佛言 飯惡人百 不如飯一善人 飯善人千 不如飯一持五戒者 飯五戒者萬 不如飯一須陀洹 飯百萬須陀洹 不如飯一斯陀含 飯千萬斯陀含 不如飯一阿那含 飯一億阿那含 不如飯一阿羅漢 飯十億阿羅漢 不如飯一辟支佛 飯百億辟支佛 不如飯一三世諸佛 飯千億三世諸佛 不如飯一無念無住無修無證之者
fó yán fàn è rén bǎi bù rú fàn yī shàn rén fàn shàn rén qiān bù rú fàn yī chí wǔ jiè zhě fàn wǔ jiè zhě wàn bù rú fàn yī xū tuó huán fàn bǎi wàn xū tuó huán bù rú fàn yī sī tuó hán fàn qiān wàn sī tuó hán bù rú fàn yī ā nà hán fàn yī yì ā nà hán bù rú fàn yī ā luó hàn fàn shí yì ā luó hàn bù rú fàn yī pì zhī fó fàn bǎi yì pì zhī fó bù rú fàn yī sān shì zhū fó fàn qiān yì sān shì zhū fó bù rú fàn yī wú niàn wú zhù wú xiū wú zhèng zhī zhě
Key Message
The highest recipient of offering is one who transcends all frameworks — beyond thought, abiding, cultivation, and attainment.
▸Section eleven compares the merit of offerings using an ascending gradation to reveal the highest possible recipient.
Section eleven compares the merit of offerings using an ascending gradation to reveal the highest possible recipient. Feeding a hundred evil people is surpassed by feeding one good person; feeding a thousand good people is surpassed by one who holds the five precepts; and so the comparison ascends through stream-entrant, once-returner, non-returner, arhat, pratyekabuddha, all buddhas of the three times — until at last the highest merit belongs to offering to one who is 'without thought, without abiding, without cultivation, without attainment' (無念無住無修無證). This final state connects to section two's 'no thought, no action, neither cultivation nor attainment,' the paradoxical freedom beyond all categories.