法苑珠林 24.25

24.25

"If a trichiliocosm / Were filled with rare jewels, / And one used them in giving, / The merit obtained would be slight. / If one expounds a single verse of Dharma, / The merit is exceedingly vast. / If all the pleasure-yielding things in the three realms / Were fully taken and given to one person, / It would not equal the gift of a single verse: / Its merit is the most supreme. / This merit surpasses that, / Being able to leave behind all suffering and affliction. / If worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges / Were filled with rare jewels, / And given to all Tathāgatas, / It would not equal a single gift of Dharma. / Although the blessings of giving jewels are many, / They do not equal a single gift of Dharma. / The blessings of one verse are already superior; / How much more so many, difficult to conceive!"