Toh 114The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra “The King of the Array of All Dharma Qualities”

Summary

The events recounted in The King of the Array of
All Dharma Qualities take place outside Rājagṛha, where the Buddha
is residing in the Bamboo Grove together with a great assembly of monks,
bodhisattvas, and other human and non-human beings. At the request of the
bodhisattvas Vajrapāṇi and Avalokiteśvara, the Buddha teaches his audience on a
selection of brief but disparate topics belonging to the general Mahāyāna
tradition: how to search for a spiritual friend and live in solitude, the
benefits of venerating Avalokiteśvara’s name, the obstacles that Māra may create
for practitioners, and warnings on how easy it is to lose one’s determination to
be free from saṃsāra. The sūtra also includes two dhāraṇīs that the Buddha and
Vajrapāṇi teach in turn, along with details of their benefits and Vajrapāṇi’s
ritual recitation instructions. Throughout the text, the Buddha repeatedly
insists on the importance and benefits of venerating and propagating this
teaching as well as those who teach it.

Acknowledgements

Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the guidance
of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. The translation was produced by Benjamin
Collet-Cassart, who also wrote the introduction. Andreas Doctor compared the
draft translation with the original Tibetan and edited the text. Khenpo Urgyen
Tenphel from Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery and Wiesiek Mical assisted by
resolving several difficult passages. We are also very grateful to Dr. Oliver
von Criegern for sharing his doctoral dissertation on this sūtra, which
includes, inter alia, his Sanskrit
edition of the Gilgit manuscript and a full translation of the text into
German.

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Introduction

The King of the Array of All Dharma Qualities
is a scripture found in both the general sūtra and the tantra sections of
most Kangyurs. The sūtra is set in the Bamboo Grove at Kalandakanivāpa, a
park outside Rājagṛha where several sūtras are said to have been taught.
Here, the Buddha resides together with a great saṅgha of monks and with
several bodhisattvas. The Buddha enters a state of meditative absorption,
whereby the earth shakes, and various supernatural manifestations appear. At
the sight of these magical displays, many other beings are attracted to the
place where the Buddha is about to teach and, joining those already present,
they listen. The bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi then supplicates the Buddha to teach
the sūtra called The King of the Array of All Dharma
Qualities.

After the Buddha has instructed the audience on the four proper
attitudes for finding a spiritual friend, Avalokiteśvara tells the audience
that those who hear this Dharma teaching will be blessed by all the buddhas
and will be reborn in Sukhāvatī. At the request of Vajrapāṇi, the Buddha
then explains the significance of Avalokiteśvara’s name. Next, the Buddha
and Vajrapāṇi successively utter two powerful dhāraṇīs for the benefit of
those present in the assembly. Vajrapāṇi accompanies the recitation of his
dhāraṇī with the description of a ritual featuring the maṇḍalas of
Vajradhara, Śākyamuni, and Avalokiteśvara.

In the remainder of the sūtra, the Buddha entrusts his teaching to
Vajrapāṇi and the rest of the audience, repeatedly insisting that this text
and those who teach it should be regarded as thus-gone ones themselves. The
benefits derived from worshiping and propagating this teaching and its
teachers are then repeatedly presented to the assembly. The Buddha concludes
his discourse by explaining the unfortunate consequences of not persevering
in the Dharma but instead relapsing into saṃsāric pursuits. He illustrates
this with three analogies: (1) a woman who forgets the difficulty of
childbirth and allows herself to become pregnant again; (2) a man who has
recovered from his drunkenness yet quickly returns to his old habits; and
(3) a being who escapes hell and is born as a human, only to engage in the
very actions that lead straight back to hell. Having warned his audience
about the dire outcomes of such careless attitudes, the Buddha provides
Ānanda with five alternative titles for this sūtra, and the entire world
with its human and non-human beings rejoices and praises the teaching.

The Buddha’s main interlocutors in this sūtra are the bodhisattvas
Vajrapāṇi and Avalokiteśvara. The bodhisattva Vyūharāja, “King of the
Array,” plays only a minor role, and the fact that the title includes the
words that make up his name does not seem likely to be due to his presence
in the cast of characters. On the other hand, the relationship between the
content of the sūtra and its title (which is repeated at several points
within the text) remains unclear. The content is generally heterogeneous,
but it is noteworthy that it contains two dhāraṇīs and descriptions of a
ritual. The presence of these ritual elements in a Mahāyāna teaching is
probably the reason why this text is included twice in the Degé and other
Kangyurs with Tshalpa influence, appearing not only in the General Sūtra
section (as Toh 114) but also in the section of Action tantras (as Toh 527).
In Kangyurs more closely aligned to the Thempangma tradition, the text
appears only in the Action tantra section.

The sūtra was translated into both Chinese and Tibetan. The Chinese
translation (T.1374) was produced by the famous Chinese pilgrim Yijing
(635–713) at the beginning of the eighth century, while the Tibetan
translation rendered here in English was prepared a century later by the
prolific Tibetan translator Yeshé Dé (fl. eighth to ninth centuries) in
collaboration with the Indian preceptors Prajñāvarman and Surendrabodhi.

In both early ninth century inventories of translated texts, the
Denkarma (ldan dkar ma) and
Phangthangma (’phang thang ma), a text
with this title is listed as having six bam
po (fascicles), which would make it at least ten times longer
than the present text. The Phangthangma additionally lists another text with
the same name, but with four hundred ślokas, which would correspond more
closely to the sūtra translated here. Butön (bu
ston rin chen grub), in his fourteenth century canonical list
that was an important influence in the compilation of the Kangyur, ascribes
six bam po to a text with this title,
too, and then a few folios later goes on to mention another
text with this same title, but of only four hundred ślokas, among thirty-six
texts that he had not found. Although there may have been errors in
the inventories, it is not easy to mistake a six bam po text for a four hundred śloka one,
and it remains a possibility that two texts of very different length but the
same title co-existed at some time. The fact that it is the longer of the
two whose existence Butön seems to confirm, and not the shorter, adds to the
uncertainty. Nevertheless, no trace of a longer version has come to light.
The versions found in the Tabo and Gondhla proto-Kangyur collections appear
to be different Tibetan translations of the same original.

It is hard to evaluate the influence of this sūtra on the wider
tradition. Compared to some of the other texts with which it is placed (in
most Kangyurs) in the first thirty or so works of the General Sūtra section,
it does not seem to have had a significant impact—unlike, for example,
The White Lotus of the Good Dharma
immediately preceding it and The Display of the Pure
Land of Sukhāvatī that follows. In contrast to its much-cited
neighbours with predominant doctrinal themes, it has not been the focus of
any specific practice or tradition, and it is not immediately obvious which
of its relatively brief and quite disparate statements might at one time
have been most valued. The few citations in later literature that we have
identified do not collectively focus on one of its topics in
particular. Nevertheless, the most sustained message
of the sūtra—that respect, worship, and preservation of the sūtra itself
will bring immense spiritual benefits, including rebirth in
Sukhāvatī—carries reflections of both The White Lotus
of the Good Dharma and The Display of the
Pure Land of Sukhāvatī, and is perhaps a sufficient explanation
of its presence in many Kangyurs between these two texts.

Significantly, a Sanskrit palm leaf manuscript was discovered in
Gilgit in 1938 among numerous other Buddhist texts (Hinüber 1979 and
Hartmann 1997). Dr. Oliver von Criegern of the University of Munich has
produced an edition of this Sanskrit manuscript, as well as an edition of
the Tibetan text (including proto-Kangyur manuscripts from Tabo and Gondhla)
and a full translation into German that we consulted during the translation
to resolve several difficult passages (Criegern 2009). While we consulted
the Sanskrit edition during our work, this translation mainly follows the
Tibetan Degé woodblock print. However, in a few instances where the Tibetan
seems corrupt and the Sanskrit offers the more sensible reading, we have
followed the Sanskrit edition. Significant differences from the
proto-Kangyur manuscripts are recorded in endnotes. The dhāraṇīs are
transcribed according to the Degé edition; the Sanskrit is also provided in
endnotes, together with tentative translations.

The Translation

The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra

The King of the Array of All Dharma

Qualities

Homage to all buddhas and
bodhisattvas!

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in the
Bamboo Grove, in the Kalandakanivāpa near Rājagṛha, together with a great
saṅgha of five hundred monks and with twelve hundred bodhisattvas, all of
whom had obtained dhāraṇīs. They had unimpeded wisdom and were unhindered in
their sphere of activity. They were skilled in means, had developed
equanimity toward everything in the three realms, and possessed an
altruistic mindset of compassion and benevolence. All of them were there to
request Dharma teachings from the Thus-Gone One.

The twelve hundred bodhisattvas in attendance included the
bodhisattva great being Maitreya, the bodhisattva great being Nityodyukta,
the bodhisattva great being Samatāvihārin,
the bodhisattva great being
Aniñjya, the bodhisattva great being Sumati, the bodhisattva great being
Mahāmati, the bodhisattva great being Anantapratibhāna, the bodhisattva
great being Suvikrāntamati, and the bodhisattva great being
Avalokiteśvara.
Also present were Śakra, Brahmā, the guardians of the world, the nāga kings,
the lords of the rākṣasas, and three hundred yakṣiṇīs. There were also six thousand caraka, parivrājaka, and nirgrantha
non-Buddhists, as well as the seven lords of the garuḍas. The whole
assembly, while circumambulating the Thus-Gone One, worshiped him by scattering a rain of
celestial flowers and sandalwood powder, and playing divine cymbals and
drums. With manifest faith in the teaching of the Thus-Gone One, they
exclaimed, “Blessed One, excellent, excellent! Blessed One, the teaching of
the Thus-Gone One that extinguishes all disturbing emotions is a great
miracle! It is excellent, excellent!”

At that moment the Blessed One entered the absorption known as
the stainless victory banner that completely subdues all
disturbing emotions. Through the power of that absorption,
the earth shook violently, causing it to rise and sink. It quivered,
trembled, and quaked; wobbled, rocked, and swayed; vibrated, shuddered, and
reeled; convulsed, rattled, and shook; clattered, rattled, and clanged; and
boomed, thundered, and roared.
A rain of sandalwood powder
and celestial flowers fell from the sky, and divine light shone throughout
the world. All the beings in this great trichiliocosm who had taken birth in
the lower realms were instantly freed. The homes of the lords of the gods,
nāgas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, and humans were illuminated. The sound of celestial
cymbals resounded, and divine lights and fragrances manifested
everywhere.

Everyone was amazed at the sight of this great miraculous display
and wondered, “Whose power is causing this illumination of our homes, the
manifestation of this great miracle, these earthquakes, and this great rain of flowers? Whose
blessings are causing all of this?” Having reflected on this silently for a
moment, they said to each other, “This is the power of the Thus-Gone One!
These are the miracles of the Thus-Gone One!”

At that time the Four Great Kings thought, “Let us go to where the
Blessed One resides so we can meet, pay homage to, and worship the Thus-Gone
One, and listen to the Dharma.”

So the lords of the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, and rākṣasas, all these
powerful beings endowed with great supernatural powers, then proceeded to
the Bamboo Grove, in the Kalandakanivāpa where the Blessed One was
residing, carrying with them blue lotus flowers, pink lotus flowers, water
lilies, and white lotus flowers, as well as jasmine, mandārava, and
mahāmandārava flowers. Once there, they worshiped the Blessed One and paid
homage to him. Their downpour of flowers covered the wide earth up to knee
height. All the bodhisattva great beings then circumambulated the Blessed
One three times and sat to one side to listen to the Dharma.

The bodhisattva great being Vajrapāṇi was surrounded by millions of
bodhisattvas and millions of gods, and there were many hundreds of
vidyādharas present before him. Through the great power of their
supernatural abilities, they worshiped the Thus-Gone One, his saṅgha of
monks, and the gathering of bodhisattvas with a great array of flowers,
perfumes, flower garlands, incense, cymbals, and great drums.

Then the bodhisattva Vyūharāja made offerings to the Thus-Gone One
in the form of displays both mighty and divine, as well as a great rain of
flowers. Seeing that vast
assembly, the bodhisattva great beings longed for a Dharma discourse. In his
mind, the Blessed One knew the bodhisattvas’ wish, and so spoke to the
bodhisattva Vyūharāja, saying, “Noble son, go and survey the wide
earth.”

The bodhisattva Vyūharāja surveyed the wide earth and replied,
“Blessed One, I have surveyed the wide earth. Blessed One, I see the great
assembly you brought about for the happiness of all beings.”

“Vyūharāja,” declared the Blessed One, “on this very day the
attainment of unsurpassed and perfect awakening will be prophesied for
sixty-four thousand beings.”

The bodhisattva great being Vajrapāṇi then fell at the feet of the
Blessed One and said, “Blessed One, many gods, nāgas, yakṣas, rākṣasas,
humans, carakas, and parivrājakas have gathered here. Well-Gone One, many
beings have gathered here. Blessed One,
this is the time for hearing
the Dharma. Well-Gone One, this is the time for hearing the Dharma.”

But the Blessed One remained silent. So the bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi
then supplicated the Thus-Gone One a second time, and a third time:

“Blessed One, I request you to teach the Dharma! Well-Gone One, I
request you to teach the Dharma! I request you to fulfill the aspirations of
all beings! Blessed One, I request you to dispel their remorse! For the
welfare and happiness of all beings, I request you to teach the sūtra called
The King of the Array of All Dharma
Qualities. It extinguishes all disturbing emotions, overcomes all demons, brings
an end to all evil deeds, generates faith in those who lack faith, quells
the torments caused by famines, cures all sicknesses, and wards off untimely
death. The very moment I heard it from the Thus-Gone One Vidyuprabhāsa, all
phenomena became immediately apparent to me, the gates to the lower realms
closed completely, and all karmic obscurations were eliminated. Please teach
this sūtra!”

But in response, the Blessed One told the bodhisattva great being
Vajrapāṇi, “Noble son, in the future there will be beings who have no faith
in my teaching, who have no genuine faith or trust in the sūtras spoken by
the Thus-Gone One. They will claim, ‘This is not a sūtra taught by the
Thus-Gone One,’ or, ‘According to this teaching there is no karmic
maturation of either good or bad actions.’ Overwhelmed by greed, they will
not engage in activities of worship, not even toward those who teach the
Dharma. They will experience many misfortunes in that very life and will
burn in the hell realms in their future rebirths. Noble son,
this is not the time to hear
this great king of sūtras that is like the father and mother of the
thus-gone ones and that exhausts all karma. Moreover, it might cause those
non-Buddhist carakas and parivrājakas, as well as many other beings, to be
reborn in the lower realms. Noble son, they will not have faith in this king
of sūtras. With their minds blinded by desire, they will be preoccupied with
their households. They will engage in farm work and business, fight battles,
and crave conflict. After they die, they will burn in the eight great
hells.”

At that moment, however, eighty thousand beings stood up, fell at
the feet of the Blessed One, and said, “Blessed One, we will have faith in
this sūtra. We will revere it and spread it. We will be eager to write it
down, read it aloud, propagate it, and recite it. Later on, when the Dharma
has disappeared, we will bear criticism, intimidation, and abuse. Blessed
One, we will remember your kindness, and will not be ungrateful or have
regrets later. Blessed One, please teach the sūtra called The King of the Array of All Dharma Qualities! In
future times, this sūtra will perform the activity of the Thus-Gone
One.”

The bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi then asked, “Blessed One, how should a
bodhisattva great being search for a spiritual friend?”

“Noble son,” answered the Blessed One, “a bodhisattva great being
who searches for a spiritual friend should possess these four qualities: (1)
a wish to be continuously in the presence of a spiritual friend, (2) a
diligent nature, (3) a completely pure motivation, and (4) the wish to
receive the Dharma.”

“Blessed One,” continued the bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi, “how should a
bodhisattva live in solitude?”

The Blessed One replied, “That bodhisattva should avoid the
householder life, avoid associating with non-spiritual friends, and give up
all personal possessions.”

The bodhisattva great being noble Avalokiteśvara then said, “Blessed One, I have never
seen anyone reborn in the lower realms after hearing this Dharma
teaching. In fact, that would be impossible. Blessed
One, just listening to this Dharma teaching and paying homage to it is
already a great miracle and a great wonder, not to mention the acts of
writing this Dharma teaching down; commissioning it to be written; holding
it; reading it aloud; venerating it with parasols, victory banners, and
flags; or of offering clothes and ornaments to those who teach it! Such
people are blessed by all the buddhas. The thus-gone ones have prophesied
that they will be reborn in Sukhāvatī. Such Dharma teachers should be
regarded as thus-gone ones themselves.”

“Excellent, excellent,” said the Blessed One. “Thus it is, noble
son! I too will revere those who spread this Dharma teaching. And I prophesy
that they will be reborn in Sukhāvatī. Those who revere the thus-gone ones
and worship them with flowers, incense, perfumes, flower garlands,
ointments, cloths, ornaments, parasols, victory banners, and flags will not
die an untimely death.
They will not fear enemy
armies or the calamity of famines. They will not be distressed over their
children or their spouses, and all their aspirations will be completely
fulfilled. Noble son, it is rare for thus-gone ones to appear and for this
king of sūtras to be heard. Noble son, whether in a village, a city, a
market, a house, or an isolated place, any place in which this Dharma
teaching is heard will be kept under the care of the thus-gone ones.”

“Blessed One,” asked the bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi, “why did
Avalokiteśvara receive the name ‘Avalokiteśvara (The Lord Who Sees)’?”

“Because he sees and surveys the entire world; brings contentment,
protection, and relief; has a compassionate, benevolent, loving, and
affectionate mind; and completely fulfills all aspirations, he is named
‘Avalokiteśvara.’ ”

The bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi then said, “Blessed One, just to
contemplate Avalokiteśvara’s name completely fulfills all one’s
aspirations, not to mention worshiping the Thus-Gone One, or having faith in
this Dharma teaching, holding it, reading it aloud, writing it down,
commissioning it to be written, worshiping it with great offerings of
clothes and ornaments, and adorning it with ornaments!”

At that point, the bodhisattva noble Avalokiteśvara exclaimed,
“Blessed One, this Dharma teaching has great power!
It performs the Thus-Gone
One’s activity!”

“Noble son,” replied the Blessed One, “I have a dhāraṇi called victorious that I received from the Thus-Gone One Jayaghoṣa when I was a bodhisattva.
As soon as I obtained it, I reached the
tenth level and many thousands of beings reached the level where they become
receptive to the unborn nature of phenomena.”

“Blessed One, please teach us that powerful dhāraṇī!” pleaded the
bodhisattvas.

The Blessed One, the Thus-Gone One, then uttered this dhāraṇī with
the sound and intonation of a kalaviṅka bird:

tadyathā: jaya jaya, jayavaha,
khavaha, jayavaha, hulu hulu, padmābhe, avam ava me, sara saraṇe, dhiri
dhiri, dhiri dhiri, devatānupālani, yuddha uttāraṇi,
paracakranivāraṇi, pūraya bhagavān sarvāśān, mama sarvakarma kṣapaya,
buddhādhiṣṭhānena, svāhā.

“Noble son, this is the dhāraṇī called
victorious. It exhausts all evil deeds, increases wealth,
multiplies crops, repels enemy armies, quells the torments caused by
famines, and prolongs life. This Dharma teaching is like the father and
mother of all thus-gone ones. Noble son, a person who pays homage to this
Dharma teaching and the words of this dhāraṇī mantra, who worships it with a
pure motivation, writes it down, commissions it to be written, and venerates
those who teach it with great offerings, will eradicate all their karmic
obscurations. They will not die an untimely death and will experience
happiness in this life. They will feel content with their children, spouse,
household, or kingdom, and all their aspirations will be fulfilled.”

“Blessed One,” said the bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi,
“I pay homage to this Dharma
teaching. I will also worship those who teach it, write it down, hold it,
and read it aloud. Those who worship this Dharma teaching and make offerings
of clothes, ornaments, parasols, and carriages to the ones who teach it are thereby
worshiping all the thus-gone ones. Blessed One, to those who worship me and
all the bodhisattvas with the highest offerings, I will grant protection in
every kingdom, I will fulfill all their aspirations, and I will make them
venerable in every kingdom. Blessed One, I will also bestow the words of a
dhāraṇī mantra for the sake of those who listen to the Dharma. I will
fulfill all their aspirations. I will care for them.”

“Noble son, speak for the sake of beings!” urged the Blessed
One.

The bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi then uttered the words of this dhāraṇī
mantra:

namaḥ sarvatathāgatānāṃ, namo
´mitābhāya tathāgatāya, namaḥ sarvabuddhabodhisattvānāṃ, namaḥ
sarvamahārdhikebhyas. tadyathā: huhu hehe, mati mati, mahāmati,
vajramati, dṛḍhavajramati, tathāgatānuparipālite, sara sara,
ayomukhi bhṛkuṭi, bhṛkuṭamukhi, kṛpe kṛpāluke, satyavacanam anusmara,
bhagavan vajrapāṇi, sarvakarmāvaraṇāni kṣapaya, sarvāśāṃ paripūraya,
dehi me varam buddhasatyena bodhisattvasatyena, svāhā.

“Venerable Blessed One, those who want to reach the level of a
bodhisattva, have a vision of a thus-gone one, be reborn in a buddha realm,
or gain sovereignty, possessions, lands, wealth, or crops should worship
this Dharma teaching and those who teach it with vast offerings.
They should also worship
those who write it down, hold it, and read it aloud, with gifts of perfumes,
flower garlands, ointments, bedding, cushions, clothes, ornaments, parasols,
and carriages. Blessed
One, I will protect them and make them highly venerable in every kingdom. I
will provide them with all the happiness they wish for, and I will look
after each of them as if they were my only child.

“Those who wish to have a vision of me, become a powerful monarch,
attain the state of meditative absorption, have the ability to retain what
they hear, transmute minerals, become invisible, and fly through the sky, should
fast for an entire day and night on the eighth day of the waxing moon. They
should then make an image of Vajradhara in the color of a reed. It should be adorned with
every ornament, have a peaceful appearance, and be filled with relics. The
Thus-Gone One, Śākyamuni, should be placed at the center and the noble
four-armed Avalokiteśvara to the right. The latter should also be
adorned with every ornament and filled with relics. The Four Great Kings
should be present on the left and right sides, in postures of worship.

“Those of noble family who engage in this practice must maintain
ritual purity, make ablutions, and change their clothes three times a day.
They should cultivate a loving attitude toward all beings. From the eighth
day of the waxing moon until the full moon of the following month, they must
only eat rice porridge and barley, recite the mantra three times a day, and
offer incense consisting of aloeswood, sandalwood, frankincense, and myrrh.
They should recite this mantra 300,000 times. This is known as the
preparatory recitation.

“At a shrine containing relics, or at a hermitage, they should
perform worship with various types of incense, perfumes, flowers, and flags,

and should offer divine food
made of white flour. They
should also commission this Dharma teaching to be written, and worship it
with various clothes, ornaments, scarves, parasols, and carriages. Until the
date of the full moon, they must keep a compassionate attitude toward all
beings, as well as bathe and change clothes three times a day. They should
create a square maṇḍala of smeared cow dung, cover it with different
kinds of flowers, and arrange sixteen filled vases and sixteen lamps. The
space should be adorned with various parasols, victory banners, and flags.
Having offered various kinds of delicious divine foods and sprinkled the
area with scented water, they should recite the mantra until the image and
the ground start to shake, and until they experience a state of joy. They should then
know that the practice has definitely succeeded. Afterward I will manifest
in their dreams and instruct them. I will fulfill all their aspirations and
look after each of them as if they were my only child. I will grant them any
boon that they desire, except if they lose faith and abandon this Dharma
teaching.”

“Vajrapāṇi,” declared the Blessed One, “what you have said is
excellent, excellent!”

The bodhisattva noble Avalokiteśvara then said to the bodhisattva
Vajrapāṇi, “Noble son, this Dharma teaching will not spread among beings of
inferior merit. They will not be able to write it down, commission it to be
written, hold it, or read it aloud; Māra will create obstacles for them. Noble son,
there are four deeds of Māra
that create obstacles to the endeavors of writing this Dharma teaching down,
reading it aloud, and propagating it. These four are: (1) laziness, (2) lack
of faith, (3) lack of reverence for the master, and (4) a wandering mind
when teaching the Dharma. Noble son, you should understand these four to be
deeds of Māra.

“There are four other deeds of Māra. These four are: (1) taking no
interest in a spiritual friend, (2) not reflecting deeply, (3) harshness in
words, and (4) being caught up in worldly
concerns and thinking such things as, ‘I am not afraid of this life or of
future ones,’ ‘There is no karmic maturation of unwholesome actions,’ ‘No
words are unclear to me,’ ‘My
mind is not dull,’ ‘I am handsome,’
and ‘I am powerful.’ Such people are attached to their households and
families, and will experience suffering for many eons. These four deeds of
Māra should be regarded as non-virtuous friends.

“There are four other deeds of Māra. These four are: (1) craving for
wealth, which causes suffering for many eons; (2) joking and gossiping with
non-virtuous spiritual friends; (3) being content
with one’s spouse; and (4) undermining the interest of those who study the
Dharma; that is, going to a place where influential people gather and
proclaiming, ‘Generosity produces no karmic result. This Dharma teacher is
an evildoer! Intoxicated by the arrogance of his powerful status, he
indulges in sexual misconduct and delights in divisive speech. He wants to
create obstacles to your life. But you are a religious person who has
practiced a lot of Dharma. You read aloud the sūtras and commission them to
be written.’ Such people
prevent this sūtra from being written down and venerated. They will
encounter many obstacles in this very life and burn in hell in their future
rebirths.

“My friends,” said the Blessed One, “I say this repeatedly: be
heedful, or later, when you are burning in the hell realms, you will have
regrets.”

The Blessed One then uttered these verses:

“I have taught many kings of sūtras.

I have established many beings in the state of awakening.

I have taught the way of the buddhas.

When you hear this, be heedful!

“When dark, horrible times come,

It is possible to fall into bad states.

Those who have unwavering faith in this sūtra

Are truly my own children.

“Those who continuously worship this sūtra

Will be reborn in the buddha realms.

Wherever this king of sūtras is found,

No one is harmed by bhūtas, yakṣas, rākṣasas,

“Pretas, kumbhāṇḍas, mahoragas,

Kṛtyās, or kākhordas.

All their aspirations will be completely fulfilled,

And they will easily awaken to buddhahood.”

When they heard these verses, the Four Great Kings shed tears, moved
by the power of the Dharma. Trembling, they fell at the feet of the Blessed
One and said, “Blessed One, we four great kings will worship those who
spread this Dharma teaching and protect those who listen to it. Blessed One,
we will protect those who write it down and commission it to be written. We
will also protect those who hold, read aloud, and master the dhāraṇīs, as well as those who worship
such Dharma teachers with clothes and ornaments. We will protect their
lands. We will grant them all the wealth and crops they desire. We will look
after each of them as if they were our only child.
We will fight in front of
them in every battle. We will win for them the highest respect in every
kingdom. We will remember the kindness of the thus-gone ones; we will not be
ungrateful. Blessed One, we will cause despair in anyone who hears this
Dharma teaching but does not revere it, and who fails to worship those who
teach it.”

In response, the Blessed One expressed his approval to the Four
Great Kings, saying, “Excellent, excellent, great kings! Great kings, always
act in this excellent way!”

Then the great king of the gandharvas, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, fell at the feet of the Blessed
One and said, “Blessed One, in the future there will be beings who indulge
in non-virtue, who have no faith in the thus-gone ones and lack insight.
They will not memorize such Dharma teachings, nor read them aloud, nor
commission them to be written. They will not practice generosity, nor will
they believe in the karmic maturation of generosity. They will only be
concerned with the happiness of this life. This great king of sūtras, which
is equal to the Thus-Gone One, is taught for the sake of beings like these.”

“Noble son,” said the Blessed One, “two factors cause beings to fall
into the hell realms. These
two are: (1) attachment and (2) anger. Noble son, these two factors cause
beings to fall into the hell realms. Noble son, four factors cause beings to
be reborn among the favorable states of existence. These four are: (1)
regarding all beings equally, (2) purity of motivation, (3) relinquishing
all possessions, and (4) the practice of celibacy.”

The Blessed One then uttered these verses:

“Great king! This generosity is a great miracle!

It liberates from the miserable fates of the lower realms.

Deluded beings, continuously bound by sense pleasures,

Are intoxicated by many hundred kinds of greed.

“They do not have faith in this sūtra,

Nor are they generous toward the Buddha’s teaching.

Such beings will be reborn in the lower realms

And there experience suffering.

“To benefit such beings,

I have taught this powerful sūtra.

To a king with unwavering faith in it,

No kṛtyā or evildoer,

“No bhūta, kumbhāṇḍa, or mahoraga

Can cause any harm.

The merit of writing down this sūtra correctly,

Of hearing it, venerating it, and upholding it,

“Is praised by the buddhas through their wisdom,

And cannot be expressed by beings,

Even if they tried for many eons.

The merit generated by those who continuously honor

“And worship the buddhas and the bodhisattvas

Does not match even a hundred-thousandth portion

Of the merit of those who write down

Even just a single letter of this sūtra.”

The bodhisattva great being, noble Avalokiteśvara, then said,
“Blessed One, noble sons and daughters who have faith in this Dharma teaching and worship it
with flowers, incense, perfumes, flower garlands, ointments, parasols,
victory banners, and flags, and who worship with great offerings those who
teach it, write it down, and memorize it, will generate many excellent
qualities and benefits in this very life. They will not be harmed by eye,
ear, nose, or tongue diseases, nor by fevers, poisons, weapons, or fire.
They will live happily with their parents, children, spouses, and
families,

and will be victorious in
every battle. When they die, the thus-gone one Akṣobhya will bring them
relief, saying, ‘Come. Enter the realm of Sukhāvatī. Great being, you glow
with the roots of virtue! You will be reborn wherever you wish.’ ”

“Excellent, excellent, Blessed One!” continued the bodhisattva
great being noble Avalokiteśvara. “It is excellent that this teaching has
been established in this world by the Thus-Gone One and that it performs his
awakened activity. Blessed One, this great knowledge completely purifies all
karma.”

“Noble son,” replied the Blessed One, “this teaching will not spread
among beings of inferior merit. Those beings will not hear this teaching. It
will not come into their hands. When, through the power of the Buddha, this
teaching comes into someone’s hands, or when the thus-gone ones cause
someone to hear it, that person should immediately write it down, commission
it to be written, and read
it aloud. Noble son, after merely hearing the name of this Dharma teaching
that is equal to the Thus-Gone One, one will not have to fear the lower
realms. Someone who propagates just a single letter or a single word from
this Dharma teaching, or transmits it in some land or country, should be
regarded as equal to the Thus-Gone One, should be worshiped as a thus-gone
one, and should be regarded as one’s own parent. Noble son, this Dharma
teaching has been taught by the seven thus-gone ones, has been
rejoiced in by all the bodhisattvas, and has been upheld and protected by
all the gods. This Dharma teaching is like the father and mother of all
bodhisattvas.”

“Noble son,” said the Blessed One, “this Dharma teaching will spread
and remain in its complete form in the oceanic abode of the king of the
nāgas, and in the abode of the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. It
will spread to the southern region. In this world it will remain only for a
while. Here, it will spread to some places but not to others.”

“Vajrapāṇi,” continued the Blessed One, “I entrust this Dharma
teaching to you. Memorize it, read it aloud, venerate it, and disseminate
it. Do not let this Dharma teaching that is equal to the Thus-Gone One
vanish, for it performs the
activity of a thus-gone one.”

“Blessed One, I will take up this Dharma teaching,” replied the
bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi. “I will memorize it, read it aloud, venerate it, and
disseminate it. I will venerate and honor those who teach it. Those who
worship its teachers also worship me, so I will protect them and look after
them. I will remember the kindness of the Thus-Gone One.”

The Blessed One expressed his approval to the bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi,
saying, “Excellent, excellent, Vajrapāṇi! Act in that way!”

The bodhisattva noble Avalokiteśvara then said to the Blessed One,
“Blessed One, I pay homage to this Dharma teaching. I too will worship those
who listen to it, write it down, read it aloud, memorize it,
and disseminate it. Blessed
One, if this Dharma teaching should spread among beings of inferior merit or
where an immoral king rules, that king will not worship this Dharma
teaching. He will not have faith in it. He also will not worship those who
teach it, write it down, read it aloud, memorize it, disseminate it, or
transmit it. He will not perceive them as his master. For these reasons,
this Dharma teaching will vanish. Tremendous harm will unfold and a lot of unhappiness will
be experienced in such a place. Therefore the ruling class and the king
should realize, ‘The Dharma has vanished from our realm,’ and then take up
the practice of the Dharma.”

“Excellent, excellent,” replied the Blessed One. “Thus it is, noble
son! Noble son, as an analogy, consider a faithful noble son or daughter
who, for a hundred or even a thousand years, worships with unsurpassed
offerings as many thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddhas as there are grains of
sand in the Ganges River. Suppose that person also makes offerings to the
śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas by filling up this world with precious jewels
and offering it to them, and also gives away their own body, spouse, sons,
and daughters as offerings. By comparison, however, a person creates much
more merit by worshiping this Dharma teaching, writing it down, reading it
aloud, commissioning it to be written, worshiping it with flowers, incense,
perfumes, and flower garlands, or by offering even just a single karṣāpaṇa to it. The roots of
virtue generated in the former cases do not match even one percent of the
merit generated by venerating this sutra.

“If someone, perceiving this teaching as their master, worships it
with parasols, victory banners,
and flags, or requests this
Dharma teaching by offering clothes, ornaments, parasols, carriages,
villages, cities, or even a piece of land the size of an ox’s hoof print to
those who teach it, and, having been instructed in this Dharma teaching,
understands that their body is insubstantial like a dream, an illusion, or a
water bubble—that this body is insubstantial and all phenomena are
impermanent—then they have been prophesied and inspired by the thus-gone
ones, and will worship all
the thus-gone ones until eventually they awaken to unsurpassed, perfect
buddhahood.”

At that moment all the bodhisattvas, the lords of the gods, the
lords of the nāgas, the lords of the yakṣas, the lords of the rākṣasas, the
lords of the garuḍas, and the lords of the kinnaras expressed in unison
their approval to the Blessed One: “Excellent, excellent, Blessed One! This
was a second turning of the wheel of Dharma. Blessed One, we will all act in
accordance with this Dharma teaching and worship it. We will also protect
that land. We will worship those who teach it, and will protect them, appear
to them, and inspire them. Whoever perceives the teachers of this Dharma, or
those who write it down, memorize it, and read it aloud, as their own
master, parent, or child, we too will regard them as our own parents.
Anywhere this Dharma teaching becomes corrupted there will be strife among children, spouses, and parents, and all
will be reborn in the hells.”

The Blessed One expressed his approval to the bodhisattvas and to
everyone else,
from the lords of the gods to
the lords of the humans, saying, “Excellent, excellent, noble sons! My
friends, please do exactly that! I entrust this Dharma teaching to you so
that you may propagate and worship it. May this Dharma teaching that is
equal to the Thus-Gone One not rapidly vanish, and may no one discard it
and fall into the hell
realms. This Dharma teaching will bring benefit and happiness to many
beings. Have no regrets!”

When this Dharma teaching was taught, this world wobbled and rocked.
The minds of six thousand beings were liberated from their defilements with
no further grasping.

The bodhisattva noble Avalokiteśvara then asked, “Blessed One, if
someone writes this Dharma teaching down, commissions it to be written,
memorizes it, reads it aloud, masters it, teaches it extensively and
genuinely, and worships it with flowers, incense, perfumes, flower garlands,
ointments, powders, clothes, parasols, victory banners, and flags, how much
merit will that noble son or daughter generate? Where will they be
reborn?”

The Blessed One expressed his approval to the bodhisattva noble
Avalokiteśvara, saying, “Excellent, excellent, noble son! It is excellent
that you ask the Thus-Gone One about this matter! Noble son, listen
carefully and keep in mind what I will explain to you now. If a noble son or
daughter writes this Dharma teaching down, commissions it to be written,
memorizes it, reads it aloud, masters it, teaches it extensively and
genuinely, and worships it with flowers, incense,
perfumes, flower garlands,
ointments, powders, clothes, parasols, victory banners, and flags, when they
die they will be reborn in Sukhāvatī.

“Noble son, compared to making offerings to all the śrāvakas and
pratyekabuddhas by filling up this great trichiliocosm with precious jewels,
the merit generated by a noble son or daughter who upholds this Dharma
teaching, worships it, writes it down, commissions it to be written, and
worships those who teach it with offerings such as flowers, incense,
perfumes, flower garlands, and ointments will be much greater. Noble son,
the merit generated is not at all comparable.

“Noble son, a noble son or daughter who engages in bodhisattva
conduct will give away their own sons, daughters, spouse, arms, legs, eyes,
and head as offerings. Compared to them, someone who writes this Dharma
teaching down, commissions it to be written, reads it aloud, and inspires
faith in it will generate much more merit. Noble son, the merit is not at
all comparable. One should regard a noble one who spreads this teaching as a
thus-gone one and perform worship exactly as one would for a thus-gone
one.”

“Blessed One,” said the bodhisattva great being noble
Avalokiteśvara, “this Dharma teaching is to be revered by the world with
its gods, humans, and asuras. Those who teach it are also worthy of
reverence and worship. Blessed One, this Dharma teaching is a great
miracle! Therefore,
all noble sons and daughters
should respectfully listen
to it and keep it in mind. Blessed One, wherever this Dharma teaching
spreads, that place will be blessed by the Thus-Gone One and should be
regarded as a place of worship. Such a place should be revered by the world
with its gods, humans, and asuras.”

“Thus it is, thus it is, noble son!” replied the Blessed One. “Noble
son, that place is indeed to be revered by the world with its gods, humans,
and asuras.”

“Blessed One,” said the bodhisattva noble Avalokiteśvara, “if
someone worships this Dharma teaching and makes an offering to it of a
single mustard seed, with a mind inspired by veneration and respect, all the
karma they have generated by engaging in the five acts with immediate
retribution will be completely exhausted. They will be reborn in wealthy
families for ninety thousand eons and as a universal monarch for eighty
thousand eons. They will be reborn in the pure buddha realms, will not die a
horrible death, and will not be reborn in the lower realms. All their
aspirations will be completely fulfilled.”

The Blessed One then said to the bodhisattva great being noble
Avalokiteśvara, “Noble son, in the past, countless eons ago, appeared the
thus-gone one called Dharmajñānāsaṅgavirajaketurāja. At that time I had
taken birth as a brahmin and heard this Dharma teaching, which I then taught to others. As soon as I
received this teaching, I became receptive to the unborn nature of
phenomena and
purified my spiritual insight into phenomena.
All those who heard this
teaching were freed from the lower realms and would never again fall back
into such states of existence. Their spiritual insight into phenomena was
purified. All those beings will eventually awaken to unsurpassed and perfect
buddhahood.

“Noble son, for many years, for many hundreds, thousands, and
hundreds of thousands of years, I gave away my wealth, grains, cowries, and
gold to help those who were bound by attachment, anger, and ignorance.
Eventually, I gave away my arms, legs, eyes, and head, as well as my beloved
sons, spouses, and daughters. I gave away my marrow and my bones, my homes,
my villages, my towns, my cities, my countries, and my royal palaces. For
hundreds of thousands of years I observed celibacy, stayed away from
households, and never enjoyed kingdoms, wealth, countries, palaces,
retinues, sons, daughters, or spouses. I was entirely celibate, and only
performed acts of generosity. I focused only on worshiping and serving the
Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha. I continuously honored, respected,
worshiped, and venerated those who taught the Dharma, offering them flowers,
incense, perfumes, flower garlands, ointments, powders, clothes, parasols,
victory banners, and
flags. I served many spiritual friends, and with weariness toward saṃsāra,
offered my own body, eyes, flesh,
marrow, bones, and skin—not
to mention all the outer material things—without ever feeling any
regret.”

When they heard about the past deeds of the Thus-Gone One, the
bodhisattvas, the lords of the gods, the lords of the nāgas, the lords of
the yakṣas, the lords of the asuras, the lords of humans, the carakas, the
parivrājakas, and the nirgranthas all shed tears, moved by the power of the
Dharma, and became receptive to the unborn nature of phenomena.

“My friends,” continued the Blessed One, “uphold this Dharma
teaching! It performs the activity of the Thus-Gone One for the sake of
beings.”

The bodhisattva noble Avalokiteśvara then said, “Blessed One, rare are the
beings who have faith in this Dharma teaching, worship it, memorize it, read
it aloud, and master it. Anyone who upholds this teaching should be regarded
as a buddha appearing in the world.”

“Excellent, excellent, noble son!” replied the Blessed One. “Thus it
is, noble son! Rare are the noble sons or daughters who worship this Dharma
teaching, write it down, commission it to be written, memorize it, read it,
and worship those who teach it with flowers, incense, perfumes, flower garlands, ointments,
powders, clothes, parasols, victory banners, and flags. They themselves
should be regarded as thus-gone ones.

“Noble son, there will be beings who do not worship this Dharma
teaching, who do not memorize it, read it aloud, or make
offerings to it.
They will circle in saṃsāra
for many eons, for a hundred or a thousand eons. They will experience much
suffering, hundreds of types of suffering. As an analogy, consider a
pregnant woman. When her baby boy or girl is forming in her womb during the
different stages of the pregnancy—from the first, second, third, fourth, and
fifth month all the way until the birth of the child—the mother’s body is
taken over by the baby. Her joints are pushed apart, she loses her appetite,
and her voice becomes weak. She carries the baby while experiencing the pain
of these oppressive physical sensations. Until the baby is born, she
experiences the suffering of the hell beings, and thinks, ‘After I give
birth to my child, if everything goes well, I will become celibate forever!’
Later, however, excited by desire for sensual pleasures, she will forget all
that suffering, and only think of pleasure.

“Similarly, in the future there will be beings who have no faith in
this Dharma teaching, who will not worship it, memorize it, or read it
aloud. They will be reborn among the hell realms, the animal realms, or in
the world of the Lord of Death. Intoxicated by desire, they will encourage their
emotions, thinking, ‘I have to look after my household, my family, my
spouse, my sons, and my daughters.’ When they are reborn in the hell realms,
they will feel regret. Afterward, however, once liberated from those hellish
states, they will be excited by desire and forget the suffering they endured
in the hell realms, and will neither engage in generosity nor maintain their
discipline.

“Consider also the analogy of someone intoxicated by liquor. When
someone is strongly intoxicated, to the point of being completely drunk,

they are unable to find their
way home, or to their bed. They do not think about their parents, spouse,
sons, or daughters. They do not remember the Buddha, the Dharma, and the
Saṅgha. Intoxicated like this, they become fearless. Even if they pass by a
charnel ground, they think, ‘What god, nāga, or yakṣa can frighten me!’ They
perceive mats made of dirt, wood, grass, or thorns as comfortable beds.
Later, however, when they recover and awaken from their drunkenness and
regain their senses, they feel remorse about their conduct and think, ‘Even
at the cost of my life, I will never drink liquor again!’ ”

“Similarly, beings whose minds are inebriated by desire and
conceit, deluded by their householder lives and intoxicated by wealth, do
not seek out the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha. They do not remember to
be generous. They do not strive to be reborn among the higher realms, as a
king, or in the buddha realms. These beings will circle in saṃsāra,
experiencing the suffering of being reborn among the hell realms, the animal
realms, or in the World of the Lord of Death. They think, ‘I’m healthy; I’m not
suffering.’ However, when these beings are liberated from the hell realms,
the animal realms, and the World of the Lord of Death and take rebirth in a
human body that is so difficult to obtain, their body becomes weary from the
physical torments and the darkness endured while in the womb. Weary of
soaking in blood and bile, phlegm, excrement, and filth, they think, ‘I have
circled in saṃsāra for a hundred years, an eon, a hundred eons, a thousand
eons, a hundred thousand eons. I have experienced all these unbearable,
horrible, painful sensations. I wonder what previous actions caused all
these awful situations?
It must be due to my many
evil deeds in the past!’ Even being in the womb produces similar regrets as
those produced by the experience in the hells. So they promise themselves,
‘Once I am liberated from this hell-like womb, I will seek out the Buddha,
the Dharma, and the Saṅgha with undivided faith. I will by all means avoid
this hell-like experience of the womb!’ In spite of this, once they are
liberated from the womb, they nevertheless continue to act carelessly and
experience the suffering of the hell realms all over again. Therefore, never
act carelessly!”

At that point venerable Ānanda asked, “Blessed One, what is the
name of this Dharma teaching? How should we remember it?”

When the Blessed One finished speaking, the bodhisattvas, the great
śrāvakas, Śakra, Brahmā, the guardians of the world, and all their retinues,
as well as the world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas, all
rejoiced and praised the words of the Blessed One.

This concludes the Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra “The King of the Array of All Dharma
Qualities.”

Colophon

This was translated, edited and finalized by the Indian preceptors
Prajñāvarman and Surendrabodhi, the translator-editor Bandé Yeshé
Dé, and others.

Notes

Bibliography

Dharmajñānāsaṅgavirajaketurāja
dharmajñānāsaṅgavirajaketurāja
chos kyi ye shes mtha’ yas pa chags pa med cing rdul dang bral ba’i rgyal po’i tog
ཆོས་ཀྱི་ཡེ་ཤེས་མཐའ་ཡས་པ་ཆགས་པ་མེད་ཅིང་རྡུལ་དང་བྲལ་བའི་རྒྱལ་པོའི་ཏོག