[1]
一心全摄念佛偈
Verse Of Wholehearted Mindfulness Of Buddha
单用口念未摄心,
单用耳听未一心。
单用心念未全心,
须念听时皆用心。
Only using the mouth to recite is yet to gather in the mind,
only using the ears to listen is yet to be single-minded.
Only using the mind to recite is yet to be wholehearted,
there must be mindfulness when both reciting and listening.
[2]
要心念偈
Verse Of Resolution To Be Mindful
心不能念,
必要心念。
心要心念,
心必能念。
If the mind is not able to be mindful,
be resolute to make the mind mindful.
With the mind resolute to be mindful,
the mind will be able to be mindful.
[3]
弥陀接引时偈
Verse Of When Amituofo Receives & Guides
若一至十念多,
若一至七日多,
具真信切愿时,
即弥陀接引时。
If for one, up to ten or more thoughts mindful of his name,
if for one, up to seven or more days mindful of his name,
when complete with true faith and sincere aspiration,
is when Amituofo comes to receive and guide to his Pure Land.
[4]
发大愿偈
Verse Of Giving Rise To Great Vow
深信弥陀,
四十八愿,
以佛大愿,
发往生愿。
With deep faith in Amituofo,
and his forty-eight vows,
through this Buddha’s great vows,
vow to be born in his Pure Land.
[5]
不如念佛偈
Verse Of Might As Well Be Mindful Of Buddha
不念亦生念,
不如生佛念。
难念也得念,
不念生杂念。
Since not being mindful also gives rise to thoughts,
one might as well give rise to mindfulness of Buddha.
Even if difficult to be mindful, one should still be mindful,
as not being mindful gives rise to stray thoughts.
[6]
安心法偈
Verse Of Way To Settle The Mind
安生信愿,
安住佛号。
安心办道,
安乐必到。
Peacefully give rise to faith and aspiration,
to peacefully abide on the Buddha’s name.
Peacefully cultivating the path thus,
[the Land Of] Peace And Bliss will surely be reached.
[7]
佛念不断偈
Verse Of Uninterrupted Buddha Mindfulness
口念表心念,
默念心亦念。
无声心却声,
佛号不断声。
Verbal recitation expresses mental mindfulness,
with silent recitation too, the mind is mindful.
Without outer sound, yet in the mind is its sound,
with the uninterrupted sound of the Buddha’s name.
[8]
一念制万偈
Verse Of One Thought Subdue Ten Thousand
一时唯一念,
以念制杂念。
一时一佛念,
以佛制万念。
As in each moment there is only one thought,
with one pure thought subdue each stray thought.
If in each moment there is only one thought of Buddha,
with Buddha’s name subdued are ten thousand thoughts.
[9]
诸佛护念偈
Verse Of All Buddhas’ Mindful Protection
闻阿弥陀经,
而修念佛者,
得诸佛护念,
亦得不退转。
Those who hear the Amitabha Sutra,
and cultivate mindfulness of Buddha,
will attain all Buddhas’ mindful protection,
also attaining non-retrogression for Buddhahood.
[10]
速成佛偈
Verse For Swift Accomplishment Of Buddhahood
若今发愿,
生极乐国,
皆得不退,
于成佛道。
If now giving rise to the aspiration,
to be born in the Land Of Ultimate Bliss,
all will attain non-retrogression,
for the path to accomplish Buddhahood.
[11]
念佛八得偈
Verse Of Eight Attainments From Mindfulness Of Buddha
信愿念佛故,得一心不乱。
一心不乱故,得弥陀现前。
弥陀现前故,得心不颠倒。
心不颠倒故,得生极乐国。
生极乐国故,得三不退转。
三不退转故,得速成菩萨。
速成菩萨故,得广度众生。
广度众生故,得速成佛道。
With mindfulness of Buddha with faith and aspiration thus,
attained is wholeheartedness without being scattered.
With wholeheartedness without being scattered thus,
attained is Amituofo’s appearance before one.
With Amituofo’s appearance before one thus,
attained is the mind that is not inverted.
With the mind that is not inverted thus,
attained is birth in the Land Of Ultimate Bliss.
With birth in the Land Of Ultimate Bliss thus,
attained are the three non-retrogressions.
With the three non-retrogressions thus,
attained is swift accomplishment as a Bodhisattva.
With swift accomplishment as a Bodhisattva thus,
attained is wide deliverance of sentient beings.
With wide deliverance of sentient beings thus,
attained is swift accomplishment as a Buddha.
[12]
多善根多福德偈
Verse Of Much Good Roots & Blessed Virtues
谓善男子善女人,
愿得生极乐土果,
不可少善根为因,
不可少福德为缘。
Those called good men and good women,
aspiring to attain the fruit of birth in the Land Of Ultimate Bliss,
should not be with few good roots as causes,
should not be with few blessed virtues as conditions.
多念佛即长善根,
念佛多即善根多。
多念佛即积福德,
念佛多即福德多。
With much mindfulness of Buddha grows good roots,
with mindfulness of Buddha much, good roots are much.
With much mindfulness of Buddha accumulates blessed virtues,
with mindfulness of Buddha much, blessed virtues are much.
[13]
一心一意偈
Verse Of Single-Minded Intention
三心两意者,
未一心一意。
一心一意者,
即全心全意。
Those with triple thoughts and double intentions,
have yet to be with single-minded thought and intention.
Those with single-minded thought and intention,
are with wholehearted thought and intention.
[14]
不乱不颠倒偈
Verse Of Non-Scatteredness & Non-Inversion
一心念佛是因,
心得不乱是果。
一心不乱是因,
心不颠倒是果。
Wholehearted mindfulness of Buddha is the cause,
and the mind’s attainment of non-scatteredness is the fruit.
Wholeheartedness without being scattered is the cause,
and the mind not being inverted is the fruit.
[15]
得一心不乱偈
Verse On Wholeheartedness Without Being Scattered
令得一心不乱,
应当一心系念。
已摄散乱之心,
即得不乱之心。
To enable attainment of wholeheartedness without being scattered,
one should practise wholehearted and continual mindfulness of Buddha.
Having gathered the scattered mind thus,
attained is the mind that is not scattered.
[16]
极乐佛偈
Verse Of Amituofo & His Pure Land
从是西方,
十万亿土,
阿弥陀佛。
有极乐国。
From here to the West,
a hundred thousand kotis of lands away,
is Amitabha Buddha,
and his Land Of Ultimate Bliss.
[17]
极乐国偈
Verse On Land Of Ultimate Bliss
极乐众生,
无有众苦,
但受诸乐,
故名极乐。
The Land Of Ultimate Bliss’ beings,
are without the many kinds of suffering,
only experiencing all kinds of bliss,
which is why it is named Ultimate Bliss.
[18]
无量佛偈
Verse On Immeasurable Buddhas
阿弥陀佛,
即无量佛,
亦无量光,
与寿之佛。
Amitabha Buddha,
is ‘Immeasurable Buddhas,’
also the Buddha Of Immeasurable Light
and Immeasurable Life.
[19]
易常念佛法僧偈
Verse Of Ease Of Mindfulness Of Triple Gem
娑婆少见佛法僧,
不易系念佛法僧。
极乐常见佛法僧,
自然常念佛法僧。
In this Saha World, not often seen are Buddhas, Dharma and Sangha,
thus not easy to be continually mindful of Buddhas, Dharma and Sangha.
In the Land Of Ultimate Bliss, often seen are Buddhas, Dharma and Sangha,
thus naturally and constantly mindful of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
[20]
无上极乐妙生偈
Verse Of Ultimately Blissful Birth
无上极乐妙世界,
大菩萨罗汉皆生,
大鬼神亦发愿生,
唯愚夫妇不愿生。
The unsurpassable wonderful Land Of Ultimate Bliss,
is where great Bodhisattvas and Arhats are all born,
great gods and ghosts too aspire to be born there,
while only foolish men and women not aspire for birth there.
[21]
无量诸佛劝请偈
Verse Of All Immeasurable Buddhas’ Exhortation
十方无量诸佛陀,
劝请十方无量众,
信受弥陀功德深,
护念一切众得生。
The ten directions’ immeasurable Buddhas,
urge and invite the ten directions’ immeasurable beings,
to have faith in, to receive Amituofo’s profound meritorious virtues,
mindfully protecting all beings to attain birth in his Pure Land.
[22]
难信能信最贵偈
Verse On Faith Despite Difficulty As The Most Precious
人身难得今已得,
佛法难闻今已闻。
念佛法门更难得,
难信能信最为贵。
This human rebirth that is difficult to attain is now attained,
the Buddha’s teachings that are difficult to hear are now heard.
As the Dharma door of mindfulness of Buddha is even more difficult to attain,
being able to believe it, which is difficult to believe in, is the most precious,
[23]
行道难易偈
Verse Of Difficult & Easy Path Of Practice
念佛易行道,
即甚难信法。
无信道故难,
有信道故易。
As mindfulness of Buddha is the easy path of practice,
it is a teaching extremely difficult to have faith in.
Without faith, the path of practice is thus difficult,
with faith, the path of practice is thus easy.
[24]
自他二力偈
Verse Of Self & Other-Power
念佛须二力,
自力与他力。
自力信愿行,
合他力愿行。
Mindfulness of Buddha must be with the two powers,
of self-power and other-power.
With self-powered faith, aspiration and practice,
that combines with other-powered aspiration and practice.