法苑珠林 21.37

21.37

'If all the sentient beings of this Buddha-field
were established in faithful mind and observance of the precepts,
the supreme, great accumulation of their merit
would not equal a sixteenth part of the mind set on the Way.
If all the sentient beings of this Buddha-field
were established in faithful mind regarding the practice of the Dharma,
the supreme, great accumulation of their merit
would not equal a sixteenth part of the mind set on the Way.
If as many Buddha-fields as the sands of the Ganges
were all filled with monasteries built for the sake of seeking merit,
and stūpas like Mount Sumeru were further erected,
they would not equal a sixteenth part of the mind set on the Way.
If throughout Buddha-fields as many as the sands of the Ganges
one were to make gifts of the seven treasures everywhere,
the supreme, great accumulation of such merit
would not equal a sixteenth part of the mind set on the Way.
If, as high, vast, and great as the Iron Ring Mountains,
countless stūpas were built for all the Buddhas,
such beings seeking merit
would not equal a sixteenth part of the mind set on the Way.
If sentient beings for a full kalpa
were constantly to carry them on their heads and shoulders,
the supreme accumulation of such merits
would not equal a sixteenth part of the mind set on the Way.
Such persons attain the supreme Dharma;
if they seek bodhi to benefit sentient beings,
those sentient beings are the most supreme;
this is without equal, how much less could there be anything higher!
Therefore, having heard these teachings,
the wise always give rise to a mind delighting in the Dharma;
they will attain a boundless, great accumulation of merit,
and quickly realize the Unsurpassable Way.'