色慾心起，即為大過

【真相網2014.9.21】轉載自明慧網

（一）

明朝正德年間，有個讀書人，名叫趙永貞，他在少年的時候，曾經遇到一位異人告訴他說：『你二十三歲的時候，必定會考中功名。』等到他廿三歲那年參加鄉試，文章寫得極好，主考官早已經決定選中他的文章好幾天了；不料到了後場的考試，他卻是連連的失誤，結果沒有考中。趙永貞的心中，感到非常的難過；因此就向文昌帝君祈求託夢，告訴他不中的原因；文昌帝君就說：『你原本可以考中今年的鄉試，但是因為你近來調戲你家的婢女，引誘鄰居的女兒，雖然都沒有成真；然而你的起心顛倒，意淫纏綿不斷，心地日益的轉暗；所以你命中原有的功名，因此而被消除了。』

永貞聽了帝君的解說，痛哭流涕，發誓並決心改過，大做善事。於是就刻印戒淫的善書，以警醒世人。結果在下次的鄉試中，永貞果然考中了解元，做官做到了藩憲。

（二）

有位叫行蘊的僧人，有一次他見到了蓮花，忽然動了淫慾的想法。當天晚上，就有一位婦人來敲他的門。行蘊打開門看，見到門外站了一位女子，而且還帶了一個丫環，並且自稱道：『我是蓮花娘子。』而這位女子容光照人，極為美麗，行蘊見了十分的高興，就與她情意纏綿的談起話來。一會兒，蠟燭就熄滅了，隔壁的侍者聽到行蘊叫苦的聲音，和女子厲聲的對他說道：『你為什麼妄起淫心，假若我真的是女子，也不會肯跟你苟合啊！』侍者聽到之後，就立刻跑去邀集寺里其他的僧眾趕來，大家合力破門而入，只看到了兩個夜叉，而行蘊已經身首異處了。（《太平廣記》卷第三百五十七）

（三）

雖然把狀元的名字隱藏起來，但這同樣是一個真實的故事：

清朝末年，有一個舉子進京赴考，住進一家客棧，老闆娘是新寡的少婦。因大雪封路，無法前行，連住幾天。孤男寡女，天天對望，日久生情，就動了念頭了。在起了淫念之後，舉子到寡婦房前欲舉手敲門，忽然想到：｢不可以！我是去考狀元的，這一進去要是犯了淫，天庭會除名的，回去吧！｣他這邊回去了，她那邊卻起了念頭，想去找他了。一出門，心裏想到：｢咦！不可以，我是個寡婦，應該為丈夫守住貞節才對，怎麼看到年輕人就忘了本份，不可以，回去吧！｣為丈夫守節，守得貞操清白，死後可以升天的；但若是寡婦犯淫，這個罪惡也足以令她下地獄的。所以這個寡婦想到這裡，就回房去了。

男的回去以後，禁不住慾火的煎熬，又來到女的門前，敲了門。寡婦就起來開門時，那男的又趕快跑掉，因為他又覺得不可以這樣做，怕犯了淫會被革名。古人講，縱然你有很好的學問，命中注定是狀元，倘若犯了淫，或是造了惡，天庭會除去你的狀元名份的。所以他趁女的將要開門，趕快回頭去了。但是那個女的已經知道了，也跟過來敲他的門，而內心又掙扎地告訴自己，不可以失節，又回去了。就這樣來來回回走了兩三次。最後一次，這個男的起來開了門。兩個人在那邊猶猶豫豫，又想要，又想不可以這樣做。

就在這要成不成的時候，聽到空中有聲音說話了：｢你們兩個王八蛋要干又不幹，把我的功過簿畫得稀巴爛！｣說完就甩下一個東西來。他們兩個聽到這些話嚇得發抖，趕快撿起來看，原來是一本｢功過簿｣，上面有他們的名字：一個今科狀元，犯淫革名，打叉畫掉了；一個是守節寡婦，死後升天，現在犯淫，也畫掉了。再看看，又寫｢不犯｣，勾上去；再看下面，又寫｢犯｣，又畫掉；然後又是｢不犯｣，勾上去；｢犯｣，畫掉。把這本功過簿又畫又勾，弄得一塌糊塗。這兩個人一看，趕快各自回房，從此再也不敢犯淫念了。

人心生一念，天地盡皆知。以前誤認為只要行為上不犯，只生淫念，起色慾之心，沒有實質的行為，便沒有罪過或罪過是輕的。現在看來不是這樣啊！明朝的呂青死而復生，聽一位冥官講，凡是人一動了邪淫的慾念，就是大過。如果神明若不如實記錄申報，將其隱匿或是漏掉，就連對於專管這件事的神明來說都是大過啊！所以人要想得福報，還是趁早摒棄邪淫妄念。因為色慾心一起，即為大過，自招禍患。從此改變命運，損福折壽，惡運相隨，其實皆為自取。對於一個修煉人就更嚴重，色慾之心一起，千古修煉的機緣也許毀於一旦了！

https://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/3/21/237882.html

https://www.clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2011/6/3/125783.html

Traditional Chinese Culture: Three Short Stories Illustrate How A Sin is Committed With Even One Thought of Lust
June 03, 2011

First Story

During the reign of Emperor Zhengde (1505 - 1521 A.D.) in the Ming Dynasty, there was a man named Zhao Yongzhen. When he was young, he met a fortune-teller who told him: ｢You will surely win first place in the provincial civil service examination and obtain fame and fortune when you are twenty three years old.｣

When young Zhao took the provincial civil service examination, he wrote an excellent article. The examiner decided to choose his article. But, against all of his expectations, he failed all the later exams and thus did not pass the provincial civil service examination. He was very upset and in a dream, he asked the Imperial Deity of Wenchang (the authority in charge of education and examinations) why he failed the exam. The Deity replied: "You were supposed to win first place in the provincial civil service examination, but recently you peeped at your maid out of lust and flirted with the girl next door. Although you did not actually touch these women, you were lustful in mind. This is the reason why you have been deprived of the honor!"

After hearing what the Deity said, Yongzhen burst into tears. He pledged to rectify his mistakes and do a lot of good deeds. He wrote a book encouraging people to guard their chastity and to refrain from lustful thoughts and behavior. As a result he won the first place in the next imperial civil service examination. Later in his career, Zhao Yongzhen was made a feudal lord responsible for guarding a region.

Second Story

There once was a monk named Xingyun. One day he saw a lotus flower and suddenly had a lustful thought. That night, a woman came knocking on his door. Xingyun opened the door and saw the woman and a maiden standing outside the door. The woman said: ｢I am the Lotus Lady.｣ Xingyun was very pleased to see the beautiful lady and started talking to her affectionately. After a while the candle went out. The waiter next door heard Xingyun crying and a woman harshly tell him: ｢Why did you have lustful thoughts? Even if I were really a woman, I would not agree to have sex with you!｣ The waiter immediately ran to get other monks to come over. They broke into the room and saw only two demons while Xingyun had been decapitated. (｢Tailing Guangji｣ Volume Three Hundred and Fifty Seven)

Third Story

During the last years of the Qing Dynasty, a candidate was going to Beijing for the provincial civil service examination. The manager of the hotel where he was staying was a recently widowed woman. Due to heavy snow blocking the road, he was forced to stayed at the hotel for a few days longer. After a few days of staring at each other, they fell in love and started to have lustful thoughts. The candidate went to the widow's room and was about to knock on the door when he suddenly thought: ｢No, I can't do this. I'm going to take the provincial civil service examination. If I step inside and have an affair with her, I will be deprived of first-place in the exam by heaven. I have to go back!｣ While he went back to his room, the widow started thinking about him. She stepped out the door and thought: ｢No! I am a widow and should hold chastity for my husband. How could I forget about this after seeing a young man? No, I have to go back!｣ (It is held in Chinese mythology that if a widow holds chastity for her husband and remains clean, she will go to heaven after death; but if a widow is guilty of adultery, the sin is enough to make her go to hell.) So, the widow went back to her room.

After the man returned to his room, he could not contain his burning desire, so he went back to the widow's door and knocked. Before she opened the door, he quickly dashed away, realizing that he should not be there. He was afraid of being deprived of fame and fortune because of adultery. There is an ancient saying that, even if you have very good knowledge and are destined to win first place at the provincial civil examination, if you are guilty of adultery or have committed evil deeds, your first place status will be removed by heaven. So he went back to his room before the widow opened the door. However, the widow already knew he was there, so she went to knock on his door. She also struggled, telling herself that she should not be disloyal. So she went back. They went back and forth like this two or three times. The last time, the man opened the door, but they stood there hesitating, wanting to do it, but also feeling afraid.

At that moment they heard a voice in the air: ｢Hey! You both wanted to do it, and then were afraid to do it, over and over. My notebook is all messed up!｣ They heard something thrown down. The man and the widow both trembled. They quickly picked up the notebook that appeared at their feet. It turned out to be the ｢Merits and Demerits Book｣. Their names were in the book: a first-place winner in the provincial civil service examination, whose name was crossed out after being guilty of adultery; a widow who was supposed to go to heaven after being loyal, and the name was crossed out after committing adultery. Looking more closely, there was the word ｢not committed｣, and the names were checked back. Then below that, the word ｢guilty｣ was written, and the names crossed out. Then below that was the word ｢not committed｣, and names checked back. Then ｢guilty｣ with the names crossed out. The notebook was all messed up with crosses and checks. After seeing this, the two went back to their rooms and would not dare to have lustful thoughts again.

*****

Each thought arising in one's heart is known by heaven and earth. I mistakenly thought that it's alright to have lustful thoughts as long as one does not commit the deeds. Without actual deeds there would be no sin, or the sin is light. It seems I was wrong.

When Lu Qing from the Ming Dynasty came back from the dead, he heard an official in hell telling him that it is a serious sin to have lustful thoughts. If the gods do not record the thoughts truthfully, this is also a big sin for the gods who are in charge of these matters.

Therefore, if one wants good fortune, one needs to get rid of evil and lustful thoughts immediately. Because once a thought of lust arises, it's a big sin and will bring nothing good. One's life is changed forever and one will lose good fortune, or one's life may even be shortened. Bad fortune will come, and it can be said to be one's own fault.

It's even more serious for a practitioner, as one's precious opportunity to cultivate might be ruined by one thought of lust!