諸經要集 3.29

3.29

如小未曾有經云。佛告阿難。若有一人。盡四天下滿中草木。皆悉為人。得四道果及辟支佛。盡壽四事供養所須具足。至滅度後一一起塔。香華幢幡寶蓋供養。復造帝釋大莊嚴殿用八萬四千寶柱。八萬四千寶。窓八萬四千天井寶窓。八萬四千樓櫓館閣。四出圍繞眾寶挍飾。若有善男子善女人。作如上百千億大莊嚴殿。用施四方僧。其福雖多。然不如有人於佛般涅槃後以如芥子舍利起塔。大如菴摩勒果。其剎如針。上施槃蓋如酸棗葉。若佛形像如[麩-夫+廣]麥大。勝前功德滿足百倍。不及一千倍萬倍。百千萬倍所不能及。不可稱量。阿難當知。如來無量功德。戒分。定分。智慧分。解脫分。知見解脫分。無量功德有大神通變化。及六波羅蜜。如是等無量功德。又無上依經云。阿難向佛合掌而作是言。我於今日入王舍乞食。見一大重閣莊嚴新成內外宛密。若有清信人布施四方僧。并見四事。若如來滅後取佛舍利如芥子大。安立塔中。起塔如阿摩羅子大。戴剎如針。大露槃如棗葉大。造佛如麥子大。此二功德何者為勝。佛告阿難。如滿四天下四果聖人及辟支佛。如苷蔗林竹荻麻田等。若有一人盡壽供養。四事具足。及入涅槃後悉起大塔。供養然燈燒香衣服幢幡等。阿難。於意云何。是人功德多不。阿難言。甚多世尊。阿難且置。又如帝釋天宮住處。有大飛閣名常勝殿。種種寶莊各八萬四千。若有清信男子女人。造作如是常勝寶殿。百千拘胝。施與四方眾僧。若復有人。如來般涅槃後。取舍利如芥子。造塔如阿摩羅子大。戴剎如鍼。大露槃如棗葉大。造佛形像如麥子大。此功德勝前所說。百分不及一千萬億分乃至阿僧祇數分。所不及一。及譬喻所不能及。何以故。如來無量功德故。縱碎娑婆世界末為微塵。以此次第悉是四沙門果。及辟支佛。若有清信男女。盡形供養。及以滅後起塔供養。亦不如取舍利如芥子大。乃至造像如麥子大。此功德勝前所說。百分千萬億分不及一分。乃至算數譬喻所不能及。如是阿難。一切如來。昔在因地知眾生界自性清淨。客塵煩惱之所污濁。然不入眾生清淨界中。能為一切眾生說深妙法。除煩惱障。應生下劣心。以大量故於諸眾生生尊重心。起大師敬。起般若。起闍那。起大悲。依此立法。菩薩得入阿鞞跋致位（此云不退）依如實知證大方便。得阿耨菩提。

As stated in the Minor Adbhutadharma-sūtra: The Buddha told Ānanda, 'If there were a person who transformed all the grasses and trees filling the four continents into human beings, all of whom attained the four fruits of the path and the stage of pratyekabuddha, and this person provided them throughout their lives with the four requisites so that everything they needed was complete, and after they attained extinction, built stupas for each of them and made offerings of incense, flowers, pennants, banners, and jewelled canopies; and furthermore built a great magnificent palace for Śakra using 84,000 jewelled pillars, 84,000 jewelled windows, 84,000 skylight jewelled windows, and 84,000 towers, pavilions, and halls, surrounded on four sides and decorated with manifold jewels—if a good man or good woman were to construct hundreds of thousands of koṭis of such great magnificent palaces as described above and bestow them upon the saṅgha of the four directions, though their merit would be great, it would not compare to a person who, after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, builds a stupa with a relic the size of a mustard seed, [a stupa] as large as an āmalaka fruit, its spire like a needle, with a dew-basin canopy placed atop it like a jujube leaf, or makes a Buddha image as large as a barley grain. [The latter] surpasses the previous merit a hundredfold; even a thousand times, ten thousand times, or a hundred thousand myriad times could not match it—it cannot be weighed or calculated. Ānanda, you should know that the Tathāgata's immeasurable merit, the aggregate of morality, the aggregate of concentration, the aggregate of wisdom, the aggregate of liberation, and the aggregate of the knowledge and vision of liberation, possesses immeasurable merit, great supernatural powers and transformations, and the six pāramitās—immeasurable merit such as this.' Furthermore, the Anuttarāśraya-sūtra states: Ānanda joined his palms toward the Buddha and spoke these words: 'Today, when entering Rājagṛha to beg for alms, I saw a great multi-storeyed pavilion, newly completed, ornate, and exquisitely finished inside and out. If a person of pure faith were to donate it to the saṅgha of the four directions along with the four requisites; or, on the other hand, if after the Tathāgata's extinction one were to take a Buddha relic the size of a mustard seed, erect it within a stupa, building a stupa the size of an āmalaka seed, bearing a spire like a needle, with a large dew-basin the size of a jujube leaf, and make a Buddha [image] the size of a wheat grain—between these two merits, which is superior?' The Buddha told Ānanda, 'Suppose the holy persons of the four fruits and the pratyekabuddhas filled the four continents like forests of sugarcane, bamboo, reeds, and hemp fields, and someone were to make offerings to them throughout their lives with the four requisites fully supplied, and after their entry into nirvāṇa, were to build great stupas for all of them, making offerings of lit lamps, burned incense, robes, pennants, and banners. Ānanda, what do you think? Would that person's merit be great?' Ānanda said, 'Extremely great, World-Honoured One!' 'Ānanda, set that aside. Again, just as in the dwelling of Śakra's heavenly palace there is a great flying pavilion named the Palace of Supreme Victory, adorned with various jewels, each [type] numbering 84,000, if a man or woman of pure faith were to construct hundreds of thousands of koṭis of such jewelled palaces of supreme victory and donate them to the saṅgha of the four directions; or if another person, after the Tathāgata's parinirvāṇa, were to take a relic the size of a mustard seed, build a stupa the size of an āmalaka seed, bearing a spire like a needle, with a large dew-basin the size of a jujube leaf, and make an image of the Buddha the size of a wheat grain—this merit would surpass what was spoken of before; a hundredth part could not equal it, nor a thousandth, a ten-thousandth, a koṭi-th, or even an asaṃkhyeya-th part could equal one part of it, and no metaphor could encompass it. Why is this? Because of the Tathāgata's immeasurable merit. Even if one were to grind the Sahā world into fine dust, each particle becoming successively an attainer of the four śramaṇa fruits or a pratyekabuddha, and a man or woman of pure faith were to make offerings to them for the rest of their lives, and after their extinction build stupas and make offerings, this would still not equal taking a relic the size of a mustard seed, up to making an image the size of a wheat grain. This merit surpasses what was spoken of before; one part in a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, or a koṭi could not equal it, nor could calculation or metaphor encompass it. Thus, Ānanda, all Tathāgatas in the past, when on the causal ground, knew that the realm of sentient beings is inherently pure by nature, yet defiled and polluted by adventitious afflictions; but without entering the pure realm of sentient beings, they are able to preach the profound, wondrous Dharma for all sentient beings to eliminate their affliction-hindrances. One might give rise to an inferior mind, but because of great capacity, one gives rise to a mind of respect for all sentient beings, generating reverence for them as great masters, generating prajñā, generating jñāna, and generating great compassion. Relying on this, the Dharma is established; bodhisattvas are able to enter the stage of avaivartika (which means non-retrogression), and relying on knowledge of reality as it is, realize great skill-in-means and attain anuttara-saṃbodhi.'