The Five Pure Land Sutras [Buddhism]

419 Pages·2016·1.53 MB·English

by  The Corporate Body Of The Buddha Educational Foundation

THE FIVE
PURE LAND
SUTRAS

The Corporate Body of
The Buddha Educational Foundation
Printed and donated for free distribution by
The Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation
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Contents
1. THE LARGER SUKHÂVATÎ-VYÛHA
Translated into English from Sanskrit MSS by F. MAX MÜLLER .......................... 5
2. THE SMALLER SUKHÂVATÎ-VYÛHA
Translated into English from Sanskrit MSS by F. MAX MÜLLER ......................141
3. AMITÂYUR-DHYÂNA- SÛTRA
Translated into English from Sanskrit MSS by F. MAX MÜLLER ......................165
4. The Sutra of Visualizing The Buddha of Immeasurable
Length of Life
Translated into English from Chinese Version by Bhikkhu Assaji..........................241
5. Discourse on Samantabhadra’s Beneficence Aspirations
Translated into English from the Chinese by Simpei Shao......................................303
6. THE PRACTICES AND VOWS OF THE
BODHISATTVA SAMANTABHADRA
Translated from Chinese into English by Upasika Chihmann (Miss P. C. Lee)....363
7. MAHĀSTHĀMA BODHISATTVA'S MINDFULNESS
OF AMITĀBHA TO UNIVERSALLY REALIZE
SAMADHI
Translated by Upasaka Lu K'uan Yu...........................................................................415
THE LARGER
SUKHÂVATÎ-VYÛHA
無量壽經

Translated into English from Sanskrit MSS
by
F. MAX MÜLLER
由梵文譯英文：德國 麥克斯莫洛
THE LARGER SUKHÂVATÎ-VYÛHA
DESCRIPTION OF SUKHÂVATÎ,
THE LAND OF BLISS.
OM. Adoration to the Three Treasures! Om.
Adoration to all the glorious Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas! Adoration to all Buddhas,
Bodhisattvas, Âryas, Srâvakas, and
Pratyekabuddhas, past, present, and to come, who
dwell in the unlimited and endless Lokâdhatus of
the ten quarters! Adoration to Amitâbha!
Adoration to him whose soul is endowed with
incomprehensible virtues!
Adoration to Amitâbha, to the Gina, to thee, O
Muni!
I go to Sukhâvatî through thy compassion also;
To Sukhâvatî, with its groves, resplendent with
gold,
The delightful, adorned with the sons of
Sugata,—
I go to it, which is full of many jewels and
treasures;
And the refuge of thee, the famous and wise.
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THE FIVE PURE LAND SUTRAS
§ 1. Thus it was heard by me. At one time the
1
Bhagavat dwelt in Râgagriha, on the mountain
Gridhrakûta, with a large assembly of
Bhikshus,with thirty-two thousands of Bhikshus,
all holy (arhat), free from frailties and cares,
who had performed their religious duties,
whose thoughts had been thoroughly freed
through perfect knowledge, with inquiring
thoughts, who had broken the fetters of
existence, who had obtained their desires, who
had conquered, who had achieved the highest
self-restraint, whose thoughts and whose
knowledge were unfettered, Mahânagas (great
heroes), possessed of the six kinds of
knowledge, self-controlled, meditating on the
eight kinds of salvation, possessed of the
powers, wise in wisdom, elders, great disciples,
viz. 1. Âgñâtakaundinya, 2. Asvagit, 3. Vâshpa,

1 The Blessed, i.e. Buddha Sâkyamuni.
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THE LARGER SUKHÂVATÎ-VYÛHA
4. Mahânâman, 5. Bhadragit, 6.Yasodeva, 7.
1
Vimala, 8. Subâhu, 9. Pûrna Maitrâyanîputra ,
10. Uruvilvâ-kâsyapa, 11. Nadî-kâsyapa, 12.
Gayâ-kâsyapa, 13. Kumâra-kâsyapa, 14.
2
Mahâ-kâsyapa, 15. Sâriputra , 16.
Mahâmaudgalyâyana, 17. Mahâkaushthilya, 18.
3
Mahâkaphila, 19. Mahâkunda, 20. Aniruddha ,
4
21. Nandika, 22. Kampila , 23. Subhûti, 24.
5
Revata, 25. Khadiravanika , 26. Vakula, 27.
Svâgata, 28. Amogharâga, 29. Pârâyanika, 30.
Patka, 31. Kullapatka, 32. Nanda, 33. Râhula,
and 34. the blessed Ânanda,—with these and
with other elders, and great disciples, who were
wise in wisdom, with the exception of one
person who had still to be advanced on the path
of the disciples, viz. the blessed Ânanda;—and

1 These two names refer to one and the same person.
2 Nos. 15 and 16 are taken as one in the MSS. A B.
3 Frequently called Anuruddha.
4 Kimbila is mentioned with Anuruddha and Nandiya in the Mahâvagga X, 4, 2.
5 See Pan. VIII, 4, 5
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THE FIVE PURE LAND SUTRAS
with many noble-minded Bodhisattvas, led by
Maitreya.
§ 2. Then the blessed Ânanda, having risen
from his seat, having put his cloak on one
shoulder, and knelt on the earth with his right
knee, making obeisance with folded hands in
the direction of the Bhagavat, spoke thus to the
Bhagavat: 'Thy organs of sense, O Bhagavat,
are serene, the colour of thy skin is clear, the
colour of thy face bright and yellowish. As an
autumn cloud is pale, clear, bright and
yellowish, thus the organs of sense of the
Bhagavat are serene, the colour of his face is
clear, the colour of his skin bright and
yellowish. And as, O Bhagavat, a piece of gold
coming from the Gâmbû river, having been
thrown into a furnace by a clever smith or by
his apprentice, and well fashioned, when
thrown on a pale cloth, looks extremely clear,
bright and yellowish, thus the organs of sense
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