아미타경

1

Rú shì wǒ wén yī shí fó zài shě wèi guó qí shù gěi gū dú yuán yǔ dà bǐ qiū zhòng qiān èr bǎi wǔ shí rén jù jiē shì dà ā luó hàn zhòng suǒ zhī shí zhǎng lǎo shě lì fú mó hē mù jiàn lián mó hē jiā yè mó hē jiā zhān yán mó hē jù chī luó lí pó duō zhōu lì pán tuó qié nán tuó ā nán tuó luó hóu luó jiāo fán bō tí bīn tóu lú pō luó duò jiā liú tuó yí mó hē jié bīn nà bó qū luó ā nòu lóu tuó rú shì děng zhū dà dì zǐ

Key Message

Great teaching flows forth even without being asked. The Buddha's compassion does not wait to be called upon.

The Amitābha Sūtra opens with the standard formula 'Thus have I heard' (如是我聞, rú shì wǒ wén) and introduces the setting: the Buddha dwelling at the Jetavana Monastery (祇樹給孤獨園) in the land of Śrāvastī (舍衛國), together with an assembly of twelve hundred and fifty bhikkhus.

The Amitābha Sūtra opens with the standard formula 'Thus have I heard' (如是我聞, rú shì wǒ wén) and introduces the setting: the Buddha dwelling at the Jetavana Monastery (祇樹給孤獨園) in the land of Śrāvastī (舍衛國), together with an assembly of twelve hundred and fifty bhikkhus. The disciples enumerated are all 'great arhats' (大阿羅漢) — elders who have attained complete liberation. The Buddha's ten great disciples are named, including Śāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, and Mahākāśyapa, establishing the stature of this assembly. What is particularly distinctive about the Amitābha Sūtra is that it is an unsolicited discourse (無問自說, wú wèn zì shuō) — the Buddha speaks without being asked. This is rare in the canon and signifies that this teaching arose not from a disciple's question but from the Buddha's own compassion, spontaneously overflowing.

2

西

Cóng shì xī fāng guò shí wàn yì fó tǔ yǒu shì jiè míng yuē jí lè qí tǔ yǒu fó hào ā mí tuó jīn xiàn zài shuō fǎ shě lì fú bǐ tǔ hé gù míng wèi jí lè qí guó zhòng shēng wú yǒu zhòng kǔ dàn shòu zhū lè gù míng jí lè yòu shě lì fú jí lè guó tǔ qī zhòng lán shùn qī zhòng luó wǎng qī zhòng xíng shù jiē shì sì bǎo zhōu zā wéi rào shì gù bǐ guó míng yuē jí lè

Key Message

There is a world free from suffering and filled only with joy. That world can be reached through faith.

The Buddha teaches Śāriputra that beyond this world, passing through a hundred billion buddha-lands to the west, there is a world called 'Utmost Bliss' (極樂, jílè), and in that land there is a Buddha named Amitābha (阿彌陀) who is at this very moment expounding the Dharma.

3

Shě lì fú bǐ fó hé gù hào ā mí tuó shě lì fú bǐ fó guāng míng wú liàng zhào shí fāng guó wú suǒ zhàng ài shì gù hào wèi ā mí tuó yòu shě lì fú bǐ fó shòu mìng jí qí rén mín wú liàng wú biān ā sēng qí jié gù míng ā mí tuó

Key Message

Amitābha's light illuminates all directions; his lifespan is without end. The very name contains the transcendence of all limits of time and space.

This is the central passage in which the Buddha explains to Śāriputra the meaning of the name Amitābha (阿彌陀佛).

4

Yòu shě lì fú jí lè guó tǔ cháng yǒu zhǒng zhǒng qí miào zá sè zhī niǎo bái hè kǒng què yīng wǔ shě lì jiā líng pín qié gòng mìng zhī niǎo shì zhū zhòng niǎo zhòu yè liù shí chū hé yǎ yīn qí yīn yǎn chàng wǔ gēn wǔ lì qī pú tí fēn bā shèng dào fēn rú shì děng fǎ qí tǔ zhòng shēng wén shì yīn yǐ jiē xī niàn fó niàn fǎ niàn sēng

Key Message

In the Pure Land, even birdsong is Dharma teaching. A world in which the entire environment guides one toward practice is what a pure land truly is.

In the land of Utmost Bliss there dwell all manner of wondrous, multicolored birds: white cranes, peacocks, parrots, śārika birds, kalaviṅkas (迦陵頻伽), and jīvajīvakas (共命之鳥).

5

Shě lì fú jí lè guó tǔ wēi fēng chuī dòng zhū bǎo xíng shù jí bǎo luó wǎng chū wēi miào yīn pì rú bǎi qiān zhǒng yuè tóng shí jù zuò wén shì yīn zhě zì rán jiē shēng niàn fó niàn fǎ niàn sēng zhī xīn

Key Message

In a true environment for practice, even the sound of wind through the leaves leads the mind toward truth.

When a gentle breeze (微風) stirs the jeweled trees (寶行樹) and jeweled nets (寶羅網) of the Pure Land, a subtle and wondrous sound arises — likened by the Buddha to a hundred thousand kinds of instruments playing in concert.

6

Shě lì fú ruò yǒu shàn nán zǐ shàn nǚ rén wén shuō ā mí tuó fó zhí chí míng hào ruò yī rì ruò èr rì ruò sān rì ruò sì rì ruò wǔ rì ruò liù rì ruò qī rì yī xīn bù luàn qí rén lín mìng zhōng shí ā mí tuó fó yǔ zhū shèng zhòng xiàn zài qí qián shì rén zhōng shí xīn bù diān dǎo jí dé wǎng shēng ā mí tuó fó jí lè guó tǔ

Key Message

When one holds the Buddha's name with one-pointed, undistracted mind, even at the moment of death the mind remains peaceful, and one passes peacefully into the world of light.

This is the most essential practical teaching of the entire Amitābha Sūtra.

7

Shě lì fú rú wǒ jīn zhě zàn tàn ā mí tuó fó bù kě sī yì gōng dé zhī lì dōng fāng yì yǒu ā chù bì fó xū mí xiāng fó dà xū mí fó xū mí guāng fó miào yīn fó rú shì děng héng hé shā shù zhū fó gè yú qí guó chū guǎng cháng shé xiàng biàn fù sān qiān dà qiān shì jiè shuō chéng shí yán rǔ děng zhòng shēng dāng xìn shì chēng zàn bù kě sī yì gōng dé yī qiē zhū fó suǒ hù niàn jīng

Key Message

This teaching is not the word of one Buddha alone. All the Buddhas of the eastern direction extend their tongues to bear witness to its truth.

The Buddha declares that just as he himself has been praising Amitābha's inconceivable merit, the Buddhas of the eastern direction also bear witness.

8

西

Shě lì fú nán fāng shì jiè yǒu rì yuè dēng fó míng wén guāng fó dà yàn jiān fó xū mí dēng fó wú liàng jīng jìn fó rú shì děng héng hé shā shù zhū fó gè yú qí guó chū guǎng cháng shé xiàng biàn fù sān qiān dà qiān shì jiè shuō chéng shí yán xī fāng shì jiè yǒu wú liàng shòu fó wú liàng xiāng fó wú liàng chuáng fó dà guāng fó dà míng fó bǎo xiāng fó jìng guāng fó rú shì děng héng hé shā shù zhū fó gè yú qí guó chū guǎng cháng shé xiàng biàn fù sān qiān dà qiān shì jiè shuō chéng shí yán

Key Message

All Buddhas of the south and west also bear witness together. Truth does not come from one direction alone.

Following the eastern Buddhas, this passage continues with the Buddhas of the southern (南方) and western (西方) directions also bearing witness to the teaching of the Amitābha Sūtra.

9

宿

Shě lì fú běi fāng shì jiè yǒu yàn jiān fó zuì shèng yīn fó nán jǔ fó rì shēng fó wǎng míng fó rú shì děng héng hé shā shù zhū fó gè yú qí guó chū guǎng cháng shé xiàng biàn fù sān qiān dà qiān shì jiè shuō chéng shí yán xià fāng shì jiè yǒu shī zǐ fó míng wén fó míng guāng fó dá mó fó fǎ chuáng fó chí fǎ fó shàng fāng shì jiè yǒu fàn yīn fó sù wáng fó xiāng shàng fó xiāng guāng fó dà yàn jiān fó zá sè bǎo huā yán shēn fó suō luó shù wáng fó bǎo huā dé fó jiàn yī qiē yì fó rú xū mí shān fó rú shì děng héng hé shā shù zhū fó gè yú qí guó chū guǎng cháng shé xiàng biàn fù sān qiān dà qiān shì jiè shuō chéng shí yán

Key Message

All Buddhas in every direction — above and below — bear witness together. Truth is what the entire universe agrees upon.

Following east, south, and west, this passage completes the testimony with Buddhas of the northern (北方), lower (下方), and upper (上方) directions all bearing witness to the Amitābha Sūtra's teaching.

10

退 退

Shě lì fú yú rǔ yì yún hé hé gù míng wèi yī qiē zhū fó suǒ hù niàn jīng shě lì fú ruò yǒu shàn nán zǐ shàn nǚ rén wén shì jīng shòu chí zhě jí wén zhū fó míng zhě shì zhū shàn nán zǐ shàn nǚ rén jiē wèi yī qiē zhū fó zhī suǒ hù niàn jiē dé bù tuì zhuǎn yú ā nòu duō luó sān miǎo sān pú tí shì gù shě lì fú rǔ děng jiē dāng xìn shòu wǒ yǔ jí zhū fó suǒ shuō shě lì fú ruò yǒu rén yǐ fā yuàn jīn fā yuàn dāng fā yuàn yù shēng ā mí tuó fó guó zhě shì zhū rén děng jiē dé bù tuì zhuǎn yú ā nòu duō luó sān miǎo sān pú tí yú bǐ guó tǔ ruò yǐ shēng ruò jīn shēng ruò dāng shēng shì gù shě lì fú zhū shàn nán zǐ shàn nǚ rén ruò yǒu xìn zhě yīng dāng fā yuàn shēng bǐ guó tǔ shě lì fú rú wǒ jīn zhě chēng zàn zhū fó bù kě sī yì gōng dé bǐ zhū fó děng yì chēng zàn wǒ bù kě sī yì gōng dé ér zuò shì yán shì jiā móu ní fó néng wèi shèn nán xī yǒu zhī shì néng yú suō pó guó tǔ wǔ zhuó è shì jié zhuó jiàn zhuó fán nǎo zhuó zhòng shēng zhuó mìng zhuó zhōng dé ā nòu duō luó sān miǎo sān pú tí wèi zhū zhòng shēng shuō shì yī qiē shì jiān nán xìn zhī fǎ

Key Message

Because it is hard to believe, it is all the more precious. In this turbid world, it is possible to reach the world of light through faith and aspiration alone.

This final passage of the Amitābha Sūtra is the circulation section (流通分).