Teaching the Merit of Rejoicing
教導喜聞所獲的功德
17.1Then the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya asked the Bhagavān, [F.129.a] “Bhagavān, if a noble man or noble woman rejoices after hearing this Dharma teaching explained, how much merit, Bhagavān, does that noble man or noble woman create?” And at that time the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya also addressed to him this verse:
17.1於是菩薩摩訶薩彌勒菩薩問薄伽梵說：「薄伽梵，若有善男子、善女人聞此法教已而生歡喜，薄伽梵，彼善男子、善女人成就何許功德？」於是時菩薩摩訶薩彌勒菩薩復以偈頌而白之言：
17.3The Bhagavān then answered the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, “Ajita, when the Tathāgata has passed into nirvāṇa, suppose there are noble men or noble women, bhikṣus or bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas or upāsikās, wise adults, boys or girls who listen to this Dharma teaching being given, and having heard it, rejoice. And having listened to the Dharma they get up and leave, and whether they go to a temple, a house, a forest, a street, a town, or the countryside, they explain those causes, those causal factors, that Dharma, to other beings just as they have heard it, just as they remember it, to the extent of their ability, whether it be to their father, mother, or relative, and to anyone else who will be pleased, with whom they are acquainted. Then suppose those other beings rejoice on having heard it, and having rejoiced they tell it to others who will rejoice on hearing it, and then those tell it to others, so that this Dharma teaching is passed on from one to another until it reaches a fiftieth person.
17.3薄伽梵回答菩薩摩訶薩彌勒菩薩說：「無勝，如來涅槃後，假設有善男子或善女人、比丘或比丘尼、優婆塞或優婆夷、有智慧的成人、男孩或女孩聽聞這個法教，聽聞之後感到喜悅。他們聽聞法教後起身離開，無論他們去寺院、房屋、森林、街道、城鎮或鄉村，他們就按照自己所聽聞的、所記得的方式，盡力向其他眾生解說那些因、那些因緣、那個法教。無論是向他們的父親、母親、親屬，或是向任何願意聽的、他們認識的人說。然後假設那些其他眾生聽聞後感到喜悅，他們因喜悅而向其他願意聽聞的人傳述，那些人再向其他人傳述，這樣一來這個法教就逐人傳遞，直到傳到第五十個人。」
17.4“Ajita, thus suppose there is a person who is the fiftieth to hear it and rejoice after it has been passed on from one to another. Ajita, I shall describe the merit that is accumulated through such a noble man or noble woman’s rejoicing, so listen well and remember. [F.129.b]
17.4「無勝，假使這樣的人是第五十個聽聞並歡喜的，經過這樣一個傳遞一個的過程。無勝，我現在要為你講述，這樣的善男子或善女人歡喜所積累的功德。你要仔細聽，並記住。」
17.5“Ajita, it is like this: Suppose there are four hundred thousand innumerable world realms in which there are beings that have been born into the six kinds of existence: that have been born from eggs, born from wombs, born from warm moisture, or born miraculously; beings with form and without form; beings with perception, without perception, and neither with nor without perception; beings with no legs, with two legs, with four legs, or with many legs—an entire multitude of beings that are included within that realm of beings, that have entered that realm of beings. Then a man appears there who wishes to create merit, who wishes to benefit others, and who gives to that multitude of beings lovely, beautiful, cherished, desired pleasures and enjoyments of happiness. In order that each of the beings that fill Jambudvīpa might enjoy what they desire, what they delight in, and what they take pleasure in, he gives them cowries, gold, silver, jewels, pearls, beryls, conch, crystal, corals, horse-drawn carriages, ox-drawn carriages, elephant-drawn carriages, palaces, and kūṭāgāras.
17.5「無勝，就是這樣：假設有四十萬無數的世界，其中有眾生出生於六道，有的生於卵，有的生於胎，有的生於濕氣，有的生於化生；有的有形，有的無形；有的有想，有的無想，有的非想非無想；有的無足，有的雙足，有的四足，有的多足——充滿該世界的眾生，完全進入了眾生之界。然後一個人出現在那裡，他想要積累功德，想要利益他人，於是向那眾多眾生施予可愛、美好、珍貴、值得渴望的快樂和享受。為了使充滿閻浮提的每一個眾生都能享受他們所欲、所喜、所樂的，他給予他們貝殼、黃金、白銀、珠寶、珍珠、綠柱石、海螺、水晶、珊瑚、馬車、牛車、象車、宮殿和樓閣。」
17.6“Ajita, this man, this lord of generosity, this lord of great generosity, gives these gifts in that way for eighty years. Then, Ajita, this man, this lord of generosity, this lord of great generosity thinks, ‘I have brought all these beings delights, pleasures, and happiness. These beings have now become old. They have white hair, are covered with wrinkles, are eighty years old and they are close to the time of their deaths. I shall introduce them to the Dharma’s guidance that has been taught by the Tathāgata and teach it to them.’
17.6「無勝，這個人、這位布施之主、這位大布施之主，就這樣施捨禮物八十年。然後，無勝，這個人、這位布施之主、這位大布施之主想到：『我已經為所有這些眾生帶來了歡樂、快樂和幸福。這些眾生現在已經衰老了。他們有白髮，布滿皺紋，已經八十歲，即將面臨死亡。我應該將他們引入如來所教導的法教的指引中，並為他們宣講教法。』
17.7“Then, Ajita, that man introduces those beings to the Dharma’s guidance that has been taught by the Tathāgata, [F.130.a] and when they have been introduced to the Dharma they listen to it, and having heard it for just one moment, just one instant, briefly, they attain the results of becoming stream entrants, once-returners, and nonreturners, up to becoming arhats, who have brought the defilements to cessation, become meditators, great meditators, and meditate on the eight liberations.
17.7「那時，無勝，那個人向這些眾生介紹如來所教導的法的指引，當他們被介紹到這個法中時，他們聽聞它，並且僅僅聽聞了一刻那、一瞬間、短暫地聽聞後，他們就證得了須陀洹果、斯陀含果、阿那含果，乃至阿羅漢果，他們已經斷除了煩惱，成為禪修者、大禪修者，並且修習八解脫。」
17.8“What do you think, Ajita? Would this man, this lord of generosity, this lord of great generosity, have generated vast countless immeasurable merit through that as a cause?”
17.8「無勝，你認為如何？這位男子，這位布施之主，這位大布施之主，是否通過這個因緣而生起了廣大無數無量的功德呢？」
17.9The bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya replied to the Bhagavān, “It is so, Bhagavān. It is so, Sugata. That man, that lord of generosity, that lord of great generosity, would have generated vast merit through that causal factor, through giving to those beings the things that bring happiness—not to speak, Bhagavān, of establishing them in the higher state of arhathood.”
17.9菩薩摩訶薩彌勒菩薩回答薄伽梵說：「是的，薄伽梵。是的，善逝。那位男子，那位布施之主，那位大布施之主，通過那個因緣，通過給予那些眾生帶來快樂的事物，會生起廣大的功德——更不用說，薄伽梵，將他們安立在阿羅漢果的更高境界中了。」
17.10Then the Bhagavān said to bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, “Ajita, I declare this to you, I make this known to you. There is the merit generated by that man, that lord of generosity, that lord of great generosity through providing the things that brought happiness to all the beings in four hundred thousand countless world realms, and establishing them in arhathood. There is also the amount of merit generated by the fiftieth person who heard and rejoiced in just one verse from this Dharma teaching, or rejoiced in just one line, after it had been passed from one to another. The amount of merit possessed by that person who rejoiced—who rejoiced in just one verse from this Dharma teaching or rejoiced in just one line—after it had been passed from one to another fifty times, would be far greater than the amount of merit gained by that man, that lord of generosity, that lord of great generosity through his generosity and establishing beings in arhathood. [F.130.b]
17.10那時薄伽梵告訴菩薩摩訶薩彌勒菩薩說：「無勝，我為你宣說，為你開示。有一個人，大布施者、廣大布施者，以能帶來快樂的事物供給四百千那由他無數的世界中的一切眾生，並且將他們安立在阿羅漢果中。還有第五十個人聽聞了這部法教的一個偈頌或一句，並且因為它在一個人傳給另一個人之後而生起歡喜心的人。這個因為聽聞這部法教的一個偈頌或一句，並且因為它在一個人傳給另一個人五十次之後而生起歡喜心的人所獲得的功德，遠遠超過了那個人、那個大布施者、廣大布施者通過他的布施和將眾生安立在阿羅漢果中所獲得的功德。
17.11“Ajita, the accumulation of merit through generosity and establishing beings in arhathood that was previously described does not equal a hundredth of the merit, of the good karma, accumulated from that rejoicing. It does not equal a thousandth, a hundred thousandth, a ten millionth, a thousand millionth, a ten thousand millionth, a million millionth, or even a hundred thousand quintillionth. That merit cannot be calculated—even a fraction of it cannot be calculated; there is no suitable analogy for it, and there is no suitable simile for it.
17.11「無勝，之前所說的通過布施和為眾生建立阿羅漢果所積累的功德，不等於從那種喜心中積累的功德的百分之一，不等於善業的千分之一、十萬分之一、千萬分之一、億分之一、十億分之一、百億分之一，甚至不等於兆分之一。那種功德無法計算——甚至其中一小部分也無法計算；沒有恰當的比喻可以形容它，也沒有合適的譬喻可以說明它。」
17.12“Ajita, that is the amount of merit generated by rejoicing in one verse or one line from this Dharma teaching by that fiftieth person, Ajita, not to mention someone who in my presence hears and rejoices in this Dharma teaching. Ajita, I teach that the accumulation of such merit is immeasurable, unquantifiable.
17.12「無勝，那是第五十個人聽聞並喜悅這部法教中的一個偈頌或一句句子所產生的功德量。無勝，更不用說在我面前聽聞並喜悅這部法教的人。無勝，我教導說，這樣的福德聚是無量的、無法計量的。」
17.13“Ajita, the noble man or noble woman who, in order to listen to this Dharma teaching, leaves their home and goes to a temple, and having arrived there, whether standing or sitting, listens briefly to this Dharma teaching will create and accumulate such an accumulation of merit. Then when they depart from that life, in their next lifetime, they will have a life in which they acquire ox-drawn carriages, horse-drawn carriages, elephant-drawn carriages, palanquins, boats, bull-drawn carriages, and the airborne palaces of a deity.
17.13「無勝，若有善男子、善女人，為了聽聞此法教，離開自己的家，前往寺院。到達那裡後，無論是站著或坐著，短暫地聽聞此法教，就能創造並積累這樣的福德聚。然後當他們離開此生時，在下一世，他們將獲得牛車、馬車、象車、轎輿、船隻、牛拉的車輛，以及天神的空中宮殿。」
17.14“If they sit down for just a moment where the Dharma of the sūtra is being taught and listen to this Dharma teaching, or make another person sit down, or share their seat with another being, through that merit they accumulate they will attain the throne of Śakra, the throne of Brahmā, and the lion throne of a cakravartin. [F.131.a]
17.14「若坐聽受此經法教，或令他人坐聽，或與他人共享座位，通過所積集的功德，他們將獲得釋提桓因的寶座、梵天的寶座，以及轉輪聖王的獅子座。」
17.15“Ajita, if a noble man or noble woman says to another person, ‘Hey, come here! Listen to this Dharma teaching called The White Lotus of the Good Dharma!’ and if that person is inspired and comes, and if they listen for just a moment, through the roots of merit that are accumulated through having inspired that being, the noble man or woman will be among the company of bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have attained retention. They will not be stupid. They will have sharp faculties and be wise. For a hundred thousand lifetimes they will not have a foul-smelling mouth, bad breath, illness of the tongue, illness of the mouth, blackened teeth, uneven teeth, yellow teeth, disarranged teeth, broken teeth, lost teeth, crooked teeth, a prominent lower lip, thin lips, too wide lips, a cleft lip, crooked lips, dark lips, ugly lips, a flat nose, a crooked nose, a long face, a crooked face, a black face, or an ugly face.
17.15「無勝，若有善男子或善女人，告語他人言：『來，汝聽此經，名為妙法蓮華！』若彼人蒙發而來，若聽須臾，由發彼人心所生善根故，彼善男子或善女人，當得菩薩摩訶薩眾中成就陀羅尼者。彼人不愚鈍，得利根而有智慧。百千生中，不得臭口、惡氣、舌病、口病、牙黑、牙不齊、牙黃、牙亂、牙破、齒落、牙曲、下唇長、唇薄、唇廣、唇缺、唇曲、唇黑、唇醜、鼻平、鼻曲、面長、面曲、面黑、面醜。」
17.16“Ajita, in that way they will have delicate and well-formed tongues, teeth, and lips, a prominent nose, a beautifully shaped face, lovely eyebrows, a well-formed forehead, and they will attain the complete features of a superior being. They will find the Tathāgata and the instructions he teaches, and will quickly be among the company of the buddha bhagavāns.
17.16「無勝，如此他們將具有柔軟莊嚴的舌頭、牙齒和嘴唇，高聳的鼻子，美麗的臉龐，優美的眉毛，完美的額頭，他們將獲得上等眾生的圓滿相貌。他們將遇見如來及其所教導的教法，並且將迅速進入諸佛薄伽梵的眾生之中。
“Ajita, see the amount of merit that is generated by inspiring just one being, let alone by one who respectfully listens to, respectfully reads, respectfully teaches, and respectfully elucidates this Dharma teaching.” [F.131.b]
「無勝，看看啟發一個眾生所產生的功德量，更何況是恭敬聽聞、恭敬讀誦、恭敬教導和恭敬闡明這個法教的人呢。」
17.17Thereupon the Bhagavān spoke these verses:
17.17於是薄伽梵說出這些偈頌：
17.33This concludes “Teaching the Merit of Rejoicing,” the seventeenth chapter of the Dharma teaching of “The White Lotus of the Good Dharma.” [B11]
17.33（結尾）