The Translation

[F.92.a]

1.1Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

1.1禮敬所有的佛和菩薩。

Thus did I hear at one time. While staying in Śrāvastī, in Prince Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s park, the Blessed One was served, honored, venerated, and revered [F.92.b] by gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas; by Śakra, Brahmā, and the world protectors; by kings and ministers; and by bodhisattvas, monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen. Yet he remained like a lotus unsullied by water.

我這樣聽說過。當時，佛在舍衛城、給孤獨長者園林、祇樹給孤獨園停留時，受到天神、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆、阿修羅、迦樓羅、緊那羅和摩睺羅伽的侍奉、恭敬、尊崇和禮拜；也受到帝釋、梵天和護世者們的敬奉；還有國王、大臣、菩薩、比丘、比丘尼、男信徒和女信徒的禮敬。然而他如同蓮花一樣，不為塵垢所染污。

1.2At that time, in order to venerate the Thus-Gone One, on the full moon day of the last month of autumn, King Prasenajit had a thousand large copper cauldrons filled with grain oil and set them out so that the entire area for four leagues around was illuminated by their flames.

1.2那時，為了恭敬如來，在秋季最後一個月的滿月之日，波斯匿王讓人將一千口大銅鼎盛滿油，排列開來，使得方圓四由旬的範圍都被火焰照亮。

1.3At the same time, in the great city of Śrāvastī, there was a city beggar woman called Maker of Joy. She had bought a tiny amount of oil, as a result of which she had gone without food for four days and had grown weak. She took the oil to Prince Jeta’s Grove and, using it to light a lamp at the edge of the courtyard, she made this wish:

1.3在同一時期，在舍衛城的大城中，有一位名叫喜樂製造者的乞丐婦女。她用買油的錢，導致自己四天沒有進食，身體變得虛弱。她把油帶到祇樹給孤獨園，用它點燃了庭院邊緣的一盞燈，並許下了這個願望：

1.4“Blessed One, with this root of virtue, may I too become a teacher in the future. May I teach the Dharma and gather a community, just as the thus-gone, worthy, perfect, and complete Buddha does now. If I am to become a buddha in the future, may this oil lamp continue to burn until I return.” Whereupon she lit the lamp, and returned to the city.

1.4「世尊，我以這個善根，願將來也能成為一位教導者。願我像如今的如來、應供、圓滿佛陀一樣，宣說法法、聚集僧團。如果我將來要成為佛陀，願這盞油燈一直燃燒到我回來。」於是她點燃了油燈，回到城裡去了。

1.5The light of that oil lamp illuminated all of Jambudvīpa and the following day the lamp was still burning. Then Venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana tried to put it out with the edge of his robe, but he could not. Venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana then tried to extinguish it with gales of wind, but still he could not put it out. Venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana then went to the Brahmā realms and caused sheets of rain the size of chariot axles to fall upon this whole trichiliocosm. However, even though he directed the deluge right over the lamp, still he could not douse it.

1.5那盞油燈的光芒照亮了整個南贍部洲，第二天油燈仍然燃燒著。於是尊者大目犍連試著用自己的衣邊去撲滅它，但是撲不滅。尊者大目犍連又試著用狂風去吹滅它，但仍然撲不滅。尊者大目犍連隨後前往梵天界，讓車軸大小的雨幕落在整個三千大千世界上。然而，即使他直接把暴雨驅向油燈，仍然無法將它澆滅。

1.6Then the Blessed One said, “Let it be, Maudgalyāyana! This lamp has been lit with a mind set on awakening, and a mind set on awakening cannot be overcome by a śrāvaka. [F.93.a] How so? Because no śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha can ever overcome a mind set on omniscience.”

1.6那時，佛陀說道：「目犍連，罷了吧！這盞燈是以菩提心點燃的，菩提心是聲聞無法克服的。為什麼呢？因為沒有任何聲聞或辟支佛能夠克服一切智心。」

1.7A while later, as the sun was rising, the woman returned from the city. When she saw that the lamp was still burning brightly, she was filled with tremendous joy.

1.7過了一段時間，當太陽升起時，那位婦女從城裡回來。當她看到油燈仍然明亮地燃燒著，她充滿了巨大的喜悅。

1.8At that moment, the Blessed One smiled. It is the nature of things that whenever a blessed buddha smiles, rays of light of many colors‍—blue, yellow, red, white, crimson, and the colors of crystal and silver‍—stream forth from the blessed buddha’s mouth. These illuminate and pervade worlds without end, reaching as far as the Brahmā realms where they outshine even the sun and the moon. They then return once again, and, after circling the blessed one thrice, descend into the uṣṇīṣa at the crown of that blessed one’s head. So, indeed, did such rays of light, having circled the Blessed One thrice, disappear into the uṣṇīṣa of the Blessed One’s head.

1.8那時，世尊微笑。諸佛微笑時，必然有許多種色彩的光芒——青色、黃色、紅色、白色、深紅色，以及水晶色和銀色——從諸佛的口中放射而出。這些光芒照耀並普遍遍佈無量無邊的世界，遠達梵天界，其光輝超越了日月的光芒。之後，這些光芒再次返回，環繞世尊三圈，然後沒入世尊頭頂的肉髻之中。就這樣，這些光芒環繞世尊三圈後，消沒於世尊頭頂的肉髻之中。

1.9Venerable Ānanda then spoke the following verse to the Blessed One:

1.9尊者阿難隨後向佛說了以下的偈頌：

“Excellent victor, guide, and best of men,

「出色的勝者、引導者和最殊勝的人，

You do not smile without reason,

您從不無故微笑，

So please, with compassion, for the benefit of the world,

所以請您出於慈悲心，為了世間的利益，

Tell us what gives you cause to smile.”

請為我們說明是什麼原因令你微笑。

1.11The Blessed One replied, “Ānanda, this city beggar woman will not fall into a lower rebirth for twenty-eight eons. She will experience only the abundance of the human and god realms, and then will become a thus-gone, worthy, perfect, and complete buddha called All-Illuminating.”

1.11世尊回答說：「阿難，這個城市的乞丐女人在二十八劫內不會墮入低等的輪迴。她將只經歷人界和天神界的福報，然後會成為一位如來、應供、正等覺、圓滿佛陀，名叫遍照。」

1.12Then the Blessed One spoke these verses:

1.12然後佛說了這些偈頌：

“To venerate the holder of ten powers, Prasenajit lit a thousand fine lamps [F.93.b]

「波斯匿王尊敬十力持有者，點燃了一千盞精美的燈火

In huge copper cauldrons, which illuminated everything for four leagues.

在巨大的銅鼎中，光芒四射照亮四由旬。

The city beggar woman lit a lamp with a tiny amount of oil

城市的乞丐婦女用少量的油點燃了一盞燈。

And, by the power of the mind set on awakening, it illuminated the whole world.

靠著菩提心的力量，它照亮了整個世界。

“Maudgalyāyana wanted to extinguish the lamp with his vast magical powers,

「目犍連想要用他廣大的神通力來熄滅這盞燈，

But even powerful gales could not extinguish it.

但即使是強大的狂風也無法熄滅它。

Sending down sheets of rain the size of chariot axles from the Brahmā realms,

從梵天界降下如車軸般粗大的雨幕，

Still he could not douse that lamp, which shone like the sun.

他仍然無法熄滅那盞燈，它像太陽一樣閃耀發光。

“After four days with no food, she came to the delightful Jeta Grove

「在四天沒有進食後，她來到了令人歡喜的祇樹給孤獨園

And, with joyful heart, paid respects with folded hands to the feet of the Sugata.

以歡喜心，恭敬地合掌禮拜善逝的雙足。

The peerless one smiled, and Ānanda, thoroughly delighted, asked,

無比的聖者微笑了，阿難欣喜若狂地問道，

‘What kind of result does this smile foretell, infinitely radiant one?’

「這個微笑預示著什麼樣的果報，無邊光明的聖者？」

“In twenty-eight eons, this Maker of Joy will be a victor, a self-arisen one

「在二十八劫後，這位喜樂製造者將成為勝者，一位自證者」

Known as All-Illuminating, and she will illuminate four great chiliocosms.

名號為遍照，她將照亮四大千世界。

In the future, she will make offerings to ten million sugatas;

未來，她將向千萬位善逝供養。

She will become a universal monarch and venerate the victors.

她將成為轉輪聖王，恭敬尊敬諸位勝者。

“This exemplary tale about a future buddha will delight the faithful

「這個關於未來佛的本生譚將使信眾感到喜悅

And the wise who hear it will also feel joy.

而且聰慧的人聽聞此事也會感到歡喜。

In this way, the qualities of innumerable victors with the ten powers are inconceivable.

這樣，具有十種力的無數勝者的功德是不可思議的。

So the matchless result of rejoicing in them will also be inconceivable.”

因此，對此歡喜的無與倫比的果報也將是不可思議的。

1.18Thus spoke the Blessed One, and Venerable Ānanda, the city beggar woman, the bodhisattvas and monks, along with the gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas of the world, rejoiced and thoroughly praised what the Blessed One had said.

1.18世尊如是說，尊者阿難、城市的乞丐女人、菩薩和比丘，以及世間的天神、人類、阿修羅和乾闥婆都歡喜，徹底讚歎世尊所說的話。

1.19This concludes The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The City Beggar Woman.”

1.19（結尾）