The Commentary on the Sutra of the Compendium of Father and Son (231)

The Auspicious Environment of Jambudvipa during the Era of the Wheel-Turning King

Original Text: Great King, this Jambudvipa land extends eighteen thousand yojanas in length and breadth. It further contains sixty kotis of great cities. Among them is one city named Jeweled Adornment, extending twelve yojanas in length and breadth, perfectly square. Its four sides are level and upright, exquisitely crafted. Outside this city stand tala trees arrayed in seven rows, formed from four kinds of jewels: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and sphatika crystal. They are adorned and decorated, most delightful and pleasing.

Those golden trees bear leaves, flowers, and fruits all made of silver. Those silver trees bear leaves, flowers, and fruits all made of gold. The vaidūrya trees bear leaves, flowers, and fruits all made of sphatika crystal. The sphatika trees bear leaves, flowers, and fruits all made of lapis lazuli. The city is surrounded by seven layers of jeweled nets and jeweled bells, with various wondrous precious ornaments amply covering its top.

Explanation: The Buddha said: "Great King, this Jambudvipa land extends eighteen thousand yojanas in length and breadth. It further contains sixty kotis of great cities, among which is one named Jeweled Adornment, extending twelve yojanas in length and breadth. Its four sides are perfectly level, exquisitely crafted. Outside this city stand seven rows of tala trees formed from the seven jewels—gold, silver, lapis lazuli, sphatika crystal, and so forth—adorned with utmost splendor and delight. The leaves, flowers, and fruits of those golden trees are entirely made of silver; the leaves, flowers, and fruits of the silver trees are entirely made of gold; the leaves, flowers, and fruits of the vaidūrya trees are entirely made of sphatika crystal; the leaves, flowers, and fruits of the sphatika trees are entirely made of lapis lazuli. This city is amply covered by seven layers of jeweled nets, jeweled bells, and many wondrous precious ornaments."

We should be familiar with such sublime realms through reciting the Amitābha Sūtra—the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is precisely like this. During the era of the Wheel-Turning King, southern Jambudvipa was likewise exquisitely beautiful, indicating that humans of that time possessed great merit and virtue. We now have little merit left, unable to attract such sublime living environments.

Original Text: Outside the city are further seven layers of jeweled moats, all jointly formed from the seven jewels. Each jeweled moat is half a yojana deep and one yojana wide. Golden sands cover its bottom, and the eight-merit water, clear and brimming, fills it entirely. Various birds of melodious song soar and gather within. Utpala flowers, kumuda flowers, padma flowers, and puṇḍarīka flowers bloom everywhere. Surrounding stairways, formed from four jewels, rise in tiers: golden steps with silver landings, silver steps with golden landings, lapis lazuli steps with crystal landings, crystal steps with lapis lazuli landings. Each stairway path is formed from the seven jewels. Along their sides grow golden banana trees. Further, at the head of the path, jeweled thrones are placed, exquisitely adorned and decorated, most delightful and pleasing.

Explanation: Outside the city are seven layers of jeweled moats, all jointly formed from the seven jewels. Each moat is half a yojana deep (equivalent to twenty Chinese li) and one yojana wide (forty Chinese li). Golden sands cover its bottom, and the clear eight-merit water, pure and brimming, fills the moats entirely. Numerous birds with wondrous voices soar and gather within, singing harmonious, elegant, and pleasing melodies. Utpala flowers, kumuda flowers, padma flowers, and puṇḍarīka flowers bloom everywhere. The surrounding stairways are formed from four jewels: golden steps with silver landings; silver steps with golden landings; lapis lazuli steps with crystal landings; crystal steps with lapis lazuli landings. Each stairway path is formed from the seven jewels. Along the sides of the paths grow golden banana trees. Further, at the head of the path, a jeweled throne is placed, adorned and arranged with exquisite craftsmanship, evoking joy and delight.

One great yojana in India equals forty Chinese li, while a small yojana equals twenty Chinese li. The seven-jeweled ponds in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss likewise have golden sands covering their bottoms. The water within the jeweled ponds possesses eight merits, as described in the Immeasurable Life Sūtra: "The eight-merit water responds to the minds of sentient beings—reaching the knees when desired, reaching the waist when desired—clear, pure, soft, and brimming within the jeweled ponds." Many Buddha-lands in the ten directions are inhabited by beings of fortune. Beings without merit attract lands that are filthy, defiled, and impoverished. The living environment of sentient beings is determined by their roots of goodness and accumulated merit.