The Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Dharma

心常懷懈怠，貪著於名利，

whose mind was always lazy and who was attached to fame and gain,

求名利無厭，多遊族姓家，

seeking fame and gain without satiety, often visiting the houses of noble families,

棄捨所習誦，廢忘不通利。

abandoning what he had learned and recited, forgetting and not mastering it.

以是因緣故，號之為求名。

For this reason he was called Seeker of Fame.

亦行眾善業，得見無數佛，

He too practiced many good deeds and was able to see countless Buddhas,

供養於諸佛，隨順行大道，

made offerings to the Buddhas, followed and practiced the great Way,

具六波羅蜜，今見釋師子。

completed the six paramitas, and now sees Shakyamuni the lion.

其後當作佛，號名曰彌勒，

Afterward he will become a Buddha, named Maitreya,

廣度諸眾生，其數無有量。

and will widely liberate beings, their number immeasurable.

彼佛滅度後，懈怠者汝是；

After that Buddha's extinction, the lazy one was you;

妙光法師者，今則我身是。

the Dharma master Wondrous Light is now my own self.

我見燈明佛，本光瑞如此，

I saw the Buddha Lamp-Brightness, whose original light and sign were so,

以是知今佛，欲說法華經。

and from this I know that the present Buddha wishes to preach the Lotus Sutra.

今相如本瑞，是諸佛方便，

The present sign is like the former sign; these are the Buddhas' skillful means,

今佛放光明，助發實相義。

and the present Buddha emits light to help reveal the meaning of the true aspect.

諸人今當知，合掌一心待，

All of you should now know, press your palms together and wait with one mind;

佛當雨法雨，充足求道者。

the Buddha will rain the Dharma rain, filling those who seek the Way.

諸求三乘人，若有疑悔者，

Those who seek the Three Vehicles, if any have doubt or regret,

佛當為除斷，令盡無有餘。」

the Buddha will remove and cut it off, leaving nothing remaining."

爾時，世尊從三昧安詳而起，告舍利弗：「諸佛智慧甚深無量，其智慧門難解難入，一切聲聞、辟支佛所不能知。所以者何？佛曾親近百千萬億無數諸佛，盡行諸佛無量道法，勇猛精進名稱普聞，成就甚深未曾有法，隨宜所說意趣難解。舍利弗！吾從成佛已來，種種因緣，種種譬喻，廣演言教無數方便，引導眾生令離諸著。所以者何？如來方便知見波羅蜜皆已具足。舍利弗！如來知見，廣大深遠，無量無礙，力、無所畏、禪定、解脫三昧，深入無際，成就一切未曾有法。舍利弗！如來能種種分別，巧說諸法，言辭柔軟，悅可眾心。舍利弗！取要言之，無量無邊未曾有法，佛悉成就。

At that time the World-Honored One rose calmly from samadhi and said to Shariputra: "The wisdom of the Buddhas is extremely profound and immeasurable; the gate of their wisdom is hard to understand and hard to enter, and cannot be known by any sravaka or pratyekabuddha. Why? The Buddha has drawn near to hundreds of thousands of billions of countless Buddhas and fully practiced the immeasurable Dharmas of all the Buddhas, valiantly and diligently, his name heard everywhere, accomplishing the profound and unprecedented Dharma, and what he says in accordance with the occasion is hard to understand in intent. Shariputra! Since I attained Buddhahood, with various causes and conditions and various parables, I have widely expounded teachings with countless skillful means, leading beings to leave all attachments. Why? The Tathagata has fully perfected the paramita of skillful means and knowledge and vision. Shariputra! The Tathagata's knowledge and vision are vast and profound, immeasurable and unobstructed, with powers, fearlessnesses, meditations, liberations and samadhis, entering deeply without limit, accomplishing all unprecedented Dharmas. Shariputra! The Tathagata can make various distinctions and skillfully expound all dharmas, with soft words that delight the hearts of all. Shariputra! To put it briefly, the Buddha has accomplished immeasurable, boundless, unprecedented Dharmas.

「止，舍利弗！不須復說。所以者何？佛所成就第一希有難解之法。唯佛與佛乃能究盡諸法實相，所謂諸法如是相，如是性，如是體，如是力，如是作，如是因，如是緣，如是果，如是報，如是本末究竟等。」

(The Buddha continued:) "Stop, Shariputra! There is no need to say more. Why? What the Buddha has accomplished is the foremost, rare and hard-to-understand Dharma. Only a Buddha together with a Buddha can fully fathom the true aspect of all dharmas, namely: such is their appearance, such their nature, such their substance, such their power, such their action, such their cause, such their condition, such their effect, such their retribution, and such their ultimate equality from beginning to end."

爾時世尊欲重宣此義，而說偈言：

At that time the World-Honored One, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke in verse:

「世雄不可量，諸天及世人，

"The hero of the world is immeasurable; the devas and people of the world,

一切眾生類，無能知佛者。

all kinds of sentient beings, are unable to know the Buddha.

佛力無所畏、解脫諸三昧，

The Buddha's powers, fearlessnesses, liberations and samadhis,

及佛諸餘法，無能測量者。

and the Buddha's other Dharmas, none can fathom.

本從無數佛，具足行諸道，

Originally from countless Buddhas, I fully practiced all the paths,

甚深微妙法，難見難可了。

the profound, subtle and wondrous Dharma, hard to see and hard to understand.

於無量億劫，行此諸道已，

Through immeasurable billions of kalpas, having practiced these paths,

道場得成果，我已悉知見。

I attained the fruit at the place of the Way, and I have fully known and seen it.

如是大果報，種種性相義，

Such great fruits and retributions, and the meanings of the various natures and aspects,

我及十方佛，乃能知是事。

only I and the Buddhas of the ten directions can know this matter.

是法不可示，言辭相寂滅，

This Dharma cannot be shown; words and signs are stilled,

諸餘眾生類，無有能得解，

and among all other kinds of beings, none can understand it,

除諸菩薩眾、信力堅固者。

except the assembly of bodhisattvas whose power of faith is firm.

諸佛弟子眾，曾供養諸佛，

The assembly of the Buddha's disciples, who have made offerings to the Buddhas,

一切漏已盡，住是最後身，

whose outflows are all exhausted and who dwell in this last body,

如是諸人等，其力所不堪。

such persons as these, their strength is not equal to it.

假使滿世間，皆如舍利弗，

Even if the whole world were filled with beings like Shariputra,

盡思共度量，不能測佛智。

all thinking together and measuring, they could not fathom the Buddha's wisdom.

正使滿十方，皆如舍利弗，

Even if the ten directions were filled with beings like Shariputra,

及餘諸弟子，亦滿十方剎，

and with the other disciples, filling the ten-direction lands as well,

盡思共度量，亦復不能知。

all thinking together and measuring, they would still be unable to know it.

辟支佛利智，無漏最後身，

Pratyekabuddhas of sharp wisdom, in their last body without outflows,

亦滿十方界，其數如竹林，

also filling the ten-direction worlds, numerous as a bamboo grove,

斯等共一心，於億無量劫，

if all with one mind, through billions of immeasurable kalpas,

欲思佛實智，莫能知少分。

wished to ponder the Buddha's true wisdom, they could not know even a small part.

新發意菩薩，供養無數佛，

Newly aroused bodhisattvas, who have made offerings to countless Buddhas,

了達諸義趣，又能善說法，

fully understanding the meanings and also skilled at preaching the Dharma,

如稻麻竹葦，充滿十方剎，

like rice, hemp, bamboo and reeds, filling the ten-direction lands,

一心以妙智，於恆河沙劫，

with one mind and wondrous wisdom, for kalpas as many as the sands of the Ganges,

鹹皆共思量，不能知佛智。

if all pondered together, they could not know the Buddha's wisdom.

不退諸菩薩，其數如恆沙，

Bodhisattvas who do not turn back, numerous as the sands of the Ganges,

一心共思求，亦復不能知。

if with one mind they sought it together, they too could not know it.

又告舍利弗：『無漏不思議，

He also told Shariputra: 'The outflow-free, inconceivable,

甚深微妙法，我今已具得，

profound, subtle and wondrous Dharma I have now fully attained,

唯我知是相，十方佛亦然。

and only I know this aspect, and the Buddhas of the ten directions are also so.

舍利弗當知，諸佛語無異，

Shariputra, you should know that the words of the Buddhas do not differ;

於佛所說法，當生大信力，

toward the Dharma spoken by the Buddha, you should give rise to great power of faith.