Summary
s.1The Detailed Account of the Previous Aspirations of the Seven Thus-Gone Ones opens in Vaiśālī, where the Buddha Śākyamuni is seated with a saṅgha of eight thousand monks, thirty-six thousand bodhisattvas, and a large gathering of gods, spirit beings, and humans. As Śākyamuni concludes his teaching, the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī rises from his seat and requests that the Buddha give a Dharma teaching that will benefit all the human and nonhuman beings who are present in the assembly. Specifically, he asks Śākyamuni to teach them about the previous aspirations of seven buddhas, their buddhafields, and the benefits that those buddhas can bring to beings who live in the final five hundred years, when the holy Dharma is on the verge of disappearing. Śākyamuni agrees to this request and proceeds to give a detailed account of the previous aspirations of those seven buddhas to benefit beings who are veiled by karmic obscurations, tormented by illnesses, and plagued by mental anguish and suffering.
s.1《七如來本願經》在毗舍離開展，釋迦牟尼佛與八千位僧侶、三萬六千位菩薩，以及眾多天神、靈界眾生和人類聚集一堂。當釋迦牟尼佛結束教導時，菩薩文殊菩薩從座位起身，請求佛陀傳授一部法教，使在場的所有人類和非人類眾生都能獲益。具體而言，他要求釋迦牟尼佛為他們講授七位佛陀的本願、他們的佛土，以及這些佛陀能為生活在最後五百年（聖法即將消亡的時代）的眾生帶來的利益。釋迦牟尼佛同意了這個請求，並詳細講述了這七位佛陀的本願，旨在利益那些被業障遮蔽、為疾病所折磨、為精神痛苦和苦難所困擾的眾生。