法苑珠林 35.51

35.51

夫日舒則夜卷。月生則陰滅。燈之破暗。猶慧之銷障。是以虔躬燈王。克成彌陀之尊。致力續明。遂受定光之號。茅照輕緣。迺獲身色之暉。燭施微因。爰果眼根之淨。況乃振此大智開彼勝光者哉。是以育王臨終之日。總造八萬四千之燈。普照八萬四千之塔。製窮機巧體極殊妙。莫不名應法區事動真境。灼鑠電搖馩馧華列。倒影綠水籠光碧樹。曄曄交焰。似朝霞之鏤白日。昭昭聯暉。若常星之繡天漢。睇金鋪以忘夜。臨玉砌而疑曉。可謂無盡之福常照。盛明之徵恒皎也。

When the sun unfolds, night rolls up; when the moon waxes, darkness is destroyed. A lamp's dispelling of obscurity is just like wisdom's dissolving of hindrances. Thus, by reverently bowing to the Lamp King [Buddha], the venerated status of Amitābha was attained; by striving to maintain the flame, the title of Dīpaṃkara was conferred. From the slight condition of illumination with rush, the brilliance of bodily colour was obtained; from the minor cause of offering a candle, the purity of the visual faculty was reaped as fruit. How much more so for one who arouses this great wisdom and opens up that supreme light! Therefore, on the day of his passing, King Aśoka fashioned eighty-four thousand lamps in all, universally illuminating eighty-four thousand stūpas. Their manufacture exhausted intricate ingenuity, their forms being exceedingly wondrous; there were none whose names did not correspond to the Dharma realm, or whose affairs did not move the realm of reality. Flashing brilliantly like swaying lightning, richly fragrant as if arranged with blossoms, their reflections hung inverted in green waters, and their light enfolded verdant trees. Radiantly their flames interlaced, like morning clouds carving the white sun; brightly their beams linked together, like fixed stars embroidering the Milky Way. Beholding the gilded plates, one forgot the night; looking upon the jade steps, one doubted it was dawn. Truly it may be said that inexhaustible blessings shine constantly, and the tokens of flourishing brilliance are ever lucid.