English
English version Calamities are forever extinguished. Seven, even if precepts are broken, one can still return to purity. Eight, one receives grace in times of difficulty. These are the initial benefits. This person should create images of the Tathagata (another name for the Buddha). The Sutra on the Merit of Creating Images says: At that time, King Udayana (Udayana, an ancient Indian king) again said to the Buddha: 'People who do good deeds, what blessings should they receive? After the Buddha departs, I fear I will not see the Buddha again. Now I want to create an image of the Buddha, respectfully serve it, what merit will I gain? May the Buddha have mercy and explain it to me.' The Buddha told the king: 'Creating an image of the Buddha repays parents, making them see joy, uprightness, majesty, being valued and loved, and never being weary. Creating an image of the Buddha repays with a golden body, flames of light, like a wonderful lion image, beings see and rejoice. Creating an image of the Buddha repays with birth among the blessed people of Jambudvipa (Jambudvipa, the human world), the great Kshatriyas (Kshatriya, nobility), Brahmins (Brahmin, priests). Creating an image of the Buddha repays with not being born in border countries, not being blind or ugly, the six senses are always complete. Creating an image of the Buddha repays with recalling past lives at the time of death, seeing the Buddha before them, not feeling the pain of death.' Also, the first volume of the Lotus Sutra says: 'If someone for the sake of the Buddha, establishes various images, carves and sculpts various features, all have attained Buddhahood. Or made of the seven treasures (seven treasures), or made of brass, red and white copper, tin, and lead and tin, iron, wood, and mud, or elaborately decorated with glue and lacquer, cloth, making Buddha images, such people have all attained Buddhahood.' Painting and drawing Buddha images, with a hundred blessings and adorned features, making them oneself, or having others make them, all have attained Buddhahood. Regarding Loving-kindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity (Four Immeasurables), the third volume of the Vimalakirti Sutra, Manjusri (Manjusri, name of a Bodhisattva) asked: 'How does one practice loving-kindness?' Vimalakirti (Vimalakirti, name of a lay Bodhisattva) said: 'A Bodhisattva has this thought: I should expound the Dharma for sentient beings, this is true loving-kindness.' What is compassion? The answer is: The merits that a Bodhisattva performs are all given to all sentient beings. What is joy? The answer is: Having benefited others, rejoicing without regret. What is equanimity? The answer is: The blessings one has made, without any hope of return. Also, the fifteenth chapter of the Nirvana Sutra says: 'Those who cultivate loving-kindness can cut off greed. Those who cultivate compassion can cut off anger. Those who cultivate joy can cut off unhappiness. Those who cultivate equanimity can cut off greed and anger in sentient beings. There are two kinds of anger, one accumulated from the past, and the other accumulated in the present. Those who cultivate loving-kindness can cut off past anger. Those who cultivate compassion can cut off present anger.' --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
。又解为诸众生除无利益。是名大慈。欲与众生无量利乐是名大悲。于诸众生生欢喜心。是名大喜。无所拥护名为大舍。若不见我法相己身见一切法平等无二。是名大舍。自舍己乐施与他人是名大舍。问法有多门。何故唯修慈悲喜舍。答如偈说言。若于一众生不生瞋恚心。而愿与彼乐是名为慈善。一切众生中。若起于悲心。是名圣种性。得福报无量。假使五通仙悉满此大地。有大自在王奉施。其所安象马种种物所得福报果不及修一慈十六分中一下三亦尔。 经。应念彼如来本昔大愿 二劝念昔愿。谓忆念彼药师如来本昔所发殊胜大愿。 经。并解释此经如所思念 三如所思念。问解释此经有何尊胜。答金刚般若经说。随所有处说是法门。乃至四句偈等。当知此处一切世间天人阿。 经。如所愿求至得男女 四称遂所求。谓诸有所求皆得圆满。修罗皆应供养如佛塔庙。 经。或复有人至皆悉隐没 五百怪长蠲诸恶梦相怪鸟于其住所百怪出现。若能供养彼如来者。诸不吉祥由斯隐没。 经。或有水怖至皆得解脱 六众灾永弥文分为二。一逢自境难。二逢他国难。此则初也。水火等怖是非情难。诸恶兽等是有情难。谓由忆念彼如来故。一切众难皆得解脱。 经。若他国侵扰至恭敬尊重 又解释为使一切众生脱离无利益之事，这叫做大慈（Maha-maitri，伟大的慈爱）。希望给予众生无量的利益和快乐，这叫做大悲（Maha-karuna，伟大的悲悯）。对于一切众生生起欢喜之心，这叫做大喜（Maha-mudita，伟大的喜悦）。没有任何执着和偏袒，这叫做大舍（Maha-upeksha，伟大的舍弃）。如果能不见我法之相，以己身见一切法平等无二，这叫做大舍。舍弃自己的快乐施与他人，这叫做大舍。有人问，修习佛法有很多法门，为何唯独要修习慈、悲、喜、舍四无量心？回答说，如偈语所说：如果对于一个众生不生起嗔恨之心，并且希望给予他快乐，这叫做慈善。在一切众生中，如果生起悲悯之心，这就是圣者的种性，能得到无量的福报。假使有五神通的仙人充满整个大地，有大自在王奉献所有安乐的象、马以及种种物品，他们所得的福报果实，也比不上修习一分慈心十六分之一的福报，喜和舍也是如此。 经文说：‘应忆念彼如来本昔大愿’——这是第二点，劝人忆念往昔的誓愿。意思是忆念药师如来（Bhaisajya-guru，药师琉璃光如来）过去所发的殊胜大愿。 经文说：‘并解释此经如所思念’——这是第三点，如所思念。有人问，解释这部经有什么殊胜之处？回答说，《金刚般若经》（Vajracchedika Prajna-paramita Sutra，能断金刚般若波罗蜜多经）中说，无论在什么地方宣说这部法门，乃至仅仅是四句偈等，应当知道这个地方，一切世间的天人阿修罗（Asura，非天）都应当像供养佛塔寺庙一样供养它。 经文说：‘如所愿求至得男女’——这是第四点，称遂所求。意思是说，人们的各种愿望都能得到圆满，包括求子得子，求女得女。 经文说：‘或复有人至皆悉隐没’——这是第五点，使各种怪异现象消失。如果住所出现各种怪异现象，或者做恶梦，或者有怪鸟出现，如果能够供养药师如来，各种不吉祥的事情都会因此消失。 经文说：‘或有水怖至皆得解脱’——这是第六点，使各种灾难永远消失。文句可以分为两部分：一是遭遇自身环境的灾难，二是遭遇他国的侵略。这里说的是第一种情况。水灾、火灾等灾难是非人为的灾难，各种恶兽等是有情众生造成的灾难。意思是说，由于忆念药师如来，一切灾难都能得到解脱。 经文说：‘若他国侵扰至恭敬尊重’
English
Furthermore, it is explained as removing non-beneficial things for all sentient beings, which is called Maha-maitri (great loving-kindness). Wishing to give sentient beings immeasurable benefits and happiness is called Maha-karuna (great compassion). Generating a joyful mind towards all sentient beings is called Maha-mudita (great joy). Having no attachment or partiality is called Maha-upeksha (great equanimity). If one can see that the Dharma has no self-nature, and perceive all dharmas as equal and non-dual, this is called Maha-upeksha. Giving up one's own happiness to give to others is called Maha-upeksha. Someone asks, there are many methods for practicing the Dharma, why only cultivate the four immeasurables of loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity? The answer is, as the verse says: If one does not generate anger towards a single sentient being, and wishes to give them happiness, this is called charity. Among all sentient beings, if one generates a compassionate heart, this is the nature of a sage, and one can obtain immeasurable blessings. Even if there were immortals with five supernatural powers filling the entire earth, and a great sovereign offering all comfortable elephants, horses, and various objects, the merit they obtain would not be comparable to one-sixteenth of one part of cultivating loving-kindness; joy and equanimity are the same. The sutra says: 'One should remember the original great vows of that Tathagata' - this is the second point, encouraging people to remember the vows of the past. It means to remember the extraordinary great vows made in the past by Bhaisajya-guru (Medicine Buddha). The sutra says: 'And explain this sutra according to what is thought' - this is the third point, according to what is thought. Someone asks, what is the special merit of explaining this sutra? The answer is, the Vajracchedika Prajna-paramita Sutra (Diamond Sutra) says that wherever this Dharma is spoken, even if it is only a four-line verse, one should know that all the gods, humans, and Asuras (demi-gods) in that world should make offerings to it as if it were a Buddha's stupa or temple. The sutra says: 'According to what is desired, one can obtain sons or daughters' - this is the fourth point, fulfilling what is sought. It means that people's various wishes can be fulfilled, including obtaining sons if they wish for sons, and obtaining daughters if they wish for daughters. The sutra says: 'Or if someone... all will disappear' - this is the fifth point, causing various strange phenomena to disappear. If various strange phenomena appear in one's dwelling, or one has nightmares, or strange birds appear, if one can make offerings to Bhaisajya-guru, all inauspicious things will disappear because of this. The sutra says: 'Or if there is fear of water... all will be liberated' - this is the sixth point, causing various disasters to disappear forever. The sentence can be divided into two parts: one is encountering disasters in one's own environment, and the other is encountering invasions from other countries. This refers to the first situation. Disasters such as floods and fires are non-intentional disasters, and various evil beasts are disasters caused by sentient beings. It means that by remembering Bhaisajya-guru, all disasters can be liberated. The sutra says: 'If there is invasion from another country... with respect and reverence' --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
二逢他国难。谓他邦土诸恶王等贪国位故。侵掠封邑恐动百姓等。是他国难。由念药师如来名故。他方逆贼不能为害。恭敬尊重者。谦逊畏难言恭。推其智德言敬。一切众中德无过上言尊。敬畏之心过于父母言重。 经。复次至五百戒 七毁禁还净文分为四。一持戒。二毁禁。三供养。四蒙救。此则初也。问众生何故受三归依。答涅槃第五云。一切众生怖畏生死诸烦恼故。故受三归。譬如群鹿怖畏猎师既得免离。若得一跳则喻一归。如是三跳则喻三归。以三跳故得受安乐众生亦尔。怖四魔恶猎师故受三归依。三归依故则得安乐。云何不事余天者。智论第二云。如摩醯首罗天。此云大自在。八臂三眼。骑白牛如韦纽天。此云遍闷四臂捉具持轮骑金翅鸟。鸠摩罗天此云童子。擎鸡持铃捉赤幡骑孔雀。皆诸天大将。是三天爱之令人得如愿。是三天恶之令人七世灭。既有如此力。云何不事天。答是天一切常怖畏不能除却诸衰苦。有人奉事恭敬者。现世不免没忧海。有人不敬不供养。现世不妨受富乐。当知虚诳无实事。是故智人不属天。又随愿往生经说。自作自得非天与人。问如受八戒八种缘具始成于戒未知五戒为总受始成亦通别受。答智论十三云。五戒有五种受名五种忧婆塞。一者一分行忧婆塞。二者少分行优婆塞。 现代汉语译本 二、遭遇他国侵略的灾难。这是指其他国家的那些邪恶的国王，因为贪图我国的国土和地位，所以侵略我们的封地和城邑，惊扰和威胁我国的百姓等等。这就是他国侵略的灾难。如果能够一心忆念药师琉璃光如来的名号，那么他方来的叛逆贼寇就不能够加害于你。恭敬尊重药师如来的人，是怎样做的呢？谦虚谨慎，畏惧危难，这叫做‘恭’。推崇药师如来的智慧和德行，这叫做‘敬’。在一切大众之中，没有谁的德行能够超过药师如来，这叫做‘尊’。敬畏药师如来的心，超过对父母的敬畏，这叫做‘重’。 经文说：‘复次，’到‘五百戒’。下面这段经文，将‘毁犯戒律后如何恢复清净’分为四个部分来讲解：一是持戒，二是毁禁，三是供养，四是蒙受救护。这里讲的是第一部分。有人问：众生为什么要受持三归依（Sanctuary）呢？回答是：《涅槃经》（Nirvana Sutra）第五卷中说：一切众生因为怖畏生死轮回的诸般烦恼，所以才要受持三归依。譬如一群鹿，怖畏猎人的追捕，一旦得以逃脱，如果跳跃了一下，就比喻一次归依；像这样跳跃三次，就比喻三次归依。因为这三次跳跃，鹿才能得到安乐。众生也是这样，因为怖畏四魔（Four Maras）恶猎师的侵害，所以才要受持三归依。受持三归依的缘故，就能得到安乐。为什么不能侍奉其他的诸天呢？《大智度论》（Mahaprajnaparamita-sastra）第二卷中说：比如摩醯首罗天（Mahesvara）（大自在天），翻译成汉语就是‘大自在’，有八只手臂，三只眼睛，骑着白色的牛。又如韦纽天（Visnu），翻译成汉语就是‘遍闷’，有四只手臂，拿着各种法器，持轮，骑着金翅鸟。还有鸠摩罗天（Kumara），翻译成汉语就是‘童子’，擎着鸡，拿着铃，捉着赤色的旗帜，骑着孔雀。这些都是诸天的大将。这三天如果喜爱某人，就能使人如愿以偿；这三天如果厌恶某人，就能使人七世灭亡。既然有如此大的威力，为什么不能侍奉他们呢？回答是：这些天神自身也常常处于怖畏之中，不能够去除各种衰败和痛苦。有人奉事恭敬他们，现世也不能免除沉没在忧愁的苦海之中；有人不敬不供养他们，现世也不会妨碍他享受富贵和快乐。应当知道这些都是虚妄不实的。所以有智慧的人不归属于诸天。又，《随愿往生经》（Sutra on Rebirth by Vow）中说：自作自受，不是天神给予的。有人问：如果受持八关斋戒，要八种因缘具足才能成就戒体，那么五戒（Five Precepts）是总受才能成就戒体，还是分别受也可以呢？回答是：《大智度论》（Mahaprajnaparamita-sastra）第十三卷中说：五戒有五种受持方式，因此有五种优婆塞（Upasaka）的名称。第一种叫做‘一分行优婆塞’。