འཕགས་པ་འཇམ་དཔལ་གྱ་རྩ་བའ་རྒྱད 144

144

desired to satisfy their individual needs, whatever food they wished for, that had manifested for them. Whatever food preparations the beings desired to appease the pains of hunger, whatever drinks the thirsty ones wanted to drink, a stream of water along with the eight articles of offering, [all this] fell down exactly wherever it was wished for.

“All the beings, for their part, had on that occasion, at that particular time, the suffering of their hunger completely pacified and all their thirst completely removed. The entire assembly became greatly amazed and elated and rejoiced at the Blessed One’s words. Joyfully they bowed their heads to his feet and disappeared at that very moment. Lord Kāśyapa, for his part, said, ‘Lord Śākyamuni and I sojourned on earth as tathāgatas. At that time this mantra was taught in this king of manuals and celebrated.’⁸⁵⁹

“This mantra⁸⁶⁰ ought to be accomplished for the benefit of all beings, in particular the mantra reciters, to remove their hunger and thirst, just as it was previously accomplished by the reciter [Kāśyapa]. If one does not feel up to wandering around for the sake of alms, one should climb to a mountaintop and recite that mantra six hundred thousand times,⁸⁶¹ living on the three pure food products⁸⁶² or milk dishes.

“There, on the mountaintop, one should install the medium painting of Noble Mañjuśrī and, as before, offer a big pūjā [followed] by a big bali offering of food. Employing the mantra taught by Kāśyapa and other perfectly awakened buddhas, one should make a fire of cutch tree sticks and offer into it, [while reciting the mantra], one thousand and eight sticks of either the cluster fig or bilva tree, nine inches long, [moist with sap], and smeared with curds,⁸⁶³ honey, and ghee.

“Then, at the midnight hour, a great whirlwind will arrive in the form of a black cloud.