見阿閦佛品第十二
🍃 CHAPTER TWELVE - SEEING AKṢOBHYA BUDDHA
爾時世尊問維摩詰：「汝欲見如來，為以何等觀如來乎？」
At that time the World-Honored One asked Vimalakīrti, “You want[ed] to see the Thus Come One. How is the Thus Come One to be observed?”
維摩詰言：「如自觀身實相，觀佛亦然。我觀如來前際不來，後際不去，今則不住。不觀色，不觀色如，不觀色性。不觀受、想、行、識，不觀識如，不觀識性，非四大起，同於虛空。六入無積，眼、耳、鼻、舌、身、心已過；不在三界，三垢已離。順三脫門，具足三明，與無明等。不一相、不異相，不自相、不他相，非無相、非取相。不此岸，不彼岸，不中流，而化眾生。觀於寂滅，亦不永滅。不此不彼；不以此，不以彼。不可以智知，不可以識識。無晦無明，無名無相，無強無弱，非淨非穢。不在方，不離方；非有為，非無為。無示無說。不施不慳，不戒不犯，不忍不恚，不進不怠，不定不亂，不智不愚，不誠不欺，不來不去，不出不入，一切言語道斷。非福田，非不福田；非應供養，非不應供養；非取非捨。非有相，非無相。同真際，等法性。不可稱，不可量，過諸稱量。非大非小，非見非聞，非覺非知，離眾結縛。等諸智，同眾生，於諸法無分別。一切無失，無濁無惱，無作無起，無生無滅。無畏無憂，無喜無厭無著。無已有，無當有，無今有。不可以一切言說分別顯示。世尊！如來身為若此，作如是觀。以斯觀者，名為正觀；若他觀者，名為邪觀。」
Vimalakīrti said, “Like one observes the True Characteristic of their own body, [I] observe the Buddha so. I observe the Thus Come One not coming from before and not going to after, hence now not abiding. [I do] not observe Form, the semblance of Form, nor the nature of Form. Not Sensation, Perception, Conditioning, or Consciousness, nor the semblance of Consciousness or the nature of Consciousness. [I do] not observe an arising from the Four Great [Elements], being identical to Space. The six entrances are without accumulation, the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind having been surpassed; Not being in the Triple Realm, the Three Defilements being transcended. In accord with the Three Liberations, the Three Illuminations fulfilled, being equal to ignorance. Not a single characteristic, nor different characteristics, nor the characteristic of self, nor the characteristic of other, and neither without characteristics nor the characteristic of clinging [or, ‘clinging to characteristics’]. Not [on] this shore nor that shore, nor mid-stream, yet transforming sentient beings. [The Buddha is] observed to be within quiescent cessation, yet not forever ceased. Not this and not that; and not by this or by that. Not known by knowledge, not conscious of by consciousness. Without darkness and without brightness; Without name and without qualities (nimitta); Without strength and without weakness; neither pure nor defiled. Not located anywhere, [yet] not without location; Neither conditioned nor unconditioned. Indescribable and inexplicable. Not generous and not stingy; Not disciplined and not transgressive; Not patient and not angry; Not determined and not lazy; Not focused and not distracted; Not wise and not foolish; Not honest and not deceitful; Not coming and not going; Not exiting and not entering, all manners of speaking being cut off. Neither a field of blessings nor not a field of blessings. Neither worthy of offerings nor not worthy of offerings; Neither grasping nor letting go. Neither having characteristics nor being characteristicless. Identical to the Limit of Reality, equal to the nature of dharma. Unweighable, incalculable going beyond all weight and measure. Neither large nor small; Neither seen nor heard; Neither understood nor known, free of all ties and bondage. Equal to All-Knowledge and identical to sentient beings, not different from all dharmas. Everything, without loss, without impurity, without affliction, without action, without coming about, without arising, without ceasing. Without fear, without sorrow, without joy, without weariness, and without attachment. Without having been, without a will be, and without a now is. All words and explanations whatsoever cannot differentiate or demonstrate. World-Honored One! The Body of the Thus Come One being so, it is observed like this. To observe that way is called Correct Observing; To observe some other way, is called incorrect observing.”
爾時舍利弗問維摩詰：「汝於何沒而來生此？」
At that time Śāriputra inquired of Vimalakīrti saying, “Where did you die to become [re]born here?”
維摩詰言：「汝所得法有沒生乎？」
Vimalakīrti said, “Is there dying and being [re]born in the Dharma you have attained?”
舍利弗言：「無沒生也。」
Śāriputra said, “It is without dying and being born.”
「若諸法無沒生相，云何問言：『汝於何沒而來生此？』於意云何？譬如幻師，幻作男女，寧沒生耶？」
“If all dharmas are without the characteristics of death and birth, why inquire saying, ‘Where did you die to become [re]born here?’ What do you think? Just like as an illusionist makes a man or a woman, do they die and be born?”
舍利弗言：「無沒生也。汝豈不聞佛說諸法如幻相乎？」
Śāriputra said, “They are without dying and being born. Have you not heard the Buddha say that the characteristics of all dharmas are illusory?”
答曰：「如是！若一切法如幻相者！云何問言：『汝於何沒而來生此？』舍利弗！沒者為虛誑法，敗壞之相；生者為虛誑法，相續之相。菩薩雖沒，不盡善本；雖生，不長諸惡。」
[Vimalakīrti] replied saying, “So it is! If the characteristics of all dharmas are illusory, why inquire saying, ‘Where did you die to become [re]born here?’! Śāriputra! Death is the characteristic of the destruction of fallacious dharmas; Birth is the characteristic of the continuity of fallacious dharmas. A bodhisattva may die without extinguishing their good roots; though they may be born, they do not prolong evil.”
是時佛告舍利弗：「有國名妙喜，佛號無動。是維摩詰於彼國沒，而來生此。」
Then the Buddha said to Śāriputra, “There is a land called Wondrous Joy (Abhirati), where the Buddha is called Imperturbable (Akṣobhya). This Vimalakīrti died in that land and came to be born like this.”
舍利弗言：「未曾有也。世尊！是人乃能捨清淨土，而來樂此多怒害處。」
Śāriputra said, “Unprecedented, World-Honored One! This person is able to relinquish such a pure land and gladly come to this place of so much anger and harm.”
維摩詰語舍利弗：「於意云何？日光出時與冥合乎？」
Vimalakīrti said to Śāriputra, “What do you think? When the light of the sun shines forth, does it mix with the darkness?"
答曰：「不也！日光出時，即無眾冥。」
[Śāriputra] replied saying, “No! When the light of the sun shines forth, it does not mix with the darkness?
維摩詰言：「夫日何故行閻浮提？」
Vimalakīrti said, “Why does the sun come to Jambudvipa?”
答曰：「欲以明照，為之除冥。」
[Śāriputra] replied saying, “It wants to eliminate darkness by illumination.”
維摩詰言：「菩薩如是！雖生不淨佛土，為化眾生故，不與愚闇而共合也，但滅眾生煩惱闇耳！」
Vimalakīrti said, “Bodhisattvas are also like this. Although they are born in impure Buddha lands, it is in order to transform sentient beings. They do not go along with the darkness of stupidity and are not part of it, they merely extinguish the darkness of the afflictions of sentient beings!”
是時大眾渴仰，欲見妙喜世界無動如來，及其菩薩、聲聞之眾。佛知一切眾會所念，告維摩詰言：「善男子！為此眾會，現妙喜國無動如來，及諸菩薩、聲聞之眾，眾皆欲見。」’
At that time the great assembly was filled with a longing desire to the see the Imperturbable Thus Come One of the world-system Wondrous Joy, the bodhisattvas there, and the gathering of voice-hearers. The Buddha, knowing the thoughts of all those assembled, told Vimalakīrti, “Good son! For those gathered together, make appear the Thus Come One Imperturbable of the World Wondrous Joy, and all the bodhisattvas, and the gathering of voice-hearers.”
於是維摩詰心念：「吾當不起于座，接妙喜國，鐵圍山川溪谷江河，大海泉源，須彌諸山，及日月星宿、天龍鬼神梵天等宮，并諸菩薩、聲聞之眾，城邑聚落，男女大小，乃至無動如來，及菩提樹，諸妙蓮華，能於十方作佛事者；三道寶階從閻浮提，至忉利天，以此寶階，諸天來下，悉為禮敬無動如來，聽受經法。閻浮提人，亦登其階，上昇忉利，見彼諸天。妙喜世界成就如是無量功德，上至阿迦膩吒天，下至水際；以右手斷取，如陶家輪，入此世界，猶持華鬘，示一切眾。」作是念已，入於三昧，現神通力，以其右手斷取妙喜世界，置於此土。
At this, Vimalakīrti thought, “Without rising from my seat, I shall take this land Wonderful Joy, with its Iron Encircling Mountains and rivers, its valleys, waterways, great oceans, and springs, its Sumeru and other mountains, along with its sun, moon, stars, and palaces of devas, nagas, spirits, Brahmas and Indras, as well as its host of bodhisattvas and gathering of voice-hearers, its cities, villages, men and women, old and young, along with the Thus Come One Imperturbable and the bodhi tree and wonderful lotus blossoms that are able to carry out the Buddha's work in the ten directions; The jeweled staircases of the ‘three paths’ from Jambudvipa up to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, the jeweled stairways by which devas descend and all pay reverence to the Thus Come One Imperturbable and listen to and receive the Dharma of the sutras; People of Jambudvipa may also ascend these stairways to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven and see the devas; The immeasurable merits achieved in the world-system Wonderous Joy such as these, extending upward to the Akaniṣṭha Heaven and downward to its watery base; taking [that] in my right hand, as though removing a finished piece from a potter's wheel, and bring it to this world, like a flower garland I am holding, and show it to all these beings,"
After having this thought, he entered samadhi, manifesting penetrative spiritual power, taking in his right hand the world-system Wonderous Joy, as though removing it from a potter's wheel, putting it in this land.”
彼得神通菩薩及聲聞眾，并餘天、人，俱發聲言：「唯然世尊！誰取我去！願見救護。」無動佛言：「非我所為，是維摩詰神力所作。」其餘未得神通者，不覺不知己之所往。妙喜世界，雖入此土，而不增減，於是世界亦不迫隘，如本無異。
Those bodhisattvas and voice-hearers gathered who had attained spiritual powers, and all the devas and humans together cried out saying, “What is it, World-Honored One! Who is taking us away! Please, protect us.”
Imperturbable Buddha said, “It is not my doing, it is from the spiritual power of Vimalakīrti.”
The rest of the beings who had not yet acquired spiritual powers did not even realize or know where they had gotten to. Although the Wonderous Joy world-system had been placed in this land, there was no increase or decrease, and this world likewise had in no way become cramped or narrow, no different from how it originally was.
爾時釋迦牟尼佛告諸大眾：「汝等且觀妙喜世界無動如來，其國嚴飾，菩薩行淨，弟子清白。」
At that time, Śākyamuni Buddha told the great assembly, “Did you observe the Thus Come One Imperturbable of the Wondrous Joy world-system, the ornamentations of that country, the pure practices of the bodhisattvas, and purity of the disciples?”
皆曰：「唯然已見。」
[They] replied saying, “We have seen.”
佛言：「若菩薩欲得如是清淨佛土，當學無動如來所行之道。」
The Buddha said, “If bodhisattvas want to attain pure Buddha lands like this, they should study the Way practiced by the Thus Come One Imperturbable.”
現此妙喜國時，娑婆世界十四那由他人，發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心，皆願生於妙喜佛土。釋迦牟尼佛即記之曰：「當生彼國。」時妙喜世界於此國土所應饒益，其事訖已，還復本處，舉眾皆見。
When this world Wonderous Joy was made manifest, fourteen nayutas of people in the Saha world-system generated anuttarā-saṃyak-saṃbodhi citta, all desiring to be [re]born in the Wonderous Joy Buddha Land. Śākyamuni Buddha then made the prediction, “You will be [re] born there.” Then the world Wonderous Joy, having finished bestowing enrichment and benefit upon this land, returned to its original location, and all the members saw it do so.”
佛告舍利弗：「汝見此妙喜世界及無動佛不？」
The Buddha told Śāriputra, “Did you see the Wonderous Joy world-system and the Buddha Imperturbable?”
「唯然已見，世尊！願使一切眾生得清淨土，如無動佛；獲神通力，如維摩詰。世尊！我等快得善利，得見是人親近供養。其諸眾生，若今現在，若佛滅後，聞此經者，亦得善利；況復聞已信解，受持讀誦解說，如法修行。若有手得是經典者，便為已得法寶之藏；若有讀誦解釋其義，如說修行，即為諸佛之所護念；其有供養如是人者，當知即為供養於佛；其有書持此經卷者，當知其室即有如來；若聞是經能隨喜者，斯人即為取一切智；若能信解此經，乃至一四句偈，為他說者，當知此人，即是受阿耨多羅三藐三菩提記。」
“I saw them, World-Honored One! I wish that every sentient being attains a pure land like that of the Buddha Imperturbable; that they obtain spiritually penetrative power like Vimalakīrti.”
“World-Honored One! We have quickly attained good benefit, seeing this person and making offerings directly to him. Those sentient beings who, either now presently or after the Buddha’s cessation, hear this sutra, they will also attain good benefit. How much more so if, after hearing it, they are liberated by faith, accepting, reciting, explaining, and practicing according to it! Those whose hands get to hold this sutra will attain the entire storehouse of Dharma Jewels. If one reads, recites, explains its meaning, and practices according to what it means, one will be protected and remembered by the buddhas. To make offerings to such a person, you should know, is to make offerings to a Buddha. To copy and maintain copies of sutras, you should know, is to be in the company of the Thus Come One. To hear this sutra and become joyful accordingly will achieve omniscience. To have faith in this sutra, even just four lines, and explain it to others, you should know, this person receives the prediction of anuttarā samyak-saṃbodhi.”