（in addition to reciting the Buddha’s name morning and
night and dedicating the merits toward rebirth in the Pure Land, you should call
wholeheartedly upon the Bodhisattva
Kuan Yin (Avalokitesvara).）觀音現身塵剎．尋聲救苦。（With Her silent vow to rescue sentient
beings, the Bodhisattva appears throughout the worlds of the ten directions.）人當危急之際．若能持誦禮拜（If in time of crisis, a person can keep reciting Her
name and revere Her,）．無不隨感而應．即垂慈佑．令脫苦惱而獲安樂也。（She will respond according to the circumstances,
enabling him to escape suffering and achieve happiness. ）
念佛一法．乃至簡至易．至廣至大之法。（Although
Buddha Recitation is simple, it is very deep
and encompassing.）必須懇切志誠之極．方能感應道交．即生親獲實益。（The most important thing is to be utterly sincere and earnest, for only
then will your thoughts merge with those of Amitabha Buddha and will you reap true benefits in this very life.）若懶惰懈怠．毫無敬畏（If you are lazy and lax, lacking even the least bit
of reverence and awe,）．雖種遠因．而褻慢之罪．有不堪設想者。（you may sow the seeds of future liberation but you
must still bear the inconceivable evil karma stemming from disrespect and over-familiarity.）縱令得生人天．斷難高預海會。（Even if, thanks to residual merits, you escape the
evil realms, you will still find it difficult to join the Ocean-Wide Lotus
Assembly!）
至于佛像當作真佛看．不可作土木銅鐵等看。經典乃三世諸佛之師．如來法身舍利．亦當作真佛看．不可作紙墨等看。對經像時．當如忠臣之奉聖主．孝子之讀遺囑。能如是．則無業障而不消．無福慧而不足矣。現今士大夫學佛者多．然率皆讀其文．解其義．取其供給口頭．以博一通家之名而已。（Nowadays, there are quite a number of
scholars who study Buddhism. However, almost all of them simply read the words of the sutras and commentaries
seeking arguments and rationalizations to prove that they are versed in the
Dharma.）至於恭敬志誠．依教修持者．誠為難得其人。（Those with the sincerity and devotion to
cultivate according to the Dharma are few
indeed!）余常謂欲得佛法實益（I have always said that to reap the real
benefit of the Dharma,）．須向恭敬中求（you should approach it with a truly reverent
mind.）。有一分恭敬．則消一分罪業（One-tenth
of reverence and devotion annihilates one-tenth of afflictions
and evil karma,）．增一分福慧（and increases merit and wisdom by
one-tenth –）。有十分恭敬．則消十分罪業．增十分福慧。（and this applies to two-tenths,
three-tenths or total reverence and devotion.）
若無恭敬而致褻慢（Conversely, the more lax and disrespectful you are,）．則罪業愈增（the more obstructions and evil karma you develop,）．而福慧愈減矣（resulting in a corresponding decrease in merit and wisdom.）。哀哉（How sad it is!）。凡遇知交當諄諄以此意告之（When you
meet with other laymen, you should counsel them along these lines.）．乃莫大之法施也。（This would be a
great Dharma gift. ）
淨土法門若信得及（If you can penetrate the profound, subtle meaning of the Pure Land
method,）．何善如之（so much the better.）。若己智有不了（However, even if you are not entirely clear about certain aspects of it,）．即當仰信諸佛諸祖誠言（you should still believe firmly in the words of the
Buddhas and the Patriarchs.）．斷不可有一念疑心（You must not harbor doubts.）．疑則與佛相背（To doubt is to turn your back on Buddha Amitabha, distancing yourself
from Him,）．臨終定難感通矣。（making it difficult to be in communion with
Him and be “received and guided” at the time of death.）古人謂（The ancients have taught:）
淨土法門．唯佛與佛乃能究盡。（Only the Buddhas can truly fathom the
ultimate meaning of Pure Land;）登地菩薩．不能知其少分。（even those Bodhisattvas who have
achieved near equality with the Buddhas cannot grasp it completely.）
夫登地大士．尚不全知（If even the highest level Bodhisattvas cannot fully
understand the Pure Land method,）。豈可以博地凡夫．妄生臆斷乎（how
can we expect to assess it with our own limited minds and capacities without
falling into error?）。若欲研究．當看淨土十要。此書乃蕅益大師於淨土諸書中．採其菁華．妙契時機．最為第一。其開首彌陀要解．自佛說此經以來．為西天東土中．絕無而僅有之註解也。宜恪遵守．不可忽略。今之聰明人（Intelligent persons, these days,）．雖學佛法（may study the Dharma,）．以未親近具眼善知識（but since they have not been in the company of
fully enlightened sages,）．率皆專重理性．撥棄事修及與因果（they almost always emphasize theory and
noumenon (principle) while
rejecting “phenomenal” cultivation as well as the law of Cause and Effect.）。既撥事修因果．并理性而失之。（Little do they realize that without phenomenal
cultivation and belief in Cause and Effect, theory and noumenon cease to exist.
）
所以每有才高等輩（There are also certain individuals of great talent and ability,）．詞驚鬼神（whose writings can astound the gods.）．究其行為．與市井無知無識者無異（However,
their actions are no different from those of the dullards in the marketplace.）。其病根皆由撥事修因果之所致也（The root cause is their rejection of phenomenal
cultivation and Cause and Effect.）。俾上智者徒生憐愍．下愚者依樣妄為所謂以身謗法（This grave error is repeated by other
people; it is a case of betraying the Dharma with
one’s body (actions).）．罪過無量（The depth of such offenses and
transgressions is immeasurable!）。法苑珠林一書．（一百卷、常州天寧寺訂作三十本、蘇州瑪瑙經房訂作廿四本、瑪瑙經房板殘、傷模糊、天寧寺板係新刻、）詳談因果．理事并進。事跡報應．歷歷分明。閱之令人不寒而栗。縱在暗室屋漏．常如面對佛天．不敢稍萌惡念。上中下根．皆蒙利益。斷不至錯認路頭．執理廢事．歸于偏邪狂妄之弊。（Witnessing this, those endowed with
profound wisdom can only sigh in pity and compassion ...）
夢東所謂（An Elder Master once said:）
善談心性者．必不棄離于因果。（Those who skillfully discourse on Mind and
Self-Nature surely can never reject Cause and Effect;）深信因果者．終必大明乎心性（those who believe deeply in Cause and Effect naturally
understand the Mind and Self-Nature in depth.）。此理勢所必然也。（This is a
natural development.）
夢東此語乃千古不刊之至論（The Master’s words are a truth that has withstood the
test of time,）．亦徒逞狂慧者之頂門針也（a needle pricking the heads of those with
delusive wisdom.）。各流通處皆有．宜請而閱之．其利益當自知之．亦宜令一切知交閱之。
令弟去秋復來山（Last autumn, during your esteemed brother’s visit to P’u T’o Mountain,）．亦曾以恭敬相勉（I brought up these “sincere,
respectful” points.）．但未知伊以余言為是否也。（However, I wonder whether he has taken them
as the sincere, earnest words they were meant to be? ）
Translated
by Master Thich Thien Tam（Forrest Smith, editor）
【編後語】：「印光大師嘉言錄」、「印光大師文鈔」、「印光大師全集」等，可以說是末學的傳家寶典。當末學看到有善知識將其中的部分內容，翻譯成英文時，感到欣喜莫名！翻譯者實在非常用心，除了在書的開頭，對於淨土法門做詳盡的介紹外，還在每封信函的ㄧ些特殊名詞處，於末後做有詳細註解，然這部份末學就省略了。末學妄自做以上重新編排，目的在方便中文讀者與原文做比較，也希望拉近中文與英文的距離，鼓勵年輕學人提升英文能力。讀者讀後，自當能感受翻譯者英文造詣之深厚！學習之後，將來或許可以隨緣向外國友人說法，大家一同念佛，同生極樂淨土，早成佛道，下化眾生，豈不快哉！
Ps.
1. 以上只是英文原書的其中一篇，而英文原書也只是印光大師留世文章的ㄧ小部份翻譯而已。
2. 英文原書：Pure-Land Zen Zen Pure-Land,
Letters from Patriarch Yin Kuang