Suryagarbha 3: Bam po 3

Please say: '[He] has sent this burden-relinquishing Dharma door that dispels desires which are like flashes of lightning!'"

The Noble Mahāvaipulya Sūtra The Quintessence of the Sun (Sūryagarbha). [Bampo 3]

He replied, "Bhagavān, it shall be so." At that time, eighty thousand bodhisattvas also spoke in unison, saying: "Bhagavān, we also wish to go to see, bow to, worship, and venerate the Tathāgata Śākyamuni, and to see that great assembly, so that from that Tathāgata we may listen to the Dharma door of the great assembly that dispels afflictions throughout all buddhafields." Then, the Tathāgata Campakavarṇa

“Noble sons, in that case, all of you proceed together while assuming the appearance, look, hue, shape, and behavior of mahābrahmās!”

At that moment, the bodhisattva Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy and all the myriads of other bodhisattvas emanated bodies with the appearance, look, hue, shape, and behavior of mahābrahmās. They prostrated to the feet of the thus-gone Campaka Color and circumambulated him three times. Then they departed, and in a single instant they arrived in the buddha realm of Sahā. Immediately upon arriving, those sacred beings showered a rain of campaka flowers everywhere in the buddha realm of Sahā in order to worship the Blessed One. They then proceeded toward Magadha and the place where the blessed thus-gone Śākyamuni was residing. When they arrived there, they prostrated to the feet of the Blessed One and sat to one side. Up to that moment, the Blessed One had been engaged in a discourse with King Bimbisāra about how to abide by the Dharma.

At that time, in the southern direction, beyond buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand needed to fill a city one league square, there was a world ripe with the five degenerations called Banner of Degeneration, where the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha King of the Lord of Mountains was residing. He thrived, lived well, and taught the Dharma. At that point there was a bodhisattva great being named Gandhahastin present in his assembly. In the sky above he saw an innumerable and limitless number of bodhisattvas departing from the south and proceeding toward the north.

As he looked in the direction in which those bodhisattva great beings were going, he saw a brilliant light. He then questioned the thus-gone King of the Lord of Mountains, who replied to him in the same way as before: “Noble son, beyond buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand needed to fill a city one league square, there is a world called Sahā, where the thus-gone Śākyamuni resides. He thrives, lives well, and teaches the Dharma. In that place, there is now a great assembly in which that thus-gone one reveals Dharma teachings that are the gateways to the ascertainment of the three vehicles, in order to ensure that the Dharma way remains for a long time, to ensure that the lineage of the Three Jewels remains uninterrupted, to ensure that those who abide by the Dharma remain without interruption, to destroy the domain of the māras, and to raise the banner of the Dharma. There, all the thus-gone ones have recited the dhāraṇī mantra called jewel crest and then left. The thus-gone Śākyamuni has gathered a great assembly of bodhisattva great beings and hearers who possess the three eyes that are endowed with the four correct knowledges and who display the sublime states. This retinue distinctly fills the earth and the sky of the buddha realm of Sahā, and it is insatiable with respect to the Dharma teachings of the thus-gone Śākyamuni, who is endowed with the most delightful voice.

“Noble son, if you would like to bring my words to the Sahā world in order to convey them to the thus-gone Śākyamuni,

there these words of mine will instill faith in the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the domain of the nāgas, the dhāraṇī mantra that exhausts the karmic actions of sentient beings. There, I will confer this powerful and beneficial dhāraṇī mantra that accords with emptiness. It exhausts all forms of attachment associated with the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm, as well as all forms of pride, special pride, and pride that thinks ‘I am.’ […] It generates the knowledge of exhaustion, causes one to realize the knowledge of the unborn, overcomes all the dense darkness of ignorance, and removes the entire burden of suffering.

tadyathā: dhumate dhumate akṣidhumate prabhāsadhumate sarvākāśa­dhumate avavīkṣakhaga vimānakhaga avamohakhaga ananyakhaga vyavavṛdatikhaga arocanakhaga animākhaga lokakhaga śikhikhaga vitimirakhaga namokhaga akṣikhaga śrotrakhaga ghrāṇakhaga jihvākhaga kāyakhaga manakhaga rūpakhaga śaptakhaga gandhakhaga rasakhaga sparśakhaga dharmakhaga cakṣurdhātukhaga rūpadhātukhaga cakṣurvijñānadhātukhaga yāpadmana­dhātukhaga dharma­dhātukhaga manvijñāna­dhātukhaga pṛthavīdhātukhaga apadhātukhaga tejodhātukhaga vāyudhātukhaga caturanusmṛtyupasthānakhaga yāvadveṇikakhaga yāvadmārgakhaga abhikṣipa ananana vanana samudranana sarvakaranana sarva­saṃskara­viśeṣanana akinacananana kṣatakṣata ilimili iiiilimile svāhā.

“Noble son, this is the dhāraṇī mantra that accords with emptiness.

It is very powerful and beneficial. It exhausts all forms of attachment associated with the desire realm and the form realm, and […] it removes the burden of suffering. Arise, and go to the buddha realm of Sahā! Present my words to the thus-gone Śākyamuni and ask him if he has any ills. […] For those who turn a wheel of non-Dharma in this buddha realm, the thus-gone King of the Lord of Mountains instills faith by granting the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the nāgas, the dhāraṇī mantra that exhausts the karmic actions of sentient beings. He confers this powerful and beneficial dhāraṇī mantra that accords with emptiness. It exhausts all forms of attachment associated with the desire realm and the form realm, and […] it removes the entire burden of suffering.”

The bodhisattva great being Gandhahastin said, “Respected Blessed One, when I consider the benefits of the qualities and emptiness that are related to this dhāraṇī mantra that accords with emptiness, I am afraid to go to the buddha realm of Sahā! Why is it so, respected Blessed One? Because I have heard and understood what the Blessed One said: that in that buddha realm of Sahā, sentient beings are predominantly under the influence of intense desire; […] due to the faults of women, all beings’ roots of virtue will deteriorate, and they will go to the lower realms and be born as hell beings.”

The thus-gone King of the Lord of Mountains then said to the bodhisattva great being Gandhahastin, “The sky has three conditions. Due to those three conditions, it is always beautiful, it is unafflicted by snow, and it does not dry up the rivers. When the body has three conditions present—expertise, acceptance, and restraint—the stormy river of ignorance will not afflict the six sense faculties.²⁷ You are speaking like a child. Because of those three circumstances you are liberated from all rivers. These three circumstances reveal the nonexistence of sentient beings and the Dharma that removes the burden of the aggregates. You have cultivated the thirteen types of acceptance of the unborn nature of phenomena and abandoned all fears, so why do you say that you are afraid? Sometimes you assume the physical form of Brahmā to liberate beings in other buddha realms. At other times you manifest in many other buddha realms, in the physical forms of Maheśvara, Śakra, Nārāyaṇa, gods, yakṣas, lords of the nāgas, asuras, universal monarchs, doctors, members of the kṣatriya class, brāhmaṇas, hearers, […] or ministers. You constantly manifest within afflicted buddha realms to purify buddha realms, so why do you say that you are afraid of ripening sentient beings?

“Noble son, I will now reveal to you the teaching of the inexhaustible core. It fulfills all wishes, it attracts omniscient wisdom, it subjugates the four māras, it eliminates all obstructions to the lineage of the Three Jewels, it produces the light rays that destroy the entire domain of the nāgas,

it exhausts all karmic actions of sentient beings, it produces great love, it brings sentient beings to maturity, it lets one take rebirth in the lower realms intentionally and with great compassion, it protects sentient beings, it pleases the minds of all beings, it reverses all wrong paths, views, desires, aspirations, and vehicles of all beings, it liberates all beings from the lower realms, it liberates all women and causes them to obtain male bodies, it causes all sections of the Dharma to become inexhaustible, it eliminates all miserliness, it causes all types of absorption and higher perceptions to become inexhaustible, it generates faith in all beings, it establishes them on the path of the bodhisattvas, it transforms the vehicle of the hearers and the vehicle of conditions, […] and it accomplishes unsurpassed parinirvāṇa. Such is the teaching of the inexhaustible core. Merely by hearing it, all the karmic obscurations of sentient beings, as well as all their other obscurations—as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges—that cause them to block, discard, and disregard all roots of virtue and prevent their fulfillment and practice, will be immediately exhausted. The fruition of these obscurations will not manifest, except for that of the karmic actions generated by the acts of immediate retribution, the rejection of the sacred Dharma, and the denigration of noble beings.

“Noble son, joy, faith, and understanding will develop in those who listen one-pointedly to this teaching of the inexhaustible core even a single time.

All the karmic obscurations of those sentient beings, as well as all their other obscurations—as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges—that cause them to block, discard, and disregard all roots of virtue and prevent their fulfillment and practice, will be immediately exhausted. The fruition of these obscurations will not manifest. No matter how they engage in the roots of virtue, if they undertake the practice of the perfection of generosity, they will be blessed by all buddhas, by all bodhisattvas, by all circumstantial victors, and by all worthy ones. Their households will experience inexhaustible enjoyments. If they are themselves proper vessels with body, speech, and mind undefiled by miserliness, and if they practice generosity without apprehension and with minds free of contempt for the recipients of generosity, even if they give away their head—their most sacred limb, no one in the world with its gods and humans will be able to create obstacles for them, unless they have committed the acts of immediate retribution, rejected the sacred Dharma, or denigrated noble beings.

“If they are diligent in undertaking the practice of the perfection of discipline, if they please the noble beings and receive their blessings, and if they abide by pure discipline, patience, and certainty, they will be worthy to be trusted and revered by Śakra, Brahmā, and all the protectors of the world. They will also be worthy to be revered by all the members of the kṣatriya class, the brāhmaṇas, the vaiśyas, and the śūdras. They will spend their days and nights without criticizing others or praising themselves and without clinging to personal gains and honor. They will sleep well, wake up refreshed, and experience few discomforts, and food and beverages will be available for them immediately and in great quantity. They will be compassionate and altruistic toward all beings

and will exert themselves in meaningful endeavors. Later, when they die, in the ten directions they will see blessed buddhas who will give them this advice: ‘Excellent, sublime being, excellent! Your discipline is faultless, so please come here to my pure realm! I will establish you on the ten levels.’ Due to their vision of the buddhas, noble joy and faith will arise in them. After they die, they will be born into pure buddha realms where buddhas are present, and there they will quickly reach the ten levels. Once they abide on the ten levels, they will then swiftly awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood.

“If, when they hear this teaching of the inexhaustible core, those persons immediately cultivate the perfection of diligence, they will be endowed with generosity, pleasant speech, the ability to benefit, diligence that accords with one’s aim, strength, enthusiasm, intelligence, and sacred courage. They will be worthy to be trusted, worshiped, revered, remembered, pleased, and protected by all the lords of the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, and humans, […] and they will swiftly awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood.

“If, when they hear this teaching of the inexhaustible core, those persons immediately cultivate the perfection of patience, they will be free from all beings, they will be endowed with nonapprehension,

they will be blessed by noble beings, and they will achieve the acceptance that focuses on the Dharma. Even if their main and secondary limbs are cut off, not a single instant of anger will arise in them, and they will renounce all forms of aggression. They will be worthy to be trusted by everyone, from the lords of the gods to the lords of the humans, […] and they will swiftly awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood.

“Similarly, if, when they hear this teaching of the inexhaustible core, those persons immediately cultivate the perfection of concentration, they will be swiftly blessed by noble beings and achieve the concentration that focuses on the Dharma, and they will achieve liberation, and formless attainment, as well as trillions of gateways to absorption, dhāraṇī, and acceptance. They will always be considered by all the buddhas. Everyone—from the lords of the gods to the lords of the humans—will think about them, and they will deserve their trust. […] They will swiftly awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood.

“Noble son, those who listen one pointedly to this teaching of the inexhaustible core even a single time will give rise to intense joy, faith, and comprehension. All their karmic obscurations, mental obscurations, obscurations to the Dharma, and afflictive obscurations—as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges—that cause them to block, discard, and disregard all roots of virtue and prevent their fulfillment and practice will be exhausted. The fruition of these obscurations will not manifest, except for that of the karmic actions generated by the acts of immediate retribution, the rejection of the sacred Dharma, and the denigration of noble beings.

“When they cultivate the perfection of insight of the noble ones, they will be blessed by all buddhas, bodhisattvas, solitary buddhas, and worthy ones, and they will enjoy remaining in seclusion. The qualities through which they purify and perfect the faculty of insight of the noble ones will arise within their minds and mental states. They will comprehend all phenomena and eliminate and transcend all doubts. The world with its gods and asuras will not be able to harm them, and they will be worthy to be trusted, remembered, pleased, worshiped, revered, and protected by all the lords of the gods, yakṣas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and humans. Later, when they die, in the ten directions they will behold familiar blessed buddhas who will extend them a hand and say, ‘Sacred being, come here and stay in my pure buddha realm. I will establish you on the ten levels by means of knowledge.’ Through their vision of these buddhas, their noble joy, and their faith, they will, after they die, be born into pure buddha realms where buddhas are present. There they will attain the ten levels, and before long they will awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. Noble son,

this is how greatly beneficial the great teaching of the inexhaustible core is.

“If sentient beings who are despised and rejected from all the pure buddha realms, who have committed the acts of immediate retribution, who have rejected the sacred Dharma, denigrated the noble ones, and committed the root downfalls hear this great teaching of the inexhaustible core, and if, while maintaining for seven years an attitude that is loving, affectionate toward all beings, impartial, and free from slander or idle gossip, they remember it by constantly cultivating the recollection of the Buddha and fixing their attention on him three times during the day and three times during the night while draping their shawls over one shoulder, kneeling on both knees, and joining their palms together, then, after those seven years have passed, the entirety of their terrible karmic actions will be exhausted and purified. Noble son this great teaching of the inexhaustible core is therefore endowed with great miraculous powers.

“If women who wish for success hear this teaching of the inexhaustible core and remember it while visualizing the Buddha in front of them three times during the day and three times during the night for seven months while kneeling on both knees and joining their palms together, they will achieve great success. From then on, until they reach unsurpassed and perfect awakening, they will no longer be born with a female body in saṃsāra—unless they wish for it. If women who wish for a husband, for status, for wealth, for pregnancy,

or for sons perform ablutions, guard against frivolousness,²⁸ and remember this great teaching of the inexhaustible core by visualizing the Buddha in front of them three times during the day and three times during the night in a solitary place while kneeling on both knees and bowing with their palms joined together, their wishes will then be fulfilled accordingly. Until they reach unsurpassed nirvāṇa, it will be the last time they are born with a female body—unless they wish for it. This great teaching of the inexhaustible core is therefore very meaningful and beneficial; you have never heard anything like this before!

tadyathā: śaraṇavyaya śikṣavyaya smṛtivyaya brahmaṇivyaya ṛddhivyaya indrīyavyaya balavyaya bodhyaṅavyaya samādhivyaya dhāraṇīvyaya kṣāntivyaya dhyānavyaya arūpavyaya aninajavyaya mārgavyaya avijñāvyaya pratisamavidvyaya bhūmivyaya vidyāvyaya āmaitrivyaya mahākāruṇāvyaya pṛthavivyaya satvavyaya dharmavyaya tamovyaya ālokavyaya pratibhasavyaya pratiśrudkavyaya gaganavyaya marutavyaya śunyatāvyaya praṇihitavyaya animittavyaya rutavyaya ghoṣavyaya kincanāvyaya abhisamaya anūna apaha cacacaca cārāca caravimu cavicakṣaca kucacāravimu vyayavimu kṣayavimu caravimu cavicakṣaca kucacāravimu vyayavimu kṣayavimu asamudra caravimu cchadavimu ākāśavimu vyupaśamavimu anābhasavimu ahatavimu ārapāravimu araparavimu upaśamasalilavimu svāhā.

“Noble son, this is the great teaching of the inexhaustible core. It is endowed with great qualities, great meaning, and great benefits. It subjugates all sentient beings and benefits, cleanses, illuminates, and pacifies all of them.

Arise, and go to the Sahā world to present my words to the thus-gone Śākyamuni!”

Then, amazed and filled with intense joy, the entire retinue exclaimed, “The unobscured wisdom vision of the blessed buddhas is amazing, and so is this great teaching taught by the Thus-Gone One! It eliminates all minor, middling, and severe karmic obscurations that hinder all roots of virtue, and it swiftly delivers the happiness of emancipation!”

Then, the bodhisattva Gandhahastin exclaimed:

“This inexhaustible core that was uttered
Liberates the entire world
And exhausts all the karmic actions of sentient beings;
There is nothing else like it!

“It casts far away the karmic actions
One has generated in saṃsāra.
It liberates from all forms of suffering
And delivers splendorous merit.

“It dries up the ocean of saṃsāra,
It overcomes all negative actions,
And it swiftly leads to the realms
Where the guides reside.

“After perceiving the many shortcomings
Of saṃsāra, the vessel of suffering,
All afflictions will be cleared away,
And sublime awakening will be achieved.

“If sentient beings listen to this way,
They will become unassailable.
Therefore, listening to it respectfully
Will lead to everything glorious!

“Respected Blessed One, I will remember this great teaching of the inexhaustible core and go to the Sahā world!”

At that moment, the bodhisattva great beings in the retinue arose from their absorption, and before long

an innumerable and limitless number of them exclaimed in unison, “Respected Blessed One, we also want to behold the thus-gone Śākyamuni, to pay homage to him, to worship him, to revere him, to behold his great assembly, and to listen to the Dharma teaching of The Quintessence of the Sun, which has never been heard before! Blessed One, please allow us to go there!”

The thus-gone King of the Lord of Mountains replied, “Noble sons, all of you please proceed together while adopting the attire, behavior, marks, shape, and majestic power of Śakra.”

Then, the bodhisattva great being Gandhahastin and all the innumerable and limitless bodhisattva great beings manifested personal emanations with the attire, behavior, marks, shape, and majestic power of Śakra. They prostrated to the feet of the blessed thus-gone King of the Lord of Mountains, circumambulated him three times, and left. In a single instant they arrived in the Sahā world. As soon as they arrived, in this buddha realm of Sahā they showered a rain of perfumed substances—powders of white sandalwood, uragasāra sandalwood, tamāla tree leaves, aloeswood, Chinese incense, and yellow sandalwood—to worship the blessed Śākyamuni. When, looking like Śakra, they arrived at the place where the thus-gone Śākyamuni was residing, they prostrated to the feet of the Blessed One, circumambulated him three times, and then sat to one side.

Up to that moment, the Blessed One had been engaged in a discourse with King Bimbisāra about how to abide by the Dharma.

Also during that time, in the western direction, beyond buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in forty-two Ganges Rivers, there was a buddha realm ripe with the five degenerations called Essence Banner, where thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Royal Mass of Glorious Wisdom was residing. He thrived, lived well, and taught the Dharma to sentient beings and in accordance with the inclinations of the members of his four assemblies. A bodhisattva great being named Glorious Essence of Light, who had joined the assembly to listen to the Dharma, looked upward and saw in the sky above an innumerable and limitless number of bodhisattva great beings departing from the west and proceeding toward the east. When he looked in the eastern direction, where those bodhisattva great beings were going, he saw a brilliant light. He then questioned the thus-gone Royal Mass of Glorious Wisdom, who replied to him, “Noble son, in the eastern direction, beyond buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in forty-two Ganges Rivers, in a place ripe with the five degenerations, there is a world called Sahā, where the blessed Buddha, the thus-gone Śākyamuni, resides, thrives, lives well, and teaches the Dharma. At this time, there is in that place a great assembly

in which that thus-gone one reveals Dharma teachings that are the gateways to the ascertainment of the three vehicles, to ensure that the Dharma way and the lineage of the Three Jewels endure for a long time, to ensure that those who abide by the Dharma remain without interruption, to destroy the domain of the māras, and to raise the banner of the Dharma. There, all the thus-gone ones have recited the dhāraṇī mantra called jewel crest and then left. The thus-gone Śākyamuni has gathered a great assembly of bodhisattva great beings and hearers who possess the three eyes that are endowed with the four correct knowledges and who display the sublime states. This retinue distinctly fills the earth and the sky of the buddha realm of Sahā, and it is insatiable with respect to the Dharma teachings of the thus-gone Śākyamuni, who is endowed with the most delightful voice.

“Noble son, if you would like to bring my words to the Sahā world in order to convey them to the thus-gone Śākyamuni, I shall instill faith there in the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the domain of the nāgas, the dhāraṇī mantra that exhausts the karmic actions of sentient beings. There, I will confer this powerful and beneficial acceptance that accords with the absence of wishes. It exhausts all forms of attachment associated with the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realms, as well as all forms of pride, special pride, and pride that thinks ‘I am.’ […] It generates the knowledge of exhaustion,

causes one to realize the knowledge of the unborn, overcomes all the dense darkness of ignorance, and removes the burden of suffering.

tadyathā: śanaśava maśanaśava avakṣaśava kṣukṣutaśava cakṣaśava śrotraśava ghrāṇaśava jihvaśava kāyaśava manaśava kṣubhavidha cakṣuprativiśava śrotra abhakṣabha ghrāṇatejakṣabha jihvavāyukṣabha kāyakramakṣabha manoja āloka­jñāyakṣabha vījasaṅkramakṣabha aṅgarakhagakṣabha samāropa­vyayakṣabha śamakankṣabha kṣayakarasakṣabha śāntavyahyasthakṣabha natotaitatona acanainanatona naghavanayinatona eśa evāntodukhasya svāhā.

“Noble son, this is the dhāraṇī mantra that accords with the absence of wishes. It is powerful and beneficial, it exhausts all forms of attachment associated with the desire realm and the form realm, […] and it removes the entire burden of suffering. Take it with you, and go to the Sahā world! Convey my words to the thus-gone Śākyamuni and ask him if he has any ills or problems and whether he is healthy and well. Tell him, ‘In the western direction, beyond buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in forty-two Ganges Rivers, there is a buddha realm ripe with the five degenerations called Essence Banner, where the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Royal Mass of Glorious Wisdom resides, lives well, and teaches the Dharma to sentient beings and in accordance with the inclinations of the members of his four assemblies.