三寶感應要略錄 1.97

1.97

昔佛住祇洹精舍。時放大光明。遍照三千大千世界百億天地。無非明徹。猶如見掌。爾時大眾萬億舍利弗等。而為上首。於光明中。見百億四天下。黃金地處處遍滿。佛之光明分散。停住黃金之地。還不收。久時須達居士。從座而起。合掌白佛言。世尊何故。今日我等大眾。見雜染世界中。處處有黃金地如彫鏤。云何世尊光明分散。停住黃金處處。不還取之。佛言。涅槃後正像末時分。信男信女。比丘比丘尼。國王長者。大臣人民。以佛威力。於此處處。建立寺堂。今日光明所住黃金地者是也。彼諸四部弟子。以我白毫功德分故。廣作佛事。所得功德者汝無異。復次所留毫光。我雖入滅。而常住不滅。當來興造時。最為照明。更從施主口。入住胸方寸臟。漸漸照清生死重氷。決定不墮四惡趣中。必當得佛。金色寶剎。如文殊師利等。雖有此益。四部弟子。爾時日用不知也。

Formerly, when the Buddha dwelt in Jetavana vihāra, he emitted a great light that illuminated the hundred billion worlds of the great trichiliocosm so that everything was clear and transparent, like looking at the palm of one's hand. At that time, in the midst of the light, the great assembly of myriad billions led by Śāriputra and the others saw that throughout the hundred billion four continents, the ground was everywhere filled with yellow gold. The Buddha's light dispersed, remained upon the grounds of yellow gold, and did not return. After a long while, the householder Sudatta arose from his seat, joined his palms, and addressed the Buddha, saying: “World-Honoured One, for what reason today do we, the great assembly, see that throughout this defiled world there are grounds of yellow gold everywhere as if carved and engraved? Why has the World-Honoured One's light dispersed, remained upon the golden places, and not returned?” The Buddha said: “After my nirvāṇa, during the periods of the True, Semblance, and Final Dharma, faithful men and faithful women, monks and nuns, kings and elders, ministers and common people, through the Buddha's majestic power, will establish monasteries and halls in all these places. These are precisely the grounds of yellow gold where the light rests today. Because of a portion of the merit of my ūrṇā hair, those disciples of the fourfold assembly will perform vast Buddha-works, and the merit they obtain will be no different from yours. Furthermore, although I shall enter extinction, the light of the ūrṇā that I have left behind will abide permanently and never be extinguished. In future times, when they undertake construction, it will provide supreme illumination. Moreover, entering through the donors' mouths, it will abide within their very hearts and gradually illuminate and dissolve the heavy ice of birth and death. They are determined never to fall into the four evil destinies and will certainly attain Buddhahood in golden, precious lands like Mañjuśrī and the others. Although there is this benefit, the disciples of the fourfold assembly in that time will use it daily without knowing it.”