The Lotus Sūtra 6.5

6.5

爾時佛告彌勒菩薩摩訶薩：「阿逸多！如來滅後，若比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷，及餘智者若長、若幼，聞是經隨喜已，從法會出至於餘處，若在僧坊，若空閑地，若城邑、巷陌、聚落、田里，如其所聞，為父母、宗親、善友、知識，隨力演說，是諸人等聞已隨喜，復行轉教，餘人聞已亦隨喜轉教，如是展轉至第五十。阿逸多！其第五十善男子、善女人隨喜功德，我今說之，汝當善聽。若四百萬億阿僧祇世界，六趣四生眾生，卵生、胎生、濕生、化生，若有形、無形，有想、無想，非有想、非無想，無足、二足、四足、多足，如是等在眾生數者，有人求福，隨其所欲娛樂之具皆給與之，一一眾生，與滿閻浮提金、銀、琉璃、車𤦲、馬瑙、珊瑚、虎珀、諸妙珍寶，及象、馬、車乘，七寶所成宮殿、樓閣等，是大施主如是布施，滿八十年已，而作是念：『我已施眾生娛樂之具，隨意所欲。然此眾生皆已衰老，年過八十，髮白、面皺，將死不久，我當以佛法而訓導之。』即集此眾生，宣布法化示教利喜，一時皆得須陀洹道、斯陀含道、阿那含道、阿羅漢道，盡諸有漏，於深禪定皆得自在，具八解脫。於汝意云何？是大施主所得功德，寧為多不？」

At that time, the Buddha told the Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Maitreya: "Ajita! After the passing of the Tathāgata, if bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, upāsikās, or other wise persons, whether old or young, having heard this sūtra and rejoiced in sympathy, depart from the Dharma assembly and go elsewhere—whether to a sanghārāma, an empty quiet place, a city, street, village, or field—and, according to what they heard, expound it to their parents, kin, good friends, and acquaintances according to their ability; and having heard it, these people rejoice in sympathy and proceed to teach others in turn; and other people, having heard it, also rejoice in sympathy and teach others in turn; and so on in succession up to the fiftieth person—Ajita! As for the merit of the rejoicing in sympathy of that fiftieth good son or good daughter, I will now speak of it; you must listen attentively. Suppose that in four hundred myriads of koṭis of asaṃkhyeya worlds, of the beings of the six destinies and four modes of birth—born from eggs, born from a womb, born from moisture, or born spontaneously; with form or formless; with perception or without perception; neither with perception nor without perception; footless, two-footed, four-footed, or many-footed—among all such beings included in the number of sentient beings, there is a person seeking merit who provides them with all implements of pleasure according to their desires. To every single sentient person, they give a Jambudvīpa-full of gold, silver, lapis lazuli, musāragalva, agate, coral, amber, and various wonderful jewels, as well as elephants, horses, carriages, and palaces and pavilions made of the seven treasures. After this great donor has practiced generosity in this way for a full eighty years, they think to themselves: 'I have already bestowed upon sentient beings implements of pleasure according to what their hearts desire. Yet these beings have all grown decrepit and old, over eighty years of age, their hair white and faces wrinkled, not long from death; I ought to guide and instruct them with the Buddha-Dharma.' Thereupon, they gather these sentient beings and proclaim the transformative Dharma, instructing, benefiting, and gladdening them, so that all at once they attain the fruit of srotāpanna, the fruit of sakṛdāgāmin, the fruit of anāgāmin, and the fruit of arhat, exhausting all taints, attaining mastery in all deep dhyānas, and fully possessing the eight liberations. What do you think in your mind? Would the merit obtained by this great donor be much or not?"