如來神力品第二十一
Chapter Twenty-One: The Spiritual Power of the Tathagata
爾時，千世界微塵等菩薩摩訶薩，從地踊出者，皆於佛前一心合掌，瞻仰尊顏，而白佛言：「世尊！我等於佛滅後，世尊分身所在國土滅度之處，當廣說此經。所以者何？我等亦自欲得是真淨大法，受持、讀誦、解說、書寫，而供養之。」
At that time, the bodhisattvas mahasattvas as numerous as the dust particles of thousands of worlds, who had emerged from the earth, all joined their palms together with one mind before the Buddha, gazed up at his noble countenance, and said to the Buddha, "World-Honored One! After the Buddha's extinction, in the lands where the World-Honored One's emanation bodies have passed into extinction, we will widely expound this sutra. Why? Because we also wish to obtain this true, pure, and great Dharma, to receive, uphold, read, recite, explain, transcribe, and make offerings to it."
爾時世尊，於文殊師利等無量百千萬億舊住娑婆世界菩薩摩訶薩，及諸比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷，天、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆、阿修羅、迦樓羅、緊那羅、摩睺羅伽、人非人等，一切眾前，現大神力，出廣長舌上至梵世，一切毛孔放於無量無數色光，皆悉遍照十方世界。眾寶樹下、師子座上諸佛，亦復如是，出廣長舌，放無量光。釋迦牟尼佛及寶樹下諸佛現神力時，滿百千歲，然後還攝舌相。一時謦欬、俱共彈指，是二音聲，遍至十方諸佛世界，地皆六種震動。其中眾生，天、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆、阿修羅、迦樓羅、緊那羅、摩睺羅伽、人非人等，以佛神力故，皆見此娑婆世界，無量無邊百千萬億眾寶樹下、師子座上諸佛；及見釋迦牟尼佛共多寶如來，在寶塔中、坐師子座；又見無量無邊百千萬億菩薩摩訶薩及諸四眾，恭敬圍繞釋迦牟尼佛。既見是已，皆大歡喜，得未曾有。即時諸天、於虛空中、高聲唱言：「過此無量無邊百千萬億阿僧祇世界，有國名娑婆，是中有佛名釋迦牟尼，今為諸菩薩摩訶薩說大乘經，名妙法蓮華，教菩薩法，佛所護念。汝等當深心隨喜，亦當禮拜供養釋迦牟尼佛。」彼諸眾生，聞虛空中聲已，合掌向娑婆世界作如是言：「南無釋迦牟尼佛！南無釋迦牟尼佛！」以種種華、香、瓔珞、幡蓋，及諸嚴身之具、珍寶妙物，皆共遙散娑婆世界。所散諸物，從十方來，譬如雲集，變成寶帳，遍覆此間諸佛之上。于時十方世界，通達無礙，如一佛土。
At that time, the World-Honored One, in front of Mañjuśrī and the countless hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of bodhisattvas mahasattvas who had long dwelt in this Saha world, as well as bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, upāsikās, devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas. kinnaras, mahoragas, humans and non-humans, and all other beings, manifested his great supernatural power. He extended his broad and long tongue upward to the Brahma world, and from all his pores emitted countless rays of light of various colors, illuminating all the worlds in the ten directions.
All the Buddhas seated on lion thrones beneath jeweled trees did likewise, extending their broad and long tongues and emitting immeasurable light. When Śākyamuni Buddha and the Buddhas beneath the jeweled trees manifested their supernatural powers, they did so for a hundred thousand years and then withdrew their tongues. At the same time, they cleared their throats and snapped their fingers together. These two sounds reached throughout all the Buddha worlds in the ten directions, and the earth quaked in six ways.
The living beings in those worlds - devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas. kinnaras, mahoragas, humans and non-humans - because of the Buddha's supernatural power, all saw in this Sahā world countless, boundless hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of Buddhas seated on lion thrones beneath jeweled trees. They also saw Śākyamuni Buddha together with Prabhūtaratna Tathāgata seated on the lion throne in the jeweled stupa. Furthermore, they saw countless, boundless hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of bodhisattvas mahasattvas and the four kinds of believers reverently surrounding Śākyamuni Buddha.
Having seen this, they all greatly rejoiced, having gained what they had never had before. At that time the heavenly beings in the air called out in loud voices, saying, "Beyond these immeasurable, boundless hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of asamkhyeyas of worlds, there is a land called Sahā. In it is a Buddha named Śākyamuni who now, for the sake of the bodhisattvas mahasattvas, is preaching a Great Vehicle sutra called the Lotus Sutra, a Dharma to instruct the bodhisattvas, one that is guarded and kept in mind by the Buddhas. You must respond with joy from the depths of your heart, and also offer obeisance and make offerings to Śākyamuni Buddha!"
When the various beings heard the voices in the air, they pressed their palms together, faced the Sahā world, and said: "Namu Śākyamuni Buddha! Namu Śākyamuni Buddha!" Then they took different kinds of flowers, incense, necklaces, banners, canopies, as well as the ornaments, rare jewels, and other wonderful articles that adorned their persons and all together scattered them far off in the direction of the Sahā world. The objects thus scattered poured in from the ten directions like clouds gathering together. They then changed into a jeweled canopy that completely covered the area where the Buddhas were. At that time the worlds in the ten directions were opened up so that there was unobstructed passage from one to the other and they were like a single Buddha land.
爾時，佛告上行等菩薩大眾：「諸佛神力如是，無量無邊、不可思議，若我以是神力，於無量無邊百千萬億阿僧祇劫，為囑累故，說此經功德，猶不能盡。以要言之，如來一切所有之法、如來一切自在神力、如來一切祕要之藏、如來一切甚深之事，皆於此經宣示顯說。是故汝等於如來滅後，應一心受持、讀誦、解說、書寫、如說修行。所在國土，若有受持、讀誦、解說、書寫、如說修行，若經卷所住之處，若於園中、若於林中、若於樹下、若於僧坊、若白衣舍、若在殿堂、若山谷曠野，是中皆應起塔供養。所以者何？當知是處、即是道場，諸佛於此得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，諸佛於此轉于法輪，諸佛於此而般涅槃。」
At that time, the Buddha said to the great assembly of bodhisattvas led by Viśiṣṭacāritra (’Superior Practice’, see Ch 15), "The spiritual powers of the Buddhas are like this - immeasurable, boundless, and inconceivable. Even if I were to use these spiritual powers to expound on the merits of this sutra for immeasurable and boundless hundreds of thousands of millions of asaṃkhyeya kalpas for the sake of entrusting it, I still could not exhaust them. To sum it up briefly, all the dharmas possessed by the Tathāgata, all the freely exercised spiritual powers of the Tathāgata, all the secret essential treasuries of the Tathāgata, and all the extremely profound matters of the Tathāgata - all of these are proclaimed and revealed in this sutra.
Therefore, after the Tathāgata's extinction, you should single-mindedly receive, uphold, read, recite, explain, transcribe, and practice it as it has been taught. In whatever land, if there are those who receive, uphold, read, recite, explain, transcribe, and practice it as it has been taught, or wherever the sutra rolls are kept - whether in gardens, in forests, beneath trees, in monks' quarters, in the white-clad laypeople's homes, in palaces and halls, or in mountains and valleys in the wilderness - in all those places you should erect stupas and make offerings. Why? You should know that those places are sites of enlightenment. It is in such places that all Buddhas attain anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi, in such places that all Buddhas turn the wheel of Dharma, and in such places that all Buddhas enter parinirvāṇa."
爾時世尊欲重宣此義，而說偈言：
At that time the World-Honored One, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke in verse, saying:
諸佛救世者， 住於大神通， 為悅眾生故， 現無量神力，
The Buddhas, saviors of the world, Abide in great supernatural powers. To delight sentient beings, They display limitless divine abilities.
舌相至梵天， 身放無數光， 為求佛道者， 現此希有事。
Their tongue reaches to the Brahma heaven, Their bodies emit countless lights. For those seeking the Buddha's path, They manifest these rare marvels.
諸佛謦欬聲， 及彈指之聲， 周聞十方國， 地皆六種動。
The sound of the Buddhas clearing their throats, And the sound of their finger snaps, Are heard throughout the ten directions, And the earth quakes in six ways.
以佛滅度後， 能持是經故， 諸佛皆歡喜， 現無量神力。
Because after the Buddha's extinction, One can uphold this sutra, All Buddhas rejoice, And display limitless divine powers.
囑累是經故， 讚美受持者， 於無量劫中， 猶故不能盡。
To entrust this sutra, They praise those who uphold it. Even through countless kalpas, Their praises still cannot be exhausted.
是人之功德， 無邊無有窮， 如十方虛空， 不可得邊際。
The merit of such a person Is boundless and endless, Like the space of the ten directions, It cannot be measured.
能持是經者， 則為已見我， 亦見多寶佛， 及諸分身者， 又見我今日， 教化諸菩薩。
One who can uphold this sutra Has already seen me, And also sees Many Treasures Buddha, As well as all the emanation bodies. They also see me today Teaching and transforming bodhisattvas.
能持是經者， 令我及分身， 滅度多寶佛， 一切皆歡喜。
One who can uphold this sutra Causes me and my emanation bodies, And the extinct Many Treasures Buddha, To all rejoice.
十方現在佛， 并過去未來， 亦見亦供養， 亦令得歡喜。
The present Buddhas of the ten directions, And those of the past and future, One will see and make offerings to, And also cause them to rejoice.
諸佛坐道場， 所得祕要法， 能持是經者， 不久亦當得。
The secret essential Dharmas That the Buddhas attain at their seat of enlightenment, One who can uphold this sutra Will also soon attain.
能持是經者， 於諸法之義， 名字及言辭， 樂說無窮盡， 如風於空中， 一切無障礙。
One who can uphold this sutra, Regarding the meanings of all dharmas, Their names and phrases, Expounds them with endless delight, Like the wind in empty space, Without any obstruction.
於如來滅後， 知佛所說經， 因緣及次第， 隨義如實說， 如日月光明， 能除諸幽冥。
After the Tathagata's extinction, Knowing the sutras spoken by the Buddha, Their causes and conditions and sequences, One expounds them according to their meaning as they truly are, Like the light of the sun and moon Dispelling all darkness.
斯人行世間， 能滅眾生闇， 教無量菩薩， 畢竟住一乘。
This person, moving through the world, Can extinguish the darkness of sentient beings, Teaching countless bodhisattvas To ultimately dwell in the One Vehicle.
是故有智者， 聞此功德利， 於我滅度後， 應受持斯經， 是人於佛道， 決定無有疑。」
Therefore, those with wisdom, Hearing these meritorious benefits, After my extinction, Should receive and uphold this sutra. Such people, regarding the Buddha's path, Will be free of all doubts.