4. Samādhi
爾時，月光童子白佛言：
Thereupon, the youth Candraprabha addressed the Buddha, saying:
「世尊！所言三昧，何者是也？」
"O Bhagavān! What is this samādhi that you just spoke about?"
佛言：
The Buddha said:
「童子！諦聽諦聽，當為汝說。謂：一、能寂滅於心，二、無所起，三、無和合智，四、棄捨重擔，五、得如來智，六、成佛威力，七、治其欲著，八、滅除瞋恚，九、斷離愚癡，十、住心相應，十一、捨不住心，十二、樂欲善法，十三、欲奪有為，十四、安住正信，十五、夜常覺悟，十六、不捨禪定，十七、增已生善，十八、於生不樂，十九、不造諸業，二十、不計內入，二十一、不計外入，二十二、不讚自身，二十三、不毀他人，二十四、不在俗家，二十五、戒行淳熟，二十六、無能輕欺，二十七、有大福德，二十八、自知，二十九、不輕躁，三十、安住威儀，三十一、捨麁惡言，三十二、無怒恚心，三十三、救護於彼，三十四、護善知識，三十五、護持密語，三十六、於諸眾生不起害心，三十七、不惱持戒，三十八、恒柔軟語，三十九、不依三界，四十、於一切智而得順忍。」
"O Youth! Listen carefully, listen carefully! I will explain it for you. It is (1) being able to pacify the mind, (2) being without arising, (3) being without confused knowledge, (4) casting off the heavy burden, (5) attaining the knowledge of a Tathāgata, (6) attaining the power of a Buddha, (7) controlling attachment to desire, (8) eliminating anger, (9) cutting off delusion, (10) abiding with a unified mind, (11) abandoning a nonabiding mind, (12) delighting in good dharmas, (13) wanting to eliminate the conditioned, (14) abiding in right faith, (15) always being awake at night, (16) not abandoning dhyāna meditation, (17) increasing the good that has already arisen, (18) not being delighted with birth, (19) not doing any karmas, (20) not calculating about the inner faculties, (21) not calculating about the outer faculties, (22) not praising oneself, (23) not criticizing others, (24) not living in a lay household, (25) being pure in moral conduct, (26) being invulnerable to slander, (27) having great merit, (28) self-knowledge, (29) being indefatigable, (30) maintaining deportment, (31) abandoning harsh speech, (32) being without anger, (33) saving others, (34) protecting good friends, (35) guarding one’s secret words, (36) not giving rise to malice toward sentient beings, (37) observing precepts without transgression, (38) always speaking gently, (39) not relying on the triple world, and (40) attaining concordance to omniscience.
爾時，世尊而說偈言：
Thereupon, the Bhagavān uttered this gāthā:
「我已開於甘露門、
我已說諸法自性、
我已示於生死過、
我已開顯涅槃利，
"I have opened the gate to the deathless.
I have explained the intrinsic nature of dharmas.
I have shown the faults of saṃsāra.
I have revealed the benefits of nirvāṇa.
我已教離惡知識、
常當親近善知識、
離諸憒眾住寂靜、
常修慈心而不絕、
I have taught to leave behind bad friends.
One should always draw near to good friends.
One should leave behind the crowd of the greedy and dwell in tranquility.
One should always cultivate kindness without interruption.
於清淨戒常護持、
歡喜樂於頭陀行，
若能常習於捨慧，
得是三昧則不難。
One should always guard the pure precepts.
One should take joy in the practice of dhūta austerities.
If one can always practice equanimity and wisdom,
It will not be difficult to attain this samādhi.
此能得於寂滅地，
終不墮在聲聞地，
必當證於佛智慧，
剋獲諸佛無量德。
They will be able to attain the state of quiescence,
And will never fall into the state of śrāvakas.
They will certainly realise the wisdom of the buddhas,
And will be able to acquire the immeasurable merits of the buddhas.
見諸眾生有智器，
為說佛慧以示之，
若能發求無上智，
得是三昧則不難。
If they see that sentient beings are vessels for wisdom,
They will expound the wisdom of the buddhas for them and show it to them.
If they can arouse the aspiration for unsurpassed wisdom,
It will not be difficult for them to attain this samādhi.
若為食起嫉妬心，
當觀食已無有淨，
用功無量乃得成，
若深觀此能得定。
If they give rise to jealous thoughts for the sake of food,
They should contemplate that food is not pure,
And they will use immeasurable effort to achieve that contemplation.
If they deeply contemplate like this, they will be able to attain samādhi.
無物能將此定來，
必由淨戒之所起，
諸法體性常寂然，
凡夫無智不能會。
There is nothing that can bring this meditation,
It must be produced by pure precepts.
The essential nature of all dharmas is always quiescent,
But ordinary people without knowledge cannot understand this.
若能心住於寂定，
是人一切常有佛，
人尊恒見諸眾生，
常修如是寂滅定。
If one can make the mind dwell in quiet meditation,
This person will always be in the presence of the Buddha.
The Honored One always sees sentient beings
And always cultivates such a quiet meditation.
念佛相好及德行，
能使諸根不亂動，
心無迷惑與法合，
得聞得智如大海。
Recalling the Buddha’s features and meritorious deeds,
One can cause the senses not to be disturbed.
The mind, without confusion, is united with the Dharma.
Thus one attains oceanlike hearing and knowledge.
智者住於此三昧，
攝念行於經行所，
能見千億諸如來，
亦值無量恒沙佛。
The wise ones who abide in this samādhi,
Immediately control their thoughts, wherever they walk,
Will be able to see thousands of koṭis of tathāgatas
And also meet innumerable buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges.
若人心有迷惑者，
於佛法中取限量，
於無量中無有量，
如來諸德不思議。
If there are people whose minds are confused,
They will grasp the limits of the Buddha Dharma.
In the immeasurable there is no measure.
The virtues of the Tathāgata are inconceivable.
一切世間無與比，
何況而能有過者？
諸智諸德皆相應，
於此不疑定成佛。
All worlds have nothing to compare with them,
Let alone anything that can surpass them.
All the wise and meritorious are in accord with this,
And there is no doubt that they will definitely become buddhas.
得如來身紫金色，
一切端妙為世親，
緣於如是心安住，
乃名得定之菩薩。
Attaining the Tathāgata’s body of purple gold,
Entirely handsome, beloved of the world:
Thus peacefully abiding in such a mental object,
One is then called a Bodhisattva who has attained samādhi.
此緣佛相是有作，
能除一切有相想，
然後安住於無相，
乃能達於諸法空。
This conditioned [visualised] appearance of a Buddha, is functional,
And it can remove all thoughts of appearances.
Then one can abide in the signless,
And can comprehend the emptiness of all dharmas.
能得安住於法身，
知一切有而無有，
無有之相修習已，
然後觀佛非色身。
One can abide in the Dharma-body,
Knowing that all exists while not existing.
Having cultivated the appearance of nonexistence,
Then one can observe that a Buddha is not a form-body.
我今為汝善說之，
彼彼趣於如是處，
所謂覺知諸緣事，
無量思量常不斷。
I now explain it well for you.
In this or that place, one will go to a place such as this.
Then, be aware that things are conditioned,
One will constantly think immeasurable thoughts.
若有能生如是心：
If one can give rise to the thought:
『念佛相好及智慧。』
'I am mindful of the Buddha's marks and wisdom,'
彼人能修如是念，
一心趣向無退轉，
若行、若坐、若經行，
於諸佛智無疑惑。
The person who can cultivate such a thought,
Single-mindedly will progress without retrogression.
Whether walking, sitting, or walking back and forth,
One will have no doubts about the wisdom of the Buddhas.
得無疑已作是願：
Having attained freedom from doubt, one will make this vow:
『令我得佛三界尊。』
"May I attain Buddhahood, being honoured in the triple world."
必當得見諸如來，
入佛法中能選擇。
They will certainly be able to see the Tathāgata
And will be able to rightly select the Buddha-Dharma.
於此三昧而起已，
稽首禮於十方佛，
身、口及意皆清淨，
讚歎諸佛常不斷，
常修如是念佛相，
日夜恒見諸如來。
Having arisen from this samādhi,
They will bow down to the buddhas of the ten directions.
Their body, speech, and mind will be completely pure.
They will constantly praise the buddhas without interruption.
They will constantly cultivate the marks of the Buddha in this way.
Day and night they will constantly see the Tathāgatas.
若遇垂死最重疾，
痛惱逼迫極無聊，
念佛三昧常不捨，
不令苦切奪此心。
If they encounter a very serious illness that threatens death,
The pain and torment will be oppressive and extremely tiresome.
They will constantly not abandon the samādhi of recollecting the Buddha,
And will not let the pain and torment take away their minds.
彼人自解是法故，
則知一切諸法空，
以住如是諸教門，
於菩薩行不厭惡。
Because they understand this Dharma teaching,
They know all dharmas are empty;
Abiding by this teaching,
They do not badly reject bodhi-conduct.
得聞如是利益已，
求於如來無等智，
於後不生追悔心，
最上菩提難得故。
Having heard of such benefits,
They seek the unexcelled knowledge of Buddhas
And do not regret it later,
Because supreme bodhi is hard to attain.
我今為汝無量說，
汝於此法若不行，
如人雖持良妙藥，
於自身病不能治。
I now tell you innumerable things:
If you do not act on these teachings,
You will be like a man who possesses good medicine
But cannot cure his own illness.
是故應當知選擇，
所謂求於勝三昧，
戒、聞、布施常修習，
得是三昧則不難。」
Therefore you should know [right] selection
That is to say, seeking the superior samādhi.
If you always cultivate morality, listening, and giving,
It will not be difficult to attain this samādhi.