佛祖統紀 32.16

32.16

述曰。談天地之極際者。無若佛經。其言須彌四洲。猶太倉一粟耳。至如閻浮提者。則又四洲之南境。經言。縱廣七千由旬。周圍之可得二十八萬里。以一由旬四十里。計之也。從遼東西行。出陽關踰葱嶺。經五竺盡西海際。從南海北行出雁門。踰沙漠極。北至瀚海。縱橫皆可九萬里。而世人乏通識見。漢時四履之盛不出萬里。以故乍聞此說莫之能信。須知此方居東。天竺居中。自此方西至天竺。為四萬五千里。自天竺西向盡西海。亦四萬五千里。如此則此地為閻浮之東方。信矣。世儒謂之中國。且據此地。自論四方之中耳。儒家談地止及萬里。則不知五竺之殷盛西海之有截也。道家談天止及三境。則不知六欲四禪四空之高遠無色之無極也。況欲知萬億須彌三千大千之天地耶。況欲知華藏世界周遍建立如帝網耶。是則談天地之極際者。非憑佛經。不足以盡其致也。

The author remarks: In discussing the utmost limits of heaven and earth, none compares to the Buddhist scriptures. Their description of Mount Sumeru and the four continents makes our world seem like a single grain of millet in a great granary. As for Jambudvīpa, it is merely the southern continent among the four continents. The sūtras state that it is seven thousand yojanas in length and breadth, and its perimeter encompasses 280,000 li, calculated at forty li per yojana. Traveling west from Liaodong, exiting Yangguan, crossing the Pamir Mountains, passing through the Five Indias, and reaching the limits of the Western Sea; or traveling north from the Southern Sea, exiting Yanmen, crossing the extremes of the desert, and reaching the Northern Sea—both its breadth and length measure roughly ninety thousand li. Yet worldly people lack comprehensive understanding; the flourishing extent of the four borders during the Han dynasty did not exceed ten thousand li, and for this reason, upon hearing this explanation for the first time, none can believe it. One must realize that this land lies in the east, while Tianzhu lies in the center. From this land west to Tianzhu is forty-five thousand li; from Tianzhu west to the edge of the Western Sea is likewise forty-five thousand li. Thus, that this land is the eastern region of Jambudvīpa is indeed true! Secular Confucians call this land the 'Middle Kingdom', yet they merely base this on their own land to assert the center of the four directions. When Confucians discuss the earth, they only reach ten thousand li, and thus do not know the prosperity of the Five Indias or the boundless reaches of the Western Sea. When Daoists discuss heaven, they only reach the Three Realms of Purity, and thus do not know the loftiness and distance of the Six Heavens of Desire, the Four Dhyānas, and the Four Formless Realms, nor the infinity of the Formless Realm. How much less could they know of the tens of billions of Sumeru worlds in the great trichiliocosm? How much less could they know of the Lotus Treasury World, all-pervading and established like Indra's net? Therefore, in discussing the utmost limits of heaven and earth, unless one relies on the Buddhist scriptures, it is impossible to exhaust its profound truth.