Lotus Sutra
Lotus Sutra
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Thus I have heard.
At one time the Buddha dwelt on Mount Grdhrakuta , near the city of the House of the Kings, together with a gathering of great Bhikshus , twelve thousand in all. All were Arhats who had exhausted all outflows and had no further afflictions . Having attained self-benefit, they had exhausted the bonds of all existence and their hearts had attained self-mastery.
Their names were: Ajnatakaundinya , Mahakashyapa , Uruvilvakashyapa, Gayakashyapa, Nadikashyapa, Shariputra , Maharn Maudgalyayana , Mahakatyayana , Aniruddha , Kapphina, Gavampati , Revata , Pilindavatsa, Vakkula , Mahakaushthila , Nanda, Sundarananda, Purna maitrayaniputra, Subhuti , Ananda , and Rahula -- and other great Arhats such as these, whom the assembly knew and recognised.
Moreover, there were those with further study and those beyond study, two thousand in all, there was the Bhikshuni Mahaprajapati with her retinue of six thousand, and Rahula 's mother, Bhikshuni Yashodhara, also with her retinue.
There were eighty-thousand Bodhisattvas , Mahasattvas, all irreversibly established in Anuttarasamyaksambodhi. All had obtained Dharani and the eloquence of delight in speech and turned the irreversible wheel of the Dharma. They had made offering to limitless hundreds of thousands of Buddhas and in the presence of those Buddhas had planted the roots of virtue. They were constantly receiving those Buddhas' praise. They cultivated themselves in compassion and were well able to enter the wisdom of the Buddhas. They had penetrated the great wisdom and arrived at the other shore. Their reputations extended throughout limitless world realms, and they were able to cross over countless hundreds of thousands of living beings.
Their names were: The Bodhisattva Manjushri , The Bodhisattva Who Contemplates The World's Sounds, The Bodhisattva Who Has Attained Great Might, The Bodhisattva Constant Vigor, The Bodhisattva Unresting, The Bodhisattva Jeweled Palm, The Bodhisattva Medicine King, The Bodhisattva Courageous Giving, The Bodhisattva Full Moon, The Bodhisattva Great Strength, The Bodhisattva Unlimited Strength, The Bodhisattva Who Has Transcended the Three Realms , The Bodhisattva Bhadrapala, The Bodhisattva Maitreya , The Bodhisattva Jewel Accumulation, The Bodhisattva Guiding Master --- and other Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas such as these, eighty thousand in all.
At that time, Shakro Devanan Indrah was present with his retinue of twenty thousand gods. Among them were the God Moon, the God Universal Fragrance, the God Jeweled Light, and the Four Great Heavenly Kings with their retinues, ten thousand gods in all. There was the God Comfort, and the God Great Comfort, with their retinues, thirty thousand gods in all.
There was the God King Brahma, ruler of the Saha World, as well as the great Brahma Shikin and the great Brahma Brilliance, and others, with their retinues, twelve thousand gods in all.
There were eight dragon kings: The Dragon King Nanda, The Dragon King Upananda , The Dragon King Sagara, The Dragon King Vasuki, The Dragon King Takshaka, The Dragon King Anavatapta, The Dragon King Manasvin, and The Dragon King Uptalaka, and others, each with his retinue of several hundreds of thousand followers.
There were four Kinnara kings: The Kinnara King Dharma, The Kinnara King Fine Dharma, The Kinnara King Great Dharma and The Kinnara King Upholder of Dharma, each with his retinue of several hundreds of thousands of followers.
There were found Gandharva kings: The Gandharva King Music, The Gandharva King Musical Sound, The Gandharva King Beautiful, The Gandharva King Beautiful Sound, each with his following of several hundreds of thousands of followers.
There were four Asura kings: The Asura King Kharaskandha, The Asura King Vemachitrin, and the Asura King Rahu, each with his retinue of several hundreds of thousands of followers.
There were four Garuda kings: The Garuda King Great Majesty, The Garuda King Great Body, The Garuda King Great Fullness, and the Garuda King As You Will.
Each with his own retinue of several hundreds of thousands of followers.
There was Vaidehi's son, The King Ajatashatsu , with his retinue of several hundreds of thousands of followers. Each made obeisance to the Buddha's feet, withdrew to one side, and sat down.
At that time the World Honored One , having been circumambulated by the Fourfold Assembly , presented with offerings, honored, venerated, and praised for the sake of the Bodhisattvas , spoke a Great Vehicle Sutra named The Limitless Principles, a Dharma for instructing Bodhisattvas of which the Buddha is protective and mindful.
After the Buddha had spoken this Sutra , he sat in full lotus and entered the Samadhi of the Station of Limitless Principles, body and mind unmoving.
At that time there fell from the heavens a rain of Mandarava Flowers , Mahamandarava Flowers, Manjushaka Flowers, and Mahamanjushaka Flowers, which were scattered upon the Buddha and the entire great assembly.
All the Buddha universes quaked in six ways.
At that time the entire great assembly of Bhikshus , Bhikshunis , Upasakas , Upasikas , Gods, Dragons, Yakshas, Gandharvas , Asuras , Garudas , Kinnaras , Mahoragas , beings human and non-human, as well as the Minor Kings, The Wheel-Turning Sage Kings, all attained what they had never had before. They rejoiced and joined their palms and, with one heart, gazed upon the Buddha.
Then the Buddha emitted from between his brows a white hair-mark light which illumined eighteen thousand worlds to the east, omitting none of them reaching below to the Avichi hells and above to the Akanishtha heaven. From this world were seen all the living beings in the six destinies in those lands further were seen all the present Buddhas in those lands and all the Sutra s and Dharma spoken by the Buddhas was heard.
Also seen were the Bhikshus , Bhikshunis , Upasakas , Upasikas in those lands who cultivated and attained the Way .
Moreover were seen the Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas , the various causes and conditions , the various beliefs and understandings, and the various appearances of their practice of the Bodhisattva Way .
Further were seen the pari nirvana of the Buddhas and, after the parninirvana of the Buddhas, the building of stupas with the seven jewels to hold their sharira.
Then the Bodhisattva Maitreya and this thought: "Now, the World Honored One manifests signs of spiritual transformations. What is the reason for these portents? The Buddha, the World Honored One, has now entered Samadhi, yet these are inconceivable and rare events. Who should I ask concerning them? Who could answer?"
He further thought: "The Dharma Prince, Manjushri , has in the past drawn near and made offerings to limitless Buddhas . Surely he has been such rare signs. I shall now ask him."
Thereupon the Bhikshus , Bhikshunis , Upasakas , and Upasikas , as well as the gods, dragons, ghosts, spirits, and others, all had this thought: Who should now be asked concerning the Buddha's bright light and signs of spiritual penetrations?"
At that time, the Bodhisattva Maitreya , wishing to resolve his own doubts, and further regarding the thoughts of the four-fold assembly of Bhikshus , Bhikshunis , Upasakas , and Upasikas , as well as the thoughts of the assembled gods, dragons, ghosts, and spirits and others, questioned Manjushri as follows:
"What are the reasons for these portents, these signs of spiritual penetrations, for the emanation of great light which illumines eighteen thousand lands to the east so that the adornments in all those Buddha worlds are fully seen?"
Thereupon, Maitreya Bodhisattva , wishing to restate his meaning, spoke verses asking:
" Manjushri , what is the reason
For the guiding master's emanation
From the white hair between his brows
Of a great light which shines everywhere,
and for the rain of Mandaravas
and of Manjushaka flowers ,
the breenze of fragrant Chandana which
delights the hearts of those assembled?
Through these causes and conditions ,
the earth is all adorned and pure,
and within this world the earth
trembles in six different ways.
Then the four-fold multitude
rejoices altogether;
in body and in mind enpaptured,
they obtain what they had never had.
The bright light from between the brows
shines into the eastern quarter,
causing eighteen thousand lands
all to become of golden hue.
And from the Avichi hell,
upwards to the peak of being,
within each of the worlds are seen
the beings within the six paths,
their destinies in birth and death,
their karmic conditions , good or evil,
their retributions, favorable or ill--
all of this is seen, herein.
Further seen are all the Buddhas ,
the lions, the sagely masters,
expounding on the Sutra scriptures,
of foremost subtlety and wonder.
Clear and pure is the sound
of their soft, compliant voices,
teaching all the Bodhisattvas ,
numbering in the countless millions.
The Brahma sound, profound and wondrous,
fills those who hear with joy
as, within his world, each one proclaims the proper Dharma.
Through various causes and conditions ,
and limitless analogies,
they clarify the Buddhadharma
to enlighten living beings.
To those who've encountered suffering,
weary of sickness, aging, death,
they speak about Nirvana ,
which brings all suffering to an end.
To those possessed of blessings who've
made offerings to past Buddhas and
resolved to seek the superior Dharma
they speak of enlightening to conditions .
To those who are the Buddha's sons,
who cultivate various practices,
seeking wisdom unsurpassed,
they speak of the way of purity.
Manjushri, while dwelling here,
I see and hear such things as these,
reaching to a thousand million things;
such a multitude of them
which I shall now explain in brief.
I see in other lands
Bodhisattvas like Gange's sands,
through various causes and conditions
Perhaps they practice giving,
with gifts of silver, gold, and coral
of true pearks, and of mani,
mother-of-pearl, carneilian,
of vajra and of other gems,
of servants and of carriages,
jeweled hand drawn carts and palanquins.
These they offer up with joy,
in dedication to the Buddha Way ,
vowing to obtain the vehicle
foremost in the triple realm,
the one which all the Buddhas praise.
There are Bodhisattvas who
give a jeweled coach -and-four,
with rails and flowered canopies,
richly ornamented carriages.
Again are Bodhisattvas seen
who give their flesh, hand, and feet,
who even give their wives and children,
seeking for the utmost Way .
Again are Bodhisattvas seen
whose heads, eyes, and bodies whole
are offered up most joyfully,
seeking the Buddha's wisdom .
Manjushri,
I see royal monarchs who
visiting those Buddhas ' courts
ask about the utmost Way ,
and then forsake their pleasant lands,
palaces, ministers, concubines,
and, cutting off their beards and hair,
clothe themselves in Dharma robes.
Seen are Bodhisattvas who
beoming Bhikshus , dwell alone
within the wilds, in quietude,
reciting Sutra texts with joy.
Again are Bodhisattvas seen,
striving with heroic vigor,
entering the mountains deep,
Seen, too, are those who've left desire,
who dwell in constant solitude,
deeply cultivating Dhyana Samadhi
and attaining five spiritual penetrations.
Again are Bodhisattvas seen
in the peace of Dhyana , with palms joined,
who, with a thousand ten thousand lines,
sing praises of the Dharma kings.
Again are Bodhisattvas seen,
of profound wisdom and solid will,
able to question the Buddhas and
accept and hold all they have heard.
Further seen are Buddha's disciples,
with wisdom and Samadhi perfect,
who, with limitless analogies,
preach Dharma to the multitudes.
Joyfully they preach the Dharma,
transforming all the Bodhisattvas ,
defeating thus the troops of Mara ,
and beating on the Dharma drum.
Seen too are Bodhisattvas
in silence and tranquility;
though worshipped by the gods and dragons,
they do not find it cause for joy.
Also seen are Bodhisattvas
dwelling in forests, emitting light,
relieving those suffering in the hells,
and leading them to the Buddha Way .
Also seen are Buddha's disciples
who have not slept, but walk at ease,
within the forest groves; they seek
with diligence the Buddha Way .
Seen too are those with perfect precepts
intact, with awe-inspiring manner,
their purity like precious pearls,
with which they seek the Buddha Way .
Also seen are the Buddha's disciples
abiding in the strength of patience;
though by those of overweening pride
maliciously rebuked and beaten,
they are able to endure it all,
Again are Bodhisattvas seen,
apart from all frivolity,
and from stupid follwers,
drawing near to those with wisdom .
Singlemindedly casting out confusion,
collecting their thoughts in the mountain forests,
for tens of thousands of millions of years
in quest of them Way of the Buddha.
Bodhisattvas there are seen,
who, with fine food and drink and with
a hundred kinds of broths and herbs
make offerings to the Buddha and the Sangha .
Who, with fine robes and superior garments,
of value in the millions,
or with in valuable robes
make offerings to the Buddha and the Sangha .
Who, with a million different kinds
of dwellings of precious sandalwood
and with much fine bedding
make offerings to the Buddha and the Sangha .
Who, with gardens and groves, clear and pure,
with flowers and fruits in abundance
with flowing springs and bathing ponds,
make offerings to the Buddha and the Sangha .
Offerings such as these,
of many kinds, extremely fine,
do they give with joy untiring,
seeking for the utmost Way .
There are Bodhisattvas who
speak of still extinction's Dharma
with various instructions teaching
living beings without number.
Seen are Bodhisattvas who
contemplate all Dharmas ' nature
as lacking the mark of duality,
like empty space.
Also seen are Buddha's disciples
whose minds have no attachments and
who use this wondrous wisdom ,
seeking for the utmost Way .
Manjushri,
Again are Bodhisattvas who,
after the Buddhas cross into extinction,
make offerings to the Sharira.
Again are seen Buddha's disciples,
building stupas , building temples,
countless as the Ganges sands,
to adorn those realms and lands.
The Jeweled stupas , tall and fine,
are five thousand Yojanas in height,
two thousand Yojanas in breadth.
Each stupa and temple is adorned
with a thousand curtains and banners
circling around and wrought with gems,
and jeweled bells which harmoniously chime.
All the gods, dragons, and spirits,
humans and non-humans,
with incense, flowers , and instrumental music,
constantly make offerings.
Manjushri,
All the Buddhas ' disciples,
adorn the stupas and the shrines
making offerings to the Shariras;
spontaneously, the realms and lands
are superbly fine and exquisite,
like the king of heavenly trees
when its flowers bloom.
The Buddha sends forth this single ray,
and I and those assembled here
view within those realms and lands,
the various special wonders.
The spiritual might of the Buddhas
and their wisdom is most rare,
emitting a single, pure light,
they can illumine limitless lands.
Seeing this, we have all
obtained what we have never had.
Disciple of the Buddha, Manju,
pray resolve the assembly's doubts.
The Four-fold multitude with joy
looks up to you, humane one,and to me.
Why has the World Honored One
emitted such a brilliant light?
Disciple fo the Buddha, answer now;
resolve our doubts, so we may rejoice.
What benefit is to be gained
by putting forth this brilliant light?
That wondrous Dharma the Buddha gained
as he sat in the field of the Way --
Does he wish, now, to preach it?
or is he going to give predictions?
The manifesting of the Buddha-land s,
adorned with many jewels, and pure,
as well as the vision of the Buddhas
does not betoken small conditions .
Manju, it should be known,
the four assemblies , dragons and spirits,
look to you, humane one, hopefully;
what is it that is to be said?
At that time, Manjushri addressed the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Maitreya and all the great lords, saying, "Good men, in my estimation, the Buddha, the World Honored One , now wishes to speak the great Dharma, to let fall the great Dharma rain, to blow the great Dharma conch, to beat the great Dharma drum, and to proclaim the great Dharma doctrine."
"Good men, I have, in the past, in the presence of other Buddhas , seen such portents. Having emitted this light, they immediately spoke the great Dharma. Therefore, it should be known that the manifestation of light by the present Buddha is also thus. Because he wishes to lead all living beings to hear and understand this Dharma which in the whole world is hard to believe, he therefore manifests these portents."
"Good men, it is jsut as in the past, limitless, boundless, inconceivable Asankhyeya aeons ago, there was at that time a Buddha named Brightness of Sun-Moon-Lamp Thus Come One , One Worthy of Offerings, one of Proper and Universal knowledge, One of Perfect Clarity and Conduct, Well-Gone One, an Unsurpassed Knight who Understands the World, a Hero Who Subdues and Tames, a Teacher of Gods and People, the Buddha, the World Honored One who expounded the proper Dharma, good at its beginning, good in its middle, and good at its end, its meaning profound and far-reaching, its words clever and subtle, pure and unadulterated, complete with the marks of pure, white Brahman conduct."
"To those who sought to be Sound- Hearers , he responded with the Dharma of the Four Truths , by which one crosses over birth, aging, sickness, and death to the ultimate Nirvana ; to those who sought to be Pratyeka Buddhas , he responded with the Dharma of the Twelve Conditioned Causes; for the sake of the Bodhisattvas , he responded with the Six Paramitas , causing them to attain Anuttarasamyaksambodhi and realize the wisdom of all modes."
"Then, there was another Buddha, also named Brightness of Sun-Moon-Lamp, and then another Buddha, also named Brightness of Sun-Moon-Lamp, and so forth for twenty-thousand Buddhas all of the same name, Brightness of Sun-Moon-Lamp, and also of the same surname, Bharadvaja.
" Maitreya , it should be known that all of those Buddhas , from the first to the last, had the same name, Brightness of Sun-Moon-Lamp, and were complete with the ten titles , and that the Dharma they spoke was good at its beginning, middle, and end."
"Before the last Buddha left the home-life, he had eight royal sons. The first was named Intention, the second, Good Intention, the third, Limitless Intention, the fourth Jeweled Intention, the fifth, Increasing Intention; the sixth, Intention Rid of Doubt, the seventh, Resounding Intention, and the eighth, Dahrma Intention. The eight princes were of awesome virtue and self-mastery and each ruled over four continents."
"When the princes head that their father had left the home-life and attained Anuttarasamyaksambodhi, they all renounced their royal positions and left home as well. They brought forth the resolve for the Great Vehicle and constantly cultivated Brahman conduct. All became Dharma Masters, having already, in the presence of ten million Buddhas , planted the roots of goodness ."
"At that time, the Buddha Sun-Moon-Lamp Brightness spoke a Great Vehicle Sutra named The Limitless Principles, a Dharma for instructing Bodhisattvas of which the Buddhas are protective and mindful. When he had finished speaking that Sutra, he then, in the midst of the assembly, sat in full lotus and entered the Samadhi of the Station of Limitless Principles; his body and mind were unmoving. Then from the heavens there fell a rain of Mandarava flowers , Mahamandarava flowers, Manjushaka flowers, and Mahamanjushaks flowers, which were scattered upon the Buddha and the entire great assembly. All the Buddha universes quaked in six ways. At that time the entire great assembly of Bhikshus , Bhikshunis , Upasakas , Upasikas , gods, dragons, Yakshas,
Gandharvas, Asuras , Garudas , Kinnaras , Mahoragas , beings human and non-human as well as the minor kings and the wheel-turning sage kings and so forth, all attained what they had never had before. The rejoiced and joined their palms and, with one heart, gazed upon the Buddha. Then the Thus Come One emitted from between his brows a white hair-mark light which illumined eighteen thousand Buddha-worlds to the east, omitting none of them. Just like all the Buddha land s now seen."
" Maitreya , it should be known that there were at that time in the assembly twenty million Bodhisattvas who took delight in listening to the Dharma. Upon seeing this bright light illumine all the Buddha land s, all the Bodhisattvas obtained what they had never had and wished to know the causes and conditions for this light."
"There was at that time a Bodhisattva by the name of Wondrous Light who had eight hundred disciples. The Buddha Brightness of Sun-Moon-Lamp then arose from Samadhi and, for the sake of the Bodhisattva Wondrous Light, spoke a Great Vehicle Sutra called the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower, a Dharma for instructing Bodhisattvas of which the Buddha is protective and mindful.
"For sixty small aeons he did not rise from his seat. Those assembled listening also sat in one place for sixty small aeons with bodies and minds unmoving, listening to what the Buddha said as if it were but the space of a meal. At that time, in the assembly, there was not a single person who grew weary, either physically or mentally."
"At the end of sixty small aeons , having finished speaking the Stura, the Buddha Sun-Moon-Lamp Brightness immediately announced to the assembly of Brahma, Mara , Shramanas , Brahmans , gods, humans, and Asuras , 'Today, at midnight, the Thus Come One will enter Nirvana without residue.' There was at that time a Bodhisattva by the name of Virtue Treasury to whom the Buddha Sun-Moon-Lamp Brightness transmitted a prediction, telling all the Bhikshus , "The Bodhisattva Virtue Treasury will next become a Buddha with the name of Pure-Body-Tathagato rhan, Samyaksambuddhah. After that Buddha had transmitted the prediction, at midnight he entered Nirvana without residue."
"Following the Buddha's crossing over into extinction, the Bodhisattva Wondrous Light upheld the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra for a full eighty small aeons , expounding it to others. The eight sons of the Buddha Sun-Moon-Lamp Brightness all served Wondrous Light as their master.. Wondrous Light taught and transformed them, causing them to become firmly established in Anuttarasamyaksambodhi."
"The princes, having made offerings to limitless hundrreds of thousands of tens of thousands of millions of Buddhas , all realized the Buddha Way . The very last to become a Buddha was one named Burner of the Lamp."
"Among the eight hundred disciples was one named Seeker of Fame, who was greedily attached to profit and offerings. Although he read and recited many scriptures, he did not comprehend them and forgot most of what he learned. For that reasons he was called Seeker of Fame. Because he had also planted good roots , he was able to encounter limitless hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of millions of Buddhas , making offerings to them and honoring them, venerating and praising them."
" Maitreya , it should be known, could the Bodhisattva Wondrous Light have been anyone else? I, myself, was he. And the Bodhisattva Seeker of Fame was you, yourself!"
"The portents now seen do not differ from those, and so, in my estimation, today the Thus Come One is about to speak a Great Vehicle Sutra called The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower, a Dharma for instructing Bodhisattvas of which the Buddha is protective and mindful."
At that time Manjushri , in the midst of the assembly, wishing to restate his meaning, spoke verses, saying:
I recall that in ages past,
Limitless, countless aeons ago,
There appeared a Buddha, one honored among people
By the name of Brightness of Sun-Moon-Lamp,
That World Honored One proclaimed the Dharma,
Taking limitless living beings across,
Causing countless millions of Bodhisattvas
To enter the wisdom of the Buddhas .
Before that Buddha had left home,
The eight royal sons born to him,
Seeing the Great Sage leave him home,
Also followed him to practice Brahman conduct.
The Buddha then spoke a Great Vehicle
Sutra by the name of Limitless Principles;
Amidst the assembly, and for their sake,
He set it forth in extensive detail.
When the Buddha had finished speaking the Sutra ,
Seated in the Dharma-seat,
He sat in full lotus and entered the Samadhi
Called the Station of Limitless Principles.
From the heavens fell a rain of Mandarava flowers ,
And heavenly drums of themselves did sound,
While all the gods, dragons, ghosts and spirits,
Made offerings to the Honored One;
And, within all the Buddha land s,
There occurred a mighty trembling.
The light emitted from between the Buddha's brows
Manifested all these rare events.
The light illumined to the east
Eighteen thousand Buddha land s,
Revealing the places of living beings'
Karmic retributions of birth and death.
Seen, too, were Buddha land s adorned
With a multitude of gems,
The color of lapiz lazuli and crystal,
Illumined by the Buddha's light.
Seen as well were gods and people,
Dragons, spirits, and Yaksha Hordes,
Gandharvas and Kinnaras ,
Each making offering to the Buddha.
Thus come ones, too, all were seen
As they naturally accomplished the Buddha Way ,
Their bodies' hue like mountains of gold,
Upright, serene, subtle, and fine,
As, within pure lapis lazuli
Would appear an image of real gold.
The World Honored Ones in those assemblies
Proclaimed the profound principle of the Law.
In all the Buddhas ' lands,
Were Shravaka hosts, uncountable;
Through the illumination of the Buddha's light
Those assemblies all were fully seen.
There were also Bhikshus who,
Dwelt within the mountain groves,
Vigorously upholding the pure precepts
As if guarding brilliant pearls.
Also seen were Bodhisattvas
Practicing giving, patience, and so forth,
Their number like the Ganges' sands,
Illumined by the Buddha's light.
Seen too were Bodhisattvas who
Had deeply entered Dhyana Samadhi,
With bodies and minds still and unmoving
They sought the Way unsurpassed.
Bodhisattvas, too, were seen who knew
The Mark of Dharmas ' still extinction;
Each one within his Buddhaland
Spoke Dharma, seeking the Buddha's path.
Then the four-fold multitudes
Seeing the Buddha Sun-Moon-Lamp
Manifest great and powerful spiritual penetrations,
In their hearts all rejoiced,
And inquired, each of the other,
"What is the reason for these events?"
The Honored One, revered by gods and humans,
Just then from Samadhi did arise,
And praised the Bodhisattva Wondrous Light:
"You act as eyes for the world,
All return to you in faith; you are
Able reverently to hold the Dharma-store.
Dharma such as I do speak--
You alone can certify to its understanding."
The World Honored One having praised him,
And caused Wondrous Light to rejoice,
Then spoke the Sutra of the Dharma Flower.
For a full sixty minor aeons
He did not rise from his seat.
The supreme and wondrous Dharma that he spoke,
The Dharma Master Wondrous Light
Was fully able to receive and hold.
The Buddha, having spoken The Dharma Flower,
And caused the assembly to rejoice,
Later, on that very day,
Announced to the host of gods and humans;
"The meaning of the real mark of all Dharmas
Has already been spoken for all of you,
And now at midnight, I
shall enter into Nirvana .
You should single-heartedly advance with vigor,
And avoid laxness, for
Buddhas are difficult indeed to meet,
Encountered but once in a million aeons ."
All of the disciples of the World Honored One
Hearing of the Buddha's entry into Nirvana ,
Each harbored grief and anguish,
"Why must the Buddha take extinction so soon?"
The sagely Lord, the Dharma King,
Then comforted the limitless multitude:
"After my passage into extinction,
None of you should worry or fear,
For the Bodhisattva Virtue Treasury,
With respect to the non- outflow mark of reality,
In heart has penetrated it totally;
He will next become a Buddha,
By the name of Pure Body, and
Will also save uncounted multitudes.
That night the Buddha passed into extinction,
As a flame dies once its fuel has been consumed.
The Sharira were divided up,
And limitless stupas built.
The Bhikshus and Bhikshunis ,
Their number like the Gange's sands,
Redoubled their vigor in advancing
In their quest for the unsurpassed path.
The Dharma Master Wondrous Light
Reverently kept the store of the Buddha's Law;
For eighty minor aeons , he
Widely spread the Sutra of the Dharma Flower.
All of the eight royal sons
Taught and led by Wondrous Light,
Became solid in the unsurpassed path,
And met with Buddhas beyond all count.
Having presented them offerings,
They accordingly practiced the Great Way ,
And in succession, became Buddhas ,
Transmitting prophecies in turn.
The last of these, a god among gods,
Was a Buddha by the name of Burner of the Lamp,
A guiding master of all the immortals,
Who brought release to countless multitudes.
The Dharma Master Wondrous Light
Had a disciple at that time
Whose heart harbored laxness, and who
Was greedily attached to fame and gain.
Seeking fame and gain untiringly,
He often visited the great clans;
He cast aside his recitations
Nelgelcted, forgot, and failed to comprehend them.
These, then, were the reasons why
He was given the name "Seeker of Fame."
Yet he also practiced many good deeds,
Enabling him to meet uncounted Buddhas ,
And make offerings to all of them.
Accordingly he walked the great path,
And perfected the Six Paramitas .
Now he meets the Shakyan Lion;
Later, He will become a Buddha
By the name of Maitreya ,
Who will broadly take all beings over--
Their number far beyond all count.
After that Buddha had passed into extinction,
the indolent one was you,
And the Dharma Master Wondrous Light,
Was I, myself, now present here.
I saw the Buddha Brightness of Lamp;
His light and portents were like these.
Thus I know the present Buddha,
Wishes to speak The Dharma Flower Sutra .
The present marks are like the portents past,
Expedient devices of the Buddhas .
The Buddha now puts forth bright light,
To help reveal the real mark's meaning.
All of you now should understand, and
With one heart, join your palms, and wait;
The Buddha will let fall the Dharma rain,
To satisfy all those who seek the Way .
Those who seek three vehicles,
Should they have doubts or regrets,
The Buddha will remove them now,
So that they vanish and none remain.
CHAPTER TWO
EXPEDIENT DEVICES
At that time the World Honored One arose serenely from Samadhi and told Shariputra , "The wisdom of all the Buddhas is extremely profound and unlimited. The gateway to this wisdom is difficult to understand and difficult to enter. It cannot be known by any of the Sound Hearers or Pratyeka Buddhas .
"What is the reason? The Buddhas have, in the past, drawn near to countless hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of millions of Buddhas, exhaustively practicing the unlimited Dharmas of the Way of those Buddhas. They are forging ahead with courage and vigor and their names are known everywhere.
"They have accomplished the most profound Dharma, one which has never been before, and speak of it according to what is appropriate, but its purport is difficult to understand."
" Shariputra , from the time I realized Buddhahood, I have, by means of various causes and conditions and various analogies, extensively proclaimed the verbal teaching. With countless expedient devices, I have guided living beings, leading them to separate from all attachments.
"Why is this? The Thus Come One has already perfected his expedient devices and his knowledge and vision.
" Shariputra , the knowledge and vision of the Thus Come One is vast, great, profound, and far-reaching. He has profoundly entered, without boundary, the unlimiteds, the unobstructeds, the powers, the fearlessnesses, the Dhyana concentrations, and the Samadhis of liberation, accomplishing all those Dharmas never had before."
"Shariputa, the Thus Come One is able to make various discriminations, cleverly speaking all Dharmas . His speech is gentle and delights the hearts of the multitudes.
" Shariputra , essentially speaking, the Buddha has fully accomplished all of those unlimited, boundless Dharmas which have never been before."
"Stop."
" Shariputra , there is no need to speak further. Why is this? As to that foremost, rare, and hard-to-understand Dharma accomplished by the Buddha--only the Buddhas and the Buddha can exhaust the Real Mark of all Dharmas , that is to say, with regard to all Dharmas: the suchness of the marks, the suchness of the nature, the suchness of the substance, the suchness of the power, the suchness of the function, the suchness of the causes, the suchness of the conditions , the suchness of the effects, and suchness of the retributions, and the suchness of the ultimate equality from beginning to end."
At that time, the World Honored One , wishing to restate this meaning, spoke verses saying,
Illimitable are the heroes of the world.
All the gods and people in the world,
And all the classes of living beings
Cannot know the Buddhas .
The Buddhas ' powers, fearlessnesses,
Liberations and Samadhis ,
And other Dharmas of the Buddhas
Can be fathomed by no one.
Formerly, following countless Buddhas ,
I perfectly walked all the paths
Of the wonderful Dharma, subtle and deep,
Hard to see and hard to understand;
Through limitless millions of aeons .
I walked down all these paths.
In the Bodhimanda , I realized the fruit,
And have fully known and seen it all.
The great effect and retribution,
The varous natures, marks, and meanings,
Are such that I and the ten-direction Buddhas
Alone can understand these matters.
This Dharma can't be demonstrated,
The mark of language being still and extinct;
Of all the kinds of living beings
None there is who can understand it.
Except the host of Bodhisattvas ,
Firm in the power of faith.
The host of the Buddha's disciples
Who've made offerings to the Buddhas
And who have exhausted all outflows ,
And dwell in their final bodies--
The strength of people such as these
Also proves inadequate.
If the world were filled
With those like Shariputra ,
Who together spent their thoughts to measure it,
They couldn't fathom the Buddha's wisdom .
Truly, suppose the ten directions ,
Were filled with those like Shariputra ,
And that the remaining disciples filled
All the lands in the ten directions ,
And that together they spent their thoughts to measure it,
They also could not know it.
If Pratyeka Buddhas of sharp wisdom
Without outflows , in their final bodies,
Also filled the ten-directions,
Their number like the bamboo in the forest,
And if they put their minds together,
Wishing to think about the Buddha's real wisdom ,
Throughout measureless millions aeons ,
They could not know the smallest part of it.
Suppose newly resolved Bodhisattvas ,
Who've made offerings to countless Buddhas ,
Who understand the principle and the purport,
And are well able to speak the Dharma,
Whose numbers are like rice, hemp, bamboo, and reeds,
Filled the ten-direction lands,
And suppose with one mind and with wondrous wisdom ,
They were all together to think it over,
Throughout aeons like the Ganges' sands,
Even they couldn't know the Buddha's wisdom .
Suppose that non-retreating Bodhisattvas ,
Their number like the Ganges' sands,
With one mind thought to seek that wisdom
They also could not know of it.
And what is more, Shariputra ,
That inconceivable, non- outflow ,
Most profound and subtle Dharma,
I have perfectly obtained,
And I alone know its mark,
Along with the ten-direction Buddhas .
Shariputra, you should know
The words of the Buddhas do not differ.
In the Dharma spoken by the Buddhas
You should place the power of great faith.
When the World Honored One 's Dharma's at its end,
The true and real must be spoken.
I tell the assembly of Sound Hearers
And those who seek the Conditioned Enlightened Vehicle,
That I will lead them to cast off suffering's bond,
And arrive at Nirvana .
The Buddha uses the power of expedients,
Demonstrating the teaching of Three Vehicles,
So that living beings, attached in many places,
May be guided to escape.
At that time in the assembly there were Sound Hearers , Arhats with outflows extinguished, Ajnatakaundinya and others, twelve hundred persons, as well as Bhikshus , Bhikshunis , Upasakas , and Upasikas who had brought forth the resolve to become Sound Hearers and Pratyeka Buddhas . They all had the following thought:
"Why, now, does the World Honored One repeatedly praise the expedient devices saying, 'The Dharma obtained by the Buddha is so extremely profound and difficult to understand and the purport of his speech is so difficult to know, that none of the Sound Hearers or Pratyeka Buddhas can grasp it.' The Buddha has spoken of but one principle of liberation and we have already obtained this Dharma and arrived at Nirvana . Now, we do not understand his intention."
At that time Shariputra , knowing the doubts in the minds of the four-fold assembly, and himself not yet fully understanding, addressed the Buddha saying, "For what reason has the World Honored One repeatedly praised the foremost expedient devices of the Buddhas and the extremely profound and wonderful Dharma which is difficult to understand? From the past onwards I have never heard the Buddha speak in such a way. Presently, the four-fold assembly all has doubts. I only pray that the World Honored One will expound upon this subject: Why has the World Honored One repeatedly praised the Dharma which is extremely profound, subtle, and hard to understand?"
At that time, Shariputra , wishing to restate this meaning, spoke verses saying,
O, Sun of Wisdom, Great Honored Sage,
Long have you waited to speak this Dharma;
Speaking of your attainments of such
Powers, fearlessnesses, and Samadhis ,
Dhyana Samadhis and liberations ,
And other inconceivable Dharmas .
Concerning the Dharma attained in the Bodhimanda ,
No one is able to raise a question.
I find its meaning hard to fathom,
And am also unable to ask about it.
So you speak unasked,
Praising the path you have walked
And that wisdom fine and subtle,
Attained by all the Buddhas .
All the Arhats , without outflows ,
And those who seek Nirvana ,
Have fallen into a net of doubts.
"Why has the Buddha said this?"
Those who seek Condition Englitenment,
The Bhikshus , the Bhikshunis ,
Gods, dragons, ghosts, and spirits,
Gandharvas and others,
Look at one another, perplexed,
And then gaze at the Doubly Complete Honored One.
"What is the meaning of this matter?
"We pray that the Buddha will explain."
Of the host of Sound Hearers
The Buddha has declared me foremost,
And yet now with my own wisdom
I cannot resolve my doubts.
Is this Dharma ultimate?
Or is it the path to be walked?
Disciples born from the Buddha's mouth,
With joined palms wait, expectantly.
Pray put forth the subtle sound,
For it's time to tell it as it really is.
The gods, dragons, spirits, and others
Their numbers like the Ganges' sands,
Bodhisattvas seeking Buddhahood,
Numbering a full eighty thousand,
And, from myriads of millions of lands,
Wheel-Turning Sage Kings have come,
With joined palms and reverent minds
All wish to hear of the perfect way.
At that time the Buddha told Shariputra , "Stop! Stop! There is no need to speak further. If this matter were spoken of, the gods and humans in all the worlds would be frightened and led to doubt."
Shariputra again addressed the Buddha saying, " World Honored One , I only pray that you will speak it. I only pray that you will speak it. What is the reason? In this assembly are countless hundreds of thousands of myriads of millions of Asankhyeyas of living beings who have, in the past, seen the Buddhas . Their roots are keen and their wisdom bright. Hearing what the Buddha says they will be able to revere and believe it."
At that time, Shariputra , wishing to restate this meaning, spoke the following verses:
Dharma King, Supremely Honored One,
Do but speak; pray have no worries,
For, within the limitless multitudes,
Are those who can revere and believe it.
The Buddha again stopped Shariputra , "If this matter were spoken of, the gods, humans, and Asuras in all the worlds would be frightened and led to doubt, and those Bhikshus of overweening pride would fall into a bid pit."
The the World Honored One restated his meaning in verse, saying,
Stop, stop. It must not be spoken.
My Dharma is wonderful beyond conception,
And those of undue pride who heard it,
Surely would neighter revere or believe it.
At that time, Shariputra further addressed the Buddha, saying, " World Honored One , I only pray that you will speak it; I only pray that you will speak it. Presently, within this assembly are those who are my equal, hundreds of thousands of myriads of millions of them. Life after life they have been transformed by the Buddha. People such as these will surely be able to revere and believe you. They will gain security and great benefit within the long night."
At that time, Shariputra , wishing to restate his meaning, recited the following verses:
Supreme and Doubly Honored One.
Pray speak the foremost Dharma.
I, the Buddha's eldest disciple,
Wish you wil but speak it in detail.
The limitless host here assembled,
Can revere and believe this Dharma,
For the Buddha has, for life after life,
Taught and transformed such ones as these.
With one mind, with palms joined,
We all wish to hear the Buddha speak.
Twelve hundred of us there are,
And more, seeking Buddhahood.
Pray, for those assembled here,
Speak of it in detail;
Having heard this Dharma,
Great will our rejoicing be.
Thereupon the World Honored One told Shariputra , "Since you have earnestly requested three times, how can I not speak? You should now listen attentively, think upon it well, and be mindful of it; I will explain it in detail for your sake."
As he said these words, five thousand Bhikshus , Bhikshunis , Upasakas , and Upasikas in the assembly rose from their seats, made obeisance to the Buddha and left. What was the reason? The roots of their offenses were deep and grave and they were of such overweening pride that they claimed to have obtained what they had not yet obtained and to have certified to that to which they had not yet certified to. With faults such as these they could not stay. The World Honored One remained silent and did not restrain them.
The Buddha then told Shariputra , "My assembly has now been cleared of its branches and leaves and only the trunks remain. Shariputra, it is excellent that those of overweening pride have left. You should now listen well and I shall speak it for you."
Shariputra said, "So be it, World Honored One . I wish joyfully to hear it."
The Buddha told Shariputra , "A wonderful Dharma such as this is spoken only occasionally by the Buddhas , the Thus Come Ones , just as the Udumbara flower appears but once in a great while.
" Shariputra , you should all believe that which the Buddha says, for his words, are not vain or false. Shariputra, all the Buddhas speak the Dharma in accord with what is appropriate, but its purport is difficult to understand. What is the reason? I extensively speak all Dharmas by means of countless expedient devices, various causes and conditions , analogies, and expressions. This Dharma cannot be understood through de liberation or discrimination. Only the Buddhas alone can know it. Why is this? All the Buddhas, the World Honored Ones , appear in the world only because of the causes and conditions of the one great matter.
" Shariputra , what is meant by 'All Buddhas , World Honored Ones , appear in the world only because of the causes and conditions of the one great matter? The Buddhas, the World Honored Ones, appear in the world because they wish to lead living beings to open the knowledge and vision of the Buddhas and gain purity. They appear in the world because they wish to demonstrate to all living beings the knowledge and vision of the Buddhas. They appear in the world because they wish to lead living beings to awaken to the knowledge and vision of the Buddhas. They appear in the world because they wish to lead living beings to enter into the Path of the knowledge and vision of the Buddhas.
" Shariputra , these are the causes and conditions of the one great matter for which all the Buddhas appear in the world."
The Buddha told Shariputra , "All the Buddhas , the Thus Come Ones , teach and transform only Bodhisattvas . All their actions are always for the one matter, and that is only to demonstrate and enlighten living beings to the Buddha's knowledge and vision. Ones use only the Buddha-Vehicle. There are no other vehicles, whether two or three. Shariputra, the Dharma of all the Buddhas of the ten directions is thus.
Shariputra, the Buddhas of the past, by means of limitless, countless expedient devices, various causes Dharmas to living beings. These Dharmas were all for the sake of the One Buddha Vehicle . All these living beings, hearing the Dharma from the Buddhas, ultimately attain the Wisdom of All Modes.
" Shariputra , when the Buddhas of the future shall come into the world, they will also by means of limitless, countless expedient devices, various causes and conditions , analogies and expressions, proclaim all the Dharmas to living beings. These Dharmas will all be for the sake of the One Buddha Vehicle . Hearing the Dharma from the Buddhas, all these living beings will ultimately attain to the Wisdom of all Modes.
" Shariputra , presently, all the Buddhas , World Honored Ones , throughout the ten directions in limitless hundreds of thousands of myriads of millions of Buddhalands, greatly benefit living beings and bring them peace and happiness. These Buddhas also by means of limitless, countless expedient devices, various causes and conditions , analogies, and expressions, extensively proclaim all the dharmas to living beings. These Dharmas are all for the sake of the One Buddha-Vehicle. All these living beings, hearing the Dharma from the Buddhas, ultimately attain the Wisdom of All Modes.
" Shariputra , all the Buddhas only teach and transform Bodhisattvas because they wish to demonstrate to living beings the Buddha's knowledge and vision, because they wish to awaken living beings to the Buddha's knowledge and vision, and because they wish to lead living beings to enter the Buddha's knowledge and vision."
" Shariputra , I, now, too am also like this. Knowing that living beings have various desires to which their hearts are deeply attached, according to their basic dispositions, and by means of various causes and conditions , analogies, expressions, and the power of expedient devices, I speak the Dharma to them."
" Shariputra , this is all done so that they may attain the One Buddha Vehicle and the Wisdom of All Modes.
" Shariputra , in the worlds of the ten directions , there are not even two vehicles, how much the less three. Shariputra, all Buddhas appear in the world of the five evil turbidites, that is, the kalpa turbidity , the affliction turbidity, the living beings turbidity, the view turbidity, and the life turbidity. So it is, Shariputra, that in the time of the confusion of the kalpa turbidity, living beings are heavy-laden with impurities; because they are stingly, greedy, envious, and jealous, they develop unwholesome roots. For this reason, all the Buddhas, by means of the power of expedient devices, within the One Buddha Vehicle , make discriminations and speak of three.
" Shariputra , if a disciple of mine calls himself an Arhat or Pratyeka Buddha, but does not hear or know of the fact that all the Buddhas , the Thus Come Ones , only teach and transform the Bodhisattvas , he is not a disciple of the Buddha, nor is he an Arhat, nor is he a Pratyeka Buddha."
"Furthermore, Shariputra , it should be known that those Bhikshus and Bhikshunis who claim to have attained Arhats hip and to dwell in their final bodies before ultimate Nirvana , but who do not further resolve to seek Anuttarasamyaksambodhi, are people of overweening pride. Why is this? It is impossible that any Bhikshu who had actually attained Arhatship should not believe this Dharma, except in the case when the Buddha has passed into extinction and no Buddha is in existence. Why is this? After the Buddha has passed into extinction, those who accept, uphold, read, recite, and understand the meaning of Sutra s such as this will be hard to find. If they encounter other Buddhas , they will then obtain thorough understanding of this Dharma.
" Shariputra , all of you should, with one heart, believe, understand, accept and uphold the speech of the Buddha, for in the words of all the Buddhas there is nothing vain or false. There are no other vehicles; there is only the One Buddha Vehicle ."
At that time, the World Honored One , wishing to restate his meaning, spoke verses, saying,
Those Bhikshus and Bhikshunis ,
Who harbor overweening pride,
The arrogant Upasakas ,
Upasikas who don't believe,
In the four-fold host, such ones as these.
Numbering five thousand strong.
Who do not see their own mistakes,
Deficient in morality,
And guarding imperfections,
Those of paltry wisdom have left;
The chaff wihin the multitude is gone,
Thanks to the Buddha's awesome virtue.
These people, lacking blessings and virtue,
Are unworthy of receiving this Dharma.
The assembly is free of branches and leaves;
The trunks alone remain intact.
Shariputra, listen well:
The Dharma obtained by the Buddhas ,
Is spoken for living beings
Through the power of limitless expedients.
The toughts in living being's minds,
The various pathways they have walked,
The nature of their various desires,
Their karma, good or ill, from former lives,
The Buddha knows them all thoroughly.
Using conditions , analogies,
Expressions, and powerful expedients,
I cause them to rejoice.
I may speak the Sutra s,
Gathas, or past events,
Of former lives, the unprecedented,
Causes and conditions ,
Analogies or geyas,
Or the upadesha texts.
To dull-rooted ones who delight in lesser Dharmas ,
And who are greedily attached to birth and death,
Who, under limitless Buddhas ,
Have not walked the deep and wondrous Path,
Oppressed by scores of sufferings ,
For them I speak of Nirvana .
I have established these expedients
To cause them to enter the Buddha's wisdom .
Never did I say, "All of you
Will realize the Buddha Way ."
I did not say as much because
The time to speak had not yet come.
The time, now, is exactly right,
To speak the Great Vehicle .
The nine divisions of my Dharma,
Are spoken to accord with living beings;
Intending to lead them into the Great Vehicle ,
I therefore speak this Sutra text.
For the Buddha's disciples, pure in heart,
Who are complaint and have been faculties,
Who, under countless Buddhas ,
Have walked the deep and wondrous Path,
I speak the Sutra of the Great Vehicle .
I predict that such people
In the future will realize the Buddha Way ,
For with profound thoughts they recollect the Buddha,
Cultivate and uphold pure morality.
When they hear that they will become Buddhas
Great will their rejoicing be.
The Buddha knows their thoughts and conduct,
And speaks the Great Vehicle for them.
If Sound Hearers or Bodhisattvas ,
Hear this Dharma that I speak,
Be it but a single verse,
They will become Buddhas , without a doubt.
In the Buddhalands of the ten directions ,
There is only the Dharma of One Vehicle ;
There are not two or three,
Except those spoken by the Buddhas as expedients,
And those are but false appellations
Used to induce living beings,
So that he may teach them the Buddha's wisdom .
The Buddhas appear in the world
Only for the sake of this One Real Matter;
The other two are not the truth;
To the end they would not use the small vehicle
To rescue living beings.
The Buddha himself dwells in the Great Vehicle ,
And in accord with the Dharmas he's gained,
Adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom ,
He uses these to save living beings,
Having certified to the supreme path, myself,
The Great Vehicle 's Dharma of equality,
Were I to teach my means of the small vehicle,
Even a single human being,
I would have fallen into stingy greed;
But such a thing could never be.
Should people rely, in faith, upon the Buddha,
The Thus Come One will not deceive them;
He has no thoughts of envy or greed,
And he has cut off all the evil in the Dharmas .
Therefore, throughout the ten directions ,
The Buddha alone has nothing to fear.
My body adorned with marks,
I brilliantly illumine the world.
Revered by countless multitudes
I speak the Seal of the Real Mark.
Shariputra, you should know,
That in the past I took a vow,
Wishing to lead the multitudes,
To be identifical with me.
That vow, made long ago,
Now has been perfectly fulfilled,
For I have transformed all beings,
Leading them into the Buddha Path."
If, when I met with living beings,
I taught them just the Buddha Path,
Those lacking wisdom would be puzzled;
Confused, they would not accept the teaching.
I know that these living beings
Have never cultivated good roots .
They are firmly attached to the five desires ,
And, out of stupidity and love, become afflicted.
Because of all their desires,
They fall into the three evil paths ,
They turn on the wheel in the six destinies,
Suffering utter misery.
They take a tiny form in the womb;
Life after life, it continues to grow.
With scanty virtue and few blessings,
They are oppressed by scores of sufferings ,
They enter the dense forest of deviant views,
Those of existence, non-existence, and the like.
They become dependent on those views--
Sixty-two of them in all.
Deeply attached to illusory Dharms,
They cling to them firmly and cannot let them go.
Arrogant, they brag of their loftiness;
They are flatterers, their hearts insincere.
Throughout ten billion aeons ,
They never hear the Buddha's name,
Nor do they hear the proper Dharma.
Such people are difficult to save.
Therefore, Shariputra ,
I set forth expedients for them,
Speak of the way to suffering's end,
And demonstrate Nirvana .
Although I speak of Nirvana ,
It is not true extinction.
All Dharmas from their origin,
Are ever marked by still extinction.
When the Buddha's disciples have walked the Path,
In a future age they will become Buddhas .
I possess the power of expedients,
And demonstrate the Dharma of Three Vehicles.
All the World Honored Ones ,
Speak the Dharma of One Vehicle .
Now all of you assembled here,
Should cast your doubts aside.
The speech of all Buddhas is the same:
There is only One Vehicle , not two.
Throughtout countless aeons in the past,
Innumerable extinct Buddhas ,
Hundreds of thousands of myriads of millions of them,
A number beyond all calculation,
World Honored Ones such as these,
Used various conditions , analogies,
And the power of countless expedients,
To proclaim the marks of all Dharmas .
All of those World Honored Ones ,
Spoke the Dharma of One Vehicle ,
Transforming beings without limit,
Leading them to the Buddha Path.
Further, all Great Sagely Lords,
Know the deep desires in the hearts
Of all the gods, humans, and other beings
Within all the worlds.
Using different expedients,
Which help to reveal the foremost principle.
If there are living beings
Who have met with Buddhas in the past
Heard the Dharma, practiced giving,
Morality, patience, and vigor
Dhyana Samadhi, wisdom , and so on,
Cultivating blessings and wisdom ,
Persons such as these
Have all realized the Buddha path.
When those Buddhas have become extinct
If there are those with compliant hearts,
Beings such as these
Have attained the Buddha Way .
After the extinction of those Buddhas ,
Those who have made offerings to their Sharira,
Building millions of kinds of stupas ,
Made of gold, silver, or of crystal,
Mother-of-peark, carnelian,
Rose quartz, lapis lazuli, and other gems,
Clear, pure and most ornate,
Worked to grace the stupas ,
Or should there be those who've built temples
Out of stone, chandana, or aloeswood,
Hovenia, or other timbers,
Bricks, clay, and the like,
Or those who, in the barren wastes,
Have piled up earth into a Buddha-shrine,
Or even children who, at play,
Have piled up sand to make a stupa,
All persons such as these,
Have realized the Buddha Way .
Those who, for the Buddhas ,
Have erected images,
Carving all their myriads of marks,
Have realized the Buddha Way .
They may have used the seven gems,
Or bronze or copper, white or red,
Wax, lead, or tin,
Iron, wood, or clay,
Or, perhaps, lacquered cloth,
In making Buddha images;
Persons such as these
Have realized the Buddha Way .
Those who painted bright Buddha images,
Adorned with the marks of their hundreds of blessings,
Whether they did it themselves or employed others,
Have realized the Buddha Way .
Even children who, at play,
Who with a straw, a stick, or pen,
Or even with their fingernails,
Drew images of the Buddha,
People such as these,
Gradually accumulated merit and virtue,
Perfected the heart of great compassion,
And have realized the Buddha Way .
They teach only Bodhisattvas ,
And rescue countless miltitudes.
Should persons, in stupas or in temples,
Make offerings with a reverent heart,
To jewelled or painted images,
With flowers , incense, banners, or canopies,
Or should they cause others to make music,
with drums, horns, or conches,
Pan-pipes, flutes, lutes or bamboo lyres,
Guitars, cymbals, or brass gongs,
With many wondrous sounds as these,
Played solely as offerings.
Or if, with happy hearts, with songs
And chants they praised the Buddha's virtues,
With even just one small sound,
They have realized the Buddha Way .
If people with scattered minds
Have given but a single flower
As an offering to a painted image,
They shall gradually see numberless Buddhas .
If they bowed in worship,
Or merely placed their palms together,
Or even raised a single hand,
Or gave a slight nod of the head,
As an offering to the images,
They shall gradually see countless Buddhas ,
And have, themselves, realized the Buddha Way .
They will rescue countless multitudes,
And enter Nirvana without residue,
As a fire goes out when the fuel has been consumed.
If people with scattered minds,
Enter stupas or temples,
And say but once, " Namo Buddha."
They have realized the Buddha Way .
Be it from Buddhas of the past,
While existent, or after their extinction,
Those who have heard this Dharma,
Have realized the Buddha Way .
The World Honored Ones of the future,
Are limitless in number;
All of these Thus Come Ones ,
Will also speak the Dharma of expedient devices.
All of the Thus Come Ones ,
By means of limitless expedients,
Help all living beings
To enter the Buddha's non- outflow wisdom .
Of those who have heard the Dharma,
None will fail to become Buddhas .
All the Buddhas have made this vow
"As to the Buddha Way which I have walked,
I wish to lead all living beings
Alike to obtain this Path."
And although the Buddhas of the future
Will speak a hundred thousand million,
Countless Dharma doors ,
They are, in fact, for the sake of the Vehicle,
All Buddhas , Doubly Perfect Honored Ones,
Know the Dharmas are eternally without a nature.
The Buddha seed arises from conditions ;
Thus they speak of the One Vehicle .
This Dharma abides in the Dharma's position,
Dwelling forever in worldly marks.
Having understood this in the Bodhimanda ,
The Guiding Master teaches it expediently.
Those who receive the offerings of gods and humans,
The Buddhas of the present in the ten dirrections,
Their number like the Ganges' sands,
Manifest within the world
To bring peace and comfort to living beings,
And also speak Dharma such as this.
Knowing the foremost still extinction,
They use the power of expedients
To demonstrate the various paths,
In reality, for the sake of the Buddha Vehicle .
Knowing the conduct of living beings,
The thoughts deep within their minds,
Their habitual actions in the past,
The nature of their desire, the power of their vigor,
and their faculties, keen or dull,
They employ various causes and conditions ,
Analogies and verbal expressions,
To teach them the appropriate expedients.
Now I, too, am like them.
Using various Dharma doors ,
To bring peace and comfort to living beings.
I use the power of my wisdom ,
To know the nature of beings' desires;
I speak all Dharmas expediently,
To lead them all to happiness.
Shariputra, you should know,
As I regard them with my Buddha eye,
I see living beings in the six paths,
Impoverished, lacking blessings and wisdom ,
Entering the dangerous path of birth and death,
Where they suffer unremittingly.
They are deeply attached to the five desires ,
Like a yak caring for its tail,
They smother themselves with greed and love,
Blind, and in darkness, seeing nothing.
They do not seek the mighty Buddha,
Or the Dharma which cuts off suffering,
But instead they deeply enter into deviant views;
With suffering, they wish to cast off suffering.
For the sake of these beings,
I give rise to the Great Compassion Heart.
When first I sat in the Bodhimanda ,
In contemplation , or walking about the tree,
For a full three times seven days,
I thought over matters such as these:
The wisdom which I have obtained,
Is subtle, wonderful, and foremost,
But living beings are dull-rooted,
Attached to pleasure, blinded by delusion ;
Beings such as these,
How can they possibly be saved?
Just then the Brahma Heaven Kings ,
As well as the God Shakra,
The Four World-Protecting God Kings ,
The god of the heaven of Great Comfort,
And the other heavenly multitudes,
With retinues numbering in the billions
Reverently placed their palms togehter,
And requested me to turn the Dharma Wheel.
I then thought to myself,
"Were I to praise only the Buddha Vehicle ,
Beings sunk in suffering
Would be unable to believe this Dharma.
They would slander it out of disbelief,
And fall into the three evil paths .
It's better that I do not speak the Dharma,
But quickly enter into Nirvana ."
Then I recalled that the Buddhas of the past
Practiced powerful expedients,
And as I now have obtained the Path,
When I had been thinking thus,
The Buddhas of the ten directions all appeared,
And with the Brahma sound encouraged me, saying,
"Good indeed, O Shakyamuni,
Foremost Guiding Master.
Having attained the supreme Dharma,
You follow the precedent of all Buddhas ,
To employ the power of expedient devices.
We have all obtained as well,
That foremost Dharma, most wonderful.
For the various kinds of living beings,
We discriminate and teach Three Vehicles.
Those of little wisdom who delight in lesser Dharmas ,
Would not believe that they could become Buddhas .
That is why we use expedient means,
To discriminate and teach the various fruits.
Although Three Vehciles are taught.
It is only for the sake of teaching Bodhisattvas .
Shariputra, you should know,
That when I heard the Sagely Lions'
Deep, pure, and wondrous sound,
I called out "Homage to all Buddhas ."
And further had this thought,
"I have come into a turbid, evil world;
As the Buddhas speak,
I should follow in accord."
Having thought upon this matter,
I went straightway to Varanasi .
Since the still and extinct mark of all Dharmas ,
Cannot be expressed in words,
I used the power of expedients,
To instruct the five Bhikshus .
This was called the turning of the Dharma wheel.
Then came the sound of Nirvana ,
As well as " Arhats hip,"
"Dharma," and the " Sangha ," various names.
From remote aeons onward,
I have praised and shown Nirvana 's Dharma,
As the final end of birth and death's sufferings ;
Always have I spoken thus.
Shariputra, you should know,
I see disciples of the Buddha,
Resolutely seeking the Buddha Way ,
Limitless thousands of myriads of millions of them,
All with hearts of reverence,
All coming before the Buddha.
They had heard, from former Buddhas ,
Expedient teachings of the Dharma.
This causes me to think,
"The reason why the Thus Come One appears,
Is to teach the wisdom of the Buddha,
And now the time is exactly right."
Shariputra, you should know,
Those with dull faculties and slight wisdom ,
Those attached to marks, the arrogant,
Cannot believe this Dharma.
I now rejoice and have no fear,
And among the Bodhisattvas ,
I shall cast expedients aside,
To speak only of the supreme Path.
When the Bodhisattvas have heard this Dharma,
The network of their doubts will be rent;
Twelve hundred Arhats
Will all attain to Buddhahood.
As the Buddhas of the three periods of time
In such a manner spoke the Dharma,
So do I likewise now expound
The undiscriminated Dharma.
All Buddhas come into the world
But rarely, and are hard to meet;
And when they appear in the world,
It's hard for them to speak the Dharma.
Throughtout countless ages, too,
It's difficult to hear this Dharma.
And those who can hear this Dharma--
Such people too, are rare,
Like the udumbara flower,
In which all take delight,
Which the gods and humans prize,
For it blooms but once in a long, long time.
So one who hears this Dharma, gives joyful praise,
With even just a single word,
Has thereby made offerings,
To all the Buddhas of the three periods of time.
Such people are extremely rare.
Rarer than the udumbara flower.
All of you should have no doubts,
For I am the Dharma King;
I declare to the assembly:
I use only the path of One Vehicle ,
To teach and transform Bodhisattvas .
There are no Sound Hearer Disciples.
Shariputra, all of you,
the Sound Hearers and Bodhisattvas ,
Should know that this wondrous Dharma
Is the secret essence of all Buddhas .
In the evil world of five turbidities ,
Beings who are blissfully attached
To pleasures and desires,
Wil never seek the Buddha Way .
Evil people of the future,
Hearing the Buddha speak of One Vehicle ,
In their delusion will not accept or believe it,
But will slander it and fall into the evil paths .
Still, those with shame and purity,
Who resolutely seek the Buddha Way ,
For such ones as these I praise
The path of One Vehicle , extensively.
Shariputra, you should know,
The Dharma of all Buddhas is like this:
By means of millions of expedients,
I speak Dharma in accord with what's appropriate.
But those who do not study it,
Will never come to understand it.
Since all of you already know
All Buddhas , Masters of the World,
Work by means of appropriate expedients,
You should have no further doubts.
Let your hearts be filled with joy;
You know you will reach Buddhahood.
CHAPTER THREE
A PARABLE
Thereupon, Shariputra , with joyful enthusiasm, rose, joined his palms together, and gazed reverently at the honored one's face and said to the Buddha, "Now, having heard this sound of Dharma from the World Honored One , my heart rejocies and I have obtained what I never had before."
"What is the reason? In the past, I heard a Dharma such as this from the Buddha, and saw the Bodhisattvas receive predictions of Buddhahood, but we had no part in this matter. I was deeply hurt that I had lost the limitless knowledge and vision of the Thus Come One .
" World Honored One , when I used to dwell alone in mountain forests at the foot of trees, whether sitting or walking I continually had this thought: 'We all identically enter into the Dharma nature . Why has The Thus Come One shown us deliverance by means of the Small Vehicle Dharma? It is our fault, not the World Honored One's.'
"What is the reason? If we had waited for the lecture on the cause of realizing Anuttarasamyaksambodhi, we should certainly have been delivered by means of the Great Vehicle . But we did not understand that expedient devices were spoken in accord with what was appropriate. Therefore, when we first heard the BuddhaDharma, upon encountering it we immediately believed and accepted it, considered it, and took certification.
" World Honored One , from of old I have, day and night, continually reproached myself. Now, from the Buddha, I have heard what I never heard before, this Dharma which has never been before, and all my doubts have been severed. My body and mind are blissfull and I am at peace.
"Today, indeed, I know that I am a true disciple of the Buddha, born from the Buddha's mouth, transformed from the Dharma; I have obtained a share of the Buddhadharma."
At that time Shariputra , wishing to restate his meaning, spoke verses, saying:
Hearing this Dharma sound,
I gain what I never had;
My heart is filled with great joy,
The net of doubts has been cast aside.
From the old, favored with the Buddha's teaching,
I had never lost the greater vehicle.
The Buddha's sound is extremely rare,
And can rid beings of their woes.
I've already attained to the end of outflows ,
Yet hearing it my woes also are dispelled.
As I dwelt in the mountain valleys,
Sometimes at the foot of trees,
Whether sitting or walking,
I constantly thought upon this topic:
"Ah," I cried in bitter self-reproach,
"Why have I deceived myself?
We, too, are the Buddha's disciples,
And equally enter the non- outflow Dharma;
Yet in the future we shall not be able
To proclaim the unsurpassed path.
The golden color, the Thirty-Two,
The Ten Powers and all the liberations ,
Are together in a single Dharma,
But I have not obtained these things.
The Eighty Wondrous Excellences,
The EighteenUnshared Dharmas ,
Such qualities of virtue,
I have missed them, every one.
When I used to walk alone
I would see the Buddha in the Great Assembly,
His fame filling the ten directions ,
Vastly benefitting all beings.
I felt I'd lost this benefit,
And had but cheated myself.
Constantly, both day and night,
I thought upon this matter,
And wished to ask the World Honored One
Whether or not I had lost it.
I often saw the World Honored One
Praising all the Bodhisattvas ,
And so it was, by day and night,
I pondered on matters such as these.
Now I hear the Buddha's sound,
Opportunely speaking that Dharma
Which is without outflows --
Hard to conceive of--
And leads living beings to the Bodhimanda .
Once I was attached to deviant views,
And was a teacher of the Brahmins .
The World Honored One knew my heart,
Pulled out the deviant, taught me Nirvana .
I rid myself of deviant views,
Certified to the Dharma of emptiness ,
Then I said to myself
That I'd arrived at extinction.
But now at last I realize
It is not real extinction,
For when I become a Buddha,
Complete with Thirty-two Marks,
Revered by gods, humans, and Yaksha Hordes,
Dragons, spirits, and others,
Only then will I be able to say,
"This is eternal extinction, without residue."
The Buddha, in the Great Assembly,
Has said I shall become a Buddha.
Hearing such a Dharma sound,
All my doubts have been dispelled.
When I first heard the Buddha speak,
My heart was filled with great fear.
Is this not Mara disquised as the Buddha,
Come to disturb and confuse my heart?
The Buddha, by means of various conditions ,
Analogies, and ingenious speech,
Makes one's heart calm as the sea.
Hearing him the net of my doubts was rent.
The Buddha says that in the past
The limitless Buddhas , now extinct,
Dwelt calmly in expedients,
And also spoke this Dharma--each of them.
The Buddhas of the present and the future,
Their numbers without limit,
Also used expedients,
To proclaim the Dharma such as this,
Just as now the World Honored One
From birth until his leaving home,
His attaining the Way and turning the Dharma Wheel,
Also spoke by means of expedients.
The World Honored One speaks the real path.
The evil one does no such thing;
Hence I now for certain
This is not the demon posing as a Buddha.
Because I had fallen into a net of doubts,
I said it was the doings of a demon.
Hearing the Buddha's complaint voice,
Profound, far-reaching, subtle and fine,
Proclaiming wide the clear, pure Dharma,
Great is the joy within my heart.
My doubts are forever ended,
As in real wisdom I stand firm.
I am certain to become a Buddha,
Revered by gods and humans.
I shall turn the unsurpassed wheel of Dharma,
To teach and transform the Bodhisattvas .
At that time the Buddha told Shariputra , "I, now, amidst the great assembly of gods, humans, Shramanas , Brahmins , and others, declare that in the distant past, in the presence of twenty thousand millions of Buddhas , for the sake of the unsurpassed path, I have constantly taught and transformed you. And you, throughout the long night, have followed me and received my instruction. I have used expedient devices to guide you to be born within my Dharma.
" Shariputra , in the past I taught you to resolve yourself on the Buddha path, but you have completely forgotten this, and so you say of yourself that you have already attained extinction.
"Now, again, wishing you to recall the path you have practiced according to your past vows, I, for the sake of the Sound Hearers , speak this Great Vehicle Sutra by the name of The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower, a Dharma for instructing Bodhisattvas of whom the Buddhas are protective and mindful.
" Shariputra , in a future age, after limitless, boundless, inconceivable aeons , having made offerings to some thousands of myriads of millions of Buddhas , having reverently upheld the proper Dharma, and having perfected the path practiced by the Bodhisattvas , you shall become a Buddha by the name of Flower-Light Thus Come One , One Worthy of Offerings, of Proper and Universal Knowledge, One Whose Understanding and Conduct Are Complete, a Well-gone One Who Understands the World, an Unsurpassed Lord, a Taming and Regulating Hero, a Buddha, a World Honored One .
"His country shall be called 'Apart From Filth.' Its ground will be level, pure, and adorned, tranquil and prosperous, and abounding with gods. It shall have lapis lazuli for soil and eight intersecting roads bordered with golden cords and by which shall stand rows of trees made of the seven jewels constantly blooming and bearing fruit.
"The Thus Come One Flower Light will also teach and transform living beings by means of the Three Vehicles. Shariputra , when this Buddha comes into the world, although it will not be an evil age, because of his past vows, he shall teach the Dharma of the Three Vehicles.
"That aeon will be called 'Adorned with Great Jewels.' Why will it be called 'Adhorned with Great Jewels?' Because in that land, Bodhisattvas will be considered Great Jewels."
"These Bodhisattvas will be limitless, boundless, inconceivable in number, beyond the reach of calculation or analogy. With the exception of the power of the Buddha's wisdom , no one shall be able to know their number.
"When they wish to walk, jeweled flowers will spring up beneath their feet. These Bodhisattvas will not be those who have just brought forth their thoughts. They will have planted the roots of virtue for a long time, and in the presence of limitless hundreds of thousands of myriads of Buddhas purely cultivated Brahman conduct, constantly receiving the Buddha's praise. Constantly cultivating the Buddha's wisdom and complete with great spiritual penetrations, they will be well-versed in all the doors of Dharma, straight-forward, ingenuous, and strong-willed, Bodhisattvas such as these will fill that country.
" Shariputra , the lifespan of the Buddha Flower Light will be twelve small aeons , not counting the time during which, as a prince, he will not yet have become a Buddha. The lifespan of the people in that country will be eight small aeons.
"After twelve small aeons , the Thus Come One Flower Light will confer upon the Bodhisattva Solid Fullness a prediction of Anuttarasamyaksambodhi, and announce to the Bhikshus , 'The Bodhisattva Solid Fullness shall next become a Buddha by the name of Flowery Feet Peacefully Walking, Tathagata , Arhat , Samyaksambuddha. His Buddha country will be of like character."
" Shariputra , when the Buddha Flower Light has passed into extinction, the proper Dharma shall dwell in the world for thirty-two small aeons . The resemblance Dharma shall dwell in the world also for thirty-two small aeons."
At that time, the World Honored One , wishing to restate this meaning, spoke verses saying,
Shariputra, in a future age,
There shall be a Buddha, honored and all-wise,
By the name of Flower Light,
Who will save limitless multitudes.
Having made offerings to countless Buddhas ,
And perfected the Bodhisattva conduct,
The Ten Powers and other meritorious qualities,
He shall certify to the unsurpassed path.
When limitless aeons shall have passed,
There shall be an aeon named "Adorned with Great Jewels."
And a world by the name of "Apart From Filth,
Being pure and without flaw,
With lapis lazuli as its ground,
And its roads bordered with golden cords,
With multicolored trees made of seven jewels ,
Which constantly bloom and bear fruit.
The Bodhisattvas in that land,
Will be always firm in mindfullness,
With spiritual penetrations and Paramitas ,
All thoroughly perfected.
In the presence of countless Buddhas ,
They will have well-learned the Bodhisattva path.
Great lords such as these
Shall have been transformed by the Buddha Flower Light.
That Buddha, when still a prince,
Shall renounce his land and worldly glory,
And, in his final body,
Leave home to realize the Buddha path.
The Buddha Flower Light shall dwell in the world
For a lifespan of twelve small aeons .
The people of his land
Shall live for eight small aeons .
When that Buddha has become extinct,
The proper Dharma shall remain in the world
For thirty-two small aeons ,
Widely saying living beings.
When the proper Dharma's all extinct,
The resemblance Dharma shall remain for thirty-two.
The Sharira shall be distributed widely,
For the offerings of gods and humans.
The deeds of the Buddha Flower Light,
Shall be such as these.
That sagely honored one, twice complete,
Shall be supreme and beyond compare.
And he is just you, yourself!
So it's fitting that you do rejoice.
At that time, the four-fold assembly of Bhikshus , Bhikshunis , Upasakas , Upasikas , as well as the great multitude of Yakshas, Gandharvas , Asuras , Garudas , Kinnaras , Mahoragas , and so forth, seeing Shariputra , in the presence of the Buddha, receive a prediction for Anuttarasamyaksambodh, greatly rejoiced in their hearts and leapt for unbounded joy.
Each removed his upper garment and presented it as an offering to the Buddha. Shakro Devanam Indrah and the Brahma Heaven king, together with countless gods, also made offerings to the Buddha of heavenly wonderful garments, heavenly Mandarava flowers and Mahamandarava flowers, and so forth.
The heavenly garments they tossed aloft remained in empty space and whirled around. Then all at once in empty space a hundred thousand myriads of kinds of heavenly music began to play, and there fell a rain of heavenly flowers .
As they uttered these words, "Long ago in Varanashi, the Buddha first turned the wheel of the Dharma. Now, he turns again that unsurpassed, magnificent Dharma Wheel."
At that time all the gods, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke verses saying,
Long ago in Varanashi,
You turned the Dharma Wheel of Four Noble Truths ,
Discriminatingly speaking of the Dharmas ,
The production and extinction of Five Heaps.
Now again you turn that wondrous,
Unsurpassed, great wheel of Dharma,
This Dharma's deep and recondite,
And few are those who can believe it.
We, from of old,
Have often heard the World Honored One speak,
But never have we heard such Dharma,
So deep, so wondrous, and supreme.
The World Honored One has spoken the Dharma,
And we rejoice accordingly,
As the great wise Shariputra
Now receives the Honored One's prediction.
We, too, are like this,
And will surely become Buddhas ,
Throughtout all the worlds,
Most honored and supreme.
The Buddha's path is inconceivable,
Taught expediently according towhat is fitting.
May all of our blessed Karma ,
In this life and in lives gone by,
And the merit and virtue gained from seeing the Buddhas ,
Be dedicated to the Buddha path.
At that time, Shariputra spoke to the Buddha saying, " World Honored One , I now have no further doubts or regrets, having received from the Buddha a prediction for Anuttarasamyaksambodh. But the twelve hundred whose hearts have attained self-mastery, and who formerly dwelt in the stage of study, were constantly taught by the Buddha who said, 'My Dharma can enable one to separate from birth, old age, sickness, and death and attain ultimate Nirvana .' Both those who study and those beyond study alike have separated from the view of a self, the views of existence and non-existence, and so forth, and claim that they have attained Nirvana. Yet now, hearing from the World Honored One that which they have never heard before, they have all fallen
into doubt and delusion . Good indeed, World Honored One , I beg that you would, for the sake of the four-fold assembly, speak of these causes and conditions , to free them of their doubts and regrets."
At that time the Buddha told Shariputra , "have I not said before that all the Buddhas , World Honored Ones , speak the Dharma by means of various causes and conditions , parables, and phrases, and expedient devices, all for the sake of Anuttarasamyaksambodh? All of these teachings are for the sake of transforming the Bodhisattvas . However, Shariputra, I shall now again make use of a parable in order to further clarify the principle, for all those who are wise gain understanding through parables.
" Shariputra , suppose that in a country, a city, or a village, there is a great elder, aged and worn, of limitless wealth, possessing many fields, houses, and servants.
"His house is spacious and large, having only one door, but with a great many people--one hundred, two hundred, even five hundred of them--dwelling within it.
"Its halls and chambers are decaying and old; its walls are crumbling. The pillars are rotting at their baes; the beams and ridge-poles are toppling dangerously.
"All at once, throughout the house, a fire breaks out, setting the house ablaze.
"The elder's sons, ten, twenty, even thirty of them are inside the house.
"The elder, seeing the fire arise from the four sides, is greatly alarmed and makes the following reflection: 'Although I have been able to escape safely through this burning doorway, all my children remain inside the burning house, happily attached to their amusements, unaware, unknowing, not alarmed and not afraid. The fire presses upon them and the pain will sear them, but at heart they do not mind it, nor have they any thought to escape.'
" Shariputra , the elder then reflects, 'I have a strong body and arms. I might gather them in a cloth pouch or on a table and take them from the house.' He further reflects, 'This house has only one door and it is narrow and small. My sons are young and immature and as yet know nothing. Attached to their place of play, they may fall and be burnt in the fire. I must tell them of this frightful matter, that the house has caught fire, and they must hurry and come out so as not to be burned.' So thinking, he speaks to his sons, saying, 'Come out, all of you, quickly!' Although the father, in his pity, induces them with good words, still all the sons are happily attached to their amusements and play and refuse to believe him. They are not
frightend or afraid and have not the slightest intention of leaving. What is more, they don't know what is meant by 'fire,' what is meant by 'house' or what is meant by 'being lost.' They merely run from east to west in play, staring at their father.
"Then the elder has this thought, 'The house is already ablaze with a great fire. If my sons and I do not get out in time we certainly shall be burned. I shall now devise an expedient device so that my sons can avoid this disaster.'
"The father, knowing both the predispositions of his sons and the preferences each has for various precious toys and unusual playthings to which they happily responded, speaks to them saying, 'The things you will love to play with are rare and hard to get. If you do not take them you will certainly regret it later. Things such as these: a variety of sheep carts, deer carts, and ox carts, are now outside the door for you to play with. All of you should quickly come out of this burning house and I shall give you whatever you want.'
"Then the children, hearing their father speak of these precious playthings which suited their wishes exactly, eagerly push and shove one another aside in a mad scramble, all fighting to get out of the burning house.
"At that time, the elder, seeing that all his sons have gotten out safely and are seated on the ground at the crossroads, is without further obstruction; his mind is at peace and he is filled with joy.
"Then the children all speak to their father saying, 'Father, the fine playthings you promised us a while ago, the sheep carts, the deer carts, and the ox carts, please give them to us now.'
"O Shariputra , at that time the elder gives to all of his sons equally a great cart.
"The cart is high and wide, adorned with a multitude of intertwining jewels, surrounded by railings, and hung with bells on its four sides. Further, it is covered with canopies, adorned with various rare and precious jewels, strung with jeweled cords and hung with flowered tassels. The cart is heaped with beautiful mats and set about with rosy cushions. It is yoked to an ox, plump and white and of fine appearance, of great muscular strength, who walks with even tread, as fleet as the wind, having also many servants who follow and guard it.
"And why is this? That great elder has limitless wealth and all manner of storehouses full to overflowing.
"So he reflects thus: 'My possessions are boundless. I should not give my children small or inferior carts. All of these younsters are my children whom I love without partiality. Having such great carts made of the seven jewels , infinite in number, I should give them to each one equally. Why? If I gave them to an entire country, they would not run short; how much the less if I gave them to my children!
"Meanwhile, all of the children are riding around on the great carts, having got what they never expected to have, beyond their original hopes.
" Shariputra , what do you think? When that elder gives equally to all of his children the great jeweled carriages, is the guilty of falsehood or not?"
Shariputra replied, "No, World Honored One . The elder is not guilty of falsehood, for he has only enabled his children to avoid the calmity of fire, and has thereby saved their lives. Why is this? In saving their lives he has already given them a fine plaything. How much the more so his setting up of expedients to save them from the burning house.
" World Honored One , if that elder had not given them even so much as a single small cart, he still would not have been speaking falsely. Why? Because the elder previously had this thought, 'I shall use expedients to lead my children out.' For this reason he is not guilty of falsehood. He is even less guilty since, knowing his own wealth to be limitless and wishing to benefit all his children, he gives to them equally a great cart."
The Buddha told Shariputra , "Good indeed, good indeed! It is just as you say.
" Shariputra , the Thus Come One is also like this in that he is a father to all in the world. He has forever ended all fear, weakness, worry, ignorance and obscurity. He has completely realized the limitless knowledge and vision, powers, and fearlessnesses. He has great spiritual might and the power of wisdom . He has perfected the Paramitas of Expedients and wisdom. He is greatly kind and compassionate. Never tiring, he ever seeks the good, benefitting all. And thus he is born in the Three Realms which are like a burning house. In order to save living beings from the fires of birth, old age, sickness, death, grief, misery, stupidity, dullness, and the Three Poisons. He teaches and transforms them, leading them to the attainment of
Anuttarasamyaksambodhi.
"He sees all living beings are scorched by birth, old age, sickness, death, grief, and misery. They undergo various sufferings because of the Five Desires, wealth and profit. Further, because of their clinging and grasping, they presently undergo a mass of suffering and in the future will undergo suffering in the hells, among the animals, or hungry ghosts. If born in the heavens or among human beings, they will suffer poverty and distress, the suffering of being separated from what one loves, the suffering of being joined together with what one hates, and all the various sufferings such as these. However, living beings sunk in this morass, joyfully sport, unaware, unknowing, unalarmed and unafraid. They do not grow satiated nor do they
seek liberation. In the burning house of the Three Realms they run about from east to west. Although they encounter tremendous suffering, they are not concerned.
"Shariuputra, having seen this, the Buddha further thinks, 'I am the father of living beings. I should rescue them from this suffering and difficulty, and give them the limitless, boundless joy of the Buddha- wisdom to play with.'
" Shariputra , the Thus Come One further thinks, 'If I merely use spiritual power and the power of wisdom , and cast aside expedients, praising for all living beings the power of the Thus Come One's knowledge and vision, powers, and fearlessnesses, living beings will not be able to be saved in this way. Why is this? All of these living beings have not yet escaped birth, old age, sickness, death, grief and misery. They are being scorched in the burning house of the Three Realms . How could they understand the wisdom of the Buddha?'
" Shariputra , just as that elder, although he had a powerful body and arms, did not use them, but merely applied expedients with diligence to save all the children from disaster in the burning house, and afterwards gave to each of them a great cart adorned with precious jewels. In the same way, the Thus Come One , although he has powers and fearlessnesses, doe not use them.
"He merely uses wisdom and expedients to rescue living beings from the burning house of the Three Realms , speaking to them of Three Vehicles; that of Sound Hearer , Pratyeka Buddha, and Buddha Vehicle ."
"And he says to them, ' All of you should take no pleasure in dwelling in the burning house of the Three Realms . Do not lust after vulgar and evil forms, sounds, smells, tastes and tangible objects. If you attach to them greedily and give rise to love for them you will be burnt. You should quickly escape the Three Realms and obtain the Three Vehicles; the Sound Hearer , Pratyeka Buddha, and Buddha Vehicles . I now give my pledge for this and it shall never be proved false. You need only diligently and vigorously cultivate. The Thus Come One using these expedient means leads all creatures.
"He further says, 'You should all know that the Dharmas of the Three Vehicles have been praised by the sages. They will make you free, unbound, and self-reliant. Riding on these Three Vehicles, by means of non- outflow roots, powers, enlightenments, ways, Dhyana s, concentrations, liberations , Samadhis , and so on, you shall amuse yourselves and attain limitless peace and joy.
" Shariputra , if there are living beings who inwardly possess the wisdom -nature, and hearing the Dharma from the Buddha, the World Honored One , believed and accepted it, diligently making progress, wishing quickly to escape the Three Realms and seeking Nirvana for themselves. They are called those of the Sound Hearer Vehicle. They are like the children who sought the sheep cart and thereby escaped from the burning house.
"If there are living beings who hearing the Dharma from the Buddha, the World Honored One , believed and accepted it, diligently making progress, and who seek for themselves spontaneous wisdom , delighting in solitude and fond of stillness , deeply understanding the causal conditions of all Dharmas , they are called those of the Pratyeka Buddha Vehicle . They are like the children who sought the deer cart and so escaped the burning house.
"If there are living beings who hearing the Dharma from the Buddha, the World Honored One , believed and accepted it, earnestly cultivating with vigor, seeking all- wisdom , untutored wisdom, the knowledge and vision fo the Thus Come One , his powers and fearlessnesses, pitying and comforting limitless living beings, benefitting gods and humans, saving all, they are called those of the Great Vehicle . Because the Bodhisattvas seek this vehicle, they are called Mahasattvas. They are like the children who sought the ox cart and so escaped the burning house.
" Shariputra , just as that elder, seeing all his children safely escape the burning house to a place of fearlessness, and considering his own unlimited wealth, gives to all of his children a great cart. Just so the Thus Come One , in the same way is the father of all living beings. When he sees limitless millions of living beings using the gateway of the Buddha's teaching to get off the fearsome and dangerous path of the suffering of the Three Realms and attain the bliss of Nirvana , he has this thought, 'I have limitless, boundless wisdom , powers, fearlessnesses and so on -- the complete storehouse of the Buddha dharmas . All of these living beings are my children. I should give to all of them a great cart, not allowing them to gain
individual extinction, but crossing them over to extinction by means of the Thus Come One 's extinction. Having escaped the Three Realms , all these living beings are given as playthings the Buddha's Dhyana concentrations, liberations , and so forth, all of one mark and one kind, praised by the sages and productive of pure, wondrous, and foremost bliss.'
" Shariputra , just as that elder first having used the three carts to entice his children and then later having giventhem a great cart adorned with jewels and supremely comfortable, is not guilty of falsehood. Just so is the Thus Come One likewise not guilty of falsehoold in first speaking of the Three Vehicles to entice living beings and then afterwards delivering them only by means of Great Vehicle . What is the reason? The Thus Come One has limitless wisdom , powers and fearlessnesses, a storehouse of Dharmas , and is able to give to all living beings the Great Vehicle Dharma. Not all living beings, however, are able to accept it. Shariputra, because of these causes and conditions you should know that the Buddhas , using the power of
expedient devices, in the One Buddha Vehicle , discriminate and speak of three."
The Buddha, wishing to restate his meaning, spoke verses, saying:
Suppose there was an elder.
Who had a large house,
Which was very old,
And so was collapsing.
The halls were high and precarious,
The pillars rotting at their bases,
The beams and ridgepoles aslant,
The foundations and stairways crumbling.
The walls and partitions were cracked and ruined,
The plaster flaking and falling off.
The thatch was falling every which way,
And the rafters and eavepoles were coming loose.
The partitions on all sides were bent and misshapen;
It was filled with all kinds of filth.
There were five hundred people
Dwelling within it. There were kites owls, hawks and vultures,
Crows, magpies, pig eons , and doves,
Black snakes, vipers, and scorpions,
Centipedes and millipedes.
There were geckoes and myriapods,
Wweasels, badgers, and mice--
All sorts of evil creatures,
Running back and forth.
There were places stinking of excrement and urine,
Oozing with filth,
With dung beetles
Clustered upon them.
There were foxes, wolves, and Yeh Kan,
Who nibbled at, trampled on,
And devoured corpses,
Scattering the bones and flesh.
Then packs of dogs
Came running to grab them,
Hungry, weak, and terrified,
Seeking food everywhere,
Fighting and shoving,
Snarling, howling, and barking.
The terrors in that house,
And the sights wee such as these.
Li Mei and Wang Liang
Were everywhere.
Yakshas and evil ghosts
Were eating human flesh.
There were poisonous creatures of all kinds,
And evil birds and beasts,
Hhatching their young,
Each protecting its own.
Yakshas raced to the spot
Fighting one another to eat them.
Having eaten their fill,
Their evil thoughts grew more inflamed.
The sound of their quarrelling,
Was dreadful to the extreme.
Kumbhanda ghosts
Were squatting on high ground,
Sometimes leaving the ground
Aa foot or two,
As they wandered to and fro
Amusing themselves as they wished,
Grabbing dogs by two legs,
And striking them so they lost their bark,
Twisting their legs around their necks,
Frightening the dogs for their own pleasure.
Further there were ghosts,
Their bodies very tall and large,
Naked, blacked, and thin,
Always dwelling therein,
Emitting loud and evil sounds,
Howling in search of food.
Further there were ghosts
With throats like needles.
Again there were ghosts
With heads like oxen,
Now eating human flesh,
And then devouring dogs.
Their hair was dishevelled
They were harmful, cruel and dangerous,
Oppressed by hunger and thirst,
They ran about shouting and crying out.
There were Yakshas, hungry ghosts,
And all sorts of evil birds and beasts,
Frantic with hunger, facing the four directions,
Peeking out the windows.
Such were the troubles
And terrors beyond measure there.
This old, decaying house
Belonged to a man
Who had gone but a short distance
When, before very long,
The rear rooms of the house
Suddenly caught fire.
All at one, all four sides
Were enveloped by raging flames.
The beams, ridgepoles, rafters, and pillars
Shook and split with the sound of explosion,
Snapped apart and fell,
As the walls and partitions collapses and fell in.
All the ghosts and spirits
Screamed loudly,
While the hawks, vultures, and other birds,
The Kumbhandas , and so forth,
Ran about in a panic,
Unable to get themselves out.
Evil beasts and poisonous insects
Hid away in the holes and crevices,
While the Pishacha ghosts
Also dwelt therein.
Their blessings and virtue scanty,
They were hard pressed by the fire;
They wrought harm on one another,
Drinking blood and eating flesh.
As the packs of Yeh Kan
Were already dead,
Monstrous evil beasts
Raced to devour them,
While billows of stinking smoke
Permeated all four sides.
Centipedes and millipedes,
And various kinds of poisonous snakes,
Burnt by the fire,
Fought to escape their holes.
Kumbhanda ghosts
Grabbed and ate them.
Further, all the hungry ghosts,
The tops of their heads aflame,
Tormented by hunger, thirst, and heat,
Ran about in terror and distress.
So it was in that house:
Terrifying to the extreme,
With dangers and conflagrations--
A host of troubles, not just one.
At that time the owner of the house
Was standing outside the door
When he heard someone say,
"All of your children
Awhile ago, in play,
Went into this house.
Being young and ignorant,
They delight in play and cling to amusement."
Having heard this, the elder
Entered the burning house, in alarm.
Intending to save them
From being burned
He warned his children
Of the host of disasters:
"The evil ghosts, the poisonous insects
And the speading conflagration,
A host of sufferings , in succession
Are continuous, without interruption.
The poisonous snakes and vipers
And all the Yakshas,
And Kumbhanda ghosts,
Yeh Kan, foxes, and dogs,
Hawks, vultures, kites, and owls,
And varieties of centipedes
Are frantic with hunger and thirst,
And terrifying to the extreme.
There are so many sufferings and troubles,
So much increased by this great fire!"
But all the children, without knowledge,
Although they heard their father's warnings,
Still clung to their amusements
And sported without cease.
At that time, the elder
Further had this thought:
"Being like this, my children
Add to my worry and distress;
Now, in this house, there is not
A single thing in which to take pleasure,
And yet all these children
Are intoxicated by their play.
Not heeding my instructions,
They will be injured in the fire."
Just then he thought
To devise expedients.
He said to the children,
"I have all kinds
Of precious playthings:
Fine carriages, wonderful, bejewelled
Sheep carts, and deer carts,
And great ox carts,
Now, right outside the door.
So come out, all of you,
For I have, just for you,
Had these carts made.
Just as you wish,
You can play with them."
When the children heard him speak
Of carriages such as these,
They immediately raced out in a scramble,
To a clearing where
They were then safe from harm.
The elder, seeing that his children
Had escaped the burning house,
And were standing at the crossroads,
Sat on his lion's throne
And rejoiced to himself, saying,
"Now, I am happy!
All of these children
Were hard to bring into the world and raise;
Stupid, young, and without knowledge,
They went into this dangerous house,
Swarming with poisonous insects
And fearful Li Mei ghosts,
Ablaze with a great fire,
Raging on all sides.
But all these children
Still clung to their amusements.
I have now rescued them
And save them from disaster.
Therefore, of all people,
I am the happiest!"
Then, all the children,
Knowing their father was sitting at ease,
All went before him
And addressed him saying,
"Please give to us the three jewelled carts
That you promised to us, saying,
'If you children come out
I will give you three carts
Just like you wanted.'
Now the time has come,
Please give them to us!"
The elder, having great wealth,
And storehouses containing much
Gold, silver, and lapis lazuli,
Mother-of-pearl and carnelian,
Used these precious things
To make several great carts.
They were decorated and adorned,
Surrounded by railings,
Hung with bells on all four sides,
With golden cords strung about them,
And gem-studded nets
Spread above them.
There were golden flowered tassels
Hanging from them everywhere,
And various multi-colored ornaments
Encircling them.
Soft silk and cotton
Made up the cushions,
And fine coverings,
Valued in the thousands of millions,
Pure white and sparkling clean
Were spead atop them.
Great white oxen,
Plump, strong, and powerful,
Of fine appearance,
Were yoked to the precious carts.
They were surrounded by many footmen
Who were attending to them.
Such fine carriages as these
Were given equally to all the children.
Then all the children
Danced for joy;
They mounted their jeweled carts
And rode off into the four directions,
Happily amusing themselves
In unobstructed comfort.
I tell you, Shariputra ,
I am like this, too,
The honored among many sages,
The father of the worlds.
All living beings
Are my children;
Deeply attached to worldly pleasures,
They have no wise thoughts at all.
In the Three Realms there is no peace;
They are like a burning house.
Filled with many sufferings ,
And frightening indeed.
Ever present are the woes
Of birth, old age, sickness, death,
Fires such as these,
Raging without cease.
The Thus Come One has already left
The Three Realms burning house behind.
Quietly I dwell at ease,
In forest and field at peace.
And now it is, that the Three Realms ,
Entirely belong to me,
And in them all the living beings
Are children of mine.
But now, this place
Is filled with calamities,
And I am the only one
Able to rescue them.
Although I instruct them,
They do not believe or accept,
Because of their deep attachment and greed
Too all the defiling desires.
Using the expedients,
I speak to them of Three Vehicles,
Causing all living beings
To understand the pain of the Three Realms .
I reveal and extensively proclaim
The path which transcends the world.
All of these children,
If they fix their minds,
Can perfect the Three Clarities
And the Six Spiritual Powers.
Some shall become Conditioned-enlightened Ones,
And others irreversible Bodhisattvas .
Shariputra,
I, for living beings,
Speak this parable
Of the One Buddha Vehicle .
If all of you are able
To believe and accept these words,
You shall, in the future,
Realize the Buddha way.
This vehicle is subtle and wonderful,
Pure and foremost.
In all of the worlds
It is the most supreme.
The Buddhas rejoice in it,
And all living beings
Should praise it as well.
Make offerings and bow before it.
Limitless thousands of millions
Of powers and liberations ,
And the Buddhas ' other Dharmas
Are obtained in a vehicle such as this.
I cause all my children,
Night and day for many aeons ,
Ever to amuse themselves
In the company fo the Bodhisattvas
And the host of Sound Hearers ,
Riding this precious vehicle
Straight to the field of the way.
For these reasons,
Though they seek in the ten directions ,
There is no other vehicle
Except for the Buddhas ' expedients.
I tell you, Shariputra ,
That all of you
Are my children,
And I am your father.
For many aeons , you
Have been burned by many miseries,
And I have saved you all,
Leading you out of the Three Realm.
Although earlier I said
That you had passed into extinction,
It was only an end to birth and death
And not real extinction.
What you should accomplish now,
Is nothing but the Buddhas ' wisdom .
If there are Bodhisattvas
Within this assembly,
They can singlemindedly listen to
The Buddha's real Dharma.
Although the Buddhas , World Honored Ones ,
Employ expedient devices,
The living beings they transform
All are Bodhisattvas .
If there are those of little wisdom ,
Deeply attached to love and desire,
For their sakes
I teach the Truth of Suffering.
Living beings then rejoice
Gaining what they never had,
Gor the Buddha's teaching of suffering's truth
Is true, real, and not false.
If there are living beings,
Who do not know the origin of suffering,
Who are deeply attached to the cause of suffering,
Unable to leave it for even a moment,
For their sakes
I expediently speak of the path.
The cause of all suffering
Is rooted in desire.
If one extinguishes greed and desire,
Suffering has nothing to rest upon.
The extinction of all suffering
Is called the third truth.
For the sake of the truth of extinction,
One cultivates the path;
Leaving all suffering's bonds
Is called the attainment of liberation.
From what is it
That these people have been liberated?
The mere separation from the false
Is called liberation.
In reality they have not yet
Attained total liberation.
The Buddha says that these people
Have not yet truly reached extinction,
Because they have not yet attained
The unsurpassed path.
It is not my wish
To lead them to extinction.
I am the Dharma king,
At ease within all the Dharmas .
I manifest within this world
To bring peace and tranquility to living beings.
Shariputra!
This Dharma seal of mine
Is spoken because I wish
To benefit the world.
Wherever you roam,
Do not propagate it wrongly.
If there be those who hear it,
And rejoice, receiving it atop their crowns,
You should know that such people
Are Avaivartika .
Those who believe and accept
These people have already seen
The Buddhas of the past,
Reverently making offerings,
And hearing this Dharma as well.
Those who are able
To believe what you say,
They then see me,
And they see you,
And also the Bhikshus angha.
As well as all the Bodhisattvas .
This Sutra of the Dharma flower
Is spoken for those of profound wisdom ;
When those of shallow understanding hear it,
Confused and deluded, they fail to understand it.
The Sound Hearers , every one,
And the Pratyeka Buddhas ,
Find the contents of this Sutra
Far beyond their powers.
You, Shariputra ,
Gained entry to this Sutra
By means of faith.
How much the more so other Sound Hearers .
Those Sound Hearers ,
Because of their faith in the Buddha's words,
Comply with this Sutra .
But it's beyond ther range of their own wisdom .
Further, Shariputra
To the arrogant and lazy
And those who reckon the view of self,
Do not speak this Sutra .
Common folk of shallow understanding,
Deeply attached to the Five Desires,
Hearing it, will fail to understand;
Do not speak it to them, either.
If there be those who don't believe,
And who slander this Sutra ,
They thereby sever all
Worldly Buddha seeds.
Or if, with a scowl,
They harbor doubts and delusions
You should listen now,
As I sepak of their offense-retribution:
Whether a Buddha is in the world,
Or has entered into extinction.
If there be those who slander
A Sutra such as this one,
Who, seeing others read or recite it,
Copy it out or uphold it,
Scorn, despise, hate and envy them,
And harbor grudges against them,
As to their offense retribution,
Listen now, once again:
These people at life's end
Will enter the Avichi hell
For an entire aeon.
At the aeon's end, born there again,
In this way they will revole,
Through uncountable aeons ,
When they escape from the hells,
They shall take the bodies of animals,
Such as dogs or Yeh Kan,
Tall and emaciated,
Mottled, black, and scabbed,
Repulsive to others.
Further, by human beings,
They will be hated and scorned;
Always suffering from hunger and thirst,
Their bones and flesh will be withheld up.
During their lives they will be pricked by poisonous thorns;
When dead they will be buried under tiles and stones.
They suffer this offense retribution,
Because they have severed their Buddha seeds.
They may become camels
Or they may be born among asses,
Always carrying heavy burdens
And beaten with sticks and whips,
Thinking only of water and grass,
And knowing nothing else.
They suffer retribution such as this
Because of slandering this Sutra .
Some may become Yeh Kan,
Entering villages,
Their bodies covered with scabs and sores,
And also missing an eye,
Beaten and stoned
by young children,
Undergoing all this pain,
Even to the point of death.
Having died in this manner
They are then reborn as huge serpents,
Their bodies as long as five hundred Yojanas .
Deaf and stupid, without feet,
They writhe about on their stomachs,
Stung and eaten
By many small insects.
Undergoing suffering day and night
Without respite,
They suffer such retribution
For having slandered this Sutra .
If they become humans,
All their faculties are dim and dull.
They are squat, ugly palsied, lame,
Blind, deaf, and hunchbacked.
Whatever they may say,
People will not believe them.
Their breath ever stinking,
They will be possessed by ghosts,
Poor and lowly,
The servants of others,
Always sick and emaciated,
With no one to reply upon.
Although they may draw near to others,
Others will never think of them.
If they should gain something
They will quickly forget and lose it.
Should they study the ways of medicine,
Following the prescription to cure illness,
They will only make other's illnesses worse.
Even to the point of death.
If they get sick themselves,
No one will try to save or cure them.
Although they take good medicine,
It will only increase their pains.
If they meet with rebellion,
They will be plundered and robbed.
People with such offenses,
Will preversely be subject to such misfortunes.
Offenders such as these
Will never see the Buddha,
The king among the sagely hosts,
Speaking the Dharma, teaching and transforming,
Offenders such as these
Will always be born indifficult circumstances.
Insane, deaf, with mind confused,
They will never hear the Dharma.
Throughout aeons as countless
As the Ganges River's sands,
They will be born deaf and dumb,
With all their faculties incomplete;
They will always dwell in the hells,
Roaming there as if in pleasure gardens,
Or born in the other evil paths ,
Which they will take as their house and home.
Among camels, asses, pigs, and dogs--
These are the places they will walk.
They undergo such retribution,
Because of slandering this Sutra .
If they become humans,
They will be deaf, blind, and dumb,
Poor and decrepit,
Yet adorning themselves therewith.
Swollen with water, or else dehydrated,
With scabs and boils,
And other such illnesses,
They will clothe themselves.
Their bodies will always stink
Of filth and impurity.
Deeply attached to the view of self,
Their hatred shall only increase.
Ablaze with sexual desire,
They are no different than birds or beasts.
They will suffer such retribution
For having slandered this Sutra .
I tell you, Shariputra ,
Were I to speak of the offenses
Of those who slander this Sutra ,
I wouldn't finish to the end of an aeon.
For these reasons,
I expressly tell yo,
Do not speak this Sutra
Among those who have no wisdom .
If there are those with keen faculties,
And wisdom which clearly comprehends,
With much learning and a strong memory,
Who seek the Buddha's path,
For people such as these,
You may speak it.
If there are those who have seen in the past
Hundreds of thousands of millions of Buddhas ,
Who have planted wholesome roots,
Who have deep and firm minds,
For people such as these,
You may speak it.
If there are those who are vigorous,
Ever cultivating minds of compassion,
Not sparing body or life,
For them you may speak it.
If there are thos who are reverent,
Without any other thoughts,
Who have left the common stupid folk,
Who dwell alone in mountains and marshes,
For people such as these
You may speak it.
Further, Shariputra ,
If you see people
Who have cast aside bad knowing advisors,
And drawn near to good friends,
For people such as these,
You may sepak it.
If you see disciples of the Buddha,
Holding precepts as purely,
As pure, bright jewels,
For people such as these,
You may speak it.
Further, Shariputra ,
If you see people
Who have cast aside bad knowing advisors,
And drawn near to good friends,
For people such as these,
You may speak it.
If you see disciples of the Buddha,
Holding precepts as purely,
As pure, bright jewels,
For people such as these,
You may speak it.
If there are those who have no hatred
Who are straightforward and gentle,
Always merciful to all beings,
And reverent of all Buddhas ,
For people such as these,
You may speak it.
Further, if there are Buddha's disciples,
Who in the great assembly,
With minds clear and pure,
Use various causal conditions ,
Parables and phrases,
To speak the Dharma without obstruction,
For people such as these,
You may speak it.
If there are Bhikshus ,
Who, for the sake of all- wisdom ,
Seek the Dharma in the four directions,
With palms together, receiving it atop the crown,
Who delight only in receiving and upholding
The canon of Great Vehicle Sutra s,
Refusing to accept so much
As a single line from another scripture,
For people such as these,
You may speak it.
If there be those who, with mind intent,
Seek the Buddha's Sharira,
Or who likewise seek the Sutra s,
And attaining them hold them atop their crowns,
Such people will never again
Resolve to seek other Sutra s
Nor ever have the thought
To seek the writings of outside ways,
For people such as these,
You may speak it.
I tell you, Shariputra ,
Were I to speak of the characteristics
Of those who seek the Buddha's path,
Exhausting aeons , I would not finish.
People such as these
Can believe and undersand,
And for their sake's you should speak
The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra .
CHAPTER FOUR
BELIEF AND UNDERSTANDING
At that time the wise and long-lived Subhuti , Mahakatyayana , Mahakashyapa , Mahamaudgalyayana , having heard from the Buddha, Dharma such as they had never heard before, the bestowal of the prediction of Anuttarasamyaksambodhi upon Shariputra , felt it very rare. They rose from their seats, jumped for joy, straightened their robes, bared their right shoulders, placed their right knees on the ground, singlemindedly put their palms together, inclined themselves respectfully, gazed at the Honored Countenance.
And spoke to the Buddha, saying, "We, who dwell at the head of the Sangha and are advanced in years, told ourselves that we had already attained Nirvana and had no further responsibility, and we did not go forward to seek Anuttarasamyaksambodhi.
"The World Honored One has, from of old, been speaking the Dharma for a long time, sitting here all this time, our bodies tired, we have merely been mindful of emptiness , signlessness, and wishlessness, taking no delight in the Bodhisattva - Dharmas , in their Samadhis of playfulness, in their purification of Buddhalands, or in their maturation of living beings.
"What is the reason? The World Honored One has led us to escape the Three Realms and attain certification to Nirvana . Besides, we are now advanced in years and when the Buddha taught the Bodhisattvas of Anuttarasamyaksambodhi, we did not give rise to even a single thought of longing for it.
"Now, in the presence of the Buddha, having heard him bestow upon the Sound Hearers the Anuttarasamyaksambodhi prediction, our hearts rejoice enthusiastically and we obtain what we never have had. We never thought that now we would suddenly be able to hear this rare Dharma. We rejoice profoundly, having gained great and good benefit.
"It is as if, without our seeking them, limitless precious gems had come into our possession.
" World Honored One , we would now like to speak a parable to clarify this principle.
"It is as if there were a person who, in his youth, left his father and ran away, dwelling long in another country, perhaps ten, twenty or even fifty years.
"As he grew older, he became poor and needy and ran about in the four directions in search of clothing and food. Gradually he wandered until he accidentally approached his native land.
"His father, from the first, had set out seeking his son but in vain. He settled midway in a city. His household was one of great wealth, with limitless wealth and jewels, gold, silver, lapis lazuli, coral, amber, crystal, pearls, and other jewels. His granaries and treasures were overflowing, and he had many servants, ministers and assistants, as well as countless elephants, horses, carriages, cattle, and sheep. The profits from his trade extended to the other countries, and there were also many traders and merchants.
"Then the poor son, having wandered through various villages and passed through countries and cities, at last reached the city where his father had settled.
"The father had always been mindful of his son. Although they had been separated for over fifty years, he had never spoken of the matter to anyone, but merely pondered over it, his heart filled with regret as he thought, 'I am old and decrepit. I have much wealth, gold, silver, and precious gems, granaries and storehouses filled to overflowing. Such a pity that I have no son! One day I'm bound to die, and when I do, my wealth will be scattered and lost, for I have no one to bequeath them to.' This is why he ever earnestly thought of his son. 'If I could only get my son back, I'd make him heir to my wealth. I'd be contented, and happy and have no further worries.'
" World Honored One , the poor son then, hiring himself as a laborer here and there, unexpectedly arrived at this father's house. Standing by the gate, he saw his father seated on a Lion-seat. His feet were resting on a jeweled footstool, and he was reverently surrounded by Brahmans , Kshatriyas, and laypeople. Necklaces of real pearls, their value in the millions, adorned his body. Attendants and servants, holding white whisks, waited on him right and left. Above him was a jeweled canopy hung with flowers and pennants. Fragrant water was sprinkled on the ground, and expensive flowers were scattered about. Precious objects were placed in rows, which were passed out and taken in on leaving and entering. Such were the adornments, and the
majesty and authority of his awesome virtue. When the poor soon saw his father, possessed of such great power, he was immediately afraid and regretted having come there. Secretly he thought, 'This is perhaps a king, or one equal to a king. This is no place for me to hire myself out. I'd better go to a poor village where there will be room for me to work and where I can easily obtain clothing and food. If I stay here any longer, I may be forced to work.' And with this thought, he quickly ran off.
"Then the wealthy elder, seated on the Lion-seat, seeing his son, recognized him and his heart rejoiced greatly, as he thought, 'I now have someone to whom I can bequeath my wealth and treasures. I have constantly been mindful of my son, but had no way of seeing him. Then, all of a sudden, he came on his own, and my wish has been fulfilled. Although I am old and decrepit I still longed for him with regret.'
"He then sent attendants to follow him and bring him back. Thereupon, the servants quickly apprehended him. The poor son in alarm shouted in resentment, 'I have committed no offense. Why have I been seized?' The servants, with even greater haste, grabbed him and dragged him back. The poor son thought to himself, 'I am blameless and yet have been imprisoned. This surely means that I will die,' and, even more frightened, he fainted and fell to the ground.
"The father saw his son from afar and said to the servant, 'I do not need this person. Do not force him to come along. Sprinkle cold water on his face to bring him to, but do not speak further with him'. Why was this? The father knew that his son's resolve and will were inferior and lowly, and that his own nobility was a source of difficulty to his son. Therefore, although he was certain that this was his son, he expediently refrained from telling anyone, 'This is my son.' The servant said to the son, 'I now set you free. You may go wherever you wish.' The poor son was delighted, having gained what he had never had before. He rose from the ground and went to a poor village to seek clothing and food.
"Then the elder, wishing to induce his son, set up an expedient and secretly sent two people, haggard and undignified in appearance, saying to them, 'You may go there and gently speak to that poor one. Tell him there is a place for him to work here where he can earn twice as much. If he agrees, bring him back and put him to work. If he asks what he is to do, tell him, 'You are being hired to sweep out dung. We two will work along with you'.
"Then the two servants sought out the poor son, and when they found him, they told him the above matter in detail.
"At that time the poor son first took his salary and then joined them in sweeping away the dung. When the father saw his son, he felt pity and amazement.
"Later, on another day, through a window, he saw his son at a distance, thin, haggard, soiled with dung, dirt, and filth. He then removed his necklace of beads, his soft upper garments, and his adornments and put on a coarse, worn out, and filthy robe, smeared himself with dirt and holding a dung shovel, looking frightful. He addressed his workers, saying, 'All of you, work hard! Do not be lax.' By this device he draws near to his son, to whom he later says, 'Hey, my boy! you should stay here and work. Don't go elsewhere. I will increase your wages. Whatever you need, be it pots, utensils, rice, flour, salt or vinegar or other such things, don't trouble yourself about it. I also have an old worn out servant you can have if you need him.
So put your mind at rest. I am like your father, so have no more worries. Why? I am very old, and you are young and strong. Whenever you are working, you are never deceitful, remiss, angry, hateful, or grumbling. I have never seen you commit such evils as I have the other workers. From now on you shall be just like my own son.'
"Just then the elder gave him a name, calling him his son. The poor son, although delighted at his happening, still referred to himself as a lowly worker from outside. For this reason, for twenty years he was constantly kept at work sweeping away dung.
"After this, they trusted one another, and he came and went without difficulty. However, he still stayed in the same place as before.
" World Honored One , at that time, the elder grew sick and knew he would die before long. He said to the poor son, 'I now possess much gold, silver, and jewels, and my granaries and storehouses are filled to overflowing. You should know the detail their quantities and the amounts to be received and given. Such are my thoughts, and you should understand what I mean. What is the reason? You and I are now no difference. You should be even more careful that nothing be lost.'
"At that time, the poor son, having received these instructions, took charge of all the goods, the gold, silver, and precious gems, as well as the granaries and storehouses, and yet he did not long for so much as a single meal. He continued to stay in the same place, still unable to let go of his lowly thoughts.
"After a short while, the father knew that his son had grown more relaxed, that he had accomplished the great resolve and despised his former state of mind. Knowing that his own end was near, he ordered his son to gather ministers, Kshatriyas, and laypeople. When they had all assembled, he spoke to them saying, 'All of you gentlemen should know that this is my son, begotten by me. In a certain city, he left me and ran away to suffer desolation, poverty, and hardship for over fifty years. His original name was such and such, and my name was such. Long ago, in my native city, I anxiously sought him. This is really my son. I am really his father. All of my wealth now belongs to my son,and all that has been paid out and taken in is known by
him.'
" World Honored One , when the poor son heard what his father had said, he rejoiced greatly, having obtained what he had never had, and he thought, 'Originally, I had no thought to seek anything, and now this treasury has come to me of itself.'
" World Honored One , the great and wealthy elder is the Thus Come One . We are all like the Buddha's sons. The Thus Come One always says that we are his sons.
" World Honored One , because of the three kinds of sufferings , we have suffered much torment in the midst of births and deaths. Deluded and ignorant, we clung to petty Dharmas .
"Today, the World Honored One has caused us to think about getting rid of the dung of frivolous discussions of the Dharma. We increased our vigor to earn one day's wage of Nirvana . Having attained this, our hearts rejoiced greatly, and we were content, saying to ourselves that, through our diligence and vigor, what we had gained in the Buddha dharma was plentiful.
"However, the World Honored One , knowing all along that our minds were attached to lowly desires and took delight in petty Dharmas , let us go our own way and did not specify to us saying, 'You are all to have a share in the treasury of the Thus Come One 's knowledge and vision.'
"The World Honored One , using the power of expedient devices, has spoken of the Thus Come One 's wisdom . Having gained from the Buddha the one day's wage of Nirvana , we took it to be a great attainment; we had no ambition to seek the Great Vehicle . Besides, the wisdom of the Thus Come One had been set forth for the sake of the Bodhisattvas , and so he held no expectations regarding it. What is the reason? The Buddha knew that our minds took delight in petty Dharmas . He used the power of expedients to teach us in the appropriate manner, and we did not know that we were truly the Buddha's sons.
"Now we know that the World Honored One is by no means ungenerous with the Buddha's wisdom . Why? From of old, we truly have been the Buddha's sons, and yet we delighted only in petty Dharmas . If we had thought to delight in the great, the Buddha would then have spoken for us the Great Vehicle Dharma. This Sutra speaks of only One Vehicle . In the past, in the presence of the Bodhisattvas , the Buddha had belittled the Sound Hearers who delight in lesser Dharmas, but he was actually employing the Great Vehicle in teaching and transforming them.
"Therefore, we say that originally we had not hoped for or sought anything, and yet now these great jewels of the Dharma King have come to us of themselves. That which the Buddha's sons should attain, we have already attained."
At that time, Mahakashyapa , wishing to restate this meaning, spoke verses, saying,
We, on this day,
Hearing the sound of the Buddha's teaching.
Jump for joy!-
Gaining what we never had.
The Buddha says that Sound Hearers ,
Shall come Buddhas in the future.
A cluster of supreme gems,
we have gained, without our seeking.
It is like a youth,
Who, young and ignorant,
Ran away from his father
To another distant land,
Roaming from country to country
For fifty years and more.
His father worried about him,
Sought him in the four directions
Until, tired of the search.
He stopped in a certain city,
Where he built himself a house
And amused himself with the Five Desires.
His household was large and wealthy,
With much gold and silver,
Mother of pearls, and lapis lazuli,
Elephants, horses, cattle, and sheep,
Hand-drawn carts, palanguins, and chariots,
Husbandsmen and servants,
And a multitude of subjects.
The profits from his trade
Extended to the other countries.
Traders and merchants
Were present everywhere.
Multitudes in the hundreds of millions.
Surrounded him reverentially.
And always, by kings,
He was cherished and remembered.
The ministers and noble clans
All honored him.
For these reasons,
Those who came and went were many.
Such was his nobility, wealth,
And his great authority.
But then, as he grew old and decrepit,
He was filled with worry for his son.
Morning and evening, his only thought was,
"My time of death is drawing near.
My foolish son has left me now,
For over fifty years.
The things in my granaries and storehouses-
Whatever shall I do with them?"
Then the poor son,
Seeking clothing and food,
Went from city to city,
From country to country,
Sometimes getting something,
Sometimes getting nothing.
Starving, emaciated,
Covered with scabs,
He went on his way until eventually,
He arrived in the city where his father lived.
Hiring himself out along the way,
He finally reached his father's house,
At that time, the elder,
Within his gateway,
Was covered by a large canopy,
And seated on a Lion-throne,
Surrounded by his retinue,
And various attendants.
Some of them were counting up
His gold, silver, and other valuables,
His income and expenses were
Recorded there on ledgers.
When the poor son saw his father,
Of such nobility and wealth,
He said, "This must be a king,
Or the equal of a king."
In fright, he reproved himself,
"Why have I come here?"
And further to himself, he said,
"If I stay here long,
I may be oppressed
And forced to go to work."
Having had this thought,
He hurriedly ran off
To a poor village, asking
To be hired out to work.
Just then, the elder,
Seated on the Lion-throne,
Saw his son at a distance,
And silently recognized him.
He then commanded his attendants to seize him and bring him back.
The poor son cried out in alarm,
And fainted, falling to the ground.
"These people have caught me!
I shall certainly be killed!
Why, for food and clothing's sake
Did I come to this place?"
The elder knew that his son
Was foolish and lowly.
"He wouldn't believe me if I told him.
He wouldn't believe tha I am his father."
Then he used an expedient,
And sent some other men,
One-eyed, squat, and ugly,
Lacking awesome virtue.
"Speak to him," he said.
"And tell him, 'You will work with us
Getting rid of dung and filth
At twic your normal wages.'"
When the poor son heard this,
He happily followed them back
And swept out the dung and filth,
Cleaning all the dwellings.
From his window, the elder
Would often watch his son,
Remembering that he was foolish and lowly
And enjoyed menial work.
Then the elder
Put on a worn and dirty robe,
And, holding a dung shovel,
Went to where his son was.
Expediently drawing near to him,
He said, "Work with diligence,
For I have increased your wages,
And shall give you oil for your feet,
And your fill of food and drink,
And thick, warm bedding."
Thus he spoke sharply saying,
"You must work hard!"
And then in gentler tones, he added,
"You are like my own son."
The elder, in his wisdom ,
Eventually allowed him to come and go.
For a period of twenty years,
He was put in charge of household business.
He showed him his gold, silver,
Real pearls and crystal.
The income and expense of all these things,
He was caused to know.
And yet the son still lived outside the gate,
Dwelling in a grass hut
Thinking of his poverty:
"None of these things are mine."
The father knew his son's mind
Gradually had expanded,
And wishing to give him wealth,
He gathered together his relatives,
The kings,and great ministers,
The Kshatriyas and laypeople.
In the midst of this great assembly,
He said, "This is my son.
He left me and went away
Fifty years ago.
And it has been twenty years
Since I saw him return.
Long ago in a certain city
I lost my son.
Searching for him everywhere,
I came to this place.
Everything that I own,
My houses and servants,
I bequeath it all to him
That he may use it as he pleases."
The son, recalling his former poverty
And his lowly intentions,
Who now, in his father's presence
Had obtained these precious jewels,
And these dwelling places,
And all such wealth,
Greatly rejoiced,
Having gained what he'd never had.
The Buddha in the same way
Knew our fondess for the petty.
And so he never said to us,
"You shall become Buddhas ."
Instead he said that we
Could attain cessation of all outflows ,
Realize the lesser vehicle,
And become Sound Hearer Disciples.
The Buddha had instructed us
To speak of the unsurpassed Path,
And spoken of those who practice it
As being able to accomplish Buddhahood.
Receiving the Buddha's teaching, we
For the sake of the Great Bodhisattvas ,
Use causes and conditions ,
Various analogies,
And numerous expressions
To speak of the unsurpassed Path.
All the Buddha's disciples.
Having heard from us this Dharma,
Think upon it day and night,
And diligently practice it.
Thereupon, all the Buddhas ,
Then bestow predictions upon them,
Saying, "You, in a future age,
Shall become Buddhas ."
This is the secret store of Dharma,
Of all the Buddhas .
Only for the Bodhisattvas
Are such real matters set forth.
And not for our sakes
Have such true essentials been spoken.
Just as the poor son
Drew near his father, and
Although he knew of all his possessions,
In his heart he held no hope of getting them.
In just the same way,
Even though we have spoken
Of the Buddhadharma's precious store,
we personally never aspired to it.
Having attained inner-extinction,
We thought this sufficient,
For having completed this,
There was nothing else to be done.
And even if we had heard
Of purifying Buddhalands,
And teaching and transforming living beings,
We'd have taken no delight therein,
And for what reason?
All Dharmas are
Completely empty and still,
Neither produced nor destroyed,
Neither great nor small,
Without outflows and unconditioned .
Reflecting in this way,
We did not give rise to joy.
During the long night,
We had no craving or attachment
For the Buddha's wisdom ,
Nor did we aspire to it.
Yet, as to Dharma, we
Claimed we had the ultimate.
All through the long night,
We practiced and cultivated the
Dharma of emptiness .
Having won release from the Three Realms
With its suffering, distress and calamities,
We dwell within our final bodies,
In Nirvana with residue,
According to the Buddha's teaching,
We attained the Way which is not false,
And we assumed that we had
Thereby repaid the Buddha's kindness.
Although we, for the sake
Of the Buddha's disciples spoke
Of the Bodhisattvas Dharma,
with which they should seek Buddhahood,
Still in this Dharma,
We never took delight at all.
Our master saw this and let things be,
Because he saw into our hearts,
And so, at first, he did not encourage us
By telling of the real advantage.
Just as the wealthy elder
Used the power of expedients
To bring his mind under control,
And afterwards gave to him
All of his valuables,
The Buddha in the same way
Manifests rare things,
But for those who delight in the small,
He uses the power of expedients
To bring their minds under control,
Only then teaching the greater wisdom .
On this day, we
have gained what we never had!
That for which we lacked hope,
We now have attained.
Just as the poor son
Gained limitless treasure,
O World Honored One , now
We've obtained the Path and its fruits.
Within the non- outflow Dharma
We've gained the eye, pure and clear.
During the long night, we
Maintained the Buddhas pure morality
But only on this day,
Have we gained this reward.
In the Dharma King's Dharma,
Long have we cultivated Brahman conduct.
Now we've obtained that non- outflow ,
the unsurpassed, great fruition.
Now we are all
Truly Sound Hearers .
And taking the sound of the Buddha's Way .
We cause all to hear it.
Now we are all
Truly Arhats ,
And in all the world,
With its gods, people, Maras and Brahmas,
Everywhere among them
We are worthy of receiving offerings.
The World Honored One in his great kindness,
Uses this rare thing,
To pity, teach,
And benefit us,
Throughout limitless millions of aeons .
Who could repay him?
Giving one's hands and feet.
Bowing reverently in obeisance,
Whatever offering one makes,
Never repays him.
If one bore him on one's head,
Or carried him upon one's shoulders,
For aeons as numerous as the Ganges' sands,
Exhausting one's mind in reverence-
Or further, if one used delicacies,
And limitless valuable clothing,
and all types of bedding,
And various medicines,
Ox-head sandalwood,
And various precious gems,
Or stupas and temples
Covering the ground with valuable cloth,
And if with such things as these,
One made offerings
Throughout aeons as numerous as the Ganges sands,
One still never repays him.
The Buddhas are rare indeed.
Limitless and boundless,
Yes, inconceivable is the power,
Of their great spiritual penetrations.
Without outflows , unconditioned ,
They are Kings of all the Dharmas .
For the sake of lesser beings,
They bear up under this work.
To common folks who grasp at marks,
They teach what is appropriate.
The Buddhas have, within the Dharmas ,
Attained to the highest comfort.
They understand all living beings'
Various desires and delights,
As well as the strength of their resolve,
According to what they can bear,
Using limitless analogies,
They teach them the Dharma,
In accord with living beings'
Wholesome roots from former lives.
And knowing those who have matured,
And those who have not yet matured,
Through such calculations,
They discriminate and understand,
And in the pathway of One Vehicle ,
They appropriately speak of three.
CHAPTER FIVE
MEDICINAL HERBS
At that time the World Honorded One told Mahakashyapa and all the great disciples, "Good indeed! Good indeed! Kashyapa has well spoken of the Thus Come One 's real and true merit and virtue. It is just as he said. Furthermore, the Thus Come One has limitless, boundless Asankheyas of merit and virtue. If you were to speak of it throughout limitless millions of aeons , you could not finish.
"Kashyapa, you should know that the Thus Come One is the king of all the Dharmas . Nothing that he teaches is false. He extensively proclaims all Dharmas by means of wisdom and expedients, and whatever Dharmas he speaks all lead to the ground of all wisdom.
"The Thus Come One contemplates and knows the tendencies of all Dharmas . He also knows the depths of the mental processes of all living beings, having penetrated them without obstruction. Furthermore, he has ultimate and clear understanding of all Dharmas, and he instructs living beings in all- wisdom .
"Kashyapa, consider the world of three thousand great thousand worlds and the grasses, trees, forests, as well as the medicinal herbs, in their many varieties, with their different names and colors which the mountains, streams, valleys and flatlands produce. A thick cloud spreads out, covering the three thousand great thousand worlds, raining on them equally everywhere at the same time, its moisture reaching every part. The grasses, trees, forests and medicinal herbs - those of small roots, small stalks, small branches and small leaves, those of medium-sized roots, medium-sized stalks, medium-sized branches, medium-sized leaves or those of large roots, large stalks, large branches, and large leaves, and also all the trees, whether great
or small, according to their size, small, medium, or large, all receive a portion of it. From the rain of the one cloud each according to its nature grows, blossoms, and bears fruit.
Although they grow from the same ground and are moistened by the same rain, still, all the grasses and trees are different.
"Kashyapa, you should know that the Thus Come One is also like this. He manifests in the world like a great cloud rising; with his great sound he covers the world with its gods, humans, and Asuras , just like that great cloud covers the three thousand great thousand lands. In the midst of the great assembly he announces, "I am the Thus Come One, one worthy of offerings, one of proper and universal knowledge, one whose understanding and conduct are complete, well gone one who understands the world, an unsurpassed lord, a taming and regulating hero, teacher of gods and humans, the Buddha, the World Honored One . Those who have not yet been crossed over, I cross over. Those who have not yet been liberated, I liberate. Those who have not yet
been put at rest, I put at rest. Those who have not yet attained Nirvana , I cause to attain Nirvana. I know things as they really are, both in the present and in the future. I am the all-knowing one, the all-seeing one, the one who knows the Way , the one who opens the Way, the one who proclaims the Way. The entire assembly of gods, humans and Asuras , all should come here to listen to the Dharma."
Then, countless thousands of myriads of millions of kinds of living beings came before the Buddha to hear the Dharma.
Then, the Thus Come One , contemplating the sharpness and dullness of the faculties of these living beings, their vigor or laxness, according to their capacity, spoke the Dharma for their sakes in limitless varieties, causing them all to rejoice and quickly attain good benefit. After having heard this Dharma, all of these living beings presently are at ease; in the future, they will be born in a good place. By means of the Way , they will enjoy happiness and also be able to hear the Dharma. Having heard the Dharma, they will separate from all coverings and obstructions. Within all the Dharmas , according to their powers, they will gradually gain entry to the Way.
Just as that great cloud rains down on all the grasses, trees, forests, and medicinal herbs and each, according to its nature, fully receives the moisture and grows.
So, too, the Thus Come One speaks of a Dharma having one mark and one taste, that is to say: the mark of liberation, the mark of extinction, culminating in the wisdom of all modes.
Those living beings who, hearing the Thus Come One 's Dharma, uphold read, recite and cultivate it as taught will not themselves be aware of the merit and virtue they obtain.
What is the reason? Only the Thus Come One knows the kinds, the marks, the substances, and the natures of these living beings, what they are recollecting, what they are thinking, and what they are cultivating; how they are recollecting, how they are thinking, and how they are cultivating; by means of what Dharma they cultivate; and by means of what Dharma they obtain what Dharma. Living beings dwell on a variety of levels. Only the Thus Come One sees them as they really are, clearly and without obstruction. Just as those grasses, trees, and forests and all the medicinal herbs do not know themselves whether their natures are superior, middle, or inferior.
The Thus Come One knows the Dharma of one mark, of one flavor, that is to say: the mark of liberation, the mark of separation, the mark of extinction, the mark of ultimate Nirvana which is constantly still and extinct and which in the end returns to emptiness .
Already understanding this the Buddha contemplates the desires in the minds of living beings and protects them. For this reason he does not immediately speak of the wisdom of all modes.
Kashyapa, you are all very rare in your ability to know that the Thus Come One speaks the Dharma as it is appropriate, and in your ability to believe and accept it. Why is this? All the Buddhas , the World Honored Ones speak an appropriate Dharma which is difficult to understand, difficult to know.
At that time the World Honored One , wishing to restate this meaning spoke verses, saying:
Destroyer of existence, the Dharma King
Manifests within the world;
According to living beings' desires,
He teaches the Dharma in various ways.
The Thus Come One , out of veneration
For this wisdom , deep and far-reaching,
Has long remained silent on this important matter.
Being in no hurry to set it forth.
Those with wisdom , if they heard it,
Would be able to believe and understand it,
But those lacking wisdom would doubt it
And thereby lose it for a long time
for this reason, Kashyapa,
It is spoken in accord with their powers
Employing various conditions
To lead them to the right view.
Kashyapa, you should know
It is like a great cloud
Rising above the world
And covering all
A wisdom cloud filled with moisture
illuminated with lightening flashes
And vibrating with thunderous roars
It brings delight to all,
Obscuring the light of the sun,
Refreshing the earth
The cloud lowers and expands
As if one could reach out and touch it.
It rains equally everywhere
Falling alike in the four directions
Pouring without measure
saturating all the land.
In the mountains, streams and steep valleys,
In deep recesses, there grow
Grasses, trees, and herbs,
And trees, both great and small,
The grains, shoots, and plants,
The sugar-cane and the grape vine;
All are nourished by the rain,
And none fail to be enriched.
The parched ground is soaked,
The herbs and trees together flourish.
Issuing from that cloud
Water of a single flavor
Moistens grasses, trees and forests
Each according to its measure
All of the trees,
Great, medium and small,
According to their size
Can grow and develop.
When reached by that single rain
The roots, stalks, branches, and leaves,
Flowers and fruits with luster and color,
All are fresh and shining.
According to their substance and marks,
And natures, either great or small
They alike receive moisture
And each one flourishes.
The Buddha, in the same way
Manifests within the world
Just like a great cloud
Covering over everything.
Having come into the world
For the sake of living beings,
He discriminates and expounds
The reality of all Dharmas .
The Great Sage, the World Honored One ,
In the midst of the multitudes
Of gods and humans
Proclaims these words saying:
"I am the Thus Come One
The doubly complete honored one.
I appear within the world
Like a great cloud
Moistening all
The dried-out living beings,
So they all leave suffering
And gain peace and bliss
Worldly joy
And the joy of Nirvana .
All gods and humans assembled here
Listen singlemindedly and well.
You should all come here
To behold the Unsurpassed Honored One,
I am the World Honored One ,
The one beyond compare.
To bring peace and ease to living beings
I manifest within the world
And for the sake of the assembly speak
The sweet dew of pure Dharma
The Dharma of a single flavor,
That of liberation and Nirvana .
using a single, wondrous sound
I proclaim this principle
Constantly creating the causes and conditions
For the Great Vehicle .
I contemplate all
Everywhere as equal,
Without "this" or "that"
And without thoughts of love or hate.
I have no greed or attachment,
And no limitations or obstacles.
Constantly for everyone,
I speak the Dharma, equally,
Speaking for a single person,
As I would for the multitudes.
I constantly expound and proclaim the Dharma
And have no other work.
Coming, going, sitting and standing
I never grow weary,
Filling the entire world,
Like the moisture of the universal rain.
For the noble, the lowly, the superior and inferior;
Those who keep break them,
Those with perfect awesome manner
And those not perfect,
Those with right views and those with deviant views
The sharp rooted, the dull rooted
I send down equally the Dharma rain
And never grow weary.
All living beings
Who hear my Dharma
Receive it according to their power
And dwell on various levels.
They may dwell among humans or gods,
Or Wheel Turning Sage Kings,
Shakra or Brahma Kings:
These are the small herbs.
Those who know the non- outflow Dharma,
Those who can attain Nirvana ,
Giving rise to Six Spiritual Penetrations
And attaining the Three Clarities,
Dwelling alone in mountain groves
Ever practicing Ch'an Samadhi
Attaining certification to condition-enlightenment:
Those are the middle-sized herbs.
Those who seek the place of the World Honored One .
Saying, "We will become Buddhas ."
Vigorously practicing concentration,
These are the superior herbs.
Further, those disciples of the Buddha
Who turn their minds to the Buddha Way
Always practising compassion
Knowing they will become Buddhas ,
For sure, without doubt:
These are called the small trees.
Those who dwell in spiritual penetrations,
Turning the irreversible wheel,
Saving limitless hundreds of thousands
Of millions of living beings -
Such Bodhisattvas as these
Are called great trees.
The Buddha speaks equally,
Like the rain of a single flavor.
According to living beings' natures
They receive it differently,
Just as those herbs and trees
Each receives a different measure.
The Buddha uses this analogy
To insturct expediently.
With various phrases, he
Expounds and proclaims a single Dharma which
In the Buddha's wisdom is
Like a drop within the sea.
I send down the rain of Dharma
Filling all the world
The Dharma of one taste is
Cultivated according to their power
Just like those forest groves
All the herbs and trees
According to their size
Grow and flourish well.
Is always of a single taste
It causes all the world
To attain perfection.
Through its gradual cultivation
All attain the fruits of the Way .
The Sound Hearers , those enlightened to conditions
Dwelling in mountain groves
Living in their final bodies
Hearing the Dharma gain the fruit;
They are called the herbs.
And each one does grow.
If there are Bodhisattvas ,
Whose wisdom is firm and solid,
Who thoroughly comprehend the Three Realms
And seek the supreme vehicle;
They are called small trees,
And each one does grow.
Further, those who dwell in Ch'an
Attaining spiritual powers,
Who hear the Dharma of emptiness
And rejoice within their minds,
Emitting countless lights
Crossing over all beings;
They are called the large trees,
And each one does grow.
In this way, Kashyapa,
The Dharma spoken by the Buddha
Is like that great cloud.
With rain of a single flavor,
It moistens all the people and flowers ,
So each one bears fruit.
Kashyapa, you should know
That by using causes and conditions
And various analogies
I demonstrate and reveal the Buddha Path.
These are my expedients
And other Buddhas are also thus.
Now, for your sakes,
I speak of this true matter:
All of you Sound Hearers ,
None of you have reached extinction.
What you now are walking
That is the Bodhisattva Path.
Gradually, gradually, cultivate and study,
And you'll all accomplish Buddhahood.
CHAPTER SIX
CONFERRING PREDICTIONS
At that time, following his expounding of the verses, the World Honored One spoke to the great assembly in this manner, "My disciple, Mahakashyapa , in a future age will serve and behold three hundred thousand million Buddhas , World Honored Ones , making offerings, paying reverence, venerating and praising them; he will broadly proclaim the limitless Great Dharma of all the Buddhas.
"In his final body he will become a Buddha by the name of Light Brightness. Thus Come One , one worthy of offerings, of proper and universal knowledge, one whose understanding and conduct are complete, a well-gone one who understands the world, an unsurpassed Lord, a taming and regulating hero, a teach of gods and humans, a Buddha, a World Honored One . His country will be called Light Virtue and his aeon will be called Great Adornment. His lifespan as a Buddha will last for twelve minor aeons . The Proper Dharma will dwell there for twenty minor aeons. The Dharma Resemblance Age will also dwell there for twenty minor aeons.
"His realm will be adorned and free of any filth or evil, tiles or stones, thorns or brambles, excrement or other impurities. The land will be flat, without high or low places, gullys or hills. The land will be made of lapis lazuli, and set about with rows of jeweled trees. The roads will be bordered with golden ropes. Precious flowers will be scattered about, purifying it entirely. The Bodhisattvas in that land will number in the limitless thousands of millions, the assembly of Sound Hearers will be likewise uncountable. No deeds of Mara will be done there, and although Mara and his subjects will exist there, they will all protect the Buddha dharma."
At that time, the World Honored One , wishing to restate this principle, spoke verses saying,
I declare to the Bhikshus that
By using my Buddha Eye
I see that Kashyapa
In a future age
Countless aeons from now shall become a Buddha
And that in the future he
Shall make offerings to, revere and behold
Three hundred ten thousands of millions
of Buddhas , World Honored Ones .
And, for the sake of the Buddha's wisdom
He shall purely cultivate Brahman conduct.
He shall make offerings to the highest
Honored One, doubly complete and then
Cultivate and practice all
Unsurpassed wisdom .
In his final body
He shall become a Buddha.
His land will be pure,
With lapis lazuli for soil,
And with many jeweled trees
Lining the roadways,
And with the roads set off by golden cords,
Delighting all who see it.
Fine fragrance will always issue forth,
Rare flowers will be strewn about,
With all manner of rare articles
It shall be adorned.
The land will be flat and even
Without hills or gullys.
The assembly of Bodhisattvas
Will be unreckonable.
Their minds will be gentle
Having gained great spiritual powers;
They will reverently uphold the Buddha's
Great Vehicle sutras.
The assembly of Sound Hearers ,
Without outflows , in their last bodies,
Sons of the Dharma King,
Will also be beyond all count.
So that, even with the Heavenly Eye,
Their number shall not be known.
His lifespan as a Buddha will be
Twelve minor aeons , and
His Proper Dharma will dwell in the world
Twenty minor aeons .
The Dharmas Image Age will dwell
Also for twenty minor aeons .
The World Honored One , Light Brightness
Shall have a history such as this.
At that time, Mahamaudgalyayana , Subhuti and Mahakatyayana were very agitated. They single-mindedly joined their palms, gazed upward at the World Honored One , not lowering their gaze for a moment, and with a single voice spoke these verses:
Great, brave hero, the World Honored One ,
The Shakyan Dharma King,
Out of pity for us all
Bestow the Buddha Word!
If, knowing our profoundest thoughts,
you see that we gain predictions,
It will be like a sprinkling of sweet dew,
Dispelling heat and giving cool refreshment.
It'll be like a person from a famine-stricken land,
who suddenly encounters a royal feast:
His mind holds doubt and fear,
And he doesn't dare go ahead and eat.
But, if he gained the king's permission,
Then he would certainly dare to eat.
We, in the same way, ever think
Of the errors of the Small Vehicle
And do not know how we are
To gain the Buddhas unsurpassed wisdom .
Although we hear the Buddha's voice
Saying that we shall become Buddhas ,
Our minds hold worry and fear,
Like one who dares not yet to eat.
If we were favored by the Buddha's prediction,
Then we should be happy and at peace.
Great, brave hero, World Honored One ,
You who always wish peace for the world
Please bestow predictions upon us
Like giving the famished permission to eat!
At that time, the World Honored One , knowing the thoughts in the minds of his great disciples, told the Bhikshus , " Subhuti will in a future age serve and behold three hundreds of myriads of millions of Nayutas of Buddhas , making offerings, paying reverence, venerating, and praising them, ever cultivating the Brahman conduct, and perfecting the Bodhisattva Way .
"In his final body, he will become a Buddha called Name Appearance Thus Come One , one worthy of offerings, of proper and universal knowledge, one whose understanding and conduct are complete, a well-gone one who understands the world, an unsurpassed lord, a taming and regulating hero, teacher of gods and humans, Buddha, World Honored One . His aeon will be called Possessing-Jewels. His country will be called Giving Birth to Jewels. His land will be level, with crystal for soil, and jeweled trees for adornments. It will be without hills or gullys, stones, thorns, filth or excrement. Jeweled flowers will cover the ground, purifying it entirely. The people of his land will all dwell on jeweled terraces or in precious, fine towers. The
assembly of Sound Hearers will be limitless and boundless, so that they cannot be known by resort to number or analogy. The assembly of Bodhisattvas will number in the countless thousands of myriads of millions of Nayutas . His lifespan as a Buddha will last for twelve minor aeons .
The Proper Dharma will dwell there for twenty mino aeons . The Dharma Image Age will also dwell there for twenty mino aeons. This Buddha will constantly dwell in empty space speaking Dharma for the multitudes and crossing over limitless Bodhisattvas and Sound Hearers ."
At that time the World Honored One , wishing to restate this principle spoke verses saying,
Assembled Bhikshus
I shall now tell you,
Listen singlemindedly
To what I'm going to say.
My great disciple,
Subhuti,
Will become a Buddha
Called Name-Appearance.
After making offerings to countless
Myriads of millions of Buddhas
Following the Buddhas ' practices,
He will gradually perfect the Great Way .
In his final body he shall
Obtain Thirty-two Marks,
Upright and beautiful
Like a jeweled mountain.
His Buddha land will be
Foremost in purity and adornment.
Living beings who see it
All will take delight in it.
And as a Buddha therein
He will save limitless multitudes.
Within his Buddha Dharma
Will be many Bodhisattvas ,
All of sharp faculties,
Turning the non-retreating wheel.
This land will ever be
Adorned with Bodhisattvas ;
The assembly of Sound Hearers
Will be beyond all reckoning.
All having gained the Three Clarities,
And perfected the Six Spiritual Powers
Abiding in the Eight Liberations
And possessing great awesome virtue.
When this Buddha speaks the Dharma
He will manifest limitless
Spiritual powers and transformations,
Inconceivable.
The people, both gods and humans,
Their numbers like the Ganges sands,
All will join their palms
To hear and accept that Buddha's words.
The Buddha's lifespan will be
Twelve minor aeons ,
The Proper Dharma will dwell in the world
For twenty minor aeons ;
The Dharma Resemblance Age will dwell
For twenty minor aeons , also.
At that time, the World Honored One further addressed the assembly of Bhikshus saying, "I will now tell you: In a future age, Mahakatyayana will make offerings of various articles to, and will reverently serve eight thousand million Buddhas , honoring and venerating them. After the extinction of those Buddhas, he will erect a stupa for each, one thousand Yojanas in height, five hundred Yojanas in breadth, and made of the seven jewels : gold, silver, lapis lazuli, mother of pearl, carneilian, pearls, and agate. He will make offerings of many flowers , beaded necklaces, paste incense, powdered incense, burning incense, silk canopies and banners to the stupa. After that, he will further make offerings to twenty thousand million Buddhas in the
same manner. Having made offerings to those Buddhas , he will perfect the Bodhisattva Way .
"He will then become a Buddha called Jambunada Gold Light Thus Come One , one worthy of offerings, of proper and universal knowledge, one whose understanding and conduct are complete, a well-gone one who understands the world, unsurpassed lord, a taming and regulating hero, teacher of gods and humans, Buddha, World Honored One .
"The land will be flat and even with crystal for soil and jeweled trees as adornments. The roads will be bordered with golden ropes, and the ground covered with fine flowers , purifying it entirely, so that those who see it are delighted. The Four Evil Paths will not exist there, that is, the hells, hungry ghosts, animals, and Asuras . There will be many gods, humans, assembled Sound Hearers and Bodhisattvas who will number in the limitless myriads of millions, and all adorning that land. His lifespan as a Buddha will be twelve minor aeons . His Proper Dharma will dwell in the world twenty minor aeons. The Dharma Resemblance Age will dwell also for twenty minor aeons."
At that time, the World Honored One , wishing to restate this principle spoke verses saying,
O Bhikshus , all of you,
Listen with a single mind,
For that which I say
Is true, real, and without error.
Katyayana, shall
with a variety
Of fine and subtle articles
Make offerings to the Buddhas .
After the extinction of thos Buddhas
He will build stupas of the seven jewels
And also, with flowers and incense
Make offerings to their Sharira.
In his final body
He will attain the Buddha wisdom
And realize proper enlightenment.
His country will be pure
And he will cross over limitless
Myriads of millions of beings;
From the ten directions
He will receive offerings.
His Buddha light
Will be unsurpassed
As a Buddha his name will be
Jambunada Gold Light.
Bodhisattvas, and Sound Hearers
Having severed all existence
Unlimited and innumerable
Will adorn his land.
At that time, the World Honored One , further spoke to the assembly. "I now tell you that Mahamaudgalyayana will in the future, with various articles, make offerings to eight thousand Buddhas , honoring and venerating them. After the extinction of those Buddhas, he will erect for each of them a stupa one thousand Yojanas in height and five hundred Yojanas in breadth, and made of the seven jewels , gold, silver, lapis lazuli, mother of pearl, carneilian, pearls, and agate. He will make offerings to it of many flowers , beaded necklaces, paste incense, powdered incense, burning incense, silk canopies and banners. After that, he will further make offerings to two hundred myriads of millions of Buddhas in the same manner.
"He will then become a Buddha called Tamalapattracandana Fragrance Thus Come One , one worthy of offerings, of proper and universal knowledge, one whose understanding and conduct are complete, a well-gone one who understands the world, an unsurpassed lord, a taming and regulating hero, teacher of gods and humans, Buddha, World Honored One . His aeon will be called Full of Joy. His country will be called Delighted Mind. His land will be flat and even with crystal for soil, and jeweled trees for adornments. Real pearl flowers will be scattered about, purifying it entirely, so that those who see it rejoice. There will be many gods, humans, Bodhisattvas and Sound Hearers , limitless and uncountable in number. His lifespan as a Buddha will last
for twenty-four minor aeons . The Proper Dharma will dwell there for forty minor aeons. The Dharma Resemblance Age will dwell also for forty minor aeons."
At that time, the World Honored One , wishing to restate this principle spoke verses, saying:
My disciple
Mahamaudgalyayana
Having cast aside this body
Will view eight thousand
Two hundred myriads of millions
Of Buddhas , World Honored Ones .
And, for the sake of the Buddha Way
Will honor and make offerings to them.
In the presence of those Buddhas ,
He will always practice Brahman conduct,
Throughout limitless aeons ,
Reverently upholding the Buddhadharma.
After the extinction of those Buddhas ,
He will build stupas of the seven jewels ,
Displaying golden spires
And with flowers , incense, and instrumental music
He will make offerings
Gradually, having perfected
The Bodhisattva Path,
In a land called Delighted Intent,
He will become a Buddha
Called Tamala
Candana Fragrance.
His lifespan as a Buddha will be Twenty-four minor aeons .
Always, for gods and humans
He will expound and proclaim the Buddha Way .
There will be limitless Sound Hearers
In number like the Ganges sands,
With the Three Clarities and Six Penetrations
And great, awesome virtue.
There will be uncountable Bodhisattvas
Vigorous and solid resolve
And who, with regard to the Buddhas ' wisdom
Are irreversible.
After that Buddha's extinction
The Proper Dharma will dwell
For Forty minor aeons ,
And the Dharma Resemblance Age will be the same.
All my disciples
Having perfected their awesom virtue,
All five hundred of them
Shall be given predictions
And in a future age
Will become Buddhas .
Of my own and your former
Causes and conditions
I now will tell:
All of you, listen well!
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE ANALOGY OF THE TRANSFORMED CITY
The Buddha told the Bhikshus , "long ago, past limitless, boundless, unconceivable, Asankheya aeons , there was a Buddha called Great-Penetrating-Wisdom-Victory, Thus Come One , One Worthy of Offerings, One of Proper and Universal Knowledge, One Whose Understanding and Conduct are Complete, Well-Gone One Who Understands the World, Unsurpassed Lord, Taming and Regulating Hero, Teacher of Gods and Humans, Buddha, World Honored One . His country was named "Good City", and his aeon was named "Great Mark". O Bhikshus, it has been a great, long time since that Buddha passed into extinction.
Suppose someone were to grind all the earth in the three thousand great thousand worlds into ink powder, and then suppose he passed through a thousand lands to the east and then dropped a particle the size of a mote of dust , and then passing through another thousand lands deposited another mote, and continued to do this until all the ink made of earth was exhausted. What do you think? Could a mathematician or his disciple ever reach the limit of the lands and know their number?
"No, World Honored One ."
"O Bhikshus , if the lands this person had passed through, whether or not he set down a particle in them, were all ground into dust , and if each dust mote was equal to an aeon, then the time since that Buddha passed into extinction would exceed their number by limitless, boundless, hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of millions of Asankheya aeons .
Using the power of the Thus Come One 's knowledge and vision, I behold that time in the distant past as if it were today.
At that time, the World Honored One , wishing to restate this meaning, spoke verses, saying,
"I recall that in a past age,
Limitless, boundless aeons ago,
There was a Buddha, doubly honored,
By the name of Great-Penetrating-Wisdom-Victory.
Suppose a person ground
All of the earth that there was
In three thousand great thousand lands
Entirely into ink powder;
And then suppose he passed through a thousand lands,
And then let fall one particle of it,
Continuing to drop particles in this way
Until all the ink particles were gone.
Suppose all of the countries he passed through,
Whether he dropped particles in them or not,
Again were completely ground into dust mote s,
And each dust mote were an aeon;
These grains of dust would in number
Be exceeded by the number of aeons
Since that Buddha has passed into extinction;
It has been limitless aeons such as this.
The Thus Come One , with unobstructed wisdom ,
Knows of that Buddha's extinction,
And of his Sound Hearers and Bodhisattvas ,
As if seeing his extinction now.
Bhikshus, you should know
The Buddha's wisdom is pure, subtle, and wondrous;
Without outflows and without obstructions
It penetrates limitless aeons .
The Buddha told the Bhikshus , "the Buddha Great-Penetrating-Wisdom-Victory had a life-span of five hundred forty myriads of millions of Nayutas of aeons ."
When this Buddha was seated on the Bodhimanda , having destroyed the troops of Mara , although he was on the point of attaining Anuttarasamyaksambodhi, still the Buddha dharmas did not appear before him. So it was for one minor aeon and then onwards to ten minor aeons that he sat in the lotus posture, body and mind unmoving, and yet the Buddhadharmas still did not appear before him. Thereupon, the gods of the Triyastrimsha Heaven, spread out for the Buddha, under a Bodhi tree, a lion throne one Yojana in height; on that throne the Buddha was to attain Anuttarasamyaksambodhi. Just as he sat down upon that throne, the kings of the Brahma Heavens rained down heavenly flowers over a distance of one hundred Yojanas . A fragrant wind from time to
time swept away the withered flowers as fresh ones rained down. This continued without interruption for a full ten minor aeons as an offering to the Buddha, the rain of these flowers continuing right up until his extinction. In the same way the gods of the four heavenly kings constantly played heavenly drums as an offering to that Buddha and the other gods made heavenly instrumental music for a full ten minor aeons, right up until his extinction.
Bhikshus, the Buddha Great-Penetrating-Wisdom-Victory passed through ten minor aeons before the Buddha dharmas finally manifested before him and he attained Anuttarasamyaksambodhi.
Before that Buddha left home he had sixteen sons, the first of whom was named Accumulation of Knowledge. Each of them had a variety of precious, unusual fine toys. When they heard that their father had realized Anuttarasamyaksambodhi they all cast aside these things they valued and went before the Buddha, escorted by their weeping mothers. Their grandfather, a Wheel Turning Sage King, together with a hundred great ministers and with hundreds of thousands of myriads of millions of citizens all surrounded them and accompanied them to the Bodhimanda , all wishing to draw near to the Thus Come One Great Penetrating Wisdom Victory, to make offerings to him, to honor, revere and praise him. When they arrived, they bowed with their head at his
feet, and having circumambulated him, they single-mindedly joined their palms, respectively gazed upwards at the World Honored One , and uttered these verses:
World Honored One of great and awesome virtue,
For the sake of crossing over living beings
After limitless millions of aeons ,
You accomplished Buddhahood,
And perfected all your vows;
Unsurpassed is our good fortune.
Very rare you are, World Honored One ,
In one sitting, passing through ten minor aeons ,
With body, hands and feet,
Still, secure, and unmoving.
Your mind, ever tranquil,
Never knows distraction.
Ultimate, your eternal extinction,
As you dwell firmly in the non- outflow Dharma.
Now we see the World Honored One
Serenely realize the Buddha Path;
We all gain good benefit
And proclaim our delight and great joy.
Living beings, ever tormented by suffering,
Blind, and without a guide,
Fail to recognize the path which ends that pain,
And do not know to seek their liberation.
During the long night the evil destinies increase,
While the hosts of gods are reduced in number;
From darkness they proceed into darkness,
Never hearing the Buddha's name.
Now, the Buddha's gained the utmost
Peace, rest, the non- outflow way;
And we, and all of the gods,
To attain the greatest benefit
Therefore bow our heads
And return our lives to the Unsurpassed Honored One.
When the sixteen sons had finished praising the Buddha, they then entreated him to turn the Dharma wheel, saying, " World Honored One , speak the Dharma and bring us peace show us pity, and benefit both gods and humans." Then they spoke more verses saying:
"O Hero of the World, incomparable
Adorned with a hundred blessings,
And having attained unsurpassed wisdom ,
Pray speak for the sake of this world
To cross over and liberate us and
All classes of living beings as well.
Demonstrate it: speak it in detail
and lead us to attain that wisdom ,
For, if we can attain Buddhahood,
Other living beings can do the same.
The World Honored One knows the profound thoughts
Within the minds of living beings;
He knows the ways on which they walk
And the strength of their wisdom ,
The pleasures and the blessings they have cultivated,
And all the deeds done in former lives.
The World Honored One , knowing all of this,
Should turn the unsurpassed wheel!"
The Buddha, Shakyamuni, told the Bhikshus , "When the Buddha Great-Penetrating-Wisdom-Victory attained Anuttarasamyaksambodhi, in each of the ten directions , five hundred myriads of millions of Buddha worlds quaked in six ways. The dark recesses between those lands that the awesome light of the sun and moon could not illumine then were brightly lit, and the living beings therein were able to see one another. They all said 'where have all these living beings come from?' Further, in those lands, all the heavenly palaces, up to the Brahma palaces, quaked in six ways. A great light shone everywhere, illumining the entire universe and surpassing the light of the heavens."
At that time, in five hundred myriads of millions of lands to the east, the Brahma Heaven palaces shone with a light twice that of their usual brightness. Each of the Brahma Heaven Kings had this thought, "now the palaces are brighter than ever before. What is the reason for this manifestation?"
Then, the Brahma Heaven Kings visited one another and discussed this matter. In the assembly there was one great Brahma Heaven King by the name of Rescuing All, who on behalf of the Brahma hosts spoke verses, saying,
All of our palaces
Are bright as never before;
What is the reason for this?
Let us seek it together.
Is it because a great and virtuous god had been born?
Or because a Buddha has appeared in the world
That this great light
Shines throughout the ten directions ?
At that time, the Brahma Heaven Kings from five hundred myriads of millions of lands, together with their palaces, each with sacks filled with heavenly flowers , went to the west to seek out this manifestation. They saw the Thus Come One Great-Penetrating-Wisdom Victory seated on the lion throne beneath the Bodhi tree in the Bodhimanda , revered and circumambulated by gods, dragon kings, Gandharvas , Kinnaras , Mahoragas , and beings both human and non-human. They saw as well the sixteen sons of the king requesting the Buddha to turn the Dharma Wheel.
Then, the Brahma Heaven Kings bowed with their heads at the Buddha's feet, circumambulated him a hundred thousand times, and scattered heavenly flowers upon him. The flowers were piled as high as Mount Sumeru , and they offered them as well to the Buddha's Bodhi tree, which was ten Yojanas in height. Having made offerings of flowers, each presented his palace to the Buddha, saying, 'pray show us pity, and benefit us by accepting and occupying these palaces that we offer you!'
Then the Brahma Heaven Kings , in front of the Buddha, with a single mind and the same voice, spoke verses in praise, saying:
" World Honored One , you are very rare,
And difficult to encounter;
Complete with limitless meritorious virtues,
You are able to rescue and protect all creatures.
Great teacher of gods and humans,
You who pity all the world
All beings in the ten directions
Receive your beneficence.
We have come from
Five hundred myriads of millions of lands,
Setting aside the bliss of deep Dhyana samadhi,
For the sake of making offerings ot the Buddha.
Blessings we've gained in former lives
Well ornament our palaces.
Now we offer them to the World Honored One ,
Only praying you will show mercy and accept them.
At that time, the Brahma Heaven Kings , having praised the Buddha, said "We only pray that the World Honored One will turn the Dharma wheel, crossing over living beings, opening up the way to Nirvana ." Then; all the Brahma Heaven Kings with one mind and the same voice, proclaimed these verses:
"Hero of the World, doubly perfect honored one,
We only pray that you will expound and proclaim the Dharma,
And through the power of your great compassion and pity
Cross over suffering and tormented living beings.
Thereupon, the Thus Come One Great-Penetrating-Wisdom-Victory, assented by his silence.
Furthermore, O Bhikshus , to the southeast the great Brahma Kings in five hundred myriads of millions of lands, seeing their palaces in dazzling brilliance as never before, jumped for joy, thinking it rare indeed.
They visited one another and discussed this matter. Then, in the assembly, a Brahma Heaven King by the name of Great Compassion, on behalf of the Brahma hosts spoke these verses:
"What is the reason for this event?
Whey has this sign appeared?
All of our palaces
Are aglow as never before.
Has a greatly virtuous god been born?
Or has a Buddha appeared in the world?
We have never seen such signs before.
With one mind we should investigate it,
Passing through a thousand myriads of millions of lands,
Searching for the light, investigating it together.
It must be that a Buddha has appeared
To take across the suffering living beings.
At that time, five hundred myriads of millions of Brahma Heaven Kings , together with their palaces, each with sacks filled with heavenly flowers , went to the southwest to seek out this manifestation. They saw the Thus Come One Great-Penetrating-Wisdom-Victory seated on the lion throne beneath the Bodhi tree in the Bodhimanda , revered and circumambulated by gods, dragon kings, Grandharvas, Kinnaras , Mahoragas , and beings both human and non-human. They saw, as well, the sixteen sons of the king requesting the Buddha to turn the Dharma wheel.
Then the Brahma Heaven kings bowed with their heads at the Buddha's feet, circumambulated him a hundred thousand times, then scattered heavenly flowers upon him. The flowers were piled as high as Mount Sumeru , and they offered them as well to the Buddha's Bodhi tree. Having made offerings of flowers, each presented his palace to the Buddha saying, "Show us pity and benefit us by accepting and occupying these palaces that we offer you!" Then the Buddha, with a single mind and the same voice, spoke verses in praise, saying,
"Sagely Lord, king among gods,
With the kalavinka sound,
To you who pity living beings,
We now reverently bow.
The World Honored One is most rare,
Appearing but once in long ages.
One hundred and eighty aeons have passed
Empty, without a Buddha.
The three evil paths are full.
The hosts of gods decrease.
Now the Buddha has appeared in the world.
To act as eyes for living beings,
As a refuge for the world,
Rescuring and protecting all creatures,
A father for all beings,
Pitying and benefitting them.
Now, through blessings gained in former lives,
We are enabled to meet the World Honored One .
At that time, the Brahma Heaven Gods, having praised the Buddha, said, "We only pray that the World Honored One will take pity on all beings and turn the Dharma wheel to liberate living beings."
Then, the Brahma Heaven Kings , with one mind and a single voice, spoke verses saying,
"Great Sage, turn the Dharma wheel,
To reveal the marks of all Dharmas ,
To cross over tormented living beings,
So they may gain great joy.
When living beings hear the Dharma,
They may gaint he way, or be reborn in the heavens;
The evil paths will decrease
And those of patience and goodness will increase.
At that time, the Thus Come One Great-Penetrating-Wisdom-Victory assented by his silence.
Furthermore, O Bhikshus , tothe south, the great Brahma Kings in five hundred myriads of millions of Buddhalands, seeing their palaces in dazzling brilliance as never seen before, jumped for joy, thinking it rare indeed.
Thereupon, they visited one another and discussed this matter, wondering, "why do our palaces glow with the light?" Then, in the assembly a Brahma Heaven King called Wonderful Dharma, on behalf of the Brahma hosts, spoke these verses,
"All of our palaces
Shine with awesome brilliance;
This cannot be for no reason;
We should seek out this sign.
In a hundred thousand aeons ,
Such a sign has never been seen.
Has a great and virtuous god been born?
Or has a Buddha appeared in the world?
At that time, five hundred myriads of millions of Brahma Heaven Kings , together with their palaces, each with sacks filled with heavenly flowers , went to the north to seek out this manifestation. They saw the Thus Come One Great-Penetrating-Wisdom-Victory seated on the lion throne beneath the Bodhi tree in the Bodhimanda , revered and circumambulated by gods, Dragon Kings, Gandharvas , Kinnaras , Mahoragas , and beings both human and non-human. They saw as well, the sixteen sons of the king requesting the Buddha to turn the Dharma wheel.
Then the Brahma Heaven Kings bowed with their heads at the Buddha's feet, circumambulated him a hundred thousand times and scattered heavenly flowers upon him. The flowers were piled as high as Mount Sumeru , and they offered them, as well to the Buddha's Bodhi tree. Having made offerings of flowers, each presented his palace to the Buddha, saying, "Show us pity and benefit us by accepting and occupying these palaces that we offer you." Then the Brahma Heaven Kings, before the Buddha, with a single mind and the same voice, spoke verses in praise, saying,
"The World Honored One is very hard to meet;
He who breaks through all afflictions .
Passing through a hundred and thirty aeons ,
Only now do we get to see him.
May living beings, starving and thirsty,
Be filled with the rain of Dharma.
He, whom we have never seen before,
One of unlimited wisdom ,
Rare as the Udumbara blossom
Today, at last we have met.
All of our palaces
Receiving your light, are adorned.
In your great compassion, World Honored One
Pray accept and live with them."
At that time, the Brahma Heaven Kings , having praised the Buddha, said "we only pray that the World Honored One will turn the Dharma wheel, causing the entire world with its gods, Maras , Brahmans , Shramanas , all to become peaceful and calm and to attain liberation." Then, the Brahma Heaven Kings, with a single mind and the same voice, spoke verses in praise, saying,
"Honored One among gods and humans,
Pray turn the unsurpassed wheel of Dharma.
Beat upon the Dharma drum,
And blow the great Dharma conch,
Let fall everywhere the great Dharma rain,
To cross over limitless living beings.
We all beseech you to expound and proclaim
The profound, far reaching sound.
Thereupon, the Thus Come One Great-Penetrating-Wisdom-Victory assented by his silence.
And so it was in all directions from the southwest to the lower direction.
Then, five hundred myriads of millions of great Brahma Kings in the upper directions, seeing the palaces they rested in shining with awesome brilliance as never before jumped for joy, thinking it rare indeed.
They visited one another and discussed this matter, wondering, "why do our palaces shine with this bright light?"
Then, in the assembly, a Brahma Heaven King by the name of Shikhin, on behalf of the Brahma hosts, spoke verses, saying,
Now, for what reason
Do our palaces shine
With such an awesome light
Adorned as never before.'
Wondrous marks, such as these
We have never seen before
Has a great and virtuous god been born?
Has a Buddha appeared in the world?
At that time, five hundred myriads of millions of Brahma Heaven Kings , together with their palaces, each with sacks filled with heavenly flowers , went to the lower direction to seek out this sign. They saw the Thus Come One Great-Penetrating-Wisdom-Victory seated on the lion throne beneath the Bodhi tree in the Bodhimanda , revered and circumambulated by gods, Dragon Kings, Gradharvas, Kinnaras , Mahoragas , and beings both human and non-human. They saw, as well, the sixteen sons of the king requesting the Buddha to turn the Dharma wheel.
Then, the Brahma Heaven Kings bowed with their heads at the Buddha's feet, circumambulated him a hundred thousand times, and scattered heavenly flowers upon the Buddha. The flowers that they scattered were as high as a Mount Sumeru , and they offered them as well to the Buddha's Bodhi tree. Having made offerings of flowers, they each presented their palace as an offering to the Buddha, saying, "We only pray that you will show us pity and benefit us by accepting and occupying these palaces." Then the Brahma Heaven Kings, before the Buddha, with one mind and a single voice, spoke these verses:
"It's good indeed to see the Buddhas ,
Honored Sages who save the world
And who, from the prison of the Three Realm
Can affect escape for living beings,
All-wise, revered by gods and humans,
Pitying the flocks of beings
Opening the door of sweet dew,
Vastly saving all beings.
Limitless aeons of yore
Have passed emptily, without a Buddha.
Before the World Honored One emerged,
The ten directions were ever in darkness,
The Three Evil Paths increased,
And the Asuras flourished,
While the hosts of gods diminished,
Most falling into evil paths at death.
They did not hear the Dharma from the Buddha,
But ever followed unwholesome paths.
Their bodily strength and wisdom ,
Both decreased.
Because of offense Karma
They lost joy and thoughts of joy.
They dwelt in Dharmas of deviant views,
Not knowing the rules of goodness.
Failing to receive the Buddha's transforming,
They constantly fell into evil paths .
The Buddha acts as eyes for all the world,
And but once in a long while does appear.
Out of pity for living beings,
He manifests in the world,
Transcends it and realizes right enlightenment.
We rejoice exceedingly;
We and all the other beings,
Are happy as never before,
And all of our palaces
Receive the light and are adorned.
We now offer them to the World Honored One .
May we pity us and accept them.
We vow that this merit and virtue
May extend to all living beings,
So that we and all beings
May together realize the Buddha Way .
At that time, the five hundred myriads of millions of Brahma Heaven Gods, having praised the Buddha in verse, addressed the Buddha, saying, "We only pray that the World Honored One will turn the Dharma Wheel to bring tranquility and liberation to many beings." Then, the Brahma Heaven King spoke these verses of praise:
" World Honored One , turn the Dharma Wheel
Sound the sweet dew Dharma-drum,
To cross over tormented living beings,
Showing them Nirvana 's path.
Pray, accept our request,
And, with the great and subtle sound,
Pity us, and set forth,
Dharma gathered through countless aeons .
At that time, the Thus Come One Great-Penetrating-Wisdom-Victory, having received the request of the Brahma Heaven Kings of the ten directions , as well as the sixteen princes. Thereupon, three times turned the Dharma Wheel of twelve parts which cannot be turned by Shramanas , Brahmans , Gods, Maras , Brahmas, or other beings of the world. He said, "This is suffering. This is the origination of suffering. This is the extinction of suffering. This the way to the extinction of suffering.
And he extensively set forth the Dharma of the twelve causes and conditions : ignorance conditions dispositions. Dispositions condition consciousness. Consciousness conditions name and form. Name and form condition the six sense organs. The six sense organs condition contact. Contact conditions feeling. Feeling conditions craving. Craving conditions grasping. Grasping conditions becoming. Becoming conditions birth. Birth conditions old age and death, worry, grief, suffering and distress. When ignorance is extinguished, dispositions are extinguished. When dispositions are extinguished, then consciousness is extinguished. When consciousness is extinguished, then name and form are extinguished. When name and form are extinguished, then the
six sense organs are extinguished, then contact is extinguished. When contact is extinguished, then feeling is extinguished. When feeling is extinguished, then craving is extinguished. When craving is extinguished, then grasping is extinguished. When grasping is extinguished, then becoming is extinguished. When becoming is extinguished, then birth is extinguished. When birth is extinguished, then old age and death, worry, grief, suffering and distress are extinguished.
When the Buddha spoke this Dharma, amidst the great assembly of gods and humans, six hundred myriads of millions of Nayutas human beings, because they did not grasp at any Dharmas , had their minds liberated from all outflows . All attained profound and subtle Dhyana concentration, the Three Clarities, the Six Penetrations, and perfected the Eight Liberations. The second, third, and fourth times he set forth this Dharma, thousands of millions of Nayutas of living beings, their numbers like the Ganges' sand, also because they did not grasp at any Dharmas, had their minds liberated from outflows. From that time onwards, the assembly of Sound Hearers was unlimited, boundless, and unreckonable.
At that time the sixteen princes all left home as virgin youths and became Shramaneras . They all possessed sharp faculties and clear wisdom . They had already made offerings to hundreds of thousands of myriads of millions of Buddhas , purely cultivating Brahman conduct, seeking Anuttarasamyaksambodhi.
They all spoke to the Buddha, saying, " World Honored One , all these limitless thousands of myriads of millions of greatly virtuous Sound Hearers already have reached accomplishment. World Honored One, you should, for our sakes, also, speak the Dharma of Anuttarasamyaksambodhi. Having heard it, we will all cultivate and study it. World Honored One, we all aspire to the Thus Come One 's knowledge and vision. As to the thoughts deep within our minds, the Buddha himself knows."
Then, the multitudes, led by the Wheel Turning Sage King, eighty thousand million of them, upon seeing the sixteen princes leave home, also sought to leave home, and the king permitted them to do so.
At that time, the Buddha, having received the request of the sixteen Shramaneras , after twenty thousand aeons , then at last, amidst the four-fold assembly, spoke the Great Vehicle Sutra by the name of the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower, a Dharma for instructing Bodhisattvas of whom the Buddha is protective and mindful. After he spoke the Sutra, the sixteen Shramaneras, for the sake of Anuttarasamyaksambodhi, all received, upheld and recited it and keenly penetrated its meaning.
When the Sutra was spoken, the sixteen Bodhisattva Shramaneras all received it with faith. Among the host of Sound Hearers , too, there were those who had faith in it and understood it. The remaining thousands of myriads of millions of living beings, however, all gave rise to doubts.
The Buddha spoke this Sutra for eighty thousand aeons without cessation.
When he had finished speaking the Sutra , he entered a quiet room where he remained in Dhyana Samadhi for eighty-four thousand aeons .
Then the sixteen Bodhisattva Shramaneras , knowing that the Buddha had entered his room and was silently absorbed in Dhyana Samadhi, each ascended the Dharma seat. For a period of eighty-four thousand aeons , for the sake of the four-fold assembly, they spoke the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra extensively and in detail. Each one of them crossed over six hundred myriads of millions of Nayutas of Ganges' sands of living beings, instructing them with the teaching, benefitting them, making them rejoice and causing them to bring forth the thought of Anuttarasamyaksambodhi.
After eighty-four thousand aeons had passed, the Buddha Great-Penetrating- wisdom -Victory arose from Samadhi, approached the Dharma throne and serenely sat down upon it. He addressed the great assembly, saying, "These sixteen Bodhisattva Shramaneras are very rare. All their faculties are keen and their wisdom is clear. They have in the past already made offerings to limitless thousands of myriads of millions of Buddhas . In the presence of those Buddhas, they constantly cultivated Brahman conduct, accepting and upholding the Buddha's wisdom, instructing living beings and causing them to enter into it.
"You should all make a point of drawing near to and making offerings to them. Why? Those Sound Hearers , Pratyeka Buddhas , or Bodhisattvas who can have faith in the Dharma of the Sutra spoken by these sixteen Bodhisattvas, accept and uphold it without defaming it, will all attain Anuttarasamyaksambodhi, that is, the wisdom of the Thus Come One ."
The Buddha told the Bhikshus , "These sixteen Bodhisattvas always delight in speaking the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra . Each Bodhisattva has transformed six hundred myriads of millions of Nayutas of Ganges' sands of living beings who, life after life were born together with the Bodhisattvas and heard the Dharma from them, fully believing and understanding it. For this reason, they have met up with forty thousand millions of Buddhas , World Honored Ones and to this moment have not stopped doing so.
" Bhikshus , I will tell you, those disciples of the Buddha, the sixteen Shramaneras , have all now attained Anuttarasamyaksambodhi, and in the lands of the ten directions , are presently speaking the Dharma. They have as their retinues limitless hundreds of thousands of millions of Bodhisattvas and Sound Hearers . Two have become Buddhas in the East: One is named Akshobhya, in the Land of Happiness. The other is named Sumeru Peak. Two have become Buddhas in the Southeast: One is named Lion Sound. The other is named Lion Sign. Two have become Buddhas in the South: One is named Space Dweller. The other is named Eternal Extinction. Two have become Buddhas in the Southwest: One is named Royal Sign. The other is named Brahma Sign. Two have become
Buddhas in the West: One is named Amitayus . The other is named Savior of all Worlds from Suffering and Anguish. Two have become Buddhas in the Northwest. One is named Tamalapa-trachandana Fragrance and Spiritual Penetrations. The other is named Sumeru Sign. Two have become Buddhas in the North. One is named Cloud Self-Mastery. The other is named King of Cloud Self-Mastery. In the Northeast there is a Buddha by the name of Destroyer of All Worldly Fear. The other Buddha, the sixteenth, is myself, Shakyamuni Buddha, here in the Saha World, where I have realized Anuttarasamyaksambodhi.
" Bhikshus , we, are Shramaneras each taught and transformed limitless hundreds of thousands of myriads of millions of Ganges' sands of living beings, who, hearing the Dharma from us, were set towards Anuttarasamyaksambodhi.
"Of these living beings, there are those who dwell at the level of Sound Hearers . I constantly instruct and transform them in Anuttarasamyaksambodhi. All these people will, by means of this Dharma, gradually enter the Buddha Path. Why? The Thus Come One 's wisdom is hard to believe and hard to understand.
"The living beings, limitless as Ganges' sands, who I transformed at that time are you, yourselves, Bhikshus , and are also those who will be Sound Hearer disciples in the future, after my extinction.
"After my extinction, furthermore, there will be disciples who will not hear this Sutra , who will not know or be aware of the Bodhisattva conduct, but who will through the attainment of their own merit and virtue give rise to the thought of extinction and who will enter Nirvana . I shall be a Buddha in another land, with another name. Although these people will have produced the thought of extinction and enter into Nirvana, they will, in those lands, seek the Buddha's wisdom and get to hear this Sutra and that it is only by means of the Buddha-vehicle that extinction can be attained. There are no other vehicles, except for those expedient devices taught by other Thus Come Ones .
" Bhikshus , when the Thus Come One knows of himself, that the time of his Nirvana has come, that the assembly is pure, that their faith and understanding are solid and firm, that they fully comprehend the Dharma emptiness and have deeply entered into Dhyana Samadhi, he will gather together the host of Bodhisattvas and Sound Hearers and speak this Sutra for them, saying, 'there are not two vehicles by which extinction is attained. There is only the One Buddha Vehicle by which extinction can be attained.'
" Bhikshus , you should know, the expedients of the Thus Come deeply enter the natures of living beings. Knowing that they aspire to and are content with lesser Dharmas and are deeply attached to the Five Desires, he speaks to them of Nirvana . When they hear him, then they immediately believe and accept it.
"It is as if, for example, there is a road, five hundred Yojanas long, steep dangerous and bad, an uninhabited and terrifying place. A large group of people wish to travel this road to reach a cache of precious jewels. Among them, there is a guide, intelligent, wise and clear-headed, who knows the road well, both its passable and impassable features. And who wishes to lead the group through this hardship.
"Midway, the group he is leading grows weary and wishes to turn back. They say to the guide, 'We are exhausted and afraid. We cannot go forward. Its too far. We want to turn back now.'
"Their leader, who has many expedients, has this thought; 'How pitiful they are. How can they renounce the great and precious treasure and wish to turn back?' Having had this thought, through the power of his expedient devices, he transforms a city in the center of the dangerous road, three hundred Yojanas in extent, and says to them, 'Do not be afraid. Do not turn back; stay here now in this great city I have created just for you. If you go into this city, you will be happy and at peace. If you then wish to proceed to the jewel cache, you may do so.'
"Then the exhausted group rejoiced greatly, having gained what they had never had. 'We have now escaped this bad road and gained happiness and peace.' Then the group went forward and entered the transformed city; thinking that they had already been saved, they felt happy and at peace.
"At that time, the guide, knowing that they were rested and no longer weary, made the city disappear, saying to them, 'All of you, come, let us go. The jewel cache is near. The great city was merely something I created from transformation to give you a rest.'
" Bhikshus , the Thus Come One is also like this. He now acts as a great guide for all of you. He knows that living beings should leave and cross over the evil road of the torments of birth and death which is so steep, difficult and long.
If living beings only hear of the One Buddha Vehicle , they will not wish to see the Buddha or to draw near to him. Instead, they will think, 'the Buddha path is long and far; it can only be accomplished after much labor and suffering.' The Buddha knows their minds to be weak and lowly. When they are half-way there, he uses the power of expedients to speak of the two Nirvana s in order to give them a rest. If living beings dwell on these two levels, the Thus Come One then tells them, 'You have not yet finished your job. The level you are dwelling at is near the Buddhas ' wisdom . You should observe and ponder this: the Nirvana you have attained is not the real one. The Thus Come One has but used the power of his expedients and, within the One
Buddha Vehicle, discriminated and spoken of three.'
At that time the World Honored One , wishing to restate this meaning, spoke verses saying,
The Buddha Great-Penetrating-Wisdom-Victory
Sat in the Bodhimanda for ten aeons ,
Without the manifestation of the Buddha Dharmas ,
And he did not realize the Buddha Way .
Heavenly spirits and Dragon Kings,
And the host of Asuras ,
Consantly rained down heavenly flowers ,
As an offering to that Buddha.
The Gods beat upon their heavenly drums
And made all kinds of music;
Fragrant breezes blew away the withered flowers
And fine, new ones rained down.
When ten aeons had passed,
He then realized the Buddha Way .
All the gods and humans,
Danced for the joy within their minds.
The sixteen sons of that Buddha
As well as their retinues,
Thousands of millions surrounding them,
All went before that Buddha.
They bowed with their heads at his feet
"May the sagely lion's Dharma rain
Fill us and everyone!"
A World Honored One is very hard to encounter,
Appearing but once in a long time.
In order to awaken all creatures,
He shakes all things.
In five hundred myriads of millions of lands,
In worlds in the eastern direction,
Brahma palaces shone with a light
Such as they never had before.
The Brahmas, seeing these signs,
Followed them to the Buddha;
They scattered flowers as an offering,
And offered up their palaces,
Asking the Buddha to turn the Dharma wheel,
With verses in his praise.
The Buddha knew the time had not yet come
And received their request seated in silence.
From the other three directions, and four points between,
And, likewise, from above, and below,
They scattered flowers and offered their palaces,
Asking the Buddha to turn the Dharma wheel:
"The World Honored One is very hard to meet;
We pray that through his great compassion and pity.
He will open wide the sweet dew door
And turn the supreme Dharma wheel."
The World Honored One , having limitless wisdom ,
Received the multitude's request
And proclaimed various Dharmas for their sakes.
The Four Turths, the Twelve Conditions,
From ignorance up to old age and death -
All arise because of birth.
In this way the host of calamities comes to be;
You should all know this.
When he expounded on this Dharma
Six hundred myriads of millions of billions
Exhausted the limits of all suffering
And all became Arhats .
When he spoke the Dharma the second time,
Hosts like the sands of a thousand myriads of Ganges Rivers
Their minds grasping no Dharmas ,
Also attained Arhats hip.
After that, those who gained the Way ,
Were incalculable in number;
Were one to count through myriads of milions of aeons .
One could not reach their limit.
At that time, the sixteen princes,
Left home and became Shramaneras .
Together they requested that the Buddha
Extensively proclaim the Dharma of the Great Vehicle :
"May we and our followers
We wish to become like the World Honored One ,
With the wisdom eye and foremost purity."
The Buddha, knowing the intentions of the youths,
Their practices in former lives,
Used limitless causes and conditions
And various analogies,
To teach them the Six Paramitas ,
As well as matters of spiritual penetrations.
He discriminated the real Dharma,
And the pathway walked by the Bodhisattvas .
He spoke The Dharma Flower