འཕགས་པ་མ་སྐྱས་དགྲའ་འགྱད་པ་བསལ་བ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 2
Eliminating Ajātaśatru’s Remorse 2
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it is remarkable that these great and sublime beings can make diverse statements without contradicting reality. Blessed One, who could not develop the mind directed toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening?”
The Blessed One responded, “Śāriputra, in this way, bodhisattvas train in unobstructed trainings and teach in an unobstructed manner. Śāriputra, just as the fruit accords with the seed, so the bodhisattvas’ wisdom accords with their training. This is also the case with their teachings. Śāriputra, your wisdom will also accord with your training. The eloquence you gain will also accord with this.”
The bodhisattva Prabhāvyūha asked, “Blessed One, can you please describe the training of the hearers? Can you please describe the training of the bodhisattvas?”
The Blessed One answered, “Noble son, the training of the hearers is limited, whereas the training of the bodhisattvas is limitless. Noble son, to the degree to which one is engaged in the limited and restricted training of the hearers, so will one’s wisdom be limited and restricted. Noble son, to the degree to which one is engaged in the limitless and unobstructed trainings of the bodhisattvas, so will one’s wisdom be limitless and unobstructed.”
The bodhisattva great being Prabhāvyūha then asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, no one in this assembly will give up listening to the Dharma, so please give those sublime beings a sign to come here. Why do I ask this? Since Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta is devoted to the profound, the Dharma he teaches is also profound.”
The Blessed One then gave the sign for Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta to come. Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta arrived before the Blessed One accompanied by the twenty-five sublime beings
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and the assembly of gods. They bowed their heads at the feet of the Blessed One and stood to one side.
The bodhisattva great being Prabhāvyūha then asked Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, “Mañjuśrī, why have you left the Blessed One’s assembly to teach the Dharma in another place?”
“Noble son, the blessed buddhas are difficult to please. Not all talk pleases them.”
“Mañjuśrī, what kind of talk pleases the Thus-Gone One?”
“Though of course the Blessed One knows this in his wisdom, I shall explain it according to my degree of eloquence. Noble son, the Thus-Gone One is pleased by a talk that does not contradict the realm of phenomena, that does not contradict reality, and that does not contradict the limit of reality. The Thus-Gone One is pleased by a talk that is free of strife, free of debate, free of composition, free of dispute, free of imputation, and the like. The Thus-Gone One is pleased by a talk that does not make imputations in terms of a self, imputations in terms of others, imputations in terms of phenomena, imputations in terms of nonphenomena, imputations in terms of saṃsāra, imputations in terms of nirvāṇa, and the like.”
Then the Blessed One expressed his approval to Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, “Excellent, excellent! Mañjuśrī, you have spoken well. Such a talk does indeed please the Thus-Gone One. However, Mañjuśrī, the Thus-Gone One is pleased by a talk that transcends all elaboration, that is neither too fine nor too coarse, and that is free of marks—a talk that does not take one out of absorption but instead teaches how to continuously place the mind in equipoise and that does not cause one to perceive any phenomena as increasing or decreasing.”
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When this teaching was given, eight thousand bodhisattvas gained the acceptance that phenomena are nonarising. However, two hundred gods in the assembly who had given up the mind of awakening because of past conduct thought, “If the qualities of buddhahood are that limitless, if the trainings of the bodhisattvas are that difficult to undertake, and if unsurpassed and perfect awakening is that difficult to attain, then we cannot undertake this training. We should therefore reach nirvāṇa via the vehicles of the hearers and solitary buddhas.”
Knowing their thoughts, the Blessed One thought, “Oh, these gods have the fortune to fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect awakening.” In order to guide them, he emanated a householder outside the retinue bearing in his right hand an alms bowl full of delicious food. The householder approached the Blessed One, bowed his head at the Blessed One’s feet, offered the alms bowl full of food to the Blessed One, and said, “Blessed One, out of your care for me, please accept this food.” The Blessed One then accepted the alms bowl filled with food.
Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta now rose from his seat, draped his shawl over one shoulder, and with palms joined said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, if you were to eat this food without sharing it with me, Blessed One, you would not be showing gratitude.”
At that moment, venerable Śāriputra thought, “Oh, how did Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta benefit the Blessed One in the past such that now he criticizes the Blessed One for not being grateful?”
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Knowing venerable Śāriputra’s thoughts, the Blessed One said to him, “Śāriputra, the Thus-Gone One knows that it is time to instruct you, so stay seated.”
The Blessed One then dropped the alms bowl into the earth. As soon as he released the alms bowl, it appeared before all the perfect buddhas living in the buddha realms in which blessed buddhas reside in the direction below. The alms bowl passed through buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges until it reached the world called Luminous—the buddha realm of thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Raśmirāja. There, it hovered in midair without anyone holding it. The servants of each of these blessed buddhas asked them, “Blessed One, where has this alms bowl come from?”
The blessed buddhas explained, “It came from above, from the Sahā world. The blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Śākyamuni has sent it in order to guide other bodhisattvas.”
The Blessed One then told venerable Śāriputra, “Śāriputra, follow the alms bowl—find out where it is, where it lies.”
Venerable Śāriputra now entered ten thousand states of absorption, and through the strength of his insight and the power of the Buddha, he visited ten thousand buddha realms without seeing the place or location of the alms bowl. He subsequently returned to the Blessed One. Seated there, he reported to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, I have not seen the place or location of the alms bowl.”
The Blessed One then told venerable Maudgalyāyana,
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“Maudgalyāyana, please search for the alms bowl.”
Venerable Maudgalyāyana then entered ten thousand states of absorption, and through the power of the Buddha and the strength of his own miraculous power, he visited ten thousand buddha realms below without seeing the place or location of the alms bowl. He subsequently returned to the Blessed One. Seated there, he reported to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, I have not seen the place or location of the alms bowl.”
The Blessed One then told venerable Subhūti, “Subhūti, please search for the alms bowl.”
Venerable Subhūti then entered twelve thousand states of absorption, and through the power of the Buddha and the strength of his own miraculous power, he visited twelve thousand buddha realms below without seeing the alms bowl. He subsequently returned to the Blessed One. Seated there, he told the Blessed One, “Blessed One, I have not seen the place or location of the alms bowl.”
Continuing in this way, five hundred great hearers sought the alms bowl through the strength of their own miraculous power and the divine eye, but they could not find it.
Venerable Subhūti then said to the bodhisattva Maitreya, “Maitreya, since you have been prophesied by the Blessed One to be only one life away from awakening to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood, please search for the location and the site of the alms bowl.”
The bodhisattva great being Maitreya responded to venerable Subhūti, “Respected Subhūti, while indeed I have been prophesied by the Thus-Gone One to be within one life of awakening to unsurpassed and perfect awakening, I do not so much as know the names of those states of absorption. Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta on the other hand has actually entered and exited those states of absorption.
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Furthermore, respected Subhūti, when I gain awakening, there will come a time and occasion when, being unable to comprehend even how the Thus-Gone One takes a single step, such bodhisattva great beings will ask Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, ‘How does the Thus-Gone One lift up his foot and place it down?’ Therefore, respected Subhūti, ask this of Mañjuśrī himself. He will be able to find and extract that alms bowl.”
The elder Subhūti then asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, can you please instruct Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta to extract the alms bowl by any means and offer it before the Blessed One?”
The Blessed One said to Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, “Mañjuśrī, please extract the alms bowl. Please declare where the alms bowl is and where it lies.”
Then Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta thought, “I must extract the alms bowl without rising from my seat or disappearing from this assembly.”
So he settled into the absorption called in agreement with all and extended his right hand toward the earth below him. Using his hand, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta then went on to pay homage to those buddhas who were present in all the buddha realms below. From his hand a sound emerged, asking those blessed ones, “The blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Śākyamuni is inquiring whether you are free from illness, whether you are tired, whether you are healthy, whether you are comfortable, whether you are strong, and whether you are well.”
Then, from every pore on his hand billions of light rays sprang forth. From each ray of light emerged thousands of lotus flowers, and in the heart of each lotus flower appeared the form of a thus-gone one seated, each singing the praises of the blessed thus-gone Śākyamuni.
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The hand shook in six ways each buddha realm to which it went. Each of the buddha realms was bathed in a bright light. Each realm was adorned with parasols, flags, and banners.
Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta’s right hand then passed by buddha realms as numerous as seventy-two times the number of grains of sand in the Ganges, prostrating at the feet of every blessed buddha present there and inquiring into their health. It finally reached the world called Luminous of the blessed thus-gone Raśmirāja. The hand prostrated at the feet of the blessed thus-gone Raśmirāja and asked, “The blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Śākyamuni is inquiring whether you are free from illness, whether you are tired, whether you are healthy, whether you are comfortable, whether you are strong, and whether you are well.”
From the hand sprang thousands of rays of light and thousands of lotus flowers. These rays of light, however, remained distinct from the Thus-Gone One’s own light rays. Then a bodhisattva great being named Prabhāśrī who served the thus-gone Raśmirāja asked him, “Blessed One, billions of light rays and hundreds of thousands of lotus flowers spring from this hand. On each of the lotus flowers are forms of thus-gone ones singing the praises of the blessed Śākyamuni. To whom does that hand, which is so beautiful and delightful to behold, belong?”
The Blessed One answered the bodhisattva Prabhāśrī, “Prabhāśrī, above here, past buddha realms as numerous as seventy-two times the number of grains of sand in the Ganges,
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there is a world called Sahā, where the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Śākyamuni lives, thrives, and is well. In that world there is a bodhisattva great being named Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, who wears the unfathomable armor and has attained all extraordinary abilities, strengths, and perfections. Without rising from his seat, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta has extended his hand to this place in order to pick up this alms bowl.”
The bodhisattvas in the thus-gone Raśmirāja’s buddha realm became curious and announced, “Blessed One, we would like to see the Sahā world, the thus-gone Śākyamuni, and Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta.”
Light then shot forth from the circle of hair between the eyebrows of the thus-gone Raśmirāja. This light penetrated all the buddha realms totaling seventy-two times the number of grains of sand in the Ganges, illuminating all these worlds with a bright light. Anyone whose body was touched by this light gained the happiness of a universal monarch. Every spiritual practitioner whose body was touched by this light attained fruition. Every student whose body was touched by this light became a worthy one concentrated on the eight emancipations. Every bodhisattva whose body was touched by this light attained the absorption called the sun-like lamp. It also enabled all the bodhisattvas in the buddha realm of the thus-gone Raśmirāja to behold the Sahā world, the blessed Śākyamuni, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, and the entire saṅgha of hearers.
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When the bodhisattva great being Prabhāśrī beheld the Sahā world, he began to cry and weep. He said, “Blessed One, seeing these bodhisattva great beings who have been born into the Sahā world is like seeing a priceless beryl gem thrown into the mud.”
The thus-gone Raśmirāja responded, “Noble son, do not say such things. Why is this? Spending one morning in the Sahā world generating love for all beings brings far more merit than resting in and practicing concentration for ten eons in our world. Why is this? Noble son, bodhisattva great beings who tend to the Dharma in the Sahā world will purify all karmic obscurations and afflictions.”
Then all the bodhisattvas in the Sahā world whose bodies were touched by the light asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, whose light is it that brings such joy and delight and removes all the afflictions?”
The Blessed One answered the bodhisattvas, “Noble sons, below here, past buddha realms as numerous as seventy-two times the number of grains of sand in the Ganges, is a buddha realm called Luminous. There the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Raśmirāja lives, thrives, and is well. From the circle of hair between his eyebrows, that thus-gone one has projected light that has now illuminated our Sahā world.
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The bodhisattvas then announced to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, we would like to see the world called Luminous and the thus-gone Raśmirāja.”
From the thousand-spoked wheels on the soles of his two feet, the blessed thus-gone Śākyamuni then emitted a light, which passed downward past buddha realms as numerous as seventy-two times the number of grains of sand in the Ganges until it illuminated the entire Luminous world. Every bodhisattva whose body was touched by this light attained the absorption called lamp like Mount Meru. That buddha realm was illuminated from this buddha realm, and this buddha realm was illuminated from that buddha realm. To give an analogy, just as the sun and moon shine here in Jambudvīpa, in the same way the bodhisattvas there were able to see the thus-gone Śākyamuni, and the bodhisattvas here were able to see the blessed thus-gone Raśmirāja. The bodhisattvas here in this world were able to see, as easily as the gods on the peak of Mount Meru can see Jambudvīpa, the blessed thus-gone Raśmirāja and the bodhisattva great beings wearing great armor.
Then, the right hand of Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta grabbed the alms bowl, which was hovering in midair in the thus-gone Raśmirāja’s buddha realm Luminous, and he drew it upward, accompanied and attended on by trillions of bodhisattvas. As his hand drew back upward, the light rays in each buddha realm dimmed,
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and the lotus flowers disappeared. In this way, drawn back by Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta’s right hand, the alms bowl returned to the Sahā world.
Having returned the alms bowl to the space before the blessed Śākyamuni, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta bowed his head to the feet of the Blessed One and said, “Blessed One, I retrieved the alms bowl. Thus-Gone One, please accept it.” The Blessed One did so.
Then the bodhisattvas who had come to the Sahā world along with Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta’s hand bowed their heads to the feet of the Blessed One and, using the names of their particular thus-gone ones, said, “The blessed thus-gone So-and-So is inquiring whether you, Blessed One, are free from illness, whether you are tired, whether you are healthy, whether you are comfortable, whether you are strong, and whether you are well.” With the Buddha’s permission, they then took their seats.
Then the Blessed One said to venerable Śāriputra, “Śāriputra, listen: I shall now explain how I was in error by failing to appreciate how Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta benefitted me in the past. Śāriputra, countless trillions of eons in the distant past, the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Invincible Banner of Victory was born in the world called Blameless. Śāriputra, this thus-gone one’s retinue of hearers numbered eighty-four thousand, and his bodhisattvas numbered twelve thousand. That thus-gone one taught the Dharma based on the three vehicles. The Thus-Gone One took birth in order to teach the three vehicles,
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the six perfections, and skillful means.
“Śāriputra, at that time there was also a monk, a Dharma teacher named Wisdom King. One morning he donned his lower garment and Dharma robes, took his alms bowl, and went out to seek alms at the royal palace called Vastness, where he received many types of delicious food. At that time there was also a merchant son named Flawless Shoulders, who was sitting on his mother’s lap. The boy saw the monk approaching from afar and jumped off her lap and hurried toward the monk, asking for some food. The monk gave him a sweetmeat,²³ and he followed after the monk, nibbling on the food. Eventually they arrived before the thus-gone Invincible Banner of Victory. They bowed at his feet and sat before him. Then the monk Wisdom King gave all his alms to the boy and said, ‘Listen, boy! Present these alms to the Thus-Gone One.’ The boy took the alms, but even though he filled the Thus-Gone One’s alms bowl, the alms did not run out. Śāriputra, even though the boy distributed and presented these alms alone to the eighty-four thousand hearers, the twelve thousand bodhisattvas, and the blessed thus-gone Invincible Banner of Victory, they did not run out. The boy was happy and delighted. Filled with joy, happiness, and delight, he sat before the Blessed One and spoke the following verses:
“ ‘Though I distributed alms to the saṅgha of monks,
The alms bowl was never emptied.
Thus, I have certainly performed worship
To a field of merit worthy of offerings.
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“ ‘Even though I served it to the Protector of the World,
The food²⁴ did not run out.
There is no doubt that offerings made to the buddhas
Are a gift that does not run out.
“ ‘Just as the food did not run out
But increased more and more,
So the merit of those who revere the buddhas
Shall increase more and more.’
“Śāriputra, with those alms alone, the boy could provide for the Thus-Gone One and the saṅgha of monks for seven days. Through the power of the buddha and the boy’s pure intention, the food did not run out.
“The monk Wisdom King offered the boy refuge in the Buddha, refuge in the Dharma, and refuge in the Saṅgha. He conferred on him the rules. He caused the boy to acknowledge his faults. He caused him to rejoice in that which should be rejoiced in. He caused him to supplicate for what should be supplicated for, and later he caused him to develop the mind directed toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening.
“Śāriputra, the boy’s parents searched for him until they, too, arrived before the thus-gone Invincible Banner of Victory. They bowed their heads to the Blessed One’s feet and sat before him. The boy prostrated at his parents’ feet and then spoke the following verses to them:
“ ‘I have set forth toward awakening
In order to bring all embodied beings happiness.
You should be persistent too,
For these freedoms and advantages are so rare.
“ ‘See the radiance of the Buddha’s form
And how he is adorned with the major marks.
He has reached perfection through wisdom.
Who would not aspire to such awakening?
“ ‘The Thus-Gone One is exceedingly rare.
I wish to go forth into homelessness
And take ordination with him.
I request your permission.’
“His parents responded:
“ ‘We will aspire to the awakening
That you wish for.
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Son, for the purpose of taking ordination,
You may follow the training.’
“Then, Śāriputra, the boy, his parents, and five hundred beings who had developed the mind directed toward awakening all took ordination. Śāriputra, do not imagine that at that time the Dharma teacher Wisdom King was someone unknown to you. Why not? Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta was at that time the Dharma teacher Wisdom King. Śāriputra, if you are doubting, wondering, or considering whether the merchant’s son Flawless Shoulders is someone unknown to you, do not do so. Why not? I myself was at that time the merchant’s son Flawless Shoulders. Śāriputra, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta gave me the alms and caused me to develop the mind directed toward awakening. That is how I initially developed the mind directed toward awakening. Śāriputra, based on this teaching, you should understand the following: know that the Thus-Gone One’s awakened greatness, his ten strengths, his fearlessness, his unobstructed wisdom, and all other such qualities appeared due to Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta’s doing! Why is this? Because my omniscience was attained on the basis of that mind of awakening.
“Śāriputra, throughout the ten directions I have seen countless thus-gone ones like myself named Śākyamuni—and also thus-gone ones named Tiṣya, Jina, Śikhin, and Dīpaṅkara—who Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta established in awakening. If it would take an eon or more to simply speak the names of the thus-gone ones established in awakening by Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, who presently turn the wheel of Dharma,
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how much more to speak of their bodhisattva conduct, their abiding in the Heaven of Joy, their taking birth, their departure from the household, their austerities, or their presence at the Seat of Awakening?
“Śāriputra, based on this teaching, you should understand the following: When declaring and identifying the mother of all bodhisattvas, as well as their engendering, their compassion, and their encouragement, these are all to be named and identified precisely on Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta himself. Śāriputra, these are the causes and conditions that explain why I was in error when I failed to appreciate how Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta had benefitted me in the past.
Then two hundred gods thought, “All phenomena appear from causes, depend on conditions, are rooted in craving, and are guided by aspiration. So, even though the Blessed One may have been encouraged by someone else, it would not be appropriate for us to be concerned with someone inferior now that the Thus-Gone One is actually present here.” Then these two hundred gods developed with an altruistic intention the mind directed toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening.
When Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta extended his hand and displayed miracles as he picked up the alms bowl, and when this Dharma teaching of past events was told, countless beings from buddha realms in the lower direction developed the mind directed toward awakening. Blessed buddhas from limitless buddha realms throughout the ten directions presented jeweled parasols to Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta in order to venerate him and shelter the Dharma. These jeweled parasols covered this world. From the jeweled parasols, the following sound resounded: “Just as the thus-gone Śākyamuni has said, all of us were established in awakening by Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta.”
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The Blessed One then said to venerable Śāriputra, “Śāriputra, those who desire to reach nirvāṇa swiftly should develop the mind directed toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening. Why is this? Śāriputra, having become afraid of saṃsāra, a being does not cultivate a mind set on unsurpassed and perfect awakening. Rather, that person becomes a hearer and remains in the vehicle of the hearers. That will ensure that they continue to cycle in saṃsāra. On the other hand, I have seen that other bodhisattvas who are diligent and abide in perfect awakening do in fact gain omniscience. Why is this?
“Śāriputra, long ago, a thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha named He Who Outshines All appeared in the world. He was someone learned and virtuous, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, a charioteer who guides beings, an unsurpassed being, a teacher of gods and humans, and a blessed buddha. Śāriputra, this thus-gone one’s hearers numbered one billion, and his lifespan reached a hundred thousand years. Śāriputra, the greatest of this thus-gone one’s hearers, in terms of insight, was the monk Exalted. The second greatest of his hearers, in terms of miraculous abilities, was the monk Powerful.
“Śāriputra, one morning the Thus-Gone One donned his lower garment and Dharma robes, picked up his alms bowl, and, attended on by his saṅgha of hearers, set out for the royal palace called Famous to collect alms. On that occasion, on his right side went his hearer with the greatest insight, and on his left side went his hearer with the greatest miraculous abilities. Many other learned ones followed them.
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Eight thousand bodhisattvas preceded them. With some bodhisattvas assuming the appearance of Brahmā, some of Śakra, some of the Four Great Kings, and some of gods, they went ahead, sweeping the road.
“Śāriputra, as this thus-gone one was approaching the palace, there were three well-adorned children playing alongside the road. The children noticed the Thus-Gone One proceeding at a distance. They saw that he was fine and pure minded, with peaceful faculties and a peaceful mind. He was gentle and had perfected the highest form of tranquility. He was flawless and had tamed his faculties. He was limpid, clear, and pristine like a pond. He was exalted, radiant, beautiful, dazzling, and shining like a golden tree of worship. He was adorned by the thirty-two major marks of a great being.
“In seeing this, one child asked the others, ‘Do you see the Thus-Gone One, this highest of all beings, the unsurpassed field of merit, the worthy recipient of the offerings of the world with its gods and humans? Come, let’s venerate him. For great results will come from making an offering to him.’
“The child then spoke the following verse:
“ ‘This is the greatest of beings—
The unsurpassed and worthy recipient of offerings.
Thus, we should venerate him.
Venerating him will bring great results.’
“A second child said:
“ ‘We don’t have flowers,
Perfumes, powders, or ointments.
How could we venerate
This being, who is unmatched in all the world?’
“The first child then took a pearl necklace of great value from his neck with his right hand and spoke the following verse:
“ ‘I shall venerate this unsurpassed merit field
With my necklace.
Seeing what I’ve seen, what wise person
Could be attached to such things?’
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“Śāriputra, the other two children then followed the first and took the pearl necklaces from their necks and spoke the following verse:
“ ‘This perfect one, who has crossed to the other side,
Has eliminated his anguish and liberated his mind.
He commits no evil and is a source of the genuine Dharma.
To him, we shall make this offering.’
“The first child then asked the other two, ‘What do you two aspire to with this gift?’
“One child said, ‘May I become like the one who is greatest in insight to the right of the Blessed One.’
“The other child said, ‘May I become like the one who is greatest in miraculous abilities to the left of the Blessed One.’
“The first child then said, ‘May I become like the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha, who knows all and sees all, who illuminates all directions, and who moves with the gait of a lion.’
“Śāriputra, as soon as the children said this, eight thousand gods called out from the sky, ‘Excellent! Excellent! Sublime being, your words were well spoken!’ Thus, the mind of awakening was developed in the world and among the gods.
“Śāriputra, the thus-gone He Who Outshines All then asked his servant Sāgaramati, ‘Monk, do you see the three children who are approaching bearing pearl necklaces?’
“He replied, ‘Blessed One, I do.’
“The Blessed One continued, ‘The child in the middle is approaching with the following intention: for every step he takes forward, he will receive the roots of virtue for one hundred thousand realms of a universal monarch and likewise the roots of virtue for thousands of lifetimes as Śakra or Brahmā. For every step, he will receive the roots of virtue for beholding one hundred thousand buddhas.’
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“Śāriputra, the three children arrived before the blessed thus-gone He Who Outshines All and bowed their heads to his feet. They then tossed the pearl necklaces toward the Blessed One’s body. At that moment, Śāriputra, the pearl necklaces tossed by the children with the intention to become hearers landed upon the Blessed One’s shoulders. The pearl necklace tossed by the child with the intention to gain omniscience, however, transformed above the crown of the Thus-Gone One into a multistory mansion that was of a fine design and beautiful to behold, with four sides and four columns and well proportioned. In the mansion sat the form of the Thus-Gone One in cross-legged posture.
“At this, the Thus-Gone One smiled. It is the nature of things that when a blessed buddha smiles, variegated light streams forth from the Thus-Gone One’s mouth in the colors of blue, yellow, red, white, green, crystalline, and silver. The light pervaded limitless and boundless worlds as far as the Brahmā world. It outshone the light of the sun and moon and then returned. Encircling the Blessed One three times, the light disappeared into the Blessed One’s crown.
“The Blessed One’s servant Sāgaramati then asked him, ‘The Thus-Gone One does not smile without cause or reason. Hence, Blessed One, what was the cause and reason for your smile?’
“The Blessed One answered his servant, ‘Monk, do you see these two children who tossed pearl necklaces toward the Thus-Gone One with the intention to become hearers?’
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“ ‘Blessed One, I do.’
“The Blessed One continued, ‘Monk, these two children wished to swiftly reach nirvāṇa because of fearing saṃsāra rather than aspiring to awakening. Monk, I instruct you, so you should understand this. When the third child fully awakens to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood, these two other children will be the greatest of his hearers. One will be the greatest in terms of insight, and the other will be the greatest in terms of miraculous abilities.’
“Śāriputra if you are doubting or considering that the child in the middle, who developed the intention to gain omniscience, is someone unknown to you, do not do that. Why is this? I myself, at that time, was the child in the middle. Śāriputra, if you are imagining that the child on the right is someone unknown to you, do not do that. Why is this? Śāriputra, it was you who were at that time the child on the right, and the monk Maudgalyāyana was the child on the left. Śāriputra, consider this: although we had the same roots of virtue, the two of you were afraid of saṃsāra and so did not develop the mind of awakening. With such timidity, you thought, ‘We must reach nirvāṇa as swiftly as possible, by any means necessary.’ Just by this thought, the two of you did not surpass me. Śāriputra, consider this: since I have realized omniscience, I can instruct the two of you in the Dharma, leading to your freedom. Śāriputra, from this lesson, you should understand that if you wish to swiftly reach nirvāṇa, you should develop the intention to gain omniscience. Why is this? Śāriputra, the swift vehicle is a synonym for omniscience. The undeceiving vehicle, the vehicle that brings all beings benefit and happiness, the radiant vehicle, the sublime vehicle,
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the primary vehicle, the supreme vehicle, the unsurpassed vehicle, the unobstructed vehicle, and the vehicle that outshines all hearers and solitary buddhas are synonyms, Śāriputra, for omniscience.”
When this story from the past and this teaching about omniscience were given, ten thousand beings developed the mind directed toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening. Śāriputra, Mahāmaudgalyāyana, Mahākāśyapa, Revata, Aniruddha, Upāli, Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, and all the other great hearers prostrated to the Blessed One and said with one voice, “Blessed One, noble sons and daughters should respectfully generate roots of virtue. They should aspire to vastness. They should forge great aspirations. Why is this? Blessed One, even though hundreds of thousands of buddhas have delivered talks on omniscience to us and taught us the Dharma, we have not had the fortune to realize unobstructed wisdom. Blessed One, it would be better for us to have committed the five acts with immediate results than for us to have turned away from unsurpassed and perfect awakening. Why is this? Blessed One, if we had committed the five acts with immediate results, we could purify suffering in hell while still not being devoid of the unobstructed wisdom of omniscience. Thus, Blessed One, our minds are of one thought. Given our meager faculties, we are not suitable vessels for the wisdom of omniscience. Why is this? Blessed One, to draw an analogy, when peoples’ time has passed and they have died, their families are unable to keep them alive. Similarly, Blessed One, if one aspires to the vehicle of the hearers, one will not be able to heal the world and its gods.
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Blessed One, to draw an analogy, this great earth supplies medicine for bipeds and quadrupeds. Similarly, Blessed One those who develop the mind directed toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening are able to heal the world and its gods.”
After this story was relayed, King Ajātaśatru arrived before the Blessed One with the four divisions of his army. They bowed their heads to the Blessed One’s feet and circumambulated him three times before gathering to one side. King Ajātaśatru joined his palms together facing the Blessed One. Bowing, he asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, on what basis and through what power do beings engage in and perform evil deeds?”
The Blessed One answered, “Great King, the basis for beings consists of self, sentient being, life force, and person. Great King, in reliance upon their belief in the transitory collection as a real self, and based upon their mistaken experience, beings engage in and perform evil deeds.”
“Blessed One, what is the root of the belief in the transitory collection as a real self?”
“Great King, belief in the transitory collection as a real self grows from the root of ignorance.”
“Blessed One, what is the root of ignorance?”
“Great King, ignorance grows from not contemplating correctly.”
“Blessed One, what is the root of not contemplating correctly?”
“Great King, not contemplating correctly grows from the root of holding incorrect concepts with regard to nonexistence.”
Linked texts (1)
- འཕགས་པ་མ་སྐྱེས་དགྲའི་འགྱོད་པ་བསལ་བ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ — Classical Tibetan