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復次阿難。從是畜生。酬償先債。若彼酬者。分越所酬。此等眾生。還復為人。反徵其剩。
「復次」：再講一講。「阿難，從是畜生」：現在所說的畜生的報。「酬償先債」：是去還他以前所欠的債。「若彼酬者」：假設要是他所償的。「分越所酬」：多出來了，超越他所應該所償還的。
「此等眾生」：這一等的眾生。「還復為人」：再來作人。「反徵其剩」：他再來作人來互相償還所剩餘的業。
如彼有力兼有福德。則於人中不捨人身。酬還彼力。若無福音。還為畜生。償彼餘直。
「如彼有力」：有力就是他有這種的善業的業力。「兼有福德」：並且他又有福德。「則於人中」：他就是在這個人道裡邊。「不捨人身」：不捨掉人身。「酬還彼力」：就還他所剩的那種債。「若無福者」：假設要沒有福的。「還為畜生」：就再去做畜生。「償彼餘直」：還所剩的那些個債務。絕對不可你佔我的便宜，我佔你的便宜的，一定要公平。雖然默默中沒有人主宰，但是彼此的業力都不想吃虧，所以一定要扯平，要平均。
阿難當知。若用錢物。或役其力。償足自停。
阿難，你應該知道。「若用錢物」：或者在人道的時候用錢物。「或役其力」：或者他幫你做什麼工。「償足自停」：債務夠了，自然就停止工作了。
如於中間。殺彼身命。或食其肉。如是乃至經微塵劫。相食相誅。猶如轉輸。亙為高下。無有休息。
「如於中間」：在彼此結冤的中間。「殺彼身命」：把對方的身命殺了。「或食其肉」：或者吃對方的肉。「如是乃至」：像這樣子乃至。「經微塵劫」：經過微塵那麼多的劫數。「相食相誅」：你吃我的肉，我就殺你的身；我吃你的肉，你也殺我的身，互相相食相誅。「猶如轉輪」：就好像一個輪子這麼來回轉似的。轉過來，轉過去；你吃我，我吃你，不知道吃多長的時間。「互為高下」：你吃我多一點，或者我吃你少一點。「無有休息」：沒有休息的時候，非常危險的！
除奢摩他。及佛出世。不可停寢。
「除奢摩他」：除佛的這種寂照的定力，修持楞嚴的堅固的三昧得到楞嚴大定，或者「有佛出世」，「不可停寢」，就不能停止，不能休息這個業障。要有佛出世給解除這種罪業的相，他們兩個互相都知道不再造業了，這才能停止。
汝今應知，彼梟倫者，酬足復形，生人道中，參合頑類。
阿難，你應該知道。「彼梟倫者」：那一些個梟鳥之類的倫類。這不單單就是這個貓頭鷹，還有其他相類似的這種惡鳥，所以這就叫梟倫者。「酬足復形」：這個業報償足了，恢復人形了。「生人道中」：再生作人。「參合頑類」：這一種的梟鳥托生作人，這個人就非常地頑強，頑固不化，非常地剛強，非常地不講道理。尤其多數是去作土匪，作頑固不化這些個人。你講什麼道理他也不聽。你和他講佛法，那他就跑得遠遠的。參合頑類：參就是參加；合就和這一類的人聚會到一起，所以說：
人以類聚，物以群分。
善一夥；惡一群，
什麼人他找什麼人。
人，「善一夥」，「惡一群」，惡的人他有一群。「什麼人他找什麼人」。你讀書的學生就和學生在一起；做工的工人就和工人在一起；那一些個賭錢的賭鬼就和賭錢的賭鬼在一起；那一些個吸鴉片菸的菸鬼，就和這個吸鴉片菸的人在一起；這一些個嬉皮，就跑到嬉皮一起去。他因為什麼呢？就都因為他找他那一類的。所以這叫參合頑類。
彼咎徵者。酬是復形。生人道中。參合異類
這個「咎徵」：咎徵就是不吉祥的這一種徵兆，不吉祥東西，好像看見烏鴉，看見那種種不吉祥的東西。商羊（鳥名），石燕（蝙蝠類），這些都是不吉祥的東西。「酬足復形」：他把他那果報受盡了再生到人道裏頭。「參合異類」：異就是怪異。什麼樣叫怪異啊？
好像你現在在報紙上常常看見一個女人生了個小孩子兩個頭；或者一個身體生了兩個頭；或者一個頭兩個身體；或者六根反常，眼睛它生到耳朵那兒去了；耳朵它生到眼睛那兒去了；鼻子長到嘴那個地方去，嘴搬到鼻子那個地方去了，互相搬家了。這個六根，眼耳鼻舌身意都互相搬家了，所以這六根不正常，這就叫怪異。這參合異類，就生這種怪異的相。或者一生出來就死了，雖然死了，但是他也是一種怪。總而言之，不正常這叫異類。
待續
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Sutra:
"Moreover, Ananda, if while repaying his past debts by undergoing rebirth as an animal, such a living being pays back more than he owed, he will then be reborn as a human to rectify the excess.
Commentary:
Moreover, Ananda, now we are discussing the realm of animals.
If while repaying his past debts by undergoing rebirth as an animal, such a living being pays back more than he owed. He repays more than he needed to. Such a being
will then be reborn as a human to rectify the excess. He will be reborn as a person again in order to set the repayment right. He paid back too much and so he gets to be a person again to live out the excess he repaid to rectify the excess of good karma.
Sutra:
"If the creditor is a person with strength, blessings, and virtue, then he can live out what he collected in excess without having to lose his human form. But if he lacks blessings, then he will be reborn again as an animal once he has lived out the repayment.
Commentary:
If the creditor is a person with strength, blessings, and virtue, then he can live out what he collected in excess without having to lose his human form. Strength means that he has the power of good karma. If on top of that he accumulates blessings and virtue, then he won't have to lose a human body. He can live out what he collected in excess, the repayment that is due him. After he's been paid back for the overpayment of debts he made while he was in the animal realm.
But if he lacks blessings; if he doesn't have sufficient blessings and virtue,
then he will be reborn again as an animal once he has lived out the repayment. There is absolutely no such thing as getting a bargain or making a deal with anyone. Everything is absolutely just. Although there isn't any actual person controlling the whole process, still, the power of one's own karma is such that it does not allow any injustice toward anyone. It is definitely a fair process.
Sutra:
"Ananda, if the debt involves money, material goods, or manual labor, then once it is paid, the debt is resolved.
Commentary:
Ananda, you should be informed that
if the debt involves money, material goods, or manual labor. The person may work for someone.
Then once it is paid, the debt is resolved. When the repayment is sufficient, the process naturally stops. The work is finished.
Sutra:
"But if in the process of repayment the lives of other beings were taken or their flesh eaten, then it will start a cycle of mutual devouring and slaughtering that will send the debtors and creditors up and down endlessly for as many eons as there are motes of dust.
Commentary:
But if in the process of repayment should he involve himself in creating emnity with other beings,
the lives of other beings were taken or their flesh eaten, that is, he kills other beings and eats them,
then it will start a cycle of mutual devouring and slaughtering. You eat my flesh and then I murder you; I eat your flesh and then you murder me. It becomes a mutual process of killing and eating. That cycle of eating and being eaten,, killing and being killed goes on like a wheel for one knows not how long. That cycle
will send the debtors and creditors up and down. Perhaps you eat more of me and I eat less of you. This goes on
endlessly, never ceasing, for as many eons as there are motes of dust. It's extremely dangerous.
Sutra:
"There is no way to put a stop to it, except through Shamatha or through a Buddha's coming to the world.
Commentary:
There is no way to put a stop to it, except through
Shamatha or through a Buddha's coming to the world. Other than by means of the Buddhas' "still and illumining" concentration power in cultivating and upholding the durable Shurangama Samadhi in order to obtain the Great Shurangama Samadhi, or by having a Buddha appear in the world, there is no way to stop this cycle. Otherwise, the karmic obstacles will never cease. The karmic obstacles will never desist. It has to be that a Buddha comes into the world to release one from the attributes of these karmic offenses. Then both parties will know that they should not continue creating such karma. Only in that way can the cycle be stopped.
Sutra:
"You should know that when owls and their kind have paid back their debts, they regain their original form and are born as obstinate people.
Commentary:
You should know that when owls and their kind have paid back their debts, they regain their original form and are born as obstinate people. Ananda, you should know more about the category of owls and other birds that are evil like owls are. Once they have undergone their karmic retribution, they return to their original form as human beings. They rejoin the human realm but become obstinate people. When these birds take birth again in the human realm, they become people who are totally perverse and hardheaded. They are stubborn and refuse to yield. They are totally unreasonable and unprincipled. Quite often they become robbers. They don't listen to reason. If you tried to explain some Buddhadharma to them, they would run far away. Born as obstinate people, they join the ranks of people like that. So it is said:
People join up with those who are like them,
Creatures divide into their various species.
The good get together,
The bad form gangs,
People find people who are of their own kind.
Students spend their time with other students. Laborers join together with other laborers. Gamblers get together with gamblers. Opium smokers mingle with other opium smokers. Hippies form communes with other hippies. It's all a manifestation of this principle-people find their own kind.
Sutra:
"When creatures that are inauspicious have paid back their debts, they regain their original form and are born as abnormal people.
Commentary:
When creatures that are inauspicious have paid back their debts, they regain their original form and are born as abnormal people. The inauspicious creatures, such as ravens,
shang yang (name of bird), crag-martins, and the like. After they undergo their karmic retribution, they can be born in the human realm again, but as abnormal beings. They are strange. You see mention of this type of rebirth in the newspapers all the time. A woman gives birth to a child with two heads or a child with two bodies but only one head. Or the infant's six sense organs will be out of place. Perhaps the eyes will be where the ears should be and the ears where the eyes belong. The nose may be where the mouth should be; the mouth may be where the nose should be. The sense organs exchange places. For the six sense-organs to be irregular is what is meant by "abnormal." Often such people die as soon as they are born, but even so they are counted as abnormal. In general, "abnormal" means that there is something not right about them.
To be continued
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