English
English version: Lamps, scattering flowers and burning incense, dedicating this merit and virtue, wishing to be reborn in that land. When such a person is approaching death, Amitabha Buddha (Amita Buddha, meaning 'Immeasurable Life Buddha') will manifest his body, with radiant light and excellent marks, just like the true Buddha, and appear before this person with all the great assembly of Bodhisattvas. This person will then follow Amitabha Buddha and be reborn in that land, dwelling in the state of non-retrogression. Their merit and wisdom will be second only to those of the highest grade. The Buddha told Ananda (Ananda, one of the ten great disciples of the Buddha): Those of the lowest grade are the gods and people of the ten directions, who sincerely desire to be reborn in that land. Even if they cannot perform various meritorious deeds, they should arouse the supreme Bodhi mind, focusing their minds single-pointedly, even to the extent of reciting the name of Amitabha Buddha ten times, wishing to be reborn in that land. If they hear the wonderful Dharma, rejoice and believe in it, without giving rise to doubts, even to the extent of reciting the name of that Buddha once, with utmost sincerity, wishing to be reborn in that land, this person will see Amitabha Buddha in a dream at the time of death and will also be reborn there. Their merit and wisdom will be second only to those of the middle grade. Secondly, as stated in the Visualization Sutra (Visualization Sutra, also known as the Contemplation Sutra): At that time, the World Honored One told Vaidehi (Vaidehi, the queen of King Bimbisara of Rajagriha in ancient India): 'Do you know that Amitabha Buddha is not far from here? You should focus your mind and carefully contemplate that Pure Land. For those who have accomplished the practice of pure karma, I will now extensively explain various metaphors for you, so that all ordinary beings in future generations who wish to cultivate pure karma can be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Those who wish to be reborn in that land should cultivate three kinds of meritorious deeds: First, be filial to parents, serve teachers and elders, practice non-killing with a compassionate heart, and cultivate the ten wholesome deeds; second, take refuge in the Three Jewels, fully observe all precepts, and do not violate the rules of conduct; third, arouse the Bodhi mind, deeply believe in cause and effect, recite the Mahayana scriptures, and encourage others to practice.' These three things are called pure karma. The Buddha told Vaidehi: 'Do you know that these three kinds of karma are the right causes for the Buddhas of the past, future, and present to cultivate pure karma?' The Buddha told Ananda and Vaidehi: Those of the lowest of the lowest grade, perhaps there are beings who create unwholesome karma, commit the five rebellious acts and the ten evil deeds, and are full of all kinds of unwholesome actions. Such foolish people, because of their evil karma, should fall into the evil realms, experience countless kalpas, and suffer endless pain. Such foolish people, when approaching the end of their lives, encounter a good teacher, who comforts them in various ways and speaks the wonderful Dharma for them, teaching them to recite the Buddha's name. This person is oppressed by suffering and has no time to recite the Buddha's name. The good friend --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
告言。汝若不能念者。应称无量寿佛。如是至心令声不绝。具足十念。称南无佛。称佛名故。于念念中。除八十亿劫生死之罪。命终之后。见金莲华犹如日轮住其人前。如一念顷。即得往生极乐世界。于莲华中。满十二大劫。莲华方开。观世音。大势至。大悲音声。为其广说诸法实相除灭罪法。闻已欢喜。应时即发菩提之心。是名中品下生者。是名下辈生相。名第十六观。释曰。依九品生因中。皆分前三福净业。作九品因。亦不独一人具修三福净业也。 第三小弥陀经云。舍利弗。众生闻者。应当发愿愿生彼国。所以者何。得与如是诸上善人俱会一处。舍利弗。不可以少善根福德因缘得生彼国。舍利弗。若有善男子善女人。闻说阿弥陀佛。执持名号。若一日。若二日。若三日。若四日。若五日。若六日。若七日。一心不乱。其人临命终时。弥陀佛与诸圣众。现在其前。是人终时。心不颠倒。即得往生阿弥陀佛极乐国土。舍利弗。我见是利。故说此言。若有众生闻是说者。应当发愿。生彼国土。释曰。依此经。少善根是空发愿。广善根是七日念佛。若能七日念佛。满百万遍。即得往生也。 第四鼓音声王经云。如是我闻。一时佛在瞻波大城伽灵池。与大比丘众五百人俱。尔时世尊告诸比丘。今当为汝。广说 现代汉语译本： （佛）告诫说：‘你如果不能诵念（经文），应当称念‘无量寿佛’（Amitābha，阿弥陀佛）。像这样至诚恳切，让声音不间断，具足十念。称念‘南无佛’（Namo Buddha，皈依佛）。因为称念佛的名号，在每一个念头中，都能消除八十亿劫生死轮回的罪业。命终之后，会看见金色的莲花，像太阳一样，出现在这个人面前。像一念的时间那么短，就能往生到极乐世界。在莲花中，经过十二大劫，莲花才会开放。观世音（Avalokiteśvara，观音菩萨）、大势至（Mahāsthāmaprāpta，大势至菩萨），以大悲的声音，为他广泛地宣说诸法实相，消除罪业的方法。听了之后，心生欢喜，当下就发起菩提之心。’这叫做中品下生者，这叫做下辈往生的景象，叫做第十六观。解释说：依据九品往生的原因中，都分前三福的清净行业，作为九品往生的原因，也不是只有一个人同时修习三种福德的清净行业。 第三部《小弥陀经》说：‘舍利弗（Śāriputra，舍利弗）！众生听闻之后，应当发愿往生那个佛国。为什么呢？因为能够与这些上等的善人聚集在一起。舍利弗！不能以少量的善根福德因缘，就能往生那个佛国。舍利弗！如果有善男子、善女人，听闻宣说阿弥陀佛（Amitābha，阿弥陀佛），执持名号，如果一日、二日、三日、四日、五日、六日、七日，一心不乱。这个人临命终时，阿弥陀佛与诸位圣众，会出现在他的面前。这个人临终时，心不颠倒，就能往生到阿弥陀佛的极乐国土。舍利弗！我看见这个利益，所以说这些话。如果有众生听闻这些话，应当发愿，往生那个佛国。’解释说：依据这部经，少量的善根只是空发愿，广大的善根是七日念佛。如果能够七日念佛，念满百万遍，就能往生。 第四部《鼓音声王经》说：‘像我这样听闻，一时佛在瞻波大城伽灵池，与大比丘众五百人在一起。当时世尊告诉各位比丘，现在要为你们广泛地宣说……’
English
English version: (The Buddha) advised: 'If you cannot recite (the scriptures), you should chant 'Amitābha' (无量寿佛). Be sincere in this way, keeping the sound continuous, and complete ten recitations. Chant 'Namo Buddha' (南无佛, Homage to the Buddha). Because of chanting the Buddha's name, in each thought, you can eliminate the sins of eighty billion kalpas of birth and death. After death, you will see a golden lotus flower, like the sun, appearing in front of that person. In the time of a single thought, you will be reborn in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Within the lotus flower, after twelve great kalpas, the lotus will bloom. Avalokiteśvara (观世音, Guanyin Bodhisattva), Mahāsthāmaprāpta (大势至, Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva), with voices of great compassion, will extensively explain to him the true nature of all dharmas and the methods of eliminating sins. After hearing this, he will rejoice and immediately generate the Bodhi mind.' This is called the Lower Grade of the Middle Level of Rebirth, this is called the appearance of rebirth in the Lower Grade, called the Sixteenth Contemplation. Explanation: According to the causes of the Nine Grades of Rebirth, all divide the pure karma of the previous three blessings as the causes of the Nine Grades of Rebirth, and it is not only one person who simultaneously cultivates the pure karma of the three kinds of blessings. The third 'Smaller Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra' says: 'Śāriputra (舍利弗)! Sentient beings who hear this should make a vow to be born in that Buddha-land. Why? Because they can gather together with such superior good people in one place. Śāriputra! One cannot be born in that Buddha-land with few roots of goodness, blessings, and causes and conditions. Śāriputra! If there are good men and good women who hear about Amitābha (阿弥陀佛), hold onto his name, for one day, two days, three days, four days, five days, six days, seven days, with one mind unperturbed. When this person is about to die, Amitābha Buddha and all the holy assembly will appear before him. When this person dies, his mind will not be inverted, and he will be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss of Amitābha Buddha. Śāriputra! I see this benefit, so I say these words. If there are sentient beings who hear these words, they should make a vow to be born in that Buddha-land.' Explanation: According to this sutra, few roots of goodness are just empty vows, and great roots of goodness are seven days of chanting the Buddha's name. If one can chant the Buddha's name for seven days, completing one million recitations, one will be reborn. The fourth 'Drum Sound King Sutra' says: 'Thus have I heard, at one time the Buddha was in the great city of Champa, at the Kalinga Pond, with five hundred great Bhikshus. At that time, the World Honored One told the Bhikshus, now I will extensively explain to you...' --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
西方安乐世界。今现有佛号阿弥陀。若有四众。能正受持彼佛名号。以此功德。临欲终时。阿弥陀佛即与大众。至此人所。令其得见。见已。寻生庆悦。倍增功德。以是因缘。所生之处。永离胞胎。秽欲之形。纯处鲜妙宝莲华中。自然化生。具大神通。光明赫奕。尔时十方恒沙诸佛。皆共赞彼安乐世界所有佛法不可思议。神通现化。种种方便。不可思议。若能有信如是之事。当知。是人不可思议。所得业报亦不可思议。阿弥陀如来应正遍知。与声闻俱。其国号曰清泰。圣王所住。其城纵广十千由旬。中充满刹利之种。阿弥陀佛如来应正遍知。父名月上转轮圣王。其母名曰殊胜妙颜。子名月明。奉事弟子名无垢称。智慧弟子名曰揽光。神足弟子名曰大化。尔时魔王名曰无胜。有提婆达多。名曰寂静。阿弥陀佛与大比丘众二万人俱。若有受持彼佛名号。坚固其心。忆念不忌。十日十夜。除舍散乱。精勤修集念佛三昧。知彼如来常恒住于安乐世界。忆念相续。勿令断绝。受持读诵此鼓音声王大陀罗尼。十日十夜。六时专念。五体投地。礼敬彼佛。坚固正念。悉除散乱。若能令心念念不绝。十日之中。必得见彼阿弥陀佛。并见十方世界如来。及所住处。唯除重障钝根之人。于今少时。所不能睹。一切诸善皆悉回向。愿得往生安 现代汉语译本 西方极乐世界，现在有一尊佛，名号是阿弥陀（Amitabha，无量光、无量寿）。如果有四众弟子（比丘、比丘尼、优婆塞、优婆夷），能够以正确的信念和行为受持阿弥陀佛的名号，凭借这种功德，在临命终时，阿弥陀佛就会与诸菩萨大众一同来到此人面前，让他得见。见到之后，此人随即心生欢喜，功德倍增。因为这种因缘，此人所往生之处，永远脱离胞胎和污秽情欲的形体，完全处于清净美妙的宝莲花中，自然化生，具备大神通，光明炽盛。那时，十方如恒河沙数般的诸佛，都会共同赞叹那安乐世界所有佛法不可思议，神通示现变化种种方便，不可思议。如果有人能够相信这样的事情，应当知道，这个人不可思议，所得到的业报也不可思议。阿弥陀如来应正遍知（Tathagata Arhat Samyaksambuddha，如实而来、应供、正等觉），与声闻弟子在一起，他的国名叫清泰（Ching-tai），是圣王所居住的地方，那座城池纵横各有十千由旬（yojana，古印度长度单位），其中充满刹利（Kshatriya，印度种姓制度中的第二等级，即武士阶层）种姓的人。阿弥陀佛如来应正遍知的父亲名叫月上转轮圣王（Chandra-uttara Chakravarti，拥有统治世界的轮宝的理想君主），他的母亲名叫殊胜妙颜（Visesa-rupavati），儿子名叫月明（Chandra-prabha），侍奉的弟子名叫无垢称（Vimala-kirti），智慧弟子名叫揽光（Aloka-kara），神足弟子名叫大化（Maha-parinayaka）。那时的魔王名叫无胜（Ajita），有提婆达多（Devadatta，佛陀的堂兄弟，常与佛陀作对）名叫寂静（Prasanta）。阿弥陀佛与大比丘众二万人在一起。如果有人受持阿弥陀佛的名号，坚定他的心，忆念不忘，十日十夜，去除散乱，精勤修习念佛三昧（Buddhanusmrti-samadhi，专注念佛的禅定），知道阿弥陀来常恒住在安乐世界，忆念相续不断绝，受持读诵此鼓音声王大陀罗尼（Dundubhisvara-raja-mahadharani，一种强大的咒语），十日十夜，六时专心念佛，五体投地，礼敬阿弥陀佛，坚定正念，完全去除散乱。如果能够使心念念念不绝，在十日之中，必定得见阿弥陀佛，并见到十方世界如来，以及他们所居住的地方，只有那些业障深重、根器迟钝的人，在短时间内不能够见到。一切诸善都全部回向，愿得往生安乐世界。