廣弘明集 15.13

15.13

夫六合之外。非典籍所摸。神道詭世。豈意者所測。故曰。人之所知。不若其所不知。每在常輒。欲以所不能見。而斷所未能了。故令井蛙有坎宅之矜。馮夷有秋水之伐。故其宜矣。余遊大方。心倦無垠。因以靜暇。復申諸奇麗。佛經紀西方有國。國名安養。逈遼逈邈。路踰恒沙。非無待者。不能遊其疆。非不疾者。焉能致其速。其佛號阿彌陀。晉言無量壽。國無王制斑爵之序。以佛為君。三乘為教。男女各化育於蓮花之中。無有胎孕之穢也。館宇宮殿。悉以七寶。皆自然懸搆。制非人匠。苑囿池沼。蔚有奇榮。飛沈天逸於淵藪。逝寓群獸而率真。閶闔無扇於瓊林。玉響自喈於簫管。冥霄霣華。以闔境神風。拂故而納新。甘露徵化。以醴被蕙風。導德而芳流。聖音應感而雷響。慧澤雲垂而霈清。覺父噏予而貴言。真人冥宗而廢翫。五度憑虛以入無。般若遷知而出玄。眾妙於茲大啟。神化所以永傳。別有經記。以錄其懿云。此晉邦五末之世。有奉佛正戒。諷誦阿彌陀經。誓生彼國。不替誠心者。命終靈逝化往之彼。見佛神悟即得道矣。遁生末蹤。忝廁殘跡。馳心神國。非所敢望。乃因匠人。圖立神表。仰瞻高儀。以質所天。詠言不足。遂復係以微頌。其詞曰。

Now, what lies beyond the six directions is not what the classical records can map; how could the spiritual paths strange to the world be measured by speculation? Therefore it is said: What people know is not equal to what they do not know. Always dwelling in the ordinary, they constantly wish to judge what they cannot understand by what they cannot see. Thus they make the frog in the well boast of its pit-dwelling, and make Fengyi boast of the autumn floods; this is only natural. Wandering through the great expanse, my mind grew weary of the boundless; thereupon, in quiet leisure, I once more unfolded these rare wonders. The Buddhist scriptures record that in the west there is a land called Peaceful Nurture. Far off and distant, the road exceeds the sands of the Ganges. Unless one is independent, one cannot travel through its territory; unless one is swift without rushing, how could one reach it quickly? Its Buddha is named Amitābha, which in the language of Jin is Measureless Life. The land has no royal governance or ranks of nobility; it takes the Buddha as sovereign and the three vehicles as teaching. Men and women are each born by transformation within lotus flowers; there is no filth of womb and gestation. The halls, dwellings, and palaces are entirely made of the seven treasures, all naturally suspended and constructed, crafted by no human artisan. The gardens, groves, ponds, and marshlands have extraordinary blossoms in lush abundance. Flying and swimming creatures roam freely in the depths and marshes; herds of beasts pass by and dwell there, all following their true nature. The palace gates have no leaves in the jeweled grove; jade resonances sound harmoniously of their own accord from pipes and flutes. The dark skies rain blossoms, covering the entire realm; a spiritual breeze brushes away the old and ushers in the new. Sweet dew manifests transformation, cloaking with sweet wine; an aromatic breeze guides virtue and diffuses fragrance. The holy voice responds to resonance with the sound of thunder; the wisdom moisture hangs like clouds, pouring down with pure clarity. The Father of Awakening draws me near and values words; the True Person darkens the origin and discards play. The five pāramitās rely on the void to enter nothingness; prajñā transforms knowledge to emerge from the mystery. The myriad wonders are grandly opened here; this is why spiritual transformation is transmitted forever. There are separate scriptural records that chronicle its excellence. In this era of the five declines in the Jin state, if there are those who uphold the Buddha's true precepts, chant the Amitābha Sūtra, vow to be born in that land, and do not abandon their sincere mind, when their lives end and their spirits depart, they will be transformed and go to that place, and seeing the Buddha they will spiritually awaken and attain the Way. Born as a remnant trace in the final age, unworthily mingled among remaining vestiges, racing my mind toward that divine realm is not something I dare hope for. Thereupon, relying on artisans, I drew and erected his divine form, looking up to behold the lofty bearing to attest to my veneration. Chanting words being insufficient, I then continued by appending a modest eulogy. The words say: