妙法蓮華經 1.20

1.20

'Mañjuśrī! Why has the Guide / emitted from the white ūrṇā between his brows / a great light that shines everywhere, / and rained māndārava and mañjūṣaka flowers, / while a sandalwood-scented breeze / delights the minds of the assembly? / By this cause and condition, / the earth is everywhere adorned and pure, / and this world / quakes in six ways. / At that time the fourfold assembly / all rejoice, / their bodies and minds glad and refreshed, / obtaining what they never had before. / The light from between his brows / shines to the east / on eighteen thousand lands, / all turned to a golden hue, / from the Avīci hell / upward to the summit of existence. / Within those worlds, / the living beings of the six destinies, / the paths of their births and deaths, / their good and bad karmic conditions, / and the fine or ugly retributions they receive— / all are seen here. / Further, we behold the Buddhas, / holy masters and lions, / proclaiming the scriptures, / subtle, wondrous, supreme. / Their voices are pure, / sending forth gentle sounds / to teach bodhisattvas / by countless hundreds of millions, / with brahma-sounds profound and wondrous, / making all delight to hear them. / Each in his own world / preaches the true Dharma / through various causes and conditions. / With immeasurable similes, / they illuminate the Buddha-Dharma / and enlighten sentient beings. / If people suffer distress, / weary of aging, sickness, and death, / for their sake they preach nirvāṇa, / ending all bounds of suffering. / If people possess merit, / have made offerings to Buddhas, / and set their intent on the superior Dharma, / for their sake they preach the pratyekabuddha [path]. / If there are Buddha-sons / cultivating various practices / seeking unsurpassable wisdom, / for their sake they preach the pure path. / Mañjuśrī! / As I abide here, / I see and hear such things / and thousands of millions of matters, / numerous like this, / which I shall now briefly recount. / I see in those lands / bodhisattvas numerous as the sands of the Ganges, / seeking the Buddha path / through various causes and conditions. / Some practice giving / of gold, silver, coral, / pearls, maṇi jewels, / giant clamshells, agates, / diamonds, and various gems, / male and female slaves, carriages, / jewel-adorned litters and palanquins, / gladly giving them away. / Dedicating [their merit] toward the Buddha path, / they vow to attain this vehicle, / foremost in the three realms, / praised by all the Buddhas. / Some bodhisattvas give / jewel carts with four horses, / balustrades and flower canopies, / and decorative carriages. / Again, I see bodhisattvas giving / their flesh, hands, and feet, / and their wives and children, / seeking the unsurpassable path. / Again, I see bodhisattvas gladly giving / their heads, eyes, and bodies, / seeking the Buddha's wisdom. / Mañjuśrī! / I see kings / going to the Buddha's presence / to ask of the unsurpassable path, / thereupon abandoning pleasant lands, / palaces, ministers, and concubines, / shaving their hair and beards, / and donning the Dharma robes. / Or I see bodhisattvas / becoming bhikṣus, / dwelling alone in peaceful quiet, / delighting in reciting the scriptures. / Again, I see bodhisattvas, / heroic and vigorous, / entering deep mountains / to contemplate the Buddha path. / Again, I see those who have renounced desires / constantly abiding in seclusion, / deeply cultivating dhyāna-concentration, / and attaining the five supernatural faculties. / Again, I see bodhisattvas / settled in dhyāna with palms joined, / praising the Dharma Kings / with thousands and tens of thousands of verses. / Again, I see bodhisattvas, / profound in wisdom and firm in will, / able to question the Buddhas, / hearing and completely upholding [their words]. / Again, I see Buddha-sons / endowed with concentration and wisdom, / preaching the Dharma to the assembly / with immeasurable similes. / Delighting in preaching the Dharma, / they transform bodhisattvas, / crush Māra's hosts, / and strike the Dharma drum. / Again, I see bodhisattvas / silent and at peace, / respected by devas and nāgas, / yet taking no joy in it. / Again, I see bodhisattvas / dwelling in forests and emitting light / to relieve the suffering of the hells / and lead them to enter the Buddha path. / Again, I see Buddha-sons / who have never slept, / walking in meditation through the forest, / diligently seeking the Buddha path. / Again, I see those keeping the precepts, / their deportment flawless, / pure as jewel beads, / thereby seeking the Buddha path. / Again, I see Buddha-sons / abiding in the power of patience, / so that when arrogant people / revile and beat them, / they can endure it all, / thereby seeking the Buddha path. / Again, I see bodhisattvas / renouncing all jest and frivolity / and foolish retinues, / associating with the wise, / single-mindedly dispelling distraction, / focusing their thoughts in mountain forests / for billions of years, / thereby seeking the Buddha path. / Or I see bodhisattvas giving / fine food and drink / and hundreds of medicinal broths / to the Buddha and the Saṅgha. / Exquisite robes and fine garments, / worth thousands and tens of thousands, / or priceless garments, / they give to the Buddha and the Saṅgha. / Sandalwood jewel chambers / by thousands, tens of thousands, and millions, / and various wondrous bedding, / they give to the Buddha and the Saṅgha. / Pure parks and groves / with lush flowers and fruits, / flowing springs and bathing ponds, / they give to the Buddha and the Saṅgha. / Such gifts as these, / various, wondrous, and subtle, / they give joyfully without wearying, / seeking the unsurpassable path. / Or there are bodhisattvas / who preach the Dharma of tranquil extinction, / giving various instructions / to countless living beings. / Or I see bodhisattvas / contemplating the nature of all dharmas / as devoid of a duality of marks, / just like empty space. / Again, I see Buddha-sons / whose minds are unattached, / who with this wondrous wisdom / seek the unsurpassable path. / Mañjuśrī! / There are also bodhisattvas / who, after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, / make offerings to the relics. / Again, I see Buddha-sons / building stūpas and shrines, / countless as the Ganges' sands, / to adorn the realms. / The jewelled stūpas, high and wondrous, / are five thousand yojanas in height / and equal in length and breadth, / two thousand yojanas. / At each stūpa and shrine / are a thousand banners and pennants, / pearl nets and open-air canopies, / with jewel bells sounding in harmony. / Devas, nāgas, and spirits, / humans and non-humans, / with fragrant flowers and instrumental music, / constantly make offerings. / Mañjuśrī! / These Buddha-sons, / to make offerings to the relics, / adorn the stūpas and shrines / so that the lands are naturally / singularly magnificent and fine, / like the king of heavenly trees / when its flowers bloom. / The Buddha has emitted a single light, / and I and the gathered assembly / behold these lands / in all their diverse wonders. / The supernatural powers and wisdom of the Buddhas are rare: / emitting a single pure ray of light, / it illumines immeasurable lands. / Seeing this, / we have attained what we never had before. / Son of the Buddha, Mañjuśrī! / We pray you resolve the doubts of the assembly. / The fourfold assembly looks up in joyful anticipation, / gazing upon you and me. / Why has the Bhagavat / emitted this radiance? / Son of the Buddha, answer in due time; / resolve our doubts and cause us to rejoice. / For what benefit / is this radiance set forth? / Is it to preach this wondrous Dharma / which the Buddha attained / while seated at the place of awakening? / Or is he about to bestow vyākaraṇa? / The display of all the Buddha lands, / adorned and pure with many jewels, / and the sight of all the Buddhas, / is no minor cause. / Mañjuśrī, you should know: / the fourfold assembly, the nāgas, and the spirits / gaze upon you, benevolent one; / what will you say to them?'