供養十二大威德天報恩品

At that time, the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, observing humans and devas, took pity on all without ceasing, and said to himself: "All sentient beings: the Four Great Elements are ever changing without rest; they have all manner of illnesses, or demons and māras come to cause all manner of illnesses that delude and bewilder the world, diminishing the lifespan. How can one counteract all such harms, inner and outer? Because sentient beings are not grateful, there arise such contradictions.

What is taken as Grace (Kindness)? It is the devas: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Sun, and Moon, which have the grace of nurturing both inwardly and outwardly.

How can such Graces be repaid? It is that the Four Great Elemental Kinds have an essence that is the devas, together with the assembly of Sun and Moon.

Making offerings to those devas brings all manner of benefits. The Vessel Realm (the material realm) and the Living Realm (the sentient realm) all increase in strength. Who performs this? How many are there in number? It is that there are twelve devas: Earth Deva (Pṛthivī), Water Deva (Varuṇa), Fire Deva (Agni), Wind Deva (Vāyu), Īśāna Deva, Śakra (Indra) Deva, Yama Deva, Brahmā Deva, Vaiśravaṇa Deva, Rākṣasa Deva, Sūrya (Sun) Deva, Candra (Moon) Deva.

When the Earth Deva is joyful, there are two benefits. First, the human body becomes firm and solid, and beauty and strength increase. Second, in the Vessel Realm, the Earth Kind increases in flavor and strength.

When this deva is angry, there are two diminishments. First, the human body becomes disordered and decays, and beauty and strength are diminished. Second, the flavor and strength of the Vessel Realm (the material realm) and of the earth both turn contrary to their root.

When the Water Deva is joyful, there are two benefits. First, the human body does not suffer thirst. Second, the rains moisten in accordance with the season.

When this deva is angry, there are likewise two diminishments. First, the human body becomes parched and thirsting. Second, the Vessel Realm suffers drought, the Drought Spirit (the demon of drought) appears, and all things wither away. Or great rains pour down, the world is flooded and waters rush forth, damaging the trees and plants so that they cannot be supplied in time to sentient beings.

When the Fire Deva is joyful, there are two benefits. First, the heat (warmth) of the human body increases or decreases according to the season. Second, the seasons are not contrary.

When this deva is angry, there are likewise two diminishments. First, the heat of the human body increases or decreases out of season. Second, fires spontaneously break out and burn up all things.

When the Wind Deva is joyful, there are two benefits. First, the human body is light and at peace, and its movements follow the mind's intent. Second, the Vessel Realm has no tilting or shaking, and the world has cold and warm winds in harmony, causing no diminishment to the sentient (those with feeling) and the insentient (those without feeling).

When this deva is angry, there are likewise two diminishments. First, the human body and its voice cannot follow one's will. Second, great winds blow and ravage the world. Or no wind arises, so that the trees and plants do not accord with the season.

If there are such Four Great Essences, and the devas in their anger bring about calamity, then the king and the people should enter into the Five-Wheel Stūpa of the Tathāgata, uphold the precepts, take refuge in the Three Jewels, gather in the mind and abide, and thus perform this Contemplation:

Earth arises in dependence on water; because the nature of water is empty, earth too is impermanent.

Water arises in dependence on wind; because the nature of wind is empty, water too is impermanent.

Fire arises in dependence on water and wind; because the nature of water and wind is empty, fire too is impermanent.

Wind arises in dependence on space; because space has no substance, wind too is impermanent.

Because wind is empty, fire is empty.

Because fire is empty, water is empty.

Because water is empty, earth is empty.

Because earth is empty, the sentient and the insentient that are born upon the earth are all impermanent.

When one performs this Contemplation, the devas cease their anger, for they have no place on which to depend and abide.

Then the practitioner again performs this Contemplation:

Although space is non-existent, space does come to be; therefore it receives the name "space." A name must have a substance. Because space exists, wind too exists. Because wind exists, the assemblies of water and earth all have substance.

When one performs this Contemplation, the devas become joyful, their majestic radiance increases manifold, and they abide in peace and security.

When the Īśāna Deva is joyful, all the devas are also joyful, and the māra hosts cause no disorder. In olden times this one was called Maheśvara.

The Buddha said: "If one makes offerings to Maheśvara (in the Tang language called: the Great Sovereign Lord), one has thereby made offerings to all the devas."

When this deva is angry, the māra hosts all manifest, and the lands fall into chaos.

The Deva Śakra (Indra) is the lord of the Earth-Dwelling Realm; he records all the good and evil deeds created by sentient beings. When this deva is joyful, the lands are peaceful and secure, and the people are not in disorder.

When this deva is angry, there arise weapons and warfare, and the kings of the Earth-Dwelling Realm are all unsettled.

When the Yama Deva is joyful, people do not die suddenly, and pestilential vapors do not arise.

When this deva is angry, people die out of season, and pestilential vapors fill everywhere.

The Brahmā Deva is the lord of the Higher Heavens Realm and is the father of sentient beings. When this deva is joyful, the Vessel World is peaceful and secure, without disorder or commotion. Why is this? Because in the time of the Beginning Kalpa, this deva established the Vessel World. Sentient beings are not in disorder, for [the realm] employs right governance (governing the world by the True Dharma). Why is it so? Because the royal father is joyful.

When this deva is angry, the world is unsettled, there are all manner of illnesses, and even the trees and plants all wither and fall; sentient beings are deluded and bewildered, called like drunken people.

When Vaiśravaṇa is joyful, the yakṣa hosts are joyful; they do not harm the people nor inflict poisonous swellings. When he is angry, they all fall into disorder.

When the Rākṣasa Deva is joyful, the flesh-devouring ghosts and bewitching spirits are also joyful; they do not spew poisonous vapors nor commit evil deeds. When this deva is angry, they all manifest disorder.

When the Sūrya (Sun) Deva is joyful, its light does no harm to things, an angry person is not made dull, and the sentient and insentient all experience delight.

When this deva is angry, [the sun] loses its measure and there is no light; though one has eyes, one cannot see things, and cold and suffering press in upon one another.

When the Candra (Moon) Deva is joyful, the cool light increases, causing things and people to be without feverish illness. When he is angry, he casts it all away.

When the Sun and Moon assist one another in shining, they bring great benefit, the seasons are harmonious and blended, and sentient beings carry out their tasks each according to their delight. In the time of the Beginning Kalpa, human beings had beauty like the devas; gradually they became greedily attached to flavors, and so the radiance of their bodies diminished; they abandoned the wholesome mind and created evil karma, and the world became out of accord and had cold and heat. It is precisely for this reason that the Sun and Moon Devas transformed this into a dream.

Such devas—when are they joyful? When are they angry? It is when the king and the people employ misgovernance (governing the world contrary to the True Dharma) and create unwholesome karma, constantly practicing killing and stealing while abandoning the True Dharma. At that time the devas all give rise to sorrow and worry. When sorrow and worry become excessive, anger arises.

If natural disaster is about to arise, there are first strange omens: rain pours down without clouds, and the stars and constellations fall into disorder accordingly. (Rain pouring down without clouds is the tears of those devas, weeping in sorrow.) If one ceases evil karma and employs right governance, then the devas, joyful, all come to assist and protect; fragrant scents waft and pervade everywhere, increasing the wholesome and diminishing the evil.

If there is a person who clearly understands this assembly of Great Holy Majestic-Virtue Devas, who uses the Gift of Wealth (offering wealth and goods in alms) to adorn their born bodies, and thereafter uses the Gift of Dharma to reveal their Dharma-bodies, together with practicing loving-kindness and compassion by not killing living beings—offering this is the repayment of grace.

In the world there are very many devas, ghosts, and spirits in number; why does one make offerings only to the twelve devas to bring peace and stability to the lands and joy to the myriad stars and constellations? Because the twelve devas wholly encompass all the devas, nāgas, ghosts, spirits, stars and constellations, and underworld officials; therefore, by making offerings to and clearly understanding the twelve devas, one obtains the support of all the ranks of devas and nāgas.

Therefore the Earth Deva, together with the spirits upon the face of the earth, and the ghosts and spirits at the mounds of sand and beneath the roots of trees, all come to enter the Maṇḍala Platform and receive the offerings at the same time.

The Water Deva, together with the spirits of the rivers, streams, small rivers, great rivers, and the great sea, along with all the nāga assemblies, all come to enter the Maṇḍala Platform and receive the offerings at the same time.

The Fire Deva, together with the Fire Spirits and the assemblies of Vidyādhara spirits and immortals, all come to enter the Maṇḍala Platform and receive the offerings at the same time.

The Wind Deva, together with the Wind Spirits and the formless roaming spirits, all come to enter the Maṇḍala Platform and receive the offerings at the same time.

The Īśāna Deva, together with the māra hosts, all come to enter the Maṇḍala Platform and receive the offerings at the same time.

The Śakra (Indra) Deva, together with the assembly of Sumeru (Mount Sumeru) and all the mountains that are the places gathering the ranks of devas and ghosts, all come to enter the Bodhimaṇḍa and receive the offerings at the same time.

The Yama Deva, together with the ranks of the Five-Path Underworld Officials, the Lord of Mount Tai, the Director of Destinies, the Spirits of Corvée Duty, and the various hungry ghosts, all come to enter the Maṇḍala Platform and receive the offerings at the same time.

The Brahmā Deva, together with all the devas of the Heavens of Quiet Contemplation (Dhyāna) in the Form Realm, all come to enter the Bodhimaṇḍa and receive the offerings at the same time.

The Vaiśravaṇa Deva, together with the ranks of yakṣas and the devouring ghost-spirits, all come to enter the Maṇḍala Platform and receive the offerings at the same time.

The Rākṣasa Deva-son, the rākṣasas, and the flesh-and-blood-eating ghosts, all come to enter the Bodhimaṇḍa and receive the offerings at the same time.

The Sūrya (Sun) Deva, together with the star assemblies, the Seven Luminaries, the Grasping Planets, the ranks roaming through the void, and all the Light Spirits, all come to enter the Maṇḍala Platform and receive the offerings at the same time.

The Candra (Moon) Deva, together with the ranks dwelling in the void, the Twenty-Eight Constellations, the Twelve Palace Spirits, and all the constellation assemblies, all come to enter the Maṇḍala Platform and receive the offerings at the same time.

One should contemplate thus.

Such Deva-Lords, in their own persons before the Buddha, vow that they will assist all sentient beings, guard and uphold the lands, and protect the True Dharma. As when they are summoned and invited, they do not transgress their Original Vow, which decisively has its effect. During the interval before they are dispatched and dismissed, they abide at the Maṇḍala Platform and do not depart far from the practitioner. It is precisely for this reason that after the offering, one should make the Offering of Thanks. Once all matters are accomplished, one entreats them with joy.

At the time of summoning and inviting, one uses the various Distinct Mudrās and Mantras (Vidyā), or one may also use the General Invitation Mudrā and Mantra.

Why is it that with only a little offering of alms, one can cause the deva hosts together with all the ghosts and spirits to receive and partake of them?

It is owing to three kinds of meaning concerning "only a little offering, yet all receive and partake of it":

First, owing to the empowerment of the Three Mysteries, that is, conveying the mind into the Wondrous Offering of the True Characteristic of the Dharma Realm.

Second, owing to Great Loving-Kindness and Compassion.

Third, owing to the Deva-Lords possessing much merit-power, like the nāgas who, with but a little water, by their own merit-power sprinkle it throughout all the lands.

This is particularly so with the devas, because the merit of the people throughout the four continents does not equal the merit and wealth of a single being in the realm of the Four Heavenly Kings. According to the resolve of the Master of Recitation, whether increasing or diminishing, the merit of the devas is great; therefore, even a small offering pervades all things. Because the merit of the devas is great, what is entrusted to them becomes vast.

Moreover, even supposing that the form, color, and flavor be inferior, by the three meanings stated above they all become the wondrous, pure ghee. Just as Jīvaka, out of compassion for all, made all things become medicine; and as Nirgrantha, by incanting upon poison, caused the poison to turn back and become medicine.

If the world can be like this, how much more so the practitioner who accords with the Buddha's teaching, gives rise to Great Loving-Kindness and Compassion, and performs the empowerment of the Three Mysteries!

Moreover, owing to the merit of the devas, those inferior offering-articles become wondrous, pure offering-articles. Just as Śilāmanas was made by the Stone-City King to be a serving-woman who turned sand into gold; and as those consorts, beautiful and not coveting the wealth of the world, took joy only in compliance—precisely because they did not slight the small act of almsgiving but delighted in the Gift of Loving-Kindness (almsgiving from a gentle, kindly mind).

If the devas are not pleased, then one invites the Outer Vajra Division Lord, the Four-Armed Acala Wrathful Vidyārāja, makes offerings to him, and takes refuge. At that time the devas, complying with the teaching-command, joyfully guard and uphold.

If one makes offerings, in which directions do [the devas] come to be seated?

It is thus: Śakra (Indra) in the East, the Fire Deva in the Southeast, Yama in the South, the Rākṣasa in the Southwest, the Water Deva in the West, the Wind Deva in the Northwest, Vaiśravaṇa in the North, Īśāna in the Northeast, the Chief Honored One (the Four-Armed Acala Vidyārāja) in the center, and at the four corners Brahmā, the Earth Deva, the Sun Deva, and the Moon Deva. Thus do they abide.

How does one make the offerings? Which deva is taken as the head? It is thus: either, in accordance with the directional positions, one begins from the East and offers in clockwise rotation; or, if there is a particular vow (a distinct vow), one makes the offerings in accordance with the Method of the Pacifying-of-Calamity class.

If one seeks Pacifying of Calamity, take Śakra (Indra) as the head.

If one seeks Increase of Benefit, take Brahmā as the lord.

If one seeks Subjugation, take the Great Sovereign Lord (Maheśvara) as the head.

If one seeks Reverent Love, take Vaiśravaṇa as the head. The rest are offered to in clockwise rotation.

Or, if one wishes to stop weapons and warfare, take Śakra (Indra) as the lord.

If one wishes to remove the calamities of yakṣas, rākṣasas, and the like, use Vaiśravaṇa and the Rākṣasa Deva.

If one wishes to remove pestilence (epidemic disease), use the Yama Deva.

If one wishes to remove the calamities of drought, the Drought Spirit, and floods, all use the Water Deva.

If one wishes to remove the calamity of enmity, use the Wind Deva, and toward this deva, entreat regarding the Wind-class calamities.

If one wishes to subdue people, use the Brahmā King.

For calamities of water, use the Fire Deva.

For calamities of fire, use the Water Deva.

For subjugating māras, use the Īśāna Deva or use the Fire Deva.

For quelling evil places, use the Earth Deva, together with entreating for the five grains.

If one seeks official rank, use the Śakra (Indra) Deva.

If one seeks Wisdom, use the Sun Deva.

If one seeks Concentration, use the Moon Deva.

If one wishes to remove illnesses of heat and cold (cold and fever), use accordingly the Sun and Moon Devas (the Sun Deva removes cold, the Moon Deva removes heat).

If there are illnesses of the Four Great Elements, use accordingly the Devas of the Four Great Essences.

Thus is the head taken. The rest, in order, are offered to in clockwise rotation.

For wealth (riches), use Vaiśravaṇa.

For nobility, use Brahmā.

The articles for offering should each be of a single pure substance: fragrant water, scented unguent, seasonal flowers, the five grains, rice (or gruel), wax candles, torches, and so forth—fill a single vessel with each and then make the offering. Burn incense so that the scent wafts and pervades everywhere, pure and according with the Method.

The ritual procedure of the offerings, the various Distinct Mudrās and Mantras, the manner of painting the images, and all kinds of Dharma-meanings—are as stated in another Section.

The Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, for the sake of delivering sentient beings, thus asked and answered himself: such causes and conditions, such repayment of grace, such prayers, such Dharma-Contemplations, such Three Mysteries, such expedient means, such Great Power—he expounded at will and offered them up to the World-Honored One.

The World-Honored One spoke words of such meaning and principle: "Excellent! Excellent! It is as you have said, true and without falsehood. These twelve devas are the Buddhas of distant ages who, for the sake of delivering sentient beings, came forth and manifested. It is precisely for this reason that the practitioner cannot rely on the worldly deva-forms, but should only contemplate the Dharma-body of those devas in order to adorn.

If there is a person who, complying with Me and with the words you have spoken, makes offerings to those devas, and before these Deva-Images expounds and recites the Prajñā and the profound Dharma-Sūtras, it will cause the devas all to be greatly joyful.

Because the devas are joyful, all sentient beings attain joy. Because all sentient beings attain joy, the Buddhas too are joyful. Because the Buddhas are joyful, the Worldly and Transcendent Siddhis are fulfilled.

THE RITUAL MANUAL OF THE TWELVE DEVAS (One Fascicle — The End)