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དམ་པའ་ཆས་པད་མ་དཀར་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 9

The White Lotus of the Good Dharma 9

Language
English

9.2

will see the outside and inside of the world realm of a thousand million worlds, with its mountains⁴⁷⁷ and forests, seeing all as far down as the Avīci hell and as far upward as the summit of existence. With ordinary eyes of flesh they will see all the birthplaces of beings, and know the ripening of their karma.”

Thereupon the Bhagavān spoke these verses:

“Hear from me what are the qualities in store
For those who fearlessly teach this sūtra
In the middle of an assembly,
Teaching it without idleness. {1}

“Their eyes will be beautified
By eight hundred qualities.
Therefore those eyes will be stainless,
Unpolluted, and pure. {2}

“With the physical eyes
That have come from their parents
They will see the entire world realm,
From the outside and from the inside. {3}

“They will see all of the Merus,
Sumerus, and Cakravālas;
So, too, will they also see
The other well-known mountains,⁴⁷⁸ and the oceans. {4}

“Those wise ones will see everything,
From as far down as the Avīci hell
To as high up as the summit of existence;
That is what their physical eyes will be like. {5}

“They will still not have divine eyes
And so they will not have that knowledge.
But that is the way it will be
For the field of vision of their physical eyes. {6}

“Moreover, Satata­samitābhiyukta, the noble man or noble woman who teaches and explains to others this Dharma teaching will have those twelve hundred qualities of the ears. They will hear all the outer and inner sounds that arise in the world realm of a thousand million worlds, from as far down as the Avīci hell to as high up as the summit of existence, such as the sounds of elephants, the sounds of horses, the sounds of camels, the sounds of oxen, the sounds of goats, the sounds of carts, the sounds of weeping, the sounds of misery, the sounds of fear,

9.3

the sounds of conches, the sounds of bells, the sounds of drums, the sounds of play, the sounds of song, the sounds of music, the sounds of men, the sounds of women, the sounds of boys, the sounds of girls, the sounds of the Dharma, the sounds of that which is not the Dharma, the sounds of happiness, the sounds of suffering, the sounds of fools, the sounds of the āryas, the sounds that are pleasant, the sounds that are unpleasant, the sounds of devas, the sounds of nāgas, the sounds of yakṣas, the sounds of gandharvas, the sounds of asuras, the sounds of garuḍas, the sounds of kinnaras, the sounds of fire, the sounds of water, the sounds of the air, the sounds of villages, the sounds of towns, the sounds of bhikṣus, the sounds of śrāvakas, the sounds of pratyeka­buddhas, the sounds of bodhisattvas, and the sounds of tathāgatas—all the sounds that arise outside and inside within a world realm of a thousand million worlds.

“Although they will not yet have accomplished divine hearing, they will understand the sounds of each and every being and be able to differentiate them and understand them by listening with that ordinary faculty of the ears. That faculty of the ears will hear the sounds that the various beings make but the faculty of hearing will not be overwhelmed by all those sounds. Satata­samitābhiyukta, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas will acquire that kind of sense of hearing, but will not yet at that time have attained divine hearing.”

As soon as the Tathāgata had said these words, the Teacher added these verses:

“Their ordinary faculty of hearing
Will becomes unpolluted and purified
And they will hear without exception
The many different sounds in this world realm. {7}

“They will hear the sounds of elephants and horses,
And of carriages, oxen, goats, and sheep,
Of bherī drums and mṛdaṅga drums,
Vīṇas, flutes, and vallakīs.

9.4

{8}

“They will hear sweet, melodious song,
But the constant ones will have no attachment.
They will hear the millions of voices of humans,
Whatever⁴⁷⁹ they say and wherever they say it. {9}

“They will continually hear the voices of the devas
And their sweet and melodious songs.⁴⁸⁰
They will hear the voices of men and women,
And also the voices of boys and girls. {10}

“They will hear where they are the beautiful songs
Of cuckoos, peacocks, and avadavats,
Partridges and other birds
Living in the mountains or in caves. {11}

“They will hear the dreadful cries
Of beings who are suffering in the hells
And the sounds that are made by pretas
Tormented by the suffering of no food. {12}

“They will hear the voices of the asuras,
Those who dwell in the ocean, and others.
Those dharmabhāṇakas, while staying where they are,
Will hear all those sounds without being overwhelmed. {13}

“While staying where they are they will hear
The multitude of different sounds
That those born as animals make
When they communicate with each other. {14}

“They will hear, without exception,
All that is said between the devas
In the realm of Brahmā,
In Akaniṣṭha, and Ābhāsvara. {15}

“They will continually hear the voices
Of those bhikṣus who are mendicants in the Sugata’s teaching
And are performing their daily recitation,
And those who are teaching the Dharma to assemblies. {16}

“They will hear separately all the voices
Of bodhisattvas in this world realm
Doing daily recitations or speaking with each other,
And whatever it is they say about the Dharma. {17}

“The bodhisattvas who possess this sūtra
Will also hear at the very same time
A buddha bhagavān, a trainer and leader of beings,
Teaching the highest Dharma to his assembly. {18}

“The multitude of sounds that beings emit
Throughout all these thousand million worlds,

9.5

Whether they are inside somewhere or outside,
As far down as Avīci and up to the summit of existence, {19}

“They will hear all those sounds made by beings
Without their hearing being obstructed.
Their faculty will be clear and they will know each place of origin,
And that will be the nature of their ordinary hearing faculty. {20}

“They will not yet have the divine hearing;
Their ordinary hearing faculty will be like this.
The ones who fearlessly possess this sūtra
Will acquire such qualities as these. {21}

“Moreover, Satata­samitābhiyukta, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas who possess this Dharma teaching, teach it, recite it, or write it will have the eight hundred qualities of the nose; the sensory faculty of their nose will be completely purified.

“That completely pure nasal faculty will sense the multitude of different smells, both inside and outside in the world realm of a thousand million worlds, such as rotten smells, pleasant smells, and unpleasant smells.

“They will smell the scents of different flowers, namely, the scents of royal jasmine, jasmine, magnolias, and bignonia flowers.

“They will smell the scent of water-borne flowers, namely, the scents of blue lotuses, red lotuses, night lotuses, and white lotuses.

“They will smell the scent of the flowers of various fruit- and flower-bearing trees, and the scent of fruits, namely, the scents of sandalwood, bay leaves, valerian, and agarwood.

“If there are a hundred thousand aromas in one place they will smell them all and know them all.

“They will also smell the many different scents of animals, namely, the scents of elephants, horses, oxen, goats, sheep, and cattle.

“They will smell the scents of the bodies of many different kinds of creatures reborn as animals.

“They will smell the scents of the bodies of men and of women. They will smell the scents of the bodies of boys and girls. They will smell the scents of grasses, bushes,

9.6

herbs, and forests that are far away. They will smell them correctly and know what they are, but they will not be fascinated by those smells; they will not be intoxicated by them.

“While being here in this world, they will smell the scents of the devas, namely, the scents of the divine night-flowering jasmine, orchid tree, coral tree, great coral tree, spider lily, and great spider lily flowers. They will smell the scents of a hundred thousand different kinds of divine flowers and know their names.

“They will smell the scents of the bodies of the devas; namely, they will smell the scent of the body of Śakra, lord of devas, and know if he is enjoying amusements and pleasures in Vaijayanta, his palace; if he is teaching the Dharma to the devas of Trāyastriṃśa in Sudharma, the assembly hall of the devas; or if he has come into the park there for pleasure. They will also smell the scents of the bodies of other devas. They will also smell the scents of the bodies of the deva maidens and the deva wives. They will also smell the scents of the bodies of the deva boys. They will also smell the scents of the bodies of the deva girls. They will not be fascinated by those smells, or intoxicated by them.

“In that way they will smell the scents of the bodies of beings up to the summit of existence. They will smell the scents of bodies of the Brahmakāyika devas and of the Mahābrahmās. In that way they will smell the scents of the bodies of all classes of devas.

“They will smell the scents of the bodies of śrāvakas, pratyeka­buddhas, bodhisattvas, and tathāgatas. They will smell the scents of the thrones of the tathāgatas. They will know where the tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas are seated. Their nasal faculty will not be overwhelmed, impaired, or damaged by those multitudes of smells.”

9.7

Thereupon the Bhagavān spoke these verses:

“The nasal faculty will be purified
And they will smell the many kinds of smells,
The pleasant and unpleasant smells that there are
In this entire realm of worlds, {22}

“The scent of jasmine and royal jasmine,
Sandalwood and bay leaves,
Valerian and agarwood,
And many kinds of flowers and fruits. {23}

“In that way they will know the smells of beings,
Those of men and of women who are far away.
And by the smells of boys and of girls
They will know where they are located. {24}

“They will know the smells of cakravartin kings,
Bala­cakra­vartin kings, and rulers of regions.
In the same way they will know the smells of
The princes, the princesses, and the harems. {25}

“The bodhisattvas will know through their smells
The many kinds of jewels that are enjoyed:
Those that have been deposited under the ground
And those that are owned by women. {26}

“The bodhisattvas will know through their smells
Whatever are used as adornments,
The different materials that are worn on the body:
Clothing, garlands, ointments, and perfumes. {27}

“The ones who possess this supreme sūtra,
Those resolute ones will know through the power of smell
All⁴⁸¹ who are standing, sitting, or lying down,
Enjoying pleasures, or in possession of miraculous powers.⁴⁸² {28}

“Similarly, they will instantly smell
The aroma of perfumed sesame oil
And the various aromas of fruits and flowers,
And know the particular places those aromas are. {29}

“The wise ones will know from their scents
The multitudes of blossomed sandalwood trees
In the various declivities of mountains,
And the various beings that dwell among them. {30}

“The wise ones will know from their scents
Those beings who dwell on the Cakravāla mountains,
Those who dwell in the middle of the ocean,
And those who dwell in the center of the earth. {31}

9.8

“In that way, through the power of their nose
They will know the devas and asuras,
And they will know the asura maidens,
And know the delights of the asuras. {32}

“Through their sense of smell they will know the dwellings
Of the four-legged animals in the forests:
The lions, tigers, and likewise, supreme elephants,
Wild water buffalo, oxen, and gaurs. {33}

“They will know through their smells
Those women who are pregnant
And whether it is a boy or a girl
Carried inside their weary bodies. {34}

“They will know that a being has entered the womb.
They will know if that being is going to be destroyed.
They will know if the woman is going to be free of suffering
And will give birth to a meritorious boy. {35}

“In that way they will smell the aromas of wishes⁴⁸³
And know the many wishes of people.
They will also smell the aromas of desire,
Anger, hypocrisy, and peaceful minds. {36}

“The bodhisattvas will know from their aromas
Whatever treasures there are in the earth:
Chests of iron that are filled with wealth—
With gold, with silver, and with cowries. {37}

“They will know through their aromas
All pearls, jewels, short and long necklaces,
Priceless jewels of many kinds,
And their names and lusters. {38}

“In the same way, the heroes, while in this world,
Will smell the divine flowers that are above,
Which are the coral tree, the spider lily,
And the night-flowering jasmine flowers. {39}

“While in this world, through their nasal faculty
They will smell the aromas of the airborne palaces,
The greater, the medium, and the lesser,
And whatever kinds of forms they have. {40}

“They will know also where the devas are—
The park, Sudharma, or Vaijayanta—
And in that way know the excellent palaces
In which the devas are enjoying delights. {41}

“While in this world, through smelling aromas
They will know through those aromas
Where the devas are and what they are doing,
Whether they are sitting, walking, or lying down. {42}

9.9

“The bodhisattvas will know through their smells
The bodies of deva maidens beautified by many flowers,
Wherever they go, wherever they enjoy themselves,
Adorned and beautified by constantly worn garlands. {43}

“And they will also know through their aromas
The devas above, up to the summit of existence;
Brahmās and Mahābrahmās traveling in their airborne palaces;
And those resting in dhyāna and those who have arisen from it. {44}

“They will know the devas of Ābhāsvara,
Their deaths and rebirth, and those there for the first time.
That is what the sense of smell will be like
For bodhisattvas who possess this sūtra. {45}

“Those bodhisattvas will know every one
Of the bhikṣus who, whether walking or sitting,
Are dedicated to the Sugata’s teaching,
The bhikṣus who delight in reciting the scripture. {46}

“The wise ones will know by their aroma
All śrāvakas, the sons of the jinas—
Some of whom stay always at the foot of a tree—
Thinking, ‘That bhikṣu is in that place.’ {47}

“The bodhisattvas will know by their aromas
The bodhisattvas with mindfulness and dhyāna
Who are constantly reciting the scriptures
And teaching the Dharma in the assemblies. {48}

“They will know a lord of the world through his aroma:
A sugata, a great muni, who in whatever direction
Is teaching the Dharma with compassionate altruism
In the midst of a śrāvaka saṅgha that is looking at him. {49}

“The bodhisattvas while in this world will know
Also all of the followers of a jina,
Those beings who listen to his Dharma,
And having heard it are overjoyed. {50}

“That is the power of smell that they will acquire,
But they still will not have the divine sense of smell.
They will have that which is the forerunner
Of the immaculate divine sense of smell. {51}

“Moreover, Satata­samitābhiyukta, the noble man or noble woman who possesses this Dharma teaching, teaches it, explains it, and has it written out

9.10

will attain twelve hundred qualities of the sensory faculty of the tongue.

“With that sense of the tongue, whatever taste is experienced, whatever taste is perceived, and any taste with which the sensory organ of the tongue comes into contact, will all become an excellent divine taste. Any delightful taste that has not been experienced before will be experienced. Whatever taste is unpleasant will be transformed, when it comes in contact with the tongue, into a divine flavor.

“When they teach the Dharma in the midst of an assembly, they will bring pleasure to the senses of those beings. They will be satisfied, completely satisfied and overjoyed. The words they hear will be beautiful, delightful, and profound. They will touch the heart and be beloved. They will make those beings happy and they will rejoice.

“Whenever they teach the Dharma to anyone, the devas, hearing the beautiful, delightful sound, will come to them so as to see them, pay homage to them, honor them, and listen to the Dharma. Male and female devas will wish to come to them so as to see them, pay homage to them, honor them, and listen to the Dharma. Śakras, Brahmās, and Brahmakāyika devas will wish to come to them so as to see them, pay homage to them, honor them, and listen to the Dharma. Male and female nāgas will wish to come to them so as to see them, pay homage to them, honor them, and listen to the Dharma. Male and female garuḍas will wish to come to them so as to see them, pay homage to them, honor them, and listen to the Dharma. Male and female kinnaras, male and female mahoragas,⁴⁸⁴ male and female yakṣas, and male and female piśācas will wish to come to them so as to see them, pay homage to them, honor them, and listen to the Dharma. They will revere them, venerate them, admire them, make offerings to them, praise⁴⁸⁵ them, and show them respect.

“They will also wish to see the bhikṣus and bhikṣuṇīs, and the upāsakas and upāsikās.

9.11

They will wish to see the kings, the princes, and the king’s ministers. They will wish to see and to revere the bala­cakra­vartin king, the cakravartin who possesses the seven jewels, with his princes, his ministers, his harem, and his attendants.

“Those dharmabhāṇakas will teach the beautiful Dharma exactly as it was spoken by the Tathāgata. Brahmins, householders, and other people of the towns⁴⁸⁶ and the land will always, continuously be their followers, and attendants of the dharmabhāṇakas, until the end of their lives.

“The Tathāgata’s śrāvakas will also wish to see them. The pratyeka­buddhas will also wish to see them. The buddha bhagavāns will also wish to see them.

“Wherever that noble man or noble woman is, they will be teaching the Dharma in the presence⁴⁸⁷ of the Tathāgata. They will have become vessels for the Buddha’s Dharma. They will emit the profound, beautiful words of the Dharma.”

Thereupon the Bhagavān spoke these verses:

“The faculty of their tongue will be excellent:
They will never experience an inferior taste,
For as soon as there is contact with it, food will become divine
And acquire a divine flavor. {52}

“They will speak with a voice that is gentle and pleasant,
Beautiful and pleasing to the ear.
In the midst of the assembly they will always teach
With profound words that bring delight, {53}

“Whoever hears the Dharma that they teach,

9.12

By means of many quintillions of parables,
Will experience there the greatest joy
And make countless offerings. {54}

“Devas, nāgas, asuras, and guhyakas
Will wish to always look upon them
And they will listen to the Dharma with great reverence:
They will have all those qualities. {55}

“If they wish it, in this world realm
Everyone will hear their voice.
Their pleasant, sweet, profound,
And beautiful words will bring them joy. {56}

“The cakravartin sovereign kings
Will come before them to make offerings.
With their children and wives, hands together in homage,
They will constantly listen to the Dharma. {57}

“Crowds of yakṣas, nāgas, and gandharvas
Will constantly be honoring them.
Male and female piśācas will honor them,
Revere them, and make offerings to them. {58}

“Even Brahmā will be obedient to them.
Maheśvara, the deva Īśvara,
Śakra, and similarly other devas—
A multitude of devas will come to them. {59}

“The buddhas, the compassionate benefiters of the world,
And their śrāvakas will hear their voices,
Reveal their faces to them, protect them,
And be pleased with their teaching of the Dharma. {60}

“Moreover, Satata­samitābhiyukta, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas who possess this Dharma, read it, teach it, explain it, or write it out, will attain eight hundred qualities of the body. Their bodies will be purified. Their skin will be the pure color of beryl, and will bring happiness to those beings who see it.

“They will see the world realm of a thousand million worlds within their purified bodies. They will see in their bodies all the beings in the world realm of a thousand million worlds, whether they are dying or being born, good or bad, of a good color or a bad color, in the higher existences or the lower existences, dwelling on the Cakravāla or Mahācakravāla Mountains,

9.13

on the kings of mountains, Meru or Sumeru, or who live as far down below as the Avīci hell or as high above as the summit of existence.

“They will see in their own bodies the bodies that have been attained by the śrāvakas, pratyeka­buddhas, bodhisattvas, and tathāgatas who are present in the world realm of a thousand million worlds, and of those to whom the tathāgatas are teaching the Dharma, and the beings who are honoring those tathāgatas. Why is that? It is because their bodies will have become completely purified.”

Thereupon the Bhagavān spoke these verses:

“The ones who possess this vast sūtra
Will have bodies that are completely purified,
As pure as if they were made of beryl
And will always bring joy to the beings who see them. {61}

“Just as a reflection appears in a clean⁴⁸⁸ mirror,
In that way they will see the worlds appear in their bodies.
They, the self-arisen ones, will see that and no other being;
That is what these purified bodies will be like. {62}

“They will see within their bodies the images of
Whatever beings there are in this world realm:
Humans, devas, asuras, and guhyakas,
Hell beings, pretas, and those born as animals. {63}

“In that way they will see in their bodies
All the airborne palaces of devas up to the summit of existence,
The mountains of rock, the Cakravāla mountains,
The Himalayas, Sumeru, and the great Meru. {64}

“In that way they will see the buddhas in their bodies,
With their śrāvakas and other offspring of the buddhas,
The bodhisattvas who are dwelling alone,
And those teaching the Dharma among crowds. {65}

“They will acquire that kind of pure body,
In which appears the entire world realm.

9.14

They will still not have acquired the divine body;
Such will be their natural body. {66}

“Moreover, Satata­samitābhiyukta, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas who possess this Dharma, read it, teach it, explain it, or write it out will attain twelve hundred qualities of mental activity, and their mental faculty will be purified. Those who have a purified mental faculty will understand many meanings from hearing just one verse. And, comprehending that, they will be able to teach it for a month, for four months, or for a year. They will never forget any Dharma that they have been taught. They will be able to apply to the Dharma all of the world’s languages, incantations, and mundane terminology. They will know all the movement and activity in the minds of all those beings born in the six classes of existence in the world realm of a thousand million worlds.

“Even though they will not yet have attained the wisdom of the āryas, they will still have acquired that kind of purified mental faculty. Whatever Dharma definition they have contemplated, they will teach, and they will teach all of that correctly. They will teach all that the Tathāgata has taught. They will teach all the Dharma teachings taught by the jinas of the past.”

Thereupon the Bhagavān spoke these verses:

“Their mental faculty will become pure,
Clear, bright, and unobscured.
They will know the many kinds of phenomena:
The good, the bad, and the neutral. {67}

“When the resolute ones hear one verse
They will know many meanings within it.
They will be able to teach that correctly and consistently,
Continually for four months or a year.

9.15

{68}

“The devas, humans, asuras, and guhyakas,
The nāgas and those born as animals,
The beings dwelling in this world realm,
Whether they are outside or inside— {69}

“All those beings who dwell in the six existences—
Whatever kinds of thoughts they have,
The wise ones will know them all in one instant.
These are the benefits from possessing this sūtra. {70}

“The Dharma that is taught in all worlds by
The Buddha who has the signs of hundreds of merits,
They will hear even those completely pure words,
And they will remember everything that has been taught. {71}

“They will contemplate many supreme dharmas.
They will always teach many dharmas,
And they will never have any confusion.
These are the benefits from possessing this sūtra. {72}

“They will know the major and minor connections
And the differing qualities within all the dharmas.
They will know the meanings and the definitions,
And they will teach exactly what it is they know. {73}

“Without being timorous, in the center of the assembly
They will always give the teaching of the Dharma
That is the sūtra that has been taught in this world
For a long time by previous masters of the world. {74}

“Their mental faculty will become like that
Through possessing and reading this sūtra.
They will still not have attained unimpeded wisdom,
But this is what will presage it. {75}

“The holders of this sūtra of the Sugata
Will reach the level of an ācārya,
Teach the Dharma to all beings,
And be skilled in millions of definitions.” {76}

Chapter 19

Sadāparibhūta

Then the Bhagavān said to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, “Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, you should know that this Dharma teaching is like this: Whoever rejects this Dharma teaching, and scolds, rebukes, and speaks crudely⁴⁸⁹ and harshly to the bhikṣus,

9.16

bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās who possess such a sūtra as this, will experience the undesirable result ripening from that, which is that they will be unable to speak words. Whoever possesses such a sūtra as this, reads it, studies it, teaches it, and teaches it extensively to others will have the desirable result ripening from that, which is, as I have said before, that they will attain purified eyes, nose, ears, tongue, body, and mind.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, in the past, in a time gone by, countless, innumerable, incalculable, vast asaṃkhyeya eons ago, at that time, in that era, in the Vinirbhoga eon, in the world realm Mahāsaṃbhavā, 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 Bhīṣma­garjita­svara­rāja.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, the bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Bhīṣma­garjita­svara­rāja, in that world realm Mahāsaṃbhavā, taught the Dharma before the world with its devas, humans, and asuras in this way: 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.⁴⁹⁰ 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.

9.17

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, the bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Bhīṣma­garjita­svara­rāja’s lifespan was a hundred thousand quintillion eons, as numerous as the grains of sand in four Ganges Rivers. After he passed into nirvāṇa, his Dharma remained for hundreds of thousands of quintillions of eons, as numerous as the atoms in Jambudvīpa. The outer form of his Dharma remained for hundreds of thousands of quintillions of eons, as numerous as the atoms in four continents.

“Then, Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, after both the Dharma and the outer form of the Dharma of the bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Bhīṣma­garjita­svara­rāja, who had passed into nirvāṇa, had ceased to exist, another tathāgata, arhat, perfectly enlightened buddha Bhīṣma­garjita­svara­rāja appeared in the world realm Mahāsaṃbhavā.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, in that way, one after another, there appeared two million quintillion tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas named Bhīṣma­garjita­svara­rāja in the world realm Mahāsaṃbhavā.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, in the Vinirbhoga eon, in the world realm Mahāsaṃbhavā, when the bhagavān who was the first tathāgata, arhat, perfectly enlightened buddha, one with perfect wisdom and conduct, sugata, knower of the world, unsurpassable guide who tamed beings, teacher of gods and humans, buddha, bhagavān named Bhīṣma­garjita­svara­rāja had passed into nirvāṇa,

9.18

his Dharma had ceased to exist, and the outer form of his Dharma was coming to an end; his teachings were being trodden down by arrogant bhikṣus. Then there appeared a bodhisattva mahāsattva bhikṣu named Sadāparibhūta.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, why was that bodhisattva mahāsattva named Sadāparibhūta?

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, whenever that bodhisattva mahāsattva saw a bhikṣu or bhikṣuṇī, an upāsaka or upasikā, he would come before them and say, ‘I do not ridicule you, brothers and sisters. You are not ridiculous. Why is that? It is because you have all been practicing bodhisattva conduct and you will all become tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas.’

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, in this way, whenever that bodhisattva mahāsattva bhikṣu saw a being, even if he was far away, he would come before them and make that proclamation. He did not recite scripture or a daily recitation, but would come before a bhikṣu or bhikṣuṇī, an upāsaka or upasikā and say, ‘I do not ridicule you, brothers and sisters. You are not ridiculous. Why is that? It is because you have all been practicing bodhisattva conduct and you will all become tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas.’

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, when that bodhisattva mahāsattva bhikṣu made that proclamation before a bhikṣu or bhikṣuṇī, an upāsaka or upasikā, or anyone, most of them became angry, malicious, and disbelieving. They abused and scolded him, thinking, ‘Why does this bhikṣu, without our asking,

9.19

say that he does not intend to ridicule us? And yet he does ridicule us, because he gives us a prophecy of our highest, complete enlightenment, without our having thought of it or wished for it.’

“Mahāsthāmaprāpta, that bodhisattva mahāsattva spent many years being scolded and abused in that way, but he never had any anger or malice toward anyone. When he made such a proclamation and they threw clods and and sticks at him, he would call to them with a loud voice from a distance, saying, ‘I do not ridicule you!’ Therefore the arrogant bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās to whom he constantly made his proclamations gave him the name Sadāparibhūta.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, when the bodhisattva mahāsattva Sadāparibhūta was near death, when he was dying, he heard this Dharma teaching The White Lotus of the Good Dharma. The tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Bhīṣma­garjita­svara­rāja had taught this Dharma teaching in twenty hundred thousand quintillion times a hundred thousand trillion⁴⁹¹ verses. The bodhisattva mahāsattva Sadāparibhūta, when he was dying, when he was near death, heard from the air the words of this Dharma teaching. Without anyone speaking, he heard these words from the air. He remembered this Dharma teaching and attained pure eyes, a pure nose, pure ears, a pure tongue, a pure body, and a pure mind. As soon as he had attained those purities, he empowered his composite life to continue for a further twenty hundred thousand quintillion years and proclaimed widely this Dharma teaching.

“Those arrogant bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās

9.20

to whom he had previously said, ‘I am not ridiculing you,’ and who gave him the name Sadāparibhūta, when they saw the might of the power of his miracles, the might of the power of his commitment, the might of the power of his eloquence, and the great might of the power of his wisdom, they became his followers in order to listen to the Dharma.

“He also taught many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of other beings, and they were all introduced to the highest, complete enlightenment.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, that bodhisattva mahāsattva, having passed away from that life, then pleased twenty thousand million tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas who were all named Bhīṣma­garjita­svara­rāja, and in all those times he taught this Dharma teaching. Through that previous root of merit he eventually pleased twenty thousand million tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas who were all named Meghasvararāja, and in all those times he possessed this Dharma teaching of The White Lotus of the Good Dharma and taught it to the fourfold assemblies. In all those times he possessed pure eyes. He also possessed a pure nose, pure ears, a pure tongue, a pure body, and a pure mind.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, that bodhisattva mahāsattva Sadāparibhūta revered, venerated, worshiped, made offerings to, praised,⁴⁹² and showed respect to many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of tathāgatas.

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He revered, venerated, worshiped, made offerings to, and praised⁴⁹³ many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of buddhas. In all those times he possessed this Dharma teaching of The White Lotus of the Good Dharma. Through the ripening of his previous root of merit, he attained the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, the one known by the fourfold assemblies as Sadāparibhūta at the time, on that occasion of the teaching of the bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Bhīṣma­garjita­svara­rāja, pleased that number of tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas. If you doubt, are uncertain, are unsure, or are wondering if the bodhisattva mahāsattva Sadāparibhūta was someone else, then, Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, do not have such a view. Why not? Because at that time, on that occasion, I was the bodhisattva mahāsattva Sadāparibhūta.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, if I had not previously obtained and possessed this Dharma teaching I would not have quickly attained the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood in this way.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, in that way I obtained this Dharma teaching directly from the tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas of the past, and read it and taught it. That is why I quickly attained the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Sadāparibhūta proclaimed this Dharma teaching, which had been taught by the Bhagavān, to many hundreds of bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās, saying, ‘I do not ridicule you.

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You have all been practicing bodhisattva conduct and you will all become tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas.’

“Those who felt malice toward that bodhisattva did not see a tathāgata, nor hear the word Dharma, nor hear the word saṅgha for twenty thousand million eons. They experienced the unendurable suffering of the great Avīci hell for ten thousand eons. When they were all freed from that obscuration of karma, that bodhisattva mahāsattva ripened them for the highest, complete enlightenment.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, if you doubt, are uncertain, are unsure, or are wondering who at that time, on that occasion, were the beings who disparaged and censured that bodhisattva mahāsattva, Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, they are the five hundred bodhisattvas such as Bhadrapāla, and the five hundred bhikṣuṇīs, such as Siṃhacandrā, and the five hundred upāsikās, such as Sugatacetanā, who are in this assembly, who are all irreversibly progressing to the highest, complete enlightenment.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, there is that kind of great benefit from the aggregation of merit acquired by those who possess and teach this Dharma teaching. It causes the bodhisattva mahāsattvas to attain the highest, complete enlightenment.

“Therefore, Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, when I, the Tathāgata, have passed into nirvāṇa, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas should continuously possess this Dharma teaching, teach it, read it, and explain it.”

Thereupon the Bhagavān spoke these verses:

“I remember a time in the past

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When there appeared Bhīṣma­garjita­svara­rāja,
The guide of devas, humans, yakṣas, and rākṣasas.
Devas and humans made offerings to that great muni. {1}

“When that jina had passed into nirvāṇa,
In the final stage of the disarray of the Dharma
There appeared a bodhisattva bhikṣu,
And his name was Sadāparibhūta. {2}

“He came before other bhikṣus, and similarly
Those who believed in objective truth,
Saying, ‘I would never ridicule you.
You are practicing for the highest enlightenment.’ {3}

“He made this proclamation,
Always enduring abuse and condemnation.
When he was dying,
He heard this sūtra. {4}

“Then the wise one did not die at that time
And his life was empowered to be extremely long,
And within the teaching of that Guide,
In that time he taught this sūtra. {5}

“He even ripened for enlightenment
All those who had the view of objective truth.
Then, after that bodhisattva passed away,
He pleased thousands of millions of buddhas. {6}

“Through that merit he created
He always taught this sūtra, and finally
That bodhisattva attained enlightenment,
And he was me, Śākyamuni. {7}

“In that time the wise one proclaimed enlightenment
To the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas,
And upāsikās who were there at that time,
And who held the view of objective reality. {8}

“They saw many millions of buddhas;
Those who numbered no fewer than five hundred,
Are the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs,
and upāsakas present before me now. {9}

“They all heard from me the highest Dharma
And it was I who ripened them all.
When I am in nirvāṇa, all these heroes
Will be holders in this world of this highest sūtra. {10}

“For many millions of endless eons
This kind of Dharma will never be heard.
Even though billions of buddhas appear
This sūtra will not be taught by them. {11}

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“Therefore, when you have heard this kind of
Dharma taught by a self-arisen one,
You should obtain it again and again,
And when I am in nirvāṇa teach this sūtra.” {12}

Chapter 20

The Tathāgata’s Miracles

Then those hundreds of millions of quintillions of bodhisattvas who had emerged from the ground, as numerous as the atoms in a world realm, placed their hands together in homage and said to the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, we will teach this Dharma teaching in all the buddha realms where the Tathāgata has passed into nirvāṇa, and in the buddha realms where the Bhagavān will pass into nirvāṇa.

“Bhagavān, we will possess this vast Dharma teaching, and read it, teach it, explain it, and write it out.”

At this, many hundred thousands of quintillions of bodhisattvas, such as Mañjuśrī, who dwelled in the world realm Sahā, as well as bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, upāsikās, devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, nonhumans, and bodhisattva mahāsattvas as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges River, said to the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, when the Tathāgata has passed into nirvāṇa, we shall teach this Dharma teaching. Bhagavān, without a body we will reside in the air and we will proclaim it with our voices. We will make beings who are without roots of merit create roots of merit.”

9.25

Then the Bhagavān said to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Vi­śiṣṭa­cāritra—the one who was foremost among the previously described multitudes, great multitudes, and masters of the multitudes of bodhisattva mahāsattvas—and said to the multitudes, great multitudes, and masters of the multitudes of bodhisattva mahāsattvas, “Excellent, Vi­śiṣṭa­cāritra, excellent! Do so! The Tathāgata ripened you for the sake of this Dharma teaching.”⁴⁹⁴

At that moment both the bhagavān, tathāgata Śākyamuni and the bhagavān who had passed into nirvāṇa, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Prabhūtaratna, who were seated on a lion throne inside the stūpa, smiled. From the mouths of both, the organs of their tongues emerged. Those tongues extended as far as the realm of Brahmā, and from both those tongues many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of light rays radiated. From those light rays, from each light ray, there emanated many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of bodhisattvas whose bodies were the color of gold, who possessed the thirty-two signs of a great being, and were seated upon lion thrones in the center of lotuses. Those bodhisattvas went to hundreds of thousands of world realms in the main and intermediate directions. In those main and intermediate directions they taught the Dharma while remaining in midair.

Just as the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Śākyamuni and the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Prabhūtaratna performed this miracle with their tongues, tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas in other hundreds of thousands of quintillions of world realms,

9.26

who were seated on their individual lion thrones at the foot of precious trees, also performed this miracle with their tongues.

The Bhagavān Śākyamuni, Tathāgata Prabhūtaratna, and all those tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas performed this miracle for a hundred thousand years. Then, after a hundred thousand years had passed, the tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas concluded their miracle, and simultaneously, in the same instant, the same moment, the same second, made the great sound of clearing their throats and the sound of snapping their fingers once. That great sound of clearing their throats and the great sound of their finger snaps shook all the hundreds of thousands of quintillions of buddha realms in the ten directions. They shook, shook strongly, shook intensely; shuddered, shuddered strongly, shuddered intensely; and quaked, quaked strongly, and quaked intensely. All the devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans who were in those buddha realms, while remaining there, through the power of the buddhas saw this Sahā world realm. They saw the hundreds of thousands of quintillions of tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas seated on their individual lion thrones at the foot of precious trees, the bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Śākyamuni and the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Prabhūtaratna seated upon a lion throne in the center of the stūpa, and the fourfold assembly.

9.27

Seeing them they were astonished, amazed, and overjoyed, and they heard these words that came from the air: “Oh friends, beyond countless, innumerable hundreds of thousands of quintillions of world realms the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Śākyamuni is teaching to bodhisattva mahāsattvas the Dharma teaching, the extensive sūtra called The White Lotus of the Good Dharma, which is an instruction for bodhisattvas that is possessed by all buddhas. You should, with a superior motivation, rejoice in this! Pay homage to the bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Śākyamuni! Make offerings to him!”

All those beings, having heard those words from the air, while remaining in their worlds now said, “We pay homage to the bhagavān tathāgata Śākyamuni!” In order to make offerings to the bhagavān tathāgata Śākyamuni and this Dharma teaching of The White Lotus of the Good Dharma, they placed their hands together in homage and scattered in the direction of this Sahā world realm many flowers, incenses, perfumes, garlands, ointments, powders, monastic robes,⁴⁹⁵ parasols, banners, divine flags, and banners of victory. They also scattered jewelry, clothing, long necklaces, short necklaces, jewels, and many kinds of precious materials. All those flowers, incenses, perfumes, garlands, ointments, powders, robes, parasols, banners, divine flags, banners of victory, long necklaces, short necklaces, jewels, and precious materials came to this Sahā world realm.

9.28

All those flowers, incenses, perfumes, garlands, ointments, powders, robes, parasols, banners, divine flags, banners of victory, long necklaces, short necklaces, jewels, and precious materials covered the all-inclusive Sahā world realm. At the same time they also covered those other hundred thousand quintillion world realms. In those hundred thousand world realms where those tathāgatas were present, the skies above them were each completely covered by a vast canopy of flowers.

Then the Bhagavān said to Vi­śiṣṭa­cāritra and the other bodhisattva mahāsattvas, “Noble ones, the tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas have inconceivable power. Noble ones, in order to bestow upon you this Dharma teaching, I could teach the many kinds of benefits through many aspects of the Dharma for many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of eons; but even if I were to teach these benefits, I would not have finished describing the many kinds of benefits of this Dharma teaching.

“Noble ones, in brief, all the dharmas of the Buddha, all that is preeminent from the Buddha, all the great secrets of the Buddha, all the profundities of the Buddha, I teach within this Dharma teaching.

“Therefore, noble ones, after the Tathāgata has passed into nirvāṇa you should be in possession of this Dharma teaching. You should teach it, write it out, read it, explain it, meditate upon it, and make offerings to it.

“Noble ones, wherever this Dharma teaching is read, taught, explained,

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written out, contemplated, spoken about, chanted, or made into texts, whether it is a park, a temple, a palace, the foot of a tree, a house, or a cave, a caitya for the Tathāgata should be erected in that place. Why is that? It is because that place should be perceived as being the Bodhimaṇḍa of all the tathāgatas. It should be perceived as the place where all the tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas attain the highest, complete enlightenment of complete buddhahood. It should be perceived as the place where all the tathāgatas turn the wheel of the Dharma, and the place where all the tathāgatas pass into nirvāṇa.

Thereupon the Bhagavān spoke these verses:

“Those who are established in the wisdom of higher knowledge,
Those who have the inconceivable nature⁴⁹⁶ of benefiting the world,
Those who have infinite vision demonstrate miracles
For the sake of bringing joy to all beings. {1}

“Their tongues reach the realm of Brahmā
And they radiate thousands of light rays.
They demonstrate those amazing miracles
In order to lead beings to the highest enlightenment. {2}

“The buddhas make the sound of clearing their throats
And they make the sound of a single finger snap.
Those sounds are heard in all world realms,
As many worlds as there are in the ten directions. {3}

“Those compassionate and benefiting ones
Demonstrate those and other miracles, those qualities,
So that beings become overjoyed and in later times,
After the Sugata’s nirvāṇa, they will uphold this sūtra. {4}

“Though I were for many billions of eons
To praise those who are the offspring of the Sugata,
Who are upholders of this highest sūtra
When the Guide of the World has passed into nirvāṇa, {5}

“There would still be no end to their qualities,

9.30

Just as it is with directions and space.
Those who constantly uphold this sūtra
Have qualities beyond conception. {6}

“The one who sees me here and all these guides,
As well as this Guide of the World who has entered nirvāṇa,
And sees all this multitude of bodhisattvas
And this fourfold assembly, {7}

“That is someone who on this day pleases me
And this lord of jinas who has entered nirvāṇa,
And he pleases all those other guides
Who are present in the ten directions. {8}

“The one who upholds this sūtra
Will see and make offerings
To the buddhas of the past, present, and future,
And all those in the ten directions. {9}

“Whoever upholds this true Dharma, this sūtra,
Will be contemplating the Bodhimaṇḍa.
They will know the great secret of the supreme beings⁴⁹⁷
And they will soon be in meditation upon it. {10}

“Whoever is an upholder of this sūtra
Will have eloquence that is endless.
Just as the wind has no impediment
They will know the Dharma, meanings, and definitions. {11}

“They will always know the interconnection of the sūtras,
And the intention of the guides when they taught.
They will know the true meaning of the sūtras
Of the Guide who has passed into nirvāṇa. {12}

“They will bring radiance and light,
As do the sun and the moon.
They will travel on the earth, here and there,
And will establish many bodhisattvas. {13}

“Therefore, the wise bodhisattvas
Who have heard these kinds of benefits
Should uphold this sūtra after my nirvāṇa
And there is no doubt that they will attain enlightenment.” {14}

Chapter 21

Dhāraṇīs

⁴⁹⁸Then the bodhisattva mahāsattva Bhaiṣajyarāja rose from his seat, removed his upper robe from one shoulder, knelt on his right knee,

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