經律異相 6.40

6.40

At that time, in front of the Buddha, there was a seven-jeweled stupa, five hundred yojanas in height, and two hundred and fifty yojanas in length and breadth, which welled forth from the earth and stayed in mid-air. It was adorned with various precious substances. Five thousand railings, tens of millions of niches and chambers, and countless banners and streamers were used as its ornaments. Jeweled necklaces hung down, and hundreds of millions of jeweled bells were suspended above it. From all four sides issued the fragrance of tamālapattra and candana, permeating the entire world. Its various banners and canopies were composed of the seven jewels: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, musāragalva, agate, pearl, and amber. It reached up as high as the palaces of the Four Heavenly Kings. The gods of the Thirty-Three Heavens rained down divine māndārava flowers in offering to the jeweled stupa. Down to the eight classes [of beings], they made offerings to the jeweled stupa with all kinds of flowers, incense, necklaces, banners, canopies, and music. At that time, a great voice issued from the stupa, praising: 'Excellent, Śākyamuni Buddha! With impartial wisdom, you teach the bodhisattvas the Dharma.' When the four assemblies heard the voice issuing from the stupa, they all attained the joy of the Dharma and marveled at this unprecedented event. Within this jeweled stupa was the entire body of a Tathāgata. In the past, immeasurable tens of millions of asaṃkhyeya worlds away in the east, there was a land named Jewel Purity; the Buddha's name was Many Treasures (Prabhūtaratna). When that Buddha was practicing the bodhisattva path, he made a great vow: 'If, after I attain Buddhahood and enter extinction, in the lands of the ten directions there is a place where the Lotus Sūtra is preached, my stupa-shrine, in order to hear the sūtra, shall well forth and appear before it to bear witness. If someone preaches the Lotus [Sūtra], the relics of my whole body within the stupa shall utter praise, saying: "Excellent!"' The Bodhisattva Great Joy in Preaching (Mahāpratibhāna) said to the Buddha: 'Bhagavat, we wish to see the body of this Buddha.' The Buddha said: 'The Buddha Prabhūtaratna has a profound and weighty vow: "When my jeweled stupa appears before the Buddhas to hear the Lotus Sūtra, if anyone wishes to show my body to the four assemblies, the replica Buddhas of that Buddha in the ten directions must all return together to one place, and only then will my body appear."' Great Joy in Preaching said: 'We also wish to see the replica Buddhas of the Bhagavat.' The Buddha emitted a single ray of light from his white curl between the eyebrows. [The light reached] the Buddhas in the east, west, south, north, the four intermediate directions, above, and below. Each of those Buddhas told his assembly of bodhisattvas: 'Good men, I must now go to the Saha world, to the place of Śākyamuni Buddha, and also make offerings to the jeweled stupa of Prabhūtaratna Tathāgata.' Then the Saha world immediately became pure: lapis lazuli formed the ground, jeweled trees were arrayed as adornments, golden cords marked off the eight roads, and there were no villages, towns, cities, great oceans, rivers, mountains, streams, forests, or marshes. Great precious incense was burned, and all the devas and humans were relocated to other lands. At that time, each of the Buddhas brought along one great bodhisattva as an attendant, arrived in the Saha world, and each went beneath a jeweled tree. Beneath each tree was a lion throne, five hundred yojanas high. The Buddhas of the ten directions all assembled and sat in the eight directions. The Buddhas wished together to open the jeweled stupa, so they arose from their seats and stood in empty space. The entire four assemblies stood up, joined their palms, and single-mindedly gazed at the Buddha. Thereupon Śākyamuni Buddha, with his right finger, opened the door of the seven-jeweled stupa. It emitted a great sound, like the drawing back of a lock and key. The entire great assembly saw Prabhūtaratna Tathāgata seated on the lion throne within the jeweled stupa, his whole body intact, as if he had entered meditative absorption. They also heard him say: 'Excellent! Excellent! Śākyamuni Buddha, you have delightfully preached this Lotus Sūtra. I have come to this place to hear this sūtra.' At that time, the four assemblies and others, seeing a Buddha who had entered extinction immeasurable thousands of myriads of koṭis of kalpas ago speak such words, praised it as unprecedented, and scattered masses of divine jeweled flowers upon Prabhūtaratna Buddha and Śākyamuni Buddha. Then Prabhūtaratna Buddha, within the jeweled stupa, yielded half of his seat to Śākyamuni Buddha to sit upon. Śākyamuni Buddha then sat on that half of the seat, and with his supernatural powers, he drew the entire great assembly up so that they were all in empty space. (From the fourth fascicle of the Lotus Sūtra)