佛說無量清淨平等覺經

The Buddha addressed Bodhisattva Ajita and the great assembly:

– Those in this life who restrain their minds, maintain right intention, and commit no evil with the body are persons of great virtue and goodness, supreme beings with none throughout the ten directions to equal them. Why is this? Because the devas and humans in the innumerable lands throughout the ten directions naturally do good and refrain from evil deeds, and thus they are easy to teach and transform. Now I have become a Buddha in this world, amid the five evils, the five sufferings, and the five burnings; to become a Buddha here is exceedingly difficult! I instruct and guide all people, causing them to bring the five evils to an end, abandon the five sufferings, and leave the five burnings far behind. I subdue and transform their minds, causing them to uphold the five good deeds, acquire merit and virtue, transcend the human world and the heavenly realms, and attain the everlasting path of nirvana.

The Buddha taught:

– What are the five evils? What are the five sufferings? What are the five burnings? What does it mean gradually to eradicate the five evils and cause people to uphold the five good deeds? What does it mean to uphold the five good deeds, acquire merit and virtue, transcend the human world and the heavenly realms, and attain the everlasting path of nirvana?

The Buddha taught:

– The first evil: From the devas and humans above down to birds, beasts, and the tiniest insects below, beings desire to commit evil deeds. The strong oppress the weak, gradually becoming marauders; they kill one another and devour one another. They do not know how to practice goodness but are evil, rebellious, and devoid of the Way. They encounter the calamities of slaughter, for such consequences naturally follow. The spirits have recorded everything distinctly; transgressions are not pardoned. As this continues without interruption, some become poor, lowly, and solitary beggars; some are blind, deaf, mute, inarticulate, foolish, ugly, or wicked; others are emaciated, sickly, and weak—and all such conditions cannot be fully described. Those who are wealthy, honored, and noble, possessing great ability, penetrating wisdom, and courageous vigor, have all attained these things because in previous lives they practiced goodness, cherished compassionate and filial hearts, showed reverence, gave generously, cultivated virtue, and bestowed kindness. Yet when confronted with government affairs, royal laws, forced labor, or imprisonment, people fail to be anxious and cautious. Instead, they commit evil and violate the law, incur guilt, and receive extremely severe punishment. Even if they seek escape, it is difficult for them to get free. These facts are manifest before their eyes in the present life, and when death comes, it is truly terrifying. They are reborn in places of darkness, as though subjected to punishment under royal law, and suffer extreme anguish. Some are naturally reborn among hungry ghosts, in the hells, or among birds and beasts, becoming animals or insects. Changing form and appearance, they follow evil and disparage the Way. Whether their lives are long or short, their spiritual consciousness and vital essence naturally proceed toward the place where they will enter a womb and assume another form. They must go onward alone, directly toward their destination, and are born in accordance with their deeds. As retribution continues, they must again undergo calamity, censure, and punishment. Until these consequences come to an end, they can never leave those states. They revolve therein for many kalpas and many lives, with no appointed time of release, and it is difficult to escape. Their pain cannot be expressed. Between heaven and earth, such things naturally occur. Although the appointed time may not yet have arrived, calamity may suddenly descend. When the proper time comes, those who have not upheld the natural Way must all return to the paths of good and evil. This is the first great evil, the first suffering, and the first burning.

Such painful hardship, alas, with sorrow, grief, and suffering, is like a fierce fire blazing up and burning the human body. Whoever amid these circumstances single-mindedly settles the intention, conducts the body uprightly, practices rightly, performs good deeds, and commits no evil will transcend that place of fiery burning, acquire abundant merit and virtue, attain longevity, transcend the human world and the heavenly realms, and attain the path of nirvana. This is the greatest good.

The Buddha taught:

– The second evil: Kings, rulers, officials, fathers and sons, elder and younger brothers, families, husbands and wives in the world engage in senseless schemes and do not accord with righteousness, thereby falling into lust, extravagance, arrogance, and conceit. Everyone desires to live happily according to personal wishes, so their minds become unrestrained. They deceive one another completely and have no fear of death. Their minds and mouths differ; their words and thoughts are untrue. They are deceitful, devious, and insincere; their speech is cunning and flattering. Their conduct is not upright, leading them to jealousy and hatred and causing others to be unjustly ruined.

Above them, the king lacks discernment, and his mind does not carefully consider matters, thereby affecting his ministers. The ministers continue to apply and enforce those crude laws. They understand the circumstances and power of a king who occupies his position unrighteously, governs with a deceitful heart, and has abandoned honesty and goodness.

This does not accord with the will of heaven and greatly violates the principles of human conduct. Thus officials deceive the king, sons deceive their fathers, younger brothers deceive their elder brothers, and wives deceive their husbands. Within and outside the family, this pattern of behavior perpetuates itself.

Each person harbors lust and greed, a vicious and wrathful mind, foolishness and delusion, and desires ever greater profit. Though distinctions exist between honored and lowly, superior and subordinate, they disregard male and female, elder and younger. Their minds are all alike, each wishing to appear great and admirable, thereby ruining the family and forgetting the self.

They do not consider what came before or what will follow, nor their families and relatives, and thus incur the offense of destroying their lineage. At times, relatives within and outside the family, friends and acquaintances, neighbors, townspeople, and poor laborers working together even kill one another. They contend over property and money, and anger turns them into enemies as they struggle for victory and defeat.

Greed burns within their minds. They do not know how to give, but miserly cling to what they possess. Craving money and delighting in possessions, they think about them incessantly.

Thus their minds are wearied and their bodies suffer; in the end, they have nowhere to rely upon. They come and go alone, with no one accompanying them. Good and evil, misfortune and blessing, calamity, wrongdoing, censure, and punishment pursue them throughout life and into the next existence.

They may dwell in a place of happiness or enter a place of suffering. Only afterward do they repent and regret, but how could they then return in time? Sometimes, while human, they are foolish and inferior in understanding.

When they see goodness, they become angry, disparage it, and take no delight in it whatsoever; instead, they desire to commit evil. They practice deception and unlawful deeds in their desire for greater profit and constantly harbor harmful intentions. They appropriate the property of others for their own use, squander it until nothing remains, and then rush about seeking more.

With deviant and unrighteous minds, they are often terrified when alone and fear being seen by others. They do not consider the consequences beforehand and regret their actions only when events overtake them. In this present life, they are cast into prison and naturally proceed toward undergoing many faults and calamities.

In the world, they become impoverished and solitary beggars. Because in former lives they bore the guilt of disbelieving in morality and virtue and refused to practice goodness, and because in this life they commit evil, the heavenly spirits record everything distinctly. After death, they again enter the evil realms.

Thus some are naturally reborn in the hells, among hungry birds and beasts, or as tiny insects, revolving through these states life after life and kalpa after kalpa, with no day of release. It is difficult for them to escape, and their pain cannot be fully expressed. This is the second great evil, the second suffering, and the second burning.

Such painful hardship is like a fierce fire blazing up and burning the human body. Whoever amid these circumstances single-mindedly settles the intention, conducts the body uprightly, practices rightly, performs good deeds, and commits no evil will personally attain deliverance, acquire merit and virtue, attain longevity, transcend the human world and the heavenly realms, and advance toward the path of nirvana. This is the second good.

The Buddha taught:

– The third evil: People in this world dwell only temporarily, lodging their bodies and sustaining their lives together between heaven and earth. Their lifespans here do not amount to many years. Some are wealthy, noble, wise, and admirable, while others are poor, haggard, and foolish. Among them are unwholesome people who harbor only malicious thoughts. Their bodies and minds are not upright; they constantly think of lust and debauchery, which smolder and fill their hearts. Entangled in sensual desire, they can neither sit nor stand at ease. Their minds are covetous and miserly, yet they still desire to acquire more. Given to the evil habit of lust, they cast sidelong glances at beautiful forms. Some women become disgusted with them. They secretly come and go, seize control of household property, conspire to commit unlawful deeds, gather to eat and drink together, and join one another in doing evil. They raise armies and become bandits, besiege cities and engage in combat, plunder, kill, slash, and hack, and forcibly seize what is not theirs without regard for the Way, taking others’ property and entering the path of theft. They do not know how to arrange for a peaceful and wholesome life. What they ought to seek, they refuse to do. Their evil minds turn outward; unwilling to work diligently, they seek to seize the fruits of others’ success by using force to terrorize and coerce them, bringing the spoils home to support their families and live together. Their minds are unrestrained, indulging in pleasure to the utmost. They commit sexual misconduct with the spouses of others, even without regard for their own relatives. They recognize neither rank nor seniority. Everyone despises them. They bring calamity and suffering upon their families and society, yet they do not fear the law or governing authorities and thus do not know to avoid such conduct. Evil deeds such as these are recorded, and they must inevitably enter prison. The days and months scrutinize them; divine beings keep the registers, and the spirits make a comprehensive record. Therefore, some will inevitably fall among hell beings, animals, hungry ghosts, or tiny insects. Revolving through these states, life after life and age after age, they have no day of release and find liberation difficult to attain. Their pain cannot be fully described. This is the third great evil, the third suffering, and the third burning.

Such suffering is like a fierce fire blazing up and consuming the human body. Whoever, while amid it, can single-mindedly concentrate the mind, keep the body upright, practice rightly, perform good deeds, and commit no evil will be freed in body, attain merit and virtue, enjoy long life, and transcend the human or heavenly world to advance upon the path to nirvana. This is the third great good.

The Buddha taught:

– The fourth evil: Evil people are incapable of doing good. They corrupt one another and gradually pass evil conduct among themselves, joining together in performing wicked deeds. Foremost in spreading such conduct, they desire only to speak divisively, utter harsh words, revile, deceive, and act jealously, thereby causing quarrels among one another. They hate good people, destroy virtue and goodness, and delight in evil. They are neither filial nor supportive toward their parents and disdain their teachers, patriarchs, and good friends. Deceitful and insincere, they consider themselves noble and virtuous, and thus domineer over others, behave outrageously, and act violently. They use brute force to beat and violate others without realizing their own wrongdoing. They commit evil without shame, regard themselves as heroes, and compel everyone to fear, obey, and submit to them. They do not know to revere or fear heaven and earth, the divine beings, the sun, or the moon. Neither do they teach others to do good. Unable to transform and guide even a single person, they remain insolent and arrogant, believing that things should always be this way. They have no compassionate concern and know no fear. Their minds being so unrestrained and arrogant, the heavenly and divine beings record everything. Because in previous lives they created a little merit and performed a few good deeds, those causes and conditions sustain and assist them. But because they commit evil in this life, their merit and virtue become exhausted, and all benevolent spirits withdraw from them. They are left utterly alone amid the vast world, with nowhere to rely upon, and suffer many calamities. When they are about to die, evil spirits bind them; naturally oppressed and distressed, they are pursued without cease and cannot bring it to an end. Naturally, all their evil deeds swiftly converge upon them. They have been entered into the registers of the divine beings, and calamity leads them onward. Thus they must endure being dragged away to undergo fitting punishments, causing body and mind to be shattered. Their bodily form and consciousness suffer immeasurably, and they cannot escape. They must advance onward and fall into a fiery cauldron. Even if they regret their deeds at that moment, it is of no benefit. The heavenly Way operates naturally—how could they turn back in time?! One must not stumble and fall.

Some must enter the realms of animals, hell beings, hungry ghosts, or tiny insects... Revolving through these states, life after life and age after age, they have no day of release and find liberation difficult to attain. Their pain cannot be fully described. This is the fourth evil, the fourth suffering, and the fourth burning.

Such suffering is like a fierce fire blazing up and consuming the human body. Whoever, while amid it, can single-mindedly concentrate the mind, keep the body upright, practice rightly, perform good deeds, and commit no evil will be freed in body, attain merit and virtue, enjoy long life, and transcend the human or heavenly world to advance upon the path to nirvana. This is the fourth great good.

The Buddha taught:

– The fifth evil: People of the world rely only on indolence and self-indulgence. They refuse to do good and do not consider how to arrange their lives so that they may be peaceful and wholesome. Their wives and children suffer hunger and cold, and so do their parents. When they seek to rebuke and instruct their children, they encounter corrupt children with evil minds, who glare in anger, speak words that cause discord, and violently rebel and oppose them even more fiercely than people of the wilderness, as though they were bitter enemies; it would have been better to have had no children at all. They deceive others and borrow everywhere, so that everyone despises them, yet they do not know to repay their debts or requite kindness. They are poor and distressed and gain nothing. Their wrongdoing and contention follow them as an echo follows a sound. They behave wantonly everywhere, amass a great deal, and freely use it for themselves, fearing no prohibition or restraint. They eat and drink without moderation, delight in drinking wine and feasting, and come and go without restraint. Foolish and offensive, they have no understanding of human feeling and violently coerce others. When they see people of善心, they instead hate, envy, and become angry with them. Lacking propriety and righteousness, they consider themselves powerful, so no one can remonstrate with or admonish them. Nor do they care whether their parents, wives, and children have what they need. They do not think of repaying the kindness of their parents, nor do they remember the kindness of their teachers and patriarchs. Their minds constantly entertain evil, and their mouths constantly speak evil, without ceasing throughout the day. They do not believe in morality and virtue; they do not believe that enlightened sages and worthies have gone before them; they do not believe that doing good is a path by which one can transcend this evil life; and they do not believe that Buddhas exist in the world. They wish to kill arhats and contend with the Sangha of bhiksus. They constantly wish to kill people—to kill their parents, siblings, wives, children, relatives, and friends—and when they see their parents, siblings, wives, children, relatives, or friends, they harbor resentment, hatred, and ill will toward them, wishing only that these people would die. They do not believe the words of the Buddha's sutras. They do not believe that after death people will be reborn in a future life. They do not believe that doing good brings good karmic results. They do not believe that doing evil brings evil karmic results. Such people—whether men or women—all have minds like this: contrary, rebellious, foolish, deluded, craving sensual pleasures, and prone to anger, without understanding. They regard this as happiness and as great wisdom. They do not know whence they came or where they will go after death. They refuse to be compassionate and filial, and instead act wickedly against Heaven and Earth. During that time, they nevertheless hope for good fortune, wishing to live long and make their bodies immortal; yet in the end they return only to the paths of good and evil and to the painful travail of birth and death. Since they have committed evil with their bodies, they will be led to places of calamity and punishment, unable to attain deliverance; nor can they be taught and transformed so as to do good.

They utterly disbelieve the compassionate teachings that open and guide the way from birth and death, good and evil, to a wholesome destination. All the painstaking concern and earnest words intended to bring them deliverance are of no avail to them. Their minds are obstructed and closed, and their thoughts do not awaken to understanding.

When their lives are about to end, only then do they feel profound remorse; but how can such belated remorse avail them?! Having failed to cultivate goodness beforehand, what benefit can there be when they have reached the end of the road? Between Heaven and Earth, the five paths are clearly divided—vast and profound, dark, boundless, dim, and obscure—where beings successively undergo suffering according to good and evil.

Each person must bear it personally; no one can take another's place. The natural course follows the karma one has created, pursuing one throughout life, leaving one no freedom.

Good people do good; from benevolence they attain compassion and filial devotion, from joy they enter realms of joy, and from light they enter realms of light. Evil people do evil; from suffering they enter realms of suffering, and from darkness they enter realms of darkness. Who can know this? Only the Buddha sees and knows it clearly.

Very few people believe and practice the Buddha's teachings; therefore, birth and death continue endlessly, and the evil paths do not cease. People of the world such as these cannot escape the path of delusion. Thus, they themselves fall into the realms of hell-beings, animals, hungry ghosts, or tiny insects, revolving among these states lifetime after lifetime, with no day of release and with deliverance difficult to attain. Their pain cannot be fully described. This is the fifth evil, the fifth suffering, and the fifth burning.

Such suffering is like a raging fire blazing up and burning the human body. Whoever can, amid it, single-mindedly concentrate the will, keep the body upright and conduct correct, make words and deeds correspond, act with the utmost sincerity, speak truthful words, allow no discrepancy between mind and speech, perform good deeds, and refrain from evil deeds will be liberated in body, attain merit and virtue, enjoy longevity, and transcend the human or heavenly realms to advance upon the path to nirvana. This is the fifth great good.

The Buddha told Bodhisattva Ajita and the great assembly:

– I tell you this: The five evil paths in this life are so painful that they give rise to the five sufferings and the five burnings, each arising successively. People in the world refuse to do good and wish only to commit these evil deeds; naturally, they will immediately enter the evil paths. Or, in the present life, they are first afflicted by illness and calamity, unable either to live or to die; these manifest retributions are plainly visible to everyone. At death, they proceed toward places of extreme suffering, filled with grievous sorrow and cruel affliction, mutually consuming one another until they gradually perish. Even into future lives they continue to become bitter enemies and kill one another. From the smallest karmic act to the most extreme distress, all arises from minds of greed and lust, from wealth and beauty, and from not knowing generosity or patience. Each seeks only personal pleasure, not knowing right from wrong, yet wishes to enjoy health and fame. Tormented by deluded desire and unable to obtain what they wish, they become tightly bound within their hearts. Wealth and sensual beauty fetter them, and they cannot attain liberation. They know no weariness or contentment, but themselves contend for ever more objects of desire. Because they lack awareness, their actions are utterly devoid of righteousness or meaning. They do not follow the true and proper path, but delight in glory, splendor, wealth, and rank. They cannot practice patience and do not know to practice generosity and goodness. Their power and prestige are slight, yet the evil reputation that follows them burns fiercely. Their bodies suffer the toil and pain of punishment, naturally pursuing them without end, extremely severe, with no day of escape. The sovereign's laws are widely promulgated, yet they naturally violate the statutes governing those above and below. Ensnared within the bonds of law and discipline, they worry and grieve as they are taken into prison. From ancient times until now, there have been people of this kind. How painful! How truly pitiable!

The Buddha told Bodhisattva Ajita and the great assembly:

– Those who encounter a Buddha in the world all receive the Buddha's compassionate pity and the protection of his awe-inspiring spiritual power. Thus, all their evils are eliminated; they are enabled to abandon evil, accomplish goodness, and bring every anxiety to an end. They know to respectfully uphold the sutras and precepts, comprehend them all, and put the Dharma of the sutras into practice, not daring to oppose or impair it. They attain the unconditioned path of nirvana, gain peace and happiness, and possess inexhaustible wisdom.

The Buddha taught:

– The devas, kings, officials, people, and all those of later generations who hear the words of the Buddha’s sutra should carefully contemplate the Buddha’s teachings. They should be able, in accordance with that Dharma, to make their minds upright and their conduct proper, taking the lead in teaching everyone to follow and do good. They should judiciously govern the realm and teach the people, gradually transforming these teachings into ordinances, so that all may successively encourage one another to do good and together attain liberation. Each person should maintain dignified self-discipline, loving-kindness, and compassion throughout life without ever becoming negligent. They should revere the Three Jewels, honor and respect their parents and teachers, and cherish all living beings. They must not dare to neglect or contravene the Buddha’s instructions. They should strive to transcend this evil world and advance along the path to nirvana; strive to put a complete end to the suffering of birth and death and uproot the roots of evil; strive to sever forever the realms of hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, tiny insects, and all painful and evil paths; and strive to reach the Buddha-land, steadfastly upholding the sutras and the Way without ever neglecting them.

The Buddha said:

– You should do good. What is most urgent? It is this: You must make your own body upright, rectify your own mind, guard your own eyes, guard your own ears, guard your own nose, guard your own mouth, keep your own hands under proper restraint, and keep your own feet under proper restraint. Only then can you discipline yourselves and cultivate the path. Do nothing improper. Body and mind must be pure and wholly accord with wholesome karma. Restrain yourselves inwardly in mind and outwardly in body. Do not follow your cravings, and commit no evil. Speech and action must be harmonious; bodily conduct must be single-minded and steadfast, and whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, you must remain composed. Before undertaking anything that ought to be done, first reflect and plan thoroughly, assess your abilities, examine and deliberate carefully, and calmly arrange matters so that they may be securely accomplished. If you act hastily, without careful forethought, and undertake matters without certainty, all the labor and effort already expended will be lost. When failure comes afterward, you will regret it and bring much suffering upon yourselves. Be trustworthy, sincere, and utterly genuine, and you will attain the Way in this very life.

The Buddha said:

– People such as these should increasingly perform good deeds, bestow kindness, practice generosity, and cultivate virtue. They should not violate the precepts, but should practice patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and wisdom. Gradually they should join in teaching sentient beings, doing good and creating merit in accordance with the Dharma of the sutras. With single-minded loving-kindness, they should observe the pure precepts for one day and one night. Such a person surpasses one who performs good deeds for a hundred years in the land of the Buddha Immeasurable Purity. Why is this? Because in the land of the Buddha Immeasurable Purity, all perform abundant good deeds and accumulate abundant virtue, naturally and without contrivance. In whatever they seek or desire, there is no evil, not even so much as the breadth of a hair.

The Buddha said:

– A person who thus performs good deeds for ten days and nights will obtain merit and virtue surpassing that of people in the Buddha-lands of other directions who perform good deeds for a thousand years. Why is this? Because in the lands of other directions everyone performs good deeds. Those who do good are exceedingly numerous, while those who do evil are few. Therefore, all necessities arise naturally for them, and without laborious seeking, everything is fully provided. In this realm, however, many people do evil and few do good; therefore, without seeking, nothing can be obtained. Whoever can earnestly and properly practice good, wholeheartedly seeking the Way, will attain such a reward. In this world nothing comes about naturally, and nothing is supplied of itself. People must seek amid hardship and toil merely to gain temporary security in life. Gradually this leads to deceit and to doing both good and evil in order to acquire wealth and bring it home to support wife and children. They endure bitter food and drink, affliction and exhausting labor of body and mind, until finally their thoughts become unsettled and they wander restlessly without peace. Whoever can remain inwardly calm and do good, diligently cultivating virtue, will certainly obtain excellent blessed rewards.

The Buddha said:

– I have compassion for all sentient beings, from devas and kings to officials and ordinary people. I instruct them all to perform good deeds and refrain from every evil. According to each person’s capacities and conditions for receiving the teachings, I instruct them all and open the way for them to practice accordingly. Then kings, having been taught to create wholesome karma, in turn instruct their officials; fathers instruct their children; elder brothers instruct younger brothers; husbands instruct their wives; and families, maternal and paternal relatives, and friends instruct one another to speak and do good and to practice the Way. Everyone carefully guards themselves and upholds the sutras and precepts. Those above and those below restrain one another. Whether noble or lowly, male or female, all purely observe the fast and precepts; thus everyone rejoices, lives together in harmony and righteousness, practices loving-kindness and filial devotion, dwells in peace and happiness, and joins in restraining body and mind. Having received the words of the Buddha’s sutra, these people all preserve and contemplate them and dare not commit offenses. If they transgress, they acknowledge their faults, repent, abandon evil and accumulate good, relinquish what is wrong and practice what is right. Hearing the teaching in the morning, they repent by evening. They uphold the sutras and precepts with the utmost strictness, like a poor person who has obtained precious treasure. Wherever the Buddha goes, in whatever land it may be, I immediately impart the sutras and precepts. Devas, spirits, the sun, moon, and stars, kings, officials and commoners, elders, ordinary people, dragons, ghosts and spirits, hell beings, birds, and beasts all revere, obey, and practice them. Thus all are transformed and do good. With minds single-minded and refined, they observe the fast and precepts, cleanse themselves until utterly pure, make their minds upright and their conduct proper, and, with solemn purity, take the lead in teaching everyone to do good. They uphold and practice the prohibitive precepts and ensure that their words are truthful and proper. Ministers know how to serve their king; they are honest, upright, loyal, and faithful, obeying commands without daring to defy them. Fathers teach their children to understand filial obedience and to heed their instructions. Brothers, husbands and wives, relatives, and friends live together harmoniously. Those of higher and lower rank, adults and children, respect one another, observing propriety in accordance with righteousness and neither betraying nor opposing one another. They correct their former faults and perform good deeds in the future, cleansing their thoughts and transforming themselves so that inwardly and outwardly all becomes proper. They naturally practice goodness, and thus their aspirations are fulfilled. Wholesome karma transforms and permeates them in accord with the natural Way; therefore, if they seek freedom from death, they obtain long life. If they seek to transcend the world, they attain the path of nirvana.

The Buddha said:

– The Buddha’s majestic spiritual power is exceedingly sublime and profound. It eradicates evil karma, teaches and transforms beings toward goodness, and leaves none undelivered. Now I have appeared in this world filled with suffering and evil and become a Buddha. With loving-kindness and compassion, I teach, guide, and show the way to devas, kings, officials and close ministers, elders, and the people. According to whatever their hearts delight in and seek, I enable them all to attain the Way. Wherever the Buddha arrives or has passed through—whether countries, administrative districts, hills, villages, or towns—all become prosperous, and the world becomes peaceful and harmonious. The sun and moon always move in their proper courses and shine brilliantly; rain and wind accord with the seasons, and the people live in peace, strong and resilient. In all the places where they dwell, there are no years of poor harvest or epidemics, no sick or emaciated people, and no outbreaks of warfare. Within the country there are no bandits, no miscarriages of justice, and no one is bound, imprisoned, or exiled. All kings, officials, and people are joyful, affectionate, and loyal. By governing themselves with strict discipline, they naturally protect their homeland and live in gentleness, filial harmony, peace, and happiness. Together they bestow kindness and virtue, joyfully helping, loving, and respecting one another. They exchange material possessions for benevolence and righteousness, humbly defer to their superiors, and from beginning to end serve one another with courtesy and reverence, like fathers and sons, like elder and younger brothers. All are virtuous people; harmonious and restrained by propriety, they neither quarrel with nor oppose one another. Their goodness is boundless.

The Buddha taught:

– I have compassion for all beings and wish them to attain deliverance, with an intensity like that of parents longing for their young child. Today, throughout the ten directions, devas, kings, officials, the people, and even the tiniest insects all receive the Buddha’s precepts and sutras and practice the Buddha Way. Their minds and wisdom are opened and illuminated, and all transcend sorrow, pain, and suffering.

Now I have become a Buddha amid the five evils, the five sufferings, and the five burnings. I subdue and transform the five evils, bring the five sufferings to an end, and extinguish the five burnings forever. I replace evil with goodness, uproot the source of suffering, and cause the five good deeds to become pure and excellent, while evil is burned away and can no longer arise.

After I enter nirvana, the teachings of the sutras and the Way will gradually disappear. People will become deceitful and devious, doing only evil and no good; thus the five burnings will arise, and the five intense sufferings will naturally return as before, just as described earlier. As time passes, they will grow ever more severe, beyond full description.

For your sake, I have spoken only briefly of these matters.

The Buddha said to Bodhisattva Ajita and the great assembly:

– You should reflect upon and faithfully uphold the Buddha’s teachings, instructing one another in turn and not daring to violate the Dharma of the Buddha’s sutras.

Bodhisattva Ajita knelt, joined his palms, and said:

– The Buddha has spoken of the most extreme sufferings. Because people commit evil, their suffering becomes so fierce, again and again. Yet with loving-kindness and compassion, the Blessed One rescues and delivers them all. We shall receive and uphold the Buddha’s profound teaching and instruct one another in turn, not daring to transgress it.

The Buddha said to Ananda:

– Out of compassion for you, I shall enable you all to see the Buddha Immeasurable Purity and the bodhisattvas and arhats in that land. Do you wish to see them?

Venerable Ananda rejoiced greatly, knelt, joined his palms, and said:

– We wish to see those noble ones.

The Buddha said:

– Rise, arrange your robes, join your palms facing west, directly toward the setting sun, and bow before the Buddha Immeasurable Purity. Touch your head reverently to the ground and recite: “Namo Immeasurable Purity, Equal Enlightenment.”

Venerable Ananda obeyed the Buddha’s instruction, adjusted his kasaya robe, joined his palms facing west, directly toward the setting sun, and bowed before the Buddha Immeasurable Purity. Touching his head reverently to the ground, he recited:

– Namo Immeasurable Purity, Equal Enlightenment.

Before Venerable Ananda had time to rise, the Buddha Immeasurable Purity immediately manifested his majestic spiritual power and emitted a great light that illuminated the ten directions. The earth and heavens of innumerable lands all shook greatly. Throughout innumerable worlds and celestial realms—the jeweled net of Mount Sumeru, the jeweled net of the great Mount Mahasumeru, and all the smaller and greater worlds and heavens—the great light shone everywhere, fully illuminating even the small and great hells and the deeply dark forests, ravines, and caverns.

At once, Ananda, the bodhisattvas, arhats, devas, kings, and people all beheld the Buddha Immeasurable Purity and the bodhisattvas and arhats in that land of the seven treasures. Their hearts overflowed with joy and exhilaration. They immediately rose, bowed reverently to the ground before the Buddha Immeasurable Purity, and recited together: “Namo Immeasurable Purity, Perfectly and Completely Enlightened One.”

The Buddha Immeasurable Purity emitted dazzling rays of majestic spiritual light. Innumerable devas, humans, and even the tiniest insects beheld the Buddha Immeasurable Purity’s brilliant radiance; thus everyone developed loving-kindness, rejoiced, and performed good deeds. Birds and beasts, hungry ghosts, and beings in the hells who were undergoing interrogation and unbearable torment were granted respite.

They were no longer subjected to torment and were freed from sorrow, anguish, and suffering. The blind regained their sight; the lame could walk and run normally; the sick recovered; the weak became strong; and the foolish became wise. Those filled with lust or anger developed loving-kindness and performed wholesome karma.

Those who had been poisoned could no longer be harmed by the poison. Musical instruments such as bells, drums, zithers, lutes, and harps sounded by themselves. Women’s bracelets and bangles also sounded of themselves.

Birds and beasts spontaneously uttered exceedingly beautiful cries. At that very moment, all beings attained joy and were transformed and delivered.

At that time, in all the Buddha lands, devas offered celestial incense and flowers from the midst of space and scattered flowers over the Buddhas and the Buddha Immeasurable Purity. The devas together played myriad kinds of spontaneous music to delight the Buddhas and the bodhisattvas and arhats. At that moment, the joy was immeasurable and beyond description.

The Buddha said to Bodhisattva Ajita, Venerable Ananda, and the great assembly:

– Was there any discrepancy in what I told you concerning the naturally manifested seven treasures of the land of the Buddha Immeasurable Purity and its bodhisattvas and arhats?

Venerable Ananda knelt, joined his palms, and said:

– Not a single detail differs from what the Buddha said concerning the supreme peace and bliss of the land of the Buddha Immeasurable Purity.

The Buddha taught:

– Even if I were to speak day and night for an entire kalpa about the supreme peace and bliss of that land and the merits and virtues of the Buddha Immeasurable Purity, I could not exhaust the subject. I have spoken only briefly for your sake.

Bodhisattva Ajita knelt, joined his palms, and asked the Buddha:

– Approximately how many non-retrogressing bodhisattvas from this Buddha land attain rebirth in the land of the Buddha Immeasurable Purity? We wish to hear about this.

The Buddha said:

– If you wish to know, focus your minds and listen carefully and clearly.

Bodhisattva Ajita assented respectfully.

The Buddha said:

– From my land, seventy-two billion non-retrogressing bodhisattvas will attain rebirth in the Buddha-land of Immeasurable Purity. These bodhisattvas will successively make offerings to innumerable Buddhas and, in due course, like Bodhisattva Maitreya, will all become Buddhas. Moreover, in this land there are also exceedingly many lesser bodhisattvas, innumerable and beyond reckoning, who will all attain rebirth in the Buddha-land of Immeasurable Purity.

The Buddha told Bodhisattva Ajita:

– It is not only the bodhisattvas in my land who will be born in the Buddha-land of Immeasurable Purity; the same is also true of Buddhas in lands of other directions.

The first Buddha is named Far-Shining Flame. In his land, eighteen billion bodhisattvas will be born in the Buddha-land of Immeasurable Purity.

In a land of another direction, the second Buddha is named Accumulation of Jewels. In his land, nine billion bodhisattvas will be born in the Buddha-land of Immeasurable Purity.

In a land of another direction, the third Buddha is named Gentle and Stainless. Twenty-two billion bodhisattvas will be born in the Buddha-land of Amitabha.

In a land of another direction, the fourth Buddha is named Limitless Radiance. In his land, 250 bodhisattvas will be born in the Buddha-land of Immeasurable Purity.

In a land of another direction, the fifth Buddha is named Unsurpassed in the World. In his land, sixty billion bodhisattvas will be born in the Buddha-land of Immeasurable Purity.

In a land of another direction, the sixth Buddha is named Valiant Light. In his land, fourteen thousand bodhisattvas will be born in the Buddha-land of Immeasurable Purity.

In a land of another direction, the seventh Buddha is named Perfectly Harmonious and Excellent. In his land, 1.4 billion bodhisattvas will be born in the Buddha-land of Immeasurable Purity.

In a land of another direction, the eighth Buddha is named King of Heroic Wisdom. In his land, eight hundred million bodhisattvas will be born in the Buddha-land of Immeasurable Purity.

In a land of another direction, the ninth Buddha is named One of Unequaled Great Power. In his land, 81.1 billion bodhisattvas will be born in the Buddha-land of Immeasurable Purity.

In a land of another direction, the tenth Buddha is named Auspicious. In his land, one trillion bodhisattvas will be born in the Buddha-land of Immeasurable Purity.

In a land of another direction, the eleventh Buddha is named Wisdom and Eloquence. In his land, twelve thousand bodhisattvas will be born in the Buddha-land of Immeasurable Purity.

In a land of another direction, the twelfth Buddha is named Unsurpassed Flower. In his land are immeasurable and innumerable bodhisattvas—so many that they cannot be counted—all of whom possess all-knowing wisdom and courageous insight. These bodhisattvas have made offerings to innumerable Buddhas and, having all simultaneously formed the aspiration to attain rebirth there, will be born in the Buddha-land of Immeasurable Purity.

In a land of another direction, the thirteenth Buddha is named Delighting in the Great Wondrous Sound. In his land, seventy-nine billion bodhisattvas will be born in the Buddha-land of Immeasurable Purity.

The Buddha taught:

– These bodhisattvas are all non-retrogressing. In these lands there are also bhiksus and innumerable lesser bodhisattvas who will all be born in the Buddha-land of Immeasurable Purity. It is not only the bodhisattvas in those fourteen Buddha-lands who attain rebirth there; the bodhisattvas in innumerable Buddha-lands throughout the ten directions will likewise attain it. Those who will be born in the Buddha-land of Immeasurable Purity are immeasurable and boundless in number. They will all assemble in the Buddha-land of Immeasurable Purity, forming a multitude beyond reckoning. Were I merely to recite the names of the innumerable Buddhas throughout the ten directions continuously, day and night, for an entire kalpa, I still could not finish. Were I also to speak without rest for an entire kalpa about the bhiksus and assemblies of bodhisattvas in those Buddha-lands, and the number of beings who will be born in the Buddha-land of Immeasurable Purity, I still could not exhaust the account. For your sake, I have given only a brief outline.

The Buddha told Bodhisattva Ajita, Venerable Ananda, and the great assembly:

– The kings, people, good men, and good women in those lands practiced wholesome karma in former lives and thus obtained merit and blessings. Therefore, when they hear the sound of the Buddha Immeasurable Purity, loving-kindness and joy arise in their hearts, and I rejoice together with them.

The Buddha taught:

– When those good men and good women hear the sound of the Buddha Immeasurable Purity, loving-kindness and joy arise in their hearts, while their minds become pure and uplifted. Their hair stands on end, and they are deeply moved. All this is because they formerly followed and practiced the Buddha Way.

Elsewhere, among extraordinary bodhisattvas, there may be people or good men and good women who hear the sound of the Buddha Immeasurable Purity but do not believe that this Buddha exists, do not believe the words of the Buddhist sutras, and do not believe that there is a Sangha of bhiksus. Their hearts are filled with doubt, and they believe nothing at all. You should know that these people have come from evil paths and were born from delusion; therefore, they understand nothing of their former lives. They have not yet put an end to evil calamities and cannot yet escape the course of birth and death. Thus, their hearts are filled with doubt, and they do not know where to direct their faith.

The Buddha taught:

– Since you have practiced wholesome Dharma, you should have faith in and follow that wholesome Dharma. After I enter nirvana, do not let yourselves or people of future generations say, “I do not believe that the Buddha-land of Immeasurable Purity exists.” Therefore, I now enable all of you to behold the Buddha-land of Immeasurable Purity. For those who are practicing or personally seeking it, I cause the precept sutras accordant with the Dharma to be expounded to you. You should preserve them in accordance with the Buddha-Dharma and allow nothing to be lacking. I entrust this sutra to you as my final testament. You should carefully preserve it and must not allow the Dharma of this sutra to be erroneously increased or diminished. After I enter nirvana, the teachings of the sutras and the Way will remain for only one thousand years. After those thousand years, the teachings of the sutras and the Way will disappear completely and no longer remain. You may attain the Way according to the aspirations in your hearts.

The Buddha taught:

– One who serves as a teacher, opening the path and showing the way, whose wisdom is clear and penetrating, who aids all beings, enables them to attain wholesome Dharma, and brings them into accord with the path to nirvana, must always be compassionate and filial. Regard the Buddha as you would your parents, constantly recollect the kindness of your teachers, and remember it forever without forgetting; then you will swiftly attain the Way.

In this world, it is exceedingly difficult to encounter a Buddha, and it is also difficult to find someone with faith who accepts a teacher’s profound words of the sutras and Dharma. It is exceedingly difficult to encounter a sramana or teacher who expounds the Buddha’s sutras to others.

When the Buddha taught this sutra, 1.2 trillion devas and human beings all attained the divine eye, with which they could see all things thoroughly. With one mind, they practiced the bodhisattva path together. Twenty-two billion devas and humans attained the stage of anagamin, eight hundred sramanas attained arhatship, and four billion bodhisattvas reached non-retrogression.

After the Buddha had taught this sutra, the bodhisattvas, arhats, devas, kings, and people all rejoiced greatly. Facing the Buddha, they respectfully circumambulated him three times, bowed their heads, reverently paid homage at his feet, and withdrew.

THE SUTRA SPOKEN BY THE BUDDHA

ON IMMEASURABLE PURITY, EQUALITY, AND ENLIGHTENMENT

End of Fascicle Four