..續本文上一頁and lives past who have not yet been able to leave the bad destinies.

　　They have no place from which to hope for the power of blessings to rescue them, and so they try to communicate with their closest descendants, hoping that those relatives will use some skillful means to help them get out of the Evil Paths.

　　 複次普廣：『若未來世諸衆生等，或夢或寐，見諸鬼神乃及諸形，或悲、或啼、或愁、或歎、或恐、或怖。此皆是一生十生百生千生過去父母、男女弟妹、夫妻眷屬，在於惡趣，未得出離，無處希望福力救拔，當告宿世骨肉，使作方便，願離惡道。

　　"Universally Expansive, using your spiritual powers, exhort those descendants to recite this Sutra with sincere resolve before the images of Buddhas or Bodhisattvas or to request others to recite it, either three or seven times.

　　When the Sutra has been read aloud the proper number of times, relatives in the Evil Paths will obtain liberation and never again be seen by those who are dreaming or drowsy.

　　普廣，汝以神力，遣是眷屬，令對諸佛菩薩像前，志心自讀此經，或請人讀，其數叁遍或七遍。如是惡道眷屬，經聲畢是遍數，當得解脫，乃至夢寐之中，永不複見。』

　　"Moreover, Universally Expansive, people of low station, and those who are slaves, or who are bonded, or who are deprived of their freedom in other ways may be aware of their past deeds and wish to repent of them and to reform.

　　If while beholding and bowing to Earth Store Bodhisattva”s image with sincere resolve for seven days they are able to recite his name a full ten thousand times, then when their current retribution ends, those people will always be born into wealth and honor for thousands lives. How much the more will they avoid any of the sufferings of the Three Evil Paths.

　　複次普廣：『若未來世，有諸下賤等人，或奴或婢，乃至諸不自由之人，覺知宿業，要忏悔者。志心瞻禮地藏菩薩形像，乃至一七日中，念菩薩名，可滿萬遍。如是等人，盡此報後，千萬生中，常生尊貴，更不經叁惡道苦。』

　　"Moreover, Universally Expansive, in the future in Jambudvipa when the wives of Kshatriyas, Brahmans, Elders, Upasakas, and those of other names and clans are about to give birth to sons or daughters, the family members should recite this inconceivable Sutra and recite the Bodhisattva”s name a full ten thousand times during the seven days before the birth of their children.

　　If those infants, whether male or female, were destined to undergone a terrible retribution for things done in past lives, they will be liberated from those retributions. They will be peaceful, happy, easily raised, and will have long lives.

　　If those children were due to receive blessings, then their peace and happiness will increase, as will their lifespans.

　　複次普廣：『若未來世中，閻浮提內，刹利、婆羅門、長者、居士、一切人等，及異姓種族，有新産者，或男或女，七日之中，早與讀誦此不可思議經典，更爲念菩薩名，可滿萬遍。是新生子，或男或女，宿有殃報，便得解脫，安樂易養，壽命增長。若是承福生者，轉增安樂，及與壽命。』

　　"Moreover, Universally Expansive, on the first, eighth, fourteenth, fifteenth, eighteenth, twenty-third, twenty-fourth, twenty-eighth, twenty-ninth, and thirtieth days of the lunar month, the offenses of beings are tabulated and their gravity assessed.

　　"Every single movement or stirring of thought on the part of beings of Jambudvipa creates karma and offenses. How much more is that the case when they blatantly indulge in killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech and hundreds of thousands of other kinds of overt offenses.

　　複次普廣：『若未來世衆生，於月一日、八日、十四日、十五日、十八日、二十叁、二十四、二十八、二十九、乃至叁十日，是諸日等，諸罪結集，定其輕重。南閻浮提衆生，舉止動念，無不是業，無不是罪，何況恣情殺害、竊盜、邪淫、妄語、百千罪狀。

　　"If they are able to recite this Sutra once on those ten vegetarian days, before the images of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, or worthy one and sages, then there will be no disasters for within a radius of one hundred yojanas.

　　 能於是十齋日，對佛菩薩諸聖賢聖像前，讀是經一遍，東西南北百由旬內，無諸災難。

　　The relatives of those who recite, both old and young, now and in the future, will be apart from the Evil Paths throughout hundreds of thousands of years.

　　 當此居家，若長若幼，現在未來百千歲中，永離惡趣，

　　If they can recite this sutra once on each of these ten vegetarian days, then there will be no accidents or illnesses in the family, and there will be food and clothing in abundance.

　　 能於十齋日每轉一遍，現世…

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