The Treatise on the Sutra of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life

The Treatise on the Sutra of
the Buddha of Immeasurable Life
with the Verses of Aspiration
for Birth in the Pure Land

Composed by Bodhisattva Vasubandhu and
Translated by *Bodhiruci during the Later Wei Dynasty

1 ^O World-honored One, with the *mind that is single,
I take refuge in the *Tathagata of Unhindered Light
Filling the ten quarters

^I compose a summary in the form of a gatha of aspiration,
That accords with the Buddha’s teaching.

3 ^Contemplating that world in light of its features,
I see that it transcends the three worlds.

^The great compassion of true enlightenment
Is born form supramundane roots of good.

^It is composed of all kinds of precious treasures
And is adorned with wondrous ornaments.

^The jewel ornaments are soft and pliant
Like grasses bending to the right and left.

^The pleasant sensation produced by touching them
Surpasses that when one touches *kācilindika grass.

^Myriad varieties of jeweled flowers
Are scattered over the ponds, streams, and fountains.

^When a soft breeze stirs the flowers and leaves,
The lights emitted are intricately blended.

^The palaces and pavilions command a view of
The worlds of the ten quarters without obstruction.

^Various kinds of trees radiate different colors
And jeweled balustrades surround the entire land.

^Adorned with flowers and robes raining down from above,
The land is filled with numerous kinds of fragrance.

^The Buddha’s wisdom is bright and pure like the sun,
Dispersing the darkness of ignorance in the world.

^Its *pure sound deeply enlightens beings far and wide.
Subtle and wondrous, it is heard throughout the ten quarters.

^The beings of this Tathagata’s pure lotus
Are *born transformed from the lotus of perfect enlightenment.

^Enjoying the taste of the Buddha Dharma,
They partake of meditation and samadhi as their food.

^Forever free from physical and mental afflictions,
They constantly enjoy pleasure without interruption.

^In the world of good of the Mahayana, all beings are equal,
And not even the words of disparagement exist.

^Nor is anyone born there as
A woman, or disabled, or one having the seeds of two vehicles.

4 ^Amida, the king of innumerable great treasures,
Is seated on the wonderous and pure lotus-throne.

^As soon as his aureole extends one *fathom from his body
His figure transcends that of all other beings.

^The Tathagata’s voice is exquisite,
Its august tones resounding throughout the ten quarters.

^Just like *earth, water, fire, wind, and space,
He has no thought of discrimination.

^Like Sumeru, the king of mountains,
The Tathagata is supreme, wondrous, and unequalled.

^Devas and humans, the valiant ones,
Worship, circumambulate, and adore the Buddha.

^Contemplating the power of the Buddha’s Primal Vow,
I see that no one who ever encounters it passes it by in vain.

^It quickly brings to fullness and perfection
The great treasure ocean of virtues.

kācilindika　Also refers to the soft down of a bird.

pure sound　According to Tan-luan’s commentary, this indicates the name of Amida’s Pure Land.

born transformed　See “transformative birth”.

fathom　Said to be the breadth of the Buddha’s outstretched arms. A unit of length equal to six feet (1.8 meters).

earth, water, fire, wind, and space　These five elements, constituting the world, are free of discrimination in their workings.

wheel of Dharma is turning constantly　See “Wheel of the Dharma”.

5 ^The Land of Peace and Happiness, pure and immaculate,
Is where the undefiled *wheel of Dharma is turning constantly.

^The transformed Buddhas and bodhisattvas there are like suns,
And abide immovable like Mount Sumeru.

^Illumines the assemblies of the Buddhas everywhere
And benefits all sentient beings.

^Showering them with heavenly music, flowers, robes, and excellent fragrances,
They make offerings to the Buddhas

6 ^On writing this treatise, I have composed these verses
In aspiration for seeing Amida Buddha,

^And, together with all other sentient beings,
For being born in the Land of Peace and Happiness.

7 ^Concerning the words and passages of the *sutras on the Buddha of Immeasurable Life, I have expounded a summary of them in verse.

sutras on the Buddha of Immeasurable Life　Sutras related to Amida Buddha and the Pure Land.

8 ^Now I will discuss the significance of these verses of aspiration. ^It is to reveal the contemplation of the Land of Peace and Happiness, thereby seeing Amida Buddha, out of an aspiration for birth in that land.

9 ^How should one contemplate that land and awaken the entrusting heart? If a good man or woman accomplishes the practices of the five gates of mindfulness, he or she will eventually be born in the Land of Peace and Happiness and see Amida Buddha. ^What are the five gates of mindfulness? They are: (1) the gate of worship, (2) the gate of praise, (3) the gate of aspiration, (4) the gate of contemplation, and (5) the gate of directing virtue.

^How does one “worship”? One worships by one’s bodily acts Amida the *Tathagata, Arhat, and Perfectly Enlightened One, out of an aspiration for birth in that Land.

Tathagata, Arhat, and Perfectly Enlightened One　The first three of the ten epithets of the Buddha.

^How does one “praise”? One praises by one’s verbal act. One says the Name of the Tathagata in accord with the *Tathagata’s light, which is the embodiment of wisdom. One wishes to be in correspondence with the significance of *the Name by practicing in accord with reality.

Tathagata’s light; the Name　See “Amida’s Light and Name”.

^How does one “aspire”? One aspires constantly in one’s heart. With the mind that is single, one wishes ultimately to be born in the Land of Peace and Happiness. One desires to practice *samatha in accordance with reality.

samatha　See “samatha and vipasyana”.

^How does one “contemplate”? One contemplates that land out of wisdom and right-mindedness. One wishes to practice *vipasyana in accordance with reality. The contemplation is of three kinds. The first is to contemplate the virtues that adorn the Buddha-land; the second is to contemplate the virtues that adorn Amida Buddha, and the third is to contemplate the virtues that adorn the bodhisattvas in that land.

vipasyana　See “samatha and vipasyana”.

^How does one “direct virtue”? While constantly aspiring in the heart never to abandon any sentient being in suffering, one takes the directing of virtue to them as foremost. This is because one wished to fulfill the mind of great compassion.

10 ^How does one contemplate the virtues that adorn the Buddha-land? Since the virtues that adorn the Buddha-land have been fulfilled by the inconceivable power, their nature is to be compared and contrasted to the *wish-fulfilling mani-jewel. ^Concerning the contemplation of the virtues that adorn the Buddha-land, there are seventeen kinds of fulfillment. What are the seventeen?

wish-fulfilling mani-jewel　Skt., cintāmaṇi

^(6) The fulfillment of the adornment of the virtue of magnificent illumination.

^(15) The fulfillment of the adornment of the virtue of being free from all afflictions.

^(16) The fulfillment of the adornment of the virtue of the gate of the great principle.

^(17) The fulfillment of the adornment of the virtue of all aspirations being fulfilled.

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the *virtue of purity, the gatha states:

virtue of purity　Indicates that the Pure Land is a realm of nirvana free from evil passions.

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of the immeasurable, the gatha states:

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the *virtue of nature, the gatha states:

virtue of nature　Indicates that the Pure Land is the manifestation of the ultimate formless reality.

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of appearance, the gatha states:

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of diversity, the gatha states:

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of magnificent illumination, the gatha states:

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of softness, the gatha states:

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of the three elements, you should know that there are three elements. What are the three? They are the water, earth, and space. ^As to the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of water, the gatha states:

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of rain, the gatha states:

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of light, the gatha states:

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of wondrous sound, the gatha states:

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of the lord, the gatha states:

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of the fellow beings, the gatha states:

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of enjoyment, the gatha states:

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of being free from all afflictions, the gatha states:

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of the gate of the *great principle, the gatha states:

great principle　Indicates that the Pure Land is based on the ultimate Mahayana ideal.

^We should know that the reward of the *Pure Land is free from the defect of the two kinds of disparagement: one is the beings, and the other is their names. ^The three kinds of beings who do not exist there are: (1) those of the two vehicles, (2) women, and (3) the disabled. Since these three kinds of beings do not exist there, it is said to be free of disparagement. ^There are also three kinds of disparaging terms. Since the three kinds of beings do not exist, likewise even those disparaging terms do not exist. Furthermore, three kinds of terms, such as those of the two vehicles, women, and the disabled, are unknown. This is why the land is said to be free of disparaging words. “Equal” means being equal in appearance.

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of all aspirations being fulfilled, the gatha states:

11 ^So far I have briefly explained the fulfillment of the seventeen kinds of adornments of the Land of Amida Buddha, which reveals the perfection of the virtuous power of the Tathagata’s benefiting himself and benefiting others.

12 ^*The adornments of the Land of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life are the wondrous manifestations of the ultimate reality. I have explained the *sixteen aspects following the *one aspect. This should be known.

The adornments ....　The adornments of the Pure Land are the manifestation of the ultimate formless reality.

sixteen aspects　The second to the seventeenth aspects.

one aspect　The first aspect of purity.

13 ^How does one contemplate the fulfillment of the virtues that adorn the Buddha? Concerning the contemplation of the fulfillment of the virtues of the Buddha, there are eight aspects. What are the eight?

^(8) The fulfillment of the adornment of the *virtue of sustaining without any futility.

virtue of sustaining without any futility　The Buddha’s working is true and real, necessarily leading everyone who is born in the Pure Land to emancipation.

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of the seat, the gatha states:

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of the bodily acts, the gatha states:

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of the verbal acts, the gatha states:

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of the mental acts, the gatha states:

^“No thought of discrimination” means that the Buddha has no mind of discrimination.

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of the great assembly, the gatha states:

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of the leader, the gatha states:

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of the lordship, the gatha states:

^Concerning the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of sustaining without any futility, the gatha states:

^When they see the Buddha, the bodhisattvas who have yet to realize pure mind will ultimately attain the dharma-body of equality. They will ultimately realize tranquility and equality like the bodhisattvas of pure mind or the bodhisattvas of higher stages.

14 ^So far I have briefly explained eight passages, showing that the Tathagata’s virtues and adornments for self-benefit and benefiting others have been fulfilled in due order. Reflect on this.

15 ^How does one contemplate the fulfillment of the virtues that adorn the bodhisattvas? Concerning the contemplation of the fulfillment of the virtues that adorn the bodhisattvas, when contemplating those bodhisattvas, you should reflect on the fact that they possess the fulfillment of virtues resulting from the performance of four kinds of right practice. ^What are these four?

^First, without moving themselves bodily from one Buddha-land, the bodhisattvas go throughout the ten quarters, assuming various *transformed bodies and practicing in accord with reality, and thus constantly performing the Buddha’s work. As the gatha states:

^This is to make the lotus flowers from the muddy ponds of sentient beings blossom.

^Second, their transformed bodies, at every moment, neither before nor after, radiate in one thought and one moment a great light that reaches everywhere throughout the worlds of the ten quarters, and they teach and guide sentient beings. They perform practices and acts with a variety of skillful means and eradicate the pain of all sentient beings. As the gatha states:

^Third, in all worlds without exception, they illumine the great number of the Buddhas and their great assemblies. Without exception, vastly and incalculably, the bodhisattvas make offerings and pay homage to the Buddha-tathagatas and praise their virtues. As the gatha states:

^Fourth, in whatever places throughout the worlds of the ten quarters where the Three Treasures do not exist, they sustain and adorn the great ocean of virtue of the treasures of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, and manifesting themselves everywhere, they lead beings to the realization of practice in accord with reality. As the gatha states:

16 ^Previously I have explained the act of contemplating the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of the Buddha-land, the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of the Buddha, and the fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of the bodhisattvas. These three kinds of fulfillment are the adornments produced by the *Vow-mind. Reflect on this.

Vow-mind　The essence of Amida’s Vow promising that all beings should be saved through birth in the Pure Land. See “adornment produced by the Vow-mind” and “Primal Vow of Amida Buddha”.

17 ^This is so because, stated in brief, the adornment enter into the *phrase one-dharma. The phrase one-dharma is the *phrase purity. The phrase purity is the true and real wisdom, the uncreated dharma-body. ^This purity has two aspects. Reflect on this.

^What are the two aspects? The first is the purity of the world as *environment, and the second is the purity of the world as *sentient beings.

environment　The original Chinese 器 literally means “receptacle”, (Skt., bhājana).

sentient beings　“Sentient beings” here refers to the Buddhas and bodhisattvas in the Pure Land.

^The purity of the world as environment refers to the seventeen kinds of fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of the Buddha-land explained earlier. These are called the purity of the world as environment.

^The purity of the world as sentient beings refers to the eight kinds of fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of the Buddha and the four kinds of fulfillment of adornment of the virtue of the bodhisattvas. These are called the purity of the world as sentient beings. ^Thus the phrase one-dharma holds the significance of these two kinds of purity. Reflect on this.

18 ^Such bodhisattvas, by practicing *samatha and vipasyana, whether extensively or *briefly, attain the mind that is soft and gentle. They know all things, extensively and briefly, as they truly are. ^In this way, they fulfill the directing of virtue through skillful means.

　^What is the bodhisattvas’ directing of virtue through skillful means? With all the virtues and roots of good that they accumulate through the *five kinds of practice, such as worship, they do not seek to dwell in bliss for their own sake, but think only of freeing all sentient beings from pain. Hence, they aspire to take up all sentient beings so as to be born together with them in the Buddha-land of Peace and Happiness. This is termed the fulfillment of the bodhisattvas’ directing of virtue through skillful means.

five kinds of practice　These are the same as the five gates of mindfulness as stated in section 9.

19 ^Knowing fully what the directing of virtue is, the bodhisattvas fulfill it, and thus they become free of the three kinds of divergence from the *gate of enlightenment. What are the three?

gate　Here, gate refers to “notion” or “aspect”.

^First, by adopting the gate of wisdom, they refrain from seeking their own pleasure and thus become free of egocentric attachment to their own self.

^Second, by adopting the gate of compassion, they eliminate the pain of all sentient beings and thus become free of thoughts that do not bring peace to other beings.

^Third, by adopting the gate of skillful means, they compassionately look on all sentient beings. Thus they become free of thoughts of paying homage to and revering their own self. ^This is called “becoming free of the three kinds of divergence from the gate to enlightenment”.

20 ^The bodhisattvas, having become free of the teachings that diverge from these three gates of enlightenment, are able to fulfill the teaching that accords with the three gates of enlightenment. What are the three?

^The first is the undefiled pure mind. It is so called because the bodhisattvas do not seek various pleasures for themselves.

^The second is the peace-bestowing pure mind. It is so called because the bodhisattvas seek to eliminate the pain of all sentient beings.

^The third is the blissful pure mind. It is so called because the bodhisattvas enable all sentient beings to realize great enlightenment. Thus they take up sentient beings and bring them to birth in that land. ^This is called “fulfilling the teaching that accords with the three gates of enlightenment”. Reflect on this.

21 ^The three kinds of gates stated above, namely, *wisdom, compassion, and skillful means, are embraced in *prajna, and prajna embraces *upaya. Reflect on this.

　^In the above, becoming free of egocentric attachment to one’s own self, becoming free of thoughts that do not bring peace to other beings, and becoming free of thoughts of paying homage to and revering their own self have been taught. These three kinds of teaching signify becoming free of thoughts that are obstructions to enlightenment. Reflect on this.

　^In the above, the undefiled pure mind, the peace-bestowing pure mind, and the blissful pure mind have been taught. When these three kinds of minds are condensed into one, it is the fulfillment of the wondrous, blissful, and excellent true mind. Reflect on this.

22 ^Thus, the bodhisattvas, with the mind of wisdom, the mind of skillful means, the unobstructed mind, and the excellent true mind, attain birth in the Buddha-land of purity. Reflect on this.

　^This means that the bodhisattva-mahasattvas, having become in accord with the five dharma-gates, freely fulfill those acts as they desire. These *bodily acts, verbal acts, mental acts, acts of wisdom, and acts of the wisdom of skillful means, as alluded to above, are in accord with the dharma-gates.

bodily acts, ..., acts of the wisdom of skillful means　Each corresponds to one of the five gates.

23 ^Again, there are five gates. The bodhisattvas have fulfilled these five kinds of virtue in order. Reflect on this. What are these five gates? The first is the gate of the approach. The second is the gate of the great assembly. The third is the gate of the grounds. The fourth is the gate of the residence. The fifth is the gate of the state of sporting in the gardens and forests. ^Concerning these five gates, the first four gates are the fulfillment of the virtue of entrance and the fifth gate is the fulfillment of the virtue of emergence.

^In the first gate of the virtue of entrance, they worship Amida Buddha with the desire to be born in the Pure Land. They are thereby enabled to attain birth in the World of Peace and Happiness. This is called the first gate of entrance.

^In the second gate of the virtue of entrance, they praise Amida Buddha by saying the Name in accord with the significance of the *Tathagata’s Name and practicing in correspondence with the *Tathagata’s light, which is the embodiment of wisdom. They are thereby enabled to join the great assembly. This is called the second gate of entrance.

Tathagata’s Name; Tathagata’s light　See “Amida’s Light and Name”.

^In the third gate of the virtue of entrance, they think solely on Amida with singleness of heart and aspire to be born in the Pure Land, and once born there, they perform the practice of samatha, the samadhi of tranquility. They are thereby enabled to enter the *lotus-held world. This is called the third gate of entrance.

lotus-held world　Refers to Amida’s Pure Land.

^Concerning the fourth gate of the virtue of entrance: contemplating solely on the wondrous adornments of that Land, they practice vipasyana. They are thereby enabled to reach that place and enjoy the various tastes of Dharma. This is called the fourth gate of entrance.

^Concerning the fifth gate of the virtue of emergence: with great compassion, they observe all sentient beings in pain and affliction, and assuming various transformed bodies to guide them, enter and sport in the gardens of birth-and-death and the forests of blind passions. With transcendent powers, they attain the state of teaching and guiding sentient beings. This is brought about by the effect of the original vow that the bodhisattvas had established. This is called the fifth gate of emergence.

^Know that the bodhisattvas fulfill the practice of self-benefit with the first four gates of entrance. ^Also know that they fulfill the practice of benefiting others with the fifth gate of emergence as the directing virtue.

24 ^By performing the practices of the five gates in this way, the bodhisattvas accomplish both self-benefit and benefiting others, and thus they swiftly attain the supreme, perfect enlightenment.

25 ^I have briefly explained the Treatise on the Sutra of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life with the Verse of Aspiration for in the Pure Land.

The Treatise on the Sutra of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life with the Verse of Aspiration for in the Pure Land

The woodblocks of this Discourse on the Pure Land will be deposited in the Chion’in Temple for the benefit of generations to come.