阿彌陀經通贊疏 2.19

2.19

The first section is divided into two parts: first, directly discerning the adornments; second, concluding the establishment of Sukhāvatī. This is the first. 'Furthermore' means again, or repeatedly. That is to say, having previously told Śāriputra that that land has none of the manifold sufferings and is called Sukhāvatī, now wishing to extensively explain the extraordinary environment and things of the Pure Land, he again addresses the son of Śāri [Śāriputra]; hence it says, 'Furthermore, Śāriputra!' Regarding 'the land of Sukhāvatī has seven tiers of railings': surrounding the jeweled trees are seven tiers of railings. The horizontal ones are called lán, the vertical ones are called dùn; they are balustrades. Adorned with manifold jewels, they encircle the clusters of flowers. Why are the tree adornments alone singled out? In that land, they are everywhere. Regarding 'seven tiers of nets': adorning and manifesting the land, they drape over and cover the groves of trees, woven from gold threads and adorned with manifold jewels. The Guan jing says: above each tree are seven tiers of nets, all made of true pearls; between each net are fifty billion wondrous flower palaces, like the palace of the Brahmā king. Heavenly boys are naturally within them, wearing mani jewels as necklaces, whose light shines for one hundred yojanas. Following what was said before, these also exist everywhere. Thus the Ruixiang jing says: immeasurable jeweled nets are all adorned and arrayed with gold threads, true pearls, and hundreds of thousands of miscellaneous, wondrous, and rare jewels; jeweled bells are suspended on all four sides around them; their luminous colors shine brilliantly, reaching the utmost of solemn beauty; when an auspicious breeze gently arises and blows through the nets, their sounds expound the voice of the Dharma, reverberating throughout the realm; ears hear and hearts rejoice, increasing happiness and bliss even more. Regarding 'seven tiers of rows of trees': seven tiers of jeweled trees are arrayed in rows throughout the realm, perpetually bearing extraordinary flowers without ever withering, with spiritual birds roosting upon them and the holy beings strolling among them. Hence it says 'seven tiers of rows of trees'. Regarding 'all... the four jewels': 'all' (jiē) means collectively (xián); they are collectively the four jewels. The four jewels are gold, silver, coral, and amber. The Ruixiang jing says: in that land there are trees of the seven jewels filling the entire world, meaning they are formed collectively by two jewels up to manifold jewels. For instance, a gold tree has silver for branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits; a silver tree has gold for branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits; up to having purple gold as the trunk, white silver as the stem, lapis lazuli as the branches, crystal as the boughs, coral as the leaves, agate as the flowers, and giant clam shell as the fruits. Those with white silver as the trunk and the rest follow this pattern; row upon row facing each other, branch upon branch reflecting each other, leaf upon leaf revealing each other, their flourishing colors luminous and radiant beyond viewing; pure breezes frequently bring forth the five musical tones, with the wondrous and sublime gōng and shāng tones naturally chiming together. Furthermore, the Guan jing says: each tree is eight thousand yojanas tall, each leaf is twenty-five yojanas in length and breadth and of different colors. Within each flower and leaf, there is the light of the seven jewels. 'Are all the four jewels' is based on this sūtra. The railings, nets, and rows of trees—these three kinds—are all formed of the four jewels. The four jewels are gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and crystal. Permeating the text above, it therefore says 'are all of the four jewels'. Regarding 'surrounded completely': the ancients offered many explanations. One says: the railings surround the jeweled trees, hence it says 'surrounded'. Another says: the railings, nets, and rows of trees surround the land, adorning it everywhere.