འཕགས་པ་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱ་སྙང་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བའ་གཟངས 2

2

There, he taught the Dharma to a retinue of gods that had gathered around and paid their respects to him.

The Blessed One addressed the gods of the Śuddhāvāsa realm such as Maheśvara, Suvrata,⁸ and the rest, saying, “Gods, listen well, pay attention, and I will teach. The Thus-Gone One, in order in future times to gather a fourfold retinue, look after them, care for them in all manner of ways, and cause them to advance, to bring those who possess all the teachings and their meanings to perfection, and to bring all who are properly established in the Great Vehicle to specific attainment in all its aspects, teaches and explains the dhāraṇī discourse called The Buddha’s Essence. You should retain it and, both now and in future times after I have passed into parinirvāṇa, teach and explain it to all members of the fourfold retinue who are properly established in the Great Vehicle. Never forsake it, and always teach it and promote it. As long as there are beings who are destitute and affected by the obscurations, you should preserve the teaching of the Thus-Gone One for them, teach it, and promote it.”

The gods replied, “Blessed One, we will do just that. We will sincerely and perfectly carry out the Thus-Gone One’s command.”

The Blessed One addressed them, saying, “Gods, this is the Dharma discourse called The Buddha’s Essence:

tadyathā amale nirmale sarvākārārtha­pariprāpte asamanta­sarva­kunākāre tryadhvāsaṅgānāvṛte samanta­daśadiśa­paripūrṇa­jñāne sarvāsaṅga­darśana­prāpte sarva­dharmam aviśata­paripūrṇe sarvākāra­saṅga­samanvite samantāpra