Toh 74The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The Inquiry of the Girl Sumati”

Summary

The Inquiry of the Girl Sumati features an
eight-year-old girl named Sumati, “Keen Intellect,” who asks the Buddha
Śākyamuni a series of questions about what is necessary to gain a variety of
positive outcomes, like a beautiful body and an auspicious, peaceful death. The
Buddha replies by expounding a series of sets of four dharmas that a bodhisattva
can cultivate to produce these outcomes. Sumati then promises to put them all
into practice exactly as he has taught them. Her confidence prompts
Maudgalyāyana and Mañjuśrī to question her motives and understanding. She
responds with several acts of truth that confirm her aspiration to achieve
awakening as a buddha and result in several wonders, including a great
earthquake. Sumati’s dialogue with Mañjuśrī explores the nature of reality and
the reality of gender, among other topics, and leads Sumati to transform herself
into a man and confirm the conditions of her future awakening as a buddha. The
Buddha then himself confirms not only her future awakening but also that of
several monks in the audience.

Acknowledgements

The Dharmasāgara Translation Group, consisting of Raktrul Ngawang Kunga
Rinpoche, Rebecca Hufen, Jason Sanche, and Utpala, produced a draft translation,
compared the Tibetan with the four Chinese translations, and drafted the
introduction. David Fiordalis then revised and edited their work and also
compared the Tibetan with the extant Sanskrit fragment.

The translation was subsequently completed under the patronage and
supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Dawn Collins
copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication
process.

Introduction

In The Inquiry of the Girl Sumati, the
reader encounters a young girl named Sumati, whose name means “keen
intellect.” Throughout the sūtra, Sumati demonstrates her intelligence,
maturity, and confidence. She first approaches the Buddha Śākyamuni while he
is residing with a large assembly of monks and bodhisattvas on Vulture Peak
near Rājagṛha. She asks him a series of questions about how to gain various
advantages, all of which are described as outcomes of the practices of a
bodhisattva. These include physical beauty, wealth, a united community,
spontaneous rebirth in a pure buddha domain in the presence of a buddha,
superhuman powers with which to travel to other buddha domains, and
obtaining a peaceful, auspicious moment of death.

The Buddha responds to her questions with a series of answers in
prose and verse in which he outlines various sets of four dharmas, with the
word dharma here implying ethical guidelines, qualities, and truths as well
as factors that contribute to one’s achievement of the stated goals of a
bodhisattva. This part of the sūtra is reminiscent of other sūtras featuring
sets of four dharmas, such as The Sūtra Teaching Four
Factors (Toh 249),
The Four Factors (Toh 250), and The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra on the Four Factors (Toh
251). After the Buddha has finished his teaching,
Sumati expresses the fervent aspiration to practice all these sets of
dharmas just as the Buddha has articulated them.

Sumati’s confidence in making such a statement elicits a series of
questions, first from Maudgalyāyana, the Buddha’s great disciple (mahāśravaka), and then from
Mañjuśrī, the great bodhisattva. Maudgalyāyana first asks Sumati if she
understands the gravity of her undertaking, which prompts Sumati to perform
an “act of truth”, a kind of wondrous demonstration found in Indian and
Buddhist literature whereby the truth of a statement produces a miracle or
wonder. In this case, her act of truth
causes an earthquake, divine flowers to fall from the sky, and divine music
to be heard. This demonstration leads Maudgalyāyana to bow down before her
out of respect.

Mañjuśrī then engages Sumati in dialogue, asking her a series of
questions about her understanding of the Dharma that is reminiscent of other
dialogues, such as those found in The Teaching of
Vimalakīrti (Toh 176)
and The Questions of Gaṅgottarā (Toh 75).
Sumati responds to Mañjuśrī’s questions with a deep understanding of the
nature of reality. During the conversation, the Buddha informs Mañjuśrī that
Sumati had been Mañjuśrī’s own teacher in a past life and had introduced him
to the fact that things do not arise in truth. This elicits Mañjuśrī’s
respect, but then he wonders why she is still female, which prompts Sumati
to state, in effect, that male and female are nothing more than concepts
with no objective basis in reality, and then she performs another act of
truth whereby she transforms herself into an adult male monk.

This act of truth is followed by another similarly wondrous act by
Sumati that serves to describe and confirm the conditions in which she will
attain awakening as a buddha in the future. That she will do so is given
further confirmation by the Buddha, who also gives prophecies of future
awakening as buddhas to several monks in the audience who are inspired by
Sumati’s example to dedicate their own merit to becoming buddhas. The sūtra
then concludes with the Buddha exhorting Mañjuśrī and the rest of the
audience to remember the sūtra, to recite it, to copy it, and to teach it to
others in the future.

According to the colophon of the canonical Tibetan translation, it
was made by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra and Surendrabodhi and the Tibetan
translator Yeshé Dé. It is also referenced in the two earliest Tibetan
catalogs of texts translated during the imperial period; the Phangthangma
(’phang thang ma) and the Denkarma
(ldan / lhan
dkar ma). The Tibetan translation was therefore
likely completed in the late eighth or early ninth century ce.

In addition to the canonical Tibetan translation, a fragmentary
Tibetan manuscript is preserved among the Dunhuang manuscripts (IOL Tib J
203). There is also a surviving fragment of
a Sanskrit manuscript of this sūtra from Nepal, which is held in the library
of the University of Cambridge (MS Or.131.1). There are four Chinese translations of the
sūtra: Taishō 334 was translated by Dharmarakṣa between 265 ce and 308 ce, Taishō
335 was translated by Kumārajīva between 402 and 412, while Taishō 310 and
Taishō 336 were both translated by Bodhiruci and finalized in 693 and 713,
respectively.

Several translations of the sūtra have been made in English, mostly
from Chinese. A complete translation of Taishō 310 was published by Diana
Paul 1979 (pp. 201–11). An abridged translation of Taishō 310 is found in
Chang 1983 (pp. 256–61). The sūtra has also been discussed and partly
translated by Nancy Schuster 1981, also based on Taishō 310 and Taishō 336.
There are also two anonymous English translations from Chinese published on
the Lapis Lazuli Texts website: one of Taishō 310 and one of Taishō 336. A few parts of the Tibetan
translation have also been discussed and translated into English by Paul
Harrison and Christian Luczanits 2012 (pp. 116–17).

This translation is based on the canonical Tibetan translation in
the Degé Kangyur in consultation with the comparative edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace edition. In
the process, the four Chinese translations and the Sanskrit fragment were
also consulted.

The Translation

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra

The Inquiry of the Girl Sumati

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!

Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was residing on Vulture
Peak at Rājagṛha together with a large community of twelve hundred and fifty
monks and a large community of ten thousand bodhisattvas.

At that time, in the great city of Rājagṛha, there lived a girl
named Sumati who was the daughter of the householder Ugra. She was about
eight years old, had a graceful appearance, was beautiful and pleasant to
behold, had a fine complexion, and was well proportioned. In the past, she
had served the victors and generated roots of virtue. She had venerated many
hundreds and thousands of millions and billions of buddhas and accumulated
roots of virtue in the company of countless millions upon billions upon
trillions of buddhas.

Together with her retinue, she went to Vulture Peak where the
Bhagavān was residing and bowed down with her head at his feet. Then, after
walking around the Bhagavān three times, keeping him on her right, she sat
down in front of him and addressed him in verse:

“If I may, I would like to ask the perfect Buddha,

The best of those who walk on two feet,

The one who illuminates the world:

What are the practices of a bodhisattva?”

The Bhagavān replied:

“Girl, ask whatever you like,

And I will explain to you

All the practices of a bodhisattva,

Just as your heart desires.”

Thereupon the girl Sumati addressed the Bhagavān with these
verses:

“How does one become beautiful?

How does one become wealthy?

How does one come to have a united assembly?

Would the Sage teach me this?

“How does one become spontaneously reborn

In the presence of the King of Dharma,

Where one comes into being sitting upon

A thousand-petaled lotus?

“Would the Victor teach the practices by which

One comes to possess the perfections and superhuman powers,

And by which one goes to myriad realms without measure

In order to pay homage to the buddhas?

“What makes one free from enemies?

What gives weight to one’s words?

How can one face no hindrance from karma,

And encounter none of Māra’s work?

“When the time of death has come,

How can one see the Buddha directly,

And also hear the Dharma from him,

And not experience the feeling of suffering?”

When she had said this, the Bhagavān replied to the girl Sumati,
“Girl, your intention to ask the Tathāgata about this topic is excellent! It
is excellent! Therefore, girl, listen carefully and pay close attention, and
I will explain it to you.”

The girl Sumati replied, “Excellent, Bhagavān!” and she listened
accordingly as the Bhagavān taught her:

“Girl, there are four dharmas, the possession of which causes a
bodhisattva to become beautiful. What are these four? They are ⁽¹⁾ one does
not act out of anger, even at an enemy; ⁽²⁾ one becomes established in love;
⁽³⁾ one desires the Dharma, and ⁽⁴⁾ one causes figures to be made of the
tathāgatas. Girl, these are the four dharmas the possession of which causes
a bodhisattva to become beautiful.

“About this, it can also be said:

“If one does not allow anger, the root of harm, to grow,

Dwells in loving kindness, desires the Dharma,

And has figures made of the tathāgatas,

One becomes beautiful, worthy to behold.

“Girl, there are four dharmas the possession of which causes a
bodhisattva to become very wealthy. What are these four? They are ⁽¹⁾ giving
at the right time, ⁽²⁾ giving without regret, ⁽³⁾ giving with joy, and ⁽⁴⁾ giving without expecting a result.
Girl, these are the four dharmas the possession of which causes a
bodhisattva to become very wealthy.

“About this, it can also be said:

“Giving at the right time, without regret,

Giving joyfully and without expecting a result—

When heroic ones perform such actions,

They will always obtain great wealth.

“Girl, there are four dharmas the possession of which causes a
bodhisattva to have a united assembly. What are these four? They are ⁽¹⁾ one
abstains from divisive speech; ⁽²⁾ one causes beings with mistaken views to
grasp the correct view properly and maintain it; ⁽³⁾ one preserves the true
Dharma at the time of the destruction of the true Dharma; and ⁽⁴⁾ one causes
beings to grasp properly and maintain the awakening of the buddhas. Girl,
these are the four dharmas the possession of which causes a bodhisattva to
have a united assembly.

“About this, it can also be said:

“If one abstains from divisive speech and wrong views,

One preserves the Dharma at the time of its destruction,

And one causes beings to grasp awakening properly,

One’s assembly will be united, and it will thrive.

“Girl, there are four dharmas the possession of which causes a
bodhisattva to be reborn spontaneously from a lotus of precious substances
in the presence of the buddhas, the bhagavāns. What are these four? They are
⁽¹⁾ offering handfuls of powders, blue lotus flowers, red lotuses, white
water lilies, and white lotuses to a figure of the Tathāgata or a stūpa of
the Tathāgata; ⁽²⁾ not giving rise to harmful thoughts toward
others; ⁽³⁾ causing figures to be made of the Tathāgata seated on a lotus;
and ⁽⁴⁾
having strong faith in the certainty of the awakening of the Buddha. Girl,
these are the four dharmas the possession of which causes a bodhisattva to
be reborn spontaneously from a lotus of precious substances in the presence
of the buddhas, the bhagavāns.

“About this, it can also be said:

“One who offers handfuls of powders and flowers,

Abstains from thoughts of harm, makes figures,

And is established in strong faith

Is reborn spontaneously in the presence of the victors.

“Girl, there are four dharmas the possession of which enables a
bodhisattva to go by means of superhuman powers from one buddha realm to
another buddha realm. What are these four? They are ⁽¹⁾ not interfering with
others’ roots of virtue, ⁽²⁾ not interfering as others hear the Dharma, ⁽³⁾
offering butter lamps to the stūpas of the Tathāgata, and ⁽⁴⁾ cultivating
meditative concentration. Girl, these are the four dharmas the possession of
which enables a bodhisattva to go by means of superhuman powers from one
buddha realm to another buddha realm.

“About this, it can also be said:

“Those who do not interfere with virtue,

Do not criticize the Dharma teachings of others,

Do offer butter lamps to stūpas of the Tathāgata,

And cultivate meditative concentration will go to buddha realms.

“Girl, there are four dharmas the possession of which makes a
bodhisattva free from enemies. What are these four? They are ⁽¹⁾ one relies
upon spiritual friends without any deceit, ⁽²⁾ one does not covet roots of virtue, ⁽³⁾ one feels joy in others’ gains, and ⁽⁴⁾ one
does not give rise to anger or spread criticism about any of the states or
deeds of bodhisattvas. Girl, these are the four dharmas the possession of
which makes a bodhisattva free from enemies.

“About this, it can also be said:

“Having no deceit toward spiritual friends,

Feeling joy and not envy toward others’ gains,

And not criticizing the conduct of bodhisattvas,

One will always be without enemies.

“Girl, there are four dharmas the possession of which gives weight
to a bodhisattva’s words. What are these four? They are ⁽¹⁾ doing what one
says one will do, ⁽²⁾ not hiding one’s nature from friends, ⁽³⁾ listening to teachings
without looking for faults, and ⁽⁴⁾ not slandering other teachers of the
Dharma. Girl, these are the four dharmas the possession of which gives
weight to a bodhisattva’s words.

“About this, it can also be said:

“If one does what one says one will do,

Does not hide one’s nature from friends,

And listens to teachings without looking for faults,

One will have no fear and also one’s words will have weight.

“Girl, there are four dharmas the possession of which causes a
bodhisattva to face no hindrance from karma and also quickly realize purity.
What are these four? They are ⁽¹⁾ one fully takes up the three vows with the
establishment of one’s ambition, ⁽²⁾ one does not disdain the profound
sūtras, ⁽³⁾ one considers a bodhisattva who
has conceived the aspiration for awakening for the first time to be none
other than the Omniscient One, and ⁽⁴⁾ one cultivates love for all beings.
Girl, these are the four dharmas the possession of which causes a
bodhisattva to face no hindrance from karma and also quickly realize
purity.

“About this, it can also be said:

“Abiding by the three vows with ambition,

Always being interested in the profound sūtras,

Seeing the Buddha’s progeny as the Omniscient One,

And having love for beings, one’s karma becomes pure.

“Girl, there are four dharmas the possession of which causes a
bodhisattva to encounter none of Māra’s work. What are these four? They are
⁽¹⁾ meditating on the sameness of all things, ⁽²⁾ undertaking heroic effort,
⁽³⁾ meditating on the recollection of the Buddha, and ⁽⁴⁾ dedicating the
roots of virtue. Girl, these are the four dharmas the possession of which
causes a bodhisattva to encounter none of Māra’s work.

“About this, it can also be said:

“One who realizes the principle of dharma toward all things,

Undertakes heroic effort, recollects the Buddha,

And makes dedication, confession, and veneration—

Māra will not find any opportunity to harm such a person.

“Girl, there are four dharmas a bodhisattva’s possession of which
causes the Buddha to appear in the presence of that bodhisattva at the time
of death and, at that time, to hear the Dharma from him, and also not to
experience any suffering. What are these four? They are ⁽¹⁾ fulfilling the
wishes of others, ⁽²⁾ having great devotion, ⁽³⁾ gathering together a
diverse array of the generosity of a bodhisattva, and ⁽⁴⁾ endeavoring to
make offerings to the Three Jewels. Girl, these are the four dharmas a
bodhisattva’s possession of which causes the Buddha to appear in the
presence of that bodhisattva at the time of death and, at that time, to hear
the Dharma from him, and also not to experience any suffering.

“About this, it can also be said:

“Those who fulfill the wishes of others,

Have devotion and great generosity,

And always make offerings to the wise—

The Tathāgata appears to such people as a result.”

After the Bhagavān had spoken thus, the girl Sumati said this to
him: “Venerable Bhagavān, I want to train in the precepts of a bodhisattva
exactly as you have taught them. Should I fail to practice even a single
dharma from among these ten sets of four, exactly as you have taught them,
Bhagavān, then I would be deceiving the figure of the Tathāgata.”

The elder, the great Maudgalyāyana, then spoke to the girl Sumati in
this way: “Girl, given that the conduct of the bodhisattvas is difficult to
comprehend, have you attained mastery over your mind when you take it upon
yourself to act fully in this way?”

The girl Sumati replied to the venerable one, the great
Maudgalyāyana, “By the truth and by these words of truth, Venerable
Maudgalyāyana, that is, by the truth and the words of truth that I will realize all
these dharmas, may this cosmos of a billion worlds shake in six different
ways, may there be a shower of heavenly flowers, and may the sound of
musical instruments spontaneously arise!”

Thereafter, as soon as the girl Sumati had made the truthful
resolution, at that moment the cosmos of a billion worlds shook in six
different ways, a shower of heavenly flowers fell, and the sound of musical
instruments spontaneously arose.

“Venerable Maudgalyāyana,” she said, “by the truth and by these
words of truth—that is, by the truth and by these words of truth to the
effect that I will become a tathāgata in the future just like the present
tathāgata, arhat, perfect and completely awakened Buddha Śākyamuni, and that
in that buddha realm, Māra will not appear to me, not even the name of the
lower realms of rebirth will arise there, and the faults of women will not
exist there —may this assembly become golden in color!”

As soon as the girl Sumati uttered these words, at that same moment,
the entire assembly became golden in color.

Thereafter, the great Maudgalyāyana, the highly respected one, arose
from his seat, draped his upper robe on one shoulder, knelt on his right
knee, and with his palms joined together in a gesture of respect, he bowed
to the Bhagavān and said this to him, “I bow to all the bodhisattvas,
Bhagavān, beginning with those who have conceived the aspiration for
awakening for the first time.”

Thereupon, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta asked the girl Sumati, “Based upon
which dharma, Sumati, did you make this truthful resolution?”

“Mañjuśrī,” Sumati replied, “Since the dharmadhātu has no basis,
nothing can be based upon it. Therefore, there is no question about it.”

“Sumati, to what does the term awakening refer?”
Mañjuśrī་ asked.

“Mañjuśrī,” Sumati replied, “the term awakening refers
to a dharma that is not conceptualized.”

Mañjuśrī asked, “Sumati, to what does the term
bodhisattva refer?”

Sumati replied, “Mañjuśrī, the term bodhisattva
refers to a dharma that has the same nature as space.”

“Sumati,” Mañjuśrī asked, “did the Tathāgata also perform acts for
the sake of awakening?”

“Just as a mirage or an echo acts for the sake of awakening,” Sumati
replied, “the Tathāgata acted in the same way for the sake of
awakening.”

“What were you thinking of, Sumati, when you said this?” Mañjuśrī
asked.

“About this, Mañjuśrī,” Sumati replied, “I was neither thinking nor
not thinking of any dharma whatsoever.”

“If it is as you think, Sumati,” Mañjuśrī said, “then every childish
being would be awakened.”

“What do you think, Mañjuśrī?” Sumati replied. “Do you see childish
beings as different from the wise, and awakening too as different from them?
If you wonder why I say this, it is because the dharmadhātu contains only
one constituent element. When there is nothing to take up and nothing to
cast away, there is nothing to superimpose on anything else.”

Mañjuśrī asked, “Sumati, how many understand the meaning of what you
have said?”

Sumati replied, “Mañjuśrī, the number of those who understand the
meaning of what I have said is equal in number to the minds and mental
factors of illusory beings created by magic.”

“Sumati,” Mañjuśrī asked, “if illusory beings themselves do not
even exist, how can their minds and mental factors exist?”

“Mañjuśrī,” Sumati replied, “the dharmadhātu is neither existent nor
nonexistent, and the Tathāgata is like that too.”

Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta then said this to the Bhagavān: “The extent to
which the girl Sumati has an acceptance of the profound is truly marvelous,
Bhagavān!”

“It is just so, Mañjuśrī. It is just as you have said,” replied the
Bhagavān. “Within thirty eons from the time that the girl Sumati became well
established on the path to perfect and complete awakening, I first conceived
the aspiration for unsurpassable, perfect, and complete awakening. You, too,
were introduced to the idea that things do not arise by this same girl,
Sumati.”

At that point, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta rose from his seat, bowed to the
girl Sumati, and spoke these words: “I am seeing my teacher after a long
time.”

“Do not form a concept, Mañjuśrī,” Sumati replied. “Why do I say
this? It is because the acceptance of the fact that things do not arise is
not something conceptual.”

Mañjuśrī asked, “Why has my teacher not yet transformed herself from
her female body?”

“Mañjuśrī,” responded Sumati, “to say that ‘this is a woman’ or
‘this is a man’ implies an objective basis. However, your
doubt should be removed. By the truth, that is, by the truth that I will
become a tathāgata, a perfect and complete buddha in the future, may I
become a man.”

As soon as the girl Sumati uttered these words her female body
vanished and she was transformed into a man wearing saffron-colored monastic
robes, who then spoke these words: “By the truth that when I attain
awakening, ordinations will occur through my utterance of the words ‘Come,
monk,’ and
no Māra will exist in my buddha realm, not even the name of the lower realms
will exist there, and the faults of women will also not exist there—by that
truth, and by those words of truth, may my demeanor become just like the
demeanor of a monk who has been ordained for thirty years.”

As soon as these words had been uttered, the demeanor of the
bodhisattva Sumati became just like that of someone who had been ordained as
a monk for thirty years.

“Mañjuśrī,” continued the bodhisattva Sumati, “by the truth and the
words of truth—that beings in my buddha realm will have golden-colored
bodies, food and drink will be acquired there merely by wishing for it, and
the riches and enjoyments there will be just like those of the gods in the
Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations; In that buddha realm, the three
lower realms will not be included; and the trees there will be made of seven
precious substances, it will be surrounded by jeweled lattices, ornamented
with lotuses made of seven precious substances and with jeweled canopies
spread above, and that it will be a superior realm at least equal to the
buddha realm of Mañjuśrī—by that truth and by those words of truth, may this
assembly become golden in color.”

As soon as the bodhisattva Sumati uttered these words, the entire
assembly became golden in color.

At that point, the divine multitude of sky-dwelling gods exclaimed
and informed each other in these words: “O, the bodhisattva mahāsattva
Sumati has just made an inspired utterance about the nature of the array of
qualities of the buddha realm in which that bodhisattva will attain
awakening!”

The Bhagavān then said to Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, “Mañjuśrī, this
bodhisattva Sumati will appear in the world as a tathāgata, an arhat, a
perfect and complete buddha, perfect in knowledge and conduct, a sugata, a
knower of the world, a supreme trainer of those who are ready to be trained,
a teacher to gods and humans, a bhagavān, a buddha named Essence of
Splendorous and Precious Qualities.”

When the Bhagavān gave this Dharma discourse, three hundred million
beings became established in the state of not turning back from
unsurpassable, perfect, and complete awakening; eight hundred million gods
purified the eye of Dharma with respect to things, so that it became
spotless and free of impurities; and one hundred thousand beings had a
direct realization of knowledge.

Around five thousand monks on the bodhisattva path, who wished not
to turn back from the aspiration for awakening, realized the ambition of the
bodhisattva Sumati and saw the greatness of the bodhisattva’s roots of
virtue. So, all of them put their monastic robes on the body of the
Bhagavān, and with their ambition directed toward unsurpassable, perfect,
and complete awakening, they made the following dedication: “Bhagavān, may
our roots of virtue be certain to lead to unsurpassable, perfect, and
complete awakening.”

As soon as the monks dedicated their roots of virtue to
unsurpassable, perfect, and complete awakening, after ninety eons of saṃsāra
had passed and were left behind, they attained the state of not turning back
from the unsurpassable, perfect, and complete awakening.

The Bhagavān also made a prophecy for all of them. He
said, “After twelve eons, Mañjuśrī, over the course of a single eon, an eon called
Vimalaprabhāsa, all these monks will awaken to unsurpassable, perfect, and
complete awakening. They will do so in the buddha realm of the Tathāgata
Duṣprasaha in the world system called Mārīcī. All of them will appear as
tathāgatas in that world and will have a single name: Adornment of
Eloquence.

“In that way, Mañjuśrī, this Dharma discourse will cause
bodhisattva mahāsattvas and śrāvakas to become great in the possession of
superhuman powers.

“Even if sons and daughters from good families who aspire for
awakening practice the six perfections with skillful means for a thousand
eons, Mañjuśrī, their accumulation of merit will not equal even a hundredth,
a thousandth, a hundred thousandth, or a thousand billionth of the merit
accumulated by those who write down this Dharma discourse or listen to it
even once during a half-month period. No reckoning, calculation, analogy, or
account would suffice to describe it. Therefore, Mañjuśrī, I am entrusting
this Dharma discourse to you. You should take an interest in it. Such a
sūtra has arisen from the vows of bodhisattvas from the past. Hold on to it
in future times. Understand it thoroughly. Remember it. Teach it. Recite it.
Demonstrate it. Expound it extensively to others.

“Consider this analogy, Mañjuśrī. So long as a cakravartin king is
alive, the seven treasures will not cease to exist, but when a cakravartin
king dies, the seven treasures will cease to exist. In the same way,
Mañjuśrī, so long as a Dharma discourse like this one is practiced in this
world, that is how long the seven precious constitutive factors of the
awakening of the Tathāgata and all the principles of the qualities that are
conducive to awakening will not cease to exist. When a Dharma discourse like
this one ceases to exist, then the true Dharma will disappear. Therefore,
Mañjuśrī, bodhisattva mahāsattvas should undertake heroic efforts to write
down the words of a treasure of a sūtra like this one, to explain it, to
remember it, to recite it, and to expound it extensively to others. This is
my instruction. Do not feel regret in the future! This is my instruction to
sons and daughters from good families who aspire for awakening.”

This is what the Bhagavān said, and the bodhisattva Sumati, Mañjuśrī
Kumārabhūta, the entire assembly, and the whole world with its gods, humans,
asuras, and gandharvas rejoiced and praised what the Bhagavān had said.

This concludes “The Inquiry of the Girl
Sumati,” the thirtieth of the one hundred thousand chapters of
the Dharma discourse known as “The Noble Great Heap of Jewels.”

Colophon

Translated, edited, and finalized by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra
and Surendrabodhi, along with the chief editor and translator Bandé Yeshé
Dé, and others.

Notes

Bibliography

Source Texts

Chinese Sources

Other Sources