Sutra of Immeasurable Life Spoken by the Buddha, Fascicle Two

佛慧無邊際，如是致清淨，

The Buddha’s wisdom is without bound; thus he attains purity,

壽命甚難得，佛世亦難值。

a life is extremely hard to obtain, and a Buddha’s appearance in the world is hard to meet.

人有信慧難，若聞精進求，

It is hard for people to have faith and wisdom; if one hears and diligently seeks,

聞法能不忘，見敬得大慶，

hears the Dharma and does not forget it, sees and respects it and gains great blessing,

則我善親友，是故當發意。

such a one is my good friend; therefore you should arouse your minds.

設滿世界火，必過要聞法，

Even if the world were full of fire, you must pass through to hear the Dharma,

會當成佛道，廣濟生死流。」

and in the end you will accomplish the Buddha’s way and widely rescue those in the stream of birth and death.”

佛告阿難：「彼國菩薩皆當究竟一生補處——除其本願為眾生故——以弘誓功德而自莊嚴，普欲度脫一切眾生。阿難！彼佛國中諸聲聞眾身光一尋，菩薩光明照百由旬。有二菩薩最尊第一，威神光明普照三千大千世界。」

The Buddha said to Ananda: “The Bodhisattvas of that land will all ultimately reach the stage of one more birth before buddhahood, except for those who, by their original vow, are for the sake of beings; adorning themselves with the merit of great vows, they wish to liberate all beings everywhere. Ananda! Among the Shravakas in that Buddha-land, the body’s light extends one fathom, and the Bodhisattvas’ light shines a hundred yojanas. There are two Bodhisattvas most honored and supreme, whose majestic light shines throughout the three thousand great thousand worlds.”

阿難白佛：「彼二菩薩其號云何？」

Ananda said to the Buddha: “What are the names of those two Bodhisattvas?”

佛言：「一名觀世音，二名大勢至。是二菩薩於此國土修菩薩行，命終轉化生彼佛國。阿難！其有眾生生彼國者，皆悉具足三十二相，智慧成滿，深入諸法，究暢要妙，神通無礙，諸根明利。其鈍根者成就二忍，其利根者得阿僧祇無生法忍。又彼菩薩乃至成佛不更惡趣，神通自在常識宿命，除生他方五濁惡世，示現同彼如我國也。」

The Buddha said: “The first is named Avalokiteshvara, and the second is named Mahasthamaprapta. These two Bodhisattvas practiced the Bodhisattva path in this land, and at the end of their lives were reborn by transformation in that Buddha-land. Ananda! All beings who are born in that land possess the thirty-two marks, are complete in wisdom, penetrate deeply into all dharmas, thoroughly master their essential subtleties, have unobstructed supernormal powers, and sharp faculties. Those of dull faculties attain the two forbearances, and those of sharp faculties attain the forbearance of non-arising of countless asamkhyeyas. Furthermore, those Bodhisattvas, until they become Buddhas, no longer enter the evil paths, are free in their supernormal powers, and always remember their past lives, except when they are born in the evil worlds of the five defilements in other regions, manifesting in the same way as the beings there, as in my own land.”

佛語阿難：「彼國菩薩承佛威神，一食之頃往詣十方無量世界，恭敬供養諸佛世尊，隨心所念，華香、伎樂、繒蓋、幢幡，無數無量供養之具自然化生，應念即至，珍妙殊特非世所有。轉以奉散諸佛、菩薩、聲聞大眾，在虛空中化成華蓋，光色晃耀，香氣普燻。其華周圓四百里者，如是轉倍，乃覆三千大千世界，隨其前後以次化沒。其諸菩薩僉然欣悅，於虛空中共奏天樂，以微妙音歌歎佛德，聽受經法歡喜無量。供養佛已、未食之前，忽然輕舉還其本國。」

The Buddha said to Ananda: “The Bodhisattvas of that land, relying on the Buddha’s majestic power, go in the time of one meal to countless worlds in the ten directions, respectfully making offerings to the Buddhas, World-Honored Ones, and by whatever they think of, flowers, incense, music, silk canopies, banners, and countless, immeasurable offerings arise naturally by transformation and arrive at the very thought, precious and wondrous beyond anything in the world. They then scatter these over the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and great assembly of Shravakas, and in the sky they transform into canopies of flowers, their light and colors dazzling and their fragrance spreading everywhere. The flowers measure four hundred li around, and increase in this way, doubling, until they cover the three thousand great thousand worlds, vanishing in order, front and back. Those Bodhisattvas are all delighted, play heavenly music together in the sky, sing the Buddha’s virtues in subtle voices, and hear and receive the sutras and Dharma with immeasurable joy. When they have finished making offerings to the Buddha, before taking a meal, they suddenly rise lightly and return to their own land.”

佛語阿難：「無量壽佛為諸聲聞、菩薩大眾頒宣法時，都悉集會七寶講堂，廣宣道教，演暢妙法，莫不歡喜，心解得道。即時四方自然風起，普吹寶樹出五音聲，雨無量妙華隨風周遍，自然供養如是不絕。一切諸天皆齎天上百千華香、萬種伎樂供養其佛及諸菩薩、聲聞大眾，普散華香、奏諸音樂，前後來往更相開避。當斯之時，熙然快樂不可勝言。」

The Buddha said to Ananda: “When Amitayus Buddha proclaims the Dharma for the great assembly of Shravakas and Bodhisattvas, they all gather in the lecture hall of the seven treasures, where he widely proclaims the teaching of the Buddha’s way and expounds the wondrous Dharma, and none is not glad, their minds comprehending and attaining the Way. At that moment a natural wind rises from the four directions, stirring the jeweled trees all over so that they give forth sounds of the five tones, and countless wondrous flowers rain down and are carried by the wind everywhere, a natural offering that continues without cease. All the gods bring a hundred thousand heavenly flowers and fragrances and ten thousand kinds of music as offerings to that Buddha and the great assembly of Bodhisattvas and Shravakas, universally scattering flowers and incense and playing all kinds of music, coming and going, making way for one another. At such a time the joy and delight are beyond words.”

佛告阿難：「生彼佛國諸菩薩等，所可講說常宣正法，隨順智慧無違無失。於其國土所有萬物，無我所心、無染著心，去來進止情無所係，隨意自在無所適莫，無彼、無我，無競、無訟。於諸眾生得大慈悲饒益之心、柔軟調伏無忿恨心、離蓋清淨無厭怠心、等心、勝心、深心、定心、愛法樂法喜法之心、滅諸煩惱離惡趣心，究竟一切菩薩所行，具足成就無量功德，得深禪定諸通明慧，遊志七覺修心佛法，肉眼清徹靡不分了、天眼通達無量無限、法眼觀察究竟諸道、慧眼見真能度彼岸、佛眼具足覺了法性。以無礙智為人演說，等觀三界空無所有，志求佛法具諸辯才，除滅眾生煩惱之患。從如來生，解法如如，善知習滅，音聲方便。不欣世語，樂在正論，修諸善本，志崇佛道。知一切法皆悉寂滅，生身煩惱二餘俱盡。聞甚深法心不疑懼，常能修行其大悲者。深遠微妙靡不覆載，究竟一乘至於彼岸。決斷疑網，慧由心出，於佛教法該羅無外。智慧如大海、三昧如山王，慧光明淨超踰日月，清白之法具足圓滿。

The Buddha said to Ananda: “The Bodhisattvas and others who are born in that Buddha-land always proclaim the true Dharma in whatever they speak, in accord with wisdom, without error or loss. Toward all the myriad things in that land, they have no mind of possession and no mind of attachment; their feelings are not bound in coming and going, advancing and stopping, they are free and at ease as they wish, with no clinging, with no other and no self, no competing and no disputing. Toward all beings they attain a mind of great compassion and benefit, a mind of softness and discipline without anger, a mind free of hindrances and pure without weariness or laziness, an equal mind, a superior mind, a deep mind, a settled mind, a mind that loves, delights in, and rejoices in the Dharma, a mind that extinguishes afflictions and leaves the evil paths; they ultimately accomplish all that Bodhisattvas practice, fully achieve countless merits, attain deep meditative concentration and the bright wisdom of all the supernormal powers, roam in the aspiration of the seven factors of awakening and cultivate the mind with the Buddha’s Dharma; their physical eye is so clear that nothing is indistinct to it, their heavenly eye penetrates without measure or limit, their Dharma eye observes all the paths to their end, their wisdom eye sees truth and can cross to the other shore, and their Buddha eye is complete in awakening to the nature of dharmas. With unobstructed wisdom they expound for others, equally contemplate the three realms as empty and without anything, aspire to the Buddha’s Dharma and possess all eloquence, and remove the troubles of beings’ afflictions. Born from the Tathagata, they understand the Dharma as suchness, know well the arising and ceasing of habits, and the skillful means of sound. They take no pleasure in worldly talk but delight in right discourse, cultivate all roots of goodness, and aspire to honor the Buddha’s way. They know that all dharmas are wholly quiescent, with the two remainders of bodily life and affliction both exhausted. On hearing the most profound Dharma their minds feel no doubt or fear, and they are those who can always practice that great compassion. Profound and subtle, there is nothing they do not cover and bear, and they ultimately reach the other shore of the One Vehicle. They cut off the net of doubt, wisdom comes forth from the heart, and in the Buddha’s teaching they encompass everything without exception. Their wisdom is like the great ocean, their samadhi like the king of mountains, their light of wisdom pure and bright surpassing the sun and moon, and their pure and white Dharma is fully complete.

「猶如雪山，照諸功德等一淨故；猶如大地，淨穢好惡無異心故；猶如淨水，洗除塵勞諸垢染故；猶如火王，燒滅一切煩惱薪故；猶如大風，行諸世界無障閡故；猶如虛空，於一切有無所著故；猶如蓮華，於諸世間無染汙故；猶如大乘，運載群萌出生死故；猶如重云，震大法雷覺未覺故；猶如大雨，雨甘露法潤眾生故；如金剛山，眾魔外道不能動故；如梵天王，於諸善法最上首故；如尼拘類樹，普覆一切故；如優曇缽華，希有難遇故；如金翅鳥，威伏外道故；如眾遊禽，無所藏積故；猶如牛王，無能勝故；猶如象王，善調伏故；如師子王，無所畏故。

“They are like the Snow Mountains, because they shine with all merits alike in one purity; like the great earth, because they have no differing minds toward the pure and the foul, the good and the bad; like pure water, because they wash away the dust and defilements of toil; like the king of fire, because they burn up the fuel of all afflictions; like a great wind, because they travel through all worlds without obstruction; like empty space, because they cling to nothing among all that is or is not; like the lotus flower, because they are not stained by any world; like the Great Vehicle, because they carry the multitude out of birth and death; like heavy clouds, because they sound the great Dharma thunder to awaken those not yet awake; like a great rain, because they rain down the sweet dew of the Dharma to moisten beings; like the diamond mountain, because the many demons and outsiders cannot shake them; like King Brahma, because they are foremost among all good dharmas; like the nyagrodha tree, because they cover all things everywhere; like the udumbara flower, because they are rare and hard to meet; like the golden-winged bird, because they overawe outsiders; like the many wandering birds, because they store nothing away; like the king of oxen, because none can surpass them; like the king of elephants, because they are good at taming; like the lion king, because they have no fear.

「曠若虛空，大慈等故；摧滅嫉心，不望勝故。專樂求法，心無厭足；常欲廣說，志無疲倦。擊法鼓、建法幢、曜慧日、除痴闇、修六和敬、常行法施，志勇精進，心不退弱。為世燈明、最勝福田，常為師導等無憎愛。唯樂正道無餘欣慼，拔諸欲刺以安群生，功德殊勝莫不尊敬，滅三垢障遊諸神通。因力、緣力、意力、願力、方便之力、常力、善力、定力、慧力、多聞之力、施戒、忍辱、精進、禪定、智慧之力、正念止觀諸通明力、如法調伏諸眾生力，如是等力一切具足。身色相好，功德、辯才具足莊嚴，無與等者。恭敬供養無量諸佛，常為諸佛所共稱歎。究竟菩薩諸波羅蜜，修空無相無願三昧、不生不滅諸三昧門，遠離聲聞緣覺之地。

“Vast as empty space, because of their great, impartial compassion; they crush the mind of jealousy, because they do not hope to surpass others. They devote themselves to delight in seeking the Dharma and are never satisfied; they always wish to proclaim it widely, and their aspiration never tires. They beat the Dharma drum, raise the Dharma banner, shine the sun of wisdom, dispel the darkness of ignorance, cultivate the six harmonies of respect, and always practice the giving of the Dharma, courageous in aspiration and diligent, their minds never weak or retreating. They are the lamps of the world, the supreme field of merit, always teachers and guides, impartial without hate or love. They delight only in the right path with no other joy or sorrow, pull out the thorns of desire to settle the multitude, their excellent merit is revered by all, and they extinguish the three poisons and obstructions and roam in the supernormal powers. The power of causes, the power of conditions, the power of intention, the power of vows, the power of skillful means, the power of constancy, the power of goodness, the power of concentration, the power of wisdom, the power of learning, the powers of giving, precepts, patience, diligence, meditation, and wisdom, the power of right mindfulness, calm and insight, and all the bright powers of the supernormal faculties, and the power to tame beings according to the Dharma; all such powers they fully possess. Their bodily marks and features, merit, and eloquence are fully adorned, and none can equal them. They respectfully make offerings to countless Buddhas and are always praised together by the Buddhas. They fully master the paramitas of the Bodhisattvas, cultivate the samadhis of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, and the gates of samadhi of no arising and no ceasing, and are far removed from the grounds of Shravakas and Pratyekabuddhas.

「阿難！彼諸菩薩成就如是無量功德，我但為汝略言之耳；若廣說者，百千萬劫不能窮盡。」

“Ananda! Those Bodhisattvas accomplish such immeasurable merit, and I have only told it to you briefly; if I were to tell it at length, it could not be exhausted in a hundred thousand myriads of kalpas.”

佛告彌勒菩薩、諸天、人等：「無量壽國聲聞、菩薩功德智慧不可稱說，又其國土微妙安樂清淨若此，何不力為善，念道之自然，著於無上下，洞達無邊際？宜各勤精進，努力自求之，必得超絕去，往生安養國。橫截五惡趣，惡趣自然閉；昇道無窮極，易往而無人。其國不逆違，自然之所牽，何不棄世事，勤行求道德，可獲極長生，壽樂無有極？

The Buddha said to Maitreya Bodhisattva and the gods, humans, and others: “The merit and wisdom of the Shravakas and Bodhisattvas of the land of Amitayus cannot be described, and that land is subtle, peaceful, joyful, and pure to such a degree; why do you not strive to do good, think of the naturalness of the Way, attach yourselves to what has nothing above or below, and penetrate what has no boundary? Each of you should diligently exert yourselves and strive to seek it for yourselves, and you will surely be able to go beyond and depart, and be reborn in the land of Peaceful Nourishment. Cutting across the five evil paths, the evil paths will close of themselves; the ascent of the Way is without end, and it is easy to go there yet no one goes. That land does not oppose you, but draws you by its own nature; why do you not give up worldly affairs, and diligently practice seeking the Way and virtue, so as to gain the greatest long life, and joy in life without end?

「然世人薄俗，共諍不急之事。於此劇惡極苦之中，勤身營務以自給濟。無尊、無卑，無貧、無富，少、長、男、女共憂錢財，有無同然，憂思適等。屏營愁苦，累念積慮，為心走使，無有安時——有田憂田、有宅憂宅，牛、馬、六畜、奴婢、錢財、衣、食、什物，復共憂之——重思累息，憂念愁怖，橫為非常、水、火、盜賊、怨家、債主焚漂劫奪，消散磨滅，憂毒忪忪，無有解時。結憤心中不離憂惱，心堅意固適無縱捨，或坐摧碎身亡命終，棄捐之去莫誰隨者。

“Yet the people of the world are shallow and vulgar, and together contend over matters that are not urgent. In the midst of this extremely harsh and bitter world, they labor with their bodies and manage affairs to provide for themselves. Whether honored or lowly, poor or rich, young or old, men or women, all worry together about money; those who have it and those who do not are the same, their worries equal. Confused and anxious, they pile up cares and accumulate thoughts, driven by their hearts, with no time of peace: those with fields worry about fields, those with houses worry about houses, and oxen, horses, the six domestic animals, servants, money, clothes, food, and household goods, they worry about these too; with heavy thoughts and piled sighs, with care, sorrow, and fear, they suffer unexpected calamity, water, fire, thieves, enemies, and creditors burning, flooding, plundering, and carrying it off, till it is dissipated and worn away, and the poison of worry lies heavy on them without any time of release. Their resentment is knotted in their hearts and they cannot leave worry behind, their minds firm and set and unwilling to let go, and some are broken down by it, their bodies dying and lives ending, abandoning everything and departing with none to follow.

「尊貴、豪富亦有斯患，憂懼萬端，勤苦若此，結眾寒熱與痛共俱。貧窮下劣睏乏常無，無田亦憂欲有田、無宅亦憂欲有宅，無牛、馬、六畜、奴婢、錢財、衣、食、什物亦憂欲有之。適有一復少一、有是少是，思有齊等；適欲具有便復糜散。如是憂苦當復求索，不能時得思想無益，身心俱勞，坐起不安，憂念相隨，勤苦若此，亦結眾寒熱與痛共俱。或時坐之終身夭命，不肯為善、行道、進德，壽終身死當獨遠去，有所趣向善惡之道，莫能知者。

“The noble and the very rich also have these troubles, with ten thousand kinds of worry and fear, laboring bitterly like this, bound up with cold and heat and pain all together. The poor, lowly, and destitute are always in want; having no field, they worry and long for a field; having no house, they worry and long for a house; having no oxen, horses, six domestic animals, servants, money, clothes, food, and household goods, they worry and long for them. No sooner do they have one than they lack another, no sooner this than that, and they want everything on a par; no sooner do they think they have it all than it is dissipated. Worrying in this way and then seeking again, they cannot get things at the time, their thinking is of no benefit, body and mind are both worn out, they sit and rise without peace, with worry and care following them, laboring bitterly in this way, also bound up with cold and heat and pain all together. Some die young because of this, unwilling to do good, practice the Way, or advance in virtue; when their lives end and their bodies die, they must go far away alone, and none can know the path of good or evil to which they are headed.

「世間人民，父子、兄弟、夫婦、家室、中外親屬，當相敬愛，無相憎嫉；有無相通，無得貪惜；言色常和，莫相違戾。或時心諍有所恚怒，今世恨意微相憎嫉，後世轉劇至成大怨。所以者何？世間之事更相患害，雖不即時應急相破，然含毒畜怒結憤精神，自然剋識不得相離，皆當對生更相報復。人在世間愛欲之中，獨生、獨死，獨去、獨來，當行至趣苦樂之地，身自當之無有代者。善惡變化、殃福異處，宿豫嚴待，當獨趣入。遠到他所莫能見者，善惡自然追行所生。窈窈冥冥別離久長，道路不同會見無期，甚難甚難復得相值。何不棄眾事，各曼強健時，努力勤修善，精進願度世，可得極長生？如何不求道，安所須待，欲何樂乎？

“The people of the world, whether father and son, brothers, husband and wife, family, or kin inside and outside the household, should respect and love one another and not hate or envy one another; what one has and lacks should be shared, without greed or stinginess; their words and expressions should always be gentle, and they should not oppose one another. If at times there is rivalry in the heart and some anger, then in this life there is a slight resentment and mutual hatred, and in the next life it grows worse until it becomes great enmity. Why? The affairs of the world harm one another; though they do not necessarily destroy one another at once, they hold poison and store up anger, and the knotted resentment in the spirit is naturally engraved and cannot be separated, so that in being reborn they will repay one another. In the midst of love and desire in the world, a person is born alone, dies alone, goes alone, and comes alone; when he must go to the place of pain or pleasure to which he is bound, his body bears it itself and none can take his place. Good and evil change, calamity and blessing are in different places, and the karma of past lives stands ready beforehand, so that he must enter it alone. Going far to other places, no one can see him, and good and evil naturally follow him to the place of his birth. In the dark and the obscure, the separation is long, the paths differ and there is no time set for meeting; it is extremely difficult, extremely difficult to meet again. Why do you not put aside the many affairs and, each while you are strong and healthy, strive to diligently cultivate goodness, and earnestly vow to cross over the world, so as to gain the greatest long life? How is it that you do not seek the Way? What are you waiting for? What joy do you still want?

「如是，世人不信作善得善、為道得道，不信人死更生、惠施得福，善惡之事都不信之，謂之不然終無有是。但坐此故，且自見之，更相瞻視，先後同然。轉相承受父餘教令，先人祖父素不為善、不識道德，身愚神闇，心塞意閉。死生之趣、善惡之道，自不能見，無有語者；吉凶禍福，競各作之，無一怪也。生死常道轉相嗣立，或父哭子、或子哭父，兄弟、夫婦更相哭泣，顛倒上下無常根本，皆當過去不可常保。教語開導，信之者少，是以生死流轉無有休止。

“Thus the people of the world do not believe that doing good brings good, that practicing the Way brings the Way, do not believe that a person who dies is born again, or that generous giving brings blessing, and they do not believe in any matters of good and evil, saying it is not so and there is in the end none of this. It is only for this reason that they simply look at themselves, watching one another, earlier and later the same. They pass on to one another the teachings and commands left by their fathers; their forebears and grandfathers never did good and did not know the Way and virtue, with foolish bodies and dim spirits, and blocked minds and closed intentions. The paths of death and life, and the way of good and evil, they cannot see for themselves, and there is no one to tell them; as for good and ill fortune, calamity and blessing, they compete to go beyond their bounds in doing them, and not one finds it strange. The constant way of life and death is that one generation succeeds another: sometimes a father weeps for a son, sometimes a son for a father, brothers and husband and wife weep for one another, high and low are upside down, impermanence is the root, and all must pass and none can last. Though they are taught and guided, those who believe are few, so the flow of birth and death does not cease.

「如此之人，曚冥抵突，不信經法，心無遠慮，各欲快意；痴惑於愛欲，不達於道德；迷沒於瞋怒，貪狼於財色。坐之不得道，當更惡趣苦，生死無窮已，哀哉甚可傷。或時室家，父子、兄弟、夫婦，一死一生更相哀愍，恩愛、思慕、憂念結縛，心意痛著迭相顧戀，窮日卒歲無有解已。教語道德心不開明，思想恩好不離情慾。惛曚閉塞，愚惑所覆，不能深思熟計、心自端政、專精行道、決斷世事，便旋至竟年壽終盡不能得道，無可奈何。

“Such people are ignorant and defiant, do not believe in the sutras and the Dharma, have no far-sighted thought in their minds, and each wants to please himself; they are deluded by love and desire, and do not penetrate the Way and virtue; they are lost in anger and hatred, and greedy for wealth and sex. For this reason they do not attain the Way and will again suffer in the evil paths, birth and death without end; how sad and truly sorrowful. Sometimes in a household, father and son, brothers, husband and wife, one dies and one lives, and they grieve for one another, bound by love, longing, and worry, their hearts pained and clinging, looking back at one another through the days and the years without release. When taught about the Way and virtue their minds are not opened, and their thoughts of affection and kindness do not leave their passions. Dull, blocked, covered by foolishness and delusion, they cannot deliberate deeply and plan, correct their own minds, devote themselves to practicing the Way, or decide worldly matters; in the blink of an eye their years end and their lives are used up and they cannot attain the Way, and nothing can be done.

「總猥憒擾皆貪愛欲，惑道者眾、悟之者寡，世間怱怱，無可聊賴。尊卑、上下、貧富、貴賤，勤苦怱務各懷殺毒，惡氣窈冥為妄興事，違逆天地不從人心，自然非惡先隨與之。恣聽所為待其罪極，其壽未盡便頓奪之。下入惡道，累世懟苦展轉其中，數千億劫無有出期。痛不可言，甚可哀愍。」

“Altogether a mass of confusion and disturbance, all greedy for love and desire, those deluded about the Way are many and those awakened are few; the world is hurried, and there is nothing to rely on. High and low, honored and humble, poor and rich, noble and base, in their bitter labor and busy affairs each harbors a murderous poison, an evil breath in the dark gives rise to reckless affairs, going against heaven and earth and not following people’s hearts, and the wrongs and evils that come naturally follow them first. Left to do as they like until their sins are at the extreme, their lives are suddenly taken before they are used up. They descend into the evil paths and, life after life, are caught in bitterness and resentment, turning around in it for thousands of billions of kalpas without any time of coming out. The pain is beyond words, and truly pitiable.”

佛告彌勒菩薩、諸天人等：「我今語汝世間之事，人用是故，坐不得道。當熟思計遠離眾惡，擇其善者勤而行之。愛欲榮華不可常保，皆當別離無可樂者。曼佛在世當勤精進，其有至願生安樂國者，可得智慧明達、功德殊勝；勿得隨心所欲，虧負經戒在人後也。儻有疑意不解經者，可具問佛，當為說之。」

The Buddha said to Maitreya Bodhisattva and the gods, humans, and others: “Now I tell you of worldly affairs; it is because of such matters that people do not attain the Way. You should think carefully and plan to stay far from the many evils, choose the good and diligently put it into practice. Love, desire, and glory cannot last, and all must part and there is nothing to enjoy. While the Buddha is in the world you should diligently exert yourselves; if any sincerely wish to be born in the land of Peace and Joy, they can attain wisdom and clarity and excellent merit. Do not follow your own wishes and betray the sutras and precepts and fall behind others. If any of you have doubts and do not understand the sutras, you may ask the Buddha one by one, and I will explain for you.”

彌勒菩薩長跪白言：「佛威神尊重，所說快善，聽佛經者貫心思之。世人實爾如佛所言，今佛慈愍顯示大道，耳目開明長得度脫，聞佛所說莫不歡喜。諸天、人民、蠕動之類，皆蒙慈恩解脫憂苦。佛語教誡甚深甚善，智慧明見八方、上下、去來今事，莫不究暢。今我眾等所以蒙得度脫，皆佛前世求道之時謙苦所致。恩德普覆，福祿巍巍，光明徹照達空無極；開入泥洹，教授典攬威制消化，感動十方無窮無極。佛為法王尊超眾聖，普為一切天人之師，隨心所願皆令得道。今得值佛，復聞無量壽聲，靡不歡喜，心得開明。」

Maitreya Bodhisattva knelt and said: “The Buddha’s majestic power is weighty, and what he says is delightful and good; those who hear the Buddha’s sutras should take them to heart and think them through. The people of the world are indeed just as the Buddha has said, and now the Buddha, in compassion, reveals the great Way; our ears and eyes are opened and we will long be liberated, and there is none who hears what the Buddha says who is not glad. The gods, the people, and even the wriggling creatures all receive his kind grace and are freed from sorrow and pain. The Buddha’s words and admonitions are extremely deep and extremely good, his wisdom clearly sees the eight directions, above and below, and the matters of past, future, and present, and there is nothing he does not thoroughly master. That our great assembly is now liberated is all due to the Buddha’s humble and bitter efforts in seeking the Way in former lives. His grace covers all everywhere, his blessings are lofty, and his light shines through to the boundless void; he opens the entrance to nirvana, teaches the essential canon, and with his majestic restraint transforms beings, moving the ten directions without end or limit. The Buddha is king of the Dharma, honored above all sages, universally the guide of all gods and humans, and he lets them attain the Way as they wish in their hearts. Now that we are able to meet the Buddha and also hear the name of Amitayus, there is none who is not glad, and our minds are opened and bright.”

佛告彌勒：「汝言是也。若有慈敬於佛者，實為大善。天下久久乃復有佛，今我於此世作佛，演說經法，宣佈道教，斷諸疑網；拔愛欲之本，杜眾惡之源。遊步三界無所拘閡，典攬智慧眾道之要，執持綱維昭然分明，開示五趣度未度者，決正生死泥洹之道。

The Buddha said to Maitreya: “You are right. If there are those who respect the Buddha with kindness, that is truly great goodness. A Buddha appears again in the world only after a very long time; now I am a Buddha in this world, expounding the sutras and Dharma and proclaiming the teaching of the Buddha’s way, cutting through all nets of doubt; I pull out the roots of love and desire and block the source of the many evils. I walk freely through the three realms without hindrance, hold the essentials of wisdom and the many paths, grasp the guiding threads so that they are plainly clear, reveal the five destinies and liberate those not yet liberated, and settle rightly the way of birth and death and nirvana.

「彌勒當知，汝從無數劫來修菩薩行，欲度眾生，其已久遠，從汝得道至於泥洹不可稱數。汝及十方諸天、人民一切四眾，永劫已來展轉五道，憂畏勤苦不可具言，乃至今世生死不絕，與佛相值聽受經法，又復得聞無量壽佛。快哉甚善，吾助爾喜。

“Maitreya should know that you have practiced the Bodhisattva path through countless kalpas, wishing to liberate beings, and it has been very long; from the time you attain the Way until nirvana is beyond counting. You and the gods, people, and all the four assemblies of the ten directions have, from eternal kalpas, passed through the five paths, with worry, fear, and bitter toil beyond words, even up to this present life of unceasing birth and death, and have met the Buddha, heard the sutras and Dharma, and again been able to hear of Amitayus Buddha. How delightful, how very good, I rejoice with you.

「汝今亦可自厭生、死、老、病、痛苦、惡露、不淨、無可樂者，宜自決斷。端身正行，益作諸善；修己潔體，洗除心垢；言行忠信，表裡相應；人能自度，轉相拯濟；精明求願，積累善本。雖一世勤苦須臾之間，後生無量壽佛國快樂無極，長與道德合明，永拔生死根本，無復貪恚、愚痴、苦惱之患。欲壽一劫、百劫、千億萬劫，自在隨意皆可得之，無為自然次於泥洹之道。汝等宜各精進求心所願，無得疑惑中悔自為過咎，生彼邊地七寶宮殿，五百歲中受諸厄也。」

“You too can now loathe and leave birth, death, old age, sickness, pain, the impure discharges of the body, and uncleanness, in which there is nothing to enjoy, and you should decide it for yourselves. Keep your body upright and your conduct correct, do many good deeds; cultivate yourself, purify the body, wash away the dirt of the mind; be loyal and trustworthy in word and deed, outward and inward in agreement; let people save themselves and in turn rescue one another; seek your wishes with clear and earnest effort and accumulate roots of goodness. Though a lifetime of bitter labor lasts only a moment, afterward you will be born in the land of Amitayus Buddha with happiness without limit, long joined in brightness with the Way and virtue, forever pulling out the root of birth and death, and no longer having the troubles of greed, anger, ignorance, and suffering. If you wish a life of one kalpa, a hundred kalpas, a thousand billion myriad kalpas, you can obtain it freely as you wish, with the natural non-action second only to the way of nirvana. You should each diligently strive for what your hearts wish, and must not doubt and regret midway, bringing fault upon yourselves, to be born in the border land in a palace of the seven treasures and suffer hardships for five hundred years.”

彌勒白佛：「受佛重誨，專精修學，如教奉行，不敢有疑。」

Maitreya said to the Buddha: “I receive the Buddha’s earnest instruction, and will devote myself to study and cultivation and practice as taught, not daring to have doubt.”

佛告彌勒：「汝等能於此世端心正意，不作眾惡，甚為至德，十方世界最無倫匹。所以者何？諸佛國土天人之類自然作善，不大為惡，易可開化。今我於此世間作佛，處於五惡、五痛、五燒之中，為最劇苦。教化群生令捨五惡、令去五痛、令離五燒；降化其意令持五善，獲其福德度世長壽泥洹之道。」

The Buddha said to Maitreya: “That you can in this world straighten your hearts and rectify your intentions, and not commit the many evils, is supreme virtue, and in the worlds of the ten directions nothing equals it. Why? The gods and people of the other Buddha-lands naturally do good and do not commit great evil, and are easy to transform. Now I am a Buddha in this world, dwelling amid the five evils, the five pains, and the five burnings, which is the most severe suffering. I teach and transform beings so that they give up the five evils, remove the five pains, and leave the five burnings; I subdue their minds so that they uphold the five goods, and gain blessing and virtue and the way of crossing the world, long life, and nirvana.”

佛言：「何等為五惡？何等五痛？何等五燒？何等消化五惡、令持五善，獲其福德度世長壽泥洹之道？

The Buddha said: “What are the five evils? What are the five pains? What are the five burnings? And what is the way of dissolving the five evils and having people uphold the five goods and gain blessing and virtue and the way of crossing the world, long life, and nirvana?

「其一惡者，諸天、人民、蠕動之類。欲為眾惡莫不皆然。強者伏弱轉相剋賊，殘害殺戮迭相吞噬，不知修善惡逆無道，後受殃罰自然趣向。神明記識犯者不赦，故有貧窮、下賤、乞丐、孤獨、聾盲、瘖啞、愚痴、憋惡，至有尫狂不逮之屬。又有尊貴、豪富、高才、明達皆由宿世慈孝、修善積德所致。世有常道、王法、牢獄不肯畏慎，為惡入罪受其殃罰，求望解脫難得免出。世間有此目前現事，壽終後世尤深尤劇，入其幽冥轉生受身。譬如王法痛苦極刑，故有自然三塗無量苦惱，轉貿其身、改形易道，所受壽命或長或短，魂神精識自然趣之。當獨值向相從共生，更相報復無有止已，殃惡未盡不得相離，展轉其中無有出期，難得解脫痛不可言。天地之間自然有是，雖不即時卒暴應至，善惡之道會當歸之。是為一大惡、一痛、一燒，勤苦如是。

“Among them the first evil: the gods, the people, and the wriggling creatures. When they wish to commit the many evils, none is otherwise. The strong subdue the weak and in turn cruelly harm one another, killing and devouring one another, not knowing how to cultivate goodness, wicked and rebellious and without the Way, and afterward they naturally head toward the suffering of punishment. The spirits keep records and do not pardon offenders, so there are the poor, the lowly, beggars, the orphaned and lonely, the deaf and blind, the mute, the foolish, the coarse and vicious, and even the crippled and the mad and the incapable. And there are also the noble, the very rich, the highly talented, and the clear-sighted, all because of kindness and filial piety, cultivation of good and accumulation of virtue in past lives. In the world there are the constant Way, the king’s law, and prisons, yet people are unwilling to fear and be careful; committing evil, they fall into guilt and suffer punishment, and seeking release, they find it hard to escape. There are such present matters in the world right before our eyes, and in later lives after death it is even deeper and more severe, as one goes into the dark and is reborn to receive a body. It is like the king’s law with its painful extreme punishments, so there are naturally the countless sufferings of the three evil paths; one’s body is exchanged, one’s form and way changed, the life span received may be long or short, and the spirit and consciousness naturally go toward their destiny. One must meet them alone, and be born together with one’s companions, taking revenge on one another without end; until the evil is exhausted they cannot part, and turning around in it there is no time of coming out, release is hard to attain and the pain is beyond words. Between heaven and earth there is naturally such a thing; though it does not come at once, suddenly and violently, the way of good and evil will in the end return. This is one great evil, one pain, one burning, a bitter labor like this.

「譬如大火焚燒人身，人能於中一心制意、端身正行，獨作諸善、不為眾惡者，身獨度脫，獲其福德度世上天泥洹之道，是為一大善也。」

“It is like a great fire burning a person’s body; if a person in the midst of it can, with a single mind, restrain his intentions, keep his body upright and conduct correct, do all good alone and commit none of the many evils, his body alone is liberated, and he gains blessing and virtue and the way of crossing the world, ascending to heaven, and nirvana. This is one great good.”

佛言：「其二惡者，世間人民——父子、兄弟、室家、夫婦——都無義理，不順法度。奢婬憍縱，各欲快意，任心自恣，更相欺惑。心口各異、言念無實、佞諂不忠、巧言諛媚、嫉賢謗善，陷入怨枉。主上不明任用臣下、臣下自在機偽多端，踐度能行知其形勢。在位不正為其所欺，妄損忠良不當天心。臣欺其君、子欺其父，兄弟、夫婦、中外知識更相欺誑，各懷貪欲、瞋恚、愚痴，欲自厚己、欲貪多有，尊卑、上下心俱同然。破家亡身不顧前後，親屬內外坐之滅族。或時室家、知識、鄉黨、市裡、愚民、野人轉共從事，更相剝害，忿成怨結。富有慳惜不肯施與，愛保貪重心勞身苦，如是至竟無所恃怙，獨來獨去無一隨者。善惡、禍福追命所生，或在樂處、或入苦毒，然後乃悔，當復何及？世間人民心愚少智，見善憎謗不思慕及，但欲為惡妄作非法，常懷盜心悕望他利，消散磨盡而復求索。邪心不正，懼人有色，不豫思計，事至乃悔。今世現有王法牢獄，隨罪趣向受其殃罰。因其前世不信道德、不修善本，今復為惡，天神剋識別其名籍，壽終神逝下入惡道，故有自然三塗無量苦惱。展轉其中，世世累劫無有出期，難得解脫痛不可言，是為二大惡、二痛、二燒，勤苦如是。

The Buddha said: “Among them the second evil: the people of the world, fathers and sons, brothers, households, husbands and wives, all lack righteousness and principle and do not follow rules. Extravagant, lustful, arrogant, and willful, each wants to please himself, indulging his own heart and deceiving and misleading one another. Their hearts and mouths differ, their words and thoughts are not true, they are flattering and disloyal, with glib speech and fawning, jealous of the worthy, slandering the good, and sinking others into wrongful accusation. The ruler is not clear-sighted in employing his ministers, the ministers act freely with many kinds of schemes and falsehoods, trampling the measures, able to act and knowing the lay of the land within. Those in office are not upright and are deceived by them, and recklessly harm the loyal and good, which does not accord with Heaven’s mind. Ministers deceive their rulers, sons deceive their fathers, brothers, husbands and wives, and acquaintances inside and outside the household deceive and mislead one another, each harboring greed, anger, and ignorance, wanting to enrich themselves and covet more, high and low, honored and humble all alike in heart. They ruin their families and lose their lives without regard for before and after, and relatives inside and outside are wiped out as a clan because of it. At times households, acquaintances, villagers, those of the same lane, ignorant people, and rustics work together and plunder one another, anger turning to knotted resentment. The rich are stingy and unwilling to give, loving and guarding their wealth, heavily covetous, their hearts weary and bodies suffering; and in the end, having nothing to rely on, they come alone and go alone with none following. Good and evil, calamity and blessing follow them to the place of their birth, whether in a place of joy or entering bitter poison; only then do they regret, but can it still help? The people of the world are foolish in heart and lacking in wisdom, seeing good they hate and slander it and do not think of reaching it, but think only of doing evil and recklessly committing wrongs, always harboring thieving intent and hoping for others’ gain, and when it is dissipated and used up they seek again. Their wicked hearts are not upright, they fear that others have beauty, they do not think and plan beforehand, and only regret when the matter has arrived. In this present life there are the king’s law and prisons, and according to their crimes they go and suffer punishment. Because in former lives they did not believe in the Way and virtue or cultivate roots of goodness, and now again do evil, the spirits engrave and record their names on the registers, and when life ends and the spirit departs they descend into the evil paths, and so there are naturally the countless sufferings of the three evil paths. Turning around in them, life after life, kalpa after kalpa, there is no time of coming out, release is hard to attain and the pain is beyond words. This is two great evils, two pains, two burnings, a bitter labor like this.

「譬如大火焚燒人身，人能於中一心制意、端身正行，獨作諸善、不為眾惡者，身獨度脫，獲其福德度世上天泥洹之道，是為二大善也。」

“It is like a great fire burning a person’s body; if a person in the midst of it can, with a single mind, restrain his intentions, keep his body upright and conduct correct, do all good alone and commit none of the many evils, his body alone is liberated, and he gains blessing and virtue and the way of crossing the world, ascending to heaven, and nirvana. This is two great goods.”

佛言：「其三惡者，世間人民相因寄生，共居天地之間，處年壽命無能幾何。上有賢明長者、尊貴豪富，下有貧窮㒋賤、尫劣愚夫，中有不善之人常懷邪惡，但念婬妷，煩滿胸中，愛欲交亂坐起不安，貪意守惜但欲唐得。眄睞細色邪態外逸，自妻厭憎私妄出入，費損家財事為非法，交結聚會興師相伐，攻劫殺戮強奪不道。惡心在外不自修業，盜竊趣得欲擊成事，恐勢迫脅歸給妻子，恣心快意極身作樂。或於親屬不避尊卑，家室中外患而苦之，亦復不畏王法禁令。如是之惡著於人鬼，日月照見、神明記識，故有自然三塗無量苦惱。展轉其中，世世累劫無有出期，難得解脫痛不可言，是為三大惡、三痛、三燒，勤苦如是。

The Buddha said: “Among them the third evil: the people of the world depend on one another for their living, dwelling together between heaven and earth, and how long is the life span they have? Above there are the wise and honored elders, the noble and very rich; below, the poor, lowly servants, the weak and foolish; in the middle are bad people who always harbor wicked thoughts, thinking only of lust and license, with vexation filling their hearts, love and desire in confusion so that they cannot sit or rise in peace, their covetous minds guarding and begrudging, wanting only to get things for nothing. They look askance at fine beauty with crooked gestures running outward, loathe and hate their own wives, sneak in and out in private, waste family wealth in unlawful affairs, associate and gather together, raise armies to attack one another, plunder, kill, and seize by force in lawless ways. With evil minds turned outward they do not cultivate their own work, steal and obtain things and want to succeed, use power to threaten and take, and bring it back to give to their wives, indulging their hearts and exhausting their bodies in pleasure. Or toward their relatives they do not avoid the honored and the humble, so that the household and those inside and outside are troubled and suffer, and they do not even fear the king’s law and prohibitions. Such evil is plain to humans and ghosts, the sun and moon see it and the spirits record it, and so there are naturally the countless sufferings of the three evil paths. Turning around in them, life after life, kalpa after kalpa, there is no time of coming out, release is hard to attain and the pain is beyond words. This is three great evils, three pains, three burnings, a bitter labor like this.

「譬如大火焚燒人身，人能於中一心制意、端身正行，獨作諸善、不為眾惡者，身獨度脫，獲其福德度世上天泥洹之道，是為三大善也。」

“It is like a great fire burning a person’s body; if a person in the midst of it can, with a single mind, restrain his intentions, keep his body upright and conduct correct, do all good alone and commit none of the many evils, his body alone is liberated, and he gains blessing and virtue and the way of crossing the world, ascending to heaven, and nirvana. This is three great goods.”

佛言：「其四惡者，世間人民不念修善，轉相教令共為眾惡。兩舌、惡口、妄言、綺語、讒賊、鬪亂，憎嫉善人、敗壞賢明，於傍快喜。不孝二親、輕慢師長，朋友無信，難得誠實。尊貴自大謂己有道，橫行威勢侵易於人，不能自知，為惡無恥，自以強健欲人敬難，不畏天地、神明、日月，不肯作善，難可降化。自用偃蹇謂可常爾，無所憂懼，常懷憍慢。如是眾惡，天神記識，賴其前世頗作福德，小善扶接營護助之；今世為惡福德盡滅，諸善神鬼各去離之，身獨空立無所復依。壽命終盡諸惡所歸，自然迫促共趣奪之。又其名籍記在神明，殃咎牽引當往趣向，罪報自然無從捨離。但得前行入於火鑊，身心摧碎、精神痛苦，當斯之時悔復何及？天道自然，不得蹉跌，故有自然三塗無量苦惱。展轉其中，世世累劫無有出期，難得解脫痛不可言，是為四大惡、四痛、四燒，勤苦如是。

The Buddha said: "Among these, the fourth evil is that the people of the world do not think of cultivating good, and instead teach and command one another to commit all kinds of evil. They speak with a double tongue, use harsh words, tell lies, speak flowery nonsense, slander, and stir up strife; they hate and envy good people and ruin the worthy and wise, and rejoice in it from the sidelines. They are unfilial to their parents, treat teachers and elders with contempt, have no good faith with friends, and are hard put to be honest. Proud of their rank and puffed up, they claim to have the Way; they swagger about on their power and trample on others, unable to know themselves, doing evil without shame, thinking themselves strong and wanting others to hold them in awe. They fear neither heaven and earth, nor the spirits, nor the sun and moon, and they refuse to do good and are hard to subdue and transform. They think they can go on like this always, with nothing to worry or fear, and always harbor arrogance. For such a mass of evils, the heavenly spirits keep a record; because of the merit and virtue he made in a former life, small good deeds support, shelter and help him; but now that he does evil in this life, his merit and virtue are all extinguished, the good spirits and ghosts each leave him, and his body stands alone and empty with nothing to rely on. When his life ends, all his evils come home to him, and naturally press in to seize him together. Moreover, his name is recorded in the registers of the spirits, calamity drags him along toward where he must go, and the retribution for his sins naturally cannot be shaken off. He can only go forward into the boiling cauldron, his body and mind shattered and his spirit in pain; at that time, is regret still in time? The way of heaven is natural and permits no slip, and so there are, naturally, the three evil paths with measureless suffering. Turning round and round in them, life after life, kalpa upon kalpa, there is no time to get out, liberation is hard to gain and the pain cannot be described. These are the four great evils, four pains and four burnings, with toil and suffering like this."

「譬如大火焚燒人身，人能於中一心制意、端身正行，獨作諸善、不為眾惡，身獨度脫，獲其福德度世上天泥洹之道，是為四大善也。」

"It is like a great fire burning a person's body: if a person within it can concentrate his mind, restrain his thoughts, set his body upright and act correctly, doing all manner of good alone and not committing the many evils, then he alone is freed in body, gains merit and virtue, and the way to cross the world, ascend to heaven and reach nirvana. These are the four great goods."

佛言：「其五惡者，世間人民徙倚懈惰，不肯作善、治身修業，家室眷屬飢寒困苦。父母教誨瞋目怒應，言令不和違戾反逆譬如怨家，不如無子。取與無節，眾共患厭，負恩違義，無有報償之心。貧窮睏乏不能復得，辜較縱奪放恣遊散，串數唐得用自賑給。耽酒嗜美、飲食無度，肆心蕩逸、魯扈抵突，不識人情強欲抑制。見人有善憎嫉惡之，無義、無禮，無所顧錄。自用職當不可諫曉，六親眷屬所資有無不能憂念。不惟父母之恩、不存師友之義，心常念惡、口常言惡、身常行惡，曾無一善。不信先聖諸佛經法、不信行道可得度世、不信死後神明更生、不信作善得善為惡得惡。欲殺真人，鬪亂眾僧，欲害父母、兄弟、眷屬，六親憎惡願令其死。

The Buddha said: "Among these, the fifth evil is that the people of the world lean and idle about, are lazy, and refuse to do good, to govern themselves and attend to their work, so that their household and family suffer hunger and cold. When their parents instruct them they glare and answer in anger, their speech is discordant, defiant and rebellious like an enemy, so that it would be better to have no son. They have no restraint in taking and giving, and everyone is troubled and sick of them; they betray favors and violate righteousness, with no heart to repay. In poverty and want they can get no more, and they plunder and seize, indulge and wander about, accustomed to getting things for nothing and using them to supply themselves. They are addicted to wine and fond of delicacies, with no measure in food and drink, giving free rein to the mind and drifting about, rough and overbearing and insubordinate, not understanding human feeling and trying to force their wishes. When they see someone do good they hate and envy and loathe him; they have no righteousness and no propriety, and no regard for anything. They think their position is such that they cannot be admonished or enlightened, and cannot be concerned about what their six kinds of relatives and family have or lack. They do not think of their parents' kindness or keep the duty to teachers and friends, their minds always think of evil, their mouths always speak evil, their bodies always do evil, and they have never done a single good. They do not believe in the scriptures and teachings of the former sages and Buddhas, do not believe that practicing the Way can bring one across the world, do not believe that the spirit is reborn after death, and do not believe that doing good brings good and doing evil brings evil. They wish to kill a true person, stir up trouble among the Sangha, wish to harm their parents, brothers and relatives, and their six kinds of kin hate them and wish them dead.

「如是世人心意俱然，愚痴曚昧而自以智慧，不知生所從來、死所趣向。不仁、不順，逆惡天地，而於其中悕望僥倖，欲求長生，會當歸死。慈心教誨令其念善，開示生死善惡之趣自然有是，而不信之；苦心與語無益其人，心中閉塞意不開解。大命將終悔懼交至，不豫修善臨窮方悔，悔之於後將何及乎？天地之間五道分明，恢廓窈冥浩浩茫茫，善惡報應禍福相承，身自當之無誰代者。

"The minds of such people of the world are all like this, foolish and benighted yet thinking themselves wise, not knowing where life comes from or where death goes. Unkind and disobedient, they rebel against heaven and earth and yet hope for luck within it, wanting long life, but in the end must go to death. When someone teaches them with kindness to think of good, and shows them that the paths of birth and death and good and evil naturally exist, they do not believe; speaking to them with painful care does that person no good, for their minds are blocked and their intent will not open. When their great life is about to end, regret and terror come together; not having cultivated good beforehand, they repent only at the end, and what good is repenting afterward? Between heaven and earth the five paths are distinct, vast, dim and boundless, good and evil bring their retributions and misfortune and blessing follow each other, and one bears it oneself in one's own body, and no one can take one's place.

「數之自然應其所行，殃咎追命無得縱捨。善人行善，從樂入樂、從明入明；惡人行惡，從苦入苦、從冥入冥。誰能知者？獨佛知耳。教語開示，信用者少，生死不休，惡道不絕。如是，世人難可具盡，故有自然三塗無量苦惱。展轉其中，世世累劫無有出期，難得解脫，痛不可言，是為五大惡、五痛、五燒，勤苦如是。

"By the natural reckoning, one receives according to what one has done, and calamity pursues one's life and will not let go. The good person does good, going from joy into joy and from light into light; the evil person does evil, going from suffering into suffering and from darkness into darkness. Who can know this? Only the Buddha knows. Though the teachings are given and shown, few believe and use them, and so birth and death do not cease and evil paths do not end. In this way, the people of the world are hard to describe in full, and so there are, naturally, the three evil paths with measureless suffering. Turning round and round in them, life after life, kalpa upon kalpa, there is no time to get out, liberation is hard to gain, and the pain cannot be described. These are the five great evils, five pains and five burnings, with toil and suffering like this."

「譬如大火焚燒人身，人能於中一心制意、端身正念，言行相副、所作至誠，所語如語、心口不轉，獨作諸善、不為眾惡者，身獨度脫，獲其福德度世上天泥洹之道，是為五大善也。」

"It is like a great fire burning a person's body: if a person within it can concentrate his mind, restrain his thoughts, set his body upright and keep right mindfulness, with words and deeds matching, doing what he does with utmost sincerity, saying what he says as he means it, his mind and mouth not wavering, doing all manner of good alone and not committing the many evils, then he alone is freed in body, gains merit and virtue, and the way to cross the world, ascend to heaven and reach nirvana. These are the five great goods."

佛告彌勒：「吾語汝等，是世五惡勤苦若此，五痛、五燒展轉相生，但作眾惡不修善本，皆悉自然入諸惡趣。或其今世先被殃病，求死不得、求生不得，罪惡所招示眾見之。身死隨行入三惡道，苦毒無量自相燋然。至其久後共作怨結，從小微起遂成大惡，皆由貪著財色、不能施慧，痴欲所迫、隨心思想，煩惱結縛無有解已，厚己諍利無所省錄。富貴榮華當時快意，不能忍辱不務修善，威勢無幾隨以磨滅，身生勞苦久後大劇。天道施張自然糺舉，綱紀羅網上下相應，焭焭忪忪當入其中。古今有是，痛哉可傷！」

The Buddha told Maitreya: "I tell you, the five evils of this world and their toil and suffering are like this; the five pains and five burnings arise one from another, and those who only do the many evils and do not cultivate the roots of good all naturally enter the evil paths. Some are first struck with calamity and illness in this very life, unable to die when they seek death and unable to live when they seek life, their sins calling it down for all to see. When the body dies they follow their deeds into the three evil paths, with measureless bitter poison burning each other. Later, after a long time, they become bound in mutual resentment; starting from something small and slight it becomes great evil, all because of greed for wealth and sex, unable to give with wisdom, pressed by folly and desire, following their thoughts at will, bound by afflictions that are not loosened, favoring themselves and fighting for profit with no self-examination. Wealth, honor and glory are pleasing for the moment, but they cannot bear insult and do not work at cultivating good; their power and influence do not last long and soon wear away, their bodies are born to toil and suffering, which grows even worse later. The net of heaven's way is stretched and naturally catches them out, its cords and meshes answering above and below, and alone and trembling they must enter within. So it has been from ancient times to now; how painful and sad!"

佛語彌勒：「世間如是，佛皆哀之。以威神力摧滅眾惡，悉令就善棄捐所思，奉持經戒、受行道法，無所違失，終得度世泥洹之道。」

The Buddha said to Maitreya: "The world is like this, and all the Buddhas pity it. With my awesome spiritual power I destroy the many evils, and make them all turn to good and cast away what they have been thinking, uphold the sutras and precepts, receive and practice the Dharma of the Way without fault or loss, and in the end gain the way to cross the world and reach nirvana."

佛言：「汝今諸天人民及後世人，得佛經語當熟思之，能於其中端心正行，主上為善、率化其下，轉相勅令各自端守，尊聖敬善、仁慈博愛。佛語教誨無敢虧負，當求度世拔斷生死眾惡之本，永離三塗無量憂畏苦痛之道。汝等於是廣殖德本，布恩施慧，勿犯道禁，忍辱、精進、一心、智慧轉相教化。

The Buddha said: "You, the devas and people now, and the people of later ages, on receiving the words of the Buddha's sutras should ponder them well and be able to keep your minds upright and your conduct correct; let those above do good and lead and transform those below, command one another in turn to each stay upright, honor the sage and respect the good, be kind and love widely. Do not dare to fail the Buddha's words and teaching; you should seek to cross the world, pull out the roots of birth and death and all the evils, and leave forever the way of the three evil paths with their measureless sorrow, fear and pain. Here you should plant roots of virtue widely, spread kindness and give wisdom, and not break the prohibitions of the Way; teach and transform one another in patience, diligence, one-mindedness and wisdom.

「為德立善，正心正意，齋戒清淨一日一夜，勝在無量壽國為善百歲。所以者何？彼佛國土無為自然，皆積眾善，無毛髮之惡，於此修善十日十夜，勝於他方諸佛國中為善千歲。所以者何？他方佛國為善者多、為惡者少，福德自然，無造惡之地。唯此間多惡無有自然，勤苦求欲轉相欺殆，心勞形困飲苦食毒，如是怱務未甞寧息。吾哀汝等天人之類，苦心誨喻教令修善，隨器開導授與經法，莫不承用，在意所願皆令得道。佛所遊履，國邑丘聚靡不蒙化，天下和順，日月清明，風雨以時，災厲不起，國豐民安，兵戈無用，崇德興仁，務修禮讓。」

"To establish virtue and goodness, with a right heart and right intent, and to keep a pure fast for one day and one night, is better than doing good for a hundred years in the land of Amitayus. Why? Because that Buddha land is unconditioned and natural, all gathering many goods, with not even a hair's breadth of evil; to cultivate good here for ten days and ten nights is better than doing good for a thousand years in the Buddha lands of other directions. Why? Because in the Buddha lands of other directions many do good and few do evil, merit and virtue are natural, and there is no ground for making evil. Only here are there many evils and nothing natural, with toil and suffering and craving, cheating and endangering one another, the mind laboring and the body worn, drinking bitterness and eating poison, hurrying about like this without ever resting. I pity you devas and people, and with a pained heart I instruct and urge you to cultivate good, opening the way according to each one's capacity and giving the sutras and Dharma, and there is none who did not accept and use them, and according to the wishes of their hearts I have enabled them all to attain the Way. Wherever the Buddha has traveled, among the states, towns and villages, there were none who did not receive his transformation; the world was harmonious, the sun and moon clear and bright, wind and rain came in season, calamity and plague did not arise, the country was rich and the people at peace, soldiers and weapons went unused, virtue was honored and benevolence flourished, and people worked to cultivate courtesy and yielding."

佛言：「我哀愍汝等諸天人民，甚於父母念子。今吾於此世作佛，降化五惡、消除五痛、絕滅五燒，以善攻惡，拔生死之苦，令獲五德，昇無為之安。吾去世後經道漸滅，人民諂偽復為眾惡，五燒、五痛還如前法，久後轉劇不可悉說，我但為汝略言之耳。」

The Buddha said: "I pity you devas and people more than parents think of their children. Now that I am the Buddha in this world, I subdue the five evils, remove the five pains, and put out the five burnings, using good to attack evil, pulling out the suffering of birth and death, and enabling people to gain the five virtues and rise to the peace of the unconditioned. After I pass away the sutras and the Way will gradually fade, and people will be flattering and false and again do the many evils, and the five burnings and five pains will be as before, and later grow worse beyond all telling; I have only told you of them in brief."

佛告彌勒：「汝等各善思之，轉相教誡，如佛經法，無得犯也。」

The Buddha told Maitreya: "Each of you ponder this well, and teach and warn one another as in the Buddha's sutras and Dharma, and do not transgress."

於是，彌勒菩薩合掌白言：「佛所說甚善。世人實爾，如來普慈哀愍悉令度脫，受佛重誨不敢違失。」

Then Maitreya Bodhisattva joined his palms and said: "What the Buddha has said is most excellent. People of the world are truly like this, and the Tathagata, in universal kindness and pity, has enabled them all to be freed; having received the Buddha's earnest instruction, we dare not fail or lose it."

佛告阿難：「汝起更整衣服，合掌恭敬，禮無量壽佛。十方國土諸佛如來，常共稱揚讚歎彼佛，無著無閡。」

The Buddha told Ananda: "Rise, put your robe in order again, join your palms with reverence, and bow to Amitayus Buddha. The Buddhas and Tathagatas of the lands in the ten directions always praise and extol that Buddha together, without attachment or hindrance."

於是，阿難起整衣服，正身西向，恭敬合掌，五體投地禮無量壽佛。白言：「世尊！願見彼佛安樂國土及諸菩薩聲聞大眾。」

Then Ananda rose and put his robe in order, faced west with his body upright, joined his palms with reverence, and with his five limbs to the ground bowed to Amitayus Buddha. He said: "World-Honored One! I wish to see that Buddha's land of peace and joy and the great assembly of Bodhisattvas and shravakas."

說是語已，即時無量壽佛放大光明，普照一切諸佛世界，金剛圍山、須彌山王、大小諸山，一切所有皆同一色。譬如劫水彌滿世界，其中萬物沈沒不現，滉瀁浩汗唯見大水；彼佛光明亦復如是，聲聞、菩薩一切光明皆悉隱蔽，唯見佛光明耀顯赫。

When he had said this, at that moment Amitayus Buddha emitted a great radiance, shining everywhere on all the Buddha worlds, and the Vajra Ring Mountains, Sumeru the king of mountains, and all the mountains great and small, everything that exists was of one color. It was like the waters of a kalpa flooding and filling the world, in which the myriad things sink and do not appear, and one sees only a vast sheet of water; the Buddha's radiance was like this, and the lights of the shravakas and Bodhisattvas were all hidden, and one saw only the Buddha's brilliant, glorious light.

爾時，阿難即見無量壽佛，威德巍巍如須彌山王，高出一切諸世界上，相好光明靡不照耀。此會四眾一時悉見，彼見此土亦復如是。

At that time Ananda straightaway saw Amitayus Buddha, his awesome virtue towering like Sumeru, king of mountains, rising above all the worlds, the marks and radiance of his body shining on everything. The four assemblies in this gathering all saw him at the same moment, and those over there saw this land in the same way.

爾時，佛告阿難及慈氏菩薩：「汝見彼國，從地已上至淨居天，其中所有微妙嚴淨自然之物，為悉見不？」

Then the Buddha said to Ananda and Bodhisattva Maitreya: "You see that land, from the ground up to the Pure Abode heavens, with all the subtle, adorned and pure natural things in it; did you see them all?"

阿難對曰：「唯然，已見。」

Ananda answered: "Yes, I have seen them."

「汝寧復聞無量壽佛大音宣佈一切世界化眾生不？」

"Did you also hear Amitayus Buddha's great voice proclaiming through all the worlds and teaching and transforming beings?"

阿難對曰：「唯然，已聞。」

Ananda answered: "Yes, I have heard it."

「彼國人民乘百千由旬七寶宮殿無所障閡，遍至十方供養諸佛，汝復見不？」

"The people of that land ride in palaces of the seven jewels of a hundred thousand yojanas without obstruction, reaching everywhere in the ten directions to make offerings to the Buddhas; did you see this too?"

對曰：「已見。」

He answered: "I have seen it."