[08.07.24 chinaexpat] The Wonder Of China’s Beautiful Water Lotus

yudi123456

【08.07.24 chinaexpat】The Wonder Of China’s Beautiful Water Lotus
【来源】chinaexpat
【链接】http://www.chinaexpat.com/blog/cde/2008/07/23/wonder-china-s-beautiful-water-lotus.html
【标题】The Wonder Of China’s Beautiful Water Lotus
【正文】

It's July, and everywhere in China, the Water Lotus is now in bloom. Parks across the country have suddenly bloomed fireworks that looked like lotuses, with outer petals fading from white to pink and central rings of rose deepening to red. Always in lakes and ponds, the flower of July for China blooms in water. What could be more cool and refreshing during the hot days of July than contemplating the water lily?


From the earliest Indian collection of Buddhist sutras, from the reign of Ahyu, comes this description of the beginning of the world: "Between the mountains there were many rivers, flowing in all directions along 100 different routes, moving slowly downhill, without waves. The rivers were shallow and their banks weren't steep, making them easy to ford. The water in them was clean and pure, and flowers floated on the surface in abundance. The currents were full of them..." According to this passage, the lotus was the first flower appearing in a world of water.

Although there is a botanical distinction, the lotus and water lily are often used interchangeably in folklore and mythology. Generally lotus refers to the water lily of India or the plant depicted in sacred art and stories, while the water lily is more often used by naturalists. As an example of the confusion, the World Book actually has two entries, one for the lotus, one for the water lily, both clearly referring to the same plant and neither referring to the other entry.

The lotus of India belongs to the Nelumbo genus (Nelumbo is the Sinhalese name for the plant). It has large flowers and leaves that sometimes grow up above the water. The plant's thorny stalk discourages fish from nibbling on it. The upper cupule or fleshy capsule of the lotus dries out at maturity and separates from the plant. Floating about, it scatters seed from the many perforated holes in its surface.

In Asia, there is only one species of lotus with red and white blooms. Yet early Buddhist scriptures, referring to the seven precious lotuses, mention blue and yellow flowers. The water lily, native to Egypt, has blue flowers but the yellow-flowered water lily is native to North America. This mystery may be addressed in this Buddhist sutra: "The lotuses of heaven can change according to people's wishes, flowering when needed. In this way they bring joy to the hearts of all. There is no need to declare one false and the other real. Both are called the wondrous lotus flower."

The Water Lotus has long been considered a sacred plant, with many sayings attributed to her subtle charms:  

When the white lotus descends to this world, it changes everyone's life for the better.
- Chant from the White Lotus Sect, Ming dynasty

The oldest representation of the lotus was made centuries before anyone ever wrote about it: a statue unearthed at Mohenjo-Daro showing a wide-hipped goddess, lifting her breasts with her hands and wearing lotus blossoms in her hair.

The Hindu goddess Laxmi, is also called Padma, Kamia and Kamalasana, all names for the lotus. She emerged from a lotus which sprang from Vishnu's forehead (an improvement on Athena's method of birth, I think). Vishnu himself is pictured holding a conch, a wheel, a mace and a lotus in his four hands.

The earliest written reference to the goddess in a supplement of the Rig-Veda describes her as born of the lotus, standing on the lotus, garlanded with lotuses. She is the hue of the lotus, lotus-eyed, lotus-thighed. She is often depicted flanked by white elephants who pour water from their trunks over her and the lotus she holds. Supposedly elephants love to eat the stems of lotuses.

In India, the Lotus also represents birth. Vishnu puts forth from his body a single giant navel on which Brahma, the lotus-born Creator is seated. This lotus has 1,000 golden petals from which mountains rise and waters flow. Buddhism borrowed the lotus pedestal from Brahma. The Buddha is often depicted sitting on a lotus or holding a lotus. Yoga students and meditators sit in lotus position. Legend says that when the Buddha was born, he walked seven steps in ten directions and with each step a lotus flower appeared. Look closely at the soles of his feet when you see a statue of Buddha - you may see the imprint of the lotus.

Buddhist periods are initiated by the appearance of a lotus, which indicates the location of the sacred tree of the Buddha. If there are no blossoms, no Buddha will appear. At the beginning of the current era, the Bhadrakalpa, there were 1,000 blossoms, signifying the birth of 1,000 Buddhas. The Buddhist sutras say that the lotus has four virtues: scent, purity, softness and loveliness. Yet as Chang Chin-ju notes, many other flowers are soft, clean and fragrant. The lotus was singled out because Chinese botanists once believed that it flowered and bore fruit at the same time, thus symbolizing the ability to transcend the limitations of time.

In China, even before Buddhism arrived bringing its special devotion to the lotus, the lotus was honored as the plant of summer. One of the eight immortals holds a lotus, the "flower of open-heartedness" or a lotus-pod wand. It was an emblem of purity, fruitfulness (because of its many seeds) and creative power.

The Lotus Sect of Chinese Buddhism believes that people can be rewarded for virtuous acts by leaving the cycle of reincarnation and going to dwell in the Western Heaven. This paradise contains the Seven Treasure Pond which brims over with the Water of Eight Deeds and Virtues. The bottom of the lake is covered with gold dust and the lotuses are as big as carriage wheels. The blue flowers give off a blue light, the red a red light, the yellow a yellow light and the white flowers a marvelous fragrance. The different colors have different meanings. White represents purity, blue goodness and red enlightenment.

The Sacred Lake of Lotuses is often depicted in Temple Courtyards. Each soul has a lotus on this lake which will open to receive them after death and where they will wait until the time of its opening. The flowers thrive or droop according to the piety of the individual on earth; for the devout they open immediately when he dies, admitting the soul at once to the divine presence. In China, the envelopes given to the family at a funeral are impressed with the outline of a lotus. And in rural areas, people still burn incense to the Spirit of the Lotus. In Chinese Buddhism, the goddess Tara is also called Lotus. And Kwan Yin, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, is often depicted holding a lotus which she gazes at with downcast eyes, or reclining on an expanse of lotuses. In Chinese Buddhism, the lotus became a symbol of purity. "Bathing in the clear water of the spiritual pond, the lotus' roots dig deep into the soil." It represented being able to distance oneself from vulgarity. But Mahayana Buddhism takes this symbolism a step further: "This flower doesn't grow in the highlands, but rather it blooms in the vile swamps." In other words, purity is no different than pollution-the spirit can bloom in any circumstance.

The lotus became a popular symbol in Chinese folk custom. Pictures showing fat dancing babies holding lotus leaves or flowers are purchased in the hope that people will give birth to several boys in succession (because the Chinese word for lotus sounds the same as a word meaning "one after another"). And since lotus leaves protect the goldfish under them, the lotus also symbolizes abundance year after year.

Long before the classical Hindu scriptures wrote of the lotus, the lotus was an important symbol in Egypt. In fact, the lotus may have come to India from Egypt. It was associated with the sun because it opens in the morning and closes at night. Horus, the sun-god was often depicted sitting on a lotus (like Buddha and Brahma). The lotus was also the flower of resurrection, used in funeral rites and depicted on tombs. Mourners would pray that the deceased would have the chance to bloom again, "like a water lily reopening."

The water lily appears all over the tomb of King Tutan-kamen which was built in 1361 BC. Water lilies adorn the tops of columns. The oar King Tut is using to row to the land of rebirth is made in the image of a half-open water lily. A beautiful woman who resembles Cleopatra offers the water lily she holds in her to another woman to sniff. A Dakota legend tells about the origin of the yellow pond lily common in North America. A Star Maiden came down from the night sky and wanted to live with the Dakota. The chief, Red Strawberry Man, sent his son with the maiden to consult the tribe's advisor who lived across the lake. While rowing across the lake in the darkness, the son's canoe hit a log and the Star Maiden tumbled into the waters. In the morning, the first yellow water lily appeared at the same spot.
Lotus pictures from the Lake at Peoples Park, Shanghai.

[ 本帖最后由 星光 于 2008-7-25 22:22 编辑 ]

叶芸芸01

收下了，报名翻译。

yudi123456

先谢了！我想这个翻译完了，你应该会学到很多实用的东西

叶芸芸01

是吗？一定认真学习。

叶芸芸01

The Wonder Of China’s Beautiful Water Lotus
惊艳，美丽的中国荷花

【正文】
It's July, and everywhere in China, the Water Lotus is now in bloom.
七月的中国，处处都是绽放的荷花。
Parks across the country have suddenly bloomed fireworks that looked like lotuses, with outer petals fading from white to pink and central rings of rose deepening to red.
这个国家的公园突然之间热闹非凡地开满了荷花。花儿的花瓣从边缘的白色渐变到粉色，而花心已渐深到红色了。
Always in lakes and ponds, the flower of July for China blooms in water. What could be more cool and refreshing during the hot days of July than contemplating the water lily?
在中国的湖泊池塘，这种开放在七月的花亭亭玉立在水中。在酷热的七月，还有什么比凝望荷花更让人感到清凉而欣喜？

From the earliest Indian collection of Buddhist sutras, from the reign of Ahyu, comes this description of the beginning of the world: "Between the mountains there were many rivers, flowing in all directions along 100 different routes, moving slowly downhill, without waves. The rivers were shallow and their banks weren't steep, making them easy to ford. The water in them was clean and pure, and flowers floated on the surface in abundance. The currents were full of them..." According to this passage, the lotus was the first flower appearing in a world of water.
那些最早的印度佛经——来自阿育王时期——这样描述最初的世界：“在山峦之间流畅着许多河流，它们从100个不同路线流向四方，缓缓的流下山岗，没有一丝波澜。那河流如此清浅，河岸也不陡峭，以至于很容易徒步涉河。河水清澈而纯净，许多的鲜花漂浮在水面。水流充溢其中……”在这段记录中，莲花是最早出现在水世界的花。

Although there is a botanical distinction, the lotus and water lily are often used interchangeably in folklore and mythology.
虽然在植物特性上有差别，荷花和莲花在神话传说中往往是相通的。
Generally lotus refers to the water lily of India or the plant depicted in sacred art and stories, while the water lily is more often used by naturalists.
通常在印度或在宗教艺术和故事中使用莲花这个名称，而荷花是植物学名字。
As an example of the confusion, the World Book actually has two entries, one for the lotus, one for the water lily, both clearly referring to the same plant and neither referring to the other entry.
举个这种混淆使用的例子，the World Book【世界图书？】实际上有两个词条，一个是莲花，一个是荷花，两者都清晰的指向同一种植物，而且没有其他的解释。

The lotus of India belongs to the  genus (Nelumbo is the Sinhalese name for the plant). It has large flowers and leaves that sometimes grow up above the water.
莲花在印度被归为Nelumbo（Nelumbo是僧伽罗语对这种植物的称呼）。它们长着大量的叶片，开着繁盛的花朵，以至于有时覆盖了整条河流。
The plant's thorny stalk discourages fish from nibbling on it. The upper cupule or fleshy capsule of the lotus dries out at maturity and separates from the plant. Floating about, it scatters seed from the many perforated holes in its surface.
这种植物多刺的茎阻碍了鱼儿对它的啃咬。上面多肉的杯状莲蓬在成熟后变干，然后从母体脱离。分散在莲蓬表面的各个小孔中的种子顺水漂流。

In Asia, there is only one species of lotus with red and white blooms. Yet early Buddhist scriptures, referring to the seven precious lotuses, mention blue and yellow flowers.
在亚洲，只生长着一种开红色或白色花的莲花，而在佛经中记载着七种精美的莲花，开放青色和黄色的花朵。
The water lily, native to Egypt, has blue flowers but the yellow-flowered water lily is native to North America.
埃及的本地荷花开青色的花朵，而金莲花的家乡在北美洲。
This mystery may be addressed in this Buddhist sutra: "The lotuses of heaven can change according to people's wishes, flowering when needed. In this way they bring joy to the hearts of all. There is no need to declare one false and the other real. Both are called the wondrous lotus flower."
这一神秘现象可能被记录在佛经中：“西天的莲花可以依人所愿而改变，在需要时开放。这样，他们给所有的灵魂带来欢乐。无需断言真假。都被称为神奇的莲花。【the wondrous lotus flower佛教中如何称呼，我并不知道，这里仅为直译字面意思。】”
The Water Lotus has long been considered a sacred plant, with many sayings attributed to her subtle charms:  
莲花长期以来被描述成神圣的植物，因为许多关于她精妙魅力的传说：
When the white lotus descends to this world, it changes everyone's life for the better.
- Chant from the White Lotus Sect, Ming dynasty
当白莲花降临世间，人们生活会变得更美好。——明朝白莲教歌谣。

The oldest representation of the lotus was made centuries before anyone ever wrote about it: a statue unearthed at Mohenjo-Daro showing a wide-hipped goddess, lifting her breasts with her hands and wearing lotus blossoms in her hair.
在任何人用文字记载之前几个世纪，最早的莲花造型已经出现：一尊神秘的Mohenjo-Daro雕像展示了一位慈悲的女神，用手托着胸部，她的头上装饰着盛开的莲花。

The Hindu goddess Laxmi, is also called Padma, Kamia and Kamalasana, all names for the lotus. She emerged from a lotus which sprang from Vishnu's forehead (an improvement on Athena's method of birth, I think). Vishnu himself is pictured holding a conch, a wheel, a mace and a lotus in his four hands.
印度的女神Laxmi又叫Padma、Kamia、Kamalasana，都是莲花的意思。她从毗湿奴前额生出的莲花中诞生（我认为是雅典神话雅典娜的诞生的改版）。毗湿奴被描绘成四只手，分别持法螺，法轮，权杖和莲花的大神。

The earliest written reference to the goddess in a supplement of the Rig-Veda describes her as born of the lotus, standing on the lotus, garlanded with lotuses.
最早关于这位女神的记录在吠陀经典的附录里，描写到她从莲花中诞生，站在莲花宝座上，带着莲花花环。
She is the hue of the lotus, lotus-eyed, lotus-thighed. She is often depicted flanked by white elephants who pour water from their trunks over her and the lotus she holds. Supposedly elephants love to eat the stems of lotuses.
她有莲花样的容颜，莲花的眼睛，莲花化成的身躯。她常被描述为与白象相伴，她手持莲花，白象为其淋浴。可以这样想象，大象喜欢吃莲花的茎。

In India, the Lotus also represents birth. Vishnu puts forth from his body a single giant navel on which Brahma, the lotus-born Creator is seated. This lotus has 1,000 golden petals from which mountains rise and waters flow.
在印度，莲花通常用来表现诞生。毗湿奴在他巨大的肚脐里生出了大神梵天——这位莲花生的创世之神诞生了。那莲花有1000瓣金花瓣，使山脉上升流水下降。
Buddhism borrowed the lotus pedestal from Brahma. The Buddha is often depicted sitting on a lotus or holding a lotus.
佛教借来从印度教借来莲花形象。记载中，佛陀们常坐在莲台上或是手持莲花。
Yoga students and meditators sit in lotus position. Legend says that when the Buddha was born, he walked seven steps in ten directions and with each step a lotus flower appeared. Look closely at the soles of his feet when you see a statue of Buddha - you may see the imprint of the lotus.
瑜伽修行者和冥想者坐在莲花台上。传说中佛陀诞生时，走了向十向走了七步，每走一步都有一朵莲花出现。当你看到佛陀的雕像时，紧挨他的脚底——你可以看到莲花的印记。

Buddhist periods are initiated by the appearance of a lotus, which indicates the location of the sacred tree of the Buddha.
佛教历史的开始一直伴随着莲花形象，那象征着佛教圣树的地方。
If there are no blossoms, no Buddha will appear. At the beginning of the current era, the Bhadrakalpa, there were 1,000 blossoms, signifying the birth of 1,000 Buddhas.
若是没有莲花，就没有佛教的诞生。在混沌世纪（current era）之初，波陀劫【Bhadrakalpa陂陀劫、波陀劫、贤劫。指三劫之现在住劫。】时期，盛开着1000朵莲花，昭示着1000位佛陀的诞生。
The Buddhist sutras say that the lotus has four virtues: scent, purity, softness and loveliness.
佛经中说莲花有四种美好：芳香，纯洁，温柔，可爱【字面直译】
Yet as Chang Chin-ju notes, many other flowers are soft, clean and fragrant. The lotus was singled out because Chinese botanists once believed that it flowered and bore fruit at the same time, thus symbolizing the ability to transcend the limitations of time.
虽然像 Chang Chin-ju 记录，许多其他的花儿也柔美，纯洁，芬芳。莲花的脱颖而出，因为中国一度认为它开花和结子是同一时期，它也由此象征着超越时空的能力。
In China, even before Buddhism arrived bringing its special devotion to the lotus, the lotus was honored as the plant of summer.
在佛教传入中国，赋予莲花特殊意义前，中国将莲花誉为夏日之花。
One of the eight immortals holds a lotus, the "flower of open-heartedness" or a lotus-pod wand. It was an emblem of purity, fruitfulness (because of its many seeds) and creative power.
八仙之一手持荷花，“心胸宽广的花”或是一个莲蓬枝。它是纯洁，多子（因为它结的许多种子）和创造力的象征。

The Lotus Sect of Chinese Buddhism believes that people can be rewarded for virtuous acts by leaving the cycle of reincarnation and going to dwell in the Western Heaven.
中国的白莲教相信人们如果行善就会得到回报，脱离轮回的苦海，通往西方极乐世界居住。
This paradise contains the Seven Treasure Pond which brims over with the Water of Eight Deeds and Virtues. The bottom of the lake is covered with gold dust and the lotuses are as big as carriage wheels.
极乐国土有七宝池,八功德水充满其中,池底纯以金沙布地，生长的莲花大如车轮。
The blue flowers give off a blue light, the red a red light, the yellow a yellow light and the white flowers a marvelous fragrance. The different colors have different meanings. White represents purity, blue goodness and red enlightenment.
青莲闪青色光芒，红莲闪红光，金莲闪金光，白莲散发奇异的香气。不同颜色的莲花代表不同的意义。白莲象征纯洁，青莲象征仁慈，红莲代表教化。

The Sacred Lake of Lotuses is often depicted in Temple Courtyards. Each soul has a lotus on this lake which will open to receive them after death and where they will wait until the time of its opening.
这神圣的莲池常常在寺庙中表现。每一个灵魂都有一朵莲花生长在池中，在他们死后，等到莲花开放就被接引入西天。
The flowers thrive or droop according to the piety of the individual on earth; for the devout they open immediately when he dies, admitting the soul at once to the divine presence.
花朵的开放与枯萎取决于个人在世间的修行：如果虔心修佛，在他辞世之时莲花立即绽放，让灵魂能立即进入圣地。
In China, the envelopes given to the family at a funeral are impressed with the outline of a lotus. And in rural areas, people still burn incense to the Spirit of the Lotus.
在中国，家庭葬礼的棺材（？）外形有莲花的轮廓。在乡下，人们还是祭祀莲花神【何仙姑？哪吒？】。
In Chinese Buddhism, the goddess Tara is also called Lotus.
在中国佛教中，女神Tara【度母？藏传佛教？】也被称为莲花。
And Kwan Yin, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, is often depicted holding a lotus which she gazes at with downcast eyes, or reclining on an expanse of lotuses.
观音菩萨是佛教中最仁慈的菩萨，通常形象为手持莲花悲悯地望着下界，或者倚靠在莲花丛中。
In Chinese Buddhism, the lotus became a symbol of purity. "Bathing in the clear water of the spiritual pond, the lotus' roots dig deep into the soil."It represented being able to distance oneself from vulgarity.
在中国佛教中，莲花成为纯洁的象征。“出淤泥而不染，游于心池的净水中。”它被描述为能使自己远离鄙陋。
But Mahayana Buddhism takes this symbolism a step further: "This flower doesn't grow in the highlands, but rather it blooms in the vile swamps." In other words, purity is no different than pollution-the spirit can bloom in any circumstance.
但是在大乘佛教中，赋予了莲花更深远的意义：“这种花不愿盛开在高处，安于生长在恶劣的沼泽。”换句话说，纯洁就是在任何环境都能不被玷污。

The lotus became a popular symbol in Chinese folk custom.
莲花是中国民间习俗的常用符号。
Pictures showing fat dancing babies holding lotus leaves or flowers are purchased in the hope that people will give birth to several boys in succession (because the Chinese word for lotus sounds the same as a word meaning "one after another"). And since lotus leaves protect the goldfish under them, the lotus also symbolizes abundance year after year.
购买画着大胖小子持荷叶荷花手舞足蹈的画，是为了祈求人们能成功的生育许多小孩（因为中文的莲与“连”谐音）。也因为莲叶保护了它下面的金鱼，莲花同时还有一年比一年富裕的象征。

Long before the classical Hindu scriptures wrote of the lotus, the lotus was an important symbol in Egypt.In fact, the lotus may have come to India from Egypt.
在印度经典记录莲花之前，莲花已经成为埃及重要的象征符号。事实上，莲花可能是从埃及传入印度的。
It was associated with the sun because it opens in the morning and closes at night.
它们与太阳联系起来，因为它们在白天开放夜晚合拢。
Horus, the sun-god was often depicted sitting on a lotus (like Buddha and Brahma).
太阳神和鲁斯常常被描绘站在莲花上（就像佛陀和梵天）。
The lotus was also the flower of resurrection, used in funeral rites and depicted on tombs. Mourners would pray that the deceased would have the chance to bloom again, "like a water lily reopening."
莲花同时也是重生之花，在葬礼中使用和被描画在坟墓中。哀悼者希望死者可以突然重生，“像莲花重新开放”。

The water lily appears all over the tomb of King Tutan-kamen which was built in 1361 BC.
莲花出现在所有公元1361前建立的法老陵寝中。
Water lilies adorn the tops of columns. The oar King Tut is using to row to the land of rebirth is made in the image of a half-open water lily.
莲花用来装饰石柱顶部。The oar King Tut用来渡向重生之地，在一朵半开的莲花中。
A beautiful woman who resembles Cleopatra offers the water lily she holds in her to another woman to sniff.
一位长得像Cleopatra的美丽女子献出她手中的莲花给另一位女子轻嗅。
A Dakota legend tells about the origin of the yellow pond lily common in North America.
一个Dakota传说告诉我们黄色睡莲在北美的起源。
A Star Maiden came down from the night sky and wanted to live with the Dakota. The chief, Red Strawberry Man, sent his son with the maiden to consult the tribe's advisor who lived across the lake.
一位来自星空的少女从夜晚降临而且希望在Dakota居住。生活在湖边的首领Red Strawberry Man让他的儿子和少女作为部落的顾问。
While rowing across the lake in the darkness, the son's canoe hit a log and the Star Maiden tumbled into the waters. In the morning, the first yellow water lily appeared at the same spot.
在夜里划船时，儿子的独木舟撞坏了，那位星空少女跌入水中。第二天早上，第一朵黄色睡莲花开放在同一地方。
Lotus pictures from the Lake at Peoples Park, Shanghai.
荷花照片来自上海人民公园的池子。

叶芸芸01

都是从网上搜索的，准确与否并不清楚。
关于莲花的传说：
一位印度古代诗人用古梵文描写他的爱人道：“卿眼如莲苞，手如莲花，譬如莲藕。”在婆罗门教的神话中，创造之神据说是在毗湿奴入定时，从其肚脐中生出的莲花中钻出来的。居住在印度次大陆中部的比罗尔族在解释世界起源时也有相似的说法：“最初，天下皆水，有莲生出水面。是时巨神居于阴间，经莲茎出至水上，以莲花为座。”
已知的最早与莲有关的艺术品，也是把莲与神结合在一起的，是一尊头上戴着莲花的裸体女神像，在印度的恒河流域出土，是公元前3000年的遗物。文献中有关印度莲花女神的记载，最早见于印度的吠陀文献，说莲神生于莲花，站在莲花上，戴着莲花的花环。
梵天Brahma:
关键词:~创造之神,骑天鹅,配偶为辩才之天女萨拉斯瓦蒂.
印度教创造之神,是奥义书哲学的抽象概念最高存在或宇宙精神"梵"Brahma的化身.传说梵天是从漂浮在混沌汪洋中的宇宙金卵里孵化出来的,或者是从毗湿奴肚脐里长出的一朵莲花中诞生的,然后开始创造世界万物.
在佛教问世后，佛教徒也采取了以莲花为佛教的主要象征。据说后来成为佛祖的悉达多太子出世后，立刻下地走了七步，步步生莲。所以莲就成了他诞生的象征。从公元一世纪左右开始，佛祖的塑像便已常常是在莲台上的坐像了，他的坐姿，或为莲花坐或为吉祥坐，成为佛教僧人打坐时的典型坐法。按照大日经的解释，“左足先著右上，右足次著左上，名为莲花坐；单足著右上，名为吉祥坐。”佛教徒相信莲能反应修行程度，认为高僧诚心念佛，则西方七宝池中即生莲花一朵，若能精进，则其花渐大，倘或退惰，则其花萎落。又相信：“诸天人民以至蜎飞蠕动之类，往生阿弥陀佛刹者，皆于七宝池莲华中化生。”
七宝池：
佛经中描述的极乐世界有七宝池：有无数由七宝所成的水池，其面积由十由旬、二十由旬乃至百千由旬，犹如大海一般，而且皆以金沙铺地，不同我们这里全是砂石污泥。
有八功德水。在无数的七宝池中，还盛满了具有八种不可思议妙用的水：一、澄净，非常澄清洁净，一点杂质也没有；二、清冷，即清净凉冷，永远保持同样的温度；三、甘美，即甘甜味美，非常可口；四、轻软，即水的性质轻浮柔软；五、润泽，即滋润滑泽，有益身心；六、安和，即安宁和平，沐浴其中，安稳舒适；七、除患，即喝了这种水，不但可以止渴，还可以除饥；八、增益，即喝了这种水，或在水中沐浴，可以增长善根。除此之外，其水还有三种的特色：一、随意，即水能随人之意，或增，或减，或冷，或暖；二、说法，即当池水往复激荡时，能发妙音，宣讲妙法；三、进道，即入水浴已，使人道业猛进。
有宝花。在极乐世界的七宝池中，在八功德水之上，有著无量无数‘微妙香洁’的莲花。微者，七宝所成，此方绝无；妙者，其色无量，又能放光：香者，异香远闻，四时不散；洁者，出自德水，体至洁净。其花大小不一，由一由旬乃至百千由旬，这是因为念佛的众生有勤怠之分，故莲花便有大小之别。这些莲花，就是我们将来往生之花胎，谁在此世界信佛念佛，极乐世界的七宝池中即长出莲花一朵，上标其名，将来往生时，即在此莲花中化生。极乐世界的一切景物均不生不灭，惟独莲花变化无常，如人念佛努力，七宝池中的莲花就愈念愈大，如改信其他法门，或停止完全不念，此花即随之而枯萎，可见它没有一定的形状，变化而有，唯心所现。
TARA
度母，是藏派神話中的女神，代表了生命力，她賜予生命以及治療世界，同時讓世界的能量保持穩定，平和。度母，亦是「世界母」，他遊歷於世上，明白世上的哀痛，以救世間諸苦。

叶芸芸01

这篇翻译得有些困难，许多宗教的东西并不是十分明白，如果有错误请指正，并请见谅。