釋禪波羅蜜次第法門 9.44

9.44

Third, "recollection of the Saṅgha": the practitioner should recollect the Saṅgha. The Saṅgha is the assembly of the Buddha's disciples, endowed with the five-part Dharma-body. Within it are the four pairs and eight stages, the twenty-seven persons, worthy of offerings and veneration, the world's unsurpassed field of merit. Whether they are the Saṅgha of śrāvakas, the Saṅgha of pratyekabuddhas, or the Saṅgha of bodhisattvas, their spiritual wisdom is immeasurable, able to rescue from sufferings and perils and deliver sentient beings. Such an assembly of nobles is my true companion; of what should I be afraid? By single-mindedly recollecting them, terror is immediately eliminated.