佛說觀佛三昧海經 9.18

9.18

時會大眾見十方佛，及諸菩薩國土大小，如於明鏡見眾色像。財首菩薩所散之華，當文殊上即變化成四柱寶臺，於其臺內有四世尊，放身光明儼然而坐，東方阿閦、南方寶相、西方無量壽、北方微妙聲。時四世尊以金蓮華散釋迦佛，未至佛上化為華帳，有萬億葉，一一葉間百千化佛，化佛放光。光中復有無數化佛，寶帳成已四佛世尊從空而下，坐釋迦佛床讚言：「善哉善哉！釋迦牟尼！乃能為於未來之世濁惡眾生，說三世佛白毫光相，令諸眾生得滅罪咎。所以者何？我念昔曾空王佛所出家學道，時四比丘共為同學，習學三世諸佛正法，煩惱覆心，不能堅持佛法寶藏，多不善業當墮惡道。空中聲言：『汝四比丘！空王如來雖復涅槃，汝之所犯謂無救者，汝等今當入塔觀佛，與佛在世等無有異。』我從空聲入塔觀像眉間毫相，即作是念：『如來在世光明色身與此何異？佛大人相願除我罪。』作是語已，如大山崩五體投地，懺悔諸罪觀佛眉間。懺悔因緣，從是已後八十億阿僧祇劫不墮惡道，生生常見十方諸佛，於諸佛所受持甚深念佛三昧，得三昧已諸佛現前授我記別。東方有國，國名妙喜，彼土有佛，號曰阿閦，即第一比丘是！南方有國，國名歡喜，佛號寶相，即第二比丘是！西方有國，國名極樂，佛號無量壽，第三比丘是！北方有國，國名蓮華莊嚴，佛號微妙聲，第四比丘是！」

The great assembly gathered at that time saw the Buddhas of the ten directions, the bodhisattvas, and the sizes of their lands, just like seeing all kinds of forms and images in a clear mirror. The flowers scattered by the Bodhisattva Dhanada right above Mañjuśrī then transformed into a four-pillared jeweled platform, and within that platform were four Bhagavats, emitting bodily light and sitting majestically: Akṣobhya in the east, Ratnaketu in the south, Amitāyus in the west, and Divyadundubhimeghanirghoṣa in the north. At that time, the four Bhagavats scattered golden lotus flowers over Śākyamuni Buddha. Before reaching the Buddha, they transformed into a canopy of flowers with millions of petals. Between each petal were hundreds of thousands of transformation Buddhas, and the transformation Buddhas emitted light. Within the light there were again countless transformation Buddhas. When the jeweled canopy was completed, the four Buddha Bhagavats descended from the sky, sat upon Śākyamuni Buddha's seat, and praised him, saying: "Excellent, excellent, Śākyamuni! You are truly able to expound the white ūrṇā mark and light of the Buddhas of the three periods of time for the defiled and evil sentient beings of future ages, causing all sentient beings to extinguish their sins and offenses. Why is this? We recall that in the past we went forth to study the Way under the Buddha Śūnyarāja. At that time, four monks were fellow students together, practicing and studying the true Dharma of the Buddhas of the three periods of time. Our minds were covered by afflictions, so that we could not uphold the jewel treasury of the Buddha's Dharma, and due to many unwholesome karmas, we were destined to fall into the evil destinies. A voice in the sky said: 'You four monks! Although Śūnyarāja Tathāgata has entered nirvāṇa, though you consider what you have violated to be beyond redemption, you should now enter the stūpa and contemplate the Buddha; it is equal to and no different from when the Buddha was in the world.' Following the voice in the sky, we entered the stūpa and contemplated the ūrṇā mark between the eyebrows of the image, and then gave rise to this thought: 'When the Tathāgata was in the world, how was his luminous form-body any different from this? May the Buddha's marks of a great being eradicate our sins!' Having spoken these words, we threw our five limbs to the ground like a great mountain collapsing, repenting all our sins and contemplating the space between the Buddha's eyebrows. By virtue of the causes and conditions of repentance, from then on, for eighty billion asaṃkhyeya kalpas, we did not fall into the evil destinies, and life after life we constantly saw the Buddhas of the ten directions. Under those Buddhas, we received and upheld the profound mindfulness-of-the-Buddha samādhi. Having attained the samādhi, the Buddhas manifested before us and bestowed our prophesies. In the east there is a land named Abhirati, and the Buddha of that land is named Akṣobhya—he was the first monk! In the south there is a land named Ānanda, and the Buddha's name is Ratnaketu—he was the second monk! In the west there is a land named Sukhāvatī, and the Buddha's name is Amitāyus—he was the third monk! In the north there is a land named Padmālaṃkāra, and the Buddha's name is Divyadundubhimeghanirghoṣa—he was the fourth monk!"