法苑珠林 33.47

33.47

又譬喻經云。昔有母子三人常作三事。一作大船置於河中以渡百姓。二於都市造立好井以供萬民。三於四門各作圊廁給人便利。緣是功德。命終之後皆生天上受福自然。下生人中富貴長壽。所生之處。不經三塗。設此微福尚獲果報巍巍無量。何況有人廣修功德。造立塔寺分檀布施作諸福業。百千萬倍復勝於此不可計量。故成實論引經偈云。

Furthermore, the Dṛṣṭānta-sūtra says: In the past, three people, a mother and her sons, constantly performed three deeds: first, making a large boat and placing it in the river to ferry the common people across; second, constructing a fine well in the marketplace to supply the myriad folk; third, making latrines at each of the four gates to provide convenience for people. By reason of this merit, after their lives ended, they were all born in the heavens to enjoy natural blessings, and when born down among humans, they enjoyed wealth, high status, and long life. Wherever they were born, they never passed through the three miserable paths. If even establishing such slight blessings yields retributions so majestic and immeasurable, how much more so when someone extensively cultivates merit, erecting stūpas and monasteries, distributing gifts in dāna, and performing all manner of meritorious deeds? The superiority [of that] is hundreds, thousands, and ten thousands of times greater than this, beyond all reckoning. Therefore, a verse from a sūtra cited in the Tattvasiddhi-śāstra says: