龍舒增廣淨土文 2.4

2.4

統言。大藏不止有十餘經言西方淨土事，其大略謂，彼處以七寶莊嚴，無地獄餓鬼禽畜以至蜎飛蠕動之類，常清淨自然，無一切穢雜，故名淨土。其人皆蓮華中生，長生不老，衣食宅宇隨意化成。其景序長春，無復寒暑。大受快樂，無一切苦惱，故名極樂世界。其佛名阿彌陀者，梵語也，此云無量。以此佛光明照見十方三界無有限量，凡念佛眾生無不知之，故人名無量光佛。此佛壽命與其國中人民壽命皆無有限量，雖恒河沙劫亦無有盡，故又名無量壽佛。此佛有大誓願度人，其威神不可思議，故至心信向念其名號者，現世必消除災難、禳却冤鬼、安靜形神、增迎福壽，西方七寶池中則生蓮花一朵，他日於其中託生，直脫輪迴之外。若此者皆有事跡，非虛言也。其說甚易行，盡大藏中八萬四千法門，無如此之要捷者。而人或不知，可痛惜哉。知而不行，尤可痛惜也。

To speak generally: in the Great Canon, there are more than ten sūtras that speak of the affairs of the Western Pure Land. Their outline says that that place is adorned with the seven treasures; it is without hells, hungry ghosts, beasts, and even tiny flying and wriggling creatures. It is constantly pure and natural, free from all defilement and confusion; hence it is named the Pure Land. Its people are all born from within lotus flowers, live long without aging, and their clothing, food, and dwellings are transformed according to their wishes. Its seasons are an eternal spring, no longer having cold or heat. They experience great pleasure and are free from all suffering and affliction; hence it is named the World of Sukhāvatī. That Buddha is named Amitābha, which is Sanskrit; here it means 'immeasurable'. Because this Buddha's light illuminates and beholds the ten directions and the three realms without limit, and all beings who recollect the Buddha know this, people name him the Buddha of Immeasurable Light. The lifespan of this Buddha and the lifespan of the people in his land are both without limit; even for kalpas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, they do not come to an end; hence he is also named the Buddha of Immeasurable Life. This Buddha has great vows to deliver people, and his majestic spiritual power is inconceivable. Therefore, for those who with utmost sincerity have faith, turn to him, and recite his name, in this present life disasters will surely be eradicated, vengeful ghosts warded off, body and spirit brought to peace, and good fortune and longevity augmented; and in the Western seven-jeweled pond a single lotus flower will grow, within which they will take birth in days to come, directly escaping outside the cycle of rebirth. Cases such as this all have recorded evidence; they are not empty words. His teaching is very easy to practice; among the 84,000 Dharma-gates in the entire Great Canon, none is as essential and direct as this. Yet people sometimes do not know of it—how regrettable! To know it and not practice it is even more regrettable.