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དམ་པའ་ཆས་པད་མ་དཀར་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 1

The White Lotus of the Good Dharma 1

Language
English

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Chapter 1

The Introduction

Homage to the buddhas and the bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time.⁵⁶ The Bhagavān was dwelling on Vulture Peak in Rājagṛha together with a great saṅgha of twelve hundred bhikṣus,⁵⁷ all of whom were solely arhats whose defilements had ceased; who were without kleśas; who had mastered themselves; who had liberated minds; who had completely liberated wisdom; who were noble beings;⁵⁸ who were great elephants;⁵⁹ who had done what had to be done; who had accomplished what had to be accomplished; who had put down their burden; who had reached their goals; who had ended engagement with existence; and who had liberated their minds through true knowledge, had perfectly attained all the powers of the mind, were renowned for their higher knowledge,⁶⁰

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and were mahāśrāvakas.

They were Brother Ājñāta­kauṇḍinya, Brother Aśvajit, Brother Vāṣpa, Brother Mahānāman, Brother Bhadrika, Brother Mahākāśyapa, Brother Uru­vilvā­kāśyapa, Brother Nadīkāśyapa, Brother Gayākāśyapa, Brother Śāriputra, Brother Mahā­maudgalyāyana, Brother Mahākātyāyana, Brother Aniruddha, Brother Revata, Brother Kapphiṇa, Brother Gavāṃpati, Brother Pilindavatsa, Brother Bakkula, Brother Mahākauṣṭhila, Brother Bharadvāja, Brother Nanda,⁶¹ Brother Upananda, Brother Sundarananda, Brother Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇī­putra, Brother Subhūti, Brother Rāhula, and other great śrāvakas; and the student Brother Ānanda; and also two thousand bhikṣus who were in training and had transcended training; and six thousand bhikṣuṇīs such as Mahāprajāpatī and bhikṣuṇī Yaśodharā, the mother of Rāhula, and her followers.

Also present were eighty thousand bodhisattvas, all of whom were irreversible from great enlightenment; had attained retention; remained in great eloquence; turned the irreversible wheel of the Dharma; had attended many hundred thousands of buddhas; had planted the roots of merit with many hundred thousands of buddhas;

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had praised many hundred thousands of buddhas whose bodies, speech, and minds were pervaded with love; and who were adept in entering the wisdom of the tathāgatas, had great wisdom, had fully realized the perfection of wisdom, were renowned in many hundreds of thousands of worlds, and had liberated many hundred thousands of hundred thousands of millions of beings. They were the bodhisattva mahāsattva Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, the bodhisattva Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, the bodhisattva Sarvārthanāman, the bodhisattva Nityodyukta, the bodhisattva Anikṣiptadhura, the bodhisattva Ratnapāṇi, the bodhisattva Bhaiṣajyarāja, the bodhisattva Bhaiṣajya­samudgata, the bodhisattva Vyūharāja, the bodhisattva Pradānaśūra, the bodhisattva Ratnacandra, the bodhisattva Ratnaprabha, the bodhisattva Pūrṇacandra, the bodhisattva Mahāvikrāmin, the bodhisattva Anantavikrāmiṇ, the bodhisattva Trailokya­vikrāmiṇ, the bodhisattva Mahāpratibhāna, the bodhisattva Satata­samitābhiyukta, the bodhisattva Dharaṇīdhara, the bodhisattva Akṣayamati, the bodhisattva Padmaśrī, the bodhisattva Nakṣatrarāja, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, and the bodhisattva mahāsattva Siṃha. Also present were the sixteen excellent men, such as Bhadrapāla. They were Bhadrapāla, Ratnākara, Susārthavāha, Naradatta,⁶² Guhyagupta, Varuṇadatta, Indradatta, Uttaramati,

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Viśeṣamati, Vardhamānamati, Amoghadarśin, Susaṃprasthita, Su­vikrānta­vikrāmiṇ, Anupamamati, Sūryagarbha, and Dharaṇīṃdhara.

These and the other eighty thousand bodhisattvas were present there.

Also present was Śakra, the lord of the devas, with his retinue of twenty thousand devas, such as the deva Candra, the deva Sūrya, the deva Samantagandha, the deva Ratnaprabha, the deva Avabhāsaprabha, and the rest of the twenty thousand devas.

Also present were the four mahārājas and their retinue of thirty thousand devas: Mahārāja Virūḍhaka, Mahārāja Virūpākṣa, Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Mahārāja Vaiśravaṇa, the deva Īśvara, the deva Maheśvara, and a retinue of thirty thousand devas.

Also present were Brahmā, the lord of the Sahā world realm, with a retinue of twelve hundred Brahmakāyika devas: the brahmā Śikhin, the brahmā Jyotiṣprabha, and the rest of the one thousand two hundred Brahmakāyika devas.

Also present were the eight nāga kings—the nāga kings Nanda, Upananda, Sāgara, Vāsuki, Takṣaka, Manasvin, Anavatapta, and Utpalaka—together with a retinue of many trillions of nāgas.

Also present were the four kinnara kings—the kinnara king Druma, the kinnara king Mahādharma, the kinnara king Sudharma, and the kinnara king Dharmadhara—together with a retinue of many trillions of kinnaras.

Also present were devas who were of the four classes of gandharvas—Manojña, Manojñasvara, Madhura, and the gandharva Madhurasvara—together with a retinue of many trillions⁶³ of gandharvas.

Also present were the four lords of the asuras—the asura lords Bali, Kharaskandha, Vemacitrin,

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and Rāhu—together with a retinue of many trillions of asuras.

Also present were the four garuḍa lords—the garuḍa lords Mahātejas, Mahākāya, Mahāpūrṇa, and Maha­rddhi­prāpta—together with many trillions of garuḍas.

Also present was King Ajātaśatru of Magadha, the son of Vaidehī.

At that time, the Bhagavān, surrounded by the fourfold assembly, was esteemed, honored, revered, respected, offered to, praised, and venerated. He had taught the Dharma teaching of the great extensive sūtra called The Great Elucidation, which is an instruction for bodhisattvas that is possessed by all the buddhas.

Sitting cross-legged on that Dharma seat, he entered the samādhi named the state of infinite instruction; his body became motionless and his mind became motionless.

As soon as the Bhagavān entered that state there fell a rain of coral tree flowers, great coral tree flowers, and spider lily and great spider lily flowers,⁶⁴ that fell upon the Bhagavān and his fourfold assembly. The whole buddha realm shook in six ways: it moved, moved strongly, quaked, quaked strongly, shuddered, and shuddered strongly. Then at that time the bhikṣus and bhikṣuṇīs, the upāsakas and upāsikās, the devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans and nonhumans, kings of regions, bala­cakra­vartins, and cakravartins of the four continents, together with their retinues who were gathered in that assembly,

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were all gazing upon the Bhagavān with wonder, amazement, and joy.

Then at that time, a light ray shone from the ūrṇā hair between the Bhagavān’s eyebrows into eighteen thousand buddha realms in the eastern direction. The light of that light ray pervaded all those buddha realms from the great Avīci hell up to the apex of existence. It illuminated all beings without exception in the six classes of existence in those buddha realms. It also illuminated the buddha bhagavāns who resided, lived, and remained in those buddha realms. The Dharma that those buddha bhagavāns taught was heard by all without exception.

It illuminated in those buddha realms all the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, upāsikās, yogins, and yogācāras, both those who had attained the result and those who had not attained the result.

It illuminated in those buddha realms the bodhisattvas and mahāsattvas who practiced bodhisattva conduct through being skilled in methods, due to the many various ways of listening to the teachings, having objectives, and having aspirations.

It illuminated in those buddha realms the stūpas made of precious materials that contained the relics of the buddha bhagavāns who had passed into nirvāṇa.

Then bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya thought, “Oh! The Tathāgata has shown this great miraculous sign. Why did the Bhagavān show this kind of great miraculous sign? The Bhagavān, while resting in this samādhi,

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has revealed these kinds of inconceivable, marvelous, amazing, great miracles. Who can answer my question as to what this means? This Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta has served previous jinas, has planted the roots of merit, and has attended many buddhas. This Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta has also previously seen this kind of sign from past tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas, and he has previously heard numerous accounts of the great Dharma. I should ask Mañjuśrī.”

The bhikṣus and bhikṣuṇīs, the upāsakas and upāsikās, and the devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans saw this light that was the great miraculous sign of the Bhagavān and were amazed, astonished, and intrigued.

They thought, “Whom shall we ask about this great miraculous sign revealed by the Bhagavān?”

Then the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya instantaneously knew the thoughts in the minds of the fourfold assembly, and inquired of Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, “Mañjuśrī, what was the cause and what the reason for the Bhagavān manifesting this wonderful illumination through a marvelous, astonishing, miraculous light that revealed these eighteen thousand beautiful, supremely beautiful buddha realms, among which are the tathāgatas and also the followers of the tathāgatas?”

The bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya then spoke these verses to Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta:

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“Mañjuśrī, for what reason
Did this guide of men emit this single ray of light,
This greatly illuminating light
From the ūrṇā hair between his eyebrows? {1}

“The rejoicing devas sent down
A great rain of sandalwood powder,
Divine, delightful perfumes,
And coral tree and spider lily flowers. {2}

“They beautified this entire earth
And this fourfold retinue was filled with joy.
This entire realm shook terrifyingly
In six different ways. {3}

“The light ray in the eastern direction
Filled eighteen thousand realms.
Those beautiful realms, the color of gold,
Were all illuminated in an instant. {4}

“All the beings that are in those realms
From Avīci up to the highest existence,
Those who are in the six classes of beings,
Who pass away and are reborn in them, {5}

“And also their various kinds of karma,
Their happy and unhappy existences are visible.
The good, the bad, and similarly the neutral,
Have all been seen by those who are present here. {6}

“I see the buddhas, the lion-like lords of humans,
Teaching and revealing the Dharma,
Giving teachings to many millions of beings,
Speaking in verses with melodious voices. {7}

“Each in their own realm gives forth
Their profound, vast, and marvelous speech.
They are teaching this Buddhadharma
Through trillions of parables and reasons. {8}

“They teach the ultimate peace of nirvāṇa
To those beings that are afflicted by suffering,
Who are weary of birth and aging, and have no knowledge,
Saying, ‘Bhikṣus, this is the end of suffering.’ {9}

“They teach the Pratyeka­buddha­yāna,⁶⁵
Describing this way of the Dharma
To those humans who have attained vast power,
Who have reached it through merit and seeing the buddhas. {10}

“Also, they praise enlightenment
To those who are the offspring of the sugatas,
Who are seeking for the highest wisdom,
And accomplish various activities throughout all times. {11}

“Mañjughoṣa, while I am present here

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I see and hear such things that are there.
I shall describe merely an indication
Of billions⁶⁶ of other different perceptions. {12}

“I see within those many realms
Bodhisattvas as numerous as the Ganges sands.
They number not less than a thousand million
And give rise to enlightenment through various kinds of diligence. {13}

“Some in that way give away gifts
Of wealth, money, gold, and silver;
Pearl jewelry, mother of pearl,⁶⁷ and coral;
Male slaves, female slaves, chariots, horses, and sheep. {14}

“Similarly, with a joyful mind they give
The gifts of palanquins adorned with jewels,
Dedicating this toward supreme enlightenment,
Saying, ‘May we attain that yāna!’⁶⁸ {15}

“Through this kind of giving of gifts
May I also quickly become one who has attained
That unique supreme yāna within the three realms,
Which is the Buddhayāna praised by the sugatas. {16}

“Some of them similarly make gifts
Of chariots that are drawn by four horses,
With seats adorned by flowers and banners,
With flags of victory made of precious materials. {17}

“Some give their sons and similarly their wives,⁶⁹
And some give their own beloved flesh,
And, seeking this highest enlightenment,
They give their hands and feet when requested. {18}

“Some give their heads and some their eyes,
And some give their perfect bodies.
They give these gifts with a serene mind,
Intent upon the wisdom of the tathāgatas. {19}

“Mañjuśrī, I have seen some
Who forsake their prosperous kingdoms,
Giving up their harems, and likewise
All continents and all ministers and relatives. {20}

“They come before the guides of the worlds
And for the highest peace they ask about the Dharma.
They put on the saffron robes
And shave off their hair and moustaches. {21}

“I see some bodhisattvas
Who are bhikṣus living in the forests,
Dwelling in empty, solitary places,
Delighting in reciting the teachings. {22}

“I see some bodhisattvas

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Who are dwelling resolutely in the mountains,
Meditating on this wisdom of the buddhas,
Contemplating it and observing⁷⁰ it. {23}

“Some give up all sensory pleasures
And meditate while having pure conduct.
Having developed the five higher knowledges
These children of the sugatas live in solitude. {24}

“Some resolute ones, standing with legs together,
Join their palms in homage before the guides.
Feeling joy, with thousands of verses,
They praise the king who is the Lord of Jinas. {25}

“Some who are fearless, mindful, and tamed
Are endowed with the wisdom of subtle conduct.
They ask the lords of humans about the Dharma,
And having listened to it, they become holders of the Dharma. {26}

“I see some children of lords of jinas
In meditation here and there,
Teaching the Dharma to many millions of beings,
With many millions of parables and reasons. {27}

“They are joyfully teaching the Dharma
And are inspiring many bodhisattvas.
They vanquish the māras with their armies and chariots,⁷¹
And they are loudly beating the drum of the Dharma. {28}

“I see some who follow the teaching of the sugatas,
To whom humans, maruts, yakṣas and rākṣasas make offerings.
These children of the sugatas are not astonished,
Have no pride, are peaceful, and have peaceful conduct. {29}

“They are primarily living in forests, but also
Their bodies are shining with light
That brings beings out from the hells
And also inspires them toward enlightenment. {30}

“Some children of the jinas are maintaining diligence,
Forsaking completely all sleep.
Wandering around, living in forests,
Through diligence they are established in the highest enlightenment. {31}

“Some are maintaining unimpaired, correct conduct
That is always as pure as a precious jewel.
Some have completely perfect conduct
And through conduct are established in the highest enlightenment. {32}

“Some children of the jinas have the power of patience;
They have patience toward proud, aggressive⁷² bhikṣus,

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And similarly patience toward abuse and threats.⁷³
Through patience they are established in the highest enlightenment. {33}

“I see some bodhisattvas
Who forsake all delight in amusements.
They forsake foolish companions
And are steadfast in delighting in the company of noble ones. {34}

“Having forsaken the mind’s distractions
They practice meditation with a one-pointed mind
For billions of years in forests and in mountains,
And through meditation are established in the highest enlightenment. {35}

“And similarly there are those who give gifts
Of food and drink—both hard food and soft food—
And medicine for illness, not a little but a great amount,
Directly to the jinas and their saṅghas of students. {36}

“They give thousands of millions of robes
Of the value⁷⁴ of millions of millions.
They give robes with priceless value
Directly to the jinas and their saṅghas of students. {37}

“They create billions of monasteries
Made from jewels and likewise sandalwood,
Adorned by a plenitude of seats and beds
That they donate directly to the sugatas. {38}

“Some give, as places for resting during the day,
Beautiful, pure parklands
With a variety of flowers and fruits
To the Supreme Being and his disciples. {39}

“With a feeling of joy they are giving
Various different gifts such as these.
Having given them they strive for enlightenment with diligence
And through generosity are established in the highest enlightenment. {40}

“Some are teaching the Dharma of peace
Through many trillions of parables and reasons;
They are teaching billions of beings
And through knowledge are established in the highest enlightenment. {41}

“Knowing the Dharma that is without activity,
They have entered nonduality, which is the same as space.
The children of the sugatas who are without attachment,
Through wisdom are established in the highest enlightenment. {42}

“I see others,⁷⁵ Mañjughoṣa, following the teachings
Of sugatas who have passed into nirvāṇa.

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Many resolute bodhisattvas appear
Who honor the relics of the jinas. {43}

“I see thousands of millions of stūpas,
As numerous as the sands of the Ganges.
They continually adorn millions of realms
And are created because of the children of the jinas. {44}

“Thousands of millions of parasol standards
Made of the seven precious materials are erected.
In height they are five thousand yojanas
And their circumference is two thousand yojanas. {45}

“Always with beautiful banners of victory
And the constant sound of bells and little bells,⁷⁶
Humans, maruts, rākṣasas, and yakṣas make offerings
With flowers, perfumes, and similarly with music. {46}

“The children of the sugatas are those who cause
These kinds of offerings to be made to the relics of the jinas,
Just as the blossoming coral trees
Beautify the ten directions. {47}

“I and many millions of beings
Present here have seen all that;
The Jina, with this single light ray from his visage,
Has made this world and its devas blossom. {48}

“Oh! The vast immaculate wisdom—
Oh! Of the powerful Supreme Being—
The one who today emitted a single light ray
And revealed many thousands of realms! {49}

“We are amazed to have seen such a sign
As this, which is marvelous and immeasurable.
Tell us, Mañjusvara, the meaning of this sign
And eliminate⁷⁷ the doubts of the bodhisattvas.⁷⁸ {50}

“This delighted fourfold retinue
Is looking at you, hero, and at me.
Why did this Sugata today
Emit this kind of light?⁷⁹ {51}

“You, son of the sugata, give an explanation
That will bring joy and dispel doubt.
For what reason has there been
This emission of a vast light ray?⁸⁰ {52}

“Lord of the World, will you teach
The supreme qualities attained by the Sugata,
The supreme being, at the Bodhimaṇḍa?
Bodhisattva, will you explain them? {54}

“The many thousands of revealed realms

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Are adorned by various brilliant jewels,
And buddhas with infinite vision are revealed.
This certainly has no little⁸¹ cause.” {55}

Maitreya thus questioned the son of the Jina
To the delight of the humans, maruts, yakṣas, and rākṣasas.
The fourfold assembly waited there
For the explanation that Mañjusvara would give. {56}

Then Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta said to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya and the complete assembly of bodhisattvas, “Noble sons, the Tathāgata’s intention is to relate a great Dharma teaching.

“Noble sons, the Tathāgata’s intention is to send down a great Dharma rain, to sound the great Dharma drum, to erect the great Dharma banner, to light the great Dharma lamp, to blow the great Dharma conch, and to beat the great Dharma bherī drum.⁸² Noble sons, that is the intention the Tathāgata has formed today.

“Noble sons, from previous tathāgatas there has come illumination with a light ray like this, and I think that just as it was revealed to me,⁸³ just as I have seen an omen of this kind in the past from previous tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas, this tathāgata, too, intends to give a great Dharma teaching, to make others hear a great Dharma teaching, and has therefore created such an omen. Why is that? The Tathāgata, the Arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha has revealed a miraculous omen of this kind, this illumination from a ray of light, because he intends to teach the Dharma that is not in accord with the entire world.

“Noble sons, I remember that in a past time, even further back beyond incalculable, numberless, immeasurable, inconceivable, vast, completely countless asaṃkhyeya eons ago,

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at that time, in that era, there appeared in the world the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha, the one with perfect wisdom and conduct, the sugata, the knower of the world, the unsurpassable guide who tamed beings, the teacher of gods and humans, the buddha, the bhagavān named Candra­sūrya­pradīpa.

“He taught the Dharma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, good in the end; has excellent meaning and excellent words; and is unalloyed, complete, pure, perfected, and concerns pure conduct.

“To the śrāvakas he taught the Dharma conjoined with the four truths of the āryas, and nirvāṇa as the ultimate goal, as well as the process of dependent origination, in order that they might transcend birth, aging, sickness, death, misery, lamentation, suffering, unhappiness, and distress.

“To the bodhisattva mahāsattvas he taught the Dharma that commences with the highest, complete enlightenment conjoined with the six perfections, and concludes with omniscient wisdom.

“Noble sons, subsequent to that tathāgata, arhat, perfectly enlightened buddha Candra­sūrya­pradīpa, there appeared in the world a tathāgata, arhat, perfectly enlightened buddha who was also named Candra­sūrya­pradīpa.

“Ajita, in this way there appeared sequentially tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas who had the same name, Candra­sūrya­pradīpa, and the same family and same clan, which means there were twenty thousand tathāgatas of the Bharadvājasa family.

“Ajita, from the first of those twenty thousand tathāgatas until the last of those tathāgatas they taught the Dharma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, good in the end;

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has excellent meaning and excellent words; and is unalloyed, complete, pure, perfected, and concerns pure conduct.

“To the śrāvakas they taught the Dharma that has the four truths of the āryas and dependent origination, so that the śrāvakas might transcend the troubles of birth, aging, illness, death, misery, wailing, suffering, and unhappiness, and conclude in nirvāṇa.

“To the bodhisattvas mahāsattvas they taught the Dharma that commences with the six perfections and the highest, complete enlightenment, and concludes with omniscient wisdom.

“Ajita, in this way, when the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Candra­sūrya­pradīpa was previously a young man living in the capital, who had not yet entered homelessness, he had eight sons. The names of those princes were Mati, Sumati, Anantamati, Ratnamati, Viśeṣamati, Vi­mati­samuddhāṭin, Ghoṣamati, and Dharmamati.

“Ajita, those eight princes who were the sons of Bhagavān Candra­sūrya­pradīpa had great miraculous powers. Each one of them acquired and possessed four great continents and was the king of them. When they knew that the Bhagavān had abandoned the capital and heard that he had attained the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, they forsook all royal enjoyments and followed the Bhagavān into homelessness, and they all became dedicated to the highest, complete enlightenment and became dharmabhāṇakas. Those princes constantly maintained celibacy and planted roots of merit with many hundreds of thousands of buddhas.

“Ajita, when the bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Candra­sūrya­pradīpa

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had taught the Dharma teaching of the great extensive sūtra called The Great Elucidation, which is an instruction for bodhisattvas that is possessed by all the buddhas, then at that time, at that instant, that very moment, among that gathered assembly, sitting cross-legged upon the great Dharma seat, he rested in meditation in the samādhi named the basis of infinite elucidation; his body became motionless and his mind became motionless.

“As soon as the Bhagavān rested in meditation there fell onto the Bhagavān a great rain of coral tree flowers, great coral tree flowers, spider lily flowers, great spider lily flowers, and divine flowers, which were scattered upon the Bhagavān and his assembly.

“The complete buddha realm shook in six ways: it moved, moved strongly, quaked, quaked strongly, shuddered, and shuddered strongly. Then at that time the bhikṣus and bhikṣuṇīs, the upāsakas and upāsikās, the devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans and nonhumans, kings of regions, cakravartins, and cakravartins of the four continents, together with their retinues who were gathered in that assembly, were all gazing upon the Bhagavān with wonder, amazement, and joy.

“Also at that time, a light ray shone from the ūrṇā hair between the Bhagavān’s eyebrows to twenty thousand buddha realms in the eastern direction. The light of that light ray pervaded all those buddha realms. Ajita, it was just like how these buddha realms are illuminated now.

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“Ajita, at that time, there were two hundred million bodhisattvas among the Bhagavān’s followers; those who were listening to the Dharma in that assembly saw the world illuminated by the radiance of that great light ray and were amazed, astonished, and intrigued.

“Ajita, at that time, in that Bhagavān’s teaching there was a bodhisattva mahāsattva named Varaprabha who had eight hundred students. The Bhagavān arose from that samādhi and taught the Dharma teaching of The White Lotus of the Good Dharma, first to the bodhisattva Varaprabha. For sixty whole intermediate eons he taught while sitting on the one seat with a motionless body and a motionless mind. The entire assembly also remained seated on the same seats with motionless bodies and motionless minds, listening to the Dharma from the Bhagavān for sixty eons. There was not a single being within that assembly who became fatigued and there were none whose minds became wearied.

“When the bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Candra­sūrya­pradīpa had taught for sixty intermediate eons the Dharma teaching of the great extensive sūtra called The White Lotus of the Good Dharma, which is an instruction for bodhisattvas that is possessed by all the buddhas, then in that moment he announced his parinirvāṇa in front of the world with its many beings, including devas, māras, and Brahmā. He said, ‘Bhikṣus, tonight at midnight the tathāgata will pass away into the state of nirvāṇa that has no remainder of the skandhas.’

“Then, Ajita, the bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Candra­sūrya­pradīpa gave the prophecy of the highest, complete enlightenment to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Śrīgarbha⁸⁴

1.18

and declared to the assembly, ‘Bhikṣus, this bodhisattva mahāsattva Śrīgarbha will after me attain the highest, complete enlightenment and become the bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Vimalanetra.’

“Then, Ajita, the bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Candra­sūrya­pradīpa that evening at midnight passed away into the state of nirvāṇa that has no remainder of the skandhas. The bodhisattva mahāsattva Śrīgarbha took up the Dharma teaching of The White Lotus of the Good Dharma and for eighty intermediate eons taught the teaching of that bhagavān who had passed into nirvāṇa.

“Ajita, the eight sons of that bhagavān, such as Mati, became students of the bodhisattva Śrīgarbha. He ripened them for the highest, complete enlightenment. Subsequently they all saw a hundred thousand quintillion buddhas, honored them, and attained the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. The last of them became the bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Dīpaṃkara.

“One of the eight hundred students yearned for gain, yearned for honor, yearned for prestige, and desired fame, so the words and letters that had been taught did not engross him or take root in him. He became known as Yaśaskāma. Through the merit he had previously acquired, he pleased many quintillions of buddhas, and having pleased them he honored them, venerated them, respected them, made offerings to them, worshiped them, and revered them.

1.19

“At that time, Ajita, the bodhisattva Śrīgarbha was a dharmabhāṇaka. Do not have any doubt or uncertainty that he was someone else. Why is that? It is because at that time I was the dharmabhāṇaka Śrīgarbha. The bodhisattva Yaśaskāma had become lazy. Ajita, at that time, on that occasion, you were the lazy bodhisattva Yaśaskāma.

“Ajita, when in this teaching I saw the light ray of this kind that was the Bhagavān’s omen, I thought that the Bhagavān intended to teach the great extensive sūtra, the Dharma teaching of The White Lotus of the Good Dharma.”

Then Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta taught that meaning extensively, at that time reciting these verses:

“I remember a time in the past,
Inconceivable, innumerable eons ago,
When there was a jina, a supreme being,
Whose name was Candra­sūrya­pradīpa.⁸⁵ {57}

“That guide of beings taught the good Dharma
And guided countless millions of beings.
He established many countless billions
Of bodhisattvas in wisdom.⁸⁶ {58}

“When that guide had been a prince,
He had eight sons at that time.
When they saw the great muni’s renunciation
They gave up all desires and themselves became renunciants. {59}

“That lord of the world taught the Dharma,
The Supreme Infinite Teaching Sūtra.
It was also named The Very Extensive Sūtra,
And he taught it to billions of beings. {60}

“As soon as that guide had taught
He sat cross-legged, and in that instant
The best of munis, sitting on the Dharma throne,
Meditated in the samādhi of the supreme infinite teaching. {61}

“There fell a rain of divine flowers and coral tree flowers,
There was the sound of drums without drums being beaten,
And devas and yakṣas were present in the sky,
Making offerings to the supreme human. {62}

1.20

“At that moment the entire world shook.
There was then this wonder and marvel:
The Guide emitted a single, very beautiful
Ray of light from between his eyebrows. {63}

“That ray of light shone into the east
And illuminated and beautified all the worlds
In the entirety of eighteen thousand realms,
Revealing the deaths and births of beings. {64}

“Some realms that were made of jewels,
And some that were the color of beryl,
And various beautiful realms were revealed
Through the power of the Guide’s light ray. {65}

“The devas and humans, the yakṣas and nāgas,
The apsarases, gandharvas, and kinnaras
Who were engaged in offering to the Sugata,
Were revealed to also be offering in those realms. {66}

“The self-arisen buddhas themselves were visible,
As beautiful as pillars of gold.
Like gold in the midst of beryls,
They taught the Dharma in the midst of their followers. {67}

“The śrāvakas there were beyond number;
Those śrāvakas of the sugatas were numberless.
All in each of those realms of those guides⁸⁷
Were made visible by the light of the light ray. {68}

“Children of the lords of men were revealed
Who were residing and practicing in the mountains,
Who were diligent, with unimpaired conduct,
Had faultless conduct, and were like precious jewels. {69}

“Bodhisattvas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges
Were all revealed by that light ray.
They had given away all their possessions,
Were resolute, had the power of patience, and delighted in meditation. {70}

“The heart children of the sugatas were revealed;
They were immovable and unshakable,
Patient, delighting in meditation, and resting in samādhi,
Established through meditation in the highest enlightenment. {71}

“Those at the level of true peace, who were without defilements
And who had great knowledge, were revealed.
They also taught the Dharma in many worlds,
Having such an activity through the power of the sugatas. {72}

“When the fourfold assembly of protectors
Saw this power of Candrārkadīpa,⁸⁸
They all were filled with joy

1.21

And asked each other, ‘What is this?’ {73}

“Not long after the humans, maruts, and yakṣas made offerings,
The Guide of the World arose from samādhi
And he said at that time these words to Varaprabha,
The wise dharmabhāṇaka bodhisattva: {74}

“ ‘You who are wise, who are the eyes and path for the world,
You who are a trustworthy holder of my Dharma,
You who have been a witness to my Dharma treasure,
Teach it so that it will be of benefit to beings.’ {75}

“The numerous bodhisattvas were heartened⁸⁹ by this,
Were filled with joy, and praised and lauded him.
Then throughout an entire sixty intermediate eons
That jina taught the supreme Dharma. {76}

“The supreme highest Dharma that the protector of the world
Taught while he was seated upon a single seat,
All of it was held by the son of the jina,
By the dharmabhāṇaka Varaprabha. {77}

“That jina taught the supreme Dharma
And brought happiness to many beings.
Then on that day the guide declared
Before the whole world and its devas: {78}

“ ‘I have taught this method of the Dharma;
I have explained exactly the nature of the Dharma.
Bhikṣus, today is the time of my nirvāṇa—
It will be at midnight on this night. {79}

“ ‘Be dedicated to this my teaching,
Attentively, and with deep faith;
Even during the passing of a quintillion eons
It is difficult to find a jina, a great rishi.’ {80}

“As soon as they heard the word nirvāṇa
Spoken by that supreme human,
The many children of the Buddha were distressed
And they experienced the greatest suffering. {81}

“The king, the lord of humans,
Reassured the countless millions of beings:
‘Bhikṣus, do not be afraid of my nirvāṇa.
There will come a buddha after me. {82}

“ ‘This wise bodhisattva Śrīgarbha,
Who has realized the immaculate wisdom,
Will reach the highest, supreme enlightenment,⁹⁰
And he will become the jina Vimalāṅganetra.’⁹¹ {83}

“At midnight of that night, causes ended
And he was extinguished⁹² like a flame.
His relics were very extensive;

1.22

There were endless quintillions of stūpas. {84}

“The bhikṣus and likewise the bhikṣuṇīs
Who were established in the path to supreme enlightenment
And were dedicated to the teaching of that Sugata
Were not few, but were as numerous as the Ganges sands. {85}

“At the time, the dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣu
Varaprabha, who held his teaching,
Taught the supreme Dharma of that teaching⁹³
During the entirety of eighty intermediate eons. {86}

“He had eight hundred students,
And he ripened all of them.
They saw many millions of buddhas
And they honored those great sages. {87}

“During that time, they practiced appropriately
And then they became buddhas in many worlds.
One after another, according to their sequence,
They prophesied the next one’s supreme enlightenment. {88}

“In that succession of buddhas
The last one was Dīpaṃkara,
The sage, supreme deva, revered by multitudes,⁹⁴
Who guided ten billion beings. {89}

“In the past, the Sugata’s son
Who taught the Dharma, Varaprabha,
Had a student who was idle and covetous
And desirous of gain and the prestige of knowledge. {90}

“He had an overwhelming longing for fame
And wandered from town to town.
He thus received the entire recitation of the teaching
But at that time he had not grasped the teaching. {91}

“He thus gained this name of Yaśaskāma,
Which became renowned everywhere.
And he, through having accomplished
This good karma⁹⁵ that was adulterated,⁹⁶ {92}

“He served ten billion buddhas
And made vast offerings to them.
Through thus practicing appropriately
He has here seen Buddha Śākyasiṃha. {93}

“He will here become one who is in his final lifetime
And will subsequently attain supreme enlightenment.⁹⁷
He will become a bhagavān in the Maitreya family
And he will guide ten billion beings. {94}

“You were the one who, in that way,
Was the person idle during the time
Of the teaching of that sugata who had passed into nirvāṇa,
And at that time, I was the dharmabhāṇaka. {95}

1.23

“I, through that cause and that basis,⁹⁸
Have seen today the same kind of omen
As the celebrated omen of the wisdom,
Which I previously saw at that time. {96}

“The constant Lord of Jinas with all-seeing eyes,
The Śākya emperor who has seen the ultimate truth,
Also has the wish to speak and to give
The supreme teaching that I heard at that time. {97}

“That omen will today be fulfilled:
Śākyasiṃha will be establishing
The skillful method of the guides;
The seal on the nature of phenomena will be taught. {98}

“Be dedicated, have good aspiration, and place palms together;
The compassion that benefits the world will be taught.
An endless rain of the Dharma will fall,
Which will please those who are established in the cause of enlightenment. {99}

“Whatever doubts there may be,
Whatever uncertainty or vacillation
They will be eliminated in those born from wisdom,
In the bodhisattvas fixed upon enlightenment.” {100}

Chapter 2

Skill in Methods

Then the Bhagavān mindfully and knowingly arose from that samādhi. Having arisen from it, he addressed Brother Śāriputra.⁹⁹

“Śāriputra, the wisdom of the buddhas, which is profound, difficult to see, and difficult to understand, has been realized by the tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas. It is difficult for all śrāvakas and pratyeka­buddhas to know. Why is that? Śāriputra, the tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas have served many hundred thousand quintillions of buddhas; they have practiced for the highest, complete enlightenment with many hundred thousand quintillions of buddhas; they have followed them for a long time; they have been diligent;

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