龍舒增廣淨土文 2.8

2.8

經又云：無量無數劫以前，有世自在王佛出，化度眾生。是時有大國王往聽說法，遂有覺悟，乃捨國王之位而往修行，號曰法藏比丘。即阿彌陀佛也。對世自在王佛，發四十八大願，願願皆為濟度眾生。發此願已，乃精進以了生死，次入菩薩地。了生死者，乃生死自如也。入菩薩地者，內則修慧、外則修福也。修慧者便慧性日廣，於一日至成佛時，則慧性含虛空世界，無所不知、無所不見也。修福者乃託生於一切眾生中，同其形體、通其語言以設教化，故上自天帝下至微細虫蟻，皆託生於其中。如此無量無數劫來設化眾生。夫設化眾生者，無非得福，得福而不受用，故其福愈積而愈大，久則遍於虛空世界矣。福大則威神大，譬如世人官大則勢力大，是以威神無所不可，方得成就所願而入佛位。是初發願以至成佛無非為眾生者。故人至信向念其名號，現世必蒙福祐，身後必徑生極樂世界。若能精心想其形相，現世必見佛之真身，以佛之威靈無所不在，而人心念與佛純熟，則自然交通，故佛現其身也。詳見第五卷。

The sūtra also says: Immeasurable and countless kalpas ago, there was the Buddha Lokeśvararāja who appeared to transform and deliver sentient beings. At that time there was a great king who went to listen to the teaching of the Dharma; he then had an awakening, renounced the royal throne, and went to practice, taking the name Monk Dharmākara. This was Amitābha Buddha. Facing the Buddha Lokeśvararāja, he made forty-eight great vows, vow after vow being for the salvation and deliverance of sentient beings. Having made these vows, he was vigorous so as to resolve birth and death, and next entered the bodhisattva grounds. To 'resolve birth and death' means to have birth and death at one's own command. To 'enter the bodhisattva grounds' means to cultivate wisdom within and cultivate merit externally. One who cultivates wisdom causes their nature of wisdom to broaden daily; when in one day they attain Buddhahood, their nature of wisdom encompasses the empty space of worlds, with nothing unknown and nothing unseen. One who cultivates merit takes birth among all sentient beings, sharing their forms and understanding their speech to set forth teaching and transformation; thus from the lord of heaven above down to tiny insects and ants, he took birth among them all. In this way, for immeasurable and countless kalpas, he set forth the transformation of sentient beings. Now, one who sets forth the transformation of sentient beings never fails to gain merit; gaining merit without enjoying it, his merit accumulates more and more and grows greater, and over time pervades the worlds of empty space. When merit is great, majestic spiritual power is great—just as when worldly people's official rank is high, their power and influence are great. Thus, with his majestic spiritual power there was nothing impossible, and only then could he accomplish his vows and enter the station of a Buddha. From his initial making of vows down to his attaining Buddhahood, none of it was not for the sake of sentient beings. Therefore, if a person has utmost faith, turns to him, and recites his name, in this present life they will surely receive blessings and protection, and after death will surely be born straight into Sukhāvatī. If they can with concentrated mind visualize his form, in this present life they will surely see the Buddha's true body. Because the Buddha's majestic spiritual presence is nowhere absent, and the person's mental mindfulness becomes thoroughly attuned to the Buddha, there is naturally an interaction, and so the Buddha manifests his body. Details appear in Fascicle 5.