法苑珠林 87.25

87.25

爾時世尊復告阿難。若有人能歸依佛竟歸依法竟歸依僧竟。乃至一彈指頃能受十善。受已修行。以是因緣得無量無邊功德。若復有人能一日一夜受八戒齋已。如說修行。所得功德勝前福德千倍萬倍百千萬倍。乃至算數譬喻所不能及。若能受持五戒。盡其形壽。如說修行。所得功德勝前福德百倍千倍萬倍億倍。非算數譬喻所能知及。若復有人受沙彌戒沙彌尼戒。復勝於前。若復有人受式叉摩那戒。復勝於前。若復有人受比丘尼大戒。復勝於前。若復有人盡形壽受大比丘戒。修行不缺。復勝於前。阿難聞說三歸依處乃至盡壽獲大功德。歎未曾有。是經微妙不可思議。明甚深義。功德廣大。難可挍量。是故佛言。名為希有希有經。汝當奉行。又善生經云。若人受三自歸。所得果報不可窮盡。如四大寶藏舉國人民七年之中運出不盡。受三歸者其福過彼。不可勝計。

At that time, the World-Honoured One again told Ānanda: "If someone, having taken refuge in the Buddha, having taken refuge in the Dharma, and having taken refuge in the Saṃgha, can even for the space of a finger-snap receive the ten virtuous deeds, and having received them, cultivates them, by this cause and condition they obtain limitless and boundless merit. If someone can receive the eight-precept observance for a day and a night, and having done so, cultivates according to the teaching, the merit obtained surpasses the former merit by a thousand times, ten thousand times, a hundred thousand times, even beyond calculation and analogy. If one can uphold the five precepts for the rest of one's life and cultivate according to the teaching, the merit obtained surpasses the former merit by a hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times, a hundred million times, beyond what calculation and analogy can comprehend. If someone receives the precepts of a novice monk (śrāmaṇera) or novice nun (śrāmaṇerī), it again surpasses the former. If someone receives the precepts of a probationer nun (śikṣamāṇā), it again surpasses the former. If someone receives the full precepts of a nun (bhikṣuṇī), it again surpasses the former. If someone receives the full precepts of a monk (bhikṣu) for the rest of his life and cultivates without violation, it again surpasses the former." Hearing the explanation that taking the three refuges down to the end of one's life yields great merit, Ānanda praised it as unprecedented: "This sūtra is subtle and inconceivable, illuminating profound meaning; its merit is vast and difficult to measure. Therefore the Buddha said: 'It is named the Sūtra of the Rare and Marvellous; you should uphold it.'" Furthermore, the Shansheng jing states: If a person receives the three self-refuges, the retribution obtained cannot be exhausted, just as the four great jewel storehouses cannot be depleted even if all the people in the country carted them away for seven years; the merit of one who receives the three refuges exceeds that, beyond calculation.