法苑珠林 21.38

21.38

又涅槃經云。佛讚迦葉。若有眾生於熙連河沙等諸佛所發菩提心。乃能於惡世受持如是經典不生誹謗。善男子。若有能於一恒河沙等諸佛世尊所發菩提心。然後乃能於惡世中。不謗是經愛樂是典。不能為人分別廣說。若有眾生於二恒河沙等佛所發菩提心。然後乃能於惡世中不謗是法。正解信樂受持讀誦。亦不能為他人廣說。若有眾生於三恒河沙等佛所發菩提心。然後乃能於惡世中不謗是法。受持讀誦書寫經卷。雖為他說未解深義。若有眾生於四恒河沙等佛所發菩提心。然後乃能於惡世中不謗是法。受持讀誦書寫經卷。為他廣說十六分中一分之義。雖復演說亦不具足。若有眾生於五恒河沙等佛所發菩提心。然後乃能於惡世中。不謗是經受持讀誦。廣為人說。十六分中八分之義。若有於六恒河沙等佛所發菩提心。然後乃能於惡世中。不謗是經受持讀誦。為他廣說。十六分中十二分義。若有於七恒河沙等佛所發菩提心。然後乃能於惡世中。不謗是法受持讀誦。為他廣說。十六分中十四分義。若有於八恒河沙等佛所發菩提心。然後乃能於惡世中。不謗是法受持讀誦。亦勸他人令得書寫。自能聽受。復勸他人令得聽受。又大悲經云。佛告阿難。若有眾生。於諸佛所一發信心。如是善根終不敗亡。況復諸餘善根。譬如有人析破一毛以為百分。取一分毛沾一滴水。持至我所而作是言。我以此水寄付瞿曇。莫令此水而有增減。亦莫令風日飄暴乾竭此水。不令鳥獸飲之令盡。勿使異水而有和雜。以器盛持莫置在地。如來爾時即受彼寄。置恒河中不令入洄。亦復不令餘物揩突。如是水滴在大河中。隨流而去使不入洄復無遮礙。諸鳥獸等亦不飲盡。如是水滴不增不減。一等如故。共大水聚漸入大海。若是水滴毘嵐風起壞世界時。假使是人住世一劫。我亦如是得住一劫。彼人爾時至劫盡時而來我所作如是言。瞿曇。我本寄水今有無耶。如來爾時知彼水滴在大海中。見知住處。不與餘水共相和雜。不增不減平等如故持還彼人。阿難。如是如來應正遍知。有大神通無量知見明了無障。於受寄人中最尊最勝。若於佛所寄付如是微細水滴。經於久遠而不虧損。此義應知。阿難。其細毛端者。喻心意識。恒河者。喻生死流。一滴水者。喻一發心微少善根。大海者。喻佛如來應正遍知。所寄人者。喻彼清信婆羅門長者居士等。住一劫者。喻如來受彼寄水終不虧損。亦如彼人寄彼水滴經於久遠不虧一毫。如是阿難。若於佛所一發信心善根不失。何況諸餘勝妙善根。我說是人一切悉是趣涅槃果。雖餘不善墮在三塗。以本善根佛知是已從彼拔出置無畏岸。令彼憶識所種善根。息一切苦得一切樂。

Furthermore, the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra states that the Buddha praised Kāśyapa: 'Only if there are sentient beings who have aroused the bodhicitta before Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Hiraṇyavatī River will they be able to uphold such a sūtra in an evil age without slandering it. Good son, only if there are those who have been able to arouse the bodhicitta before Buddhas, World-Honoured Ones, as numerous as the sands of one Ganges River will they afterwards be able, in an evil age, not to slander this sūtra and to cherish this scripture; yet they cannot analyze and explain it extensively for others. Only if there are sentient beings who have aroused the bodhicitta before Buddhas as numerous as the sands of two Ganges Rivers will they afterwards be able, in an evil age, not to slander this Dharma, but to correctly understand it, have faith and joy in it, and uphold, read, and recite it; yet they cannot explain it extensively for others. Only if there are sentient beings who have aroused the bodhicitta before Buddhas as numerous as the sands of three Ganges Rivers will they afterwards be able, in an evil age, not to slander this Dharma, but to uphold, read, recite, and copy the scrolls of the scripture; though they explain it to others, they have not yet understood its profound meaning. Only if there are sentient beings who have aroused the bodhicitta before Buddhas as numerous as the sands of four Ganges Rivers will they afterwards be able, in an evil age, not to slander this Dharma, but to uphold, read, recite, and copy the scrolls of the scripture, and explain extensively to others one sixteenth part of its meaning; though they proclaim it, they do not do so completely. Only if there are sentient beings who have aroused the bodhicitta before Buddhas as numerous as the sands of five Ganges Rivers will they afterwards be able, in an evil age, not to slander this sūtra, but to uphold, read, and recite it, and explain extensively to others eight parts out of sixteen. Only if there are those who have aroused the bodhicitta before Buddhas as numerous as the sands of six Ganges Rivers will they afterwards be able, in an evil age, not to slander this sūtra, but to uphold, read, and recite it, and explain extensively to others twelve parts out of sixteen. Only if there are those who have aroused the bodhicitta before Buddhas as numerous as the sands of seven Ganges Rivers will they afterwards be able, in an evil age, not to slander this Dharma, but to uphold, read, and recite it, and explain extensively to others fourteen parts out of sixteen. Only if there are those who have aroused the bodhicitta before Buddhas as numerous as the sands of eight Ganges Rivers will they afterwards be able, in an evil age, not to slander this Dharma, but to uphold, read, and recite it, and also encourage others to copy it, listen to and receive it themselves, and further encourage others to listen to and receive it.' Furthermore, the Mahākaruṇā-sūtra says: 'The Buddha told Ānanda: "If there are sentient beings who arouse even once a faithful mind toward the Buddhas, such roots of good will never be destroyed or perish; how much less other roots of good! For example, suppose a person split a single hair into a hundred parts, dipped one part of the hair to pick up a drop of water, and brought it to me, saying: 'I entrust this water to Gautama; do not allow this water to increase or decrease, nor allow the wind and sun to blow upon it or scorch it dry, nor allow birds or beasts to drink it up, nor let other waters mix with it; keep it in a vessel and do not place it on the ground.' If the Tathāgata then accepted that entrustment, placed it in the Ganges River, preventing it from entering whirlpools, and also preventing other things from crashing into it, that drop of water in the great river would go along with the current, prevented from entering whirlpools and free from obstructions; nor would birds or beasts drink it up. In this way, that drop of water would neither increase nor decrease, remaining entirely as before, and together with the great mass of water gradually enter the great ocean. If, when the vairaṃbhaka winds arise to destroy the world, that person were to abide in the world for an entire kalpa, I too would likewise be able to abide for a kalpa. When that person came to me at the end of the kalpa, saying: 'Gautama, the water I originally entrusted, does it exist now or not?' the Tathāgata would at that time know that the drop of water was in the great ocean, seeing and knowing its location, unmixed with other waters, neither increased nor decreased, equal and unchanged as before, and return it to that person. Ānanda, thus the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Samyaksambuddha, possesses great spiritual powers and boundless knowledge and vision, lucid and unobstructed. Among trustees, he is the most exalted and supreme. If such a minute drop of water entrusted to the Buddha does not diminish even over a long period, this principle should be known: Ānanda, the tip of that fine hair is an analogy for the mind, intellect, and consciousness; the Ganges River is an analogy for the flow of saṃsāra; the single drop of water is an analogy for the minute root of good from a single arousal of the mind; the great ocean is an analogy for the Buddha, the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Samyaksambuddha; the person entrusting it is an analogy for those pure-faith brāhmaṇas, elders, householders, and the like; and abiding for a kalpa is an analogy for the Tathāgata's receiving that entrusted water without it ever diminishing, just as that person entrusting that drop of water suffered not a hair's diminution over a long time. In this way, Ānanda, if one arouses a faithful mind toward the Buddha even once, the root of good is not lost; how much less other superior and wondrous roots of good! I say that all such persons are headed toward the fruit of nirvāṇa. Even if, due to remaining unwholesome deeds, they fall into the three evil destinies, the Buddha, knowing their original roots of good, will pull them out from there and place them on the shore of fearlessness, causing them to remember the roots of good they planted, putting an end to all suffering and attaining all bliss."'