宋涼州沙門智嚴譯
Translated by the śramaṇa Zhiyan of Liangzhou during the Song Dynasty
Accessed at: 佛說法華三昧經
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[0287b14] 女聞說是時，倍復踊躍歡喜，起為佛作禮，踊在空中去地七尺，還坐金剛蓮華上。
The maiden, thereupon having heard what was expounded, leapt with joy. Arising, she paid obeisance unto the Buddha, and leapt in mid-air, seven feet above the ground, before returning and sitting atop a Vajra Lotus Throne.
[0287b15] 時坐中有比丘心念言：「是為真是女？為幻人？」自起為佛作禮，長跪叉手，說偈問佛言：
「本自生愚癡， 不識道慧義。
不知女利行， 為是真男女？
審是一定人， 用法何復問？
真是女子身， 所問何以深？
生來侍佛法， 未見如是人，
所見非凡及， 智慧何以爾？
本從何方來， 而生於王家？
宿命行何法， 逮及幾佛來？
精進健乃爾， 所問如來報。
戒具真有行， 能問如有說，
能忍有柔意， 但能口說行。
休心意何如？ 實欲往試之。
可應幾法住， 往對不起意？
若實有智慧， 我欲從解要。
省視所說法， 詠廣入道俗。
有何異心意， 獨得是智慧？」
When she had sat down, the monastics had a thought arise in their minds:
“Is this truly a woman? Or is this a conjured being?”
And so they arose, paid obeisance unto the Buddha, and kneeling with folded hands, asked the Buddha questions in verse:
“Having originally been born in ignorance,
We were unaware of the doctrines of the Path of Wisdom;
We do not know this woman Arthacaryā,
Is she actually a man or is she a woman?She is certainly a human being,
But by what dharmas do we question her so?
She definitely has the body of a woman,
But why are her questions so profound?We have been born as attendants of the Buddhadharma,
But we have never seen such a person;
Who we see before us is beyond ordinary,
How has her wisdom come to be so?From whence has she come,
And why was she born under a royal household?
What dharmas has she practised in previous lifetimes,
And how many Buddhas has she met?Her diligence and strength are such,
That her questions receive the response of the Tathāgata.Her discipline is complete; she has true practice,
Able to ask questions as though she could expound it herself;
Her patience is endowed with gentle intent,
And yet, is she only able to speak on practice itself?How is it that her mind is so quiescent and calm?
Truly we wish to come and verify this.In how many dharmas is she able to abide,
That she can abide in giving replies without arising any thoughts?
If she truly has such wisdom,
I desire — from her — to understand its essential meaning.She has examined the Dharma which she expounds,
And recites it widely for monastics and laity alike.How does her heart and mind differ to others,
That she has obtained such wisdom?”
[0287c05] 佛便語比丘言：「自若干因緣。」即說偈報言：
「女利行本心， 立德識本處，
在世來千歲， 常習於三昧。
心解眾色要， 寂然與禪同，
真是女子身， 不為化來現。
本從無色世， 今來在世界，
續復如本行， 已行便立正。
無身現說心， 普念眾慈行，
念法空為本， 不起因緣相。
比丘自不解， 何怪是女身？
不見無有本， 反自受縛著。
禪思欲去色， 更反為色亂，
遠苦避三毒， 已入三毒苦。
汝自不解身， 自謂得常安，
萬物如幻化， 入出無形住。
四色本虛空， 自然受形著，
愛習自拘限， 壞本起末欲。」
The Buddha then spoke to the monastics saying:
“This is due to her various causes and conditions.”
Then, He began speaking in verse, saying:
“This woman Arthacaryā, from the roots of her mind,
Has established merit and recognised the ground of her original nature;
For a thousand years she has come to this world,
Constantly practising within samādhi.With her mind she understands the essence of manifold forms,
That they are the same as the quiescent stillness of dhyāna;
Truly, she has the body of a woman,
And is not a conjured manifestation.She was originally from the ārūpyadhātu,
But has come now to this world;
She continues in accordance with her original practice,
And having practised, she establishes the Truth.Without a body, she manifests herself, speaking of mind,
Universally mindful of sentient beings, she practices on compassion;
She contemplates the emptiness of dharmas as their original nature,
And does not give rise to any marks of causes and conditions.The monastics do not themselves understand this,
Why then do they regard this woman’s body as strange?
They are unable to perceive the roots of nonexistence,
And instead fetter themselves with attachments.Within dhyāna, they desire to abandon form,
Yet further return unto being confused by form;
Attempting to flee suffering and the three poisons,
They have already entered into the sufferings of the three poisons.They do not themselves understand the body,
Yet they speak as though they had truly obtained peace and bliss;
All things are like an illusory conjuration,
So that within coming and going, there is no form which abides.The four great elements have in the beginning been empty space itself,
But by their own will, beings take on form and attachments;
Because of their desires and habitual attachments, they restrict themselves,
And thus destroy their roots and arouse the branches of desire.
[0287c22] 爾時，比丘八萬四千人聞說偈意解，即發無上正真道意。不可計天人散華名香，皆來供養佛。
At that time, the monastics of eighty-thousand in number, having heard and understood these verses, thereupon issued forth the intent for anuttara samyaksambodhi. The innumerable heavenly and human beings scattered flowers and fine incense, all of them making offerings unto the Buddha.
[0287c24] 時舍利弗心念：「女子乃有是辯，何不去女作男？」
Then Śāriputra had this thought in his mind:
“This woman has such eloquence, so why does she not abandon the female body and become a man?”
[0287c25] 佛即知舍利弗心所念，便語舍利弗：「汝自問女。」
The Buddha knowing the thoughts of Śāriputra then spoke to him:
“You should ask this woman yourself.”
[0287c26] 舍利弗即問：「唯，女利行！所說非常事，如與如來共對語。何不去女作男？」
Śāriputra then asked her:
“Truly, maiden Arthacaryā! You have spoken on the matter of impermanence, just like, and in common with, the Tathāgata’s own replies. Why then do you not abandon the female form and become a man?”
[0287c27] 女利行答言：「唯，舍利弗！道德之要以慧善見，不視於四色——是地、水、火、風——五情合、六入為衰。心意識如幻如化，出入無形。癡意不盡，故與三流對，更出浮沈。何足珍？雖漏盡結解，有不淨想，無色如為惡，苦住反為樂。」
The Maiden Arthacaryā replied:
“Truly, Śāriputra! The essence of the Path and Merit is obtained through wisdom and clear perception and it is not by gazing upon the four great elements — earth, water, fire, and wind.
When one unites one’s five faculties with the six sense bases, this only leads one to decline. Mind, thoughts, and cognition are akin to illusory conjurations which come and go without any form.
Thus, when the mind of delusion has not yet been exhausted, even while one takes part in opposing the three outflows, one will still once again rise and sink within them.
What then is is there that is worthy or lofty in this?
Even if one had exhausted all outflows and would always perform meditation on impurity, such formlessness is still like that which is evil, for one abides in suffering as if it were joy.”
[0288a03] 舍利弗問：「學佛之法，應有謗毀言不？」
Śāriputra asked:
“You have studied the Buddhadharma, does this not necessarily slander it?”
[0288a04] 女問：「賢者舍利弗！云何為謗毀？」
The maiden replied:
“Ārya-Śāriputra! What is the act of slander?”
[0288a05] 答言：「一好、一惡，是為謗毀。」
He replied:
“Saying “one is good, and one is bad”, this is the act of slander.”
[0288a05] 女報言：「未曉、未了。大人所說，不以小為小、大為大。好惡無二，等無異。謗身，身是色；謗意，意無形。四色法空，無形、無造，何所受謗毀者？」
The maiden then declared:
“Not so. You misunderstand.
That of which a Great-Man speaks does not take the small to be small, nor the great to be great. For good and evil are themselves nondual; they are one-and-the-same, and are without difference.
To slander the body is to say that the body has form; to slander the mind is to say the mind is without form.
The four great elements are themselves the dharmas of emptiness, marklessness, and wishlessness.
What then is there to slander?”
[0288a08] 舍利弗答曰：「卿所說是菩薩大人所行，卿未應菩薩，何緣乃說此事？」
Śāriputra replied saying:
“That of which you speak is of the practice of a bodhisattva who is himself a Great-Man, however, you are not yet a bodhisattva.
Thus, what conditions are there for you to speak on such matters?”
[0288a10] 女報言：「大人為以何立？」
The maiden admonished him saying:
“What makes one a Great-Man?”
[0288a10] 報言：「普等為言。何謂為普？教授十方人，遠苦得道，是為普。唯賢者所說，不說普，說生死勤苦耳。」
He admonished her saying:
“This I say is the equality of universality. What do I consider as universality?
Teaching beings in the ten directions to free themselves of suffering and to attain the Path. This is universality.
Only āryas-in-name speak not of universality, and instead speak on striving after the sufferings inherent to birth-and-death.”
[0288a13] 女語舍利弗：「謂為普者，不見有人、無人，有教、無教，有法、無法所念，是曰為普。不為見生死苦，欲教之，令得道，是為普。」
The maiden said to Śāriputra:
“What I consider as universality is when one does not perceive there to be:
Beings, no beings, teachings, no teachings, dharmas, no dharmas, or anything to which one can consider.
This is what I call universality.
By not conditioning there to be views of the sufferings of birth-and-death, nor desiring for the teachings within it, is one able to attain the Path itself.
This is universality.”
[0288a15] 舍利弗無有辯才析答此言。女爾時說偈歎曰：
「人用三塵亂， 輒為六衰著，
五惡十賊對， 三厄墮困窮。
十二連相續， 四色拘沒三，
不解名顛倒， 坐受空聚藏。
無故沒三婬， 自網投深淵，
堅藏畏二三， 自滅更受生。
宛為空所縛， 恒懷不淨想，
自呼是常安， 為得真自然。
是輩滿閻浮， 億億百萬千，
所行遍十方， 不益一切人。
當有隨受行， 皆共墮海流，
可作大法行， 入海勉欲根。
決海令滅盡， 平故無還流，
返原盡欲室， 令人歸故鄉。
故鄉名無為， 號字清淨堂，
快樂多紫金， 入出楊光明。
恒邊沙劫佛， 莫不稱歎說，
以法空無戲， 無相不願識。
淵流以海水， 皆復不足說，
廣意開化人， 自然常自安。
惟念諸賢者， 乃自反不解，
無故自受縛， 幻化受報應。」
Śāriputra had no rhetorical expedients nor eloquence to which he could devise as a reply to these words. The maiden, then began speaking in verse:
Beings, confused by the three defilements,
Thenceforth attach themselves unto the Six Decays;
Faced by the Five Heinous Crimes and the Ten Thieves of Nonvirtuous Conduct,
They fall into the torments of the three unfortunate destinies.Conditioned by the twelve links of dependent origination, they continue on,
The four great elements binding and pushing them down further into the three lower destinies;
Failure to understand this is called “Perversion”,
And so they sit there receiving a store of empty aggregates.Without reason, they drown within the Three Cravings,
Casting themselves a net which plunges them deep into the abyss;
Guarding their own stores, they fear the two-by-three philosophies,
And though extinguished, they receive further rebirths.Utterly fettered to that which is empty,
They always yearn for the meditation on impurity;
Calling it themselves, “the eternal peace”,
And regarding it as “true Thusness”.Such beings fill up Jambudvīpa,
Koṭis of koṭis of nayutas of asaṃkhyeya in number;
Their practices spread throughout the ten directions,
And yet bring no benefit to any sentient being.Were one to accord with and accept their practices,
They would only fall into the oceanic currents of saṃsāra;
Unable to practise the Supreme Dharma,
They will enter into this ocean, driven by their roots of desire.Thus, you ought to strike down this ocean and utterly still it,
Level it so no returning currents remain;
Return yourselves to the root and exhaust the abode of desire,
So that beings may return to their native home.This native home is called the Unconditioned,
It is named also the Hall of Purity;
There, joy of supreme and purple gold,
Enters and emerges within the radiance of the sun.For the Buddhas Who number the great sands of the Ganges,
There are none of Them, Who do not extol its praise;
For with the emptiness of dharmas is one freed of conceptual proliferation,
Devoid of marks, one does not chase after objects of consciousness.The currents of the abyss, if explained by way of the waters of the ocean,
Is but again insufficient in expounding on it;
Thus, with your vast intent, open up and transform sentient beings,
So that they may establish themselves in eternal peace.All of those āryas whom only practise studying,
Have in themselves, failed to understand this;
Without reason, they bind themselves to the fetters,
Taking illusory conjurations as their karmic reward.”
[0288b10] 爾時，四萬二千羅漢皆正意，第七住；八萬五千釋梵皆逮無所行從生。
Then at that time, forty-two-thousand arhats all attained and correctly established their minds upon the stage of the seventh abode; eighty-five-thousand Śakras and Brahmas had all reached the stage of nothing-further-to-be-done.
[0288b11] 六萬四千賢女起為佛作禮，住佛前說偈言：
「今日女利行， 為我眾等說，
聞說佛深法， 令我心開解。
實欲知道德， 皆從何所來？
聚合眾一切， 有何神妙德？
而致與大眾， 莫不驚愕心，
伏意往樂從， 隨教之所行。
願欲求天尊， 愍發起濯眾，
至心受大慧， 如來神化現。
應時諸女身， 倒願去色欲，
便欲作沙門， 佛之知我情。
畢覺諸審諦， 使身如菩薩，
宣佛神道教， 當復轉化人。
諸賢大眾女， 俱起在佛前，
頭面稽首禮， 願得如佛像。」
Sixty-four-thousand āryā-women then arose and paid obeisance unto the Buddha, and before the Him, began speaking in verse:
“Today, this maiden Arthacaryā,
Has expounded on behalf of us and the assembly;
Having heard her expositions on the profound teachings of the Buddha,
Our minds have been caused to open up and understand it.We truly desire to understand the merits of the Path,
From whence do they all come?
Within this whole assembly that has gathered,
What merits of sublime psychic power do beings here possess?Moreover, within the very bounds of this great assembly,
There are none without their minds struck with awe;
With minds subdued, they joyfully follow,
According themselves with the teachings which are to be practised.We aspire to seek the Bhagavān Who is Himself divine,
Who was aroused by sympathy and cleansed the multitudes of beings;
With attentive minds, we receive His Great Wisdom,
The Tathāgata reveals to us His psychic power which is able transform beings.At this time, though we inhabit the bodies of the women,
We vow to overturn desire and leave behind the desiring over form;
We long to cultivate the path of the śramaṇas,
And the Buddha knows this in our hearts and minds.When fully awakened to all of the perfect truths,
Our afflictive bodies will act as bodhisattvas;
We will proclaim the doctrines of the divine Path of the Buddhas,
And thereafter, turn to and transform all sentient beings.All of us āryā-women of this great assembly,
Together arise before the Buddha;
With our heads, we pay obeisance unto Him,
Vowing to attain the marks just like the Buddha.”
[0288b27] 佛語諸女：「所說實至心。今欲求所願，先當報父母，次當復由王，得聽可去耳。」
The Buddha spoke to all of the women:
“That of which you speak comes truly from a supreme mind.
Now, as you wish to seek after this aspiration, you ought to inform your fathers and mothers.
After that, you must further obtain the permission of the King whom you now serve.
Only after receiving his permission, may you then depart.”
[0288b28] 於是，諸女說偈報白言：
「欲願作沙門， 先當報父母，
次當復由王， 得聽可作道。
為道不苦晚， 但當勤開心，
曉解心意本， 一切與同等。
便有決大意， 心解乃至道，
道從解心起， 不住於縛著。
化達觀眾見， 如復心出生，
從本知本空， 知皆非常苦。
心亂便隨流， 所見必有對，
不生善惡想， 爾乃作沙門。」
At that time, all of the women — the king’s concubines and wives — spoke verses in reply:
“Desiring to practise the path of the śramaṇas,
We must first inform our fathers and mothers;
Next, we must again, through the authority of the king,
Receive permission so that we may cultivate the Path.For the sake of the Path, it is never difficult or too late,
We need only to diligently open up our minds;
When we clearly understand the original nature of mind and intention,
Can we then regard all as the same and as equal.Thus we ought to decisively set forth our Great Resolve,
So that our understanding of mind may reach unto the Path;
For the Path arises only through the understanding of mind itself,
And does not abide within one’s bonds or attachments.Thus we will transform ourselves and deeply contemplate on the multitudes of views,
To be as dharmas which arise from the mind itself;
At the very beginning, we will know original nature of dharmas to be emptiness itself,
And we will know them all to be impermanent and suffering.When the mind is confused, it flows along the saṃsāric currents,
Perceiving all views to be necessarily dualistic;
But by not giving rise to notions of good and evil,
Only then can one become a śramaṇa.”
[0288c11] 諸賢女起往至父母所，長跪白父母及大王：「今日受王恩德，來詣佛所。為尊女利行問佛深妙法，欲求無為道、現身及一切。佛為女說本末、生死、苦痛，但為色欲著，不知道德本。緣是無常至，當就三苦勤，願欲作沙門。願父母聽我作沙門，當得道還度父母。」
All of the āryā-women then arose and went to their fathers and mothers. There, they knelt before them and the great king, saying:
“Today, having received the bestowal of kindness and blessings from the king, we have come before the Buddha.
Because the venerable maiden Arthacaryā had questioned the Buddha on the doctrines of the profound Dharma, we too now wish to seek after the Unconditioned, thereby manifesting a body which may reach unto all sentient beings.
The Buddha had spoken to the maiden on the origins and ends of things — birth and death, as well as pain and suffering. It is only through attachments and desire over forms does one fail to understand the fundamental basis of the Path and Merit.
Since conditions are themselves impermanent, we ought to strive diligently amidst the three kinds of suffering, and desire to follow the path of the śramaṇas.
We therefore wish to inform our mothers and fathers, and for their permission on our going forth as śramaṇīs. May we attain the Path and return to liberate our parents.”
[0288c16] 父母語諸女：「求自然道，各自見便利，隨意所習行。汝曹尚去，我亦隨汝去。汝自白語王，得聽便自去，用問我為？」
Their fathers and mothers spoke to the women:
“Seek the Path yourselves, discern what is appropriate yourselves, practise according to that which accords with your intentions.
If you are to go forth, then I will also go forth with you.
But you must first ask the king yourselves. Having received his permission, you may then go forth — why then even ask us?”
[0288c19] 諸女稽首大王前，淚出而言：「人在三界中，苦欲坐色想，不得自在。無常卒至，無有代者，實欲作沙門。并與諸女俱，無為得道者，當還度父母，王願從本意。」
The various women prostrated their heads, and before the king, with tears streaming down their faces, they said:
“Sentient beings within the Three Times, suffer over, desire after, and sit themselves within notions of form, and thus are unable to attain self-sovereignty.
Impermanence will itself suddenly arrive, and nobody will be able to take our place when it does. Thus we sincerely wish to become śramaṇīs.”
[0288c22] 王語女利行等：「早欲使汝去，隨行作沙門，以汝三事未足，是以不遣汝耳。一者、未盡學識諸禮教，二者、常樂未有見苦，三者、口食恣味未有足者。以是故，不欲遣汝耳。若有至意者，便去勿疑。吾亦欲作沙門。」
The king spoke to the maiden Arthacaryā and to the others:
“I had long wished for you to depart, so that you can accord with the practices of the śramaṇas, but you had been lacking three matters, and so I decided not to let you go:
First, you had not yet learned and understood the various rules of deportment and doctrines.
Second, you had constantly dwelt within palatial pleasures and had not yet seen suffering for yourselves.
Third, with your mouths you had eaten and drunk without knowing sufficiency.
These are the reasons I did not let you go. But if you now have aroused the intention, then you may depart without hesitation. I too wish to become a śramaṇa.”
[0288c27] 王即起至佛所，作禮白佛言：「聞說智慧，意甚願樂。國付太子，身歸三尊，給侍左右，并受法教。欲作沙門，求道如佛。」
The king then arose and went to the Buddha. He paid obeisance unto Him and said:
“Hearing Your explanations on wisdom, I now intend to make these deep vows with joy:
I will entrust the country to the crown prince, and with this body I will dedicate myself to the Three Jewels.
I shall serve the Buddha closely at His side, and thereby receive the teachings of Dharma.
And furthermore, I desire to become a śramaṇa, and thereby seek the Path just like the Buddha.”
[0288c29] 佛即放光若干種色，其明照十方，地為六反震動。諸天作樂覆滿於虛空，散華名寶覆三千大千剎土。天下丘墟皆平，其有大山化為黃金，枯木更生。中有不端正者，皆得願。樹木枯者，皆生條葉，自然風吹，皆歌歎佛功德；生華者，即自墮落，各氣到佛所，羅住空中，各說偈讚佛功德：
「今蒙聖神力， 得救死復生，
光色還本然， 復實滋道成。
生死婬亂色， 譬於枯木時，
值佛說音聲， 還來合本并。
六色沈著瞑， 四色合五欲，
分別法空然， 解道成法行。
為得真定智， 快樂得安寧，
一切皆歡喜， 稽首禮佛足。」
The Buddha then issued forth light of variegated colours, the light radiating everywhere in the ten directions, causing the earth itself to shake in six ways.
All of the devas were overjoyed and they completely filled the sky, scattering flowers named Jewels, throughout the three-thousand-great-thousandfold-world. The world’s hills were made level, the great mountains were all made golden, any withered wood was made anew, and all of those who were not upright, had attained the Great Vow.
All of the withered trees there began sprouting branches and leaves, which spontaneously generated gentle breezes which sang praises of the meritorious qualities of the Buddhas.
The flowers would descend and within the wind would scatter and be carried toward the Buddha. There they formed curtain-net canopies in the sky which sang praises of the Buddha in verse:
“Now, from His mysterious and saintly psychic powers,
Beings are rescued from jaws of death and their further rebirths;
These colourful rays of light, in this way return them to their roots,
And furthermore, truthfully, nourish their completion of the Path.Birth, death, greed, and delusion are themselves forms,
Made here to resemble withered wood;
By meeting with and hearing sounds of the Buddha’s explanations,
They then return and unite with the roots.Deeply attached to the six desires, one is blind,
And the Four Desires unite with the Five Aggregates;
But by distinguishing dharmas to be like empty space,
One understands the practice which will complete the Path.Taking part in true meditation and wisdom,
They will joyously obtain peace and quiescence;
And so when all of them are made happy,
Then with heads at His feet, they will pay obeisance unto Buddha.”
[0289a16] 爾時，諸六通及羅漢見華有是說。女利行即化為男子，復為菩薩。一女子作是二化變，眾坐莫不歡喜。時一佛剎中無有女人，諸六通道者十萬五千人、三萬須陀洹皆得阿惟越致；八萬六千人及阿那含皆得柔順法忍；不可計羅漢更發無上正真道意，其有辟支佛行，即如彌勒輩。
At that time, the six realms of beings and the arhats saw what the flowers had said. The woman Arthacaryā then transformed into a man, and took the appearance of a bodhisattva.
Each of the women then performed each of these two transformations, and for those sitting who had witnessed this, there were none who were not amazed and overjoyed.
So at that time, within this Buddhafield, there were no more women, and all of the one-hundred-and-five thousand beings within the six realms, as well as thirty-thousand śrotāpannas, attained the stage of non-retrogression.
The eighty-six-thousand beings and the non-returners obtained intellectual receptivity on the true nature of dharmas, and an incalculable number of arhats then also issued forth the resolve to attain anuttara samyaksambodhi, and those who practised the path of the pratyekabuddhas vowed to become disciples of the future Buddha Maitreya.
[0289a22] 王即以國付太子。太子名辯積，拜跪白大王：「王為欲施，子孫之殃，與色身之福施子孫；當以法財之利持，誅滅之怨大罪與子孫。大國之治世世漏沒，人根不知大慧滅善之路，與子孫，當奈何？父王有教，不得不從。」輒便禮拜，辭王而去。還國宮殿，坐領國，普告：「若不到佛所求無為道、作善孝者，罪與三逆等。」
The king then gave the kingdom to the crown prince. The crown prince named Pratibhānakūṭa, knelt before the great king and said:
“The king now desires to gift this unto me, so that the misfortunes of his heir will instead take part in the gift of receiving a physical body of merit; thus he ought to preserve and use his great wealth of Dharma, condemning and ceasing the major transgressions of hatred, on behalf of his heir.
However, the governance of this great realm will, in generation after generation, come to sink further within the afflictions, and the roots of these people will not know great wisdom and will thus lose the path of goodness.
Thus, on behalf of your heir, what then could be done?
However, my father, who is king, has instructed me to govern, and thus I will do nothing but comply.”
He then paid obeisance unto his father, spoke to the king, and departed. Returning to the kingdom’s grand palace, he sat and governed the realm, widely proclaiming:
“If one does not go to the Buddha and seek the Path of the Unconditioned so as to cultivate proper filial piety, then that person has committed a transgression equal to that of the Three Heinous Crimes.”
[0289a29] 太子於殿上精進勇慧，廣開大道意。心甚過本無量，即滅一城之惡，地即為六反震動。時人民皆言：「願太子便得作佛，我曹大眾皆當承弟，亦當作佛。」
The crown prince, while at the palace, with diligent and fearless wisdom, widely proclaimed his Intention of Seeking the Great Path, and so his mind overcame the roots of incalculable kalpas.
He thus vanquished all of these evils within the walled city and caused the earth to shake and tremble in six ways.
At that time, the citizens all said:
“We desire that the crown prince now practise the Path on becoming a Buddha. We of this great assembly shall all inherit this lineage of brotherhood, and will also practise to become Buddhas.”
[0289b03] 佛時笑，五色光出，照於十方佛剎。人民皆發願：「令我得道如佛，天下飲食自然在前，如忉利天上；其國菩薩皆如阿彌陀國中。」
The Buddha then smiled, and five coloured rays of light shone forth, illuminating the buddhalands throughout the ten directions. The citizens all issued forth their aspiration for bodhi:
“We ought to attain the Path just as the Buddha, so that under heaven, food and drink shall spontaneously appear before all beings just like the devas in the Trāyastrimśa Heaven; we will make this a land of bodhisattvas, and it will be like what is within the Land of Amitābha’s Western Paradise.”
[0289b06] 太子辯積得功德，在宮七日，出詣佛所，從大眾群臣、大小人民無央數至佛所，為作禮，住佛前，說億億萬千偈讚曰：
「佛作三昧決， 功德甚巍巍，
光相威神照， 感動三千剎。
施人無上慧， 德普入眾心，
感發開童蒙， 莫不受福成。
演詠法華事， 改世濯群異，
降伏獷強者， 和更受柔順。
等尋道場光， 世人受業長，
去老逮空寂， 不死而復生。
除病遠穢辱， 色想沒滅勞，
陰蓋即以除， 清淨無欲塵。
思想受欲定， 流布還無為，
空定常寂然， 不住不然行。
不行無法識， 示現光相成，
本法無增減， 常安寂空空。
如來現神化， 一切得真道，
愚癡寂然定， 心與無生同。
我今聽說法， 演出法華慧，
心解得發願， 一切得如佛。
今欲城國土， 願便說法華，
以何法行得？ 當有幾事解？
疾得是法華， 依義說其慧。
皆令分別知， 一切心得解，
曉了諸法事， 當從中外得。
得之為遠近， 便可立得佛，
復更於劫數， 久從幾佛受？
解慧而有要， 須臾變化成，
願以具演說， 皆令大眾知。」
太子及眾人， 作禮還復坐。
Therein, the crown prince Pratibhānakūṭan obtained great merit, and after having dwelt within his palace for seven days, came to where the Buddha was residing. Following him was a great assembly of vassals and an incalculable number of citizens both great and small, who had also come to meet the Buddha.
They then paid obeisance unto Him, and before the Buddha, recited koṭis on koṭis of nayutas on thousands of verses, singing:
“The Buddha established Himself in the practice of samādhi,
The merits of which are extremely lofty;
He radiated forth brilliant marks of light with His authoritative psychic prowess,
Causing beings to experience the shaking of three-thousand lands.Bestowing unto beings His unsurpassable wisdom,
His merit universally enters into the minds of sentient beings;
He causes these naive children to issue forth the opening up of their minds,
So that there are none who are unable to receive their accomplishing of merit.He expounds and recites on the matters of the Dharma Flower,
Mending the world and cleansing the multitudes of differences;
He subdues those who are harsh and hardened,
So that they become gentle and receive gentleness in return.Equally seeking the light of the Bodhimaṇḍa,
Beings of the world long received these karmic results;
They will depart from old-age and reach quiescent emptiness—
Neither dying no receiving further rebirths.Removing disease, they will keep defilements and shame at distance’s reach,
So that notions of form are weighed down and exhausted of suffering;
The obscurations caused by the aggregates are thereupon removed,
And one becomes purified, without any objects of desire.Their thoughts and ideations will receive samādhi within the realms of desire,
Which diffuse and return beings to the Unconditioned;
Their samādhi on emptiness will be eternally quiescent,
And will not abide anywhere nor act otherwise.Knowing dharmas to be unconditioned and nonexistent,
They will manifest the completion of their marks of brilliance;
For the original nature of dharmas is without increase and decrease,
Eternally peaceful and quiscent, they are empty of emptiness.The Tathāgata has manifest His psychic power to transform beings,
So that all come to attain the Path of Truth;
The foolish and delusional come to abide in the samādhi on quiescence,
So that their minds become the same as non-arising.We were able to hear Him expound the Dharma,
Reciting and expounding to us on the Wisdom of the Dharma Flower;
Our minds having understood it have obtained the issuing forth of aspiration,
And so we all wish to obtain the Path just like the Buddha.Now desiring to establish this land,
We aspire to thereupon expound on the Dharma Flower;
Through what dharmas is it obtained?
What different matters that are there to be understood?We will swiftly obtain this Dharma Flower,
And through its essential meaning, expound on its wisdom;
We will cause all beings to discern and know of it,
So that all of their minds will gain understanding.By fully understanding all of its matters,
Attaining them both inside and out;
Attaining them both near or far,
One is immediately able to obtain Buddhahood.Throughout kalpas upon kalpas it has continued,
But from how many Buddhas has it long been received?
Discerning its wisdom, one will have its essential meaning,
And instantly transform and accomplish completion.May it be fully expounded,
So that the entire assembly may know of it.”
The crown prince and the assembly paid obeisance and returned to their seats.
[0289c09] 佛語女利行：「欲知法華之開解所示現也，當來、過去、現在諸佛皆從是散身譬喻品得道知諦。」爾時，有億百千天及諸梵、不可計人民、四十八萬菩薩逮得無所從生；其有聲聞皆更發意。
The Buddha spoke to the maiden Arthacaryā:
“Desiring for and knowing of it, and having manifested clear understanding of the Dharma Flower, the Buddhas of the future, of the past, and of the current, have from circulating the Chapter on the Parables of the Body, come to attain the Path and know the Truth.”
At that time, one-hundred-thousand koṭis of heavenly beings and various Brahmas, and incalculable numbers of citizens, as well as forty-eight-thousand bodhisattvas attained non-arising; there too the śrāvakas all issued forth the intent for bodhi.
[0289c13] 時不想菩薩白佛言：「今日大眾聽聞法華三昧解說事要，都未受訣。」
Then, Bodhisattva Asaṃkalpita faced toward the Buddha and said:
“Today, this great assembly has heard Your opening up on the Dharma Flower Samādhi. They have understood the explanations on its essential matters, but they had not received Your assurance of their future Buddhahood.”
[0289c14] 佛告菩薩：「今日說法華三昧者，皆以授訣。有劫數、各各自有國土處所，是故不復說耳。若汝不解，自往皆問之。」
The Buddha replied to the bodhisattva:
“Those today to whom I expounded on the Dharma Flower Samādhi have all been given assurance of their future Buddhahood. For innumerable kalpas, each and every one of Them will have Their own respective lands, therefore I did not need to expound on it again. If you do not understand, you ought to go them and ask of them yourself.”
[0289c17] 時太子及女利行即白菩薩心中所欲問，即各說偈答報言：
「惟賢上智慧， 何以不解要？
其有求想報， 皆為不受慧。
當說有處所， 則非法華事，
要當須口說， 欲聽真高聲。
不解其本末， 語亦俱不知，
指示道徑法， 猶若如盲人。
師子之大音， 尚復呼小聲，
受訣已得佛， 不知禮正道。
受訣有國土， 譬亦如幻化，
有對便出應， 不復預思想。
見附住教授， 彌及去來今，
神通無不知， 不須有言說。
受訣在空無， 寂然安無為，
常定不動轉， 私細人不知。
開演於未然， 寂靜無所為，
是為所樂國， 清淨為證正。
不念有思想， 是為快法安；
相好示光明， 是為勤苦現；
弟子有人民， 是為入欲濁，
不苦不勤念， 都盡不起滅。」
At that time, the crown prince and the maiden Arthacaryā then faced the bodhisattva, for within their minds, they desired to ask him a question. Then each of them spoke verses in reply, saying:
“O, Ārya of Supreme Insight and Wisdom,
Why do you not understand the essentials?
Those who seek after notions of response,
Are all unable to receive its wisdom itself.The speaking of “place” and “location”,
Is altogether a matter that concerns not the Dharma Flower;
Yet you insist on verbal exposition,
Desiring to hear the truth from a lofty voice.Understanding not of the roots and branches,
You speak of them yet likewise you do not understand;
Being shown the shortest Path to the Dharma,
You act as if you were a blind-man.Though the lion has a great roar,
You have instead said that it is small;
You have received assurance of the attaining of Buddhahood,
Yet you do know the rites of the Correct Path.The receiving of the assurance of a buddhaland,
Is also analogous to an illusory conjuration;
When there is the response, it will come,
Without prior thought or intention.Perceptions attached to dwelling, teachings and guidance,
These universally extend into the past, future, and present;
Psychic powers have nothing they do not know,
In them, there is no necessity for confirmation through words.Receiving assurance is situated in emptiness and non-existence,
It is itself quiescent, calm and unconditioned;
Eternally settled, established, and unmoving,
It is beyond the understanding of small-minded people.It reveals itself within that which is not-yet-arisen,
It is quiescent and without any forming or conditioning;
This is that land which serves as joy,
With purity itself serving as its correct realisation.A mind without thoughts and ideations,
It is this which is the joyful practise of Dharma;
When the major and minor marks manifest radiant light,
It is those which is the manifestation of arduous cultivation.If a disciple to hold on to notions of “persons or beings”,
This serves as entry into the turbidities of desire;
Within a mind without suffering nor striving,
Are all dharmas consummated, without any arising or perishing.”
[0290a10] 如是說十八萬億偈報。菩薩即歡喜，說偈讚曰：
「我自生愚癡， 不解上人語，
不知其音法， 反呼未受決。
如今所說偈， 甚深難具陳，
願發本時意， 與神共參論。」
In this manner, they spoke one-hundred-and-eighty koṭis of nayutas of verses in reply. The bodhisattva therein rejoiced and spoke verses in praise, saying:
“I, myself, have been foolish since birth,
And have not understood the language of the Supreme One;
Not understanding the sound of His Dharma,
I had turned and said that there was no receiving of assurance.The verses in which you have spoken today,
Is deeply profound and difficult to explain in detail;
I pray that the original intent at that moment in time,
Be jointly examined with psychic power.”
[0290a16] 時太子白佛言：「今諸賢皆尚不解要，以善權方便開解。」
The prince then faced the Buddha and said:
“Now, all of the various āryas know not the essential meaning, through the use of skilful means, may it be opened up and understood.”
[0290a17] 佛即笑，五色光從心口出，十方皆明。阿難白佛：「佛不妄笑，笑必有意。願聞其說。」
The Buddha then smiled and five coloured rays came forth from His mouth, pervading the ten directions. Ānanda asked the Buddha:
“The Buddha does not smile without a reason, what intent is there that He smiles? I desire to hear this explanation.”
[0290a19] 佛語阿難：「汝見大眾不？」
The Buddha then said to Ānanda:
“Do you not see this great assembly?”
[0290a19] 阿難答言：「見。」
Ānanda replied, saying:
“I see them.”
[0290a19] 「今是如來問皆具答，各各在十方教化，度恒沙等天人民，皆使作佛。」爾時，自然雨香華七寶覆三千大千剎土，而周匝遍無有空處。
“Now, the Tathāgata has answered all of their replies, one by one teaching and transforming them within the ten directions, and liberating heavenly and common beings equal to the great sands of the Ganges; causing them all to attain Buddhahood.”
At that time, spontaneous rain of incense and flowers made of the seven jewels fillles the three-thousand-great-thousandfold world, pervading and encircling everywhere without a single empty space.
[0290a22] 佛語太子：「此法華所解人身之事如是。」爾時，不可計恒沙百千人民皆發無上正真道意，逮無所從生心；無數千聲聞皆逮阿惟越致地。
The Buddha spoke to the prince:
“Thus it is to be understood concerning the matters of the bodies of beings concerning the Dharma Flower.”
At that time, an incalculable number of great sands of the Ganges of hundreds of thousands of the citizens issued forth the intention for anuttara samyaksambodhi, reaching the mind of non-arising; countless thousands of śrāvakas also reached the stage of non-retrogression.
[0290a25] 阿難長跪白佛言：「此名何經？云何奉行？」
Ānanda rising from his knees turned to the Buddha and asked:
“What is the name of this sūtra? How should it be upheld?”
[0290a26] 佛語阿難：「名『法華三昧——女利行所問解人身散情經要集』。若有男女書寫、諷誦讀，勝行檀八十劫；若供養對跪拜者，勝菩薩行慈三千億萬劫；若當曉解展轉相教，勝供養恒邊沙佛；若有一聞是經者，不復更生死勤苦。不信謗者，此人以隨末流，未復還本。」
The Buddha told Ānanda:
“It is called “The Dharma Flower Samādhi — The Essential Compilation of the Dispersed Meanings of the Questions of the Woman Arthacaryā”
If there are any men or women who copy, recite out loud, or read, it, then they will have surpassed the merit of having practised generosity for eighty kalpas.
If they make offerings to it, kneel before it, and worship it, they will surpass the merit produced by a bodhisattva who has practised loving kindness for three-thousand koṭis of kalpas.
If they understand, explain, and teach it to others, they will surpass the merit produced by making offerings to the various Buddhas numbering the great sands of the Ganges.
If there is but a single person who hears this sutra, they will never again experience the sufferings and hardships of birth-and-death.
For those who do not believe and then slander it, know that such a being is merely flowing down the late-stages of the downstream currents, and has not yet returned to the source.”
[0290b03] 佛語阿難：「囑累汝法華三昧事，千劫尚不能盡。粗說要諦，受書持奉行，勿得減一字，正書句逗相得。」
The Buddha then told Ananda:
“I entrust on you the matters of this Dharma Flower Samadhi, which cannot be exhausted even in a thousand kalpas. I have now briefly explained its essentials, you ought to receive, write, and put it into practice. Do not let even a single word of it be omitted. Write it out correctly, with the punctuation of the phrases and clauses properly matched.”
[0290b05] 太子所從大眾開解，各得道慧，皆如上首，起為佛作禮而去。
The great assembly which had accompanied the prince had therein opened up and gained understanding, each obtaining the wisdom of the Path, and all became just like the foremost of āryas. They arose and paid obeisance unto the Buddha before departing.
法華三昧經
Thus ends the Dharma Flower Samadhi Sutra.
Saddharmatā 