Sutra of Immeasurable Life, Part One

常於大眾中，說法師子吼。

and always among the great assembly, I will teach the Dharma with a lion's roar.

供養一切佛，具足眾德本，

Making offerings to all Buddhas, perfecting the roots of many virtues,

願慧悉成滿，得為三界雄。

may my vows and wisdom all be fulfilled, so that I may be a hero of the three realms.

如佛無量智，通達靡不遍，

As the Buddha's immeasurable wisdom penetrates everywhere without exception,

願我功德力，等此最勝尊。

may the power of my merit be equal to this most supreme Honored One.

斯願若剋果，大千應感動，

If these vows can bear fruit, the great thousand worlds should be moved,

虛空諸天人，當雨珍妙華。』」

and the gods in the sky should rain down precious flowers.'"

佛語阿難：「法藏比丘說此頌已，應時普地六種震動，天雨妙華以散其上，自然音樂空中讚言：『決定必成無上正覺。』於是法藏比丘具足修滿如是大願，誠諦不虛，超出世間深樂寂滅。

The Buddha said to Ananda: "When the bhikshu Dharmakara had spoken this verse, at that moment the whole earth shook in six ways, wondrous flowers rained down from the sky and scattered upon him, and natural music in the air praised him, saying: 'It is certain that you will attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.' Then the bhikshu Dharmakara fully perfected such great vows, truthful and not false, surpassing the world and deeply delighting in stillness.

「阿難！法藏比丘於彼佛所諸天、魔、梵、龍神八部大眾之中發斯弘誓，建此願已，一向專志莊嚴妙土。所修佛國開廓廣大，超勝獨妙，建立常然，無衰、無變。於不可思議兆載永劫積殖菩薩無量德行，不生欲覺、瞋覺、害覺，不起欲想、瞋想、害想，不著色、聲、香、味、觸之法。忍力成就，不計眾苦。少欲知足，無染恚痴，三昧常寂，智慧無礙。無有虛偽諂曲之心，和顏軟語先意承問，勇猛精進志願無惓，專求清白之法。以慧利群生，恭敬三寶，奉事師長；以大莊嚴具足眾行，令諸眾生功德成就。住空、無相、無願之法，無作、無起，觀法如化。遠離麁言、自害、害彼、彼此俱害，修習善語，自利、利人、彼我兼利。棄國、捐王，絕去財色。自行六波羅蜜，教人令行。

"Ananda! After the bhikshu Dharmakara, in the presence of that Buddha, among the great assembly of gods, Maras, Brahmas, nagas and the eight classes of beings, spoke these great vows and established them, he single-mindedly set his aspiration on adorning his wondrous land. The Buddha land he cultivated was open, broad and vast, supremely and uniquely wondrous, established as permanent, without decline and without change. Through inconceivable millions of eons he accumulated and planted the immeasurable virtuous practices of a Bodhisattva; he did not give rise to desirous thoughts, angry thoughts or harmful thoughts, did not stir desirous ideas, angry ideas or harmful ideas, and did not cling to the dharmas of form, sound, smell, taste and touch. His power of patience was complete and he did not mind the many sufferings. He had few desires and was content, without attachment, anger or delusion; his samadhi was always still and his wisdom unobstructed. He had no heart of falsehood or flattery, spoke with a gentle face and soft words, anticipated others' wishes and asked after them, was brave and diligent, tireless in his vows, and sought only the pure Dharma. With wisdom he benefited living beings, revered the Three Jewels, and served his teachers and elders; with great adornments he fulfilled many practices and brought the merit of all beings to completion. He dwelt securely in the Dharma of emptiness, signlessness and wishlessness, without doing and without arising, and saw dharmas as illusory transformations. He stayed away from coarse speech, from harming himself, harming others, and harming both, and cultivated good speech, benefiting himself, benefiting others, and benefiting both. He abandoned his kingdom, gave up his throne, and cut off wealth and sex. He himself practiced the six paramitas (meaning "gone to the other shore," crossing from the shore of birth and death to the shore of liberation), and taught others to practice them.

「無央數劫積功累德，隨其生處在意所欲，無量寶藏自然發應，教化安立無數眾生。住於無上正真之道，或為長者、居士、豪姓、尊貴，或為剎利國君、轉輪聖帝，或為六慾天主乃至梵王。常以四事供養恭敬一切諸佛，如是功德不可稱說。口氣香潔如優缽羅華，身諸毛孔出栴檀香，其香普燻無量世界；容色端正，相好殊妙，其手常出無盡之寶，衣服、飲食珍妙華香，諸蓋幢幡莊嚴之具。如是等事超諸人天，於一切法而得自在。」

"Through countless kalpas he accumulated merit and piled up virtue; wherever he was born, as his mind desired, immeasurable treasures responded of themselves, and he taught and established countless beings. Dwelling securely in the unsurpassed, true Way, he was sometimes an elder, a lay householder, a person of a great clan, or a noble; sometimes a king of the kshatriyas or a wheel-turning sage emperor; sometimes a lord of the six heavens of desire, up to a Brahma king. He always honored and made offerings to all Buddhas with the four requisites of clothing, food, bedding and medicine, and such merit cannot be described. His breath was fragrant and pure like the utpala flower, and from the pores of his body came the scent of sandalwood, which perfumed immeasurable worlds; his appearance was dignified, his marks and features extraordinary, and his hands constantly brought forth inexhaustible treasures: clothing, food, wondrous flowers and incense, canopies, banners, pennants and adornments. Such deeds surpassed all humans and gods, and he gained mastery over all dharmas."

阿難白佛：「法藏菩薩為已成佛而取滅度、為未成佛？為今現在？」

Ananda said to the Buddha: "Has the Bodhisattva Dharmakara already become a Buddha and entered extinction, or has he not yet become a Buddha, or is he present now?"

佛告阿難：「法藏菩薩今已成佛，現在西方，去此十萬億剎，其佛世界名曰安樂。」

The Buddha said to Ananda: "The Bodhisattva Dharmakara has already become a Buddha and is now in the west, a hundred thousand billion lands from here; that Buddha's world is named Peace and Joy."

阿難又問：「其佛成道已來為經幾時？」

Ananda asked again: "How long has it been since that Buddha attained the Way?"

佛言：「成佛已來凡歷十劫。其佛國土自然七寶——金、銀、琉璃、珊瑚、琥珀、車𤦲、瑪瑙——合成為地，恢廓曠蕩不可限極。悉相雜廁，轉相入間，光赫焜耀，微妙奇麗，清淨莊嚴超踰十方一切世界眾寶中精，其寶猶如第六天寶。又其國土無須彌山及金剛圍一切諸山，亦無大海、小海、溪渠、井谷。佛神力故，欲見則見。亦無地獄、餓鬼、畜生諸難之趣。亦無四時——春、秋、冬、夏——不寒、不熱，常和調適。」

The Buddha said: "Since he became a Buddha, ten kalpas have passed in all. That Buddha's land naturally has seven jewels, namely gold, silver, lapis lazuli, coral, amber, seashell and agate, which together form the ground, spacious and vast beyond limit. They are mixed and interspersed with each other, drawing into one another, blazing and radiant, subtle, wondrous and beautiful, pure and adorned, surpassing the essence of all the jewels in all the worlds of the ten directions, those jewels being like the jewels of the sixth heaven. Moreover, that land has no Mount Sumeru and no diamond ring of mountains, nor great seas, small seas, streams, canals, wells or valleys. By the Buddha's spiritual power, whatever one wishes to see can be seen. There are also no hells, hungry ghosts, animals or other difficult realms. There are no four seasons of spring, autumn, winter and summer; it is neither cold nor hot, always harmonious and mild."

爾時，阿難白佛言：「世尊！若彼國土無須彌山，其四天王及忉利天依何而住？」

At that time, Ananda said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One! If that land has no Mount Sumeru, then on what do the Four Heavenly Kings and the Trayastrimsha heaven rest?"

佛語阿難：「第三炎天乃至色究竟天皆依何住？」

The Buddha said to Ananda: "On what do the third flame heaven, up to the Akanishtha heaven, rest?"

阿難白佛：「行業果報不可思議。」

Ananda said to the Buddha: "The karmic retribution of deeds is inconceivable."

佛語阿難：「行業果報不可思議，諸佛世界亦不可思議。其諸眾生功德善力住行業之地，故能爾耳。」

The Buddha said to Ananda: "The karmic retribution of deeds is inconceivable, and the worlds of the Buddhas are also inconceivable. Those beings dwell on the ground of their deeds through the power of their merit and goodness, and so it can be so."

阿難白佛：「我不疑此法，但為將來眾生欲除其疑惑，故問斯義。」

Ananda said to the Buddha: "I do not doubt this Dharma; I ask about this meaning only because I wish to remove the doubts of beings in the future."

佛告阿難：「無量壽佛威神光明最尊第一，諸佛光明所不能及。或有佛光照百佛世界、或千佛世界，取要言之，乃照東方恆沙佛剎，南、西、北方四維，上、下亦復如是。或有佛光照於七尺，或照一由旬，二、三、四、五由旬，如是轉倍乃至照一佛剎。是故，無量壽佛號無量光佛、無邊光佛、無礙光佛、無對光佛、炎王光佛、清淨光佛、歡喜光佛、智慧光佛、不斷光佛、難思光佛、無稱光佛、超日月光佛。

The Buddha said to Ananda: "The majestic spiritual light of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life is the most honored and foremost, which the light of other Buddhas cannot match. Some Buddha's light illuminates a hundred Buddha worlds, or a thousand Buddha worlds; to put it briefly, it illuminates Buddha lands as many as the sands of the Ganges in the east, and likewise in the south, west and north, the four intermediate directions, up and down. Some Buddha's light reaches seven feet, or one yojana, or two, three, four, five yojanas, and in this way doubles in turn until it illuminates a whole Buddha land. Therefore the Buddha of Immeasurable Life is called the Buddha of Immeasurable Light, Boundless Light, Unobstructed Light, Incomparable Light, Flame King Light, Pure Light, Joyful Light, Wisdom Light, Unceasing Light, Inconceivable Light, Indescribable Light, and Light Surpassing Sun and Moon.

「其有眾生遇斯光者，三垢消滅，身意柔軟，歡喜踴躍，善心生焉。若在三塗勤苦之處，見此光明，皆得休息，無復苦惱；壽終之後皆蒙解脫。

"If any being meets this light, the three defilements vanish, body and mind become soft, they leap with joy, and good thoughts arise. If, in the places of toil of the three evil paths, they see this light, they all find rest and are free from suffering and distress; after their lives end, they all receive liberation.

「無量壽佛光明顯赫照曜十方諸佛國土，莫不聞知。不但我今稱其光明，一切諸佛、聲聞、緣覺、諸菩薩眾鹹共歎譽，亦復如是。若有眾生聞其光明威神功德，日夜稱說至心不斷，隨意所願得生其國，為諸菩薩、聲聞大眾所共歎譽稱其功德；至其然後得佛道時，普為十方諸佛菩薩歎其光明亦如今也。」

"The light of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life shines brilliantly over all the Buddha lands of the ten directions, and there is none that does not hear of it. It is not only I who now praise his light; all Buddhas, shravakas, pratyekabuddhas and assemblies of Bodhisattvas together praise it, in the same way. If any being hears of his light, majestic spiritual power and merit, and by day and night recites it with sincere heart without ceasing, then as their heart wishes they will be reborn in his land, and the great assembly of Bodhisattvas and shravakas will together praise their merit; and later, when they attain the Buddha's Way, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions will universally praise their light, just as today."

佛言：「我說無量壽佛光明威神巍巍殊妙，晝夜一劫尚不能盡。」

The Buddha said: "If I were to describe the majestic spiritual power and wondrous light of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life, day and night for a kalpa, I still could not finish."

佛語阿難：「無量壽佛壽命長久不可稱計，汝寧知乎？假使十方世界無量眾生皆得人身，悉令成就聲聞、緣覺，都共集會禪思一心，竭其智力於百千萬劫悉共推算，計其壽命長遠劫數，不能窮盡知其限極。聲聞、菩薩、天、人之眾，壽命長短亦復如是，非算數譬喻所能知也。又聲聞、菩薩其數難量不可稱說，神智洞達威力自在，能於掌中持一切世界。」

The Buddha said to Ananda: "The life of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life is long and cannot be counted; do you perhaps know it? Suppose the immeasurable beings of the worlds of the ten directions all obtained human bodies and all became shravakas and pratyekabuddhas, gathered together in meditation of one mind, and exhausted their wisdom through hundreds of thousands of myriads of kalpas to work it out together, calculating the number of kalpas of his long life, they still could not exhaust it and know its limit. The lifespans of the assemblies of shravakas, Bodhisattvas, gods and humans are likewise, and cannot be known by calculation or analogy. Moreover the number of shravakas and Bodhisattvas is hard to measure and cannot be described; their spiritual wisdom penetrates everywhere, their power is free, and they can hold all worlds in the palm of the hand."

佛語阿難：「彼佛初會，聲聞眾數不可稱計，菩薩亦然。能如大目揵連百千萬億無量無數，於阿僧祇那由他劫乃至滅度悉共計挍，不能究了多少之數。譬如大海深廣無量，假使有人析其一毛以為百分，以一分毛沾取一渧。於意云何？其所渧者於彼大海，何所為多？」

The Buddha said to Ananda: "At the first assembly of that Buddha, the number of the shravaka assembly cannot be counted, and the Bodhisattvas likewise. Suppose people like Mahamaudgalyayana, hundreds of thousands of billions, immeasurable and countless, together calculated through asamkhyeya nayuta kalpas until extinction, they still could not finish determining the number. It is like the great ocean, immeasurably deep and wide; suppose someone splits a hair into a hundred parts and dips up one drop with one part of the hair. What do you think? How much is that one drop compared with the great ocean?"

阿難白佛：「彼所渧水比於大海多少之量，非巧歷算數、言辭譬類所能知也。」

Ananda said to the Buddha: "The amount of that drop of water compared to the great ocean cannot be known by skillful calendrical calculation or by words and analogies."

佛語阿難：「如目連等於百千萬億那由他劫計彼初會聲聞菩薩，所知數者猶如一渧，其所不知如大海水。

The Buddha said to Ananda: "When people like Maudgalyayana calculate for hundreds of thousands of billions of nayuta kalpas the shravakas and Bodhisattvas of that first assembly, the number they can know is like that drop, and what they cannot know is like the water of the great ocean.

「又其國土，七寶諸樹周滿世界——金樹、銀樹、琉璃樹、頗梨樹、珊瑚樹、瑪瑙樹、車𤦲樹——或有二寶、三寶乃至七寶轉共合成。或有金樹，銀葉、華、果；或有銀樹，金葉、華、果；或琉璃樹，頗梨為葉，華、果亦然；或水精樹，琉璃為葉，華、果亦然；或珊瑚樹，瑪瑙為葉，華、果亦然；或瑪瑙樹，琉璃為葉，華、果亦然；或車𤦲樹，眾寶為葉，華、果亦然。或有寶樹，紫金為本、白銀為莖、琉璃為枝、水精為條、珊瑚為葉、瑪瑙為華、車𤦲為實；或有寶樹，白銀為本、琉璃為莖、水精為枝、珊瑚為條、瑪瑙為葉、車𤦲為華、紫金為實；或有寶樹，琉璃為本、水精為莖、珊瑚為枝、瑪瑙為條、車𤦲為葉、紫金為華、白銀為實；或有寶樹，水精為本、珊瑚為莖、瑪瑙為枝、車𤦲為條、紫金為葉、白銀為華、琉璃為實；或有寶樹，珊瑚為本、瑪瑙為莖、車𤦲為枝、紫金為條、白銀為葉、琉璃為華、水精為實；或有寶樹，瑪瑙為本、車𤦲為莖、紫金為枝、白銀為條、琉璃為葉、水精為華、珊瑚為實；或有寶樹，車𤦲為本、紫金為莖、白銀為枝、琉璃為條、水精為葉、珊瑚為華、瑪瑙為實。行行相值、莖莖相望、枝枝相準、葉葉相向、華華相順、實實相當，榮色光曜不可勝視。清風時發，出五音聲，微妙宮商自然相和。

"Moreover, in that land, trees of the seven jewels fill the world: gold trees, silver trees, lapis lazuli trees, crystal trees, coral trees, agate trees and seashell trees; some are made together of two jewels, three jewels, up to seven jewels combined. Some gold trees have silver leaves, flowers and fruit; some silver trees have gold leaves, flowers and fruit; some lapis lazuli trees have crystal leaves, with flowers and fruit likewise; some crystal trees have lapis lazuli leaves, with flowers and fruit likewise; some coral trees have agate leaves, with flowers and fruit likewise; some agate trees have lapis lazuli leaves, with flowers and fruit likewise; some seashell trees have leaves of the many jewels, with flowers and fruit likewise. Some jeweled trees have purple gold for root and trunk, white silver for stem, lapis lazuli for branches, crystal for twigs, coral for leaves, agate for flowers and seashell for fruit; some jeweled trees have white silver for root and trunk, lapis lazuli for stem, crystal for branches, coral for twigs, agate for leaves, seashell for flowers and purple gold for fruit; some jeweled trees have lapis lazuli for root and trunk, crystal for stem, coral for branches, agate for twigs, seashell for leaves, purple gold for flowers and white silver for fruit; some jeweled trees have crystal for root and trunk, coral for stem, agate for branches, seashell for twigs, purple gold for leaves, white silver for flowers and lapis lazuli for fruit; some jeweled trees have coral for root and trunk, agate for stem, seashell for branches, purple gold for twigs, white silver for leaves, lapis lazuli for flowers and crystal for fruit; some jeweled trees have agate for root and trunk, seashell for stem, purple gold for branches, white silver for twigs, lapis lazuli for leaves, crystal for flowers and coral for fruit; some jeweled trees have seashell for root and trunk, purple gold for stem, white silver for branches, lapis lazuli for twigs, crystal for leaves, coral for flowers and agate for fruit. Row faces row, stem faces stem, branch matches branch, leaf turns toward leaf, flower follows flower, fruit meets fruit, and their glorious colors and radiance cannot be fully seen. A clear breeze rises in its season and gives forth the sounds of the five notes, subtle and wondrous, the gong and shang tones naturally harmonizing.

「又無量壽佛其道場樹，高四百萬裡，其本週圍五千由旬，枝葉四布二十萬裡。一切眾寶自然合成，以月光摩尼持海輪寶——眾寶之王——而莊嚴之。周匝條間垂寶瓔珞，百千萬色種種異變，無量光炎照曜無極。珍妙寶網羅覆其上，一切莊嚴隨應而現。微風徐動出妙法音，普流十方一切佛國。其聞音者得深法忍，住不退轉至成佛道，不遭苦患；目覩其色、耳聞其音、鼻知其香、舌甞其味、身觸其光、心以法緣，一切皆得甚深法忍，住不退轉至成佛道，六根清徹無諸惱患。

"Again, the tree of the place of the Way of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life is four million li high, its trunk five thousand yojanas around, and its branches and leaves spread two hundred thousand li in the four directions. It is naturally composed of all the many jewels, adorned with the moonlight mani and the sea-wheel jewel, the king of jewels. Among the branches all around hang jeweled necklaces, in hundreds of thousands of myriad colors, with changes of every kind, and immeasurable radiance shines without limit. A precious net of rare jewels covers it above, and all adornments appear as is fitting. A gentle breeze stirs and gives forth the wondrous sound of the Dharma, which spreads universally through all the Buddha lands of the ten directions. Those who hear that sound obtain deep acceptance of the Dharma, dwell in non-retrogression until they become Buddhas, and meet no suffering or trouble; when the eyes see its color, the ears hear its sound, the nose knows its fragrance, the tongue tastes its flavor, the body touches its light, and the mind takes the Dharma as its object, all obtain profound acceptance of the Dharma and dwell in non-retrogression until they become Buddhas, with the six faculties clear and free from all troubles.

「阿難！若彼國人天見此樹者，得三法忍：一者、音響忍，二者、柔順忍，三者、無生法忍。此皆無量壽佛威神力故、本願力故、滿足願故、明瞭願故、堅固願故、究竟願故。」

"Ananda! If the humans and gods of that land see this tree, they obtain three kinds of acceptance: first, acceptance by hearing the sound; second, acceptance by gentle compliance; and third, acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas. All this is because of the majestic spiritual power of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life, because of the power of his original vow, because of the fulfillment of his vow, because of the clarity of his vow, because of the firmness of his vow, and because of the completeness of his vow."

佛告阿難：「世間帝王有百千音樂，自轉輪聖王乃至第六天上，伎樂音聲展轉相勝千億萬倍；第六天上萬種樂音，不如無量壽國諸七寶樹一種音聲千億倍也。亦有自然萬種伎樂，又其樂聲無非法音，清暢哀亮，微妙和雅，十方世界音聲之中最為第一。

The Buddha said to Ananda: "The kings of the world have hundreds of thousands of kinds of music; from the wheel-turning sage king up to the sixth heaven, the music and sounds of entertainers in turn surpass one another by a thousand billion myriad times; and even the myriad musical sounds of the sixth heaven are not equal to one thousandth of a billion of the sound of just one of the seven-jewel trees in the land of Immeasurable Life. There are also naturally occurring myriad kinds of music, and none of that music is not the sound of the Dharma, clear, flowing, sorrowful and ringing, subtle, harmonious and elegant, the foremost among all sounds in the worlds of the ten directions.

「又，講堂、精舍、宮殿、樓觀皆七寶莊嚴，自然化成，復以真珠、明月摩尼眾寶以為交露，覆蓋其上。內、外、左、右有諸浴池，或十由旬，或二十、三十，乃至百千由旬，縱廣深淺各皆一等，八功德水湛然盈滿，清淨香潔味如甘露。黃金池者底白銀沙，白銀池者底黃金沙，水精池者底琉璃沙，琉璃池者底水精沙，珊瑚池者底琥珀沙，琥珀池者底珊瑚沙，車𤦲池者底瑪瑙沙，瑪瑙池者底車𤦲沙，白玉池者底紫金沙，紫金池者底白玉沙，或二寶、三寶乃至七寶轉共合成。其池岸上有栴檀樹，華葉垂布，香氣普燻。天優缽羅華、缽曇摩華、拘物頭華、分陀利華，雜色光茂彌覆水上。

“Furthermore, the lecture halls, meditation chambers, palaces, and towers are all adorned with the seven treasures and arise of themselves by transformation, and are covered above with canopies of interwoven netting made of pearls, bright-moon mani jewels, and many other treasures. Inside, outside, to the left and to the right there are bathing pools, some ten yojanas across, some twenty or thirty, up to a hundred thousand yojanas, each alike in length, breadth, and depth, brimming with water of the eight merits (pure, cool, sweet, light, soft, moist, peaceful, removing hunger and thirst and nourishing the faculties), clear and still, pure, fragrant, and clean, and tasting like sweet dew. The pool of yellow gold has a bed of white silver sand, and the pool of white silver has a bed of yellow gold sand; the pool of crystal has a bed of lapis lazuli sand, and the pool of lapis lazuli has a bed of crystal sand; the pool of coral has a bed of amber sand, and the pool of amber has a bed of coral sand; the pool of giant clam shell has a bed of agate sand, and the pool of agate has a bed of giant clam shell sand; the pool of white jade has a bed of purple-gold sand, and the pool of purple gold has a bed of white jade sand; or two, three, up to seven treasures are combined to form them together. On the banks of the pools are sandalwood trees, their flowers and leaves hanging down, their fragrance spreading everywhere. Utpala flowers, padma flowers, kumuda flowers, and pundarika flowers, in mingled colors and brilliant luster, spread over the water.

「彼諸菩薩及聲聞眾若入寶池，意欲令水沒足，水即沒足；欲令至膝，即至於膝；欲令至腰，水即至腰；欲令至頸，水即至頸；欲令灌身，自然灌身；欲令還復，水輒還復。調和冷煖自然隨意，開神悅體蕩除心垢，清明澄潔淨若無形。寶沙映徹無深不照，微瀾迴流轉相灌注，安詳徐逝不遲不疾。波揚無量自然妙聲，隨其所應莫不聞者，或聞佛聲，或聞法聲，或聞僧聲，或寂靜聲、空無我聲、大慈悲聲、波羅蜜聲，或十力無畏不共法聲、諸通慧聲、無所作聲、不起滅聲、無生忍聲，乃至甘露灌頂眾妙法聲。如是等聲，稱其所聞歡喜無量，隨順清淨離欲寂滅真實之義、隨順三寶力無所畏不共之法、隨順通慧菩薩聲聞所行之道。無有三塗苦難之名，但有自然快樂之音，是故其國名曰極樂。

“When those Bodhisattvas and the assembly of Shravakas enter the jeweled pools, if they wish the water to cover their feet, the water covers their feet; if they wish it to reach the knees, it reaches the knees; if they wish it to reach the waist, it reaches the waist; if they wish it to reach the neck, it reaches the neck; if they wish it to pour over the body, it pours over the body of itself; if they wish the water to recede, the water recedes. The warmth and coolness are adjusted at will, naturally; the spirit is opened up, the body is made comfortable, the dirt of the mind is washed away, and the water is so clear and pure that it seems to have no form. The jeweled sand shines through it, and there is no depth too great for the light to reach; tiny ripples circle and pour into one another, flowing serenely, neither slow nor fast. The waves raise countless wondrous natural sounds, and according to what is fitting, there is none that is not heard: sometimes the sound of the Buddha, sometimes the sound of the Dharma, sometimes the sound of the Sangha, or the sound of stillness, the sound of emptiness and no-self, the sound of great compassion, the sound of the paramitas, or the sound of the ten powers, the fearlessnesses, and the exclusive qualities of a Buddha, the sound of the supernormal powers and wisdoms, the sound of non-action, the sound of no arising and no ceasing, the sound of the forbearance of non-arising, and even the many wondrous Dharma sounds of the sweet dew anointment. Hearing such sounds, one is filled with immeasurable joy, according to what one hears, in accord with the meaning of purity, freedom from desire, quiescence, and truth, in accord with the Dharma of the Three Jewels, the powers and fearlessnesses and exclusive qualities, and in accord with the path practiced by Bodhisattvas and Shravakas who have the supernormal powers and wisdoms. There is not even the name of the sufferings of the three evil paths, only the sounds of natural happiness; and so that land is called Utmost Bliss.

「阿難！彼佛國土諸往生者，具足如是清淨色身、諸妙音聲、神通功德，所處宮殿、衣服、飲食、眾妙華香莊嚴之具，猶第六天自然之物。若欲食時，七寶應器自然在前，金、銀、琉璃、車𤦲、瑪瑙、珊瑚、虎珀、明月真珠如是眾缽隨意而至，百味飲食自然盈滿。雖有此食實無食者，但見色、聞香，意以為食，自然飽足，身心柔軟，無所味著。事已化去，時至復現。

“Ananda! All those who are reborn in that Buddha-land possess such pure physical bodies, such wondrous sounds, such supernormal powers and merits, and the palaces, clothing, food, and adornments of many wondrous flowers and fragrances where they dwell are like the natural things of the Sixth Heaven. When they wish to eat, bowls of the seven treasures appear naturally before them, bowls of gold, silver, lapis lazuli, giant clam shell, agate, coral, amber, and bright-moon pearl; such bowls come at will, and a hundred flavors of food and drink naturally fill them. Though there is such food, in fact no one eats it; they merely see its color and smell its fragrance, and in their minds they think they have eaten, and are naturally satisfied, their bodies and minds soft and supple, with no attachment to taste. When the meal is done it vanishes, and when the time comes it appears again.

「彼佛國土清淨安隱，微妙快樂，次於無為泥洹之道。其諸聲聞、菩薩、人、天，智慧高明，神通洞達。咸同一類，形無異狀，但因順餘方，故有人、天之名。顏貌端正，超世希有，容色微妙，非天、非人，皆受自然虛無之身、無極之體。」

“That Buddha-land is pure, peaceful, subtle, and joyful, second only to the way of unconditioned nirvana. Those Shravakas, Bodhisattvas, humans, and gods are lofty in wisdom, and penetrating in their supernormal powers. They are all of one kind, with no difference in bodily form; it is only because they conform to other places that they are called humans and gods. Their features are upright, rare beyond the world, and their appearance is subtle; they are neither gods nor humans, and all receive bodies that are naturally empty and bodies without limit.”

佛告阿難：「譬如世間貧窮乞人在帝王邊，形貌容狀寧可類乎？」

The Buddha said to Ananda: “Suppose a poor beggar of this world stands beside a king; could their appearance and bearing be compared?”

阿難白佛：「假令此人在帝王邊，羸陋醜惡無以為喻，百千萬億不可計倍。所以然者？貧窮乞人底極廝下，衣不蔽形，食趣支命，飢寒困苦，人理殆盡。皆坐前世不殖德本，積財不施、富有益慳，但欲唐得、貪求無厭，不信修善、犯惡山積。如是壽終，財寶消散，苦身積聚為之憂惱，於己無益，徒為他有。無善可怙，無德可恃，是故，死墮惡趣，受此長苦。罪畢得出生為下賤，愚鄙斯極示同人類。所以世間帝王人中獨尊，皆由宿世積德所致，慈惠博施，仁愛兼濟，履信修善，無所違諍。是以壽終，福應得昇善道，上生天上享茲福樂。積善餘慶今得為人，遇生王家自然尊貴，儀容端正眾所敬事，妙衣珍膳隨心服御。宿福所追，故能致此。」

Ananda said to the Buddha: “If that person were beside a king, he would be so wretched and ugly that there would be nothing to compare him with; the difference would be a hundred thousand myriads of billions of times, beyond counting. Why? Because a poor beggar is extremely low and base, his clothes do not cover his body, his food only keeps him alive, he is hungry, cold, and in distress, and the way of being human is almost exhausted for him. It is all because in former lives he did not plant roots of virtue, hoarded wealth without giving, grew still more stingy when he was rich, wanted only to get things for nothing, was insatiably greedy, did not believe in cultivating goodness, and piled up evil deeds like mountains. When such a person’s life ends, his wealth scatters; he toiled to accumulate it only to be worried by it, it brings him no benefit, and it passes in vain to others. He has no good to depend on and no virtue to rely on, so after death he falls into the evil realms and suffers this long pain. When his sins are finished he is able to come out and be born in a lowly state, foolish and coarse to the extreme, resembling humans only on the surface. By contrast, kings of the world are alone honored among people, and this is all because of virtue accumulated in past lives: they were kind and generous in giving widely, benevolent in helping all, kept good faith and cultivated goodness, and quarreled with no one. Therefore when their lives ended, their blessings naturally entitled them to rise to the good paths and be reborn in the heavens to enjoy such happiness. The remaining blessings of accumulated goodness now allow them to be born as humans, and born into a royal family, they are naturally noble, with upright appearance, respected and served by the multitude, wearing wondrous clothes and eating rare delicacies as they wish. This is because the blessings of past lives follow them, and so they are able to reach this.”

佛告阿難：「汝言是也。計如帝王，雖人中尊貴，形色端正，比之轉輪聖王，甚為鄙陋，猶彼乞人在帝王邊。轉輪聖王威相殊妙天下第一，比忉利天王，又復醜惡不得相喻萬億倍也。假令天帝比第六天王，百千億倍不相類也。設第六天王比無量壽佛國菩薩、聲聞，光顏容色不相及逮，百千萬億不可計倍。」

The Buddha said to Ananda: “You are right. Though a king is honored among humans and upright in form and color, compared with a wheel-turning sage king he is very coarse, just as that beggar is beside the king. The wheel-turning sage king’s majestic appearance is the most extraordinary under heaven, but compared with the king of the Trayastrimsha Heaven, he is again ugly beyond comparison, by ten thousand billion times. And if the Lord of Heaven is compared with the king of the Sixth Heaven, the difference is a hundred thousand billion times. If the king of the Sixth Heaven were compared with the Bodhisattvas and Shravakas of the land of Amitayus Buddha, he could not match them in radiance and appearance, the difference being a hundred thousand myriads of billions of times, beyond counting.”

佛告阿難：「無量壽國其諸天人，衣服、飲食、華香、瓔珞、諸蓋幢幡、微妙音聲，所居舍宅、宮殿、樓閣，稱其形色、高下、大小，或一寶、二寶，乃至無量眾寶，隨意所欲，應念即至。又，以眾寶妙衣遍佈其地，一切人天踐之而行。無量寶網彌覆佛土，皆以金縷、真珠、百千雜寶、奇妙珍異莊嚴絞飾，周匝四面垂以寶鈴，光色晃曜盡極嚴麗。自然德風徐起微動，其風調和，不寒、不暑；溫涼柔軟，不遲、不疾；吹諸羅網及眾寶樹，演發無量微妙法音，流佈萬種溫雅德香。其有聞者，塵勞垢習自然不起，風觸其身皆得快樂，譬如比丘得滅盡三昧。

The Buddha said to Ananda: “The heavenly beings of the land of Amitayus have clothing, food, flowers, incense, necklaces, canopies, banners, and wondrous sounds, and the houses, palaces, and towers where they dwell are suited to their forms and colors, in height and in size, one treasure, two treasures, or up to countless treasures, as they wish, arriving at the very thought. Furthermore, wondrous garments of many treasures are spread over the ground, and all humans and gods tread upon them as they walk. Immeasurable nets of jewels spread over and cover the Buddha-land, all adorned and interwoven with golden threads, pearls, hundreds of thousands of mixed treasures, and rare marvels, with jeweled bells hanging on all four sides, their light and colors dazzling and utterly splendid. A natural virtuous breeze rises gently, stirring softly; that breeze is harmonious, neither cold nor hot, warm and cool and soft, neither slow nor fast; it stirs all the nets and the many jeweled trees, giving forth countless subtle Dharma sounds and spreading ten thousand kinds of gentle, virtuous fragrance. Whoever hears or smells them has the habits of worldly toil and defilement naturally fail to arise, and when the breeze touches the body, all attain happiness, like a bhikshu who has attained the samadhi of cessation.

「又，風吹散華遍滿佛土，隨色次第而不雜亂，柔軟光澤馨香芬烈，足履其上陷下四寸，隨舉足已還復如故。華用已訖地輒開裂，以次化沒清淨無遺，隨其時節風吹散華，如是六反。

“Furthermore, the wind scatters flowers that fill the whole Buddha-land, each by its color in order without mixing, soft and lustrous, fragrant and strong; when one steps on them they sink four inches, and as soon as one lifts the foot, they return to their former state. When the flowers have been used, the ground opens and swallows them, and they vanish in turn, leaving it pure with nothing left behind; and in due season the wind scatters flowers again, repeating this six times.

「又眾寶蓮華周滿世界，一一寶華百千億葉，其葉光明無量種色，青色青光，白色白光，玄、黃、朱、紫光色亦然，煒燁煥爛，明曜日月。一一華中出三十六百千億光；一一光中出三十六百千億佛，身色紫金，相好殊特；一一諸佛又放百千光明，普為十方說微妙法；如是諸佛各各安立無量眾生於佛正道。」

“Furthermore, lotus flowers of many treasures fill the whole world, and each jeweled flower has a hundred thousand billion petals, and the light of the petals has countless kinds of colors: blue color has blue light, white color has white light, and so for black, yellow, red, and purple light, all brilliant and glorious, outshining the sun and moon. From each flower come forth thirty-six hundred thousand billion rays of light; from each ray come forth thirty-six hundred thousand billion Buddhas, their bodies of purple gold, their marks and features extraordinary; and each of these Buddhas again sends forth a hundred thousand lights, universally preaching the subtle Dharma to the ten directions; in this way, these Buddhas each establish countless beings in the true path of the Buddha.”