須菩提 若有善男子善女人 初日分以恒河沙等身布施 中日分復以恒河沙等身布施 後日分亦以恒河沙等身布施 如是無量百千萬億劫以身布施 若復有人聞此經典信心不逆 其福勝彼 何況書寫受持讀誦為人解說 須菩提 以要言之 是經有不可思議不可稱量無邊功德 如來為發大乘者說 為發最上乘者說 若有人能受持讀誦廣為人說 如來悉知是人悉見是人 皆成就不可量不可稱無有邊不可思議功德 如是人等則為荷擔如來阿耨多羅三藐三菩提 何以故 須菩提 若樂小法者 著我見人見衆生見壽者見 則於此經不能聽受讀誦為人解說 須菩提 在在處處若有此經 一切世間天人阿修羅所應供養 當知此處則為是塔 皆應恭敬作禮圍繞 以諸華香而散其處
Xū pútí, ruò yǒu shàn nánzǐ shàn nǚrén, chū rì fēn yǐ Héng hé shā děng shēn bùshī, zhōng rì fēn fù yǐ Héng hé shā děng shēn bùshī, hòu rì fēn yì yǐ Héng hé shā děng shēn bùshī; rúshì wúliàng bǎiqiān wàn yì jié yǐ shēn bùshī. Ruò fù yǒu rén wén cǐ jīngdiǎn, xìnxīn bù nì, qí fú shèng bǐ — hékuàng shūxiě shòu chí dú sòng, wèi rén jiěshuō. Xū pútí, yǐ yào yán zhī, shì jīng yǒu bù kě sīyì, bù kě chēngliàng, wúbiān gōngdé. Rúlái wèi fā dà chéng zhě shuō, wèi fā zuì shàng chéng zhě shuō. Ruò yǒu rén néng shòu chí dú sòng, guǎng wèi rén shuō, Rúlái xī zhī shì rén, xī jiàn shì rén, jiē chéngjiù bù kě liàng, bù kě chēng, wú yǒu biān, bù kě sīyì gōngdé. Rúshì rén děng, zé wéi hèdān Rúlái ānòuduōluó sānmiǎo sānpútí. Hé yǐ gù? Xū pútí, ruò lè xiǎo fǎ zhě, zhuó wǒ jiàn rén jiàn zhòngshēng jiàn shòuzhě jiàn, zé yú cǐ jīng bù néng tīng shòu dú sòng, wèi rén jiěshuō. Xū pútí, zàizài chùchù ruò yǒu cǐ jīng, yīqiē shìjiān tiān rén ā xīu luó suǒ yīng gōngyǎng; dāng zhī cǐ chù, zé wéi shì tǎ, jiē yīng gōngjìng zuòlǐ wéirào, yǐ zhū huā xiāng ér sàn qí chù.
Key Message
Even immeasurable eons of giving one's body cannot match a single unwavering faith in this sutra.
▸Section 15 uses an extreme simile to underscore the immensity of the merit accruing from receiving, retaining, reading, and reciting this sutra.
Section 15 uses an extreme simile to underscore the immensity of the merit accruing from receiving, retaining, reading, and reciting this sutra. Even if one were to give of one's body as many times as the sands of the Ganges — morning, noon, and evening — and to continue this body-offering for immeasurable hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of eons, the merit of one who hears this scripture and whose faith does not falter would still be greater. How much more so for one who copies it out, receives and retains it, reads and recites it, and explains it to others. This sutra possesses merit that is 'inconceivable (不可思議), beyond all measure (不可稱量), and boundless (無邊).'