The Lotus Sūtra 4.31

4.31

爾時世尊見學、無學二千人，其意柔軟，寂然清淨，一心觀佛。佛告阿難：「汝見是學、無學二千人不？」

But now that he has become my eldest son,

He reveals it to the sentient beings.

His thousands of myriads

Of koṭis of merits are uncountable and incalculable;

He will become established in the Buddha-Dharma

And seek the highest path.

Then the Bhagavat perceived that the minds of those two thousand peo-

ple, some of whom had more to learn and some of whom did not, were sin-

cere, mild, and receptive. They were all attentively gazing at the Buddha.

The Buddha said to Ānanda: “Do you not see these two thousand people,

some of whom have more to learn and some of whom do not?”

Ānanda replied: “Yes, I see them.”

The Buddha said: “O Ānanda! All of these people will pay homage to the Buddha Tathāgatas, whose number is equal to that of the grains of dust in fifty worlds. They will respect, honor, and preserve the treasure house of the Dharma and will later all become buddhas simultaneously in the worlds of the ten directions. They will all have the same name, Ratnaketurāja, a Tathāgata, Arhat, Completely Enlightened, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Departed, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed, Tamer of Humans, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Bhagavat. Their lifespans will last one kalpa. The adornments of their lands, the number of śrāvakas and bodhisattvas, and the duration of the True and Semblance Dharma will be the same for all.”

Thereupon the Bhagavat, wanting to elaborate on the meaning of this

Now in my presence

These two thousand śrāvakas

Have all received their predictions.

In the future they will all become buddhas.

The buddhas they will revere

Will be equal to the number of grains of dust,

Just as mentioned above.

Preserving this treasure house of the Dharma,

They will later attain complete enlightenment.

They will all have the same name

And dwell in the lands of the ten directions.

All sitting at the exact same time,

On the terrace of enlightenment,

They will attain the highest wisdom.

All of them will be called Ratnaketurāja.

Their lands, the number of disciples,

Duration of the True and Semblance Dharma

Will all be the same without any difference.

Moreover, through their transcendent powers,

They will save sentient beings

Throughout the ten directions.

Their fame will spread universally

And they will gradually enter nirvana.

Then the two thousand people, some of whom had more to learn and some of whom did not, having heard their predictions from the Buddha, rejoiced ecstatically and spoke in verse:

O Bhagavat, the Light of Wisdom!

We have just heard you give us our predictions

And our minds are full of joy,

Just as if we had been sprinkled

With the Dharma of immortality.

The Expounder of the Dharma

Thereupon the Bhagavat by addressing Bodhisattva Bhaiṣajyarāja (Medicine King), through him addressed eighty thousand mahāsattvas, saying: “O Bhaiṣajyarāja! In this assembly do you see innumerable humans and nonhumans such as devas, nāga kings, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen, those seeking the śrāvaka vehicle, the pratyekabuddha vehicle, and the buddha path? If, in the presence of the Buddha any beings such as these hear a single verse or line of the Lotus Sutra, and thereupon have even one thought of rejoicing in it, I will bestow upon them my prediction that they will attain highest, complete enlightenment.”

The Buddha addressed Bhaiṣajyarāja, saying: “If, after the parinirvāṇa of the Tathāgata, any being hears even a single verse or line of the Lotus Sutra, and thereupon has even one thought of rejoicing in it, I will bestow upon them the prediction that they will attain highest, complete enlightenment.

“If there is anyone who preserves, recites, explains, or copies even a single verse of the Lotus Sutra, or who respects this sutra as if it were a buddha, or who reverently offers it various flowers, perfumes, necklaces, fragrant ointments, scented powders, burning incense, canopies, flags, banners, clothing, or music, or who simply honors it with his palms pressed together, know, O Bhaiṣajyarāja, that this person has already paid homage to tens of myriads of koṭis of buddhas of the past! Such people have completed their great vow in the presence of all the buddhas and yet they have been born as humans out of their compassion for sentient beings.

“O Bhaiṣajyarāja! If anyone should ask you what kind of sentient being will become a buddha in the future, you should inform them that it is those of this kind who will definitely become buddhas in the future. Why is this?

“If there are any sons or daughters of a virtuous family who preserve, recite, explain, and copy even a single line of the Lotus Sutra, or who pay homage to this sutra with various offerings of flowers, perfumes, necklaces,

scented powders and ointments, burning incense, canopies, flags, banners,

clothing, or music, or who honor it with their palms pressed together, such

people should be respected by the entire world. They should be revered in

the same way as the Tathāgata is revered. Know that these people are great

bodhisattvas who are to attain highest, complete enlightenment. Out of their

compassion for sentient beings they wish to be born among them in order to

expound and explain the Lotus Sutra far and wide. How much more to be

honored are those who completely preserve the entire sutra and pay homage

to it with various offerings!

“O Bhaiṣajyarāja! You should know that after my parinirvāṇa these

people will set aside the rewards of their pure karma and be born in the trou-

bled world out of their compassion for sentient beings, and in order to expound

this sutra far and wide. After my parinirvāṇa, if there are any sons and daugh-

ters of a virtuous family who expound even a single line of the Lotus Sutra

in private to even a single person, they should be acknowledged as the ambas-

sadors of the Tathāgata. They have been dispatched by the Tathāgata and

carry out the Tathāgata’s work. As for those who extensively teach among

the common people, know that they are yet greater ambassadors.