..续本文上一页tient beings of the future see them

　　"

　　The Buddha said to Vaidehi, "Those who wish to see that Buddha should form an image of a lotus-flower on the seven-jewelled ground. They visualize each petal of this flower as having the colors of a hundred jewels and eighty-four thousand veins like a celestial painting, with eighty-four thousand rays of light issuing forth from each vein. They should visualize all of these clearly and distinctly. Its smaller petals are two hundred and fifty yojanas in both length and breadth. This lotus-flower has eighty-four thousand large petals. Between the petals there are a hundred kotis of king-mani-gems as illuminating adornments. Each mani-gem emits a thousand rays of light which, like canopies of the seven jewels, cover the entire [343a] earth.

　　The dais is made of Shakra-abhilagna-mani-gems and is decorated with eighty thousand diamonds, kimshuka-gems, brahma-mani-gems and also with exquisite pearl-nets. On the dais four columns with jewelled banners spontaneously arise, each appearing to be as large as a thousand million kotis of Mount Sumerus. On the columns rests a jewelled canopy similar to that in the palace of the Yama Heaven. They are also adorned with five hundred kotis of excellent gems, each emitting eighty-four thousand rays shining in eighty-four thousand different tints of golden color. Each golden light suffuses this jewelled land and transforms itself everywhere into various forms, such as diamond platforms, nets of pearls and nebulous clusters of flowers. In all the ten directions it transforms itself into anything according to one”s wishes, and performs the activities of the Buddha. This is the visualizing of the lotus-throne, and is known as the seventh contemplation."

　　The Buddha further said to Ananda, "This majestic lotus-flower was originally produced by the power of the Bhiksu Dharmakara”s Vow. Those who wish to see the Buddha Amitayus should first practice this contemplation of the flower-throne. In doing so, do not contemplate in a disorderly way. Visualize the objects one by one -- each petal, each gem, each ray of light, each dais and each column. See all of these as clearly and distinctly as if you were looking at your own image in a mirror. When this contemplation is accomplished, the evil karma which you have committed during five hundred kotis of kalpas of Samsara will be extinguished, and you will certainly be born in the Land of Utmost Bliss. To practice in this way is called the correct contemplation, and to practice otherwise is incorrect."

　　[15] 佛告阿难及韦提希。谛听谛听善思念之。吾当为汝分别解说除苦恼法。汝等忆持。广为大众分别解说。说是语时。无量寿佛住立空中。观世音大势至。是二大士侍立左右。光明炽盛不可具见。百千阎浮檀金色不得为比。时韦提希见无量寿佛已。接足作礼。白佛言。世尊。我今因佛力故。得见无量寿佛及二菩萨。未来众生。当云何观无量寿佛及二菩萨。佛告韦提希。欲观彼佛者。当起想念。于七宝地上作莲花想。令其莲花一一叶作百宝色。有八万四千脉。犹如天画一一脉有八万四千光。了了分明皆令得见。华叶小者纵广二百五十由旬。如是莲华有八万四千大叶。一一叶间。有百亿摩尼珠王。以为映饰。一一摩尼珠放千光明。其光如盖七宝合成。遍覆地上。释迦毗楞伽摩尼宝以为其台。此莲花台。八万金刚甄叔迦宝。梵摩尼宝妙真珠网。以为交饰。于其台上。自然而有四柱宝幢。一一宝幢如百千万亿须弥山。幢上宝缦如夜摩天宫。复有五百亿微妙宝珠。以为映饰。一一宝珠有八万四千光。一一光作八万四千异种金色。一一金色遍其宝土。处处变化各作异相。或为金刚台。或作真珠网。或作杂花云。于十方面随意变现施作佛事。是为花座想。名第七观。佛告阿难。如此妙花。是本法藏比丘愿力所成。若欲念彼佛者。当先作此妙花座想。作此想时不得杂观。皆应一一观之。一一叶。一一珠。一一光。一一台。一一幢皆令分明。如于镜中自见面像。此想成者。灭除五百亿劫生死之罪。必定当生极乐世界。作是观者名为正观。

　　8) contemplation of the image of Amida

　　[16] The Buddha said to Ananda and Vaidehi, "After you have seen this, next visualize the Buddha. Why the Buddha

　　 Because Buddhas, Tathagatas, have cosmic bodies, and so enter into the meditating mind of each sentient being. For this reason, when you contemplate a Buddha, that mind itself takes the form of his thirty-two physical characteristics and eighty secondary marks. Your mind produces the Buddha”s image, and is itself the Buddha. The ocean of perfectly and universally enlightened Buddhas thus arises in the meditating mind. For this reason, you should single-mindedly concentrate and deeply contempl…

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