Chinese
此言池外也。四边者。中为池水。周围四边为阶道也。离地为阶。坦途为道。金银等四宝也。 上有楼阁。亦以金银琉璃玻璃砗磲赤珠玛瑙。而严饰之。 重屋曰楼。岑楼曰阁。此金银等七宝也。观经云。黄金地上。一一宝中。五百色光。其光如华。成光明台。楼阁千万。百宝合成。大本云。阿弥陀佛。讲堂精舍。宫殿楼阁。皆以七宝。菩萨所居。亦复如是。诸天及人。宫宇楼阁。称其形色。高下大小。或以一宝二宝。至无量宝。华严云。危楼回带。阁道旁出。栋宇相承。窗闼交映。阶墀轩楹。种种满足。一切皆以七宝庄严。 池中莲华。大如车轮。 此言池中也。车轮言其形也。观经云。一一池有七宝莲华。团圆正等。十二由旬。大本云。众宝莲华。周遍世界。一一宝华。有无量百千亿叶。则华之大可知。如来藏经云。尔时世尊。于栴檀重阁。正坐道场。而现神变。有千叶莲华。大如车轮。华中化佛。各放百千光明。 青色青光。黄色黄光。赤色赤光。白色白光。 言其色也。不但举色。而言光者。彼土莲华。至为清洁。故有光也。大本云。青色青光。白色白光。元黄朱紫之色。其光亦然。炜煜焕烂。明耀日月。一一华中。出三千六百千 现代汉语译本 边阶道，用金、银、琉璃、玻璃合成。 这是描述水池外面的景象。‘四边’指的是，中间是池水，周围四边是阶梯道路。离开地面的称为‘阶’，平坦的道路称为‘道’。用金、银等四种宝物构成。 上面有楼阁，也用金、银、琉璃、玻璃、砗磲（chē qú，一种海贝）、赤珠、玛瑙来庄严修饰。 多层房屋叫做‘楼’，高大的楼叫做‘阁’。这里指的是金、银等七宝。《观经》说：‘黄金为地，每一个宝物中，有五百种颜色的光芒，那光芒像花一样，形成光明台，楼阁有千万座，用各种宝物合成。’《大本》说：‘阿弥陀佛（Āmítuó Fó，佛教中西方极乐世界的教主）的讲堂精舍、宫殿楼阁，都用七宝构成。菩萨（púsà，佛教中修行达到一定程度的人）居住的地方，也是这样。诸天和人，他们的宫宇楼阁，按照各自的形状颜色，高低大小，或者用一种宝物两种宝物，乃至无量宝物装饰。’《华严经》说：‘高耸的楼阁回旋环绕，阁道向旁边伸出，房屋栋梁互相承接，窗户交相辉映，台阶轩廊，各种设施都完备，一切都用七宝庄严。’ 池中的莲花，大如车轮。 这是描述水池中的景象。‘车轮’是形容莲花的大小。《观经》说：‘每一个池中都有七宝莲花，团圆端正，有十二由旬（yóu xún，古印度长度单位）。’《大本》说：‘各种宝莲花，周遍世界，每一朵宝花，有无量百千亿片花瓣。’那么莲花的大小就可以知道了。《如来藏经》说：‘当时世尊（shì zūn，对佛的尊称），在栴檀（zhān tán，一种香木）重阁中，端坐在道场，显现神通变化，有千叶莲花，大如车轮，花中化现的佛，各自放出百千光明。’ 青色的莲花放出青色的光芒，黄色的莲花放出黄色的光芒，红色的莲花放出红色的光芒，白色的莲花放出白色的光芒。 这是描述莲花的颜色。不单单说颜色，而且说光芒，是因为那里的莲花，非常清洁，所以有光芒。《大本》说：‘青色的莲花放出青色的光芒，白色的莲花放出白色的光芒，元黄朱紫的颜色，它的光芒也是这样，光彩照耀，明亮如日月。’每一朵莲花中，放出三千六百千
English
English version The paths on the sides are made of gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and crystal. This describes the scene outside the pond. 'Four sides' means that the middle is the pond water, and the surrounding four sides are the paths. What is above the ground is called 'paths', and the flat road is called 'way'. They are made of gold, silver, and other four treasures. Above are pavilions and towers, also adorned with gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, tridacna (chē qú, a kind of sea shell), red pearls, and agate. Multi-storied houses are called 'towers', and tall buildings are called 'pavilions'. This refers to the seven treasures such as gold and silver. The 'Contemplation Sutra' says: 'The ground is golden, and in each treasure, there are five hundred colors of light. The light is like a flower, forming a platform of light, with tens of millions of pavilions and towers, composed of various treasures.' The 'Larger Sutra' says: 'Amitabha Buddha's (Āmítuó Fó, the principal Buddha in Pure Land Buddhism) lecture halls, monasteries, palaces, and pavilions are all made of seven treasures. The places where Bodhisattvas (púsà, enlightened beings) live are also like this. The palaces and pavilions of gods and humans are according to their shapes and colors, heights and sizes, or decorated with one or two treasures, or even countless treasures.' The 'Avatamsaka Sutra' says: 'The towering pavilions are winding and encircling, the pavilion paths extend to the sides, the beams and rafters of the houses support each other, the windows reflect each other, the steps, verandas, and pillars are all complete, and everything is adorned with seven treasures.' The lotus flowers in the pond are as large as chariot wheels. This describes the scene in the pond. 'Chariot wheels' is used to describe the size of the lotus flowers. The 'Contemplation Sutra' says: 'In each pond, there are seven-treasure lotus flowers, round and upright, twelve yojanas (yóu xún, an ancient Indian unit of distance) in size.' The 'Larger Sutra' says: 'Various treasure lotus flowers pervade the world, and each treasure flower has countless hundreds of thousands of millions of petals.' Then the size of the flowers can be known. The 'Tathagatagarbha Sutra' says: 'At that time, the World Honored One (shì zūn, a respectful title for the Buddha), in the sandalwood (zhān tán, a type of fragrant wood) double pavilion, sat upright in the place of enlightenment, manifesting supernatural powers, with thousand-petal lotus flowers, as large as chariot wheels, and the Buddhas transformed in the flowers each emitted hundreds of thousands of lights.' Blue lotus flowers emit blue light, yellow lotus flowers emit yellow light, red lotus flowers emit red light, and white lotus flowers emit white light. This describes the colors of the lotus flowers. It not only mentions the colors, but also the light, because the lotus flowers there are very pure, so they have light. The 'Larger Sutra' says: 'Blue lotus flowers emit blue light, white lotus flowers emit white light, and the colors of dark yellow, vermilion, and purple also have their respective lights, shining brightly like the sun and moon.' Each lotus flower emits three thousand six hundred thousand --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
亿光。一一光中。出三千六百千亿佛。一一诸佛。又化百千光明。普为十方众生。说微妙法。此言四色省文也。 微妙香洁。 言其德也。七宝所成为微。众佛化生为妙。清馨澹然为香。托质金沙为洁。彼国莲华。异于此土。 ○六趣众生。求生净土。一弹指顷。莲华化生。下文一心不乱。即得往生极乐国土。即生此莲华中也。修净土者。若念佛时。常想己身。在莲华中。结跏趺坐。佛在莲华中接引于我。然后一心持名。昔有二僧。作莲华开合想。遂得往生。况复加之一心持名。未有不生者。 舍利弗。极乐国土。成就如是功德庄严。 结上栏网行树。池阁莲华。种种庄严。皆阿弥陀佛功德之所成就也。行愿为功德。功德圆满为成就。法藏愿云。我作佛时。生我刹者。皆于七宝水池莲华化生。又云。我作佛时。我刹中自地以上。至于虚空。皆有宫殿楼阁。池流华树。悉以无量众宝。百千种香。而共合成。今来成佛。所愿悉皆成就。 天人供养分第四 此言极乐世界。天人供养之胜也。 ○初天乐。二金地。三雨华。四供佛。五还国。六自适。末总结。 又舍利弗。彼佛国土。常作天乐。 此言天乐也。大本云。第一四天王天。及诸天人。百千香华。百 现代汉语译本 ‘亿光’。一一光中，出三千六百千亿佛。一一诸佛，又化百千光明，普为十方众生，说微妙法。此言‘四色’省文也。（亿光：形容光芒极盛；三千六百千亿佛：数量极多的佛；十方众生：指遍布各个方向的众生；四色：指青、黄、赤、白四种颜色，这里指代各种颜色。） ‘微妙香洁’。 言其德也。七宝所成为微，众佛化生为妙，清馨澹然为香，托质金沙为洁。彼国莲华，异于此土。（七宝：指金、银、琉璃、玻璃、砗磲、赤珠、玛瑙等七种宝物；金沙：指金色的沙子。） ○六趣众生，求生净土，一弹指顷，莲华化生。下文‘一心不乱’，即得往生极乐国土，即生此莲华中也。修净土者，若念佛时，常想己身，在莲华中，结跏趺坐，佛在莲华中接引于我，然后一心持名。昔有二僧，作莲华开合想，遂得往生。况复加之一心持名，未有不生者。（六趣众生：指天、人、阿修罗、畜生、饿鬼、地狱道的众生；净土：指清净的佛国；一心不乱：指专心念佛，没有杂念；极乐国土：指阿弥陀佛的西方净土；结跏趺坐：指一种盘腿的坐姿；持名：指口中念诵佛的名号。） 舍利弗（Sariputra）。极乐国土，成就如是功德庄严。 结上栏网行树，池阁莲华，种种庄严，皆阿弥陀佛（Amitabha）功德之所成就也。行愿为功德，功德圆满为成就。法藏（Dharmakara）愿云：‘我作佛时，生我刹者，皆于七宝水池莲华化生。’又云：‘我作佛时，我刹中自地以上，至于虚空，皆有宫殿楼阁，池流华树，悉以无量众宝，百千种香，而共合成。’今来成佛，所愿悉皆成就。（栏网行树：指排列整齐的栏杆和树木；池阁莲华：指池塘、楼阁和莲花；法藏：阿弥陀佛的前身；刹：指佛国。） 天人供养分第四 此言极乐世界，天人供养之胜也。 ○初天乐，二金地，三雨华，四供佛，五还国，六自适，末总结。 又舍利弗（Sariputra）。彼佛国土，常作天乐。 此言天乐也。大本云：‘第一四天王天，及诸天人，百千香华，百
English
English version ‘Limitless Light.’ In each ray of light, three thousand six hundred trillion Buddhas appear. Each of these Buddhas further emanates hundreds of thousands of rays of light, universally expounding the subtle Dharma for sentient beings in the ten directions. This refers to the abbreviated expression of ‘four colors.’ (Limitless Light: Describes extremely brilliant light; Three thousand six hundred trillion Buddhas: An extremely large number of Buddhas; Sentient beings in the ten directions: Refers to sentient beings throughout all directions; Four colors: Refers to the colors blue, yellow, red, and white, here representing all colors.) ‘Subtle, fragrant, and pure.’ This speaks of its virtues. The seven treasures create subtlety, the transformation of numerous Buddhas creates wonder, a clear and refreshing fragrance is the scent, and reliance on golden sands creates purity. The lotuses in that land are different from those in this land. (Seven treasures: Refers to gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, tridacna, red pearl, agate, etc.; Golden sands: Refers to golden-colored sand.) ○ Sentient beings in the six realms, seeking rebirth in the Pure Land, are born from lotuses in the space of a finger snap. The following passage, ‘single-minded and undisturbed,’ means they will be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, that is, born within these lotuses. Those who cultivate the Pure Land path, when reciting the Buddha's name, should constantly imagine themselves sitting in the lotus in full lotus posture, with the Buddha receiving them in the lotus, and then single-mindedly recite the name. In the past, there were two monks who visualized lotuses opening and closing, and thus attained rebirth. How much more so if one adds single-minded recitation of the name; there is no one who will not be reborn. (Sentient beings in the six realms: Refers to beings in the realms of gods, humans, asuras, animals, hungry ghosts, and hell; Pure Land: Refers to a pure Buddha-land; Single-minded and undisturbed: Refers to reciting the Buddha's name with focused attention, without distractions; Land of Ultimate Bliss: Refers to Amitabha’s Western Pure Land; Full lotus posture: Refers to a cross-legged sitting posture; Reciting the name: Refers to verbally reciting the Buddha's name.) Sariputra (Sariputra), the Land of Ultimate Bliss is adorned with such meritorious virtues. The surrounding railings, rows of trees, ponds, pavilions, and lotuses, all kinds of adornments, are all accomplished by the meritorious virtues of Amitabha Buddha (Amitabha). Practice and vows are merit, and the perfection of merit is accomplishment. Dharmakara’s (Dharmakara) vow says: ‘When I become a Buddha, those born in my land will all be born from lotuses in ponds of the seven treasures.’ It also says: ‘When I become a Buddha, in my land, from the ground up to the sky, there will be palaces, pavilions, flowing ponds, and trees, all made of immeasurable treasures and hundreds of thousands of kinds of incense.’ Now that he has become a Buddha, all his vows have been fulfilled. (Railings and rows of trees: Refers to neatly arranged railings and trees; Ponds, pavilions, and lotuses: Refers to ponds, pavilions, and lotuses; Dharmakara: The previous incarnation of Amitabha Buddha; Land: Refers to a Buddha-land.) The Section on Offerings by Gods and Humans, the Fourth This speaks of the excellence of the offerings made by gods and humans in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. ○ First, heavenly music; second, golden ground; third, raining flowers; fourth, offering to the Buddhas; fifth, returning to their countries; sixth, enjoying themselves; and finally, a summary. Moreover, Sariputra (Sariputra), in that Buddha-land, heavenly music is constantly played. This speaks of heavenly music. The Larger Sutra says: ‘The first of the Four Heavenly Kings and all the gods and humans offer hundreds of thousands of fragrant flowers, hundreds of --------------------------------------------------------------------------------