Commentary on the Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son (Pitāputrasamāgamanasūtra) (231)

Original text:大王。此阎浮提。大地纵广。一万八千。踰缮那量。复有六十俱胝。诸大城郭。中有一城。名宝庄严。纵广正等。十二踰缮那。四面平正。妙巧成就。于其城外。有多罗树。七重行列。四宝所成。金银琉璃。玻胝迦宝。装校严饰。甚可爱乐。

彼金树者。其叶花果。悉皆是银。彼银树者。其叶花果。皆是黄金。吠琉璃树。其叶花果。皆玻胝迦。彼玻璃树。其叶花果。悉是琉璃。其城七重。宝网宝铃。诸妙珍琦。弥覆其上。

Explanation: The Buddha said: Great King, this land of Jambudvīpa extends ten thousand eight hundred yojanas in length and breadth, and it has sixty koṭis of great cities. Among them there is a city named Ratna-vyūha (Jeweled Adornment), measuring exactly twelve yojanas in length and breadth, level and even on all four sides, wonderfully and skillfully constructed. Outside this city there are rows of tāla trees arranged in seven tiers, made of four kinds of jewels—gold, silver, vaiḍūrya, and sphaṭika gems—adorned and decorated so magnificently that they are exceedingly delightful. The leaves, flowers, and fruits of those gold trees are all made of silver; the leaves, flowers, and fruits of those silver trees are all made of gold; the leaves, flowers, and fruits of those vaiḍūrya trees are all made of sphaṭika; the leaves, flowers, and fruits of those sphaṭika trees are all made of vaiḍūrya. This city is covered over by seven layers of jeweled nets, jeweled bells, and many marvelous rare treasures.

We should be quite familiar with those marvelous scenes described above through reciting the Amitābha Sūtra—the Land of Bliss is just like this. Southern Jambudvīpa in the age of the Cakravartin King was just as marvelous as this, which shows that the humans of that time had great merit. We now do not have much merit, and so we cannot attract such splendid living environments.

Original text:城外复有。七重宝堑。皆以七宝。所共合成。一一宝堑。深半由旬。广一由旬。金沙布底。八功德水。澄湛盈满。诸妙音鸟。翔集其中。优钵罗花。拘没那花。钵讷摩花。分陀利花。普遍开发。周匝阶陛。四宝合成。黄金为阶。白银成陛。白银为阶。黄金成陛。琉璃为阶。玻璃成陛。玻璃为阶。琉璃成陛。一一阶道。七宝所成。其傍皆植。金色芭蕉。复于道首。置诸宝座。巧妙装校。甚可爱乐。

Explanation: Outside the city there were also seven tiers of jeweled moats, all formed together from the seven treasures. Each jeweled moat was half a yojana deep—that is, twenty li deep—and one yojana wide, forty li wide, with gold sand spread over the bottom. The water of the eight virtues within was clear and limpid, filling the jeweled moats to the brim. Many birds with wonderful voices flew and gathered there, singing harmonious, beautiful, and melodious sounds. There were also utpala flowers, kumuda flowers, padma flowers, and puṇḍarīka flowers blooming everywhere. The surrounding steps were made of four kinds of jewels: gold steps with silver stairways; silver steps with gold stairways; vaiḍūrya steps with sphaṭika stairways; sphaṭika steps with vaiḍūrya stairways. Each of the stairways was made of the seven treasures, and alongside them were planted golden banana trees. At the head of the stairways, jeweled seats were placed, skillfully adorned and arranged, delighting all who beheld them.

One large yojana in India equals forty li in our Chinese measurement, and one small yojana equals twenty li. The seven-jeweled ponds of the Land of Bliss are also spread with gold sand, and the water in the jeweled ponds possesses the eight virtues. The Sūtra of Immeasurable Life describes it thus: the water of the eight virtues follows the thoughts of sentient beings—if they wish it to reach their knees, it reaches their knees; if they wish it to reach their waist, it reaches their waist—clear and limpid, soft and yielding, filling the jeweled ponds to the brim. In many Buddha-lands throughout the ten directions, it is sentient beings with blessings who dwell there; sentient beings without blessings attract Buddha-lands that are filthy, defiled, and impoverished. How a sentient being's living environment is depends on that being's roots of goodness and merit.