..續本文上一頁ished, whose light is not conditioned, whose light proceeds from flames of light, whose light is that of heavenly jewels, whose light has the color of unimpeded rays, possessed of beautiful light, possessed of lovely light, possessed of delightful light, possessed of attractive light, possessed of pleasant light, possessed of light that cannot be stopped, possessed of extremely powerful light, possessed of incomparable light, possessed of light greater than that of the lords of men, nay, the lords of the three worlds, possessed of light which bends the full moon and the sun, possessed of light which bends all the conquered gods, Mahesvara, the Suddhavasas, Brahman, Sakra, and the Lokapalas.

　　”This splendor of the Arya is pure, great, producing bodily pleasure, happiness of mind, producing happiness, delight, and joy for men and not-men, Kinnaras, Mahoragas, Garudas, Gandharvas, Yakshas, Nagas, Asuras, and Devas; and producing the pleasure of beings of good disposition.

　　”And in this manner, O Ananda, the Tathagata might speak for a whole kalpa on the work of the Tathagata Amitabha, beginning with his light, and yet he would not be able to reach the end of the virtues of that light of that Tathagata, neither would there be any failure of the self-confidence in the Tathagata himself. And why

　　 Because, O Ananda, both these things are immeasurable, innumerable, inconceivable, and endless, that is, first, the greatness of the excellence of the light of that Tathagata Amitabha, the Bhagavat, and secondly, the unsurpassed light of the knowledge possessed by myself.

　　#13. ”And, O Ananda, the assembly of the hearers of that Tathagata Amitabha is immeasurable, so that it is not easy to learn its measure, so as to be able to say, there are so many kotis of the hearers, so many hundreds, thousands, hundred-thousands, kankaras, vimbaras, nayutas, ayutas, akshobhyas, vivahas, srotas, ogas, so many periods, called immeasurable, innumerable, countless, incomparable, inconceivable. Now, for instance, O Ananda, the Bhikshu Maudgalyayana having obtained miraculous power, might, if he wished, count in one day and night, how many kinds of stars there are in the universal world. Then, let there be a hundred thousand nayutas of kotis of such men, endowed with miraculous powers, and let them do nothing else but count the first company only of the hearers of the Tathagata Amitabha, during a hundred thousand nayutas of kotis of years, and yet by them thus counting even the hundredth part would not be counted, even the thousandth, even the hundred thousandth nay, not even so far as the minutest part, or likeness, or approach towards it would have been counted.

　　”Thus for instance, O Ananda, a man might throw out from the great ocean, which is not to be measured across by less than eighty-four thousand yojanas, one single drop of water by the sharp end of hair, which is pided a hundred times. What do you think then, Ananda, which would be greater, one drop of water which has been thrown up by the sharp pointed hair pided a hundred times, or the mass of water left in the great ocean

　　”

　　Ananda said: ”Even a thousand yojanas, O Bhagavat, would be a small portion of the great ocean, how much more then one drop of water thrown out by the sharp pointed hair pided a hundred times!”

　　Bhagavat said : ”As that one drop of water, so small in proportion, was the first company of the hearers. And let there be reckoning made by those Bhikkhus, who are like Maudgalyayana, counting for a hundred thousand nayutas of kotis of years, and yet, as to the mass of water left in the great ocean, it would even then have to be considered as not counted. How much more with regard to the second, third, and the rest of the companies of the hearers! Therefore the mass of hearers of…

《無量壽經 The Sutra on the Buddha of Eternal Life translated from the Sanskrit by F· Max Mueller》全文未完，請進入下頁繼續閱讀…