極樂依正第一
Chapter 1: The Adornments of Pure Land
原夫無上正遍知覺聖主世尊普應機宜。從兜率宮降神於世。故四十年中說法三百餘會。皆令群有同證真常。乃至末後靈山會上方說法華。俾令眾生開示悟入佛之知見。出世本懷於茲暢矣。然出世度生之道非但釋迦。三世如來莫不咸爾。而於釋迦一代施化法門之中。求其所以機宜相感生佛緣深至簡至易而功高徑捷者。無越求生淨土一法門也蓋念佛法門。首因法藏比丘於無量劫前為大國王。聞世自在王佛說法。遂棄國出家而成比丘。其佛復為廣說二百一十億佛剎莊嚴人天善惡麁妙不同等事。法藏聞已。即於佛前發四十八種大願。願成佛時。國中無有三途三毒八苦八難九惱十纏等一切障礙。生我國者皆住正定。得忍悟心解脫勝智之人。乃至十念得生。若不爾者。不取正覺。其時大地震動。天雨妙花。空樂自鳴。佛與其記。今已得果。成佛十劫。因昔願勝。功德神通光明力無畏等超過十方。佛號阿彌陀。其阿彌陀佛所居之國。從是娑婆世界直西過十萬億國土。名曰極樂。或曰安樂。今見在彼。以昔大願及神通力。而為說法攝取十方世界念佛眾生。眾生生者得不退轉。剎那尚莫勝數。何況歷劫度脫。其生彼者有何限極。微塵恒沙所不能俞。其佛國土莊嚴勝妙超過十方。有諸寶池。隨其大小皆七寶成。或有大池。其量盈廣。正住其中。底布金沙。邊鋪階道。其池之上復有樓閣。千層萬疊廣博妙好。光明赫奕不可具說。其池之內八功德水香美清徹盈溢充滿。為十四支。於諸無量莊嚴具中。尋流上下。出聲演說無量法門。是妙水中復有六十億七寶蓮華。團圓正等。水注葉間四色四光。三輩九品行列次第。香潔微妙映蔽其國。寶地平正願力所成。於其地上復有七重欄楯七重行樹。寶幢臺榭旛蓋珠纓各各無量殊特妙好。周廻間列莊嚴其國。又於虛空。甫諸天衣天香天花天繒天樂。各各無量。繽紛散漫遍虛空界。如是無量諸莊嚴具。皆金銀瑠璃硨磲碼瑙毘楞伽甄叔迦等金剛摩尼如意珠王不可思議眾寶所成。是眾寶內各放無量百千萬億寶色光王。互相輝映。一一遍照三千大千世界。其光交羅不相障礙。極虛空際不可窮盡。如是無量一一光明一一莊嚴。與虛空中天樂香花珍禽鈴網其聲雅正。宮商清徹。鏗鏘應節。流出無量無邊微妙之音。其音遍滿。不間不斷。悉能演說苦空無我諸波羅蜜。歎菩提道讚佛法僧。或說念處正勤根力覺道。諸菩薩行。諦緣願度。力無畏等。十八不共。大慈大悲大喜大捨。不可思議無量法門。其所說法。三世十方依正色心融通無礙。及勸精進。如佛音聲等無有異。其國眾生聞是法已。悉皆念念隨其所樂。速能證入三乘勝行一切道品無量解脫。如從佛聞。得無差別。縱是凡夫。聞此法故自然精進。尚無一念疲倦之心。云何更有退轉。又彼國土純一男子無有女人。蓮華化生不處胎胞。妙服美味能成法喜。從其所欲。悉隨念至。無寒暑晝夜。無生老病死。無土石諸山。無三途惡道。往來虛空。經行樹下。欲作佛事示現神通。悉從心念。又復壽命無極。如是種種快樂無極。故名極樂。況復彌陀世尊功德光明威神相好各八萬四千。如紫金山。處大蓮華師子之座。莊嚴赫奕超過虛空。大海彌盧所不能及。眉間白毫功德增勝。如日舒光眾明悉絕。光中化佛菩薩聲聞各放光明。遠照塵剎攝受眾生。彼二大士亦復如是。文殊師利普賢大行諸大菩薩皆住彼國。一生補處其數甚多。諸上善人俱會一處。悉為良友。以佛為師。親近慈容。聞第一義。頓超三界即證無生。十地高超二覺圓滿。況能於念念中供養十方三寶。成就一切法門。遊戲神通淨佛國土。乃至入於三途六道。舒光破暗救苦眾生。或復塵剎分身。隨機化導。應病與藥。如佛弘慈。於念念中。圓滿普賢所有行願。具文殊智。有大勢力。如觀世音。同證菩提。同佛所住。則一切眾生性雖昏昧。得聞此說。誰不歡喜而生信樂。然彼妙土及莊嚴事。雖具我心。若非彌陀如來於過去世為度眾生行菩薩道不可稱計。焉得成就。當知彼佛行願無邊莊嚴無盡。是故如來居彼國土。大願圓滿寶土斯成。依正莊嚴悉皆具足。如是莊嚴依正境界。假使各十方面百恒河沙微塵剎數菩薩聲聞。以大辯才如實稱揚。盡未來時。不可窮極。若善男子善女人聞如是說。至心信樂欲生彼國者。應如佛教。圓發三心。具足眾戒。不犯威儀。然後直心正向。觀彼國土一切依正無量莊嚴勝妙境界。及彼如來八萬相好功德光明清淨之身。或復隨取一相一境乃至如來眉間白毫相光。遠離虛妄或一念至十念。或一日至七日。譬如壯士屈伸臂頃。即得往生。其有直信有彼國土有彼如來願力威神。不生疑惑。但能一心不亂執持名號者。不出所期亦得生彼。何待色身報滿然後得生。當知阿彌陀佛接引眾生。令離苦海過彼慈親。於先劫中已立大誓。無苦不忍。無行不臻。無願不立。無法不說。為度我故方便百千。今正是時。目睛不瞬。垂臂待我。已歷十劫。念念不捨。甚於剖心。乃至其心激切。入生死中。遍歷三道。地獄猛火不辭勞倦。我若廻心向佛。如子戀母。正慰所懷。則不逾當念便得往生。何必更經十念之頃。然後得生。
Now, the supremely enlightened and perfectly awakened World-Honored One, the sacred Lord, responded skillfully to the needs of all beings. He descended from the Tushita Heaven to appear in this world. For forty years, he taught in over three hundred assemblies, guiding all living beings to awaken to the True and Eternal. Finally, on Vulture Peak, he expounded the Lotus Sutra, enabling sentient beings to open, reveal, awaken to, and enter the Buddha's knowledge and vision. Thus, his original intention for appearing in the world was fully realized.
However, the path of liberation for sentient beings is not exclusive to Shakyamuni. All Buddhas of the three times have done the same. Yet, among all the methods taught by Shakyamuni in his lifetime, one stands out as the simplest, most direct, and most profound in its results—the practice of seeking rebirth in the Pure Land. This is because the Pure Land practice was first initiated by the monk Dharmakara, who, countless eons ago, was a great king. After hearing the Buddha World Sovereign King expound the Dharma, he renounced his kingdom, left home, and became a monk. The Buddha then taught him extensively about the splendor of two hundred and ten billion Buddha lands, the differences between the good and evil of humans and gods, and the coarse and fine aspects of those realms.
After hearing this, Dharmakara made forty-eight great vows before the Buddha, vowing that when he attained Buddhahood, his land would be free from the three realms of suffering, the three poisons, the eight sufferings, the eight difficulties, the nine afflictions, and the ten obstructions. All who are born there would dwell in right concentration, attain patience, awakened minds, liberation, and supreme wisdom. Even those who recite his name ten times would be reborn there. If this were not so, he would not attain perfect enlightenment. At that moment, the earth trembled, heavenly flowers rained down, and celestial music sounded spontaneously. The Buddha prophesied his future attainment, which he has now fulfilled, having become a Buddha ten eons ago.
Because of his past vows, his merits, virtues, spiritual powers, light, and fearlessness surpass those of all Buddhas of the ten directions. His name is Amitabha. The land where Amitabha Buddha dwells lies straight west from this Saha world, across a hundred thousand million Buddha lands. It is called the Land of Ultimate Bliss, or the Land of Peace and Joy. He is present there now, teaching and gathering in sentient beings who recite the Buddha's name with sincere faith, through his past great vows and spiritual powers. Those born there never regress. Even the number of beings who have achieved this in a single moment cannot be counted, let alone those liberated over countless eons. Those born there are limitless, beyond comparison to atoms or dust motes.
His Buddha land is adorned with supreme splendor, surpassing all the ten directions. There are jeweled ponds, all made of seven treasures, of various sizes. Some are vast, with golden sand at the bottom and walkways along the edges. Above the ponds rise towers and pavilions, layered thousands upon thousands, vast and exquisite, radiating brilliant light beyond description. Within these ponds flows the water of eight virtues—fragrant, delicious, clear, and overflowing. It branches into fourteen streams, and amidst countless ornaments, it flows up and down, emitting sounds that teach innumerable Dharma doors. In this wondrous water bloom sixty billion seven-jeweled lotus flowers, perfectly round and even. Water flows between the petals, which shine in four colors and four lights. The three grades and nine levels of beings are arranged in orderly succession, pure, fragrant, subtle, and magnificent, outshining the entire land.
The jeweled ground is level and even, formed by the power of vows. Upon it are seven rows of railings and seven rows of trees. Jeweled banners, platforms, canopies, and pearl tassels, each countless and uniquely exquisite, adorn the land in harmonious arrangement. In the sky, celestial garments, incense, flowers, silks, and music—each without limit—float and scatter throughout the cosmos. All these countless adornments are made of gold, silver, lapis lazuli, conch, agate, beryl, and coral, along with vajra and mani pearls—the king of wish-fulfilling jewels—and other inconceivable treasures. Each jewel releases countless radiant beams of light, shining upon one another in mutual reflection, each illuminating the entire three-thousand-great-thousand-world system. These lights interweave without obstruction, extending to the limits of space without end.
Among these countless lights and adornments, the sounds of celestial music, fragrant flowers, rare birds, and jeweled nets produce elegant, upright tones. Their melodies are clear as bells, striking harmony with every note, flowing forth in boundless, subtle sounds. These sounds fill all of space, unceasing and uninterrupted. They expound the truths of suffering, emptiness, and non-self, and the Perfections. They praise the Bodhi path and honor the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. They teach the foundations of mindfulness, right effort, spiritual faculties, powers, and the factors of enlightenment—the practices of Bodhisattvas, the truths, dependent origination, vows, and perfections, the powers, fearlessnesses, and the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha. They proclaim great compassion, great joy, and great equanimity—countless, inconceivable Dharma doors. All that is taught flows freely, integrating body and mind, land and beings, across the three times and ten directions, urging diligence with a sound identical to the Buddha's own.
When beings in that land hear this Dharma, they are instantly inspired, swiftly entering the superior practices of the three vehicles and attaining countless liberations, exactly as if they had heard it directly from the Buddha. Even ordinary beings, upon hearing this Dharma, naturally become diligent, without a single moment of weariness. How could they ever regress? Furthermore, that land is purely of men, without women. Beings are born from lotus flowers, not from wombs. Exquisite garments and delicious food bring Dharma joy. Whatever they wish appears instantly of its own accord. There are no seasons of heat or cold, no day or night, no birth, aging, sickness, or death, no mountains of earth or stone, and no realms of suffering. Beings move freely through the sky, walk beneath the trees, perform Buddha works, and manifest spiritual powers—all according to their thoughts. Moreover, their lifespans are immeasurable. Such boundless joy is why it is called the Land of Ultimate Bliss.
Furthermore, the World-Honored One Amitabha's merits, virtues, light, majesty, and excellent marks number eighty-four thousand each. He sits majestically like a purple-gold mountain upon a grand lotus lion throne, his splendor surpassing even the vastness of space, beyond the reach of oceans or Mount Sumeru. The white curl between his brows radiates merit and light of supreme excellence, like the sun outshining all lesser lights. From the light emanate countless transformed Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Hearers, each releasing light that reaches afar across worlds of dust, gathering in sentient beings. The two great beings—Manjushri and Samantabhadra—along with countless great Bodhisattvas, all reside in that land. Those who are one lifetime away from Buddhahood are numerous beyond measure. All the noblest beings gather there as true friends, with the Buddha as their teacher. They draw near his compassionate countenance, hear the ultimate truth, and instantly transcend the three realms, realizing birthlessness. They ascend the ten stages and perfectly attain the enlightenment of Buddhas and arhats.
Moreover, in every moment, they can make offerings to the Three Jewels throughout the ten directions, perfecting all Dharma doors, playing with spiritual powers, and purifying Buddha lands. They can even descend into the three suffering realms and the six paths, radiating light to break through darkness and rescue sentient beings. They may manifest countless bodies across worlds of dust, teaching according to circumstances, giving medicine suited to the ailment, just as the Buddha's great compassion does. In every thought, they perfectly fulfill all the vows and practices of Samantabhadra, possess Manjushri's wisdom, wield great power like Avalokiteshvara, and together realize Bodhi, dwelling as the Buddha does.
Now, although the nature of all sentient beings is obscured and deluded, upon hearing this teaching, who would not rejoice and give rise to faith? Yet, although that wondrous land and its adornments are inherent within our own minds, they could not have been realized without the immeasurable deeds of the Tathagata Amitabha, who, in past ages, walked the Bodhisattva path to save sentient beings. Know that his vows and practices are boundless, and his adornments are endless. Therefore, he dwells in that land, his great vows perfectly fulfilled, and the jeweled land arises. The adornments of his body and his land are complete. Even if Bodhisattvas and Hearers from a hundred Ganges-sands of worlds, like atoms, were to praise it with great eloquence for all of future time, they could never exhaust it.
If good men and good women hear this teaching and, with wholehearted faith, wish to be born in that land, they should follow the Buddha's instructions: sincerely develop the three minds, uphold all precepts, and never violate proper conduct. Then, with an upright heart and right intention, they should contemplate that land's infinite adornments—body and land, sublime and magnificent. Or they may focus on any one of the Tathagata's eighty-four thousand excellent marks and radiant, pure body—even the light of the white curl between his brows—while remaining free from delusion. Whether for one thought-moment or ten, for one day or seven, like a strong man stretching and bending his arm, they will be reborn there at once.
For those who directly believe in that land and that Tathagata's vow power and spiritual might, harboring no doubt, and who simply single-mindedly uphold the name, they will be reborn there within the time they set—no need to wait for their physical bodies to expire. Know that Amitabha Buddha welcomes sentient beings, delivering them from the sea of suffering, with a love deeper than any mother's. In past eons, he made his great vows. No suffering he would not endure, no practice he would not undertake, no vow he would not establish, no Dharma he would not teach. For our sakes, he devised countless skillful means. Now is the time. With unblinking eyes, he lowers his arm, waiting for us—an arm that has been extended for ten eons, never letting go for a single thought, with a zeal more intense than one who rips open their own heart. His mind is fervent, entering the cycle of birth and death, passing through the three paths, never wearying even amid the raging fires of hell. When we turn our minds toward the Buddha, like a child longing for its mother, his heart finds its comfort—and without a single thought more, we are reborn there. Why wait even for ten recitations?