妙法蓮華經 5.30

5.30

O Bhagavat! Are you at ease?

Are you without illness or pain?

Are you fatigued with leading

And inspiring sentient beings?

Do the sentient beings accept

Your guidance easily or not?

Do they not tire the Bhagavat?

At that time the Bhagavat spoke to the great assembly of bodhisattvas, saying: “It is exactly like this, O sons of a virtuous family! It is exactly so! The Tathāgata is at ease and without illness or pain. It is easy to save sentient beings, and I am not fatigued. Why is this? Because sentient beings have continually received my guidance throughout many lives, and they have also planted roots of good merit by revering and honoring the buddhas of the past.

“When these sentient beings first saw me and heard my teaching, all, except for those who had previously practiced and studied the inferior vehicle, immediately believed and accepted it and entered the Tathāgata’s wisdom. Now I enable even such people as these to listen to this sutra and enter the Buddha’s wisdom.”

Then the great bodhisattvas spoke these verses:

Splendid, splendid!

O Bhagavat, Great Hero!

All the sentient beings

Can easily be brought to the path.

They can ask about

The profound wisdom of the buddhas.

Hearing about it, they trust and accept it.

We rejoice about this.

At that time the Bhagavat praised the foremost of the great bodhisattvas, saying: “Splendid, splendid, O sons of virtuous family! Thoughts of joy regarding the Tathāgata have awakened in you.”

Then Bodhisattva Maitreya and the assembly of bodhisattvas equal in

number to the sands of eight thousand Ganges Rivers thought this:

Looking far into the past, we have never seen or heard of such an

assembly of great bodhisattva mahāsattvas, who have now emerged

from the earth and are standing before the Bhagavat with their palms

pressed together in reverence, asking the Tathāgata questions.

Then Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Maitreya, knowing the minds of the bodhi-

sattvas whose number was equal to the sands of eight thousand Ganges

Rivers, and wanting to clear up their confusion, faced the Buddha with the

palms of his hands pressed together and addressed him in verse, saying:

We have never seen such a great assembly

Of incalculable thousands of myriads of koṭis

Of bodhisattvas before.

We entreat you, O Best of Humans,

To explain it to us!

Where have they come from?

For what reason have they gathered here?

They look magnificent

And have great transcendent powers.

Their wisdom is beyond our comprehension.

They are firm in their resolve,

Have the power of great perseverance,

And an appearance that sentient beings

Desire to see.

Where have they come from?

Each of these bodhisattvas is leading

A retinue whose number is incalculable,

Like the sands of the Ganges River.

Some great bodhisattvas are leading retinues

Equal in number to the sands

Of sixty thousand Ganges Rivers.

Great are the assemblies,

Singlemindedly seeking the buddha path.

These great leaders, equal in number To the sands of sixty thousand Ganges Rivers, Have come all together to pay homage to the Buddha And preserve this sutra. The number of bodhisattvas leading retinues Equal in number to the sands of fifty thousand Ganges Rivers is even greater; And the number of bodhisattvas who lead retinues Equal in number to the sands of forty thousand, Thirty thousand, twenty thousand, ten thousand, One thousand, one hundred, even one, one half, One third, one fourth, one myriadth of a koṭi Of the sands of a Ganges River exceeds even these. There are disciples who number Thousands of myriads of nayutas, Myriads of koṭis, or even half a koṭi. Their numbers also exceed that mentioned above. There are also disciples in retinues Of one million, ten thousand, One thousand, one hundred, fifty, ten, Even three, two, or one in number. There are also great bodhisattvas Who have come without retinues, Desiring to be in solitude. The number of those Who have come before the Buddha Is far beyond any calculation. If anyone counted the number of such a great assembly With bamboo counting-sticks, he would not finish Even after exhausting kalpas greater in number Than the sands of the Ganges River. Who has taught the Dharma To this assembly of bodhisattvas, Endowed with great dignity and perseverance? Who has inspired and perfected them?

Under whom did the thought of enlightenment

First awaken in them?

Which Buddha-Dharma do they praise?

Whose sutra have they preserved and practiced?

And which buddha path have they followed?

Such bodhisattvas as these,

Endowed with transcendent powers

And the power of great wisdom,

Have all emerged out of the earth,

Which quaked in the four directions

And split asunder.

O Bhagavat! We have never seen

Such a thing before.

We entreat you to tell us the name

Of the land from where they have come.

We have been constantly traveling

In various regions,

Nevertheless we have never seen

Such a thing before.

We do not know even a single person

In this assembly.

All of a sudden

They have emerged from the earth.

We entreat you to explain the reason why.

All of the immeasurable hundreds of thousands

Of koṭis of bodhisattvas in this great assembly