[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Buddhist Sanskrit literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit) › [Mahāyāna sūtras](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra) › [Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabharājasūtra](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru) › [འཕགས་པ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་བདུན་གྱི་སྔོན་གྱི་སྨོན་ལམ་གྱི་ཁྱད་པར་རྒྱས་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo) › The Detailed Account of the Previous Aspirations of the Seven Thus-Gone Ones # The Detailed Account of the Previous Aspirations of the Seven Thus-Gone Ones Translation of [འཕགས་པ་ད་བཞན་གཤགས་པ་བདན་གྱ་སྔན་གྱ་སྨན་ལམ་གྱ་ཁྱད་པར་རྒྱས་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད (འཕགས་པ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་བདུན་གྱི་སྔོན་གྱི་སྨོན་ལམ་གྱི་ཁྱད་པར་རྒྱས་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo) - **Language:** English - **Translator:** [Adam Krug](https://indike.org/pramana/person/adam-krug) - **Extent:** 131 passages, 17,798 words - **Text:** complete digital text - **Source:** 84000 · Translated by The Dharmachakra Translation Committeeunder the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating… · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha). Shown whole and unaltered, with its notes, on a… ## Contents - [intro 84000's introduction](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro) — 27 parts - [1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.1) — 26 parts - [2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.2) — 25 parts - [notes Notes](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.notes) — 53 parts ## Text ### 84000's introduction ### [intro.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.1) The Detailed Account of the Previous Aspirations of the Seven Thus-Gone Ones opens in Vaiśālī, where the Buddha Śākyamuni is seated with a saṅgha of eight thousand monks, thirty-six thousand bodhisattvas, and a large gathering of gods, spirit beings, and humans. As Śākyamuni concludes his teaching, the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī rises from his seat and requests that the Buddha give a Dharma teaching that will benefit all the human and nonhuman beings who are present in the assembly. Specifically, he asks Śākyamuni to teach them about the previous aspirations of seven buddhas, their buddhafields, and the benefits that those buddhas can bring to beings who live in the final five hundred years, when the holy Dharma is on the verge of disappearing. Śākyamuni agrees to this request and proceeds to give a detailed account of the previous aspirations of those seven buddhas to benefit beings who are veiled by karmic obscurations, tormented by illnesses, and plagued by mental anguish and suffering. ### [intro.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.2) The Detailed Account of the Previous Aspirations of the Seven Thus-Gone Ones opens in Vaiśālī, where the Buddha Śākyamuni is seated with a saṅgha of eight thousand monks, thirty-six thousand bodhisattvas, and a large gathering of gods, spirit beings, and humans. As Śākyamuni concludes his teaching, the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī rises from his seat and requests that the Buddha give a Dharma teaching that will benefit all the human and nonhuman beings who are present in the assembly, and he asks Śākyamuni to teach them about the previous aspirations of the seven thus-gone ones, their buddhafields, and the benefits that they can bring to beings who live in the final five hundred years, when the holy Dharma is nearly gone. Śākyamuni then declares that he will give a detailed account of the previous aspirations of those seven thus-gone ones to benefit beings who are veiled by karmic obscurations, tormented by illnesses, and plagued by mental anguish and suffering. The medical applications of the text are thus made explicit in its introduction, though of course the ends to which the text may be used surpass its medical applications in curing illness and protecting devotees from demonic possession. ### [intro.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.3) Each of the seven thus-gone ones is said to dwell in the East in his own buddhafield, where each one lives and teaches the Dharma. The names of the seven thus-gone ones and their buddhafields are as follows:¹ ### [intro.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.4) 1. Supari­kīrtita­nāma­dheyaśrī­rāja; Unconquered ### [intro.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.5) 2. Kuśala­tejonir­ghoṣa­rāja; Abounding in Jewels ### [intro.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.6) 3. Suvarṇa­bhadra­vimala­ratna­prabhā­savrata­siddhi; Heaped with Jewels and Full of Perfume ### [intro.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.7) 4. Aśokottamaśrī; Without Anguish ### [intro.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.8) 5. Dharmakīrtisāgaraghoṣa; Victory Banner of the Dharma ### [intro.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.9) 6. Dharma­sāgarā­gramati­vikrīḍitā­bhijñā­rāja; Standing in an Ocean of Jewels ### [intro.10](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.10) 7. Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha; Vaiḍūryanirbhāsa ### [intro.11](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.11) In response to Mañjuśrī’s request, Śākyamuni proceeds to enumerate the aspirations that each of these thus-gone ones made when they first generated the mind of awakening and the qualities of the buddhafield that each of them generated upon attaining perfect buddhahood. The material in the first section (Tib. bam po) of the text contains the previous aspirations of the first six thus-gone ones, while the material in the second section of the text opens with a discourse on the previous aspirations of the Thus-Gone One Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha, commonly known as the “Medicine Buddha” (Tib. sangs rgyas sman bla) that is nearly identical to the shorter sūtra that bears his name and that follows in the Kangyur, Toh 504.² ### [intro.12](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.12) When Śākyamuni’s detailed account of the previous aspirations of the seven thus-gone ones is complete, Mañjuśrī responds by vowing to proclaim the text in the future and provides a short set of instructions on how to worship the text. Śākyamuni then turns to his disciple Ānanda and asks if he has any doubts or reservations about the skillful means of the seven thus-gone ones. Ānanda assures Śākyamuni that he does not doubt what he has heard, but then suggests that other beings might. The Buddha then assures Ānanda, and by extension anyone who might read this sūtra, that it is impossible for anyone who has heard the name Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha to be reborn in the lower realms. ### [intro.13](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.13) The text continues with material also found in the shorter sūtra, Toh 504, where we find a set of instructions from the bodhisattva Trāṇamukta on how making offerings to Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha can interrupt the death process and call a dying person’s consciousness back to their body. Trāṇamukta outlines a ritual that is performed over a forty-nine-day period that begins with observing the eightfold purification vows, providing support for the offering rite to the monastic saṅgha, and contemplating Bhaiṣajyaguru’s name three times each day and three times each night. Then, presumably, the monastic saṅgha members that one has supplied with provisions for the offering rite recite the text forty-nine times and offer oil lamps to seven statues of Bhaiṣajyaguru for a forty-nine-day period. Trāṇamukta notes that kings can also perform this rite to avert disaster and ensure the happiness of the kingdom. He concludes his instructions with a brief enumeration of nine types of untimely death, assuring Ānanda that the problem of untimely death is precisely the reason that Śākyamuni has taught the use of mantras and medicines. This part of the text concludes with the vow of the twelve great yakṣa generals, who make a commitment to protect anyone who bears the name of Bhaiṣajyaguru or supports his worship. The vow of the twelve yakṣa generals marks the end of the portion of this text that corresponds to the material found in the shorter sūtra, Toh 504. ### [intro.14](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.14) A number of gods in the assembly then begin to wonder how simply hearing the names of these buddhas, who, after all, live in buddhafields that are inconceivably far away from our own Sahā world, could really allow beings to develop such good qualities. In response to their skepticism, Śākyamuni enters into a state of absorption that summons the seven thus-gone ones before the assembly. Amazed, the gods make offerings to the seven thus-gone ones and set forth their aspiration that all beings might attain this absorption and be able to actually see them, just as they have. Mañjuśrī then asks the seven thus-gone ones to teach a dhāraṇī that can overcome illnesses and protect beings from those with ill intentions, planetary influences, lunar asterisms, death, enemies, and wild animals, and that can fulfill all beings’ wishes. The seven thus-gone ones recite their dhāraṇī and provide a description of the recitation ritual and the benefits of performing it. This is followed by a dhāraṇī given by Vajrapāṇi, Śakra, and the Four Great Kings, as well as another dhāraṇī pronounced by Vajrapāṇi alone. ### [intro.15](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.15) Finally, the text concludes with Ānanda asking Śākyamuni what title this discourse should bear. Śākyamuni responds by providing the following four titles: ### [intro.16](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.16) 1. The Detailed Account of the Previous Aspirations of the Seven Thus-Gone, Worthy, and Perfect Buddhas ### [intro.17](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.17) 2. The Bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi’s Vow ### [intro.18](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.18) 3. Purifying All Karmic Obscurations and Fulfilling All Hopes ### [intro.19](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.19) 4. The Vows of the Twelve Great Yakṣa Generals ### [intro.20](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.20) There is no known Sanskrit edition or manuscript of this version of the sūtra, but a large portion of the text is almost identical with the shorter sūtra, Toh 504, which survives in three Sanskrit editions edited and compiled from the cache of Buddhist Sanskrit manuscripts excavated from a stūpa in Gilgit in the early twentieth century. Gregory Schopen notes that at least five manuscripts of this text were found among the Gilgit collection,³ and that there were at least two distinct recensions of the text circulating in Gilgit during the fifth and sixth centuries.⁴ Even earlier evidence of the existence of the shorter sūtra comes in the form of a Chinese translation very similar to the later versions of the shorter text, included as the twelfth and final fascicle of a longer work (Taishō 1331) translated by Śrīmitra in the early fourth century ᴄᴇ.⁵ A Chinese translation of the present, seven tathāgata form of the sūtra (Taishō 451) was made in 707 CE by Yijing.⁶ ### [intro.21](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.21) Some substantial passages from the Bhaiṣajya­guru­sūtra in Sanskrit have also survived as several citations in Śāntideva’s (685–783 ce) Śikṣāsamuccaya,⁷ indicating that the text continued to be well known in the Buddhist heartland of India in the eighth century ce. ### [intro.22](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.22) The exact relationship between Toh 503 and Toh 504 remains unclear. In his brief study of traditions associated with Bhaiṣajyaguru, Leonard Zwilling argues that Toh 504 was enlarged into Toh 503, stating that the vows of the other six thus-gone ones “by and large, duplicate those of Bhaiṣajyaguru, and their Buddha-fields are merely named \[and\] lack any sufficiently distinctive individuating characteristics.”⁸ As readers can see for themselves in this translation, this does not seem to be the case, at least with respect to the Tibetan translation of the text. The aspirations of each of the seven thus-gone ones differ in both number and content, the descriptions of each of the buddhafields contain notable differences, and none of the aspirations and buddhafields of the six buddhas that precede Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha appear to duplicate his aspirations and the description of his buddhafield. In addition, the role of hearing and reciting the names of these buddhas receives far greater emphasis in the aspirations of the first six buddhas than it does in the account of Bhaiṣajyaguru’s twelve aspirations. Judging from the syntax, word choices, and organization of the presentation of Bhaiṣajyaguru’s aspirations, it is quite possible that Toh 504 was an independent text that was at some point incorporated into Toh 503. However, analyzing the first section of the text using these same criteria also suggests the possibility that the aspirations of the first six buddhas in Toh 503 represent a compilation of several independent texts containing bodhisattva “aspirations.” The text itself hints at its own eclectic origins in its conclusion, where Śākyamuni provides four separate titles for the work that each refer to separate sections of the text. ### [intro.23](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.23) The translators’ colophon to the Tibetan translation of Toh 503 tells us that the text was translated by three ninth-century Indian preceptors—Jinamitra, Dānaśīla, and Śīlendrabodhi—in conjunction with Bandé Yeshé Dé (mid-eighth to early ninth century), placing the date for its initial translation into Tibetan in the early ninth century. This date is confirmed by the text’s appearance in both the Denkarma⁹ and Phangthangma¹⁰ royal Tibetan catalogs of translated works. Although both royal Tibetan catalogs indicate that this text was originally classified as a sūtra, Butön lists it in different works as both a sūtra and a tantra,¹¹ and in all Kangyurs it is placed with the tantras of the Action (kriyā) class. In the Degé Kangyur the cycle of four works related to the Buddha Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha, with this as the first, is presented among the Action Tantras related to the principal figure of the tathāgata family (de bzhin gshegs pa’i rigs kyi gtso bo). ### [intro.24](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.24) Inspired by certain passages in the sūtra that describe the worship of the seven thus-gone ones, as well as by the sūtra as a whole, a number of commentaries have detailed how one might actually perform the rites they contain. The earliest examples of these liturgical commentaries in Tibet are now found in the Tengyur, where they are attributed to one “Bodhisattva,” commonly taken as the famous Indian abbot and scholar Śāntarakṣita (Tib. zhi ba ’tsho, eighth century), who composed them for the Tibetan emperor Tri Songdetsen (Tib. khri srong lde btsan, 742–97).¹² Since that time, rituals associated with the sūtra have been especially esteemed by political leaders not only in Tibet but in Mongolia and China as well, probably due to the promises within the text that whoever offers worship to the seven thus-gone ones will have an abundance of prosperity and health.¹³ ### [intro.25](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.25) The sūtra and the rituals surrounding it became popular at the Yuan court, and members of the court sponsored the sūtra’s publication in a wood-block edition.¹⁴ Śāntarakṣita’s liturgical adaptations of the sūtra were translated into Chinese by a disciple of Chögyal Pakpa (Pakpa Lodrö Gyaltsen, ’phags pa blo gros rgyal mtshan, 1235–80), the Sakya hierarch who served as national preceptor to Qublai Khan.¹⁵ Rituals of worship based on the sūtra were performed regularly in the Yuan capital Dadu (present-day Beijing). In the same period, Chim Namkha Drak (Tib. mchims nam mkha’ grags, 1210–85) wrote a short liturgy for the sūtra titled A Method for Accomplishing the Worship of the Seven Thus-Gone Ones (de bzhin gshegs pa bdun gyi mchod pa ji ltar bsgrub pa’i tshul). These liturgies continued to be popular over the ensuing centuries, and liturgies were written by prominent figures within every major school of Tibetan Buddhism. ### [intro.26](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.26) Two seventeenth-century liturgies based on the sūtra were written by Panchen Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen (Tib. blo bzang chos kyi rgyal mtshan, 1570–1662) and the Fifth Dalai Lama Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (Tib. ngag dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho, 1617–82). Both were used in the liturgical practices of a number of the new and expanding Gelukpa (Tib. dge lugs pa) institutions that sprang up in the wake of the Gelukpa rise to political prominence with the founding of the Dalai Lama’s Ganden Podrang government in 1642. They also became popular among the Qing dynasty elite. Prince Yunli (1697–1738, known in Tibetan as Kengsé Chinwang), one of the sons of the Kangxi emperor (1654–1722), published the sūtra in Tibetan and in Mongolian translation in Beijing.¹⁶ The Panchen Lama’s and Dalai Lama’s liturgies were published in several editions in Beijing and were performed at temples throughout the capital, a practice that continued through the early twentieth century. ### [intro.27](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.intro.27) This translation is based on the Tibetan translation from the Tantra Section in the Degé Kangyur, in consultation with the Tibetan translations in the Stok Palace Kangyur and the Comparative Kangyur (Tib. dpe bsdur ma). The section of the text that includes the Tibetan translation of the Bhaiṣajya­guru­sūtra was also checked against the Sanskrit editions of the Gilgit manuscripts prepared by Dutt, Vaidya, and Schopen. The names of the seven thus-gone ones are critical to many of the practices outlined in this work, but unfortunately Sanskrit equivalents are only attested for two of them: Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha and Supari­kīrtita­nāma­dheyaśrī­rāja.¹⁷ The Sanskrit names provided in this translation for the other five thus-gone ones follow the back-translations provided by Ronald M. Davidson,¹⁸ Lokesh Candra,¹⁹ and Sushama Lohia.²⁰ ### [1.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.1.1) Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas. Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was wandering through the provinces and came to Vaiśālī. There in Vaiśālī, at the base of the musical tree,²¹ he was accompanied by a great saṅgha of eight thousand monks and thirty-six thousand bodhisattvas, including the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara, the bodhisattva great being Mahāmati, the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, the bodhisattva great being Pratibhākūṭa, the bodhisattva great being Amoghavikrāmin, the bodhisattva great being Sudarśana, the bodhisattva great being Sarvata­mondha­kāravidha­mana­mati, the bodhisattva great being Well-Intentioned Thought, the bodhisattva great being Merukūṭa, the bodhisattva great being Gadgadasvara, the bodhisattva great being King Who Holds Great Meru’s Peak, and the bodhisattva great being Vajrapāṇi. He was surrounded and accompanied by all manner of gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, kings, ministers, brahmins, kṣatriyas, and householders. ### [1.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.1.2) The Blessed One was giving a Dharma teaching that was virtuous at the beginning, virtuous in the middle, and virtuous at the end, excellent in meaning, and beautiful in expression. His Dharma talk satisfied beings, made them perfectly happy, and established them in the awakening of a buddha. Then the bodhisattva great being and Dharma prince Mañjuśrī rose from his seat, adjusted his upper robe on one shoulder, knelt with his right knee on the ground, bowed to the Blessed One with his palms together, and made this request to the Blessed One: “Blessed One, since many gods, nāgas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, ascetics, brahmins, kings, ministers, householders, human, and nonhuman beings have gathered and are present to hear the Dharma, may the Blessed One have mercy on us. Please teach the names of those thus-gone ones who, simply by hearing them, cause all beings to no longer regress on the path to unsurpassed and perfect awakening, who purify and utterly exhaust all their misdeeds and karmic obscurations, and that cause them to no longer be crushed by Māra, the wicked one. Please teach the detailed account of the previous aspirations they made and describe the abodes of their buddhafields with their arrays of good qualities. “Blessed One, since there is nothing that the thus-gone ones do not see, hear, or know, they comprehend as many billions of eons as there are grains of sand in the Gaṅgā river just like the events of today or tomorrow. Since that is the case, and since you explain and correctly teach how these thus-gone ones first generated the mind of awakening, what their previous aspirations were, and what the arrays of good qualities are in the buddhafields related to these thus-gone ones are, ### [1.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.1.3) Blessed One, in order to support all beings in the future during the final five hundred years when the counterfeit holy Dharma has appeared, will the Blessed One please explain the great skillful means of the thus-gone ones and give a detailed account of their previous aspirations?” With a voice as melodious as the cuckoo’s song, the blessed Thus-Gone One complimented Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta, saying, “Very good, Mañjuśrī, very good. Mañjuśrī, you are a compassionate being. Mañjuśrī, it is good that the boundless compassion you have generated has led you to make this request to benefit all beings, and so that those gods and humans who are veiled by the various karmic obscurations, whose bodies are tormented by various illnesses, and who are oppressed by various types of mental anguish and suffering might be benefited, helped, and comforted. Mañjuśrī, the Thus-Gone One’s blessing has engendered this eloquent request of yours. So listen well and keep in mind what I say, Mañjuśrī, and I shall explain.” “Yes, Blessed One,” replied Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta. “Mañjuśrī,” the Blessed One said, “to the east of this buddhafield, past as many buddhafields as there are grains of sand in the Gaṅgā river, the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Supari­kīrtita­nāma­dheyaśrī­rāja lives in the world Unconquered, accompanied by billions of bodhisattva attendants. There he lives, resides, and teaches the Dharma. “Mañjuśrī, the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Supari­kīrtita­nāma­dheyaśrī­rāja is utterly pure. ### [1.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.1.4) It measures many hundreds of thousands of leagues across. It is flat like the palm of one’s hand. There are no lower realms of rebirth or cries of suffering. There is no such thing as the female gender. There are no thorny plants and no steep cliffs. There are no mountains, boulders, rocks, or pebbles. The ground is soft and pleasing to the touch. It has a divine fragrance, and its divine jeweled trees are decorated with flowers and fruit. It is adorned with a jeweled lion throne. The bodhisattvas there have attained the stage of nonregression. It is beautified by pools ornamented with gold from the Jambū river, gems, and pearls. Mañjuśrī, all the bodhisattvas in that world take a miraculous birth in which they emerge from a lotus made of the seven precious substances. Thus, a faithful son or daughter of good family should aspire to be born in that buddhafield. “Mañjuśrī, from the moment that the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Supari­kīrtita­nāma­dheyaśrī­rāja first generated the mind of awakening and while he was practicing bodhisattva conduct, he continually proclaimed the following eight great aspirations: “His first great aspiration was, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings whose bodies are tormented by various illnesses and who are oppressed by fevers, kṛtyas, kākhordas, vetālas, and other terrors to have all their illnesses pacified when they bear my name in mind and recite my name seven times. May they be free from fevers and the demonic influences of wicked beings for as long as it takes them to attain awakening, and may all these things be pacified.’ ### [1.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.1.5) “For his second great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings who are blind, deaf, mentally ill, leprous, and affected by acute illness to have fully functional sense faculties for as long as it takes them to attain awakening when they bear my name in mind and recite my name seven times. May all their suffering and illnesses cease.’ “For his third great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings who are veiled by desire, hatred, and delusion—who commit the five inexpiable acts, abound in improper behavior, forsake the holy Dharma, commit various sinful and nonvirtuous actions, and then proceed to the three lower realms and the hell realms where they are born in the Great Hell and experience intense pain—to purify and exhaust all their obscurations brought on by actions such as the five inexpiable acts and the like when they bear my name in mind and mentally recite my name seven times. May they not be reborn in the hell realms and in the lower realms for as long as it takes them to become perfect buddhas who have manifested unsurpassed and perfect awakening. May they experience the divine happiness of the god realms and the happiness of the human realm.’ “For his fourth great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings who are impoverished and who do not have food, drink, clothes, money, grain, bedding, incense, garlands, ornaments, and belongings ### [1.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.1.6) to have an abundance of riches, clothes, money, grain, bedding, incense, garlands, ornaments, and belongings for as long as it takes them to attain awakening when they bear my name in mind and mentally recite my name seven times.’ “For his fifth great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power free any beings who are bound, beaten, or tortured, and whose bodies are tormented by various types of weapons from all manner of bondage and beatings for as long as it takes them to attain awakening when they bear my name in mind and mentally recite my name seven times.’ “For his sixth great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings who are vulnerable, whose bodies are burned by a blazing fire, who encounter lions, tigers, bears, hyenas, and poisonous snakes, whose lives are endangered, who are rendered defenseless by terror, and who weep and wail, to have any fire that might burn their bodies extinguished. May it render those lions, tigers, bears, hyenas, and poisonous snakes benevolent, and may it lead those beings to live in peaceful places without fear for as long as it takes them to attain awakening when they bear my name in mind and mentally recite my name seven times.’²² “For his seventh great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings who fight quarrel, ### [1.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.1.7) argue, and dispute with one another and who are terrified and anxious, to cease all fighting, quarreling, arguing, and disputing one another and be loving toward one another for as long as it takes them to attain awakening when they bear my name in mind and mentally recite my name seven times.’ “For his eighth great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power comfort any beings who have embarked on a sea voyage, boarded a ship, and traveled out of sight of land, who value their lives, who have ended up in the middle of a great river or an ocean, and who weep and wail as they cross great rivers, and may they have nothing to fear as they complete their journeys for as long as it takes them to attain awakening when they bear my name in mind and mentally recite my name seven times.’ “Mañjuśrī, those are the eight great aspirations that were proclaimed by the blessed Thus-Gone One Supari­kīrtita­nāma­dheyaśrī­rāja. That is why, Mañjuśrī, even in one hundred years, no one but the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect buddhas and the bodhisattvas dwelling on the ten levels—not even the hearers and solitary buddhas—could describe the aspirations, powerful states of absorption, actions to ripen beings, bodhisattva conduct, worship and service to the thus-gone ones, emanations, purification of buddhafields, and bodhisattva attendants that the blessed Thus-Gone One Supari­kīrtita­nāma­dheyaśrī­rāja has brought forth ever since he first generated the mind of awakening. ### [1.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.1.8) “Mañjuśrī, that is why faithful sons and daughters of good family, kings, ministers, and householders who pursue good qualities should bear the name of that thus-gone one in mind and recite it in order to be free from all manner of hatred and afflictions. If they are devout and make offerings to that thus-gone one, all their misdeeds, all their karmic obscurations, and all their illnesses will be completely pacified. All their hopes will be fulfilled, and they will not regress on the path to the awakening of a buddha. “Mañjuśrī, to the east of this buddhafield, past as many buddhafields as there are grains of sand in seven Gaṅgā rivers, the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Kuśala­tejonir­ghoṣa­rāja, who is adorned with a precious jewel, a moon, and a lotus,²³ lives in the world Abounding in Jewels. There he lives, resides, and teaches the Dharma, teaching only the instructions of the Great Vehicle to bodhisattvas. “Mañjuśrī, long ago, when that thus-gone, worthy, and perfect buddha was practicing bodhisattva conduct, he made the following eight great aspirations: “For his first great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, when beings bear in mind and mentally recite my name, may my power cause any who delight in agricultural work and commerce, who deviate from virtuous qualities due to their many distractions, who lose their focus on the mind of awakening, who do not attain freedom from the sufferings of cyclic existence, and who each experience their own particular saṃsāric sufferings—growing old, getting sick, dying, experiencing mental anguish, wailing, ### [1.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.1.9) suffering, and being unhappy and disturbed—to obtain an abundance of clothing, food, drink, wealth, property, money, grain, riches, and gold, as soon as they wish for as long as it takes them to become perfect buddhas who have manifested unsurpassed and perfect awakening. May these virtuous qualities allow them to prosper. May their thoughts never stray from the mind of awakening. May they be liberated from all the suffering of the three lower rebirths and the hell realms.’ “For that blessed one’s second great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings in this great trichiliocosm that are born from an egg, born from a womb, born from heat and moisture, or miraculously born, whose bodies are tormented by cold, heat, hunger, and thirst and afflicted by pain, to hear my name. When they recollect and recite my name, may they purify the karmic obscurations from their previous lives. May that be their final rebirth. May they be free from all manner of painful rebirth for as long as it takes to become perfect buddhas who have manifested unsurpassed and perfect awakening. May they experience the joy of a god in the god realms.’ “For his third great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any women in this great trichiliocosm whose bodies are full of all sorts of miserable afflictions, ### [1.10](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.1.10) who dislike the condition of being a woman, and who suffer pain when they give birth, to hear my name. When they recollect and recite my name, may they bring an end to all these agonies and all their suffering. May that be their final rebirth. May they be reborn as men for as long as it takes them to attain awakening.’ “For his fourth great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings who are threatened by death, enemies, and the wilderness; whose parents, sisters, friends, and kin each also experience mental anguish; and whose bodies are pierced by the thorn of suffering and mental anguish, to hear my name. When they hear and recite my name, may all threats related to death, enemies, and the wilderness be pacified, and may they be free from mental anguish and suffering for as long as it takes them to attain awakening.’ “For his fifth great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings who wander in the thick darkness of night engaged in various tasks who are tormented by various types of evil spirits and who cry out in fear, to no longer experience any such darkness for as long as it takes them to attain awakening when they bear my name in mind and mentally recite my name. May all the evil spirits become benevolent, and may they redirect their efforts toward various forms of worship and service.’ ### [1.11](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.1.11) “For his sixth great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings who have inferior aspirations and who are of little intelligence, have dull memories, and have lost all recollection of the virtuous qualities, powers, aspects of awakening, absorptions, and methods of retention, as well as of the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, to actualize the absorptions, mindfulnesses, powers, aspects of awakening, and methods of retention for as long as it takes them to attain awakening when they bear my name in mind and mentally recite my name. May they pursue great insight.’ “For his seventh great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, when beings bear my name in mind and mentally recite my name, may my power cause any who have inferior aspirations, who develop interest in the vehicle of hearers and solitary buddhas and remain in one of those vehicles, and who thus turn their backs on unsurpassed and perfect awakening, to not regress on the path to unsurpassed and perfect awakening for as long as it takes them to become perfect buddhas who have manifested unsurpassed and perfect awakening. May they turn their backs on the vehicles of the hearers and solitary buddhas, and may their thoughts never stray from the mind of awakening.’ “For his eighth great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, when Jambudvīpa is set ablaze at the dissolution of the great eon and is engulfed in ravenous flames, may my power cause any beings who weep, experience mental anguish, ### [1.12](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.1.12) and experience the suffering caused by their previous nonvirtuous actions, and who have no refuge or protector, to be free from all suffering and mental anguish. May they be cooled,²⁴ and when they pass away, may they take miraculous rebirth in my buddhafield upon a lion throne in the center of a lotus by bearing my name in mind and mentally reciting my name.’ “Mañjuśrī, those are the eight great aspirations that the Blessed One made long ago, when he was practicing bodhisattva conduct. Mañjuśrī, the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Kuśala­tejonir­ghoṣa­rāja, who is adorned with a precious jewel, a moon, and a lotus, is even, wide, spacious, and flat like the palm of a hand. It is ornamented with divinely scented trees. It has a pure and flawless fragrance and is adorned with divinely scented flowers. The music of celestial instruments and melodious songs fills the air. It is adorned with webs of tinkling bells made of divine jewels and decorated with a divine jeweled lion throne. It is ornamented with divine jeweled pools. The ground is soft and smooth, and there are no mountains, stones, pebbles, or thorns. There is no such thing as the female gender. There are no derivative afflictions, and everyone is at the level of a nonregressing bodhisattva. All the bodhisattvas there are miraculously born on a lion throne in the center of a lotus, and their bodies are all perfectly adorned with divine jeweled clothing and ornaments. In that buddhafield, all clothing, food, drink, bedding, fragrances, flowers, and garlands, all the pleasures of a bodhisattva, all the necessities of a living being, and ### [1.13](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.1.13) all the wealth consisting of divine jewels appear as soon as they think of them. That is why that world is called Abounding in Jewels. “Mañjuśrī, that is why faithful sons and daughters of good family as well as kings and princes should focus on the name of the blessed Thus-Gone One Kuśala­tejonir­ghoṣa­rāja, who is adorned with a precious jewel, a moon, and a lotus, three times each day and three times each night. They should bear it in mind with the highest devotion and have faith in it. They should commission a statue of that thus-gone one and make offerings to it with flowers, incense, perfumes, garlands, ointments, music, and oil lamps. They should maintain the eightfold precepts and purify themselves for seven days. Then they should sit in a spot that has been purified, pronounce the aspiration to be born in that buddhafield, and generate an attitude of love and compassion toward all beings. “If they do this, the Thus-Gone One will turn their attention toward them and the bodhisattva great beings will think of them. All their misdeeds and all their karmic obscurations will be purified. Their thoughts will never stray from the mind of awakening, and desire, hatred, and delusion will vanish. They will have long lives and be free from illness. Anything upon which they set their intention will come to pass, and all fighting, quarreling, arguing, and disputes will cease. When they pass away, all their misdeeds will have been eliminated, and they will take miraculous rebirth in that buddhafield upon a lion throne in the center of a lotus. As soon as they are born, they will manifest the absorptions and methods of retention. Mañjuśrī, such are the many good qualities that incur to one who retains the name of that blessed thus-gone one. ### [1.14](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.1.14) “Mañjuśrī, to the east of this buddhafield, past as many buddhafields as there are grains of sand in five Gaṅgā rivers the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Suvarṇa­bhadra­vimala­ratna­prabhā­savrata­siddhi lives in the world Heaped with Jewels and Full of Perfume. There he lives, resides, and teaches the Dharma accompanied by billions of bodhisattva attendants. “Mañjuśrī, long ago, when he was practicing bodhisattva conduct, that blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and perfect buddha proclaimed the following four great aspirations: “For his first great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may any beings who commit murder, who perform various nonvirtuous acts of killing, who kill various types of living beings, and who, because they have killed, will have short lifespans, many illnesses, and suffer untimely deaths by drowning, poison, weaponry, fire, and various diseases hear my name. By retaining it and making offerings, may they purify those karmic obscurations, may they have long lives and be free of illness, and may anyone who might have suffered an untimely death not suffer an untimely death.’ “For his second great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may any beings who have committed various misdeeds and nonvirtuous actions, who have been born in poor households because they stole another person’s wealth, who are destitute, whose bodies are tormented by hunger and thirst, and who experience suffering hear my name. By retaining it, may all their misdeeds be purified ### [1.15](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.1.15) for as long as it takes them to become perfect buddhas who have manifested unsurpassed and perfect awakening. May they be powerful and prosperous, and may they lack nothing.’ “For his third great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may any beings who harbor thoughts of harming one another and who kill and fight one another hear my name and thereby come to love one another like parents love a child²⁵ for as long as it takes them to become perfect buddhas who have manifested unsurpassed and perfect awakening.’ “For his fourth great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, after hearing my name, may my power cause any beings who are veiled by desire, hatred, and delusion—who have faulty ethics and commit misdeeds, violate the trainings of the thus-gone ones, fall into the three lower realms, and proceed to the hell realms—to have all their karmic obscurations purified for as long as it takes them to become perfect buddhas who have manifested unsurpassed and perfect awakening. May they be free from the derivative afflictions, and may they maintain perfect discipline. May they maintain their vows in body, speech, and mind, and may their thoughts never stray from the mind of awakening.’ Those, Mañjuśrī, are the four aspirations that the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Suvarṇa­bhadra­vimala­ratna­prabhā­savrata­siddhi proclaimed long ago, when he was practicing bodhisattva conduct. “Mañjuśrī, the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, ### [1.16](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.1.16) perfect Buddha Suvarṇa­bhadra­vimala­ratna­prabhā­savrata­siddhi’s buddhafield is a place where the ground contains various precious fragrances and has the sweet smell of snake’s delight sandalwood. It is even, spacious, wide, and beautified by fragrant snake’s delight sandalwood trees hung with divine jewels, decorative pearl garlands, and precious jewels. There are pools made of divine, precious gems and that are filled with perfumed water. The trees are festooned and adorned with silk streamers, and precious threads form webs between them. There are no derivative afflictions and no suffering or unhappiness. There is no such thing as the female gender. The sound of music, instruments, and songs of bodhisattvas are heard without anyone playing them. The melody of nature devoid of substance and the melody of the teachings of the Great Vehicle resound from those instruments, and anyone who hears this no longer regresses on the path to the awakening of a buddha. Mañjuśrī, such are the skillful means of that blessed one’s previous aspirations and the fantastic array of good qualities of his buddhafield. “The power of the aspirations that the blessed thus-gone Suvarṇa­bhadra­vimala­ratna­prabhā­savrata­siddhi made before becoming a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening led him to sit at the foot of the Bodhi tree and see that all beings are veiled by desire, hatred, and delusion. He saw that all beings have bodies tormented by various diseases, that they are harmed by death, enemies, and the wilderness, and that they are on the way to becoming hell beings whose lifespans last an entire eon. So, for their benefit and to set them on the path to the awakening of a buddha, he taught the following dhāraṇī mantra verses that eliminate all karmic obscurations: ### [1.17](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.1.17) “tadyathā siddhe siddhe susiddhe mocani mokṣaṇi mukte vimukte amale vimale māṅgalye hiranya­garbhe ratna­garbhe sarvārthasādhani para­mārthasādhani manase mahā­manase adbhute atyadbhute vītabhaye suvarṇe ²⁶ brahmaghoṣe brahmādhyuṣite sarvārtheṣu ²⁷ aparājite sarva­trāpratihate catuḥṣaṣṭhi­bhūtakoṭi­bhāṣite namaḥ sarva­tathāgatānāṃ ­svāhā.” When the Blessed One spoke this dhāraṇī mantra, the entire gathering of bodhisattvas, Śakra, Brahmā, and all the guardians of the world praised the Blessed One saying, “Wonderful! Blessed One, it is wonderful that you have proclaimed this dhāraṇī mantra verse to show love to all beings, to clear away all their misdeeds, pacify all their illnesses, and fulfill all their hopes.” “My friends,” the Blessed One replied, “If any son or daughter of good family or any king, prince, or male or female layperson who seeks such good qualities retains these dhāraṇī verses, recites them, masters them, cultivates faith in them, reflects on an attitude of compassion toward all beings three times each day and three times each night, makes a pure offering with flowers, incense, and perfume, and acts according to the eightfold path of noble beings, all their misdeeds including the five inexpiable acts and the rest will be purified. When they pass away, they will be born in that world, where they will take miraculous birth upon a lion throne in the middle of a lotus. All their illnesses and all manner of threats related to death, enemies, and the wilderness will be pacified. ### [1.18](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.1.18) When they die, the Thus-Gone One will turn their attention toward them, and all their hopes and wishes will be fulfilled. “Mañjuśrī, to the east of this buddhafield, past as many buddhafields as there are grains of sand in seven Gaṅgā rivers, the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Aśokottamaśrī lives in the world Without Anguish. There he lives, resides, and teaches the Dharma. Mañjuśrī, the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Aśokottamaśrī’s buddhafield is even like the palm of one’s hand, wide, and spacious. There is no mental anguish and there are no lower realms or cries of suffering. There is no such thing as the female gender. The ground is soft and very smooth. The scent of divine perfume fills the air, and it is beautified by trees made of divine precious jewels. There are divine pools made of gold from the Jambū river that are filled with perfumed water. The trees are made of the seven precious substances and covered with flowers and fruit. This buddhafield is filled with divine music and the sound of instruments. In short, Mañjuśrī, it is just like the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Amitābha’s buddhafield Sukhāvatī. Mañjuśrī, such is the array of good qualities of the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Aśokottamaśrī’s buddhafield. “Mañjuśrī, the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Aśokottamaśrī proclaimed the following four great aspirations long ago, when he was practicing bodhisattva conduct: “For his first great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may any beings who are anguished, who suffer, ### [1.19](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.1.19) who are unhappy, and who experience a great deal of conflict and various kinds of suffering hear my name. After they hear and think about my name, may my power quell all of their mental anguish, suffering, unhappiness, and conflict. May none of them ever experience the suffering of being separated from what they hold dear, and may they have long lives.’ “For his second great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause the light that radiates from my body to shine on any beings who commit various misdeeds and nonvirtuous actions and who are thus reborn in the great hells, or in the Great Avīci Hell where they are shrouded in thick darkness. May the light touch those hell beings and purify all their misdeeds as soon as they see it. May they be liberated from the sufferings of the great hells, and may it bring an end to all their pain. May they experience the joy of the divine and human realms for as long as it takes them to become perfect buddhas who have manifested unsurpassed and perfect awakening.’ “For his third great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may any beings who have committed misdeeds and nonvirtuous actions in a previous life, who were born into a poor household of low standing because they stole another person’s property, and who thus do not have clothing, food, drink, bedding, or jewelry, those who suffer from both cold and heat, those whose bodies are tormented by hunger and thirst, and those who have poor complexions hear and recite my name. As a result, may they possess clothing, food, drink, and bedding for as long as it takes them to become perfect buddhas who have manifested unsurpassed and perfect awakening, ### [1.20](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.1.20) and may their bodies take on beautiful, divine complexions.’ “For his fourth great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may any beings who are tormented and have their vital energy stolen by yakṣas, rākṣasas, bhūtas, and piśācas and thus suffer from the various types of suffering related to illness hear my name. May my power cause all the yakṣas, rākṣasas, bhūtas, and piśācas who steal beings’ vital energy to be pacified and benevolent toward those people for as long as it takes them to become perfect buddhas who have manifested unsurpassed and perfect awakening. May they be liberated from the various types of suffering related to illness.’ Mañjuśrī, those are the four great aspirations that this blessed one proclaimed. “Mañjuśrī, those who hear the name of the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Aśokottamaśrī should recite it three times each day and three times each night and cultivate benevolence toward all beings. All the karmic obscurations of those who make offerings to that thus-gone one will be purified. They will be free from mental anguish, suffering, unhappiness, and conflict. They will always be healthy, they will have long lives, and they will be free from all manner of illnesses. They will never fall into lower rebirths for as long as it takes them to attain awakening, and they will remember their former rebirths. They will take miraculous rebirth in that thus-gone one’s buddhafield on a lion throne bedecked with the seven precious substances in the middle of a lotus, and all the gods will protect them. Mañjuśrī, such are the many good qualities related to reciting the name of that thus-gone one. “Mañjuśrī, that blessed one’s ### [1.21](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.1.21) buddhafield possesses such an abundant array of good qualities and his previous bodhisattva aspirations were so vast that except for the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect buddhas, no one, not even the hearers and solitary buddhas, can express them. “Mañjuśrī, to the east of this buddhafield, past as many buddhafields as there are grains of sand in eight Gaṅgā rivers, the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Dharmakīrtisāgaraghoṣa lives in the world Victory Banner of the Dharma. There he lives, resides, and teaches the Dharma. Mañjuśrī, the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Dharmakīrtisāgaraghoṣa’s buddhafield is utterly pure. It is even, stainless, luminous, and like blue sapphire. The outer walls, fences, windows, archways, latticework, and turrets are made of crystal. The ground is adorned with trees made of divine jewels and covered with golden threads in a checkered pattern. All the jeweled trees are decorated and draped with lattices of tinkling bells and beautified with divine silk tassels, divine flowers, and perfumes. There are pools made of the seven precious substances and filled with perfumed water. When the lattices of tinkling bells stir and shake in the breeze, their pleasant, divine melody brings joy to all beings. The Dharma sound of the nature devoid of substance fills the air, and the Dharma sound of the Great Vehicle resounds from the music of divine instruments. The beings who hear this sound of the Dharma become free from desire, hatred, and delusion and attain the absorption called not forgetting the mind of awakening. ### [1.22](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000.1.22) Mañjuśrī, in that world there are no lower realms, no cries of suffering, and no derivative afflictions, and there is no such thing as the female gender. “That Blessed One proclaimed the following four great aspirations long ago, when he was practicing bodhisattva conduct: “For his first great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may any beings who are born into a house that maintains wrong views, who have no faith in the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, and who are far from focusing on the mind of awakening hear my name. By my power, may their karmic obscurations be eliminated, and may they adopt the correct view for as long as it takes them to attain awakening. May they possess unbreakable faith in the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, and may they never regress from focusing on the mind of awakening.’ “For his second great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings who have been born in border countries where they have not heard the terms Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, who engage in unwholesome actions because of the nonvirtuous company they keep, and who fall into the three lower realms after they pass away and lose all their virtuous qualities to hear my name. When they do, may the sound of the Dharma fill the air like clouds of Dharma or crashing waves. Upon hearing this, may all the karma of their previous lives be eliminated, and may their thoughts never stray from the mind of awakening for as long as it takes them to attain awakening.’ “For his third great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings who lack clothing, jewelry, _First 49 of 135 passages. [Read on](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000)_ --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.bhaisajyaguru*bo~en-84000) · Pramāṇa