佛說觀佛三昧海經 1

English (machine translation) 1

Language: English

1.1

Translated by the Indian Tripiṭaka Master Buddhabhadra under the Eastern Jin dynasty

At one time the Buddha was dwelling in Kapilavastu, at the Nyagrodhārāma. At that time, Mahānāman invited the Buddha and the saṅgha to receive offerings for three months, and on the fifteenth day of the seventh month the saṅgha's pravāraṇā was completed.

1.5

At that time, his royal father Śuddhodana and the Buddha's maternal aunt Gautamī came to the monastery to make offerings to the community of monks. When the prostrations were completed, they presented tooth-sticks and bath-powders, and then called Ānanda, saying: "I now wish to go before the Bhagavat. May I do so?"

1.6

At that time, Ānanda immediately conveyed these words to address the Bhagavat. The Buddha told Ānanda: "When the royal father comes, he will certainly ask about the wonderful Dharma. Go and inform all the bhikṣus throughout the monastery, and go into the forest to summon Mahākāśyapa, Śāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, Kātyāyana, Aniruddha, and the others, as well as Maitreya Bodhisattva, Bhadrapāla, and the sixteen worthy men, to assemble together at once." This sound reached everywhere in all directions.

1.7

At that time, the lords of the devas, the lords of the yakṣas, the lords of the gandharvas, the lords of the asuras, the lords of the garuḍas, the lords of the kinnaras, the lords of the mahoragas, the lords of the nāgas, and so forth, together with all their retinues, had all assembled.

1.8

At that time, the royal father, Mahānāman, and three hundred million Śākyas entered the Buddha's vihāra. As they entered, they saw that the Buddha's vihāra was like a mountain of crystal. They paid homage to the Buddha; before they even raised their heads, they saw before the Buddha a great lotus flower formed of manifold jewels, and atop the lotus flower was a great dais of light. Having seen it, the royal father gave rise to joy in his heart, marvelling at what had never been before. He circumambulated the Buddha three times and sat back to one side.

1.9

Then the royal father rose from his seat and addressed the Buddha, saying: "Bhagavat! The Buddha is my son, and I am the Buddha's father. Now as I dwell in the world, I behold the Buddha's rūpakāya, but I see only its exterior and do not view its interior. When Siddhārtha was in the palace, physiognomists all saw the thirty-two primary marks. Now that you have attained buddhahood, your radiance is even more manifest, exceeding that of former days hundreds of thousands of myriad times over. After the Buddha enters nirvāṇa, how should sentient beings of future generations contemplate the color and marks of the Buddha's body, matching the constant measure and standard of the Buddha's radiance? I only pray, O Lord of Devas, that you will now distinguish and explain this for me and for future sentient beings!"

1.10

At that time the Bhagavat entered the samādhi of the thoroughly pure form-body. Arising from the samādhi, he immediately smiled. The manner in which Buddhas smile involves five-colored lights. Then the five-colored lights transformed into five hundred colors, issued forth from the Buddha's mouth, and illuminated the crown of the royal father's head; from the crown of the royal father's head they illuminated the dais of light; from the dais of light they illuminated the vihāra, pervading the Sahā world, and returned to enter the crown of the Buddha's head.

1.11

Then the Bhagavat said to the royal father: "Listen attentively, listen attentively, and reflect on it well! The Tathāgata shall explain the Dharma by which sentient beings of future ages will be able to see the Buddha."

1.12

The royal father addressed the Buddha: "Indeed, Bhagavat! I now wish to listen."

1.13

The Buddha told the royal father: "In Jambudvīpa there is a king of lions named Vimala. According to the nature of this lion, only upon completing forty years do the female and male mate. Having once mated, it leaps, roars, rolls over, and throws itself down, yet its body suffers no harm. While that lion's cub is in the womb, it is equal and not different from its father, the king of beasts. Great King, you should know: to expect it while in the womb to be able to roar, leap down, run, and crouch—there is no such thing."

1.14

The royal father addressed the Buddha: "When the offspring of the king of beasts is in the mother's womb, are its head, eyes, fangs, and claws similar to those of its father?"

1.15

The Buddha told the Great King: "They are not different from its father's, but its strength and capacity do not equal its father's by hundreds of thousands of myriad times." The Buddha told the royal father: "So it is, so it is! In future ages, if good men, good women, and all others are able with sincere minds to tie their thoughts inward, sit upright in proper concentration, and contemplate the Buddha's rūpakāya, you should know that such a person's mind is like the Buddha's mind, not different from the Buddha. Although they dwell amid defilements, they are not covered or obscured by manifold evils, and in a future age they will rain down the great rain of the Dharma.

1.16

"Furthermore, royal father! It is like the eraṇḍa growing together with sandalwood on Mount Malaya. When gośīrṣa-candana grows within a thicket of eraṇḍa, before it has grown large and while it is still underground, its sprouts, stems, branches, and leaves are like the bamboo shoots of Jambudvīpa. People do not know this, and say: 'In this mountain there is purely eraṇḍa; there is no sandalwood.' Now the foul odor of eraṇḍa stinks like a swollen corpse, scenting forty yojanas around; its flowers are red and very delightful, but if anyone eats them, they go mad and die. Although the gośīrṣa-candana grows in this forest, because it has not yet matured, it cannot emit fragrance. When the moon is full in mid-autumn, it suddenly emerges from the earth and becomes a sandalwood tree. Everyone smells the supreme, wonderful fragrance of the gośīrṣa-candana, and the foul, noxious stench of the eraṇḍa is forever gone."

1.17

The Buddha told the royal father: "The mind that is mindful of the Buddha is also like this! By means of this mind, one is able to attain the three kinds of roots of bodhi.

1.18

"Furthermore, royal father! In Jambudvīpa and throughout the four continents, there is a garuḍa named the Pure Voice Garuḍarāja, who enjoys complete sovereignty among all birds. By the karmic retribution of this bird, it is supposed to eat nāgas. In Jambudvīpa it eats one nāgarāja and five hundred small nāgas each day; on the next day, in Pūrvavideha, it eats one nāgarāja and five hundred small nāgas; on the third day, in Aparagodānīya, it eats one nāgarāja and five hundred small nāgas; on the fourth day, in Uttarakuru, it eats one nāgarāja and five hundred small nāgas. Cycling and repeating in this way, eight thousand years pass. At that time, this bird's signs of death appear. The nāgas spit poison so that it has no way to feed. Pressed by hunger, that bird wanders anxiously seeking food but can find none at all; roaming through all the mountains, it never finds rest, until it reaches the Diamond Mountain and then temporarily pauses. From the Diamond Mountain it descends directly to the boundary of the great waters, and from the boundary of the great waters to the boundary of the wind wheel; blown by the wind, it returns to the Diamond Mountain. Having done so seven times, its life then ends. After its life has ended, on account of that poison, fires simultaneously blaze up on the ten jewel mountains.

1.19

"At that time, Nandarājarāja, fearing the burning of these mountains, sends down a great downpour of rain like chariot axles. The bird's flesh is completely dispersed, leaving only its heart. Its heart descends directly, returning seven times as before, and then comes to rest on the peak of the Diamond Mountain. Nandarājarāja takes this bird's heart and turns it into a bright jewel; a cakravartin obtains it as a cintāmaṇi."

1.20

The Buddha told the royal father: "If good men and good women are mindful of the Buddha, their minds are also like this!

1.21

"Furthermore, Great King, on the Snow Mountains there is a tree named aṅgada, whose fruit is exceedingly large and whose seed is exceedingly small. Tracing its origin, it came from the Fragrant Mountains; by the power of the wind it was able to reach the Snow Mountains. In the deep cold of early winter, rākṣasas and yakṣas gathered in secluded coves in the mountain bends, where excrement and filth overflowed onto the ground. Fierce winds blew snow to cover it over, gradually forming a ditch fifty yojanas wide. Due to the power of the dung, this fruit was able to grow, its roots, stems, branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits luxuriant and flourishing. In the three months of spring warmth, winds arose simultaneously in all eight directions, melting the ice and snow so that only the fruit tree remained. As for the shape and color of its fruit, no fruit in Jambudvīpa can compare to it. Its shape is round, measuring a full half yojana. If a brāhmaṇa eats it, he immediately attains the path of a rṣi, endowed with the five superknowledges, with a lifespan of one kalpa, free from old age and death. If an ordinary person eats it, they head toward srotāpanna; if an anāgāmin eats it, they become an arhat, and there are none of the three clarities and six superknowledges that are not fully equipped. Someone brought its seeds to the dung-fertilized soil of Jambudvīpa, and only then did it grow, one tāla tree high; the tree was named kulyata and the fruit was named tara, like a five-dou vase. If someone in Jambudvīpa eats it, it can eliminate fever diseases."

1.22

The Buddha told the Great King: "Good men and good women who right-mindedly reflect on the realm of all Buddhas are also like this!

1.23

"Furthermore, Great King, just as Śakra's tree grows in the Joyful Park, named Pārijātaka: when heavenly maidens see it, their bodies and minds are filled with a joy they cannot contain; when Śakra sees it, thoughts of desire immediately arise; and the eighty-four thousand palace maidens immediately experience sensations of pleasure. When this tree grows, its branches curve down to the earth, and beneath the ground it blossoms and bears fruit. Its fruit is golden in color, brightly blazing; moreover, its flowers and leaves never wither and fall. Equipped with ten colors, they reveal radiance and emit manifold musical sounds. When the eighth month of autumn arrives, it wells forth from the earth, three million four hundred and fifty thousand yojanas high. When the devas see it, their joy is extraordinary." The Buddha told the Great King: "The buddhānusmṛti-samādhi in the ground of defilements is also like this! When it comes forth, it is magnificent and visually splendid, like that jewel tree.

1.24

"Furthermore, Great King, just as at the beginning of a kalpa, fire arises for one kalpa, rain arises for one kalpa, wind arises for one kalpa, and the earth arises for one kalpa.

1.25

"When the kalpa of the earth was formed, the devas of Ābhāsvara flew about the world and bathed in the water. Because of their bathing, the seminal essence of the four great elements entered their bodies. Because their bodies experienced pleasure, their semen flowed into the water. Blown away by the eight winds, it fell into the mud and naturally formed an egg. After eight thousand years, that egg cracked open, giving birth to a woman. Her form was dark blue-black, just like the mud, and she had nine hundred and ninety-nine heads; each head had a thousand eyes, and she had nine hundred and ninety-nine mouths, with four fangs per mouth, atop which fire burst forth resembling thunderclaps. She had twenty-four arms, in which she grasped all kinds of weapons. Her body was tall and huge, like Mount Sumeru; entering the great ocean, she clapped the water in self-amusement. A whirlwind blew upon the water of the ocean, and the essence of the water entered her body; she thereupon became pregnant. After eight thousand years she then gave birth to a male child whose body was four times taller and larger, far surpassing his mother. The child had nine heads, each head having a thousand eyes; fire came forth from his mouths; he had nine hundred and ninety-nine hands and eight feet. A sound came forth from the ocean, naming him the asura king Vemacitrin. The manner of eating of this demon was only to devour mud and the roots of water lilies and lotuses. When the child grew up and saw the devas surrounded by maidens, he addressed his mother, saying: 'All beings have spouses; why am I alone without one?' His mother told him: 'On the Fragrant Mountains there is a spirit named Gandharva. That spirit has a daughter whose appearance is beautiful and exquisite, her complexion surpassing white jade, and all the pores of her body emit wonderful musical sounds, which greatly pleases my mind. I shall now seek her in marriage for you; does that suit your desire?' The asura said: 'Excellent, excellent! May mother go and ask for her.'"

1.26

"Then his mother went to the Fragrant Mountains. Having arrived at the Fragrant Mountains, she addressed that music spirit: 'I have a son whose majestic power is sovereign; throughout the four continents he has no peer. Do you have a fine daughter who can be wedded to my son?' Having heard this, the daughter joyfully wished to follow and marry the asura.

1.27

"Then the asura, having taken that woman, was serene in mind and completed the rites with the woman. Before long, she became pregnant, and after eight thousand years she gave birth to a daughter. That daughter's demeanor and appearance were upright and extraordinary, without equal in heaven or on earth. Adorned with the most supreme of complexions, she had eighty-four thousand charms on her face, eighty-four thousand on her left side, eighty-four thousand on her right side, eighty-four thousand in front, and eighty-four thousand behind. When the asura saw her, he considered her miraculous and extraordinary, just as the moon amidst the stars is exceedingly wondrous.

1.28

"Kauśika heard of this and immediately dispatched an emissary down to the asura to ask for this maiden. The asura said, 'You have heavenly merit and virtue; if you can enable me to ride in a palace of the seven precious things, I will give my daughter to you as your wife.' Hearing this, Śakra's heart leaped with joy. He immediately took off his jeweled crown and held it to point at the sea; through the retribution of the ten good deeds, he caused the asura to sit atop an exquisite hall. The asura then leaped with great joy and gave his daughter to him as his wife. Śakra then went to welcome her with a pavilion made of six precious substances. In the palace courtyards there was a great lotus blossom that naturally produced through transformation eighty-four thousand wondrous jeweled maidens. In the time it takes a strong man to bend and stretch his arm, she arrived atop Śakra's Hall of Good Dharma. At that time the heavenly palace was hundreds, thousands, and myriads of times superior to before. Śakra Devānām Indra established a name for her, calling her Yueyi (Delightful). The devas saw her and praised it as unprecedented; looking east, they forgot the west; looking south, they forgot the north. His thirty-two assisting ministers also saw Yueyi; their bodies and minds were joyful, and even their bodily hair experienced bliss.

1.29

"Whenever Śakra went to the Joyful Grove, he would enter the ponds to disport himself with the heavenly maidens. At that time, Yueyi became jealous and dispatched five yakṣas to go and inform her royal father: 'Right now Śakra no longer favors me, and disports himself with the maidens.' Hearing these words, her father became enraged and immediately mobilized the fourfold army to attack Śakra. Standing in the water of the great ocean, he squatted upon the summit of Mount Sumeru. His nine hundred and ninety-nine arms moved together all at once, shaking the City of Pleasing Vision and rattling Mount Sumeru, causing the waters of the four great oceans to surge at once. Śakra Devānām Indra was terrified and panic-stricken, not knowing where to turn.

1.30

"Then a spirit in the palace addressed the heavenly king, saying: 'Do not be greatly terrified! The past Buddhas preached the Prajñāpāramitā. Your Majesty should recite and uphold it, and the demon armies will spontaneously shatter.'

1.31

"At that time, Śakra sat in the Hall of Good Dharma, burned numerous famous incenses, and made a great vow: 'Prajñāpāramitā is the great spell, the unexcelled spell, the unequaled spell. It is true, real, and not false. By upholding this teaching I shall achieve the Buddha Path; may the asuras spontaneously retreat and scatter!' As he spoke these words, four blade-wheels appeared in the sky, spontaneously descending due to Śakra's merit. When they struck above the asura, the asura's ears, nose, hands, and feet fell off all at once, turning the water of the great ocean as red as crimson juice.

1.32

"The asura was then terrified and fled; finding nowhere else to go, he entered into the pore of a lotus fiber. Even with the ghost-like illusory power born of greed, anger, and ignorance, he was capable of this—how much more so the inconceivable Buddha-Dharma?"

1.33

The Buddha told the Great King: "If good sons and good daughters bind their thoughts to contemplate the realm of the Buddhas, they too will be able to dwell peacefully in the oceans of all samādhis. The merit of such persons is immeasurable, equal to and no different from that of the Buddhas."

1.34

Chapter 2: Introductory Ground for Contemplation

1.35

"What is called 'contemplating the realm of the Buddhas'? When the Buddhas, the Tathāgatas, appear in the world, they adorn themselves with two kinds of phenomena. What are the two? First, they preach the twelvefold scriptures beforehand, enabling sentient beings to read, recite, and become thoroughly versed in them; such various things are called the gift of Dharma. Second, through their wondrous form-body, they manifest throughout Jambudvīpa and the realms of the ten directions, enabling sentient beings to behold the Tathāgata's form-body, complete and fully adorned with the thirty-two primary marks and the eighty secondary characteristics, without any deficient mark, giving rise to joy in their hearts.

1.36

"By what cause are such marks obtained when contemplated? They are all produced because in previous lifetimes they performed hundreds of thousands of austerities, practicing the pāramitās and the factors aiding the Path, thereby generating these marks."

1.37

The Buddha addressed his father, the king: "If there are sentient beings who wish to be mindful of the Buddha, wish to contemplate the Buddha, wish to see the Buddha, wish to discern the primary and secondary marks, wish to perceive the Buddha's light, wish to know the interior of the Buddha's body, wish to learn to contemplate the Buddha's mind, wish to learn to contemplate the Buddha's crown, wish to learn to contemplate the thousand-spoked wheel marks beneath the Buddha's feet, wish to know the marks at the time of the Buddha's birth, wish to know the time the Buddha took a consort, wish to know the time of the Buddha's renunciation, wish to know the time of the Buddha's austerities, wish to know the time of the Buddha's subduing of Māra, wish to know the time the Buddha attained anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, wish to know the marks when the Tathāgata turned the wheel of Dharma, wish to know the mark of the Tathāgata's precious horse-sheath organ, wish to know the marks when the Tathāgata ascended to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven to preach the Dharma for his mother, Lady Māyā, wish to know the marks when the Tathāgata descended from the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, wish to know the marks of light in the Tathāgata's four postures of walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, wish to know the marks when the Tathāgata went to Kuśinagara to tame and deliver the Mallas, or wish to know the marks of the light from his pores when the Tathāgata subdued the wilderness spirits."

1.38

The Buddha addressed his father, the king: "After the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, if the fourfold assembly, the devas, nāgas, yakṣas, and others wish to bind their thoughts, wish to ponder, wish to practice dhyāna, and wish to attain the correct reception of samādhi—" The Buddha addressed his father, the king: "What is called 'binding one's thoughts'? Some sentient beings take delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's complete bodily marks; some sentient beings take delight in contemplating each and every one of the Tathāgata's primary and secondary marks; some sentient beings take delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's marks in regular sequence; some sentient beings take delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's marks in reverse order; some sentient beings take delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's light; some sentient beings take delight in contemplating the Tathāgata walking; some sentient beings take delight in contemplating the Tathāgata standing; some sentient beings take delight in contemplating the Tathāgata sitting; some sentient beings take delight in contemplating the Tathāgata lying down; some sentient beings take delight in contemplating the Tathāgata begging for almsfood; some sentient beings take delight in contemplating the Tathāgata at his initial birth; some sentient beings take delight in contemplating the Tathāgata at the time he took a consort; some sentient beings take delight in contemplating the Tathāgata at the time he left home; some sentient beings take delight in contemplating the Tathāgata at the time of his austerities; some sentient beings take delight in contemplating the Tathāgata at the time he subdued Māra; some sentient beings take delight in contemplating the Tathāgata at the time he achieved buddhahood; some sentient beings take delight in contemplating the Tathāgata at the time he turned the wheel of the Dharma; some sentient beings take delight in contemplating the Tathāgata when he ascended to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven to preach the Dharma for his mother; some sentient beings take delight in contemplating the Tathāgata subduing the wilderness spirits; some sentient beings take delight in contemplating the Tathāgata in Nagarahāra when he subdued the nāgas and left his shadow; some sentient beings take delight in contemplating the Tathāgata in the city of Kuśinagara subduing the six teachers, the low-caste Nidhi, and those of evil vinaya and deep-seated wrong views.

1.39

"Thus, Royal Father, after my parinirvāṇa, sentient beings will have various karmic deeds, various thoughts and imaginations, and diverse perceptions. In accordance with what those sentient beings see through their mind's thoughts, one should teach them sequentially to bind their thoughts. While I dwell in the world, there is no need to bind one's thoughts. It is like the rising of the sun: all that is dark becomes bright, except for the blind, who see nothing.

1.40

"In future ages, the disciples should cultivate three dharmas. What are the three? First, reciting the profound sūtra scriptures. Second, purely maintaining the prohibitive precepts without violating the deportments. Third, binding thoughts in contemplation with an undistracted mind."

1.41

"What is called focusing the mind? Some wish to focus their mind to contemplate the crown of the Buddha's head; some wish to focus their mind to contemplate the Buddha's hair; some wish to focus their mind to contemplate the Buddha's hairline; some wish to focus their mind to contemplate the mark of the Buddha's broad and even forehead; some wish to focus their mind to contemplate the mark of the white curl between the Buddha's eyebrows; some wish to focus their mind to contemplate the Buddha's eyebrows; some wish to focus their mind to contemplate the mark of the Buddha's ox-king eyes; some wish to focus their mind to contemplate the mark of the Buddha's long, straight nose; some wish to focus their mind to contemplate the mark of the Buddha's falcon-king beak-like nose. There are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's beard and whiskers, shaped like tadpoles and emitting radiance; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the line between the Tathāgata's upper lip and palate; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the beautiful red color of the Tathāgata's lips, resembling bimba fruit; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's lower lip resembling the stem of a padma flower, its crimson-red color blending upward into the color of the bimba fruit; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the mark of the forty teeth in the Tathāgata's mouth; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the mark of the Tathāgata's teeth, white, even, and closely set; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the mark of the seal-patterns upon the Tathāgata's teeth; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the demarcations drawn upon the Tathāgata's teeth; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the mark of the Tathāgata's upper palate, with eighty-four thousand lines distinctly clear; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's lower gums resembling the color of the stem of an udumbara flower; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's throat resembling a beryl tube, its appearance like stacked lotuses; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the mark of the Tathāgata's broad and long tongue shaped like a lotus petal, its upper surface distinct with five lines of five colors, beneath the tongue ten veins from which manifold rays of light pour forth, the mark of the tongue being broad and long, covering his entire face; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the three marks within the joints of the Tathāgata's throat; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the mark of the Tathāgata's throat and chest resembling the eyes of a garuḍa; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the mark of the Tathāgata's head; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the mark of the Tathāgata's eighty-four thousand hairs; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's hairs curling to the right; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's hairs growing one to each pore, curling as they emerge; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's scalp; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the bone of the Tathāgata's uṣṇīṣa; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's brain; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's ears hanging down everywhere; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the mark of the rims of the Tathāgata's ears; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the mark of the seven hairs growing curled in the Tathāgata's ears; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the mark of the Tathāgata's full clavicle cavities, within which mark radiant platforms emerge spiraling; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the mark of the Tathāgata's filled armpits, within which mark five pearls are suspended, like maṇi jewels resting upward against the Buddha's armpits; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's arms and shoulders, slender and rounded like the trunk of an elephant king; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's elbow bones, gracefully joined like the hair of a dragon king, their variegated patterns undamaged, the joints winding like coiled dragons with no joints visible, the fingers properly stepped without falling out of place, twelve wheels appearing at the tips of the finger joints; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's copper-colored nails, distinctly displaying eight colors; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's mark of webbed palms, which when opened are seen and when closed are not seen, distinctly clear like a net of genuine pearls, exceeding Jambūnada gold by hundreds of thousands of ten-thousands of times, their radiant color surpassing the realm of sight, on the tips of each of the ten fingers a svastika emerging, between the dots of the svastikas a thousand-spoked wheel, endowed with all marks like a cluster of hundreds of thousands of lotuses; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the patterns on the Tathāgata's palms, formed like the palace of the Īśvara Deva, his palms flat and even, beyond compare among gods and humans, in the palms emerging thousand-spoked marks, opening maṇi radiance in the ten directions, below those wheels ten kinds of drawings, each drawing clear and distinct like the eyes of the Īśvara Deva, and then entering into the marks of the palms; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the hairs on the backs of the Tathāgata's hands inclining upward like dark beryl, emitting five-colored light that enters into the webbing; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's hands and feet, soft like heavenly karpāsa; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's hands clenching inward and outward; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the mark of the svastika seal of virtue on the Tathāgata's chest, with three maṇi-light marks; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's navel resembling a viraṅgā jewel; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's flanks and ribs, large and small being properly uniform and gracefully joined; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the joints of the Tathāgata's various bones, entwined like coiled dragons and densely compact; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's hook-and-chain bones, folding and unfolding freely without hindrance; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's bones, fresh and white, to which crystal and snow mountains cannot be compared, with red light interspersed above forming patterns, their congealed marrow like fat; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the mark of the Tathāgata's eneyya-deer-king shanks; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the mark of the Tathāgata's ankles; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the mark of the flat and even insteps of the Tathāgata's feet; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the color of the Tathāgata's insteps, the color of Jambūnada gold, the hair inclining upward, the webbing between the toes like patterned silk gauze, between the patterns manifold black and yellow colors that cannot be fully named; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the mark of the Tathāgata's copper-colored nails, at the tips of which are five lion mouths; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the mark of the spiral lines on the tips of the Tathāgata's toes, like the seals drawn by the deva Viśvakarman; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the soles of the Tathāgata's feet, flat and full, not admitting a single hair, the mark of the thousand-spoked wheels beneath his feet, hubs and rims complete, arranged in succession like fish scales, with marks of vajra pestles. At his heels there is also the mark of the crown of the Brahma King, with various spirals no different. Such is called delighting in forward contemplation. There are sentient beings who delight in reverse contemplation: from the mark of the thousand-spoked wheels beneath the feet, contemplating from below up to the toes, mark by mark, minor characteristic by minor characteristic, color by color, clearly contemplating in reverse from bottom to top; this is called the method of reverse contemplation. There are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's golden color, because the Buddha was born in Jambudvīpa, producing the foremost color among colors, like hundreds of thousands of suns illuminating a purple-gold mountain, which cannot be fully seen; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's immense body of sixteen feet; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the Tathāgata's circular halo of one fathom; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the radiance of the Tathāgata's entire body; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the auspicious responsive signs when the Tathāgata expounds the Dharma; there are sentient beings who delight in contemplating the upward-facing mark and downward-facing mark of the Tathāgata's navel."

1.42

Chapter 3, Part 1: Contemplating the Marks

1.43

The Buddha addressed his father the king: "What is called contemplating the Tathāgata's crown? The Tathāgata's cranial bone is spherical, like a closed scroll; its color is pure white. If thin skin is seen, it appears red; or if thick skin is seen, it appears diamond-colored. The hairline is golden, and the brain is the color of crystal. It has fourteen veins completely endowed with manifold designs, and also fourteen lights, which lights are as distinct and clear as the veins. Within the brain veins, various lights arise swirling and surge upward against the skull, emerging from the skull up to the hairline; there are fourteen colors surrounding the mass of hair, and beneath the hair the golden color also produces manifold lights, which enter into the fourteen colors. This is called the cranial-brain uṣṇīṣa of the Tathāgata born in the royal palace. Only when the five great Brahma marks upon his crown arose, Māyā and the Buddha's maternal aunt both could not see them at all. Those five Brahma marks disclosed radiance reaching up to the Brahma realm, and further passing beyond the immeasurable worlds of the upper direction, transforming into palaces and platforms—the realm of the Buddhas, which Bodhisattvas of the Ten Stages cannot see.

1.44

"Now for my father the king I expound the mark of the crown at birth. If anyone hears it, they should reflect on the Buddha's supreme mark of the crown; the light of that mark is like the fine dust of the great earth in the three-thousandfold world, impossible to describe fully. If sentient beings of future generations hear these words and contemplate this mark without regret in their minds, as if seeing the light of the Bhagavat's supreme mark of the crown, they will be able to see it with eyes closed; through the power of mental visualization it will become distinctly clear, just as when the Buddha was in the world. Although contemplating this mark, one should not take on too many at once: begin with one feature and then visualize another feature; having visualized that feature, again visualize another feature, reversing and repeating in forward and reverse sequence through sixteen turns; in this way cause the mental image to become exceedingly clear and sharp. Thereafter, stabilize the mind and focus thought upon a single point. In this manner, gradually raise the tongue toward the palate, keeping the tongue straight and steady; after two times seven days, body and mind may attain tranquility. Then one should again focus the mind to return to contemplating the Buddha's crown; the method for contemplating the Buddha's crown is first to enter through the pores of the skin."

1.45

The Buddha addressed his father the king and instructed Ānanda: "Listen attentively, listen attentively, and reflect on it well! On the Tathāgata's head now there are eighty-four thousand hairs, all inclining to both sides and growing curling to the right, their borders distinct and their four divisions clear. From each hair pore, five lights spiral forth and enter into the aforementioned fourteen-colored lights. Formerly, when I was in the palace, my wet nurse was washing my head, at which time Mahāprajāpatī came to where I was, saying: 'When Siddhārtha was born, there were many wonders. If people ask me, "How long is your son's hair?" how shall I answer? Now I shall measure the hair to know its length.' She then instructed me to extend my hair, and my foster mother measured it with a ruler. It was one zhang, two chi, and five cun long; when released, it curled to the right and returned to a spiral form.

1.46

"When I was about to take a consort, my head was washed again, and my foster mother again instructed: 'Previously when I measured your hair, it was exactly one zhang, two chi, and five cun long; now I shall measure it again.' It was then extended and measured, and it was one zhang, three chi, and five cun long. When I left the household life, heavenly spirits received it and took it away, and it was also one zhang, three chi, and five cun long. Now, father the king, do you wish to see the mark of the hair?"

1.47

His father the king said: "Indeed, Heavenly Honored One! I delight in seeing the Buddha's hair."

1.48

The Tathāgata then extended his hair with his hand: from the Nyagrodhārāma to his father the king's palace, like dark beryl, it encircled the city seven times. Within the Buddha's hair, the great assembly all saw lights of various colors beyond description; each of those lights shone everywhere upon everything, appearing the color of dark beryl. Within that beryl color, there were transformation Buddhas beyond reckoning. Having displayed these marks, he gathered the hair and retracted the light; curling to the right and gracefully coiling, it settled back upon the Buddha's crown, instantly forming spirals. This is called the Tathāgata's true mark of the hair.

1.49

"If there are monks, nuns, upāsakas, and upāsikās who wish to contemplate the Buddha's hair, they must practice this contemplation; they must not contemplate otherwise. If they contemplate otherwise, it is called erroneous contemplation, it is called madness and confusion, it is called loss of mind, it is called wrong view, it is called an inverted mind; even if they were to attain absorption, it would be impossible. Thus, father the king, such is the factual reality of the Buddha's true mark of the hair.

1.50

"Having contemplated the mark of the hair, next contemplate the hairline, which is the color of red genuine pearls, gracefully hanging downward. It has five thousand lights distinctly intermingled, all inclining upward and surrounding the hairs, emerging from the crown and encircling the crown five times, like the painting of a heavenly artist, spherical, even, and as fine as a single silk thread. Between those threads various transformation Buddhas emerge, with transformation bodhisattvas as their retinue; all forms and images of the devas and the eight classes also appear within them, their colors like the sun disc, impossible to see fully. This is called contemplating the Buddha's hairline. Contemplating in this manner is called correct contemplation; contemplating otherwise is called erroneous contemplation." The Buddha addressed his father the king: "This is called the true contemplation of the Tathāgata's hairline."

1.51

"How should one contemplate the mark of the Tathāgata's broad, flat, and upright forehead? Within the mark of the broad, flat, and upright forehead there are three marks. The first is what is called the mark of the white hair. When the Buddha was first born, the king and his lady took the Crown Prince to the rishi Asita to have him examine the Prince's marks. The rishi parted the fine cloth, and upon first seeing the white hair between the Prince's brows spiralling forth, with contours bordering the white hair that coiled along with it, the physiognomist stretched out the hair and saw that it was long and large. He immediately took a rule to measure its length, and it was a full five feet, like a tube of lapis lazuli. When released, it curled to the right like a crystal pearl, manifesting immeasurable hundreds of thousands of colored rays of light. This is called the light of the mark of the white curl at the time of the Bodhisattva's birth.

1.52

"When he reached eight years of age, his maternal aunt observed again that Siddhārtha had grown older, and the hair between his eyebrows must have grown along with his years. She then tested it by looking, stretching out the white hair. She saw that the hair was straight, like a tube of white lapis lazuli, and from the tip of the hair five-colored brilliant rays issued forth and returned into the pore. The mother was filled with deep affection, her feelings knowing no end, and said to the people: 'My son's hair-mark is even like this!' When the people had seen it, as before it curled to the right, exceedingly lovely. This is called the mark of the white curl during the Bodhisattva's boyhood.

1.53

"What is called the mark of the white curl at the time of the Bodhisattva taking a consort? Yaśodharā's father himself sent a physiognomist to examine the Prince's marks. Seeing the thirty-two marks distinct and radiant as a painting, his mind was unclear only regarding the white hair. The physiognomist then said: 'Prince, god on earth! The rest of your marks are identical to those of a golden-wheel-turning king; only from this white hair do manifold lights pour forth, which is beyond my understanding. Now I wish to stretch it out to look; may I do so?' The Prince told him: 'As you wish.' At that time the physiognomist extended the hair with his hand, and from the hair there flowed forth [light] like the milk of a king of cattle, shooting into the physiognomist's eyes. His eyes became clear and pure, and right within the hair he saw hundreds of thousands of wheel-turning sage kings, each fully possessing the seven treasures and a thousand sons. The physiognomist was astonished and said: 'Prince, god on earth! I stretched the white hair wishing to observe its length, and do not know why it came like the milk of a king of cattle to shoot into my eyes. Was this seeing reality, was it seeing a dream, or was it madness? Now I have forgotten everything. The Prince's primary and secondary marks have entirely vanished; I see only hundreds of thousands of wheel-turning sage kings, the seven treasures, a thousand sons, and the fourfold armies rising up from the four quarters. My heart is joyful, like a brahmin attaining the bliss of the Brahmā realm.' Having spoken, he released the hair, and curling gracefully to the right, it returned to its original place.

1.54

"At that time the physiognomist, named Raudravrata, having seen this matter, threw his five limbs to the ground and bowed to the Prince: 'The Prince's manifold marks cannot be fully seen. According to my method of physiognomy, one who sees a single mark rules over the four continents, happily attaining sovereignty. Now the Prince's marks are like Maheśvara's; his sovereign divine power cannot be recorded. How could I comprehend it?' The Prince told him: 'I do not profess this; return to your home and go report to your king.'

1.55

"Then the physiognomist immediately returned to his own country and recounted the matter in full to the king, as described above. Hearing these words, the king mounted a renowned elephant with a retinue of hundreds of thousands, proceeded to Kapilavastu, and arrived at King Śuddhodana's palace. He washed the Prince's hands with water, presented his daughter, and thereupon bowed, saying: 'Prince, god on earth! May you accept my daughter to attend to sweeping and sprinkling. The supreme and wondrous hair-mark seen by the physiognomist—I now wish to see it. May I do so?' The Prince told him: 'Look as you please.'

1.56

"At that time Yaśodharā's father extended the Prince's white hair with his hand. He saw that the white hair was like a crystal banner, with joint corresponding to joint, and between the joints he saw immeasurable hundreds of thousands of Brahmā kings and Śakra Devendra, along with various supreme devaputras and their palaces, seen with complete clarity, just like seeing the image of one's own face in a bright mirror. Having seen it, he was filled with joy, and immediately released it. As before, it curled to the right and returned to rest between the eyebrows, its brilliant light radiant and blazing, scattering across the four quarters and entering into the contours beyond full description. This is called the mark of the white curl at the time of the Bodhisattva taking a consort."

1.57

The Buddha said to his father the king: "After the Buddha's nirvāṇa, among the fourfold assembly, those who wish to contemplate the mark of the white curl when the Bodhisattva was a boy and when he took a consort should contemplate in this way. Contemplating in this way is called correct contemplation; contemplating otherwise is called false contemplation."

1.58

The Buddha said to his father the king: "What is called the mark of the white curl at the time of the Tathāgata's going forth? When I was about to go forth, my father the king and my mother sent palace maidens to guard me constantly. The gates were fitted with bolts and bars whose opening and closing made sounds like a lion's roar. Between the windows, bells were secretly suspended and linked with golden chains, so that nāgas, spirits, and yakṣas had no way to enter. At that time the Four Heavenly Kings called out from afar in empty space: 'Prince, god on earth! The day and hour have arrived; you ought to train in the Way. We now wish to go and make offerings to the Prince, but fear the palace will make noise and there will be no way to enter.' At that time the Prince extended the hair with his hand to where the Four Heavenly Kings were; its color was like heavenly silk, soft and lovely. When the Four Heavenly Kings saw it, their minds were filled with great love and reverence. Because of their love and reverence, they immediately saw within the hair transformation Bodhisattvas seated cross-legged, their forms resembling the Prince. Each Bodhisattva had further immeasurable great bodhisattvas as their retinue. When this mark appeared, immeasurable devas, nāgas, yakṣas, and others were all able to enter at the same time. [The Prince] instructed Chandaka: 'Go to the rear stables, harness Kaṇṭhaka, and bring him here.' Chandaka addressed him: 'Now in this place, if one lifts a foot, the ground rumbles and roars like the sound of a great elephant; how can I go?' At that time the Prince again extended the white hair so that Chandaka could see it; it was like a lotus flower, petal upon petal in succession, as white as snow. When Chandaka saw it, his mind's eye opened immediately, and between the petals he saw transformation Bodhisattvas seated cross-legged, as countless as specks of dust; the white hair between the eyebrows of these transformed persons was also just like this!

1.59

"At that time Chandaka saw the ground in the palace appear like the color of crystal, solid inside and out like vajra. Treading on it without making a sound, he swiftly went to the rear stables, harnessed the horse with a golden saddle, and led him before the hall. Chandaka addressed the Prince, saying: 'The devas, gazing reverently with palms joined and hands clasped, abide in empty space, praising with one voice the merit of going forth. It is time for the Prince to mount the horse swiftly.'"

1.60

"At that time the Prince again stretched out the white hair and held it toward the women, causing the attending maidens to experience joy and bliss in body and mind, just like a monk attaining the third dhyāna. Then this hair curled gracefully to the right and returned into the space between his eyebrows. The devas again saw hundreds of thousands of rays of light between the Prince's eyebrows, like a river of milk flowing everywhere. In the river of milk there were transformation Bodhisattvas riding upon transformation lotuses, all joining together in praising the merit of going forth. The light flowing from the rivers of milk between the eyebrows of each transformation Bodhisattva was also just like this!"

1.61

The Buddha said to his father the king: "These are called the various auspicious omens of the Bodhisattva's white-hair mark at the time of going forth. If, after the Buddha's extinction, members of the fourfold assembly wish to contemplate the mark of the Tathāgata's white hair at the time of going forth, they should contemplate in this way. Contemplating otherwise is called false contemplation."

1.62

"The Buddha said to his father the king: "What is called the mark of the white curl at the time of ascetic practice? When I had leapt over the palace walls and was not far from the city of Gayā, I went to the aśvattha tree. The devaputra Śāntika and hundreds of thousands of other devaputras all thought: 'If the Bodhisattva is to sit here, he must have a seat; I should now offer heavenly grass.' Thereupon taking heavenly grass, pure and soft, named auspicious (kuśa), the Bodhisattva accepted it, spread it on the ground, and sat down. At that time the devas carefully observed the lovely marks of the Bodhisattva's body, and further saw the white hair, three inches in circumference, curling gracefully to the right with hundreds of thousands of colors flowing into his various marks. As these devaputras observed the white curl, each had this thought: 'The Bodhisattva has now accepted only my grass, not your grass.' At that time, within the white hair there were ten thousand million Bodhisattvas seated cross-legged, each taking his grass and sitting beneath this tree. Each and every devaputra saw such marks within the white curl. At that time the devaputra Śāntika praised him, saying: 'Excellent, supreme hero! You practice great compassion; through the power of compassion you have attained the marks of a great man. Within these marks are immeasurable transformations, capable of fulfilling all wholesome vows of the devas, causing no contention to arise, and giving rise to the bodhicitta.'"

1.63

"When the devas of Śakra and Brahmā saw the Bodhisattva sitting beneath this tree, they each offered amṛta to make offerings to him. At that time, wishing to subdue the six non-Buddhist teachers, the Bodhisattva did not accept their offerings. The devas caused sesame and rice to grow naturally to his left and right, but the Bodhisattva did not eat. The devas all said: 'This good man has not eaten for many days; his energy is exhausted and little of his life remains. How will he be able to accomplish bodhi?' At that time the Bodhisattva entered the samādhi of the cessation of thought; the realm of this samādhi is called the pacification of the sense faculties. The devas wept, their tears falling like rain, and urged the Bodhisattva to rise and eat. When they made this entreaty, their voices resounded throughout the trichiliocosm, but the Bodhisattva was not aware of it.

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Linked texts (1)

佛說觀佛三昧海經 — Classical Chinese