妙法蓮華經 7.80

7.80

cult to meet a buddha, just as it is to see uḍumbara flowers or for a

one-eyed turtle to find the hole in a floating piece of wood. Because

of our profound merits accumulated in the past, we were born to meet

the Buddha-Dharma. For this reason our father and mother should

allow us to renounce household life. Why is this? Because it is diffi-

cult to meet buddhas and it is also difficult to obtain an opportunity

for meeting them.

“At that time eighty-four thousand women in the palace of King Śubhavyūha all became capable of preserving this Lotus Sutra. Bodhisattva Vimalanetra had already been versed in the saddharmapuṇḍarīka samādhi for a long time and Bodhisattva Vimalagarbha had also been versed in the sarvasattvapāpajahana samādhi for immeasurable hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of kalpas, for he wanted all sentient beings to be separated from evil states of being. The consort of that king attained the sarvabuddhasaṃgīti samādhi and the secret treasure house of the buddhas was revealed to her. In this way the two sons inspired their father through the power of their skillful means and caused him to have faith and pleasure in the Buddha-Dharma.

“Then King Śubhavyūha together with his subjects and retinue, Queen Vimaladatta together with her servants and retinue, and the two princes together with forty-two thousand people came before the Buddha at the same time. Having approached the Buddha, they bowed until their foreheads touched his feet, then circled around him three times and sat to one side.

“At that time the Buddha expounded and taught the Buddha-Dharma for the king’s sake, greatly benefiting and rejoicing him. Then King Śubhavyūha and his queen took off their pearl necklaces worth hundreds of thousands and scattered them over the Buddha. In the air they transformed into a four-pillared jeweled platform. On the platform was a great jeweled bed, spread with hundreds of thousands of myriads of heavenly clothes. The Buddha sat crosslegged upon it, emitting great rays of light. Then King Śubhavyūha thought:

The Buddha’s form is marvelous, most superior in dignity, and given

perfection by the most delicate countenance.

“Thereupon the Buddha Jaladharagarjitaghoṣasusvaranakṣatrarājasaṃkusumitābhijña addressed the fourfold assembly, saying:

Do you see King Śubhavyūha standing with his palms pressed together

in my presence? This king has become a monk in my Dharma. He will

diligently practice the Dharma that aids those on the buddha path, and

will become a buddha. He will be called Śālendrarāja. His land will

be called Vistīrṇavatī and the kalpa Abhyudgatarāja. With this buddha

Śālendrarāja will be innumerable bodhisattvas and śrāvakas. His land

will be level. Such will be his merits.

“That king immediately gave his kingdom to his younger brother. He renounced household life and practiced the Buddha-Dharma together with his queen, two sons, and their retinue. For a period of eighty-four thousand years after their renunciation the king continued to make diligent efforts and practiced the Lotus Sutra. After this he attained the sarvaguṇālaṃkāravyūha