The Wonderful Adornments of 
the Leaders of the Worlds.
世主妙嚴品第一之一
Thus I have heard. At one time the Buddha
was in the land of Magadha, in a state
如是我聞：一時，佛在摩竭提國
of purity, at the site of enlightenment,
having just realized true awareness.
阿蘭若法菩提場中，始成正覺。
The ground was solid and firm, made of
diamond, adorned with exquisite jewel
其地堅固，金剛所成；上妙寶輪，
discs and myriad precious flowers, with
pure clear crystals. 
及眾寶華、清淨摩尼，以為嚴飾；
The ocean of characteristics of the various colors appeared over an infinite extent. There were banners of precious 諸色相海，無邊顯現；摩尼為幢，
stones, constantly emitting shining
light and producing beautiful sounds.
常放光明，恒出妙音，
Nets of myriad gems and garlands of
exquisitely scented flowers hung all around.
眾寶羅網，妙香華纓，周匝垂布；
The finest jewels appeared spontaneously, raining inexhaustible quantities of gems
摩尼寶王，變現自在，雨無盡寶
and beautiful flowers all over the earth. There were rows of jewel trees, their branches
及眾妙華分散於地；
and foliage lustrous and luxuriant. By
the Buddhist spiritual power, he caused
寶樹行列，枝葉光茂。佛神力故，令此
all the adornments of this enlightenment
site to be reflected therein. 
道場一切莊嚴於中影現。
Where are the human beings? There are no humans mentioned here, just materials
人呢？沒有人。這裡只有眾莊嚴具
and the Buddha himself. But there's one
other person -- "I". "Thus I have heard", we know
及佛。除外還有一人--“我”。“如是我聞”的這個人。
the sutras that contain the oral
teachings of the Buddha, that this
佛經是佛口傳的法，
specific person, this person is "I" is Ananda.
So Ananda is Buddha's cousin. And he had
而聞者，這“我”即是阿難尊者。阿難尊者是佛的堂弟。
a photographic memory, a memory that let him remember all of the Buddha's
他過目不忘，以至於不忘佛
teachings. He actually heard the Buddha
himself, either through crossing temporal
跨世越界於各時各處所說的法，
space and time or was present at this
assembly to hear the Buddha, or to hear
包括當下這法會
the Buddha tell it later. He heard it and
that's why when the sutras
及佛後時敘述的教誨。
later compiled after the Buddha's death,
Ananda
聽聞諸法的阿難尊者於佛入涅槃後結集經藏，
related what the Buddha had said orally.
They were put in writing. This is in
寫下佛所講的種種。
the faith section. In this paragraph, to
conclude with "by the Buddhist spiritual
這品是信分次的部分。
這段的結尾是，“佛神力故，
power, he caused all the adornments of
the enlightenment site to be reflected
令此道場一切莊嚴於中影現。”
therein." Interesting that the Buddha's
spiritual power is the cause for all
值得探討的是此處種種示現都是佛變化出來的。
this to happen, and boy that requires a
tremendous amount of faith, I would think.
信心深厚者才能接受這總結吧。
So for anybody to have even passed this
paragraph and wish to continue, to go on
樂意接受並繼續恭聞下段經文的
reading, I think it says something about
the reader or the listener, who is able
讀者或聽眾必定有善緣。
to accept this. That's why this
particular text is very much Mahayana,
華嚴經是大乘佛法，
requiring faith in the Buddha and in this
particular section too. "Thus I have heard"
因此對佛及此經的信心相當重要。“如是我聞”
itself requires already believing that
Ananda was someone who heard the oral
本身就要求我們相信阿難是聽聞佛金口
teachings and someone who was relating
them accurately enough. 
所傳之教後準確陳述給予後代之人。
"Thus I have heard" also usually conveys historical
setting there and historical timing.
“如是我聞“也傳達了歷史、時代、地點。
"Thus I have heard" itself is a phrase. Mahayana
Buddhist texts all begins with
“如是我聞”這句子成為每部大乘佛經的頭一句。
this phrase because it was a
way to prove to faith-goers that the
佛要求阿難採用這幾個字好向佛弟子們證明
texts are true and as told by the Buddha.
This was the validation: "Thus I've heard," 
這經文內容確實是佛所說的。
“如是我聞”
Ananda said. We could take that to a different level even. My interpretation 是阿難提出的驗證。我們還可以
將這句話提升至另一水平。我的詮釋是，
is that, what is it that heard? Is it this "I"?
And so all of us could be Ananda and all
是誰有所聞？是“我”嗎？聞法的我們都可以是，
of us are Ananda at this point, as
we hear the teachings now.
或其說我們即是，阿難。
So it says something about our connection with the Buddha's disciples 這也代表我們這些現代佛弟子與佛當時的弟子十指連心。.
Being that we are Buddha's disciples now.
What is it that we hear? So "thus" in "Thus
我們聽聞到些什麼？“如是”。“如是”也就是
I have heard." In Chinese 如是我聞, it
could also be "Thus, thus", or "Such such",
“如此”、“就是這樣”等。
"As is", or "The way things are", "The way it
is now", "The way it is". I have heard that.
我所聞的即是這麼回事。
I've heard the way things are. When we hear
the way things actually are, the way it
當我們聽到事實即是如此，實際就是這樣，
is, then we've actually heard our
Buddha nature. And that's what Ananda is
那麼我們也就聽聞到佛性了。而阿難
really hearing as he hears the Buddha's
teachings. And then the verb "heard" here
聞佛法時真正所聞的便是佛性。“聞”這動詞
can be a very specific practice. There's
a lot more to be said about that, but
是個值得修行的法門。那是個大題目，擇時再談。
other than that, hearing in this Sutra 
could also be an encounter, an encounter
此外此經中的聞指的也是遭遇、相遇，
with this Sutra, and with the teachings here.
Every time a Sutra begins, we get this
有機會接觸到這部經及其法。
每部佛經都以此句為開頭，
phrase and this phrase itself allows us
to really be in Ananda's shoes and to know
這短短一句話提醒我們
與阿難交換位子，設身處地好了解
"Who is it that is hearing?" What is it
that we actually have heard? And then
“聞的是誰？”聞的是什麼？”
also grapple with the process. Listen.
You're happy to hear about the Buddha
於此學習過程掙扎中，請傾聽。
你慶幸聽聞到佛的
enlightenment? Do you believe it? Why all this focus on beautiful material 般若涅槃嗎？你相信嗎？為什麼這經文重心在於莊嚴具：
things: crystals, jewels, garlands, nets. All these things are tangible
琉璃、珠寶、華纓、羅網等。這些都是有形的物質。
material things. I thought when I
listened to the Buddhist teachings he
還以為佛法講的是
would be talking about our mind, or you
know, the essence of us. Why this focus on external form? 
心或心性。這些表相為什麼如此重要？
After Mara came to test
Buddha and then he became enlightened what
開悟前魔來考驗佛，
he did was that he touched the ground. What
does that mean?
當時佛以手觸地。那是什麼意思？
The earth maybe his witness that he's really taking refuge in his own inherent nature.
也許地球是他的見證，他皈依心性。
By being grounded and
realizing that being enlightened is nothing
定心堅固如地意會著開悟
farther away than our very daily
material existence. It is not
即在日常中，不離此也。
separate from that. That's why when you
go to work and when you talk to
萬物皆說法包括於事業、對答中等。
others, the Dharma is very much alive. 
It's not something that's cut off,
諸法不離萬物，
as if something that's completely
separate. It's a delusion but once you're
即使事物萬象是幻化的。
enlightened like the Buddha, you come
back and see Samsara (world), then it's
一旦成佛看娑婆時，
with complete clarity. No longer
deluded. But Samsara is very much the system within which we work.
事事燎若觀火，不再迷惑。娑婆世界能成就
It's where, also for us, to reach wisdom in general. We still
我們的大智大慧。我們必需
need to go through material existence,
specifically we're talking about our
藉著物質存在，尤其是我們的
senses, our sense faculties are: our
vision, our smell, our ability to
感官，透過眼耳鼻舌身意
taste, to hear, and to feel things, and to
think. We still need to go through the
六根我們才能覺悟。
very material existence of our physical
body of our senses in order to realize
不以六根修行
awakening. We can't reach enlightenment, we
can't reach wisdom without our physical
就無法達到智慧。
senses. The description here requires us
to use our physical senses and bring
經文的描述要求我們將諸根提升到
them to the highest level so the visuals
here, so these images here are the most exquisite
徹悟的層次，所以這兒的色聲香味觸法都是
things, the highest forms of the visuals
and the sounds, the most beautiful
最精緻高超的。
sounds, the highest form of those
sounds, or feeling luxuriant in
touch. So all these are about our
senses, in our typical
這段陳訴的是我們感官所能做到
imagination of what is the
best, the highest level of what
及希望能做到的種種。
our senses are capable of, or wanting
or reaching. The first paragraph begins
第一段的
here with all this external form. It
requires our senses to be used. And our
表相代表我們必須用上我們的六根，
senses lead us to the Buddhas'
enlightenment. So is this the Buddhist
因為六根是圓通法門。這是佛教
heaven? The Buddhas' heaven? Is this where
we go after death and how is that
天堂嗎？我們往生後到那兒去嗎?
different than the Christian heaven? Isn't the Christian heaven full of happy
它和基督教天堂有何不同？
基督教的天堂不是充滿無憂無慮、
people? It's always talking about how
happy you will be when you get to heaven.
怡然自得的人嗎？不是說你抵達天堂會心花怒放嘛。
So how come the Buddhist heaven is just
full of beautiful things. Where are
那為什麼佛教天堂只有莊嚴之具？
the happy people? I don't know that I
have an answer, but my next response was 幸福快樂的人在哪裡？我無法確定我有答案，但我的下一個念頭是：
why am I so egocentric, to think that
為何自我中心這麼重，總以
humans come first? Perhaps that says something
人類為中心？
about, not to put Christianity down, but
the Christian way of thinking about
我無意貶低基督教，但基督教對天堂的看法
heaven, that it's very much human focused, right? Everything else is serving human
著重於人類，對吧？萬物的創造皆是為了人類，
beings, including eating animals. But in the Buddhist sense the cosmology is
包括動物出生長成是為了讓人吃。佛教宇宙論
greater. It's way beyond human beings
and like you said, you talked
則遠遠超越了渺小的凡夫。如你所說，
about how non human beings are in the
audience. Actually in his audience right
這法會聽眾中有非人類。
的確，
now those who are able to hear the
Buddha give this lecture
佛開悟後的華嚴法會當機眾就有
immediately after enlightenment are the
great Bodhisattvas (in various incarnations), the great awakening 化身種種的大菩薩，唯有這些自利利他、
beings who awaken themselves and
awaken others. Only they can hear
自悟悟他的眾生能聽到佛此時的教誨。
this Buddha's teaching at this time. There
are other beings around and there are
其他眾生，包括
other human beings
but they can't hear this lecture because
某些人類，聽不到華嚴大法因為
they have a different intention; they're
only interested in their personal
根機意向不同;他們只對個人
salvation. This is how Buddhism, the way
that it's described in the Sutra, is
醒悟感興趣。這部佛經與眾不同，
very different in this Sutra. It's not about you, it's
not about me, you're not in here, I'm not
這和你我無關，你我都不在當時這法會上，對嗎？
in here, right? (technically speaking) 
Okay, so after using our
（嚴格而言）好的，在
senses and then describing all of these
beautiful sounds, beautiful images, and
各種真善美的色聲香味
amazing things to touch, to smell, and
then to this final line.
觸法描述後最後一行
It brings it all back to, okay,
but you know what? It's all an illusion.
又回歸到，好，但你知道嗎？這都是幻覺。
Buddhist supernatural powers, when we
believe them and believe that these
我們相信佛有法力並相信這一切
are causes of Buddhas' magic then they are not real. So here it 皆由佛的法力而現，但我們也知道因佛神力所現之象必是虛幻的。
describes these amazing things and maybe heaven on earth, heaven
所以這種種莊嚴、世界、天堂、
after death, stuff that are happy. But they're
merely illusory; they are merely
快樂都是虛幻的;它們不過是
reflections reflected in Buddha's
powers. When the Buddha shows with
佛神力所反射出來的反射罷了。佛大展
all his magic the most amazing thing
most human beings might want, might be
神通現出多數人想要或
interested in, and so, this is just
a mirage that I've created. Kinda
感興趣的種種表示的是，這不過是我創造的海市蜃樓，
throws a loop at you. Just within this
one paragraph, there's a koan (zen riddle).
讓你愣那麼一愣。這裡丟出的也是件公案。
