轉經行道願往生淨土法事讚 2

English (machine translation) 2

Language: English

2.1

Compiled and recorded by the Śramaṇa Shandao

"Thus have I heard: At one time the Buddha was dwelling in Śrāvastī, in the Jeta Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada's park, together with a great assembly of twelve hundred and fifty monks, all of whom were great arhats, well known to the multitude: the Elder Śāriputra, Mahāmaudgalyāyana, Mahākāśyapa, Mahākātyāyana, Mahākauṣṭhila, Revata, Śuddhipanthaka, Nanda, Ānanda, Rāhula, Gavāmpati, Piṇḍolabhāradvāja, Kālodayin, Mahākapphiṇa, Vakkula, and Aniruddha; such great disciples as these; and with all the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas: Mañjuśrī the Prince of the Dharma, Ajita Bodhisattva, Gandhāstin Bodhisattva, and Nityodyukta Bodhisattva; together with such great bodhisattvas as these; and with Śakra Devānām-Indra and an immeasurable multitude of various deities."

2.4

The lower seat continues, responding to the high seat with the hymn:

2.5

Aspiring to rebirth, aspiring to rebirth: / The great compassionate mind of all Buddhas is never twofold; / Their skillful gates of conversion are equally without difference. / Relinquishing that adorned, unexcelled land, / Through the eight aspects they manifest, appearing in Jambudvīpa. / Now manifesting true forms to benefit no object, / Now joining diverse kinds to transform the ordinary and foolish. / Emanating bodies throughout the six paths without pause, / Transforming and appearing as appropriate to deliver beings in the flows of existence. / The views and minds of beings in the flows of existence are not uniform; / Hence there are eighty-four thousand gates. / Gate by gate they differ, yet are not distinct; / Distinct as each gate may be, they are still the same. / Because they are the same, they are the Tathāgata's purpose; / Because they are distinct, they are again the compassionate mind. / The compassionate mind in thought after thought attends to the three realms; / Among humans, devas, and the four destinies, roots of sin are deep. / Buddhas of past and present all come to transform them, / Yet due to avidyā and karmic hindrances, they fail to encounter them. / With shame we reflect on Śākyamuni's weighty, vast vows, / Never abandoning the ten evil karmas of the Sahā world. / Rarely encountering the bodhimaṇḍa and hearing of the Pure Land, / Soaring in spirit, we depart forever, escaping the cage of defilements. / The assembly, sorrowful at heart, together laments and sighs, / Holding fragrant flowers in hand, ever making offerings.

2.6

The high seat continues, responding to the lower seat with the hymn; the lower seat continues, responding to the high seat with the hymn:

2.7

Aspiring to rebirth, aspiring to rebirth: / Śākyamuni Tathāgata attained right awakening; / For forty-nine years he delivered sentient beings. / Throughout the five regions of India he traveled and transformed, / Causing demonic heterodoxies all to return to the ancestral truth. / In heaven above and earth below, none surpasses the Buddha; / Compassionately rescuing from suffering, he is truly rare to meet. / Now emitting divine radiance pervading the six paths, / Those touched by this light give rise to a compassionate mind. / Whether abiding or coming, all receive full benefit; / The three wretched paths are forever cut off, ending all pursuit. / Now shaking the great earth, mountains, rivers, and seas, / To awaken the sprout-like dark minds whose faith is not yet deep. / Now preaching the Dharma himself to exhort and encourage, / Leading one another in turn into the grove of the Dharma. / The grove of the Dharma is indeed Amitābha's land, / Where one is carefree and joyful, free from harm. / The assembly turns their hearts, all wishing to go there, / Holding fragrant flowers in hand, ever making offerings.

2.8

The high seat continues, responding to the lower seat with the hymn; the lower seat continues, responding to the high seat with the hymn:

2.9

Aspiring to rebirth, aspiring to rebirth: / The Tathāgata's teaching was fundamentally never twofold; / It was simply due to sentient beings' capacities not being uniform. / With a single voice he expounded, and beings awakened according to conditions, / Leaving no residual fetters, realizing the emptiness of birth. / Now displaying supernormal powers, now expounding the Dharma, / Now subduing heterodoxies and extinguishing the traces of Māra. / Benefiting one's own single body, though freed from bondage, / The universal benefit of the compassionate mind is utterly lacking in efficacy. / Dispersing the body and extinguishing consciousness, realizing the remainderless [nirvāṇa], / When twenty thousand kalpas end, the mind arises once more. / When the mind arises and stirs, the body reappears, / And all Buddhas first instruct them to bring forth the Mahāyāna. / Let the assembly turn their hearts to be born in the Pure Land, / Holding fragrant flowers in hand, ever making offerings.

2.10

The lower seat continues, responding to the high seat with the hymn; the high seat continues, responding to the lower seat with the hymn:

2.11

Aspiring to rebirth, aspiring to rebirth: / The great assembly of bodhisattvas is countless; / Mañjuśrī is the most honored. / Giving rise to great compassion, he practices austerities, / Never transgressing his vast vows to deliver sentient beings. / Now manifesting supreme, excellent adorned features, / Now manifesting a supreme, excellent adorned body. / All conscious beings who behold him rejoice, / As he preaches the wondrous Dharma for them, entering the true gate. / His body reaches the Buddha-lands of the ten directions, / Aiding the Buddhas' divine transformations and turning the Dharma wheel. / Let the assembly turn their hearts to be born in the Pure Land, / Holding fragrant flowers in hand, ever making offerings.

2.12

The high seat continues, responding to the lower seat with the hymn; the lower seat continues, responding to the high seat with the hymn:

2.13

Aspiring to rebirth, aspiring to rebirth: / Together with the Buddha, the śrāvakas, and the bodhisattva assembly, / Roaming together in Śrāvastī, dwelling in the Jeta Grove, / Vowing to close the three wretched paths and cut off the six paths, / They reveal and unfold the Pure Land gate of non-arising. / The assembly of humans and devas all gather together, / Gazing reverently at the Honored Countenance, hearing what was never heard. / Seeing the Buddha and hearing the sūtra, they attain awakening together; / Ending this life, with dedicated hearts they enter the jeweled lotuses. / Vowing to reach Amitābha's realm of peaceful nourishment, / They return to the defiled land to deliver humans and devas. / May our compassion be without boundary or limit, / Repaying his compassionate grace through long periods and long kalpas. / Let the assembly turn their hearts to be born in the Pure Land, / Holding fragrant flowers in hand, ever making offerings.

2.14

The high seat continues, responding to the lower seat with the hymn; the lower seat continues, responding to the high seat with the hymn.

2.15

The high seat enters upon the text:

2.16

"At that time the Buddha said to the Elder Śāriputra: 'From here, passing westward over a hundred thousand kotis of Buddha-lands, there is a world named Sukhāvatī. In that land there is a Buddha called Amitābha, who is teaching the Dharma even now. Śāriputra, for what reason is that land named Sukhāvatī? The sentient beings of that land have none of the manifold sufferings, but experience only manifold pleasures; therefore it is named Sukhāvatī.'"

2.17

The lower seat continues, responding to the high seat with the hymn:

2.18

Aspiring to rebirth, aspiring to rebirth: / The assembly of humans and devas all encircle him, / Devotedly joining their palms, wishing to hear the sūtra. / Knowing that the time had come for ordinary and sage capacities to awaken, / The Buddha at once told Śāriputra to listen attentively. / 'All Buddha-lands are adorned and pure, / But ordinary beings with scattered thoughts might hardly be born there. / The Tathāgata specifically points to the Western realm, / Passing beyond from here over a hundred thousand kotis. / Adorned with seven treasures, it is the most supreme; / The lifespan of the noble assembly, humans, and devas is long. / The Buddha is named Amitābha and ever preaches the Dharma; / For sentient beings of Sukhāvatī, obstructions naturally vanish.' / Let the assembly turn their hearts, wishing to be born there, / Holding fragrant flowers in hand, ever making offerings.

2.19

The high seat continues, responding to the lower seat with the hymn; the lower seat continues, responding to the high seat with the hymn.

2.20

The high seat enters upon the text:

2.21

"Moreover, Śāriputra, the land of Sukhāvatī is encircled all around by seven tiers of railings, seven tiers of netting, and seven tiers of tree rows, all made of the four treasures; for this reason that land is named Sukhāvatī."

2.22

The lower seat continues, responding to the high seat with the hymn:

2.23

Aspiring to rebirth, aspiring to rebirth: / Sentient beings of the three realms are devoid of wisdom, / Blindly resting their bodies within the six paths. / The Buddhas, with compassionate hearts, preach the Dharma for them, / Yet like the deaf and blind rushing headlong, they refuse to hear. / Suddenly, the suffering of impermanence presses upon them; / Their minds thrown into confusion, only then are they alarmed and frantic. / All ten thousand affairs and household goods are abandoned; / Single-mindedly they bring forth the vow directed toward the West. / Mindfully chanting Amitābha's name in unbroken succession, / Transformation Buddhas and bodhisattvas walk before their eyes, / Either bestowing a lotus dais or extending a hand; / In an instant, life ends, and the Buddha welcomes and leads them away. / The assembly turns their hearts, all wishing to go there, / Holding fragrant flowers in hand, ever making offerings.

2.24

The high seat continues, responding to the lower seat with the hymn; the lower seat continues, responding to the high seat with the hymn:

2.25

Aspiring to rebirth, aspiring to rebirth: / Unheard and unseen through kalpas past, / The jeweled adornments of the Western Pure Land / Fill the ground and space entirely; / Bead nets and jeweled nets in hundreds of thousands of tiers. / Every single net is strung with precious gems, / Delicately lustrous, with diverse colors all radiating brilliant light. / The branches and twigs of the jeweled trees alternate in marvelous ways, / Row upon row, upright and straight, skillfully matching one another. / This is the power of Amitābha's compassionate vows, / Free of decline and change, clear and ever-abiding. / The assembly turns their hearts, all wishing to go there, / Holding fragrant flowers in hand, ever making offerings.

2.26

The high seat continues, responding to the lower seat with the hymn; the lower seat continues, responding to the high seat with the hymn.

2.27

The high seat enters upon the text:

2.28

"Furthermore, Śāriputra, the land of Sukhāvatī has ponds of the seven jewels, filled with waters of eight virtues, their bottoms paved purely with golden sand. On the four sides are flights of stairs, composed of gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and crystal. Above are multistoried pavilions, likewise adorned with gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, giant clam, red pearl, and agate. The lotuses in the ponds are as large as chariot wheels: the blue-coloured give off blue light, the yellow-coloured yellow light, the red-coloured red light, and the white-coloured white light, subtle, exquisite, fragrant, and pure. Śāriputra, the land of Sukhāvatī is adorned with such virtues as these."

2.29

The lower singer responds to the high seat with a hymn, singing:

2.30

Aspiring to rebirth, aspiring to rebirth! / The world of Sukhāvatī is vast and pure; / The ornaments upon the ground are hard to measure. / The fragrant pools of eight virtues flow everywhere, full to the brim; / The golden sand spread across the bottom shines with diverse light. / The stairs on the four sides are not of a single hue; / On the banks are multistoried towers in a million rows. / Pearls and agates reflect and adorn one another; / The four kinds of lotuses, as they bloom, are fragrant. / Those born there from among humans and devas of the ten directions / Each sit on one [lotus] to hear the True and Constant. / Therefore that land is named Sukhāvatī. / The assembly holds flowers and comes to make offerings.

2.31

The high seat responds to the lower singer with a hymn; the lower singer responds to the high seat with a hymn:

2.32

The high seat enters the text [of the sūtra].

2.33

"Furthermore, Śāriputra, in that Buddha-land heavenly music is constantly played. The ground is made of yellow gold, and day and night throughout the six periods it rains māndārava flowers. The sentient beings of that land regularly, in the clear morning, each take their robes to hold various wondrous flowers, and make offerings to a hundred billion Buddhas of other directions. At mealtime they return to their own land, eat, and circumambulate. Śāriputra, the land of Sukhāvatī is adorned with such virtues as these."

2.34

The lower singer responds to the high seat with a hymn, singing:

2.35

Aspiring to rebirth, aspiring to rebirth! / Amitābha's Buddha-land is supremely excellent; / Vast, wide, and level, it is truly refined. / Heavenly music and sounds always fill everywhere; / With yellow gold as ground, set among rare gems. / Day and night throughout the six periods flowers scatter spontaneously; / The voice of the Dharma is ever spoken, naturally heard. / The sentient beings of that land have no other concerns; / Taking robes filled with flowers, they go to the ten directions. / Before each [Buddha] in person, they make offerings; / The defilements of dust and ingrained habits vanish forever. / Everything accords with their minds and fulfills their wishes; / All is beneficial, all is the True and Constant. / In an instant they fly back to their native land, / Eat their meals, and circumambulate the terraces of seven jewels. / The assembly with whole hearts all aspire to go; / Holding fragrant flowers in hand, they ever make offerings.

2.36

The high seat responds to the lower singer with a hymn; the lower singer responds to the high seat with a hymn.

2.37

The high seat enters the text.

2.38

"Moreover, Śāriputra, in that land there are constantly various wondrous, multicoloured birds: white swans, peacocks, parrots, śārikas, kalaviṅkas, and jīvañjīvakas. Day and night throughout the six periods, these birds bring forth harmonious, elegant sounds. Their voices proclaim such teachings as the five roots, the five powers, the seven limbs of awakening, and the eightfold noble path. When the sentient beings of that land hear these sounds, they all become mindful of the Buddha, mindful of the Dharma, and mindful of the Saṅgha. Śāriputra, do not say that these birds are genuinely born from karmic retribution for wrongdoing. Why is that? That Buddha-land has no three wretched destinies. Śāriputra, in that Buddha-land even the names of the three wretched paths do not exist, how much less their reality? These birds are all created through transformation by Amitābha Buddha wishing to cause the voice of the Dharma to flow forth and circulate. Śāriputra, in that Buddha-land, gentle breezes blow, and the rows of jeweled trees and jeweled nets emit subtle, wondrous sounds, just like a hundred thousand kinds of music playing simultaneously. Those who hear these sounds spontaneously give rise to the mind of mindfulness of the Buddha, mindfulness of the Dharma, and mindfulness of the Saṅgha. Śāriputra, that Buddha-land is adorned with such virtues as these."

2.39

The lower singer responds to the high seat with a hymn, singing:

2.40

Aspiring to rebirth, aspiring to rebirth! / The pure bodhimaṇḍa is rare and difficult to see; / Amitābha's Pure Land is very difficult to hear of. / Hard to hear and hard to see, today we obtain encounter with it; / Practicing as taught, focus the mind with single devotion. / May the Buddha in his compassion embrace us from afar; / At the end of life, may his jeweled seat appear before us. / Having seen the flower terrace, our hearts leap with joy; / Following the Buddha at ease, we return to the spontaneous. / The spontaneous is indeed Amitābha's land, / Outflowless and birthless, returning directly to the real. / Moving or staying, always following the Buddha, / We realize the unconditioned body of Dharma-nature. / The assembly, turning their minds, all aspire to go; / Holding fragrant flowers in hand, they ever make offerings.

2.41

The high seat responds to the lower singer with a hymn; the lower singer responds to the high seat with a hymn:

2.42

Aspiring to rebirth, aspiring to rebirth! / Sukhāvatī's adornments are interspersed with diverse jewels; / Truly it is extraordinary, never heard before. / Jeweled birds come through the air, praising the Buddha's assembly; / Text by text, verse by verse, their principles are the same. / Day and night their voices continue without cessation, / Plaintive, elegant, and resonant, inspiring people's hearts: / Sometimes expounding the five roots and seven limbs of awakening; / Sometimes expounding the eightfold noble [path] and the gate of compassion; / Sometimes expounding leaving the wretched paths in other directions; / Sometimes expounding [relief from] hells to reside as humans and devas; / Sometimes expounding long-term practice of austerities; / Sometimes expounding the causes of unsurpassed bodhi; / Sometimes expounding the pāramitās of scattered goodness; / Sometimes expounding entering deep dhyāna with calm and insight. / Bodhisattvas and śrāvakas hearing these teachings / Divide their bodies everywhere to turn the wheel of the Dharma. / The assembly, turning their minds, all aspire to go; / Holding fragrant flowers in hand, they ever make offerings.

2.43

The high seat responds to the lower singer with a hymn; the lower singer responds to the high seat with a hymn:

2.44

Aspiring to rebirth, aspiring to rebirth! / Sukhāvatī's adornments transcend the three realms; / Humans, devas, and varied species are all equal in the unconditioned. / Dharmākara practiced the causes and made vast, universal vows: / 'If I attain Buddhahood, I will manifest rare wonders!' / Sometimes he manifests the bodies of birds capable of expounding the Dharma; / Sometimes he manifests unbidden, able to respond to beings' capacities; / Sometimes he causes subtle ripples to emit wondrous sounds; / Sometimes he causes groves of trees to praise great compassion; / Sometimes he causes the wind and light to stir in harmony; / Sometimes he causes nets of jewels to speak forth words and verse. / The sounds of all adornments pervade everywhere; / Heavenly music like Ganges sands spontaneously plays according to the hour. / In order to guide ordinary beings and holy ones from other directions, / Therefore the Buddha manifests this incomprehensible wonder. / When we hear this, the hairs on our bodies stand on end; / Grinding our bones, we express our remorse and gratitude to Master Amitābha. / Receiving it once with focused diligence, we do not spare our lives; / In a moment we shall arrive, how could it be delayed? / The assembly, turning their minds, all aspire to go; / Holding fragrant flowers in hand, they ever make offerings.

2.45

The lower singer responds to the high seat with a hymn; the high seat responds to the lower singer with a hymn:

2.46

Aspiring to rebirth, aspiring to rebirth! / Amitābha's Buddha-land is truly adorned and pure; / The three wretched [paths] and six destinies have forever no name. / Every aspect of its adornment is hard to conceive; / Each subtle refinement is exceedingly exquisite. / The ground extends wide and level, with varied jewels interspersed; / Each and every one alike radiates five hundred lights. / Each ray of light forms a jeweled terrace-seat; / Above each seat are a hundred thousand halls. / In the thousand halls, transformation Buddhas gather like sands of dust; / Sentient beings who enter there confer together. / Countless voices travel and turn in the void; / Transformed celestial youths scatter flowers and incense. / Day and night throughout the six periods without intermission, / Above the ground and in the void, it is hard to measure. / The fragrant pools of eight virtues can be entered at will; / Pouring in according to one's wish, the pools are never shallow. / Emerging or submerging, they enjoy the bliss of the third dhyāna; / Leisurely calling to one another, they enter the sandalwood groves. / In the sandalwood groves, the jeweled seats are in distinct rows; / The holy assembly surpasses the sun and moon. / The sun and moon represent long eons of time; / Sitting or standing or wandering to other lands, / Everywhere they only hear the unsurpassed Dharma, / Forever ending the disaster of ordinary beings' birth and death. / Therefore that land is named Sukhāvatī. / The assembly, turning their minds, aspires to rebirth; / Reborn in that land, they have no other concerns. / Holding fragrant flowers in hand, they ever make offerings.

2.47

The high seat responds to the lower singer with a hymn; the lower singer responds to the high seat with a hymn.

2.48

The high seat enters the text.

2.49

"Śāriputra, what do you think? Why is that Buddha called Amitābha? Śāriputra, that Buddha's light is immeasurable, illuminating the lands of the ten directions without obstruction; therefore he is named Amitābha. Furthermore, Śāriputra, the lifespan of that Buddha and of his people is immeasurable and boundless asaṃkhyeya eons; therefore he is named Amitābha. Śāriputra, since Amitābha Buddha attained Buddhahood, it has now been ten eons. Furthermore, Śāriputra, that Buddha has immeasurable and boundless śrāvaka disciples, all of whom are arhats, beyond what can be known by counting; the assembly of bodhisattvas is also like this. Śāriputra, that Buddha-land is adorned with such virtues as these."

2.50

The lower singer responds to the high seat with a hymn, singing:

2.51

Aspiring to rebirth, aspiring to rebirth! / Having attained nirvāṇa, he constantly abides in the world; / His lifespan is extended, hard to measure: / Thousands of eons, myriads of eons, eons like Ganges sands, / Millions and billions of eternal eons, also without end. / Sitting in one place without moving or stirring, / Reaching through to the final limit of the future, he emits bodily light. / His wondrous demeanor and marks are of true gold colour; / Magnificently he sits alone to deliver sentient beings. / Ordinary beings and holy ones of the ten directions focus their minds toward him; / He dispatches his divided bodies and emanations to go and welcome them. / In a single thought-moment riding through the void, they enter the Buddha's assembly; / Their bodily colours and lifespans are completely equal. / The assembly, turning their minds, all aspire to go; / Holding fragrant flowers in hand, they ever make offerings.

2.52

The high seat responds to the lower singer with a hymn; the lower singer responds to the high seat with a hymn:

2.53

Aspiring to rebirth, aspiring to rebirth! / That Buddha, from the causal stage, practiced austerities, / Heroic, focused, and diligent, with never a moment of retreat. / Sitting in one place for a hundred eons, long eons of time, / What is hard to do he could do, giving rise to no weariness. / Benefiting self and benefiting others, together severing evil; / Not forsaking enemies or the hateful because of his great compassion, / Universally transforming all conscious and sentient beings, / With the same cause and the same practice, reaching bodhi.

2.54

Vowing to adorn the pure land, / Those who see and hear it rejoice and realize the unconditioned. / The assembly, turning their minds, all aspire to go; / Holding fragrant flowers in hand, they ever make offerings.

2.55

The lower singer responds to the high seat with a hymn, singing:

2.56

Aspiring to rebirth, aspiring to rebirth! / Amitābha, master of transformations, sits directly in the center; / His flower terrace alone is majestic, truly the most exquisite. / A hundred billion maṇi gems are interspersed with varied jewels; / Leaf by leaf, the adorned marks naturally take form. / Since he sat upright, ten eons have passed; / With his mind directed to the dharmadhātu, he shines with compassionate light. / Those touched by this light have their defilements extinguished; / At the end of life they see the Buddha and go to the West. / Arriving there, the flowers open and they enter the great assembly; / Ignorance and afflictions spontaneously vanish. / The threefold gnosis naturally rides upon the Buddha's vow; / In an instant, joining their palms, they attain supernormal powers.

2.57

That Buddha's śrāvakas and bodhisattva assemblies / Are like dust and sand, beyond reckoning. / May I in this life firmly generate the resolve, / Until my life ends, to go to that forest of sages. / The assembly with whole hearts aspires to rebirth; / Holding fragrant flowers in hand, they ever make offerings.

2.58

The high seat responds to the lower singer with a hymn; the lower singer responds to the high seat with a hymn.

2.59

The high seat enters the text.

2.60

"Furthermore, Śāriputra, the sentient beings born in the land of Sukhāvatī are all avaivartika; among them are many who are ekajāti-pratibaddha. Their number is extremely large, beyond what can be known by counting, and can only be spoken of in terms of immeasurable and boundless asaṃkhyeya eons. Śāriputra, sentient beings who hear this ought to make vows, aspiring to be born in that land. Why is that? Because they will be able to assemble together in one place with all such supreme good persons. Śāriputra, one cannot obtain rebirth in that land with few roots of goodness or minor blessed virtues and conditions."

2.61

The lower singer responds to the high seat with a hymn, singing:

2.62

Aspiring to rebirth, aspiring to rebirth! / Śākyamuni Tathāgata spoke to Śāriputra, / Which is to universally address suffering sentient beings: / The six paths of Sahā are not a place of peace; / Walking in darkness through the long, dark night. / Residing together with the holy teachings, they do not recognize them; / Constantly stirring up the poison of anger and fighting with ignorance. / Bound by this ignorance to the six paths, / When will love, hate, high, and low ever be balanced? / Having no good karma to overcome birth and death, / Through greed creating sins, their hearts are not yet startled. / Taking this human skin to wrap the bones of an ass, / They enter the three wretched paths on their own, needing no dispute. / Hearing this, our hearts and marrow ache; / We vow to immediately abandon worldly glory, / Universally wishing to turn our minds and be born in the Pure Land. / Holding fragrant flowers in hand, they ever make offerings.

2.63

The high seat responds to the lower singer with a hymn; the lower singer responds to the high seat with a hymn:

2.64

Aspiring to rebirth, aspiring to rebirth! / Sahā is extreme suffering, not a place to be born; / Sukhāvatī is unconditioned, truly refined. / The nine grades all turn and attain non-retrogression; / Avaivartika is indeed non-arising. / Not only are those newly born without limit, / But beneath the ten grounds, eons are hard to exhaust. / Like this great sea, like dust and Ganges sands, / Those with conditions who arrive enter into their midst. / In the four postures they constantly see the Buddha; / Moving or staying, advancing or halting, they mount supernormal powers. / The six consciousnesses freely and naturally awaken, / Without relying on the effort of a single thought of contemplation. / I universally urge fellow kalyāṇamitras aspiring for birth: / With single-minded devotion, focus on going to the West. / The assembly, turning their minds, all aspire to go; / Holding fragrant flowers in hand, they ever make offerings.

2.65

The lower singer responds to the high seat with a hymn.

2.66

The high seat enters the text.

2.67

"Śāriputra, if there are good men or good women who hear [this] preaching of Amitābha Buddha and uphold his name—whether for one day, two days, three days, four days, five days, six days, or seven days—with a single and undistracted mind: when such a person approaches the end of life, Amitābha Buddha, along with an assembly of holy beings, will appear before them. When that person's life ends, their mind will not be inverted, and they will immediately attain rebirth in Amitābha Buddha's land of Sukhāvatī. Śāriputra, seeing this benefit, therefore do I speak these words. If there are sentient beings who hear this teaching, they ought to make the vow to be born in that land."

2.68

The lower [chorus] continues, chanting up [to the high seat]:

2.69

We vow to be reborn! We vow to be reborn! / Sukhāvatī is the unconditioned realm of nirvāṇa; / with miscellaneous good deeds according to circumstance, it is feared birth is hard to attain. / Therefore the Tathāgata selected the essential teaching, / instructing us to recite [the name of] Amitābha solely and exclusively. / For seven days and seven nights without interruption in mind, / when initiating practice over a prolonged time, doubly so. / At life's end the holy assembly appears holding a lotus; / with body and mind leaping for joy, one sits upon the golden lotus. / When seated, one instantly attains the anutpattika-dharma-kṣānti, / and in a single thought is welcomed into the Buddha's presence. / Dharma companions vie to come bringing robes to bestow, / and having attained non-retrogression, one enters the three stages of worthiness. / May the entire assembly turn their hearts and all vow to go; / holding fragrant flowers in hand, let us make constant offerings.

2.70

The high [seat] takes up the chant to the lower [chorus], and the lower [chorus] chants up [to the high seat]:

2.71

We vow to be reborn! We vow to be reborn! / Amitābha's attendants are the two bodhisattvas, / one named the boundless Avalokiteśvara; / at all times they assist in the Buddha's transforming work, / dividing their bodies into the six paths to give rise to compassionate thoughts. / In thought after thought, according to each capacity, they preach the Dharma, / yet dim and hard to awaken are those whose roots of sin are deep. / Though in hundreds of thousands and tens of millions [of Buddhas] have appeared in the world, / not one in ten thousand escapes the troublesome cage. / Mindful of you sentient beings enduring eons of suffering, / facing the Buddhas, you do not meet them. / Even the small virtues of humans and devas are hard to discern; / how much more the unconditioned realization of the six supernormal knowledges? / Though one may hear this rare Dharma, / with a coarse mind and negligence, all benefit is void of merit; / even if year after year one walks on foot, / all one pursues fills the chest with greed and anger. / Greed and anger are precisely the three karmic activities of the body; / how can they open the Pure Land that enfolds true emptiness? / We send word to our fellow-born kalyāṇamitras: / recite the Buddha with compassion and enter the flock of sages. / May the entire assembly incline their hearts and all vow to go; / holding fragrant flowers in hand, let us make constant offerings.

2.72

The high [seat] takes up the chant to the lower [chorus], and the lower [chorus] chants up [to the high seat].

2.73

The high seat enters the text [of the sūtra]:

2.74

"Śāriputra, just as I now praise the inconceivable merits of Amitābha Buddha, in the eastern direction there are also Akṣobhya Buddha, Merudhvaja Buddha, Mahāmeru Buddha, Meruprabhāsa Buddha, Mañjusvara Buddha, and other such Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Each in his own land extends the broad and long tongue mark, covering the trichiliocosm, and speaks truthful words: 'All you sentient beings should believe this sūtra that praises inconceivable merits and is protected and held in mindful regard by all Buddhas.'"

2.75

The lower [chorus] continues, chanting up [to the high seat]:

2.76

We vow to be reborn! We vow to be reborn! / The Tathāgata Śākyamuni constantly praises / the Honoured Ones of equal enlightenment, numerous as the sands of the Ganges in the east. / In their great compassion to transform alike, their minds are not two; / the meritorious work performed by one Buddha is the same for many. / To sever the doubts, views, and attachments of ordinary mortals, / they all extend their tongue-marks covering the three thousand worlds, / together testifying to seven days of invoking the name, / and demonstrating that Śākyamuni's spoken words are true. / At life's end, with right mindfulness focused on Amitābha, / one sees the Buddha's compassionate light come to illuminate one's body; / mounting the power of this original vow of Amitābha, / within a single thought one enters the jeweled hall. / The jeweled hall is adorned boundlessly; / the transformation Buddhas and the holy assembly sit in contemplative thought. / The mind's nature is brighter than hundreds of thousands of suns; / compassion and wisdom run together as the eternal nature of phenomena. / Now that I have reached the unconditioned realm, / I universally vow that all sentient beings return to this realm. / May the entire assembly incline their hearts and all vow to go; / holding fragrant flowers in hand, let us make constant offerings.

2.77

The high [seat] takes up the chant to the lower [chorus], and the lower [chorus] chants up [to the high seat].

2.78

The high seat enters the text [of the sūtra]:

2.79

"Śāriputra, in the southern world, there are Sūryapradīpa Buddha, Yaśaḥprabha Buddha, Mahārciskandha Buddha, Merupradīpa Buddha, Anantavīrya Buddha, and other such Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Each in his own land extends the broad and long tongue mark, covering the trichiliocosm, and speaks truthful words: 'All you sentient beings should believe this sūtra that praises inconceivable merits and is protected and held in mindful regard by all Buddhas.'"

2.80

The lower [chorus] continues, chanting up [to the high seat]:

2.81

We vow to be reborn! We vow to be reborn! / The Buddhas of the southern direction are like the sands of the Ganges, / who also extend their tongue-marks covering the three thousand worlds; / for the ordinary mortals and holy beings of their own lands, / they praise Śākyamuni's transformation body. / Appearing within the five defilements of the Sahā world, / he sets his mind on transforming people with sinful roots; / seeing their self-conceit, false greed, and arrogance, / he teaches them to transcend the world, yet they give rise to anger. / Mindful of you sentient beings wandering adrift for so long, / you consider the truthful words of the Buddhas to be untrue. / May the entire assembly turn their hearts to be born in the Pure Land; / holding fragrant flowers in hand, let us make constant offerings.

2.82

The high [seat] takes up the chant to the lower [chorus], and the lower [chorus] chants up [to the high seat].

2.83

The high seat enters the text [of the sūtra]:

2.84

"Śāriputra, in the western world, there are Amitāyus Buddha, Amitaketu Buddha, Amitadhvaja Buddha, Mahāprabha Buddha, Mahāprabhāsa Buddha, Ratnalakṣaṇa Buddha, Śuddhaprabha Buddha, and other such Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Each in his own land extends the broad and long tongue mark, covering the trichiliocosm, and speaks truthful words: 'All you sentient beings should believe this sūtra that praises inconceivable merits and is protected and held in mindful regard by all Buddhas.'"

2.85

The lower [chorus] continues, chanting up [to the high seat]:

2.86

We vow to be reborn! We vow to be reborn! / The Buddhas of the western direction are like the sands of the Ganges, / each in his own land praising the Tathāgata, / who manifested ten billion bodies in Jambudvīpa, / displaying the eight aspects of [attaining buddhahood], most wondrous and rare. / The ordinary mortals of the five defilements took it to be real, / when through six years of ascetic practice he realized the unconditioned, / subdued the māras, achieved the Way, and preached the wondrous Dharma, / with various skillful means beyond conception. / Universally he exhorted sentient beings to return to the Pure Land, / yet in their deliberation and worry they gave rise to further doubt; / 'I now extend my tongue as proof: / you must rely upon the western Sukhāvatī.' / May the entire assembly turn their hearts and all vow to go; / holding fragrant flowers in hand, let us make constant offerings.

2.87

The high [seat] takes up the chant to the lower [chorus], and the lower [chorus] chants up [to the high seat].

2.88

The high seat enters the text [of the sūtra]:

2.89

"Śāriputra, in the northern world, there are Arciskandha Buddha, Duṣpradharṣa Buddha, Sujāta Buddha, Anādhṛṣya Buddha, Jālinīprabha Buddha, and other such Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Each in his own land extends the broad and long tongue mark, covering the trichiliocosm, and speaks truthful words: 'All you sentient beings should believe this sūtra that praises inconceivable merits and is protected and held in mindful regard by all Buddhas.'"

2.90

The lower [chorus] continues, chanting up [to the high seat]:

2.91

We vow to be reborn! We vow to be reborn! / The Buddhas of the northern direction are like the sands of the Ganges, / all extending their tongue-marks to testify for the Sage [Śākya]muni: / for us ordinary mortals he came into the world, / expounding the Dharma according with conditions to meet the capacities of the time. / When capacity and time resonate, hearing [the Dharma] one immediately awakens, / practicing as taught without entertaining doubt. / For seven days invoking the name without interruption or mixture, / body and mind leap with mingled joy and sorrow: / rejoicing in having obtained the rare hearing of our own homeland, / confirmed and judged by the Buddhas, we are able to return. / May the entire assembly turn their hearts and all vow to go; / holding fragrant flowers in hand, let us make constant offerings.

2.92

The high [seat] takes up the chant to the lower [chorus], and the lower [chorus] chants up [to the high seat].

2.93

The high seat enters the text [of the sūtra]:

2.94

"Śāriputra, in the nadir world, there are Siṃha Buddha, Yaśas Buddha, Yaśaḥprabhāsa Buddha, Dharma Buddha, Dharmadhvaja Buddha, Dharmadhara Buddha, and other such Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Each in his own land extends the broad and long tongue mark, covering the trichiliocosm, and speaks truthful words: 'All you sentient beings should believe this sūtra that praises inconceivable merits and is protected and held in mindful regard by all Buddhas.'"

2.95

The lower [chorus] continues, chanting up [to the high seat]:

2.96

We vow to be reborn! We vow to be reborn! / The Buddhas of the nadir are like the sands of the Ganges, / each delivering sentient beings in his own land, / testifying to and praising Śākyamuni's appearance in the five defilements, / who was able to perform this difficult task and transform the multitude of beings. / With skillful adaptability he causes them to sever evil, / single-mindedly pointing and guiding them toward the west; / all meritorious karma is wholly dedicated, / and at life's end the transformation Buddha personally comes to welcome them. / Those of sharp faculties and wisdom hear this with joy, / but when they suddenly recall the three wretched paths, their hearts are filled with alarm; / with alarmed hearts standing on end, they are exhorted to repent, / fearing that if sins are not eradicated, they will fall into the deep pit. / May the entire assembly turn their hearts and give birth to [salvation for] sentient beings; / holding fragrant flowers in hand, let us make constant offerings.

2.97

The high [seat] takes up the chant to the lower [chorus], and the lower [chorus] chants up [to the high seat].

2.98

The high seat enters the text [of the sūtra]:

2.99

"Śāriputra, in the zenith world, there are Brahmaghoṣa Buddha, Nakṣatrarāja Buddha, Gandhottama Buddha, Gandhaprabhāsa Buddha, Mahārciskandha Buddha, Ratnakusumasaṃpuṣpitagātra Buddha, Sālendrarāja Buddha, Ratnotpalabrīhi Buddha, Sarvārthadarśa Buddha, Sumerukalpa Buddha, and other such Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Each in his own land extends the broad and long tongue mark, covering the trichiliocosm, and speaks truthful words: 'All you sentient beings should believe this sūtra that praises inconceivable merits and is protected and held in mindful regard by all Buddhas.'"

2.100

The lower [chorus] continues, chanting up [to the high seat]:

2.101

We vow to be reborn! We vow to be reborn! / The Buddhas of the zenith are like the sands of the Ganges, / likewise extending their tongue-marks for the sake of the Sahā world, / where the ten evils and five rebellious acts bring much doubt and slander, / and people believe in heterodoxy, serving ghosts, hungry spirits, and māras. / Delusively seeking grace, they believe they will have good fortune, / but disasters, obstructions, misfortunes, and calamities only multiply; / year after year they lie sick upon bed and pillow, / deaf, blind, with broken feet, and hands crippled and twisted. / Having served spirits and gods to obtain this retribution, / why not abandon it to recite [the name of] Amitābha? / Amitābha's vow power is entirely equal; / if only one turns one's heart, the lotus naturally presents itself, / in a single thought roving freely in the land of joy, / ultimately and eternally peaceful, free from retrogression. / May the entire assembly turn their hearts and vow to be born there; / holding fragrant flowers in hand, let us make constant offerings.

2.102

The high [seat] takes up the chant to the lower [chorus], and the lower [chorus] chants up [to the high seat].

2.103

The high seat enters the text [of the sūtra]:

2.104

"Śāriputra, what do you think? Why is it called 'the sūtra that is protected and held in mindful regard by all Buddhas'? Śāriputra, if there are good men or good women who hear the names spoken by these Buddhas and the name of this sūtra, all these good men and good women are protected and held in mindful regard together by all Buddhas, and all will attain non-retrogression from anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi. Therefore, Śāriputra, all of you should faithfully accept my words and that which the Buddhas have spoken. Śāriputra, if there are people who have already vowed, are now vowing, or will vow, wishing to be born in Amitābha Buddha's land, all these people will attain non-retrogression from anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi; in that land, they have already been born, are now being born, or will be born. Therefore, Śāriputra, if there are those with faith among good men and good women, they ought to make the vow to be born in that land."

2.105

The lower [chorus] continues, chanting up [to the high seat]:

2.106

We vow to be reborn! We vow to be reborn! / The Tathāgata Śākyamuni has great compassion; / he manifests in the Sahā world to deliver those with affinity. / Those with affinity fill the trichiliocosm; / according to their capacity, he reveals awakening, severing greed and delusion. / He universally exhorts all to detest the pleasures of humans and devas, / where impermanence and the eight sufferings burn people like fire. / Reciting the Buddha and chanting the sūtra removes sinful obstructions; / the Buddhas from afar bestow their protective mindfulness upon our bodies.

2.107

Throughout the six periods of day and night, resolutely make vows; / if one maintains the mind without distraction, the karma will be accomplished. / With karma accomplished, one sees the Lord of the Lotus Platform, / which in an instant turns into a purple-golden dais; / following the Buddha, one roams freely into the jeweled land, / where cries of sorrow and grief are forever cut off. / May the entire assembly turn their hearts and all vow to go; / holding fragrant flowers in hand, let us make constant offerings.

2.108

The high [seat] takes up the chant to the lower [chorus], and the lower [chorus] chants up [to the high seat].

2.109

The high seat enters the text [of the sūtra]:

2.110

"Śāriputra, just as I now praise the inconceivable merits of the Buddhas, those Buddhas also praise my inconceivable merits, saying: 'Śākyamuni Buddha has been able to accomplish an extremely difficult and rare task. In the Sahā land, during the evil age of the five defilements—the defilement of the kalpa, the defilement of views, the defilement of afflictions, the defilement of sentient beings, and the defilement of lifespan—he has attained anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, and for the sake of all sentient beings preaches this Dharma that is difficult for all the world to believe.' Śāriputra, you should know that my performing this difficult task in the evil age of the five defilements, attaining anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, and preaching this Dharma difficult to believe for all the world is indeed extremely difficult." When the Buddha finished preaching this sūtra, Śāriputra and the monks, along with all the gods, humans, and asuras of the world, hearing what the Buddha had preached, rejoiced, faithfully accepted it, made prostrations, and departed.

2.111

Those below follow those above, praising:

2.112

Aspiring for rebirth, aspiring for rebirth! / The World-Honoured One earnestly told Śāriputra, / Showing that the great compassion of all Buddhas is identical; / Mutual praises of virtue, their minds free of difference, / Skillfully responding to the opportune moment, each possesses efficacy. / The Tathāgatas of the six directions all sing praises: / "Śākyamuni's appearance is exceedingly rare to encounter!" / Just when the five defilements were flourishing intensely, / Avidyā stubbornly hardened like high mountain peaks; / As the kalpa defilement moved through time, bodies gradually shrank; / The defilement of sentient beings grew vile, equal to snakes and dragons; / The defilement of afflictions spread everywhere, exceeding the number of dust motes; / Attachment and aversion, defiance and compliance, were like soaring mountains; / The defilement of views was a dense thicket like thorns; / In the defilement of lifespan, premature death struck in an instant. / Both circumstantial and direct retributions were destroyed together; / Turning their backs on the correct and taking refuge in the deviant, they recklessly gave rise to enmity. / The ninety-five paths all defiled the world; / Only the Buddha's single path is uniquely pure and serene. / Coming forth into bodhi, his mind is inexhaustible; / Returning to the burning house, he delivers humans and devas. / May the assembly turn their hearts and all aspire for rebirth, / Holding fragrant flowers in hand, always making offerings.

2.113

Those above follow those below, praising; those below follow those above, praising:

2.114

Aspiring for rebirth, aspiring for rebirth! / The Tathāgata appeared in the five defilements, / Transforming the multitudes according to what was appropriate and expedient. / Sometimes teaching that through extensive learning one achieves deliverance; / Sometimes teaching that with slight understanding one realizes threefold gnosis; / Sometimes instructing that blessings and wisdom together eliminate obstructions; / Sometimes instructing seated contemplation in dhyāna mindfulness. / Diverse Dharma gates all lead to liberation, / Yet none surpass recollecting the Buddha to go to the Western Realm. / Going as high as an entire lifetime down to ten recitations, / Or three recitations or five recitations, the Buddha comes to welcome. / Simply because Amitābha's vast vow is profound, / It causes ordinary beings to attain rebirth upon recollecting. / May the assembly turn their hearts and all aspire for rebirth, / Holding fragrant flowers in hand, always making offerings.

2.115

Those below follow those above, praising; those above follow those below, praising:

2.116

Aspiring for rebirth, aspiring for rebirth! / When the World-Honoured One's preaching of the Dharma was nearly complete, / He earnestly entrusted the name of Amitābha. / When the five defilements intensify, doubt and slander abound; / Monastics and laity loathe one another and do not wish to hear it. / Seeing those who cultivate, they give rise to the poison of anger; / Employing expedients to destroy them, they vie in generating enmity. / Such people, blind from birth and icchantikas, / Ruin and destroy the sudden teaching and forever sink and drown. / Passing beyond the dust-mote kalpas of the great earth, / They cannot yet escape their bodies in the three wretched paths. / May the great assembly with one mind repent / All the sinful conditions of destroying the Dharma. / May the assembly turn their hearts and be reborn in the Pure Land, / Holding fragrant flowers in hand, always making offerings.

2.117

Those above follow those below, praising; those below follow those above, praising.

2.118

The high seat waits until the voices of those below have finished, and then speaks the general repentance for the great assembly, saying:

2.119

"We disciples, all so many people in the assembly of the bodhimaṇḍa, each set our minds to feel shame and make apologies before the Buddhas; the sages who have attained the Path in the unseen realms, the dark, and the manifest; all the heavenly spirits and earthly spirits of the thirty-three heavens and beyond; the spirits of empty space, mountains, forests, rivers, and oceans; the celestial offices, the subterranean courts, King Yama who attends destiny, the Mount Tai of the five paths, the thirty-six kings and hell overseers, and all the spiritual divinities; as well as the revered sūtras, relics, images, and spiritual figures of this bodhimaṇḍa. We only pray that your majestic spiritual power of great compassionate light will augment, protect, be mindful of, gather, and witness us. Today, So-and-so, master of the bodhimaṇḍa, and all so many people, lay bare our hearts in repentance:

2.120

We disciples, So-and-so and the others, from when we had no body to having a body, from when we had no consciousness to having consciousness, until today and up to this very moment, in the interval between, have committed measureless and boundless sins of the ten unwholesome actions of body, speech, and mind.

2.121

We may have given free rein to physical actions, killing and robbing all sentient beings of the hells and animals, the wriggling creatures on land, in water, and in the air, in unknowable numbers. We may have killed and robbed all asuras, ghosts, and spirits, the wriggling creatures on land, in water, and in the air, in unknowable numbers. We may have killed and robbed all humans, devas, the Three Jewels, teachers, monks, parents, relatives of the six relations, kalyāṇamitras, and sentient beings throughout the dharmadhātu, in unknowable numbers. We may have killed intentionally, killed by accident, killed in jest; killed ourselves, taught others to kill, or rejoiced in killing; killed continually, killed uninterruptedly, killed out of love, hate, defiance, or compliance, killed out of heedlessness, or killed craving taste or for wealth. Sins of killing such as these are measureless and boundless. Now, before the ordinary and holy beings of the bodhimaṇḍa, we reveal and repent them, eliminating them completely without remainder. Having repented, with utmost sincerity we take refuge in Amitābha Buddha."

First 121 of 183 passages. Read on

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轉經行道願往生淨土法事讚 — Classical Chinese