འཕགས་པ་འཇམ་དཔལ་གྱ་རྩ་བའ་རྒྱད 365

365

for the benefit of beings. I taught this king of manuals in order to restrain and guide those who offend against the Three Jewels—the evil kings and the wicked beings.²⁴³⁶ I taught this king of manuals with its detailed sections for the sake of all beings.”

Chapter 38

At that time the blessed Śākyamuni again directed his gaze at the realm of the Pure Abode and spoke to Mañjuśrī, the divine youth:

“Listen, Mañjuśrī!

“Briefly, there are detailed [teachings on] the characteristics of the mudrās and the mantras, the procedures of the maṇḍalas and the association-based²⁴³⁷ distribution of mudrās therein, and the secret maṇḍala of all the mantra [deities] in all the tantras.²⁴³⁸

“All of them were taught before
By every buddha of great majesty.
The exalted function of the mantras
Was explained for each of the families²⁴³⁹
By the former buddhas from the earliest time
To bring benefit to sentient beings.

“Having set in motion the mantra wheel,
Which constitutes the supreme wheel of the Dharma,
They dissolved into the ultimate reality,
Mounted upon the wheel of peace.
All these buddhas, very powerful in the world,
Entered the peace [of nirvāṇa].

“All this was formerly taught
By the tathāgatas since the beginning of time.
I, too, will teach it [now] in this final world,
Putting my trust, Mañju,²⁴⁴⁰ in you.”

The divine youth Mañjughoṣa,
Hearing these words
Of the buddha of great splendor,
Folded his hands before him,

And said to the best of speakers,²⁴⁴¹
The fully realized buddha, supreme among two-legged beings,
“Teach the Dharma, O sagacious one,
To bring benefit to the world!

“Teach it in a succinct manner, without elaborating,
Causing the greatness of its qualities to bear fruit.”
Having said this,