Concerning Belief and Doubt

Buddhist Psalms, by S. Yamabe and L. Adams Beck, [1921], at sacred-texts.com

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CONCERNING BELIEF AND DOUBT

293. Whoso comprehendeth not the wisdom of the Enlightened One, and doubteth concerning His illumination, shall rise no higher than the Outermost Places, for he hath trusted in the power of Reward, and hath relied upon the principle of morality.

294. Whoso doubteth the wisdom of the Enlightened One—that wisdom beyond all human understanding—and reciteth the Holy Name, trusting in the merit of himself, shall not rise beyond the outermost bounds of the Pure Land that is the Temporal Paradise, for he hath not the grace of right thankfulness for His Compassion.

295. Whoso shall accept the doctrine of rewards and doubteth the wisdom of Him that hath Light that surpasseth all knowledge of man, shall be made captive in Doubting Castle, and the three jewels of the faith shall no more be his.

296. For his sin, in that he hath doubted the wisdom of the Enlightened One, shall he remain in the Outermost Places of the Land of Purity. And for as much as we are taught that the sin

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of doubt is grievous, we are also instructed that he must there dwell for many Kalpas.

297. If the prince committeth a sin against his Father, even the Chakravarti, the King, he is fettered as a prisoner, though the chain be of gold.

298. Whoso reciteth the Holy Name, and so doeth as a work of self-merit, shall be bound in the prison of the sevenfold gems, for he believeth not right by the divine promise of that Holy One, and heavy is the sin of his doubting.

299. Yet he even that hath a doubting soul and sinneth the sin of self-merit, must needs strive to comprehend the merciful goodness of the Blessed One, and he shall recite the Holy Name if he would at all be equalled unto him that holdeth the true faith.

300. It is the Law that he who soweth shall reap what he soweth, therefore the man that is full of righteous deeds for the sake of self-merit shall enter into the prison of the sevenfold gems, for he doubteth the marvellous wisdom of Him that hath the Light.

301. Whoso doubteth of the wisdom of Him that hath Light beyond the imagining of man, and trusteth to the root of goodness and virtue—

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he shall not attain unto the Soul of Great Mercy, for he is born into the Outermost Places of Paradise, and slow and dull of heart is he.

302. Among those men that doubt the Holy Word, some are imprisoned in the shut bud of the Lotus. And they shall be despised as they that in illusion are born into the outermost Paradise or are held captive within the narrow walls of the womb.

303. Whoso doubteth the omniscience of the wisdom of the Light-Bearer, but holdeth to his belief in Reward, excellent ofttimes in making the root of goodness to grow,

304. Because he doubteth the wisdom of the Eternal Wisdom, and is held captive as in the strait prison of the womb, hath neither knowledge nor wisdom, and is compared unto a man straitly bound in captivity.

305. He that is born into the outermost place, all glorious with the sevenfold jewels, shall not in five hundred years behold that three-fold jewel, the Tri-ratna, for there is in him no spiritual well-doing, that he should give it unto his fellow-men.

306. To him who is born into the Palace, glorious with the seven jewels, for five hundred

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years there shall befall many sorts of sorrows from his own evil doing.

307. Whoso hopeth reward and maketh to flourish the root of goodness, shall remain in the transitory Paradise, for though he be a good man, yet hath he a doubting heart.

308. Because he accepteth not the Divine Promise of Him who is the Light unspeakable, and carrieth his doubt with him unto Paradise, therefore the shut flower of his heart openeth not, therefore is he unshapen as a child in the womb.

307. When he perceiveth the Land of Purity, the Bodhisattva Maitreya thus questioneth the Holy One, saying, "What is the cause and what the circumstance of that man who, having been born, yet remaineth as it were straitened in the womb?

310. And thus spake the Lord unto the Bodhisattva Maitreya saying,

"Whoso trusteth in the root of goodness that he himself maketh to grow and hath a doubting soul, he it is that is in the outermost places of the Paradise, he it is that is said to be straitened still in the womb of ignorance."

311. He who doubteth the wisdom of Him that is all Light, shall for his sin be made captive until

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five hundred years be gone, and this is called the conception within the womb of ignorance.

312. Whoso doubteth the wisdom that is beyond man's understanding, and hath believed the doctrine of reward, shall of a certainty be born within Doubting Castle, and this is called conception within the womb of ignorance.

313. Whoso trusteth upon self-righteousness rather than upon the wisdom of the Enlightened One that is beyond man's knowledge, shall be conceived within the womb of ignorance, and to him shall the mercy of the Three Jewels be unknown.

314. Whoso doubteth the wisdom of the Enlightened One that surpasseth all knowledge of man and trusteth in the hope of reward, and would attain unto birth in Paradise by making the root of goodness to grow, shall be straitened in the womb of ignorance.

315. Heavy is the sin of doubting the wisdom of the Buddha. He who is instructed taketh refuge in the wonderful wisdom of the Enlightened One, being in contrition for his foolishness.

These twenty-three psalms above-written are made by me that men should know the heaviness of their sin in doubting the Divine Promise of the Buddha of Infinite Light.