如是我闻:一时,佛住王舍城耆阇崛山中,与大比丘众万二千人俱。尔时,世尊四众围绕,供养恭敬尊重赞叹。为诸菩萨说大乘经,名无量义,教菩萨法,佛所护念。佛说此经已,结跏趺坐,入于无量义处三昧,身心不动。是时天雨曼陀罗华、摩诃曼陀罗华、曼殊沙华、摩诃曼殊沙华,而散佛上及诸大众。普佛世界六种震动。
逐句解释
如是我闻:一时,佛住王舍城耆阇崛山中,与大比丘众万二千人俱
经文开篇以「如是我闻」表明这是阿难亲耳所闻的真实传承。佛陀此时住在王舍城(今印度比哈尔邦)郊外的灵鹫山上,身边聚集了一万二千位比丘——这个场景规模远超《金刚经》,预示着一部空前宏大的教法即将开显。
Thus have I heard: at one time the Buddha was staying on Vulture Peak near the city of Rajagriha, together with a great assembly of twelve thousand monks.
The opening formula "thus have I heard" (如是我闻) authenticates the sutra as Ananda's direct testimony. Vulture Peak (耆阇崛山, Gridhrakuta) is a real hill outside present-day Rajgir in Bihar, India, and one of the most important sites in Buddhist history — the Buddha taught many of his greatest discourses there. The assembly of 12,000 monks signals that this is no intimate dialogue but a cosmic event. The sheer scale of the gathering is itself part of the teaching: the Lotus Sutra speaks to all beings, not just a select few.
为诸菩萨说大乘经,名无量义,教菩萨法,佛所护念
在宣说《法华经》之前,佛陀先讲了《无量义经》作为引导。「无量义」的意思是:一切法义从一个根本之源流出,不可穷尽。这部引导经为《法华经》的核心主题——万法归一——做了铺垫。
He taught the bodhisattvas a great Mahayana sutra called the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings, instructing them in the bodhisattva way, which is protected and kept in mind by the Buddhas.
The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings (无量义经) functions as a preface to the Lotus Sutra. Its title points to the paradox at the heart of the Lotus: although the Dharma has innumerable forms — countless teachings suited to countless beings — all of these forms flow from a single source, a single truth. This "one from which infinite meanings arise" is exactly what the Lotus Sutra will reveal as the One Vehicle (一乘). The phrase "protected and kept in mind by the Buddhas" (佛所护念) signals that what follows is among the highest teachings.
佛说此经已,结跏趺坐,入于无量义处三昧,身心不动
讲完《无量义经》后,佛陀盘腿而坐,进入深定——「无量义处三昧」。身体和心都完全静止。这段沉默本身就意义深远:最深的教法,往往先以寂静开场。
Having taught this sutra, the Buddha sat cross-legged and entered the samadhi of the place of innumerable meanings — his body and mind perfectly still.
Before revealing the Lotus Sutra's central teaching, the Buddha enters a deep meditative absorption (三昧, samadhi). The stillness is deliberate: it creates a sacred pause, a threshold between what has been said and what is about to be revealed. In Buddhist tradition, the deepest truths are not spoken impulsively; they arise from silence. The Buddha's unmoving body signals to the assembly that something profound is coming. This stillness is also a teaching in itself — the ground from which all dharma arises is always, already, still.
是时天雨曼陀罗华……普佛世界六种震动
天空降下四种天花,洒落在佛陀和大众身上,整个世界以六种方式震动。这些神异现象是《法华经》的典型语言——宇宙本身在回应即将发生的事。六种震动象征一个旧秩序的动摇,为新的启示腾出空间。
At that time the heavens rained down mandarava flowers and great mandarava flowers, manjushaka flowers and great manjushaka flowers, scattering them over the Buddha and the great assembly. The entire Buddha world trembled and quaked in six ways.
The miraculous signs — flower rain and the sixfold shaking of the world — are classic Mahayana literary devices signalling a cosmic turning point. The four types of flowers are celestial blossoms that appear only when a great dharma is about to be spoken. The sixfold trembling of the earth (上下、左右、起伏等) represents the breaking open of the ordinary world to make room for extraordinary truth. These are not meant as literal geology but as symbolic language: when the Lotus Sutra is taught, reality itself responds. The universe leans in to listen.
总结 · Summary
第一章是整部《法华经》的序幕。佛陀在灵鹫山集结了史无前例的大众,讲完《无量义经》后,进入深定,天降花雨,大地震动。这一切异象宣告:一部前所未有的教法即将开显。宇宙在肃立,等待那个将改变一切的宣言——一切众生皆可成佛。
Chapter 1 is a prologue of cosmic proportions. The Buddha has gathered an assembly of unprecedented scale on Vulture Peak. After teaching the introductory Sutra of Innumerable Meanings, he enters deep samadhi — and the universe responds with flowers and earthquakes. These signs are not spectacle for its own sake; they are the text's way of saying: pay attention. What follows will be the most inclusive, most far-reaching teaching the Buddha has ever given. The stage is set for the central proclamation of the Lotus Sutra: that every single being, without exception, is destined to become a Buddha.