འཕགས་པ་གསར་འད་དམ་པ་མད་སྡའ་དབང་པའ་རྒྱལ་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 18

18

Greatness of the world’s lord,
The protector, the Tathāgata.

“The scope of the buddhas is inconceivable.
The tathāgatas are without any equal.
All buddhas are always in peace.
All buddhas appear perfectly.⁶⁵

“All buddhas have the same color;⁶⁶
That is the intrinsic nature of the buddhas.
The Bhagavat⁶⁷ is not fabricated,
And the Tathāgata is not produced.

“He has a body like a vajra.
He manifests an illusory body.⁶⁸
The great Ṛṣi does not have relics,
Not even of the size of a mustard seed.

“How could there be relics
From a body without bones or blood?
Relics are left through skillful methods
In order to bring benefit to beings.

“The perfect Buddha is a Dharma body.
The Tathāgata is a Dharma realm.
That is what the Bhagavat’s body is like.
That is what teaching the Dharma is like.

“I made that request for the sacred object
Having already heard and understood that.
I⁶⁹ spoke in that way
In order to reveal the truth.”⁷⁰

Then thirty-two thousand devas, having heard that profound teaching on the lifespan of the Tathāgata, all developed the aspiration for the highest, most complete enlightenment. With joyful mental thoughts and with one voice,⁷¹ they recited these verses:

“The Buddha does not pass away.
The Dharma does not disappear.
Passing into nirvāṇa is manifested
In order to bring beings to maturity.

“The Bhagavat is inconceivable;
The Tathāgata’s body is eternal.
He demonstrates a variety of displays
In order to bring benefit to beings.”

Then the bodhisattva Ruciraketu, having heard the teaching on the lifespan of the Bhagavat Śākyamuni from both those buddha bhagavats and those excellent individuals, arose from his seat, and with his palms together in homage, bowed