Sutra of Immeasurable Life Spoken by the Buddha, Fascicle Two

「彼國人民有胎生者，汝復見不？」

"Among the people of that land there are those born from the womb; did you see them too?"

對曰：「已見。」

He answered: "I have seen them."

「其胎生者所處宮殿，或百由旬或五百由旬，各於其中受諸快樂，如忉利天，亦皆自然。」

"The palaces where those womb-born people dwell are sometimes a hundred yojanas and sometimes five hundred yojanas, and in each they enjoy all manner of pleasures, as in the Trayastrimsha heaven, and these too are natural."

爾時，慈氏菩薩白佛言：「世尊！何因何緣彼國人民胎生化生？」

Then Bodhisattva Maitreya said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One! For what reason do the people of that land include some born from the womb and some born by transformation?"

佛告慈氏：「若有眾生以疑惑心修諸功德，願生彼國，不了佛智、不思議智、不可稱智、大乘廣智、無等無倫最上勝智，於此諸智疑惑不信；然猶信罪福，修習善本，願生其國。此諸眾生生彼宮殿，壽五百歲，常不見佛、不聞經法、不見菩薩聲聞聖眾，是故於彼國土謂之胎生。若有眾生明信佛智乃至勝智，作諸功德信心迴向，此諸眾生於七寶華中自然化生，加趺而坐，須臾之頃，身相光明，智慧功德如諸菩薩具足成就。

The Buddha told Maitreya: "If there are beings who cultivate all kinds of merit with a doubting mind and wish to be born in that land, but do not understand the Buddha's wisdom, the inconceivable wisdom, the unmeasurable wisdom, the Mahayana's vast wisdom, the unequalled and incomparable supreme wisdom, and are doubtful and unbelieving about these various kinds of wisdom; yet they still believe in sin and merit, cultivate the roots of good, and wish to be born in that land. These beings are born into those palaces, live for five hundred years, and are always unable to see the Buddha, hear the sutras and Dharma, or see the Bodhisattvas and the holy assembly of shravakas, and so in that land they are called womb-born. If there are beings who clearly believe in the Buddha's wisdom and even the supreme wisdom, do all kinds of merit and dedicate it with faith, these beings are naturally born by transformation in the seven-jeweled flowers, sit cross-legged, and in a moment their bodies and radiance, wisdom and merit are fully accomplished like those of the Bodhisattvas.

「復次，慈氏！他方諸大菩薩發心欲見無量壽佛，恭敬供養及諸菩薩聲聞之眾。彼菩薩等命終得生無量壽國，於七寶華中自然化生。彌勒當知，彼化生者智慧勝故。其胎生者皆無智慧，於五百歲中常不見佛、不聞經法、不見菩薩諸聲聞眾，無由供養於佛、不知菩薩法式、不得修習功德，當知此人宿世之時無有智慧，疑惑所致。」

"Furthermore, Maitreya! When the great Bodhisattvas of other lands give rise to the aspiration to see Amitayus Buddha, to revere and make offerings to him and to the assembly of Bodhisattvas and shravakas, those Bodhisattvas, at the end of their lives, are able to be born in the land of Amitayus, and are naturally born by transformation in the seven-jeweled flowers. Maitreya, you should know that those born by transformation are so because of the superiority of their wisdom. Those womb-born all lack wisdom; for five hundred years they are always unable to see the Buddha, hear the sutras and Dharma, or see the Bodhisattvas and shravaka assemblies, have no way to make offerings to the Buddha, do not know the Bodhisattva rules and forms, and cannot cultivate merit; you should know that these people in former lives had no wisdom, and it was because of doubt."

佛告彌勒：「譬如轉輪聖王別有宮室，七寶莊飾，張設床帳，懸諸繒幡。若有諸小王子得罪於王，輒內彼宮中，繫以金鎖，供給飲食、衣服、床蓐、華香、伎樂，如轉輪王無所乏少。於意云何？此諸王子寧樂彼處不？」

The Buddha told Maitreya: "It is like a wheel-turning sage king who has a separate palace, adorned with the seven jewels, with beds and curtains laid out and with silk banners hung. If some young princes offend the king, they are put into that palace, bound with golden chains, and supplied with food and drink, clothing, bedding, flowers, incense and music, as the wheel-turning king himself, lacking nothing. What do you think? Would those princes delight in that place?"

對曰：「不也，但種種方便求諸大力欲自勉出。」

He answered: "They would not; they would only seek, by all kinds of skillful means, those of great power, hoping to strive to get out on their own."

佛告彌勒：「此諸眾生亦復如是。以疑惑佛智生彼宮殿，無有刑罰乃至一念惡事，但於五百歲中不見三寶，不得供養修諸善本。以此為苦，雖有餘樂猶不樂彼處。若此眾生識其本罪，深自悔責求離彼處，即得如意，往詣無量壽佛所恭敬供養，亦得遍至無量無數諸如來所修諸功德。彌勒當知，其有菩薩生疑惑者，為失大利。是故，應當明信諸佛無上智慧。」

The Buddha told Maitreya: "These beings are the same. Because they doubted the Buddha's wisdom, they are born in those palaces, where there is no punishment and not even a single thought of evil, but for five hundred years they cannot see the Three Jewels and cannot make offerings and cultivate the roots of good. They take this as suffering, and though they have other joys, they still do not delight in that place. If these beings recognize their original sin, deeply repent and rebuke themselves, and seek to leave that place, they are at once as they wish, and go to Amitayus Buddha to revere him and make offerings, and are also able to go everywhere to the countless, innumerable Tathagatas to cultivate merit. Maitreya, you should know that if any Bodhisattva gives rise to doubt, he loses great benefit. Therefore, you should clearly believe in the unsurpassed wisdom of the Buddhas."

彌勒菩薩白佛言：「世尊！於此世界有幾所不退菩薩生彼佛國？」

Bodhisattva Maitreya said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One! In this world how many non-retrogressing Bodhisattvas are born in that Buddha land?"

佛告彌勒：「於此世界有六十七億不退菩薩往生彼國。一一菩薩已曾供養無數諸佛，次如彌勒者也；諸小行菩薩及修習少功德者不可稱計，皆當往生。」

The Buddha told Maitreya: "In this world there are six billion seven hundred million non-retrogressing Bodhisattvas who will be born in that land. Each of these Bodhisattvas has already made offerings to countless Buddhas, second only to one like Maitreya; and Bodhisattvas of lesser practice and those who have cultivated small merit, too many to count, will all be born there."

佛告彌勒：「不但我剎諸菩薩等往生彼國，他方佛土亦復如是。其第一佛名曰遠照，彼有百八十億菩薩皆當往生。其第二佛名曰寶藏，彼有九十億菩薩皆當往生。其第三佛名曰無量音，彼有二百二十億菩薩皆當往生。其第四佛名曰甘露味，彼有二百五十億菩薩皆當往生。其第五佛名曰龍勝，彼有十四億菩薩皆當往生。其第六佛名曰勝力，彼有萬四千菩薩皆當往生。其第七佛名曰師子，彼有五百億菩薩皆當往生。其第八佛名曰離垢光，彼有八十億菩薩皆當往生。其第九佛名曰德首，彼有六十億菩薩皆當往生。其第十佛名曰妙德山，彼有六十億菩薩皆當往生。其第十一佛名曰人王，彼有十億菩薩皆當往生。其第十二佛名曰無上華，彼有無數不可稱計諸菩薩眾——皆不退轉，智慧勇猛，已曾供養無量諸佛，於七日中即能攝取百千億劫大士所修堅固之法——斯等菩薩皆當往生。其第十三佛名曰無畏，彼有七百九十億大菩薩眾、諸小菩薩及比丘等不可稱計皆當往生。」

The Buddha told Maitreya: "It is not only the Bodhisattvas of my realm who are born in that land, but those of other Buddha lands also. Among these, the first Buddha is named Far Illumination, and there are eighteen billion Bodhisattvas there who will all be born there. The second Buddha is named Treasury of Jewels, and there are nine billion Bodhisattvas there who will all be born there. The third Buddha is named Immeasurable Sound, and there are twenty-two billion Bodhisattvas there who will all be born there. The fourth Buddha is named Taste of Sweet Dew, and there are twenty-five billion Bodhisattvas there who will all be born there. The fifth Buddha is named Dragon Victory, and there are one billion four hundred million Bodhisattvas there who will all be born there. The sixth Buddha is named Victorious Power, and there are fourteen thousand Bodhisattvas there who will all be born there. The seventh Buddha is named Lion, and there are fifty billion Bodhisattvas there who will all be born there. The eighth Buddha is named Stainless Light, and there are eight billion Bodhisattvas there who will all be born there. The ninth Buddha is named Head of Virtue, and there are six billion Bodhisattvas there who will all be born there. The tenth Buddha is named Wondrous Virtue Mountain, and there are six billion Bodhisattvas there who will all be born there. The eleventh Buddha is named King of Men, and there are one billion Bodhisattvas there who will all be born there. The twelfth Buddha is named Unsurpassed Flower, and there is an innumerable, uncountable assembly of Bodhisattvas there, all non-retrogressing, brave in wisdom, who have already made offerings to measureless Buddhas, and who within seven days can take up the firm practices that great beings cultivate over a hundred thousand billion kalpas; these Bodhisattvas will all be born there. The thirteenth Buddha is named Fearless, and there are seventy-nine billion great Bodhisattvas there, and lesser Bodhisattvas and monks and others, too many to count, who will all be born there."

佛語彌勒：「不但此十四佛國中諸菩薩等當往生也，十方世界無量佛國其往生者亦復如是，甚多無數。我但說十方諸佛名號及菩薩、比丘生彼國者，晝夜一劫尚未能竟，我今為汝略說之耳。」

The Buddha said to Maitreya: "It is not only the Bodhisattvas of these fourteen Buddha lands who will be born there; those who are born there from the measureless Buddha lands of the ten directions are likewise very many, innumerable. If I were to speak only of the names of the Buddhas of the ten directions and of the Bodhisattvas and monks born in that land, day and night for a kalpa would still not be enough to finish, so now I have only told you in brief."

佛語彌勒：「其有得聞彼佛名號，歡喜踴躍，乃至一念，當知此人為得大利，則是具足無上功德。是故，彌勒！設有大火充滿三千大千世界，要當過此。聞是經法，歡喜信樂，受持讀誦，如說修行。所以者何？多有菩薩欲聞此經而不能得。若有眾生聞此經者，於無上道終不退轉，是故應當專心信受持誦說行。吾今為諸眾生說此經法，令見無量壽佛及其國土一切所有，所當為者皆可求之，無得以我滅度之後復生疑惑。當來之世經道滅盡，我以慈悲哀愍特留此經止住百歲，其有眾生值斯經者，隨意所願皆可得度。」

The Buddha said to Maitreya: "If any person hears that Buddha's name and rejoices and leaps for joy, even for a single thought, you should know that this person gains great benefit and is endowed with unsurpassed merit. Therefore, Maitreya! Even if a great fire fills the three thousand great thousand worlds, one must go through it. Listen to this sutra Dharma, rejoice, believe and delight in it, uphold, read and recite it, and practice as it says. Why? Many Bodhisattvas wish to hear this sutra and cannot. If there are beings who hear this sutra, they will never retrogress from the unsurpassed Way, and so you should concentrate your mind to believe, receive, uphold, recite, speak and practice it. Now I speak this sutra Dharma for all beings so that they may see Amitayus Buddha and all that exists in his land, and what should be done they can seek; do not give rise to doubt again after my passing. In the age to come, when the sutras and the Way are extinguished, out of compassion and pity I will specially leave this sutra to remain for a hundred years, and any being who meets this sutra can be liberated according to his wish."

佛語彌勒：「如來興世難值難見、諸佛經道難得難聞；菩薩勝法諸波羅蜜得聞亦難；遇善知識、聞法能行此亦為難；若聞斯經信樂受持，難中之難無過此難。是故我法，如是作、如是說、如是教，應當信順，如法修行。」

The Buddha said to Maitreya: "It is hard to meet and hard to see the Tathagata arising in the world, hard to obtain and hard to hear the sutras and Way of the Buddhas; it is also hard to hear the Bodhisattvas' supreme Dharma and the paramitas; it is hard to meet a good teacher, and hard to hear the Dharma and be able to practice it; but to hear this sutra and believe, delight in, receive and uphold it, of all hard things nothing surpasses this hardness. Therefore, as for my Dharma, I made it thus, said it thus, and taught it thus, and you should believe and follow it and practice it according to the Dharma."

爾時，世尊說此經法，無量眾生皆發無上正覺之心，萬二千那由他人得清淨法眼，二十二億諸天人民得阿那含，八十萬比丘漏盡意解，四十億菩薩得不退轉，以弘誓功德而自莊嚴，於將來世當成正覺。爾時，三千大千世界六種震動，大光普照十方國土，百千音樂自然而作，無量妙華芬芬而降。

At that time, as the World-Honored One spoke this sutra Dharma, measureless beings gave rise to the mind of unsurpassed right awakening, twelve thousand nayutas of people gained the pure Dharma eye, two billion devas and people attained anagamin (the non-returner, who no longer returns to be born in the desire realm), eight hundred thousand monks had their outflows ended and their minds liberated, and four billion Bodhisattvas attained non-retrogression, adorning themselves with the merit of great vows, and in the future ages they will become fully awakened. At that time the great earth of the three thousand great thousand worlds shook in six ways, a great light shone everywhere on the lands of the ten directions, a hundred thousand kinds of music played naturally, and measureless wondrous flowers fell in profusion.

佛說經已，彌勒菩薩及十方來諸菩薩眾，長老阿難、諸大聲聞，一切大眾，聞佛所說靡不歡喜。

When the Buddha had finished speaking the sutra, Bodhisattva Maitreya and the assembly of Bodhisattvas from the ten directions, the elder Ananda, the great shravakas, and the whole great assembly, hearing what the Buddha said, were all delighted.