廣弘明集 15.13

15.13

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: