The Prophecy for Bhadra the Illusionist

Translation of འཕགས་པ་སྒྱ་མ་མཁན་བཟང་པ་ལང་བསྟན་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད (འཕགས་པ་སྒྱུ་མ་མཁན་བཟང་པོ་ལུང་བསྟན་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ)

Language: English
Translators: Celso Wilkinson, Laura Goetz, Lopon Damchoe Wangmo
Extent: 121 passages, 14,772 words
Text: complete digital text
Source: 84000 · Published by 84000 (v 1.0.4 2024). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha,… · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha). Shown whole and unaltered, with its notes, on a…

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84000's introduction

intro.1

While the Buddha Śākyamuni is residing at Vulture Peak Mountain, in the nearby city of Rājagṛha the accomplished illusionist Bhadra hatches a scheme to humiliate the Buddha and disprove his omniscience in order to win over the people of Magadha. The failure of Bhadra’s plan, in which he conjures the illusion of a resplendent courtyard that, to his dismay, cannot be undone, culminates in a series of surreal and magnificent visions that convince Bhadra of the superiority of the Buddha’s powers. This sūtra presents a colorful and often humorous narrative and contains teachings on illusion, emptiness, and the distinction between the illusionist’s mundane abilities and the Buddha’s miraculous display. The Buddha also teaches Bhadra forty-three sets of four qualities that together constitute the bodhisattva path.

intro.2

The Prophecy for Bhadra the Illusionist contains a colorful and often humorous narrative. Shades of this narrative, in which a powerful magician attempts to humiliate the Buddha Śākyamuni and winds up the fool, are also found in the Pali Buddhist tradition, and the appeal of this particular story as Buddhism spread through Central Asia is apparent in its loose retelling in Khotanese literature. Its central theme is the Buddha’s miraculous powers, here compared to the lesser powers of an illusionist named Bhadra. The sūtra is an emblematic example of adbhutadharma, or “account of miraculous events,” one of the nine or twelve classic categories of the Pali and Sanskrit sūtras.¹ The latter portion of the text, in which the Buddha prophesies Bhadra’s future awakening, exemplifies the genre of vyākaraṇa, or “prophecy,” as expressed in the sūtra’s title.

intro.3

The sūtra opens at Vulture Peak Mountain in Rājagṛha, where the Buddha is residing with his saṅgha of monks and bodhisattvas. Down in the city, the accomplished illusionist Bhadra hatches a plan to test and humiliate the Buddha in order to win over the people of Magadha. Bhadra approaches the Buddha and offers to host him for the midday meal the following day. His plan is to expose the Buddha, since if the Buddha does not know his malicious intentions, it will prove the Buddha’s lack of omniscience. Over the course of the night, Bhadra conjures up the illusion of a resplendent courtyard filled with food and drink and servants. Just then, the Four Great Kings appear and ask for permission to create a second courtyard in which to offer a meal to the Buddha, and then Śakra and his host of gods ask if they may create a third. Bhadra grants them permission but begins to grow apprehensive. Then, when he tries to unravel his illusory display, he cannot. Śakra explains that since even a tiny offering to a buddha will inevitably lead to nirvāṇa, Bhadra’s offering cannot be withdrawn.

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In the morning, the Buddha and his retinue proceed as planned to the reception in the city, whereupon Bhadra, seeing how the Buddha is revered by the gods, feels remorse for his initial devious intentions. Through the Buddha’s power, Bhadra, Śakra, and the Four Great Kings each simultaneously perceive the Buddha seated at their own conjured courtyards. Bhadra, defeated, bows to the Buddha and confesses his intentions, and the assembly partakes of the illusory feast.

intro.5

The Buddha then conjures a series of visions in order to train Bhadra, beginning with three householders who show him how the Buddha can be in many places at once. The visions increase in intensity until Bhadra sees nothing but the Buddha everywhere he looks, at which point he attains samādhi. Bhadra again repents and asks the Buddha a series of questions, to which the Buddha responds with a teaching on illusion and emptiness.

intro.6

Later, Bhadra again visits the Buddha at Vulture Peak Mountain and requests that he explain the bodhisattva path. The Buddha responds with a teaching in which he enumerates forty-three sets of four qualities that characterize the path of bodhisattvas.² The Buddha then smiles, and when Ānanda asks why, he responds with a prophecy about Bhadra’s future awakening. Bhadra then takes refuge in the Buddha, proclaiming that the Buddha teaches the Dharma while undifferentiated from suchness (Skt. tathatā, Tib. de bzhin nyid). When questioned by Ānanda, Bhadra elaborates on his statement in riddle-like language. Ānanda replies that while Bhadra once bewildered others with his illusions, now he bewilders them with his wisdom. Bhadra counters that the Buddha himself is also a bewilderer—he teaches that there is no self, but does so using terminology like “sentient beings,” and he does not perceive birth and death, yet still he speaks of it.

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Bhadra then requests to go forth as a monk, and the Buddha instructs Maitreya to perform the ceremony. The sūtra concludes with the Buddha giving Bhadra the prophecy, referenced in the sūtra’s title, regarding his future full awakening.

intro.8

“Illusion” in this sūtra translates the Sanskrit māyā (Tib. sgyu ma) and refers, literally or by analogy, to a magical illusion, which is insubstantial by nature but appears before the eyes due to the magical abilities of a magician or illusionist. The term māyā also carries the connotation of “deceit,” “trickery,” or “deception”; for instance, it is listed as one of over fifty mental events (Skt. caitta, Tib. sems byung) in both the Sarvāstivāda-Vaibhāṣika and Yogācāra systems of Abhidharma, where it refers to the volition to deceive or manipulate others or to fraudulently boast about one’s spiritual attainment.

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A māyākāra (literally “illusion maker”) is akin to a street magician who performs a spectacle of magic tricks before a crowd in order to turn a profit or boost their own influence and reputation. In the context of Buddhist literature, however, these magic tricks are more than just sleight of hand: the illusionist creates incredible magical spectacles of elephants, thrones, marvelous pavilions, and so forth that, while insubstantial in nature, visually appear before the eyes of its spectators, who are thus deceived into taking these conjurations as real and solid things. In truth, however, these appearances, like a hologram or a projection of light, have no tangible substance. While the illusions of an illusionist are considered real magic, that is to say, they are created from supernatural abilities acquired through meditative concentration or other spiritual disciplines, such magical abilities are considered a sort of mundane, worldly magic, particularly in comparison to the abilities resulting from genuine spiritual attainment, and even more so to the realization of an arhat or a buddha.

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Such magical illusion is often referred to in early Buddhist sources as a metaphor for the illusory or insubstantial and momentary nature of phenomena. Phenomena are described as being like illusions, which initially appear to be solid and real but under close scrutiny and examination are impermanent, dependent, and transient. From the perspective of the Mahāyāna, they lack an inherent nature (Skt. niḥsvabhāva, Tib. rang bzhin med pa). Like magical illusions, phenomena lack any substantiality beyond the spectacle. Within the Mahāyāna, “illusion” was regularly included in conventional lists of eight or ten similes for how phenomena lack an inherent nature.

intro.11

While illusionists are frequently mentioned in this context throughout the Kangyur, The Prophecy for Bhadra the Illusionist is unique in that the illusionist is the central figure and interlocutor of the entire sūtra. The story is set up to accomplish two things regarding the theme of magical illusion: one, it establishes the superiority of the Buddha’s miraculous power over the limited and mundane magic of Bhadra the illusionist, and two, it retains and elaborates upon the metaphorical understanding whereby all phenomena are considered to be magical illusions.

intro.12

In this sūtra, as elsewhere, the term illusion carries a pejorative connotation. Even though Bhadra is said to have great powers, his power of illusion is only ever referred to using the term māyā (Tib. sgyu ma) or the term nirmita/nirmāna (Tib. sprul pa, “conjuration”), while the Buddha’s supernatural power is usually referred to as prātihārya (Tib. cho ’phrul, “miraculous display”). However, at one point in the sūtra, when Maudgalyāyana attempts to warn him of Bhadra’s trickery, the Buddha responds by comparing his own power to that of Bhadra, using the same word, māyā, for both, yet he explains that while Bhadra’s power of illusion is “limited” (phyogs gcig pa), his own is “pure” (yang dag pa). Since the Buddha has fully and completely realized the insubstantial nature of all phenomena and the truth that phenomena are primordially unborn, his power to create illusions, which are in this way no different from ordinary perceived reality, is unlimited.

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At the climax of the story, the inspired and newly converted Bhadra gives a short discourse on the ultimate nature of phenomena using the convoluted language that has characterized his speech at various points throughout the text. When Ānanda teases Bhadra for the bewildering language with which he expresses the Dharma, he audaciously turns the accusation back onto the Buddha himself, referring to the Buddha as the “great bewilderer.” He justifies this by pointing out that while teaching selflessness, the Buddha speaks using terms like “sentient beings,” and while denying the birth and death of all phenomena, he nevertheless often refers to birth and death. This is an important summation of the narrative, which once again returns to its theme of juxtaposing Bhadra’s mundane powers of illusion with the miraculous displays of the Buddha. In some ways, the Buddha’s powers bewilder his followers, too, such as when he creates emanations of himself earlier in the narrative to simultaneously receive offerings from Bhadra, Śakra, and the Four Great Kings. From the ultimate view, the Buddha’s teachings may appear deceptive, because he teaches using conventional terminology for phenomena. This, however, is a form of skillful means, since he knows that all phenomena ultimately lack inherent nature.

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So, although Bhadra’s initial use of powers of illusion to deceive, trick, and swindle people is presented here with a conventional negative connotation, the power to deceive through illusion is not necessarily considered in a negative light in this discourse. Rather, illusion serves as an instructive symbol that illustrates the relative and insubstantial nature of phenomena. The Buddha’s miraculous displays, while being at one level no different from the illusionist’s conjurations, do not have the same negative connotations, because they are always done with an intention to inspire and teach. In this way, conjuring illusions is an example of skillful means. Such illusions illustrate the true nature of reality; their source is not mundane sorcery but a quality of awakening, demonstrating the realization of suchness as the true nature of reality.

intro.15

The theme of conversion via the display of supernatural power is often encountered in Buddhist literature.³ The narrative of this sūtra echoes a similar story in the Pali canon: the episode of Sirigutta and Garahadinna attributed to Buddhaghosa in his commentary on the Dhammapada.⁴ There, as in The Prophecy for Bhadra the Illusionist, the Buddha knowingly walks into a trap set by the non-Buddhist ascetic Garahadinna (in revenge for being victim to the same trap set by the Buddhist Sirigutta), although in this case the trap is not a magical illusion but a simple trench filled with live coals thinly disguised by the mats that Garahadinna expects the Buddha to sit on. When the Buddha sits down, however, the mats and coals become lotus flowers on which the Buddha and his saṅgha take their seats.

intro.16

A Khotanese version of the Bhadra story contained within an untitled collection of Buddhist texts (date uncertain) has been translated into English by Ronald Emmerick.⁵ This version contains a narrative loosely parallel to that found in the Tibetan, although it paraphrases or leaves out most of the doctrinal elements.

intro.17

The Prophecy for Bhadra the Illusionist is quoted several times in the Tengyur. In two cases, one or more of the sets of four qualities of bodhisattvas are cited,⁶ and in the case of Jñānavajra’s commentary on the Sūtra on the Descent into Laṅkā (Toh 107), the superiority of the Buddha’s miraculous power is addressed.⁷

intro.18

According to the colophon, The Prophecy for Bhadra the Illusionist was translated into Tibetan by the Indian scholars Jinamitra and Prajñāvarman and the Tibetan Yeshé Dé, which dates the translation to the late eighth or early ninth century. This is confirmed by its inclusion in the imperial catalogs: the Denkarma (ldan dkar ma) lists it under the Heap of Jewels (Ratnakūṭa) and under the category of four hundred and thirty śloka or one bampo; in the Phangthangma (’phang thang ma) it is not listed as a Heap of Jewels text but in another section of texts all containing one and a half bampos (bam po phyed dang gnyis). This is not unusual, as there are only nine texts listed under the Heap of Jewels in this catalog.⁸

intro.19

While there is no extant Sanskrit original, there are two translations found in the Chinese Tripiṭaka. The earlier Chinese version was made by Dharmarakṣa (竺法護) in the third or fourth century ce (Taishō 324), the other by Bodhiruci (菩提流志; Taishō 310), along with many of the other texts in the Heap of Jewels collection, between 706 and 713 ce.⁹ Bodhiruci’s later version is much shorter, omitting most of the sets of four found in Dharmarakṣa’s translation and in the Tibetan.

intro.20

An English translation of the Tibetan text was published in 1938 by Konstantin Régamey, who included a complete edition of the Tibetan with reference to the Chinese translations. An abridged translation of Bodhiruci’s Chinese by C. C. Garma Chang is included in A Treasury of Mahāyāna Sūtras (1983). An anonymous translation from the Chinese, also of Bodhiruci’s translation, can be found online.¹⁰

intro.21

This English translation follows the Degé Kangyur wherever possible. When a variant reading has been preferred, this is explained in an endnote. In addition to the two Chinese translations, the Tibetan of the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma), the Gondhla collection (thirteenth–fourteenth centuries), and the Stok Palace Kangyur have also been consulted.

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Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling at Vulture Peak Mountain near Rājagṛha together with a saṅgha of 1,250 monks and five thousand renowned bodhisattva mahāsattvas—renowned for having attained the superknowledges, the retentions, the miraculous power of magical display, and acceptance that phenomena are unborn—such as the bodhisattva mahāsattva Siṃha, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Siṃhamati,

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the bodhisattva mahāsattva Fine Sandalwood, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Sārathi, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Mahāsārathi, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Prabhāśrī, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Radiant, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Endowed with Brilliant Light and Having a Melodious Voice, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Prabhāvyūha, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Clear Mind, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Essence of Beings, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Disciplined Charioteer of Beings, all the bodhisattva mahāsattvas of the Fortunate Eon, such as Maitreya, and other bodhisattvas such as Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta and so forth.

Śakra, ruler of the gods, was also there with them. Brahmā, the lord of this world Endurance, was there, too, as were the Four Great Kings. Many gods, nāgas, yakṣas, asuras, garuḍas, gandharvas, kinnaras, and mahoragas also surrounded them.

While the Blessed One was residing near the great city of Rājagṛha, kings, chief ministers, brahmins, householders, and people of the villages and countryside all paid respect, venerated, served, and made offerings to him. The Blessed One received robes, food, bedding, seats, and medicines to cure the sick. Extensive verses of praise further elevated the Blessed One’s fame and reputation.

Thus the tathāgata, arhat, complete and perfect Buddha accomplished in knowledge and conduct, the Sugata, the knower of the world,

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the unsurpassed guide who tames beings, the teacher of gods and humans, the Blessed Buddha—the all-knowing and all-seeing one—knew all and saw all and was endowed with the ten strengths of a tathāgata, the four fearlessnesses of a tathāgata, and the four correct discernments. He was endowed with the eighteen unique qualities of the buddhas, great loving-kindness, and great compassion. He was endowed with the unfailing buddha eye and the five eyes, and he had also gained miraculous powers: the miraculous power of foretelling, the miraculous power of instruction, and the miraculous power of magical display.¹¹

If he wished, he could suspend this trichiliocosm—including its cities, towns, lands, beings, and Mount Merus, encompassing everything up to the edges of the oceans and including the abodes of the gods, the horizons and depths, and the grasses, trees, and mountains—on the tip of a hair in space for an eon or even longer than an eon.

At that time, an illusionist named Bhadra lived in the city of Rājagṛha. He was highly versed in the treatises and secret mantra, a master of knowledge and craft, highly accomplished, successful, and famous. He was known as the greatest of all the illusionists and disciples of illusionists in Magadha, and by dint of his fame, he enthralled, bewildered, and deceived all the throngs of people in Magadha and converted them to his spectacular ways, except for those who had seen the truth, had faith, and followed the Dharma—the lay devotees, men and women. Through his illusions, he became powerful in the craft of bewilderment and acquired tremendous profits, respect, and verses of praise.

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Bhadra the illusionist heard that the fame, renown, and verses of the Blessed One were superior and that he was known as the tathāgata, arhat, complete and perfect Buddha accomplished in knowledge and conduct, the Sugata, the knower of the world, the unsurpassed guide who tames beings, the teacher of gods and humans, the Blessed Buddha, the all-knowing and all-seeing one who knows all and sees all, who is endowed with the ten strengths of a tathāgata, the four fearlessnesses of a tathāgata, and the four correct discernments and who is endowed with the eighteen unique qualities of the buddhas, with great loving-kindness and great compassion, and with the unfailing buddha eye and the five eyes, and as one who has gained miraculous powers: the miraculous power of foretelling, the miraculous power of instruction, and the miraculous power of magical display. If he wished, he could suspend this trichiliocosm—including its cities, towns, lands, beings, and Mount Merus, encompassing everything up to the edges of the oceans and including the abodes of the gods, the horizons and depths, and the grasses, trees, and mountains—on the tip of a hair in space for an eon or for even longer than an eon.

When he heard this, he thought, “I have enthralled all the people of the land of Magadha, bewildered them, deceived them, and converted them to my spectacular ways. All the brahmins and great householders delight in my name. The tathāgata, the arhat, the complete and perfect Buddha is the only one I have yet to put to the test. Since I have not yet bewildered and deceived him, I must go immediately to the tathāgata, the arhat, the complete and perfect Buddha.¹²

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When I get there, I will put him to the test. If they see that I am able to bewilder and deceive him, all of Magadha will follow me alone, and I will be bolstered with even greater profits and respect.”

Then Bhadra the illusionist, impelled by his previous roots of virtue and by the power of the Buddha, left the city of Rājagṛha and went to where the Blessed One was at Vulture Peak Mountain. Upon arrival, Bhadra the illusionist saw the Tathāgata, shining with light brighter than a trillion suns, with a face more immaculate than a trillion moons, with a body well proportioned like the king of banyan trees,¹³ with an ūrṇā as clearly apparent as the sparkling of a stainless jewel,¹⁴ with lotus eyes as lustrous as a blue utpala in bloom,¹⁵ and with an uṣṇīṣa whose top could not be seen even by Brahmā,¹⁶ teaching the Dharma amid his retinue in a melodious voice endowed with the sixty qualities.¹⁷ Seeing this, seeing such a bodily form and hearing such awakened speech, Bhadra’s mind was calmed. Nonetheless, he thought, “I must test him at once, to find out for sure whether he is all-knowing and all-seeing or not.”

Then Bhadra the illusionist, bowing to the feet of the Blessed One and thinking to test him, said, “Please come tomorrow for the midday meal.” At the same time, he was also thinking, “Does he know my intentions or not? If he does know, then he will not come. But if he does not know, he will come.”¹⁸

Knowing this, the Blessed One, for the sake of taming Bhadra the illusionist, and for the sake of taming the masses of the city of Rājagṛha, gave his assent to Bhadra the illusionist by remaining silent along with his saṅgha of monks.

Bhadra the illusionist thought, “Since my intention is to harm him

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and yet he has agreed, he must be neither all-knowing nor all-seeing.” Then Bhadra the illusionist bowed to the feet of the Blessed One and departed from his presence.

Then Venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana said to the Blessed One, “The illusionist Bhadra is going to harm this saṅgha of monks using his basket of illusions.” ¹⁹

The Blessed One replied, “Maudgalyāyana, do not worry! I have been engaging in correct conduct since long ago, and being a tathāgata, I know the proper time.²⁰ Not even the whole world with its gods can harm a tathāgata.

“Indeed, Maudgalyāyana, desire is what causes harm, anger is what causes harm, and ignorance is what causes harm. Since these, along with any latent tendencies, have been completely exhausted and forsaken by a tathāgata, who realizes that phenomena are primordially unborn,²¹ even the whole world with its gods cannot harm a tathāgata.

“Furthermore Maudgalyāyana, since the power of illusion of Bhadra the illusionist is limited, it is impure, while the power of illusion of a tathāgata is pure, since he is completely and manifestly awakened to all phenomena being like illusions.²²

“Maudgalyāyana, even if all those multitudes designated as belonging to the realm of beings were to possess powers of illusion like that of Bhadra the illusionist, this would not even come close to a hundredth of a tathāgata’s power of illusion; nor would it even come close to a thousandth, nor a trillionth. Nor would any such calculation, fraction, enumeration, or simile come close.

“Maudgalyāyana, what do you think? Is Bhadra the illusionist

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able to display this great trichiliocosm in its entirety, fully adorned with all its features?”

“No, he is not,” replied Maudgalyāyana.

The Blessed One continued, “If a tathāgata so wishes, he can display all the world systems as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges, fully adorned, on the mere tip of a hair. But even this would not show the full extent of a tathāgata’s power of illusion. Maudgalyāyana, in the ten directions there are the following maṇḍalas of wind:²³ the wind called scattering;²⁴ the wind called cutting asunder, which cuts the trichiliocosm asunder and, having cut it asunder, destroys it; the wind called dispersing and scattering, which moves about in the middle of the world; the wind called all-settling, which moves about at the summit of existence; the wind called destroying, which utterly destroys even Mount Meru, the king of mountains, let alone ordinary mountains; the wind called blazing, which arises during the conflagration of an eon and whose flames blaze all the way up to the Brahmā realms; the wind called consummating, which pacifies the fire at the eon’s conflagration; the wind called delighting, which completely covers the trichiliocosm with a lattice of clouds; the wind called sprinkling with water, which causes rain to descend during the conflagration of an eon; and the wind called completely drying, which completely dries that which has been destroyed by water.

“Maudgalyāyana, beginning with these maṇḍalas of wind, I could teach the Dharma for an eon or even longer than an eon, for there is no end to the Dharma taught by a tathāgata, beginning from the explanation of these maṇḍalas of wind.

“Maudgalyāyana,

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what do you think? Would the illusionist Bhadra be able to remain in those maṇḍalas of wind?”

“No, he would not,” replied Maudgalyāyana.

The Blessed One continued, “Maudgalyāyana, I would be able to abide inside all those maṇḍalas of wind, all the while performing the four normal activities. If the Tathāgata so wishes, he could make all those winds enter a single mustard seed, and still the mustard seed would not be destroyed. Indeed, he could let all the activities of all those winds be displayed inside the mustard seed, and yet they would neither collide with one another nor decrease.

“Maudgalyāyana, there is nothing like the nature of my power of illusion. Indeed, it is limitless.”

Venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana and the entire assembly were amazed. They bowed their heads to the feet of the Blessed One and said together with one voice, “Blessed One, we are indeed fortunate! As the teacher possesses such superior magical power, such renown for being superior in might, and such superior power, we are indeed fortunate! Blessed One, those who hear of this miraculous display of the Tathāgata will be inspired. And being inspired, they will develop the mind intent on complete and perfect awakening, so they, too, will obtain excellent fortune!”

Then Bhadra the illusionist went to the great city of Rājagṛha, and that very night, in the sector of the great city of Rājagṛha where all the city’s refuse and unclean things were discarded, he conjured up a great reception courtyard adorned with silken streamers, parasols, victory banners, and raised silk flags. He conjured the ground so that it was as even as the palm of a hand, strewn with flowers, fragrant with excellent incense, and adorned with a canopy above.

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Within that courtyard, he also conjured eight thousand²⁵ exquisite trees replete with flowers and fruits. In front of all the exquisite trees he conjured lion thrones covered with many kinds of cotton cloth and adorned with all kinds of precious silk flags. He conjured four exquisite trees replete with flowers and fruits to both the left and right of each lion throne. He conjured fine dishes endowed with a hundred flavors for the Blessed One and the saṅgha of monks to enjoy. He also conjured five hundred attendants, all dressed in white and bedecked with all kinds of accoutrements.

As soon as Bhadra the illusionist had conjured up this banquet, the Four Great Kings, emanating as large bodies, came instantaneously to the illusionist Bhadra’s courtyard array and said to him, “Bhadra, you have invited the Tathāgata for tomorrow’s midday meal, and you have conjured such a courtyard for the Tathāgata to enjoy. You have done very well!

“Bhadra, please grant us permission to also make offerings to the Tathāgata, by displaying a second modest courtyard like this for the Blessed One to enjoy, to accompany yours!”

Bhadra the illusionist was utterly amazed and granted permission to the Four Great Kings, who then conjured a similar courtyard array for the Blessed One to enjoy.

Then Śakra, ruler of the gods, arrived together with thirty thousand gods at Bhadra’s courtyard array and said to him, “Bhadra, you have invited the Tathāgata for tomorrow’s midday meal, and

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you have conjured such a courtyard array for the Tathāgata to enjoy. You have done well! Bhadra, please grant us permission to also make offerings to the Tathāgata, by displaying a second modest courtyard like this for the Blessed One to enjoy, to accompany yours!”

Bhadra the illusionist, utterly amazed, granted permission to Śakra, ruler of the gods, whereupon Śakra, ruler of the gods, conjured an especially magnificent courtyard for the Blessed One to enjoy—larger even than the Vaijayanta Palace, the residence of the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three with the Pārijāta tree of paradise—a courtyard that eclipsed those of Bhadra the illusionist and the Four Great Kings.

Then Bhadra the illusionist thought, “If even gods such as these gather with such enthusiasm to make offerings and serve the Blessed One, he must be no ordinary being. It would not be appropriate to harm such an exalted being! Without a doubt, I must dispel my creation!”

Then Bhadra the illusionist attempted to dispel his conjurations and make them disappear. Invoking the power of all his secret mantras and vidyā mantras, he tried²⁶ to get rid of them and make them disappear, but the fine dishes, the attendants, the courtyard, and the lion thrones all remained, appearing just as they had before. He was not able to dispel them, even with all his secret mantras and vidyā mantras. Completely amazed, he thought, “Up until now I could create illusions at will and make them vanish at will, but now I am unable to dispel this array made for the Tathāgata.”

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Then Śakra, ruler of the gods, knowing fully what Bhadra the illusionist was thinking, said to him, “Bhadra, just as you are unable to dispel what you have created for the Tathāgata, so it is, Bhadra, for those who are able to generate even a few thoughts of the Tathāgata—their thoughts do not go away but remain a causal factor right up until their final nirvāṇa.”

Bhadra the illusionist was utterly delighted, and rejoicing, he became thoroughly overjoyed and blissful. So, that night passed with him urging the Blessed One to come for the midday meal, beseeching him, “Blessed One, when the midday meal in the middle of the day has arrived, please do kindly come for the midday meal!”²⁷

Early the next morning, the Blessed One donned his lower and upper robes, took up his offering bowl, gathered the saṅgha of monks, and, leading the saṅgha of monks, went to the great city of Rājagṛha, to the site of Bhadra the illusionist’s great courtyard. He then manifested a magical display such that Bhadra the illusionist was convinced that “the Tathāgata is seated at the array I have conjured,” the Four Great Kings were convinced that “the Tathāgata is seated at the array we have conjured,” and Śakra, ruler of the gods, was convinced that “the Tathāgata is seated at the array I have conjured.”

In the great city of Rājagṛha, word spread to others—non-Buddhists, carakas, parivrājakas, brahmins, and householders. Amazed, they rushed to the courtyard thinking, “Today the renunciant Gautama will be put to the test!”

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The faithful living in the great city of Rājagṛha—monks and nuns, laymen and laywomen—likewise rushed to the gathered assembly thinking, “Today we will listen to the Tathāgata’s words,²⁸ and we will also see a great miraculous display.”

Then Bhadra the illusionist, truly overcoming his pride, haughtiness, and arrogance, bowed his head to the feet of the Blessed One and said, “Blessed One, I confess my wrongdoing—I invited the Tathāgata to come here with severely harmful intent. But then, Blessed One, I thought that it would be wrong to deceive such an exalted being by conjuring fine dishes, servants, lion thrones, and this courtyard. Realizing that this should not be done, I tried to dispel them but was unable to do so. Even by invoking the full force of all my secret mantras and vidyā mantras, I could not make them go away. It was no use, and all these fine dishes, servants, lion thrones, and courtyard arrangements remained just as they were.”

The Blessed One then said to Bhadra the illusionist, “Bhadra, the amenities and enjoyments of all beings are also like this, illusory conjurations of karma.²⁹ Bhadra, this saṅgha of monks is also like this, an illusory conjuration of the Dharma. Bhadra, I, too, am also like this, an illusory conjuration of wisdom. Bhadra, this entire trichiliocosm is also like this, the illusory conjuration of various manifest formations. Indeed Bhadra, all phenomena are like this, the illusory conjurations of masses of conditions.

“Nevertheless, Bhadra,

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when you know the time is right, you may offer these dishes and drinks, delectables and nectars,³⁰ however they have been conjured.”

Then the servants conjured by Bhadra and the Four Great Kings and Śakra, ruler of the gods, along with his retinue, satisfied the Blessed One and the saṅgha of monks with the conjured dishes and drinks, delectables, and nectars.

Then the elder Mahākāśyapa spoke the following verse:

“As is the gift,
So is the recipient.
Arriving at the true nature of both as just so,
May the offering be perfectly purified.”³¹

Mahāmaudgalyāyana said:

“As for the seating arrangements
And those who are seated,³²
There is no distinction to be found; they are the same.
Thus the virtue of this offering is unsurpassed.”

Śāriputra said:

“As the mind of the one who serves,
So is the mind of the one who receives.
With this way of giving,
May the offering be swiftly purified!”

Subhūti said:

“The gift was given without a giver
And received without a receiver.
Thus, whosoever has come here
Purifies the offering.”

Ānanda said:

“These gifts, as endless as the sky,
Are enjoyed by inconceivably numerous beings.
But it is their liberation of mind and body
That is the greatest pure offering in all the worlds.”

The bodhisattva Pinnacle of Light said:

“Like the array conjured up
By Bhadra the illusionist,
So are all material things,
But the foolish do not realize this.”

The bodhisattva Prabhāvyūha said:

“Like these seats and trees,
So are all manifold phenomena conjured,
Like mind’s illusion—empty.
There is not the slightest difference.”

The bodhisattva Siṃha said:

“So long as the lion’s roar is not heard,
The jackals howl in the forest.
But hearing the lion’s roar,
They flee in the ten directions.

“Similarly, so long as Bhadra the illusionist

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Did not see the Tathāgata,
He proclaimed among the non-Buddhists,
‘I am superior to the Victorious One!’

“Bhadra, the Tathāgata’s illusion
Shows what illusion really is.
Should this illusion be taught to its full extent,
Even Māra could not fathom its depths.”³³

The bodhisattva Siṃhamati said:

“These fine dishes are conjurations,
As are these attendants offering service;
Even the ones enjoying it are conjurations.
Thus the virtue of this gift is unsurpassed.”

The bodhisattva Maitreya said:

“A flame fed with ghee and sesame oil
Flares and swells ever more fiercely.
Just so, by means of Bhadra’s power of illusion,
The Buddha’s power of illusion is definitively taught.”

Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta said:

“Just as what was here before,
Like what he created, does not exist,
All phenomena, from the very beginning,
Have always been the same.”

Then the Blessed One, using his powers to thoroughly tame Bhadra the illusionist, conjured a householder, who came into the courtyard and asked Bhadra the illusionist, “Bhadra, what are you doing?”

“I am offering the midday meal to the renunciant Gautama,” Bhadra replied.

“Forget it, Bhadra! Do not say that! The Tathāgata, with his saṅgha of monks, is receiving the midday meal at King Ajātaśatru’s court.”

Then, through the power of the Buddha, Bhadra the illusionist saw the Tathāgata, with the saṅgha of monks, receiving the midday meal at King Ajātaśatru’s court.

The Blessed One then conjured a second householder, who came into the courtyard and asked Bhadra the illusionist, “Bhadra, what are you doing?”

“I am offering the midday meal to the renunciant Gautama,” Bhadra replied.

“Forget it! Do not say that! The Tathāgata, with his saṅgha of monks, is on the parivrājaka street collecting alms.”

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Then, through the power of the Buddha, Bhadra the illusionist saw the Tathāgata, with the saṅgha of monks, collecting alms on the parivrājaka street.

The Blessed One then conjured another householder, who came into the courtyard and asked Bhadra the illusionist, “Bhadra, what are you doing?”

“I am offering the midday meal to the renunciant Gautama,” Bhadra replied.

“Bhadra, forget it! Do not say that! The Tathāgata is in the physician’s grove teaching the Dharma to the fourfold retinue.”

Then, through the power of the Buddha, Bhadra the illusionist saw the Tathāgata in the physician’s grove teaching the Dharma to the fourfold retinue.

Śakra, ruler of the gods, then approached Bhadra the illusionist and asked, “Bhadra, what are you doing?”

“I am offering the midday meal to the renunciant Gautama,” Bhadra replied.

“Bhadra, forget it! Do not say that! The Tathāgata is in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, in front of the Pārijāta tree, teaching the Dharma to the gods of the Thirty-Three.”

Then Bhadra also saw the Tathāgata in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, teaching the Dharma in front of the Pārijāta tree.

Then on all the leaves and all the flowers on every tree that Bhadra the illusionist had conjured, Bhadra the illusionist saw the Tathāgata, adorned with the marks of a great being and encircled by the saṅgha of monks. On each of the lion thrones that he had conjured and on the lion thrones that the Four Great Kings had conjured, he saw the Tathāgata, adorned with the marks of a great being and encircled by the saṅgha of monks. Everywhere in the great city of Rājagṛha, in every building, house, and palace, on every path and road,

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he saw the Tathāgata, adorned with the marks of a great being.

And in front of every tathāgata, arhat, complete and perfect Buddha, Bhadra the illusionist saw himself bowing and confessing his faults, and wherever else Bhadra the illusionist looked, in every corner of his field of vision, he saw nothing but the Tathāgata. He was utterly delighted and, rejoicing, became overjoyed and blissful.

Through that very feeling of joy and bliss, he attained the samādhi called recollecting the Buddha.³⁴ As soon as he emerged from that samādhi, he joined his palms together and, seated before the Blessed One, spoke these verses:

“I have been won over by the Tathāgata’s magical display,
By which, if he wished, he could create
A hundred thousand buddha emanations,
Or as many as the grains of sand in the Ganges.

“I once thought that I was unequaled in Jambudvīpa
In the level of my skill in illusions,
But today, seeing this magical display of the Victorious One,
My power does not approach a fraction of it.

“Looking with my eye of flesh,
Everywhere I see the form of the Victorious One adorned with the marks.
I beseech the king of Dharma—
Please tell me, which is the real Victorious One?

“By offering to which will the offering be best?
Which will lead to the greater result?
Holding to which will accord with awakening?
Please tell me with your all-seeing vision!

“Today I confess my wrongdoing
Of putting the guardian of the world to the test.
Those who do not show humility before the supreme being—
Such beings forsake the bliss of the Victorious One.

“O gods, Śakra, Brahmā,
And all who are assembled here, please listen to me!
In order to completely liberate all beings,
I engender the mind of awakening.

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“Treating all beings as my guests,
I will satisfy them with blissful nectar.
I will awaken those beings obstructed by sleep
With the perfected power of insight.

“Who, upon seeing such a magical display
And witnessing the Sugata’s delightful words and wisdom
And his supreme conduct of nonattachment,³⁵
Would not engender in mind the pure cause for awakening?

“Please explain to me the path to awakening
As practiced by those who know the mind of awakening.
What is the practice of bodhisattvas
To which that of śrāvakas cannot be compared?

“What are the good qualities of practicing its rites?³⁶
What are the devotions of those who wish to hear the teachings?
What is the conduct of these graceful³⁷ bodhisattvas?
Tell me, to still my doubts!

“How do they accustom themselves to seeking learning?
How do they first fix this learning in their hearts
Then teach it lucidly to others?
How may all creatures come to have faith in the Dharma?

“How do they become disinterested in profit
And remain unattached to worldly concerns?
How do they become and remain grateful and helpful
And inseparable from beings?

“On what friends do they rely, and how do they rely on them?
How do they shun bad companions?
How do they meet with the buddhas?
And having seen them, how do they make offerings?

“How do they respect the pure trainings,
And how do they commit to their trainings?
How does their discipline become perfectly pure,
And how do they obtain perfectly pure samādhi?

“How do they adhere to what is proper
And reject what is improper?
How do they maintain a resolute will
And avoid being caught by the demonic fetters of affliction?

“How do the faithful apply their minds to the ultimate
Yet not abandon beings in their thoughts?
How do they bring beings to maturity
While being heroic and without desiring exorbitant wealth?

“How do they engage in conduct for the sake of beings,³⁸

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Abiding in skillful means and loving compassion?
How do they perfect the superknowledges?
How do recollection and intellect become pure?

“Those with correct discernment, retention, and tolerance
Who never turn away from their aspirations and pure conduct,
Who are wise to the profound and skilled in the ultimate truth—
How do they accomplish all their aspirations?

“How are they in accord
With awakening and the sublime perfections,
Never turning back from bodhisattva conduct
Always oriented toward omniscience and awakening?

“O omniscient one, who perfectly knows the truth, O ocean of insight,
Source of wisdom, please teach this to me!
Blessed One, please teach me these benefits,
And I will earnestly practice from the bottom of my heart!”

The Blessed One responded to Bhadra the illusionist with these verses:

“One who recognizes all phenomena as conjurations
Can conjure ten billion buddhas;
Those conjurations may go to millions of buddhafields
And free millions of beings.

“Just as you, Bhadra, display from formlessness
An infinite variety of forms
That are unborn, unceasing,
And without coming, going, and abiding,

“In the same way, Bhadra, the foremost among beings, the Victorious One,
Conjures his own aggregates along with his assembled saṅgha,
Which are unborn and unceasing;³⁹
Such is the magical display of the inconceivable buddhas.

“In the same way that a person deceived by an illusion
Sees elephants, chariots, calvary, and infantry⁴⁰
Although these are not constituted and have no substance,
They are seen by the mistaken mind.

“Similarly, buddhas are without form, color, and shape,
And they exhibit neither activity nor behavior.
The view of the transitory collection does not arise,
And there is no notion of a buddha as a ‘buddha.’

“Buddhas cannot be discerned by their physical form or marks,
Their ages or lineages, or by their voices.
Their mind cannot be explained,

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Nor their consciousness ascertained by intellect.

“Blessed buddhas, who are the true nature itself,
Are empty of the three times; their marks are unborn.
Eternally liberated from the illusory,
Their phenomenality⁴¹ cannot be distinguished or calculated.

“Whatever buddhas arise, their true nature has no arising.
Their aggregates do not exist, and their constituents do not arise;
Their phenomenality abides without fluctuating and without depending⁴² on anything.
They do not even abide as figments of the five eyes.

“If someone thinks, ‘I have seen the Buddha,’
They have never really seen the Buddha.
Seeing the unseen guide
Is like seeing a bird’s trail in the sky.

“Bhadra, the buddhas you saw just now—
Know that they are all one and the same.
I and the others are all the same,
Like the sameness one sees when gazing at the sky.

“Their samādhi and insight⁴³ are undifferentiated,
Their liberation is undifferentiated,
And their vision of liberating wisdom, their strengths,
And all the qualities of the victorious ones are undifferentiated.

“From the position of emptiness, they abide undifferentiated.
All of them abide in the true nature without attachment.
They are all liberated from the illusory
And appear without origin.

“Bhadra, if you make an offering to one of the victorious ones,
That offering will have been made to all the buddhas of the ten directions.
There has never been any difference
Between their true expanse and my own.

“All of them purify gifts by accepting them;
Offering to any of them yields the greatest result.
They have all found the same pure true nature;
In this way there is no distinction between buddhas.

“Since I will tell you who is the real Victorious One,
Examine and contemplate⁴⁴ the way of Dharma
With a single-pointed mind and closely applied mindfulness.
Listen to me well, with a precisely focused mind!

“Bhadra, all of them are unproduced and unreal;
Only the mistaken see them as real.
If the essence of things were truly real,
Then all such things would not pass away.

“Therefore, they are wholly unborn and unreal,

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And being unborn, they neither abide nor pass away.
So, though when unexamined they seem to be entities,
When one looks thoroughly there is no abiding.

“Just as you, Bhadra, see the victorious ones,
And just as you see these conjurations in all directions,
So should you regard the five aggregates,
The vast aggregates on which the foolish⁴⁵ rely.

“All phenomena are without intrinsic nature,
And beings are without the marks of a buddha.
Those who desire marks where there are none
Are a long way from buddhahood.

“Phenomena are nonexistent and arise due to conceptuality.
Know also that they are insubstantial and dependent.
They are without doing and beyond a doer.
By giving names, emptiness is taught.

“Those who know there are no causes or effectuating conditions
Also know that phenomena are free of attachment.
If they know that phenomena are free of desire and attachment,
They see the Buddha with the eye of complete purity.”

When that teaching in verse had been given, Bhadra the illusionist attained the lesser acceptance that accords with certainty⁴⁶ in the Dharma; five thousand beings engendered the mind of unsurpassed complete and perfect awakening, which until then had never occurred to them; and two hundred bodhisattvas obtained acceptance that phenomena are unborn. Then the Blessed One partook of the conjured food, and in order to fully purify Bhadra’s gift, he spoke this verse:

“Just as no discursive distinction is made between the giver,
The receiver, and what is given,
May this equal act of generosity
Be fully perfected for Bhadra!”

Then Venerable Ānanda said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, please grant your blessing that this courtyard, just as it is ornamented now, remains without disappearing or fading away for seven days.” The Blessed One then gave his blessing that the courtyard would remain, just as it was,

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and not disappear or vanish for a full seven days. Then the Blessed One rose from his seat and departed along with the saṅgha of monks.

Later, when the Blessed One had arisen from his meditative composure and was seated in order to teach the Dharma, monks, bodhisattvas, gods, nāgas, yakṣas, and gandharvas approached the Blessed One to hear the Dharma. Bhadra the illusionist also came before the Blessed One, bowed to his feet, and respectfully circumambulated him three times. With proper honors he sat down to one side with his palms together. Thus seated to one side, Bhadra the illusionist said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, please explain the path of the bodhisattvas, such that anyone who enters the path of bodhisattvas proceeds to the seat of awakening.”

The Blessed One replied to Bhadra the illusionist, “Bhadra, listen well and keep this in mind. I will explain.”

Bhadra the illusionist replied, “Very well!” and listened as the Blessed One explained.

“Bhadra, these four constitute the path of the bodhisattvas, such that anyone who enters the path of bodhisattvas will proceed to the seat of awakening. What are the four? Not abandoning the mind of omniscience, not forsaking beings, being insatiable in seeking out all roots of virtue, and endeavoring to be diligent in protecting the holy Dharma. Bhadra, these four

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constitute the path of bodhisattvas, such that anyone who enters the path of bodhisattvas will proceed to the seat of awakening.

“Bhadra, these four constitute the completely pure conduct of bodhisattvas. What are the four? Purity of the three vows, purity of intention,⁴⁷ purity of knowledge, and purity of birth. These are the four.

“Bhadra, these four constitute the bodhisattva qualities that śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas cannot fathom. What are the four? Emerging from concentration,⁴⁸ mental discernment, great compassion for beings, and inspired speech in diverse languages. These are the four.

“Bhadra, these four constitute the superior conduct of bodhisattvas. What are the four? Staying in remote places, not taking delight in distraction, being kind to beings when staying in such places, and knowing that all conditioned factors neither come from nor go anywhere. These are the four.

“Bhadra, when bodhisattvas have these four qualities, they may be considered objects of great praise and respect. What are the four? Bodhisattvas not being concerned with their own bodies or lives, always being joyful in spirit, abandoning pride and haughtiness, and accomplishing what they have said they will do. These are the four.

“Bhadra, when bodhisattvas have these four qualities, their conduct is perfect. What are the four? Knowing the proper time and knowing the right measure, solitude, and authenticity. These are the four.

“Bhadra, when bodhisattvas have these four qualities, they are without doubt. What are the four? Overcoming regret wherever it arises,⁴⁹ venerating those with great erudition and insight,

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thinking about the meaning of what has been learned, and not talking about the faults of others—being kind in discussions and not emphasizing faults. These are the four.

“Bhadra, when bodhisattvas are seen to have these four beneficial qualities, they are sought after for their learning. What are the four? Developing insight in oneself and others, removing doubts that come from all directions, grasping the holy Dharma, and never tiring of praising the buddhas. These are the four.

“Bhadra, these four are the essences of the bodhisattvas’ vast learning. What are the four? Being learned, they know the Dharma in detail; this is an essence. Being learned, they refrain from what should not be done; this is an essence. Being learned, they teach others; this is an essence. And being learned, they focus on the ultimate liberation and awakening of blessed buddhas; this is an essence. These are the four.

“Bhadra, these four are the benefits for bodhisattvas who teach the Dharma. What are the four? Enjoying a meal after working; receiving robes, alms, bedding, seats, and medicines to cure the sick; weakening the power of opponents; and being attended upon and protected by gods who favor the Dharma, so that they are invulnerable to Māra. Bhadra, these four are the benefits for the bodhisattvas who teach the Dharma.

“If bodhisattvas have these four qualities, when they teach the Dharma to others their words will be worth hearing. What are the four? Having few desires, a sense of contentment, and a good and gentle nature and accomplishing their own spiritual practice.

First 44 of 123 passages. Read on

The Prophecy for Bhadra the Illusionist

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