佛說觀無量壽佛經The Sūtra on Contemplating the Buddha of Measureless Life

T365 · 畺良耶舍譯

全帙 · 可讀

卷首心要Essence

這部經不是從極樂世界起筆，而是從王舍城一座關閉的宮殿起筆。父王被幽閉，母親因送食而同遭深禁；韋提希在親子相害之中問佛，自己當往生何處。佛讓十方淨土現前，她自己選擇極樂世界，所請的也不是一幅安慰人的圖景，而是兩件可以學的事：「教我思惟，教我正受。」〔T12n0365 0341b29〕

佛的回答先落在人人可見的日沒。從日、水、地、樹、池與樓開始，境由這一邊可見之物，漸次轉入彼國莊嚴；每一觀都不只問見到沒有，也問閉目開目、入定出定之後是否明了不失。正觀與邪觀之別，不以境界奇特為準，而以心境是否相應為準。

到了華座、佛像與佛身，經把觀境轉向觀心。「是心作佛，是心是佛。」〔T12n0365 0343a21〕作與是並列，沒有互相吞沒。佛身雖以不可計量的相好光明展開，經仍只教從眉間白毫一相進入；而佛心所指，也不是另一套玄說：「諸佛心者大慈悲是，以無緣慈攝諸眾生。」〔T12n0365 0343c01〕

觀世音、大勢至二觀又把光明落到接引與度苦。寶手之光柔軟，行坐之間世界震動；相好不是讓人停在驚歎，而是顯出眾生如何被攝持。普觀再把作觀的人放入蓮華之中：前面所看的國土、華座與三聖，至此不再只是遠境，作觀者自己也進入所願之生。

凡夫心力接不住無邊佛身，經沒有掩飾這個限度。雜想觀先明說其不可及，隨即轉向佛的宿願力：境可現大身，也可現丈六八尺；大小不同，皆真金色。從巨細無礙的示現，經轉入上、中、下三輩，所說不再只是如何觀，而是不同的人以何心、何行、何緣得生彼國。

九品的次第保存差別，卻不把差別寫成關門。有人具三心、讀誦大乘；有人持戒迴向；有人只在臨終聞法；最重的一位甚至苦逼不遑念佛，只能稱佛名。經把條件、來迎、華開遲疾與所得逐項分明，也把每一條路都如實留在本文之中。

最後，韋提希與侍女得益，阿難請問經名與受持法。十六觀講畢，佛沒有把全經收成一種只有少數人能完成的境界，而以一句付囑結束：「汝好持是語。持是語者，即是持無量壽佛名。」〔T12n0365 0346b15〕

所以，這部經從一座關閉的宮殿走到一個可以受持的名字；從親眼見土的人，走到佛滅後未曾見佛的眾生。觀法的每一步都守住次第，願力的方向則始終朝向那些心力最弱、苦迫最深而仍願向佛的人。

This sūtra does not begin in the land of Ultimate Bliss. It begins in a palace whose doors are closing. A king is imprisoned by his son; the queen who brings him food is confined in turn. In the midst of violence within her own family, Vaidehī asks the Buddha where she may be born. He causes the lands of the ten directions to appear, she chooses the land of Ultimate Bliss, and her request becomes practical: teach me reflection; teach me right reception (T12n0365 0341b29).

The answer begins with a sunset anyone with sight can see. Sun, water, ground, trees, pools, and towers lead from ordinary objects into the adornments of that land. The test is never mere spectacle. Can the image remain clear with the eyes closed and open? Does it remain after entering and leaving concentration? Is mind aligned with the object taught by the sūtra? Right and wrong contemplation are distinguished at that level.

At the Flower Throne, the image of the Buddha, and the Buddha’s body, the field of contemplation turns toward mind. This mind makes the Buddha; this mind is the Buddha (T12n0365 0343a21). The two clauses stand together without collapsing action into identity. Even when the Buddha’s marks and radiance expand beyond measure, the entry is a single white tuft between the brows. The sūtra then names the Buddha’s mind directly: great kindness and compassion, embracing sentient beings with a kindness that is without object (T12n0365 0343c01).

The contemplations of Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta bring radiance into welcome and release from suffering. A jeweled hand extends; walking and sitting move worlds; sacred form points beyond astonishment toward the beings who are received. In the Universal Contemplation, the practitioner is placed inside the lotus. What had been seen as a distant land becomes a contemplated birth in which the practitioner is present.

The sūtra does not conceal the limit of an ordinary mind before a boundless Buddha-body. The contemplation of mixed images states that limit and then turns to the power of the Buddha’s past vows. The form may fill space or appear as sixteen feet; its scale changes, while its true golden color does not. From there the text turns to the nine grades and asks what minds, practices, conditions at death, and times of opening belong to people of different capacities.

The distinctions are preserved, but they do not become a row of closed doors. One person has the three minds and recites Great Vehicle scriptures; another keeps precepts and directs the good toward birth; another first hears the teaching at death. One is pressed so hard by pain that recollection is no longer possible and can only utter the Buddha’s Name. The sūtra states the conditions and differences without deleting any of these paths.

At the end Vaidehī and her attendants obtain benefit, and Ānanda asks for the title and the way to retain the teaching. After all sixteen contemplations, the Buddha’s final entrustment identifies retaining this utterance with holding the Name of the Buddha of Measureless Life (T12n0365 0346b15).

The movement is therefore from a closed palace to a Name that can be held, and from one woman who has seen the land to beings after the Buddha’s passing who have not. Every contemplation keeps its order and measure. The direction of the vow continues toward those whose minds are weakest, whose pain is deepest, and who still turn toward the Buddha.

緒論Introduction

一、本經與底本範圍

《佛說觀無量壽佛經》一卷，本編以《大正新脩大藏經》T12n0365 為底本。卷端經題作「佛說觀無量壽佛經」〔T12n0365 0340c26〕，署「宋西域三藏畺良耶舍譯」〔T12n0365 0340c28〕；本文自經題、署譯與「如是我聞」〔T12n0365 0340c29〕起，至卷末尾題〔T12n0365 0346b21〕止。

經題之前另有「御製無量壽佛贊」〔T12n0365 0340b23〕。藏本無撰人、年代或序跋，兩部承衍古疏亦不牒引。本編照錄其在卷端的傳本位置，另標其身分，不把它混作畺良耶舍所譯的經文。連同此贊在內的完整讀流，自 0340b23 至 0346b21，共 80 個正文區塊、9,437 個字元；經文與卷端贊的身分仍分別標明。

二、十八單元的經文大勢

全編分十八單元。單元 00 收卷端贊、題署與序分：阿闍世禁父、韋提希送食、禁母、厭離此土、選擇極樂、三福與為未來眾生請問觀法。單元 01–13 依經文自標次第展開日、水、地、樹、八功德水、總觀、華座、像、佛身、觀世音、大勢至、普觀與雜想十三觀。單元 14–16 說上、中、下三輩之九品往生。單元 17 收得益、經名、受持、付囑與耆闍崛山流通。

十八單元順次串接，完整覆蓋上述讀流，不把古疏的科名寫回經文，也不把同軸他經補入本經。每一單元共用一件漢文原典，向中文與英文各展開白話、考據、義疏與心要。

三、定善、散善與十六觀

善導《觀經四帖疏》以定散二門統攝正宗：「從日觀下至十三觀已來名為定善。三福九品名為散善。」〔T37n1753 0247b23〕本編依其主鏡科判，把日觀至雜想觀逐觀分立，再以三單元收九品；智顗則以十六觀逐一列名，對序分、正說與利益流通另有分判。

『觀』與『想』在正文中各守其位。觀是照察之行，想是住心所藉之像；單元題以十六觀為讀路，內文遇兩字對舉時不相互代換。從日沒之相到佛身無邊，從閉目開目到出定憶持，經文自身提供每一觀的次第、成相與正邪判準。

四、善導與智顗兩面古鏡

本編以善導《觀經四帖疏》T37n1753 為逐文主鏡，以智顗《觀無量壽佛經疏》T37n1750 為見證。善導細分序分七緣、定善十三觀、散善九品、得益與二處流通，逐句解事最密；智顗以心觀與實相立宗，對位次、名義及十六觀另有綱領。

兩疏在序分之界、韋提希之機、闍王逆事、無生忍之位及末後付囑等處不盡相同。本編把相合處作互證，把相違處各歸其人；鏡可以照經，不取代經。

五、守住的界線

本經在漢地無第二譯本。T360《佛說無量壽經》、T366《佛說阿彌陀經》與 T367《稱讚淨土佛攝受經》只作同軸經證與場景互照，不稱作本經異譯。

卷端贊的撰人年代、兩疏廣略與科界、諸本校記見證的歧異，以及兩疏對同一難處的不同判釋，皆按證據與歸屬保留。經與古德未答者照實說未答；不以現代梵形、近人推定或會集文字填補本文。

I. Base Text and Extent

The Chinese Source Text follows T12n0365, Foshuo Guan Wuliangshou Fo Jing, in one fascicle. The received title begins at 0340c26, and the fascicle-front attribution names Kālayaśas as translator under the Liu Song at 0340c28. The scriptural text continues through the closing title at 0346b21.

Before the canonical title, the received file contains an Imperially Composed Praise of the Buddha of Measureless Life at 0340b23–0340c24. No author, date, or preface is transmitted, and neither principal commentary quotes it. This edition preserves the praise where it stands while identifying it as not part of the scripture translated by Kālayaśas. The complete reading stream from the praise through the closing title contains eighty textual blocks and 9,437 code points; the identities of praise and scripture remain distinct.

II. Eighteen Units

The edition has eighteen units. Unit 00 contains the praise, title, attribution, and introduction: the imprisonment of Bimbisāra and Vaidehī, her rejection of this world, her choice of Ultimate Bliss, the three kinds of merit, and her question on behalf of future beings. Units 01–13 present the contemplations of the sun, water, ground, trees, water of the eight excellent qualities, the general image, the Flower Throne, the image, the Buddha-body, Avalokiteśvara, Mahāsthāmaprāpta, universal birth, and mixed images. Units 14–16 present the nine grades through the highest, middle, and lowest grades. Unit 17 contains benefits and transmission.

Together the units restore the continuous reading stream without importing an ancient outline into the wording of the sūtra. Each unit shares one Chinese Source Text and opens into Plain Reading, Apparatus, Exposition, and Essentials in Chinese and English. No separate English source layer is created.

III. Concentrated Good, Scattered Good, and the Sixteen Contemplations

Shandao’s Commentary in Four Fascicles places the first thirteen contemplations under the good done in concentration and the three kinds of merit with the nine grades under the good done in a scattered mind (T37n1753 0247b23). This edition follows that principal mirror in dividing the contemplations one by one, while Zhiyi’s witness supplies another outline of the introduction, main teaching, benefits, and transmission.

Within the running text, contemplation and image are not interchangeable. Contemplation is the act of discerning attention; image is the provisional form by which the mind is steadied. Unit titles follow the received list of sixteen contemplations, while the prose preserves the difference whenever the two terms meet.

IV. Shandao and Zhiyi as Ancient Mirrors

Shandao’s T37n1753 is the principal line-by-line mirror. It gives the seven conditions of the introduction, the thirteen contemplations of the good done in concentration, the nine grades of the good done in a scattered mind, the benefits, and transmission in the palace and at Vulture Peak. Zhiyi’s T37n1750 is the edition’s witness, offering a distinct account of the sūtra’s governing principle, the sixteen contemplations, names, stages, and benefits.

The two works differ over the extent of the introduction, Vaidehī’s capacity, Ajātaśatru’s acts, the stage of patience of non-arising, and the force of the closing entrustment. Agreement serves as corroboration; divergence remains attributed. A mirror illuminates the sūtra without replacing it.

V. Limits Kept Open

No second Chinese translation of this sūtra is known within the searched canonical range. T360, T366, and T367 serve only as same-axis scriptural parallels. They are not alternate translations of T365 and do not supply replacement wording.

The identity of the imperially composed praise, differences between the two ancient outlines, divergent witness lists in textual notes, and differing commentarial judgments remain attached to their evidence. Where scripture and the ancient masters do not answer, the edition leaves the question unanswered. It does not fill the Chinese text with a modern Sanskrit reconstruction, a later conflation, or an unattributed hypothesis.

讀法How to read

一、先選入口

只有一刻鐘——先讀〈卷首心要〉，再讀 00〈序分〉、08〈想像〉、13〈雜想觀〉、16〈下輩生想〉與 17〈得益流通〉的心要。這五處守住發問、觀心、願力、稱名與付囑。

想知道十六觀如何一步一步展開——01 → 02 → 03 → 04 → 05 → 06。先從日沒、水、氷與琉璃地讀起，再看樹、池水與樓閣如何把彼國莊嚴收成一片。

想讀佛與二菩薩的觀法——07 → 08 → 09 → 10 → 11。先有華座，再有像與佛身，繼而分觀觀世音、大勢至；每一觀都須回看經文如何限定相好、光明與度生之用。

想知道作觀的人如何進入所觀之境——12 → 13。普觀把自己安在蓮華之中，雜想觀則承認凡夫心力之限，轉由佛願使大身小身皆可成就。

想讀不同根機的往生次第——14 → 15 → 16 → 17。九品逐項列心、行、臨終緣、華開遲疾與所得；末後再看經如何由觀法收於聞名、憶念與受持。

二、十八單元的閱讀地圖

單元	名	閱讀焦點
00	御製贊、題署及序分	禁父禁母、厭苦欣淨、三福與為未來眾生請法
01	日想	繫念一處、日沒懸鼓、閉目開目與正邪之判
02	水想	水、氷、琉璃地、光明臺與苦空無常無我之音
03	地想	粗見、三昧中明見、滅罪與無疑
04	樹想	七重行樹、寶網光色、十方佛事與逐一分明
05	八功德水想	如意珠、水流說法、光化寶鳥與三寶之念
06	總觀想	樓閣、樂器自鳴與寶樹寶地寶池總現
07	花座想	三聖現前、華座莊嚴與法藏願力
08	想像	法界身、是心作佛是心是佛、像觀與念佛三昧
09	遍觀一切色想	佛身相好、光明攝取、佛心大慈悲與白毫入觀
10	觀觀世音真實色身相	光中眾生、天冠化佛、寶手接引與兩處不及
11	觀大勢至色身相	名義、寶瓶、行坐震動與分身說法
12	普觀想	自見生彼、蓮華開合、法音合經與出定不失
13	雜想觀	凡心不及、宿願力、大身小身與十三觀收束
14	上輩生想	三心、三種眾生、上品三生與華開遲疾
15	中輩生想	五戒八戒、世仁孝養、迴向與迅疾往生
16	下輩生想	聞經題、稱名、重罪、苦逼不遑念佛與三品等待
17	得益流通	無生忍、經名、受持、念佛之人與末後付囑

三、四條主題讀路

一、從可見到可觀之路：01 日沒 → 02 水與地 → 03 粗見與明見 → 06 總觀 → 12 入定出定。這條路看經如何從凡夫眼前可見之物起步，逐次建立住心與不失的尺度。

二、從華座到佛心之路：07 華座 → 08 像與心 → 09 佛身與佛心 → 10–11 二菩薩。這條路不把相好停在數目，而讀它如何落到慈悲、攝取、接引與度苦。

三、從心力到願力之路：09 無邊佛身 → 13 凡心不及與宿願成就 → 16 苦逼稱名 → 17 持名付囑。這條路把行者的限度與佛願的方向並讀，不抹去任何一邊。

四、從王宮之問到未來眾生之路：00 韋提希請法 → 01–13 定善 → 14–16 散善九品 → 17 阿難受持。經中的問者親眼見土，所問卻為佛滅後受苦而未見的人；全經的讀路因此不止於王宮當時。

四、五層怎麼用

層	所守	適合何時讀
原典	T365 底本文字、卷端贊的分界與頁錨	要看經文究竟說了什麼，或核一觀的起訖
白話	依原序逐句轉成今語，不省條件、數目與反覆	初讀全段，確認每一觀法與九品條件是否讀全
考據	九目並列科判、同軸經證、經論宗依、二鏡、術語、承衍與校本	要核一個引文、字形、歸屬或兩鏡差異
義疏	以經為主語開講，末節另交代古鏡承衍	白話已通，想看經句如何連成教學弧
心要	另取一條可貫穿本單元的心線	時間少，或讀完後收攏方向

初讀可依白話、心要、義疏前行；遇到一句過強、過快或似乎省略的話，立即回到原典與考據。兩疏相違時先問誰在何處說了什麼，不把其中一家無聲改成經文自身。

I. Choose an Entrance

For a short first encounter, read the Opening Essentials, then the Essentials for units 00, 08, 13, 16, and 17. These hold the arc from Vaidehī’s question through mind, vow-power, uttering the Name, and the closing entrustment.

To follow the contemplative sequence from ordinary perception, read units 01–06: sunset, water, ground, trees, pools, and towers. Watch how each step changes the object while preserving the tests of steadiness, clarity, and non-loss.

To read the Buddha and the two bodhisattvas, follow units 07–11: Flower Throne, image, Buddha-body, Avalokiteśvara, and Mahāsthāmaprāpta. Return to the Apparatus whenever a number, term, or ancient interpretation needs evidence.

To see the practitioner enter the contemplated field, read units 12–13. The Universal Contemplation places the practitioner within the lotus; the contemplation of mixed images acknowledges the limits of ordinary mind and turns to the power of the Buddha’s vows.

To follow different capacities and conditions at death, read units 14–17. The nine grades state minds, practices, welcoming figures, times of opening, and results. The final unit then moves from contemplation to hearing, recollection, and entrustment.

II. Five Continuous Routes

From what can be seen to what can be contemplated: units 01–03, then 06 and 12. The route begins with sunset and tests clarity with eyes closed and open, then later with concentration entered and left.
From the Flower Throne to the Buddha’s mind: units 07–11. Sacred form opens into compassion, embrace, welcome, and release from suffering.
From mind-power to vow-power: units 09, 13, 16, and 17. The boundless Buddha-body exceeds ordinary capacity; past vows allow forms suited to that capacity; pain may narrow recollection to utterance; the Name remains entrusted.
From the palace to future beings: unit 00, units 01–13, units 14–16, and unit 17. Vaidehī sees the land, but asks for those after the Buddha’s passing who have not.
Through the two ancient mirrors: compare Topic I and Topic V in any unit’s Apparatus before deciding that a commentarial classification belongs to the sūtra itself.

III. Use the Five Layers

The Source Text preserves T365 wording, the boundary of the prefatory praise, and canonical loci. Plain Reading transmits every condition, number, sequence, and repetition in contemporary language. Apparatus presents nine fixed topics covering outline, parallel scriptures, canonical grounding, the principal commentary, divergent ancient readings, terms, rhetoric, carrying forward, and textual placement. Exposition opens the teaching from scripture and attributed ancient interpretation. Essentials follows a separate line through the unit rather than abbreviating the Exposition.

The layers answer different questions. Read Plain Reading to follow the passage, Apparatus to establish evidence and attribution, Exposition to sustain a teaching arc, and Essentials to carry one governing movement. Return to the Source Text whenever another layer appears to move too quickly.

IV. Read Divergence without Erasing It

Shandao and Zhiyi do not always divide or explain the sūtra in the same way. Ask who makes a claim, which words are being explained, and whether the sūtra itself names the classification. This matters for the extent of the introduction, Vaidehī’s status, patience of non-arising, and the closing entrustment.

Textual witnesses likewise remain distinct. A graph transmitted by one witness does not silently replace the base; a later parallel does not become an alternate translation; and an absence is stated only within the range actually examined. Precise difference is part of the reading, not an obstacle to be removed.

凡例Conventions

一、底本、範圍與卷端贊

底本為《大正新脩大藏經》T12n0365。經文自 0340c26 經題起，至 0346b21 尾題止；題名、署譯與尾題俱在其內，藏本後附校勘記不混入正文。底本文字照錄，不據古疏或同軸他經改字。

經題之前的〈御製無量壽佛贊〉占 0340b23–0340c24。本編照錄其卷端位置，卻不把它算作畺良耶舍所譯之經文本身；撰人與年代藏中不繫，不代擬。連同此贊在內的完整讀流為 80 個正文區塊、9,437 個字元，贊與經的身分分別標明。

二、十八單元與五層分工

十八單元依經文次序相接：卷端贊與序分一單元、十六觀各一單元、得益流通一單元。每單元均有五層：

原典——照錄底本，保留題署、標點與頁錨。
白話——逐句轉成現代漢語，條件、數目、次第與反覆均不省略。
考據——列證據、歸屬與界線，不把兩鏡異說調成一說。
義疏——以經為主語開講；主鏡具名集中於開篇定位與末節承衍。
心要——另起一條進路，不掛疏家名，不縮寫成義疏摘要。

三、白話、義疏與心要

白話先守原句，不以解說代替經文。觀法中的位置、動作、次第、成相、滅罪數目、正邪結語與九品條件皆逐項保留。為讀通而補出的主語或關係詞，只能顯明原義，不得另添經文未說的保證。

義疏每一項實質義理須回到本經或具名古德；經沒有說明之處照實說未答。正文各節以經為主語，古鏡之判歸開篇與末節『承衍』。心要從本單元自具的一句、人物或譬線出發，與義疏保持不同的教學角色。

四、考據九目

每一單元的考據層固定九目：①科判定位；②異譯對勘；③經論宗依；④本段釋要；⑤諸家異釋；⑥術語；⑦譬喻·修辭；⑧徵引承衍；⑨校本定位。

本經無漢地第二譯本，第二目誠實記無，再於確有同場景時並讀 T360、T366、T367 等同軸經典；不把同軸平行文稱為異譯。第四、第五、第六目按本編既定括注分工，善導主鏡與智顗見證各自具名。某目確無材料時明說其無，不以沉默代替。

五、逐字引文與頁錨

雙角引號只放逐字引文；單角引號只作今語提挈。逐字引文的字形、標點、內層引號與夾注照來源保留，不把節譯或概括放進雙角引號。

頁錨取所引首字之前最近的藏本行界。考據中的完整引文用全式，如〔T37n1753 0262b12〕；原典段首可用短式〔T12 0342a05〕。同一段內另起一則引文，另附自己的錨。頁錨的作用是讓讀者回到實際所引之本，不以附近段落代替。

六、無異譯與兩面古鏡

《佛說觀無量壽佛經》在所查漢藏範圍內止此一本，故無異譯可勘。T360《佛說無量壽經》、T366《佛說阿彌陀經》與 T367《稱讚淨土佛攝受經》只在相應場景作同軸互照，各守其本文。

善導 T1753 為逐文主鏡，智顗 T1750 為見證。善導之序分、定善、散善與流通科界，是單元切分的主要依據；智顗的十六觀名、宗體與位次判釋並列保存。兩鏡用途不同，相違時不設今按調停。

七、歧異與存疑

二鏡對序分止處、韋提希之機、闍王逆事、無生忍之位、正說與利益流通的界線及末後付囑各有讀法；各說歸原作者，不倒寫成經文已明定。

底本與宋、元、明、宮本、麗本、流布本等見證之字形，依各條校記實錄。承例標記與印本注所列見證若不一致，先保留來源層差異，不以一張合成表抹平。卷端贊的撰人年代亦據實標為藏中不繫。

八、梵形、引據與語言

引據以經、論與古德注疏為限。梵形只依古德所傳或今譯注諸帙已立之通例作注音之助；古德未傳者保留漢音或明記不代擬，不以現代校本重構。

中文使用現代漢文與全形標點；英文姊妹本以英語自然成文。經文、古德、今譯三種聲音須可分辨：本文不借古德之名，古德不失其歸屬，今語不冒充逐字引文。

I. Base Text and Prefatory Praise

T12n0365 is the sole base text for the Source layer. The scripture begins with its title at 0340c26 and ends with the closing title at 0346b21. Title, transmitted attribution, punctuation, graph forms, and loci are preserved without importing corrections from a commentary or a same-axis sūtra.

The Imperially Composed Praise of the Buddha of Measureless Life at 0340b23–0340c24 is reproduced in its transmitted position but identified as not part of the scripture translated by Kālayaśas. No author or date is supplied where the received source supplies none.

II. Eighteen Units and Five Layers

The reading stream is divided into eighteen units: one for the prefatory material and introduction, sixteen for the contemplations, and one for benefits and transmission. The units are reading divisions, not claims that the received sūtra circulated as eighteen chapters.

Each unit contains one Chinese Source Text and four authored layers in each reading language: Plain Reading, Apparatus, Exposition, and Essentials. English mirrors the four authored layers only; both languages return to the same Chinese source.

III. Plain Reading, Exposition, and Essentials

Plain Reading transmits the order and every semantic movement of the Chinese text. Conditions, measurements, numbered sequences, repeated formulas, results, and qualifications are not abbreviated. Clarifying syntax may make a relation explicit but may not add a doctrinal promise.

Exposition grounds every substantive claim in the sūtra or an identified ancient work. Its body speaks with the sūtra as the governing subject; the principal mirror is named in the opening placement and the final Carrying Forward section. Essentials takes an independent path through a distinctive sentence, figure, or movement of the unit and does not become a shortened Exposition.

IV. Nine Apparatus Topics

Every Apparatus file keeps the same nine topics in order: Doctrinal-Outline Placement; Collation with the Alternate Translations; Scriptural and Treatise Grounding; Essentials of the Commentary on This Passage; Divergent Readings of the Commentators; Terms; Similes and Rhetoric; Citation and Carrying Forward; and Placement Among the Recensions.

Because this sūtra has no second Chinese translation, Topic II records that absence and then compares same-axis scriptures only where a defined parallel exists. Empty topics are stated as empty rather than omitted. Shandao and Zhiyi remain named in the topics where their readings are presented.

V. Quotations and Loci

Chinese in corner brackets is a character-for-character quotation from the named canonical stream. An English rendering follows the Chinese quotation in the English Apparatus. Graphs, punctuation, internal quotation marks, and transmitted inline notes remain attached to their source.

Every full canonical citation gives collection, volume, text number, and page-register-line locus. The locus is the nearest line boundary before the first quoted character. Short loci in Source Text and Plain Reading mark navigation within T365; they do not create new scriptural headings.

VI. No Alternate Translation and Two Ancient Mirrors

No second Chinese translation of T365 is used. T360, T366, and T367 are same-axis scriptures and remain independent texts. Their parallel scenes may clarify shared themes but never provide substitute wording.

Shandao’s T1753 is the principal line-by-line mirror; Zhiyi’s T1750 is the witness. The first guides the unit division through the introduction, the good done in concentration, the good done in a scattered mind, benefits, and transmission. The second preserves a distinct sixteen-contemplation outline and doctrinal reading. Divergence remains attributed rather than harmonized.

VII. Variants and Unresolved Questions

The two mirrors differ over several boundaries and interpretations. Those differences are recorded under the author who transmits them. A classification supplied by a commentary is not rewritten as a statement made by the sūtra.

Base-text variants and witness lists are reported from the relevant textual notes. When inherited-reference markup and a printed note do not yield the same witness description, the two data layers remain visible. The absence of an author or date for the prefatory praise is likewise preserved as an absence.

VIII. Indic Forms, Sources, and Language

Canonical scripture, treatise, and ancient commentary govern the evidence. An Indic form is used as a pronunciation aid only where ancient transmission or an established form in this edition supports it. A modern reconstructed form is not inserted where the ancient materials transmit only a Chinese form.

Chinese and English follow their own punctuation and prose registers. Scriptural wording, ancient interpretation, and present exposition remain distinguishable: the source is not made to speak for a commentator, the commentator does not lose attribution, and contemporary prose does not present itself as a verbatim quotation.

譯者Translator

一、卷端署譯與歷史邊界

T12n0365 卷端署「宋西域三藏畺良耶舍譯」〔T12n0365 0340c28〕。本編以此署名指稱底本傳譯者，經題、署譯與字形照錄，不以今名替換藏本文字。

卷端署名是傳本所載，本文依之而不向外增補。經題之前〈御製無量壽佛贊〉的撰人、年代與來歷，藏本自身未繫，兩鏡亦未牒；本編因此只保存其卷端位置與文本身分，不替它建立一項傳譯史結論。

二、同軸經典與傳譯邊界

本經在漢地無第二譯本。對讀所用的 T360《佛說無量壽經》、T366《佛說阿彌陀經》及玄奘譯 T367《稱讚淨土佛攝受經》，是淨土同軸經典，不是 T365 的替代傳本。

同軸經典可互證彼國莊嚴、佛與二菩薩、聞名、三輩與來迎等義位，卻不把一經所無的觀法、數目或句式補進另一經。傳譯者姓名用來保存來源，不用來製成一部會同文本。

三、善導與智顗兩鏡

善導——《觀經四帖疏》T37n1753，為本編逐文主鏡。其玄義、序分、定善與散善四部分，完整覆蓋本經；序分七緣、十三定善、九品散善、得益及王宮與耆闍流通，均由其逐文標目得到細密位置。本編的單元界與多數段內轉折依此對讀。

智顗——《觀無量壽佛經疏》T37n1750，為本編見證。其以心觀、實相立宗，逐一列十六觀名，並於人物、名義、位次與利益流通處另有判釋。與善導相合者互證，相違者各歸本人。

兩鏡不是兩份可以互換的答案。善導的逐文科界與智顗的綱領判釋各有職分；經自己未說的分類，不因古疏說出便改寫成經文原句。

四、本編譯注者

譯者　釋慧鏡——AI 輔助譯寫，譯者裁定。

本編的白話、考據、義疏、心要與英文姊妹本，均由釋慧鏡負責最後取捨。底本文字與古德硬引不因今語改寫；今語的句法、段落與教學次第，則以忠於本文、守住歸屬、誠實保留限界為準。

I. The Fascicle-Front Attribution

The received T365 text places beneath its title the attribution to Kālayaśas, a Tripiṭaka master from the Western Regions, under the Liu Song. This edition preserves that wording as part of the transmitted witness and uses Kālayaśas when referring to the translator in English.

The attribution governs the scripture beginning with the canonical title. The imperially composed praise before that title carries no transmitted author or date and is not part of the scripture translated by Kālayaśas. Preservation of its place does not manufacture a historical attribution.

II. Same-Axis Scriptures and the Translation Boundary

No second Chinese translation of this sūtra is used. T360, T366, and Xuanzang’s T367 belong to the same Pure Land scriptural axis, but they are not substitute witnesses for T365.

Their translators and titles preserve provenance. Parallel accounts of the land, the Buddha and bodhisattvas, hearing the Name, grades of birth, and welcome may be compared where they actually occur. Their wording, sequence, and scope do not overwrite the base text.

III. Shandao and Zhiyi

Shandao’s Commentary on the Contemplation Sūtra in Four Fascicles (T1753) is the principal line-by-line mirror. Its four sections on profound meaning, the introduction, the good done in concentration, and the good done in a scattered mind cover the sūtra in full. Its seven conditions of the introduction, thirteen contemplations of the good done in concentration, nine grades, benefits, and two scenes of transmission provide the closest inherited map for this edition.

Zhiyi’s Commentary on the Sūtra on Contemplating the Buddha of Measureless Life (T1750) is the witness. It gives a distinct account of mind-contemplation and reality, names the sixteen contemplations, and offers separate judgments on persons, terms, stages, benefits, and transmission.

The two mirrors are not interchangeable. Their agreements clarify a transmitted reading; their disagreements remain under their own names. Neither commentary is allowed to replace the words of the sūtra.

IV. Present Translator

Shi Huijing translates and annotates within the 指月 project, joining exact attention to the canonical source, visible doctrinal attribution, and a reader-facing path from evidence to understanding and practice.

Translator · Shi Huijing — with AI-assisted rendering, translator-ruled

Responsibility for wording, selection, doctrinal limits, and the shape of the reading edition belongs to the translator. Canonical text and ancient mirrors remain authorities for what they transmit; the present rendering does not claim their voice as its own.

書目Bibliography

一、本編底本

《佛說觀無量壽佛經》 一卷 · 卷端署宋西域三藏畺良耶舍譯 · T12n0365。經文範圍自 0340c26 經題至 0346b21 尾題；題前另錄 0340b23–0340c24〈御製無量壽佛贊〉，不混作畺良耶舍所譯經文。

本編十八個原典單元與所有經文頁錨皆回到此一漢文流。大正藏後附校記作考據見證，不改寫底本文字。

二、同軸經典

《佛說無量壽經》 二卷 · 卷端署康僧鎧譯 · T12n0360。
《佛說阿彌陀經》 一卷 · 鳩摩羅什譯 · T12n0366。
《稱讚淨土佛攝受經》 一卷 · 玄奘譯 · T12n0367。

三經只在相應義位互照國土莊嚴、佛菩薩、聞名、往生與流通。本經漢地無第二譯本，以上諸經均不稱作 T365 異譯，也不提供補改 T365 的文字。

三、兩面承衍古鏡

善導《觀經四帖疏》 四卷 · T37n1753（逐文主鏡；玄義、序分、定善、散善）。
智顗《觀無量壽佛經疏》 一卷 · T37n1750（十六觀、宗體、名義與位次見證）。

兩疏對序分之界、韋提希之機、無生忍之位與末後付囑等處不盡相同。引用時各具作者與頁錨，不合併為一種無歸屬之古說。

四、論註與後出見證

《無量壽經優波提舍》 一卷 · 婆藪槃豆菩薩造、菩提流支譯 · T26n1524。
曇鸞《無量壽經優婆提舍願生偈註》 二卷 · T40n1819（法界身、願力、念佛與往還迴向等相應義位）。
窺基《阿彌陀經通贊疏》 三卷 · T37n1758（同軸經義與後出徵引見證）。
《法界聖凡水陸大齋法輪寶懺》 · X74n1499（清代水陸儀軌類之後出徵引見證）。
《九華山志》 · GA072n0077（民國釋印光重修；所引 0187a01 位於清智旭傳段，保存智旭答語而不標經名）。

上述論疏只在各單元實際相關處引入。X74n1499 與 GA072n0077 只證後出徵引之實，不作本經義理的反向根據；不因後出引文而回改 T365 本文。

五、引用方式

經典與古疏引用使用冊號、部號及頁欄行，如 T37n1753 0278a24。每一漢文硬引屬於所標來源；同一段內另起引文，另取其首字之前最近行界。

同軸經典歸考據第二或第三目，兩鏡逐文釋歸第四、第五目，後出徵引歸第八目，底本異讀歸第九目。分類為讀者標示證據所在，不表示諸本互相等同。

六、取用範圍

本書目列本編實際 governing 的漢文經論與古德注疏。現代梵文校訂本不作經文或名形來源，會集本不補入底本，現代研究著作不作本編義理權威。

經與古德未回答的問題仍保留未答；書目提供追查入口，不以收錄某本為理由強令各本相合。

I. Base Text

T12n0365　Foshuo Guan Wuliangshou Fo Jing 佛說觀無量壽佛經, one fascicle; received attribution to Kālayaśas under the Liu Song. The scriptural range begins with the title at 0340c26 and ends with the closing title at 0346b21.

The Imperially Composed Praise of the Buddha of Measureless Life at 0340b23–0340c24 is preserved before the title but kept distinct from the scripture translated by Kālayaśas. All eighteen Source Text units and all T365 loci return to this canonical stream.

II. Same-Axis Scriptures

T12n0360　The Sūtra of Measureless Life 佛說無量壽經, two fascicles.
T12n0366　Amitābha Sūtra 佛說阿彌陀經, translated by Kumārajīva.
T12n0367　The Sūtra on Praising the Pure Land and the Buddha’s Embrace 稱讚淨土佛攝受經, translated by Xuanzang.

These works provide controlled parallels for the land’s adornments, the Buddha and two bodhisattvas, hearing the Name, grades of birth, welcome, and transmission. None is an alternate translation of T365, and none supplies replacement wording.

III. Two Ancient Commentarial Mirrors

T37n1753　Shandao, Commentary on the Contemplation Sūtra in Four Fascicles 觀經四帖疏. Principal mirror for the introduction, thirteen contemplations of the good done in concentration, nine grades of the good done in a scattered mind, benefits, and transmission.
T37n1750　Zhiyi, Commentary on the Sūtra on Contemplating the Buddha of Measureless Life 觀無量壽佛經疏. Witness for the sixteen contemplations, governing principle, terminology, stages, and benefits.

The two works preserve distinct outlines and interpretations. Each citation keeps author, wording, and locus; disagreement is not rewritten as an anonymous consensus.

IV. Treatise, Commentaries, and Later Witnesses

T26n1524　Vasubandhu, Treatise on the Sūtra of Measureless Life 無量壽經優波提舍, translated by Bodhiruci.
T40n1819　Tanluan, Commentary on the Treatise on Birth in That Land 無量壽經優婆提舍願生偈註.
T37n1758　Kuiji, Comprehensive Praise Commentary on the Amitābha Sūtra 阿彌陀經通贊疏.
X74n1499　Jeweled Repentance of the Dharma-Wheel for the Great Water-and-Land Feast of Sages and Ordinary Beings of the Dharma-Realm 法界聖凡水陸大齋法輪寶懺, a later Qing ritual witness.
GA072n0077　Gazetteer of Mount Jiuhua 九華山志, revised by the monk Yinguang in the Republic; the cited locus occurs in its biographical section on Zhixu of the Qing and preserves a reply attributed to him without naming the sūtra.

The treatises and commentaries enter only where their actual wording bears on mind and Buddha, vow-power, recollection, or birth. X74n1499 and GA072n0077 establish only the fact of later citation; they are not made into retrospective doctrinal authorities for T365.

V. Citation Practice

Canonical references give collection, volume, text number, and page-register-line locus, for example T37n1753 0278a24. A Chinese quotation belongs to the named source, not merely to the surrounding paragraph. Its English rendering follows while preserving relevant qualifications.

Same-axis parallels belong to the comparison or grounding topics; the two mirrors belong to line-by-line and divergent-reading topics; later citations belong to Carrying Forward; and base-text variants belong to textual placement. The categories show where evidence comes from without making the sources interchangeable.

VI. Scope and Exclusions

This bibliography records the Chinese canonical and ancient works that govern the edition. It does not use a modern Sanskrit reconstruction to supply the sūtra’s wording, a conflated text to replace T365, or modern academic authority to settle the inherited doctrinal readings.

Where these sources do not answer, the question remains unanswered. Bibliographic inclusion supplies a path of verification; it does not force the included witnesses to agree.

索引Indices

本索引列十八個實文單元及每單元的完整五層連結。起訖依 T12n0365 的實際頁欄行；十八單元合計 80 blocks、9,437 code points。

一、十八單元

單元	結構位置	名	T12n0365 起訖	五層
00	卷端贊·題署·序分	御製無量壽佛贊、題名署譯及序分（禁父緣起）	0340b23–0341c27	原典 · 白話 · 考據 · 義疏 · 心要
01	第一至第六觀	日想	0341c27–0342a05	原典 · 白話 · 考據 · 義疏 · 心要
02	第一至第六觀	水想	0342a05–0342a22	原典 · 白話 · 考據 · 義疏 · 心要
03	第一至第六觀	地想	0342a22–0342b01	原典 · 白話 · 考據 · 義疏 · 心要
04	第一至第六觀	樹想	0342b01–0342b22	原典 · 白話 · 考據 · 義疏 · 心要
05	第一至第六觀	八功德水想	0342b23–0342c06	原典 · 白話 · 考據 · 義疏 · 心要
06	第一至第六觀	總觀想	0342c06–0342c14	原典 · 白話 · 考據 · 義疏 · 心要
07	第七至第十三觀	花座想	0342c14–0343a17	原典 · 白話 · 考據 · 義疏 · 心要
08	第七至第十三觀	想像	0343a18–0343b14	原典 · 白話 · 考據 · 義疏 · 心要
09	第七至第十三觀	遍觀一切色想	0343b15–0343c10	原典 · 白話 · 考據 · 義疏 · 心要
10	第七至第十三觀	觀觀世音菩薩真實色身相	0343c11–0344a17	原典 · 白話 · 考據 · 義疏 · 心要
11	第七至第十三觀	觀大勢至色身相	0344a18–0344b14	原典 · 白話 · 考據 · 義疏 · 心要
12	第七至第十三觀	普觀想	0344b14–0344b24	原典 · 白話 · 考據 · 義疏 · 心要
13	第七至第十三觀	雜想觀	0344b25–0344c08	原典 · 白話 · 考據 · 義疏 · 心要
14	第十四至第十六觀（三輩生想）	上輩生想	0344c09–0345b07	原典 · 白話 · 考據 · 義疏 · 心要
15	第十四至第十六觀（三輩生想）	中輩生想	0345b08–0345c09	原典 · 白話 · 考據 · 義疏 · 心要
16	第十四至第十六觀（三輩生想）	下輩生想	0345c10–0346a26	原典 · 白話 · 考據 · 義疏 · 心要
17	得益·流通	得益流通	0346a27–0346b21	原典 · 白話 · 考據 · 義疏 · 心要

二、全經結構讀路

結構	單元	讀路
卷端贊·題署·序分	00	卷端贊另標身分；王宮禁閉、韋提希選土、三福與為未來眾生請法
第一至第六觀	01–06	日、水、地、樹、八功德水與總觀，由可見之境進入國土莊嚴
第七至第十三觀	07–13	華座、像、佛身、二菩薩、普觀與雜想觀
第十四至第十六觀	14–16	上、中、下三輩生想，展開九品之心、行、來迎、華開與所得
得益·流通	17	得益、經名、受持、念佛之人、付囑與耆闍崛山流通

三、典據速查

要查什麼	到哪裡
一句經文屬古疏何科	該單元考據目一
無第二譯本及同軸經典如何互照	目二
一項義理出於何經、論或古鏡	目三
善導如何逐文開解本段	目四
善導與智顗各作何讀	目五
一個名相的釋義與限界	目六
經文的譬喻與修辭	目七
本段如何被後文或古德承衍	目八
底本異讀與卷帙位置	目九

四、卷首卷末導航

This index lists the eighteen textual units and the complete five-layer link set for each. Every range gives the actual page-column-line loci in T12n0365; together the units comprise 80 textual blocks and 9,437 code points.

I. Eighteen Units

Unit	Structural Place	Name	T12n0365 Locus	Five Layers
00	Prefatory Praise, Title, and Introduction	The Imperially Composed Praise of the Buddha of Measureless Life; Title, Attribution, and the Introduction (the Imprisonment of the Father)	0340b23–0341c27	Source · Plain Reading · Apparatus · Exposition · Essentials
01	First through Sixth Contemplations	Contemplation of the Sun	0341c27–0342a05	Source · Plain Reading · Apparatus · Exposition · Essentials
02	First through Sixth Contemplations	Contemplation of the Water	0342a05–0342a22	Source · Plain Reading · Apparatus · Exposition · Essentials
03	First through Sixth Contemplations	Contemplation of the Ground	0342a22–0342b01	Source · Plain Reading · Apparatus · Exposition · Essentials
04	First through Sixth Contemplations	Contemplation of the Trees	0342b01–0342b22	Source · Plain Reading · Apparatus · Exposition · Essentials
05	First through Sixth Contemplations	Contemplation of the Water of the Eight Excellent Qualities	0342b23–0342c06	Source · Plain Reading · Apparatus · Exposition · Essentials
06	First through Sixth Contemplations	The General Contemplation	0342c06–0342c14	Source · Plain Reading · Apparatus · Exposition · Essentials
07	Seventh through Thirteenth Contemplations	Contemplation of the Flower Throne	0342c14–0343a17	Source · Plain Reading · Apparatus · Exposition · Essentials
08	Seventh through Thirteenth Contemplations	Contemplation of the Image	0343a18–0343b14	Source · Plain Reading · Apparatus · Exposition · Essentials
09	Seventh through Thirteenth Contemplations	Contemplation of All Forms Everywhere	0343b15–0343c10	Source · Plain Reading · Apparatus · Exposition · Essentials
10	Seventh through Thirteenth Contemplations	Contemplation of the True Form-Body of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara	0343c11–0344a17	Source · Plain Reading · Apparatus · Exposition · Essentials
11	Seventh through Thirteenth Contemplations	Contemplation of the Form-Body of Mahāsthāmaprāpta	0344a18–0344b14	Source · Plain Reading · Apparatus · Exposition · Essentials
12	Seventh through Thirteenth Contemplations	The Universal Contemplation	0344b14–0344b24	Source · Plain Reading · Apparatus · Exposition · Essentials
13	Seventh through Thirteenth Contemplations	The Contemplation of Mixed Images	0344b25–0344c08	Source · Plain Reading · Apparatus · Exposition · Essentials
14	Fourteenth through Sixteenth Contemplations (Three Grades)	Contemplation of Birth in the Highest Grade	0344c09–0345b07	Source · Plain Reading · Apparatus · Exposition · Essentials
15	Fourteenth through Sixteenth Contemplations (Three Grades)	Contemplation of Birth in the Middle Grade	0345b08–0345c09	Source · Plain Reading · Apparatus · Exposition · Essentials
16	Fourteenth through Sixteenth Contemplations (Three Grades)	Contemplation of Birth in the Lowest Grade	0345c10–0346a26	Source · Plain Reading · Apparatus · Exposition · Essentials
17	Benefits and Transmission	Benefits Obtained and Transmission	0346a27–0346b21	Source · Plain Reading · Apparatus · Exposition · Essentials

II. Structural Reading Routes

Structure	Units	Reading Route
Prefatory praise, title, and introduction	00	The praise remains separately identified; palace confinement, Vaidehī’s choice, three kinds of merit, and her question for future beings
First through sixth contemplations	01–06	Sun, water, ground, trees, water of excellent qualities, and the general contemplation
Seventh through thirteenth contemplations	07–13	Flower Throne, image, Buddha-body, two bodhisattvas, universal contemplation, and mixed images
Fourteenth through sixteenth contemplations	14–16	Highest, middle, and lowest grades, unfolding the nine grades and their conditions and results
Benefits and transmission	17	Benefits, title, reception, practitioners of recollection, entrustment, and transmission at Vulture Peak

III. Quick Reference to the Evidence

What You Want to Find	Where to Go
Where a sentence falls in an ancient outline	Topic I of the unit’s Apparatus
The absence of a second translation and defined same-axis parallels	Topic II
Which scripture, treatise, or ancient mirror grounds a claim	Topic III
How Shandao opens the passage line by line	Topic IV
How Shandao and Zhiyi differ	Topic V
The meaning and limit of a term	Topic VI
The passage’s similes and rhetoric	Topic VII
Its later citation and carrying forward	Topic VIII
Base-text variants and fascicle placement	Topic IX

IV. Front- and Back-Matter Navigation

題署Colophon

一、題署

書名作《佛說觀無量壽佛經》。本編各單元末行統一署式為：

*釋慧鏡 · 指月 · 佛說觀無量壽佛經 · {單元} · {層} · 2026 夏*

卷首各篇以篇名代單元與層名。漢文題名依 T12n0365；英文題名作 The Sūtra on Contemplating the Buddha of Measureless Life。

二、底本與卷端贊

原典依 T12n0365 一卷。經文自 0340c26 經題至 0346b21 尾題；卷端署畺良耶舍譯。經題之前的〈御製無量壽佛贊〉按傳本位置另錄，撰人年代藏中不繫，不屬畺良耶舍所譯之經文本身。

三、十八單元與雙語五層

全編十八單元：序分一、十六觀十六、得益流通一。每單元有一件漢文原典，以及中文、英文各四層白話、考據、義疏與心要；英文不另造原典層。

卷首卷末另具雙語卷首心要、緒論、讀法導引、凡例、譯者與古鏡、詞彙、書目、索引與本題署。

四、引用本編

引用本編之文，請具譯者、書名、單元與層名。例如：

釋慧鏡，《佛說觀無量壽佛經》譯注（指月），單元 09〈遍觀一切色想〉·義疏。

引用卷首篇章，可作：

釋慧鏡，《佛說觀無量壽佛經》譯注（指月），〈讀法導引〉。

五、引用原典與古鏡

引用本編所錄原典，宜逕列原書藏經編號與頁錨，不必把本編當作古籍來源。例如：

《佛說觀無量壽佛經》，T12n0365，0343a21。

善導《觀經四帖疏》，T37n1753，0278a24。

逐字引文跨行時，頁錨仍取首字之前最近行界。兩鏡相違時，引用須保留作者，不以『古疏云』抹去歸屬。

六、授權與更正

除另有標示者外，本編所作白話、考據、義疏、心要、英譯與編排，依 CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 授權使用：須具名、限非商業使用，改作須以相同方式分享。藏經原文與古籍引文各依其原有權利情形。

若發現底本文字、逐字引文或頁錨有誤，依所引藏本改正；若今語誤傳原句條件、次序或歸屬，回到原典與具名古鏡修正。古說相違不以更正之名抹平，所有取捨由釋慧鏡負責。

釋慧鏡 · 指月 · 佛說觀無量壽佛經 · 題署 · 2026 夏

I. Title

The Sūtra on Contemplating the Buddha of Measureless Life renders 佛說觀無量壽佛經, the title transmitted in T12n0365. Buddha of Measureless Life follows the governing Pure Land terminology of this edition, while contemplating preserves 觀 as an act rather than merely a genre label.

II. Base and Attribution

The Source Text follows T12n0365 in one fascicle. The received fascicle-front wording attributes the translation to Kālayaśas under the Liu Song. The imperially composed praise before the title is reproduced in its transmitted position but is not part of the scripture translated by Kālayaśas; no author or date is supplied where the source supplies none.

III. Eighteen Units and Five Layers

The reading stream is presented in eighteen units: one for the prefatory material and introduction, sixteen for the contemplations, and one for benefits and transmission. Each unit contains one Chinese Source Text and four authored layers in Chinese and English: Plain Reading, Apparatus, Exposition, and Essentials. No English Source Text is invented.

The bilingual front and back matter provides Opening Essentials, Introduction, Reading Guide, Conventions, translator and ancient-mirror record, Glossary, Bibliography, complete Indices, and this Colophon.

IV. Ancient Mirrors

The edition reads through Shandao’s T37n1753 as its principal line-by-line mirror and Zhiyi’s T37n1750 as its witness. Their outlines, interpretations, and disagreements remain visibly attributed. A commentarial classification is not presented as a statement made by the sūtra itself.

V. Citation

Suggested citation: Shi Huijing, trans. and annot., The Sūtra on Contemplating the Buddha of Measureless Life: A Bilingual Five-Layer Reading Edition (指月, 2026), citing the unit, layer, and canonical locus where relevant.

For the canonical text itself, cite T12n0365 and its page-register-line locus. For an ancient interpretation, retain the commentator’s name and the locus in T1753 or T1750 rather than citing the present edition as the ancient source.

VI. License and Correction

The authored translation, annotation, and arrangement are made available under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, Attribution–NonCommercial–ShareAlike 4.0 International. Canonical source texts and ancient quotations remain subject to their existing rights and conditions of use.

Errors in base wording, quotations, or loci are corrected against the named canonical witness. Errors in contemporary rendering are corrected by returning to the source and attributed ancient mirrors. Divergent ancient readings are not erased under the name of correction. Responsibility for all choices belongs to Shi Huijing.

Shi Huijing · 指月 · The Sūtra on Contemplating the Buddha of Measureless Life · Colophon · Summer 2026