大乘本生心地觀經

Thus have I heard:

At one time, the Buddha was dwelling on Mount Gridhrakuta near the city of Rajagriha, together with thirty-two thousand great bhikshus. They were all arhats, well liberated in mind and well liberated through wisdom. They had accomplished what was to be done, laid down every burden, attained their own benefit, exhausted all bonds of existence, attained great mastery, abided in the pure aggregate of precepts, were adorned with skillful means and wisdom, realized the eight liberations, and reached the further shore of nirvana.

Their names were the Venerable Ajnata-Kaundinya, Ashvajit, Mahanama, Bhadrika, Mahakashyapa, Gavampati, Revata, Uruvilva-Kashyapa, Nadi-Kashyapa, Gaya-Kashyapa, Shariputra, Mahamaudgalyayana, Mahakatyayana, Mahakapina, Chunda, Purna Maitrayaniputra, Aniruddha, Subtle Arm, Subhuti, Bakula, Sundarananda, Rahula, and others. All such ones were venerable arhats.

There were also those still in training, such as Ananda and others, each accompanied by hundreds of thousands of attendants. Together they bowed at the Buddha’s feet and then withdrew to sit to one side.

There were also eighty-four thousand great bodhisattvas dwelling in the presence of the Buddha. They were all great Dharma princes destined to attain Buddhahood in one more life. Their majestic virtue was as mighty as that of great dragon kings.

Their hundred blessings were perfect, and the radiance of their bodies shone like a thousand suns, dispelling all darkness. Their wisdom was clear and profound, surpassing the great ocean. They thoroughly comprehended the secret realms of the Buddhas, kindled the torch of the great Dharma, and guided sentient beings.

They were great helmsmen upon the ocean of birth and death, cherishing sentient beings as their own newborn children and constantly bestowing peace and happiness upon them. Their renown spread throughout the worlds of the ten directions. Their wondrous supernormal powers and their functioning were sovereign and unrestricted.

They had thoroughly mastered all gateways of dharani and possessed sovereign command of the four kinds of unobstructed eloquence. They had perfected mastery over great vows, splendidly accomplished mastery over their undertakings, realized mastery of samadhi, and fully perfected mastery of merit and virtue. They were always unbidden friends to sentient beings.

Throughout immeasurable kalpas, they diligently cultivated the six paramitas and continually served Buddhas everywhere, yet did not abide in nirvana. They had ended all afflictions and eradicated the seeds and habitual tendencies. Although born within the six realms, they were never tainted by their faults.

They constantly manifested bodies throughout the ten directions to expound the wondrous Dharma, teaching and benefiting every kind of being in immeasurable worlds. They restrained non-Buddhist paths, subdued erroneous minds, and remained far removed from the views of annihilationism and eternalism, enabling sentient beings to give rise to right view without any sign of wavering, coming, or going. Though without adornment, they adorned all Buddha lands throughout the ten directions.

Though they spoke nothing, they appeared to proclaim all the wondrous principles of quiescent cessation. Abiding in non-abiding, they delivered sentient beings throughout the realms of devas and humans. Within that which cannot be received, they received the vast and joyful wondrous Dharma.

They wore the armor of diligent practice, grasped the sword of wisdom, sounded the Dharma drum, and routed the armies of Mara. Their bodies constantly appeared seated throughout the places of enlightenment, where they blew the great Dharma conch to awaken every kind of being. All sentient beings benefited from them; whoever heard their names or beheld their bodily forms attained the three wisdoms and awakened to the Dharma of the three periods.

They clearly knew whether the faculties of sentient beings were keen or dull and dispensed medicine according to each illness, eliminating every kind of doubt. They spread great clouds of Dharma, poured down the rain of amrita, and turned the irreversible Dharma wheel bearing the seal of wisdom. They closed the prison of birth and death and opened the gate of nirvana.

They made vast vows extending until the end of the future, aspiring to liberate all living beings. Before long, these bodhisattvas would attain unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment. They were Bodhisattva Immaculate, Bodhisattva Maitreya, Bodhisattva Lion’s Roar, Bodhisattva Manjushri, Bodhisattva Vimalakirti, Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta, Bodhisattva Vajragarbharaja, Bodhisattva Kshitigarbharaja, Bodhisattva Akashagarbharaja, Bodhisattva Dharani-Sovereign-King, Bodhisattva Samadhi-Sovereign-King, Bodhisattva Wondrous-Lofty-Mount-King, Bodhisattva Profound-Ocean-King, Bodhisattva Wondrous-Eloquence-Adornment-King, Bodhisattva Lofty-Joy-King, Bodhisattva Great-Supernormal-Transformation-King, Bodhisattva Dharma-Sovereign-King, Bodhisattva Pure-Rain-King,

Bodhisattva Medicine King, Bodhisattva Superior Medicine, Bodhisattva Healer of the Illness of Afflictions, Bodhisattva Jewel-Mount, Bodhisattva Jewel-Wealth, Bodhisattva Supreme-Jewel, Bodhisattva Jewel-Virtue, Bodhisattva Jewel-Treasury, Bodhisattva Jewel-Accumulation, Bodhisattva Jewel-Hand, Bodhisattva Jewel-Hand-Seal, Bodhisattva Jewel-Light, Bodhisattva Jewel-Giving, Bodhisattva Jewel-Banner, Bodhisattva Great-Jewel-Banner, Bodhisattva Jewel-Rain, Bodhisattva Jewel-Attainment, Bodhisattva Jewel-Staff, Bodhisattva Jewel-Crest, Bodhisattva Jewel-Auspiciousness, Bodhisattva Jewel-Sovereignty, Bodhisattva Sandalwood-Fragrance, Bodhisattva Great-Jewel-Torch, Bodhisattva Great-Jewel-Adornment, Bodhisattva Sunlight, Bodhisattva Moonlight, Bodhisattva Starlight, Bodhisattva Firelight,

Bodhisattva Lightning-Light, Bodhisattva Mindful-Wisdom, Bodhisattva Mara-Destroyer, Bodhisattva Mara-Vanquisher, Bodhisattva Ever-Diligent, Bodhisattva Never-Resting, Bodhisattva Unceasing-Great-Vow, Bodhisattva Great-Renown, Bodhisattva Unobstructed-Eloquence, and Bodhisattva Unobstructed-Turning-of-the-Dharma-Wheel.

These bodhisattvas, including the great Bodhisattva Immaculate and the others named above, came to the Dharma assembly with hundreds of thousands of attendants to hear the Buddha expound the Dharma.

There were also hundreds of millions of deva princes from the six heavens of the desire realm, including Deva Prince Well-Abiding, Deva Prince Majestic-Virtue, Deva Prince Universal-Light, Deva Prince Pure-Wisdom, Deva Prince Auspiciousness, Deva Prince Great-Auspiciousness, Deva Prince Sovereignty, Deva Prince Great-Sovereignty, Deva Prince Sunlight, and Deva Prince Moonlight. Among these deva princes, Shakra Devendra was foremost. They all delighted in the wondrous Dharma of the Mahayana, vowed to follow and serve the Tathagatas of the three periods, entered inconceivable secret realms, and adorned the assemblies at the places of enlightenment of all Buddhas. All these deva princes came to the Dharma assembly with hundreds of thousands of attendants to hear the Buddha expound the Dharma.

There were also deva princes from the form realm as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, including Deva Prince Great-Light-Universal-Illumination, Deva Prince Immaculate-Adornment, Deva Prince Play-of-Supernormal-Powers, Deva Prince Samadhi-Sovereignty, Deva Prince Dharani-Sovereignty, Deva Prince Great-Dharani, Deva Prince Perfect-Fulfillment-of-Supreme-Vows, Deva Prince Unobstructed-Eloquence, Deva Prince Auspicious-Merit-and-Wisdom, and Deva Prince Ever-Bringing-Forth-Great-Vows.

Among these deva princes, the Great Brahma Deva King Radiant Light was foremost. They were all endowed with samadhis and supernormal powers, delighted in teaching, and were skilled in eloquence. They constantly served the Buddha-Tathagatas of the three periods: from the time each sat upon the vajra seat beneath the Bodhi tree, vanquished the armies of Mara, and realized bodhi, until appearing throughout all assemblies.

On every such occasion, they were the first to entreat the Tathagata to turn the wheel of the wondrous Dharma, open the gate of amrita, and deliver all sentient beings in the realms of devas and humans. They skillfully awakened to the profound and secret meanings of the Buddhas and were irreversible on the path to great bodhi. All these deva princes came to the Dharma assembly with hundreds of thousands of attendants to hear the Buddha expound the Dharma.

There were also forty-eight thousand great dragon kings, such as Dragon King Manasi, Dragon King Takshaka, Dragon King Nanda, Dragon King Upananda, Dragon King Anavatapta, Dragon King Great Golden Face, Dragon King Wish-Fulfilling Jewel, Dragon King Raining Wondrous Jewels, Dragon King Ever-Pouring Sweet Rain, Dragon King Possessed of Great Awesome Virtue, and Dragon King Mighty and Self-Mastery. Among these dragon kings, Dragon King Sagara was foremost. They all delighted in the wondrous Dharma of the Mahayana, made vast vows, and reverently protected and upheld the true Dharma. All these great dragon kings, together with hundreds of thousands of their retinues, came to the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also fifty-eight thousand yaksha spirits, such as the Yaksha Spirit Great Lion King, the Yaksha Spirit Turning Wheel of Radiant Illumination, the Yaksha Spirit Wondrous Narayana, the Yaksha Spirit Most Fearsome, the Yaksha Spirit Lotus Radiance and Color, the Yaksha Spirit Wondrous Faculties, the Yaksha Spirit Outwardly Protecting the True Dharma, the Yaksha Spirit Making Offerings to the Three Jewels, the Yaksha Spirit Raining a Multitude of Precious Jewels, and the Yaksha Spirit Mani Bhadra.

Among these spirits, the Yaksha Spirit Samjnaya was foremost. They were all endowed with inconceivable radiance of wisdom, inconceivable torches of wisdom, inconceivable manifestations of wisdom, and inconceivable virtuous discipline and wisdom. For the sake of sentient beings, they constantly subdued evil spirits, enabled beings to attain great peace and happiness, and caused their merit and wisdom to increase.

They continually preserved and upheld the Mahayana Dharma so that it would never be severed. All these yaksha spirits, together with hundreds of thousands of their retinues, came to the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also eighty-nine thousand gandharva kings, such as Gandharva King Jeweled Crown upon the Head, Gandharva King Universally Emitting Radiance, Gandharva King Vajra Jeweled Banner, Gandharva King Wondrous Pure Voice, Gandharva King Pervading All Assemblies, Gandharva King Universally Appearing in All Directions, Gandharva King Delighting in the Mahayana, and Gandharva King Turning the Wheel of Non-Retrogression. Among these gandharva kings, Gandharva King Purified Faculties was foremost. They all conceived profound love and reverence for the Mahayana and benefited sentient beings without ever becoming indolent, weary, or fatigued. All these gandharva kings, together with hundreds of thousands of their retinues, came to the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also one hundred billion asura kings, such as Asura King Rahula, Asura King Vemacitra, Asura King Manifesting Awesome Virtue, Asura King Great Steadfast Strength, Asura King Beautiful and Wondrous Voice, Asura King Radiance Shining Everywhere, Asura King Ever Victorious in Battle, and Asura King Skillful in Manifestations. Among these asura kings, Asura King Vast and Wondrous Eloquence was foremost. They were all skilled in cultivation, had abandoned pride, upheld the Mahayana Dharma, and revered the Three Jewels. All these asura kings, together with hundreds of thousands of their retinues, came to the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also five hundred million garuda kings, such as Garuda King Jeweled Crest, Garuda King Vajra Pure Radiance, Garuda King Swift as the Wind, Garuda King Pure Wisdom of Empty Space, Garuda King Wondrous and Vast Body, Garuda King Mind of Non-Retrogression, Garuda King Vast and Pure Eyes, Garuda King Filled with the Jewels of Great Merit, Garuda King Possessed of Great Awesome Virtue, and Garuda King Radiance of Wisdom. Among these garuda kings, Garuda King Wish-Fulfilling Jeweled Radiance was foremost. They had all attained patience regarding the non-arising of dharmas and were skilled in bringing every benefit to all sentient beings. All these garuda kings, together with hundreds of thousands of their retinues, came to the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also nine hundred million kinnara kings, such as Kinnara King Shaking the Earth, Kinnara King Wondrous Jeweled Floral Banner, Kinnara King Radiance of the Jeweled Tree, Kinnara King Radiance of the Wholesome Dharma, Kinnara King Supreme Adornment, Kinnara King Fiery Dharma Radiance, Kinnara King Upholding the Wondrous Dharma, Kinnara King Adorned with Wondrous Jewels, and Kinnara King Accomplished in Wondrous Contemplation. Among these kinnara kings, Kinnara King Delightful Music was foremost. They were all endowed with wondrous pure wisdom, delighted in body and mind, and exercised their powers with mastery. All these kinnara kings, together with hundreds of thousands of their retinues, came to the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also ninety-eight thousand mahoraga kings, such as Mahoraga King Wondrous Crest, Mahoraga King Possessed of Great Awesome Virtue, Mahoraga King Adorned Jeweled Crest, Mahoraga King Subtle and Pure Eyes, Mahoraga King Radiant Jeweled Banner, Mahoraga King Lion's Breast, Mahoraga King Unmoved as Though Wrathful, and Mahoraga King Lovely Radiance. Among these mahoraga kings, Mahoraga King Sporting in Spiritual Powers was foremost. They had cultivated skillful means and caused sentient beings to abandon forever all the bonds of sensual desire. All these mahoraga kings, together with hundreds of thousands of their retinues, came to the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also wheel-turning sage kings from hundreds of billions of lands in other directions, such as the Gold-Wheel-Turning Sage King, the Silver-Wheel-Turning Sage King, the Copper-Wheel-Turning Sage King, and the Iron-Wheel-Turning Sage King. They came with their retinues of one thousand sons and the seven treasures, all exceedingly magnificent, as well as innumerable elephants, horses, and carriages; countless jeweled banners and streamers hung aloft; countless garlands, jeweled canopies, silken fabrics, and white fly-whisks; all kinds of jewels and exceedingly precious necklaces; various fragrant ointments and powdered incense blended from myriad rare and wondrous fragrances.

Each carried an incense burner made of every kind of priceless treasure and burned precious incense as an offering to the Blessed One. With wondrous words, they praised the exceedingly profound wisdom of the Tathagata, vast as the ocean, and then addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One, we now do not seek the tainted rewards within the three realms enjoyed by devas and humans. We seek only the supramundane path to unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment. Why is this so? Although one may occupy an honored station within the three realms and enjoy the blessings and pleasures of devas and humans, when the merit accumulated in previous lives is exhausted, one must again be born in the evil destinies and undergo immeasurable suffering. What wise person, then, would delight in the pleasures of this world?”

After the wheel-turning kings had spoken these words, they single-mindedly joined their palms. Together with hundreds of thousands of their retinues, they sat in the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also sixteen great kings, including King Suddhodana of Kapilavastu, King Bimbisara of Magadha, King Kasi of Varanasi, King Udayana of Vatsa, King Kapina of Sala, and others. Among these sixteen great kings and the lesser kings, King Prasenajit, sovereign of Sravasti, whose name was Moonlight, was foremost. They were all endowed with merit, wisdom, and supernormal powers, and possessed great majestic virtue like that of a wheel-turning king.

All their enemies naturally submitted to them; their populations were numerous and prosperous, and their kingdoms were wealthy, peaceful, and joyful. Having formerly planted roots of goodness in the presence of the unsurpassed Buddhas, they were constantly watched over and kept in mind by the Buddhas. During the past Adornment Kalpa, when one thousand Buddhas appeared in the world, these great and lesser kings regularly served as benefactors.

During the present Auspicious Kalpa, in which one thousand Buddhas appear, these great and lesser kings likewise serve as benefactors. During the future Constellation Kalpa, in which one thousand Buddhas will appear, they will also serve as benefactors. Even throughout future ages, whenever any Buddha appears in the world, these kings will exert the full power of their original vows, constantly practicing generosity and bringing every benefit to sentient beings, entering the various gates of skillful means as circumstances require.

Although they were kings, they did not crave the pleasures of the world. They all grew weary of and renounced samsara, cultivated the causes of liberation, earnestly sought the Buddha path, delighted in the Mahayana Dharma, and continually taught and benefited all beings. Free from attachment to all characteristics, they perpetuated the lineage of the Three Jewels so that its seed would never be cut off.

For the sake of hearing the Dharma and making offerings to the Tathagata, they prepared many precious foods and reverently brought incense and flowers into the Buddha’s presence. Together with ten thousand, twenty thousand, and even tens of millions of attendants, they all sat in the Dharma assembly and listened to the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also the consorts of the sixteen great kings, including Lady Vaidehi, Lady Wonderful Victorious Garland, Lady Most Lovable and Joyful, Lady Unequaled in the Three Realms, Lady Radiance of Meritorious Recompense, Lady Wish-Fulfilling Jewel Light, Lady Mallika, Lady Wonderful Virtue, and others. Among these consorts, Lady Supremely Excellent Wondrous Countenance was foremost. These consorts had skillfully entered immeasurable methods of right concentration.

Yet, wishing to liberate sentient beings, they manifested in female form. They cultivated their minds through the three gates of liberation and possessed great wisdom and perfect merit. They manifested minds of great loving-kindness and great compassion, severed every condition of attachment, and remained entirely unobstructed, cherishing sentient beings as though they were newborn children.

Through the power of their original vows, they encountered the World-Honored One. Wishing to hear the Dharma, they came into the Buddha’s presence and gazed upon his honored countenance without blinking. They reverently presented the World-Honored One with immeasurable kinds of supremely exquisite offerings from the human realm, together with countless necklaces of the finest precious jewels, as offerings to the Tathagata.

Then, accompanied by hundreds of thousands of attendants, they all sat in the Dharma assembly and listened to the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also innumerable bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, upasikas, brahmins, kshatriyas, vaishyas, shudras, elders, householders, and people from all the various kingdoms. These multitudes gave rise to pure faith and profound gratitude. Because they had planted roots of goodness in former times, they were born where they could encounter the Buddha and hear the Dharma. Seeking the supramundane path, they reflected upon how difficult such an encounter was and came into the Buddha’s presence. Upon arriving, they all aroused the aspiration for enlightenment, joined their palms, and, together with hundreds of thousands of attendants, sat in the Dharma assembly and listened to the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also innumerable followers of non-Buddhist paths, including the ascetics who practiced austerities, the worldly-wise adherents, the adherents who delighted in seclusion, the Lokayatas, and others, among whom the Lokayata-Chanika adherent was foremost. These adherents had attained the five supernormal powers and could fly about freely. Having given rise to a rare and extraordinary resolve, they came into the Buddha’s presence for the sake of hearing the Dharma. Each, accompanied by hundreds of thousands of attendants, came to the Dharma assembly and listened to the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also immeasurable and innumerable nonhuman hungry ghosts, including the Destitute Ghost, the Ghost Who Eats Human Spittle, the Ghost Who Torments Sentient Beings, the Ghost Who Eats Mucus and Saliva, the Ghost Who Is Never Sated, the Extremely Foul-Smelling Ghost, the Ghost Who Eats Fecal Filth, the Ghost Who Eats Human Embryos, the Ghost Who Eats Living Beings and Corpses, the Ghost Who Eats Impurities, and the Auspicious-Birth Ghost.

Among these kinds of ghosts, the great ghost-spirit king Virudhaka was foremost. These ghosts had all abandoned their malicious minds, taken refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, and protected the Tathagata’s true Dharma. For the sake of hearing the Dharma, they came into the Buddha’s presence, prostrated with their five limbs touching the ground, and reverently paid homage to the Buddha.

Thirsting to behold and revere the virtues of the World-Honored One, these ghosts, together with hundreds of thousands of attendants, all sat in the Dharma assembly and listened to the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also immeasurable and innumerable kings of birds and beasts, including the Jivajivaka Bird King, the Parrot King, the Lion King, the Elephant King, and the Deer King. Among all these kings of birds and beasts, the Golden-Hued Lion King was foremost. These kings of birds and beasts all entrusted their lives to the Tathagata, the Great Teacher. Wishing to hear the Dharma, they came into the Buddha’s presence and, in accordance with the power of their vows, made offerings to the World-Honored One. The kings of birds and beasts addressed the Buddha:

“We reverently beseech the Tathagata, out of compassion, to accept our meager offerings! We aspire to abandon forever the seeds of evil karma leading to the three lower realms and to enjoy the blessed and joyful fruits of rebirth among gods and humans. May the Tathagata open wide the ambrosial Dharma gate of the Mahayana so that we may swiftly put an end to ignorance and attain liberation!”

After the kings of the birds and beasts had spoken these words, they became single-minded, joined their palms, and gazed reverently upon the Tathagata. Together with hundreds of thousands of attendants, they all sat in the Dharma assembly and listened to the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also hundreds of thousands of King Yamas, together with innumerable great rakshasas of every form, all the cruel kings and officials of the dark realm, and the jailers who administered punishments and investigated offenses and merits. Through the Buddha’s majestic power, they abandoned their malicious minds and came with King Yama to hear the Dharma. They addressed the Buddha:

“World-Honored One, because all sentient beings are ignorant, crave the pleasures of the five desires, and commit the five heinous offenses, they fall into the hells and revolve there without end. This happens because their own karmic causes compel them to endure manifold sufferings, just as silkworms in this world spin cocoons and continuously bind themselves within what they themselves have made! We reverently beseech the Tathagata to pour down the great rain of Dharma to extinguish the fires of hell, send forth a cool and refreshing breeze, open the gate of liberation, and close the three evil paths!” After King Yama had spoken these words, he offered all kinds of jewels to the Tathagata, single-mindedly and reverently circumambulated the Buddha hundreds of thousands of times, and,

together with hundreds of thousands of attendants, bowed at the Buddha’s feet.

They then withdrew to one side to listen to the Buddha teach the Dharma.

At that time, the World-Honored One sat upon a lion throne formed like a precious lotus blossom. That lion throne was the azure color of vaidurya and was fashioned from various rare jewels arranged in interwoven adornments. Crystal jewels formed the lotus stalk, purple-tinted pure gold formed the lotus petals, and mani jewels formed the stamens within the lotus dais. It was surrounded by eighty-four thousand great precious lotus blossoms made of the finest gold from Jambudvipa. The Buddha was encircled before and behind by the great assembly, who made offerings to him, revered him, honored him, and praised him.

At that time, the Blessed One sat cross-legged upon the Lion Throne, His countenance majestic and supremely excellent, like Mount Sumeru formed of four kinds of precious substances rising from the great ocean. He naturally emitted the radiance of hundreds of thousands of suns, illuminating all of space and sending forth immeasurable light that dispelled every darkness; He was also like a hundred million full moons amid the stars, spreading cool and refreshing light throughout the world. At that moment, the Tathagata entered the Dharma-samadhi of the supremely excellent meditation at the summit of existence, called the King of Adornment with the Jeweled Necklace of the Mind, and while abiding in that concentration, His body and mind remained unmoving.

At the same time, all the devas of the Formless Realm scattered immeasurable varieties of wondrously subtle fragrant flowers, which descended from space like clouds. The eighteen Brahma kings in the heavens of the Form Realm scattered countless celestial flowers of variegated colors, together with hundreds of thousands of myriads of exquisite fragrances from the Brahma heavens, filling all of space and descending like clouds.

The devas and assemblies of celestial beings in the six heavens of the Desire Realm, by the power of their celestial merit, scattered flowers such as udumbara flowers, padma flowers, kumuda flowers, pundarika flowers, champaka flowers, atimuktaka flowers, parijataka flowers, sumana flowers, mandara flowers, maha-mandara flowers, manjushaka flowers, and maha-manjushaka flowers. Layer upon layer, they descended through space as offerings to the Buddha and the assembly of Dharma treasures.

They also scattered priceless jeweled incense from the heavens. That jeweled incense gathered like clouds and transformed into the colors of a hundred precious substances; by their celestial spiritual power, they caused its fragrance to pervade all the worlds of this realm as an offering to the great assembly.

When the Blessed One arose from meditative concentration, while remaining upon His original seat He entered the Lion’s Vigorous Advance Samadhi and manifested great spiritual powers, causing this three-thousand-great-thousand world system to display the six kinds of trembling: shaking, great shaking, and universal great shaking; surging, great surging, and universal great surging; quaking, great quaking, and universal great quaking; striking, great striking, and universal great striking; roaring, great roaring, and universal great roaring; and bursting, great bursting, and universal great bursting.

Moreover, in this world, when the east surged forth, the west subsided; when the west surged forth, the east subsided; when the south surged forth, the north subsided; when the north surged forth, the south subsided; when the center surged forth, the borders subsided; and when the borders surged forth, the center subsided. The earth of this world became adorned, pure, level, and soft, causing grasses and trees to flourish and bringing benefit to all living beings.

Because of these tremors, throughout the three-thousandfold world there were no longer any hell beings, hungry ghosts, or animals; and the beings in other evil destinies who suffered without respite were likewise freed from suffering. Having relinquished those bodies, they were born in the human realm or in the six heavens of the Desire Realm. They all knew the lives they had led in previous existences, and all rejoiced with delight.

Together they came before the Buddha, mindful of His profound kindness, and bowed at His feet. Bearing various precious jewels and innumerable jeweled necklaces, they offered them to the Buddha and awakened to the meaning of the emptiness of the three spheres, thereby repaying the Buddha’s kindness.

Then, from the Tathagata’s chest and pores, there issued a great brilliant radiance called the Bodhisattvas’ Playful Exercise of Spiritual Powers, which caused the bodhisattvas to become irreversible in their aspiration for unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment. The color of this radiance was like that of the gold found in Jambudvipa. This golden radiance illuminated the entire three-thousand-great-thousand world system and other worlds as well.

Within it appeared even the ten billion kings of Mount Sumeru; all the Snow Mountains, Fragrant Mountains, Black Mountains, Golden Mountains, Jeweled Mountains, Meru Mountains, Great Meru Mountains, Muchilinda Mountains, Great Muchilinda Mountains, Lesser Iron-Ring Mountains, and Great Iron-Ring Mountains; great rivers, small rivers, oceans, flowing springs, and bathing ponds; as well as the ten billion worlds with their four great continents, suns, moons, stars, celestial palaces, dragon palaces, palaces of venerable deities, kingdoms and cities, royal palaces, and villages.

Also appearing were the conditions of beings in the realm of Yama who, through karma created by their offenses, had to undergo suffering in the eight cold hells, the eight hot hells, and the other hells. Even the forms of suffering undergone by animals and hungry ghosts throughout the ten directions, and the conditions of pleasure and pain experienced by beings in the five destinies throughout all worlds—all such appearances were manifested within this great golden radiance.

Furthermore, within this radiance, all the appearances of bodhisattvas cultivating the path to Buddhahood were clearly manifested. There appeared Bodhisattva Shakyamuni in the distant past, when He was King Radiance and first brought forth the resolve to seek unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment, through to His attainment of Buddhahood beneath the Bodhi tree and His entry into nirvana in the sala grove. During the three incalculable hundreds of myriads of kalpas between those events, all His deeds of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, together with the eighty-four thousand paramita Dharma gates, were also completely manifested.

In the past, when the Bodhisattva was a Golden Wheel-Turning King, He ruled the four continents as far as the boundaries of the oceans. For immeasurable kalpas, the Bodhisattva taught and transformed the world through the true Dharma. The people flourished greatly, the country was prosperous and joyful, and every kind of precious wealth filled the realm.

At that time, the Golden Wheel-Turning King contemplated the world and saw that everything was impermanent. Becoming weary of the pleasures of the five desires, He relinquished the throne of the Golden Wheel-Turning King, left the household life, and studied the path. At another time, when the Bodhisattva was the beloved son of a great king, He relinquished His life and cast Himself before a starving tigress.

At another time, when the Bodhisattva was King Shibi, He cut flesh from His own body to save a dove. At another time, when the Bodhisattva was a deer king, He sacrificed His life to save a pregnant doe. At another time, in His quest for half a verse, the Bodhisattva relinquished His entire body in the Snow Mountains.

He also manifested birth into the household of King Shuddhodana, abandoned sixty thousand palace maidens and all the supremely exquisite music of the inner palace, crossed beyond the city walls, and left the household life. For six years He practiced austerities, eating only a sesame seed and a grain of rice each day, and subdued the followers of non-Buddhist paths. Beneath the Bodhi tree, He shattered the armies of Mara and attained unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment.

All the features of such hundreds of thousands of Ganges sands of inconceivable practices and vows were clearly manifested within this great golden radiance.

Furthermore, within this radiance there clearly appeared the eight great, inconceivable jeweled stupas of the Tathagata: the stupa commemorating his birth in the palace of King Suddhodana in the land of Kosala; the stupa commemorating his attainment of Buddhahood beneath the Bodhi tree near the city of Gaya in the land of Magadha; the stupa commemorating his first turning of the Dharma wheel to liberate beings in the Deer Park in the land of Varanasi; the stupa in Anathapindika’s Grove in the land of Sravasti, commemorating the place where he debated with the non-Buddhist teachers for six months and was acclaimed as the Omniscient One;

the stupa near the city of Kanyakubja in the land of Andhra, commemorating the miraculous event when he ascended to the Trayastrimsa Heaven to teach the Dharma to his mother, and then, together with King Brahma, Sakra, Lord of the Devas, and an assembly of one hundred and twenty thousand listeners, manifested three jeweled stairways descending from the Heaven of the Thirty-Three to Jambudvipa; the stupa on Mount Grdhrakuta near the city of Rajagrha in the land of Magadha, commemorating the occasion when he taught the Mahayana sutras, including the Great Prajnaparamita, the Lotus Sutra of the One Vehicle, and the Sutra of Contemplating the Mind-Ground; the stupa in Amrapali’s Grove in the land of Vaisali, commemorating the inconceivable occasion when the elder Vimalakirti manifested illness;

and the stupa commemorating his approaching final nirvana in the Sala Grove beside the Ajitavati River in Kusinagara.

These eight jeweled stupas are the means by which the Great Sage teaches and transforms beings. They are places of refuge, reverence, and offerings, establishing for sentient beings in the human and heavenly realms the causes for attaining Buddhahood. Thus, all the sounds and images of inconceivable events throughout the three periods of time appeared distinctly within this great radiance.

Moreover, the Buddhas of the three periods of time throughout the worlds of the ten directions, together with the great bodhisattvas assembled in full at their places of enlightenment, the rare manifestations and transformations of their supernormal powers, and the wondrous voices with which the Tathagatas proclaimed the Dharma—all were reflected distinctly within this great golden radiance, like echoes responding in perfect accord. There was nothing that could not be seen or heard. All beings who encountered this radiance and beheld those auspicious signs brought forth the aspiration for Unequalled, Unsurpassed Perfect Enlightenment. When the great assembly witnessed the Buddha’s inconceivable spiritual power, they all praised it as unprecedented and said to one another:

“Today the Tathagata has entered right samadhi and emitted a great, brilliant radiance that illuminates all the worlds of the ten directions, enabling us to behold the inconceivable deeds by which the Tathagata, in the distant past, subdued beings of wrong views in the evil and defiled age, causing them to develop right understanding and resolutely advance toward the path of bodhi. The Tathagata is exceedingly rare; he is truly the Father of all the worlds and is difficult to encounter even in immeasurable kalpas.

Because we cultivated practices and vows over many kalpas, we have now been able to meet the Great Teacher of devas and humans throughout the three realms. We reverently beseech the Compassionate Honored One to take pity upon the world, arise from meditation, expound the profound Dharma, and instruct sentient beings so that they may attain benefit, peace, and joy!” Having spoken these words, all the beings stood silently, gazing reverently upon the countenance of the Compassionate Honored One.

At that time, within the Dharma assembly was a bodhisattva named Lion’s Roar. For three incalculable kalpas, this bodhisattva had cultivated merit and wisdom. During this Bhadrakalpa, he would attain Buddhahood, receive the consecration, and become a Great Dharma King. The bodhisattva looked in the four directions at the great assembly gathered like an ocean and proclaimed in a mighty voice:

“In the immeasurable kalpas of the distant past, I brought forth the aspiration for unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, served Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, and attended foremost assemblies at their places of enlightenment, where I beheld the Buddhas’ inconceivable manifestations and transformations of supernormal power. Yet never before have I seen this golden radiance, which clearly reveals all the practices and vows of bodhisattvas, manifests every characteristic of the Tathagatas, and enables me to behold inconceivable events throughout the three periods of time.

I therefore beseech you, worthy ones, to single-mindedly join your palms and gaze reverently upon the Honored One’s countenance. When he arises from meditation, he will bestow the medicine of amrta upon sentient beings, dispel the afflictions of feverish torment, and enable them to realize the Dharma body of permanence, bliss, self, and purity. The Tathagatas possess two qualities on account of which they do not remain long in right samadhi: the first is Great Loving-kindness, and the second is Great Compassion.

Relying upon Great Loving-kindness, they must bring peace and happiness to sentient beings; relying upon Great Compassion, they must completely uproot all suffering from sentient beings. Through these two qualities, they diligently cultivated over incalculable kalpas, suffusing and refining their minds until they attained perfect enlightenment. Because beings in the world endure abundant suffering and affliction, the Tathagata will soon arise from right samadhi and, for the sake of sentient beings, expound the wondrous Dharma of the Mahayana method of contemplating the mind-ground.

I reverently proclaim to this great assembly: ‘You should not seek the meritorious pleasures of devas and humans, but should directly seek the transcendental fruition of unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. Why is this so? Today the Blessed One has emitted golden radiance from his breast, and wherever it shines, everything becomes golden.

This manifestation by the Buddha possesses extremely profound significance, which all the sravakas and pratyekabuddhas in the world could not comprehend even if they exhausted their powers of thought and calculation. You still remain on the stage of ordinary beings and do not contemplate your own minds; therefore, you must drift helplessly through the ocean of birth and death! Because the Buddhas and bodhisattvas contemplate the mind, they cross beyond the ocean of birth and death and reach the shore of nirvana.

The Dharma of the Tathagatas throughout the three periods of time is always thus; when they emit such brilliant radiance, it is never without cause and conditions!’” When the entire assembly heard the Great Being speak in this way, their hearts were filled with joy and delight, and they regarded the occasion as unprecedented.

At that time, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Lion’s Roar, wishing to emphasize this meaning once more, spoke the following verses:

Homage to the Greatly Awakened Honored One of Devas and Humans,

Whose merit and wisdom, vast as Ganges sands, are wholly perfected.

Sentient beings who behold him give rise to loving reverence;

His form of golden radiance is adorned with a hundred blessings.

His honored station surpasses the three realms;

His supreme merit is beyond compare.

With sovereign spiritual power pervading everywhere,

He appears before beings according to the karma they have created.

With the divine eye, I contemplate the world;

Among all beings, none can equal the Buddha.

His golden countenance now appears like the full moon,

Rarer still than the udumbara flower.

With boundless merit and wisdom, he benefits all beings;

His great radiance shines like a thousand suns.

Sentient beings, deluded and suffering for many kalpas,

Are freed from all affliction when illuminated by this radiance.

I contemplate the Tathagata’s former practices and vows:

He drew near and made offerings to innumerable Buddhas.

Throughout incalculable, immeasurable kalpas,

For sentient beings’ sake, he advanced toward bodhi.

Ever amid the ocean of suffering, birth, and death,

He served as the great navigator, rescuing every kind of being.

He proclaimed the true, pure Dharma, the amrta,

Causing them to enter the gate of unconditioned liberation.

For three incalculable kalpas, he liberated sentient beings,

Diligently cultivating eighty thousand paramitas.

When causes were perfected and fruition fulfilled, he attained perfect enlightenment,

Abiding peacefully in his lifespan, neither departing nor returning.

Each one of his excellent marks pervades the dharmadhatu;

The marks of the Buddhas of the ten directions are all likewise.

Their profound realm is difficult to conceive;

No deva or human can fathom it.

The essence and function of all Buddhas do not differ,

Like a thousand lamps whose combined illumination grows ever brighter.

Their wisdom is like space, without limit or boundary;

Responding to beings, they manifest forms like the moon reflected in water.

The boundless dharmadhatu is eternally quiescent,

Unmoving in suchness, like empty space.

The Tathagata’s pure and wondrous Dharma body

Naturally possesses virtues as numerous as Ganges sands.

It pervades the entire dharmadhatu without end,

Neither arising nor ceasing, neither departing nor returning;

The Dharma King eternally abides in the Palace of Wondrous Dharma.

The light of the Dharma-body shines universally.

The Tathagata’s Dharma-nature is unobstructed;

According with conditions, he responds everywhere, benefiting all beings.

All beings behold him directly before them,

As he proclaims for each the Dharma of ambrosia.

According to their minds, they strive to extinguish all afflictions;

All sufferings of gods and humans are wholly cast away.

The wondrous Dharma King shatters birth and death;

His radiance shines forth like a golden mountain.

To deliver beings from the mundane world,

He kindles the Dharma torch and dispels the darkness.

Beings are submerged in the ocean of birth and death,

Circling through the five destinies with no prospect of escape.

The Sugata ever serves as the wondrous Dharma vessel,

Halting the current of craving and reaching the shore of awakening.

His great wisdom and skillful means are beyond measure;

He constantly bestows boundless joy upon beings.

He is the benevolent father of the world,

Compassionately regarding every sentient being.

A Tathagata’s appearance in the world is exceedingly difficult to encounter;

He manifests but once in countless koṭis of kalpas.

Like the udumbara blossom, an omen of wondrous auspiciousness,

A flower rarely seen among humans and gods,

Which appears but once in immeasurable kalpas—

So too is beholding a Buddha appear in the world.

Those beings, lacking merit and wisdom,

Are ever submerged in the ocean of birth and death.

For koṭis of kalpas they behold no Tathagatas,

And, following their evil karma, continually undergo suffering.

For countless hundreds of thousands of kalpas,

We cultivated the four immeasurables and the three liberations.

Now we behold the Great Sage, the Venerable Muni,

As a blind turtle encounters a floating log.

We pray that throughout kalpas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges,

Thought after thought, we shall never leave the Teacher of Gods and Humans;

As a shadow follows its form, never parting from it,

Day and night we shall diligently cultivate toward omniscience.

We reverently beseech the Blessed One to have compassion upon us

And always allow us to behold the Great Compassionate Venerable One.

With the three karmas vigorous, we shall constantly uphold and serve him,

Vowing to attain perfect awakening together with all beings.

Now the Great Guide of the three realms,

Seated cross-legged upon his throne, enters right samadhi.

Alone and tranquil in the abode of empty quiescence,

His body and mind remain unmoving like Mount Sumeru.

All Brahmas, gods, and maras throughout the world

Cannot clearly fathom the Tathagata’s samadhi.

Ordinary beings and sages in this realm and other regions

All know that the Tamer abides in meditation.

They arrange abundant offerings of utmost subtlety

And reverently present them to the Supreme Victor, the Able Sage.

The gods of the Desire Realm also make offerings;

Celestial flowers fall in profusion throughout empty space.

Priceless incense, produced through the ten wholesome deeds,

Transforms into clouds of incense in a hundred precious hues,

Canopying immeasurable assemblies of gods and humans,

While intermingled showers of wondrous jewels are offered to the Tathagata.

Fragrant vapors waft before the Three Jewels;

Hundreds of thousands of musical instruments resound through space.

Unplayed, they sound of themselves, forming wondrous melodies,

Offered to the Blessed One, perfect in merit and wisdom.

The eighteen Brahma realms scatter celestial flowers

And pour down countless thousands of varieties of jewels.

Maṇi necklaces from the realm of Brahma

And every treasure adorn celestial garments.

Bright, magnificent banners fashioned from precious substances

Are brought as offerings to the Venerable Muni.

The heavens of the Formless Realm scatter precious flowers,

Each flower as broad as a chariot wheel.

They scatter subtle fragrances throughout the worlds,

Making offerings to the inconceivable right samadhi.

Dragon kings, asuras, humans, and nonhumans,

Moved by reverence, present a wealth of precious jewels.

They offer them all to the God among Gods,

Delighting in hearing the supreme path of bodhi.

Then the Blessed One, the Great King of Physicians,

Who skillfully cures the world’s suffering of afflictions,

Through the power of the Lion’s Exertion Samadhi,

Causes the six kinds of tremors throughout the trichiliocosm.

Thereby he awakens those who possess the proper affinities;

Those within it who lack affinities can scarcely perceive them.

Gods and humans who are difficult to deliver,

On beholding the Buddha’s spiritual powers

And gazing reverently upon the radiant countenance of the Venerable Muni,

Purify their three karmas and assemble together.

The Tathagata’s compassionate mind has severed attachment to conditions;

By benefiting beings, he perfects supreme virtue.

From his chest he emits this great radiance,

Known as “All Bodhisattvas Who Never Retrogress.”

As when, at a kalpa’s end, seven suns

Appear and emit a thousand dazzling rays,

All the light that exists in the world

Cannot equal a single ray from one of the Buddha’s pores.

Immeasurable, great, wondrous, unobstructed light

Illuminates all Buddha lands throughout the ten directions.

The Tathagata’s merit and wisdom are both perfected;

The spiritual radiance he emits is likewise beyond measure.

The brilliant aureole, like the color of gold,

Illuminates the many lands throughout the ten directions.

Reflected within the Buddha’s golden radiance,

All forms and appearances in the world are clearly seen:

Within this trichiliocosm

Are all the kings of mountains—

The wondrously lofty mountain formed from four treasures,

The Snow Mountain, Fragrant Mountain, and Seven Golden Mountains,

Mount Mucilinda and Mount Meru,

The Great Iron Encircling Mountain and the lesser mountains;

The oceans, rivers, streams, and bathing pools;

Countless hundreds of koṭis of four great continents;

The jeweled palaces of the sun, moon, and stars;

Celestial palaces, dragon palaces, and the palaces of spirits;

Countries, cities, royal palaces, and villages—

All are thus revealed within the aureole.

It also reveals the Tathagata’s former causes:

How he accumulated merit and virtue while seeking the Buddha path.

In the past, the Tathagata dwelt in the land of Śibi,

Where he served as a human king upon the honored throne.

Precious jewels filled the entire realm,

And he constantly awakened and transformed the world through the true Dharma.

Never wearying in loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity,

He relinquished what was difficult to relinquish and advanced toward bodhisattvahood.

He cut his flesh to save a dove, without the slightest regret;

With profound compassion, he rescued sentient beings.

Long ago, while the Buddha was still an ordinary being,

He entered the Snow Mountains to seek the Buddha path.

Gathering his mind, courageous and diligent,

He relinquished his entire body to obtain half a verse.

Through the causes and conditions of seeking the true Dharma,

He transcended twelve kalpas of birth and death.

In the past, he was the ascetic youth Sumati,

Who spread his hair as an offering to Dīpaṃkara Buddha.

Through those causes and conditions of diligent effort,

He crossed beyond eight kalpas in the ocean of birth and death.

Long ago, he was Prince Sattva,

Who relinquished his cherished body by casting it before a tigress.

Through these causes and conditions of benefiting others and himself,

He transcended eleven kalpas of birth and death.

As the elder Jalavāhana, the Great King of Physicians,

He impartially rescued and aided multitudes of beings.

The fish he saved were all reborn in the heavens,

And celestial necklaces rained down in return for his kindness.

For seven days he stood on tiptoe praising the Tathagata;

Through such diligence, he transcended nine kalpas.

In the past, he was a white elephant with six tusks,

Whose wondrously beautiful tusks were beyond compare.

He relinquished his own body and life to the hunter,

Seeking the Buddha’s unsurpassed bodhi.

At another time, he was the King Perfect in Merit and Wisdom,

Who gave away his eyes and diligently sought the Buddha path.

He was also the great golden-colored deer king,

Who relinquished his body and diligently sought the Buddha path.

As King Maitrībala of the land of Kāśī,

He gave his entire body to five yakṣas.

He was also the king Adornment of a great kingdom,

Who gave away his wife and children without regret or stinginess.

At another time, as the Bodhisattva Supreme Body,

He gave his head, eyes, hands, and brain to sentient beings.

The compassionate Bodhisattva acted in these ways,

Always vowing to realize the path of bodhi.

In the past, the Buddha was once a wheel-turning king;

Precious jewels filled all four continents.

Possessing a thousand sons and a full retinue,

For hundreds of thousands of kalpas he taught people the ten wholesome deeds.

His kingdom was peaceful and secure like a celestial palace,

And its five kinds of happiness were enjoyed without end.

When that wheel-turning king understood that his own body

And the entire world were impermanent,

He reflected: The gods of the No-Perception Heaven live for eighty thousand years,

Yet when their merit is exhausted, they return to the evil destinies.

All is like a dream, an illusion, foam, or a shadow,

Like morning dew or a flash of lightning.

He clearly perceived the three realms as a burning house,

Filled with the eight sufferings, from which escape is difficult.

Before attaining liberation and ascending the shore of awakening,

What person of resolve could delight in samsara?

Only the Tathagata’s supramundane body

Is unborn, undying, eternally peaceful and blissful.

All those difficult bodhisattva practices

Appear within the golden radiance.

Within this radiance appear eight stupas,

The excellent fields of merit for sentient beings:

The stupa at King Śuddhodana’s palace commemorates his birthplace;

The stupa beneath the bodhi tree marks his attainment of Buddhahood;

The stupa in the Deer Park marks the turning of the Dharma wheel;

The stupa in Anāthapiṇḍada’s Grove commemorates his renowned teaching;

The jeweled stupa beside the city of Kānyakubja;

The stupa on Vulture Peak, where prajnaparamita was proclaimed;

The stupa of Vimalakīrti at Āmrapālī’s Grove;

And the stupa among the śāla trees, commemorating his final nirvana.

Thus do these eight stupas commemorate the Buddha;

Gods, dragons, and spirits constantly make offerings to them.

Vajrapāṇi Guhyakādhipati and the Four Heavenly Kings

Guard them day and night, never departing.

If one constructs these eight stupas and makes offerings to them,

In this very life one’s merit and longevity will be prolonged;

One’s wisdom will increase, and all will honor and revere one.

May both worldly and supramundane aspirations be perfectly fulfilled.

If anyone pays homage and contemplates

These eight inconceivable stupas,

The merit of those two persons is entirely equal,

And they shall swiftly realize the path of unsurpassed bodhi.

Those benefits throughout the three times

Are all clearly seen within the radiance.

Bodhisattvas from Buddha realms throughout the ten directions,

All the Divine Immortals endowed with spiritual powers,

And wheel-turning kings from myriad koṭis of realms,

Following this radiance, all assemble like clouds.

They all employ their spiritual powers to make offerings,

Scattering wish-fulfilling jewels before the Compassionate Honored One.

A hundred thousand kinds of celestial music,

Though unplayed, resound with wondrous tones;

Heavenly flowers fall profusely, filling empty space,

And every fragrance pervades the great assembly.

With jeweled banners and countless strands of precious gems,

They come bearing offerings to the Honored One Among Humans.

With wondrous verses they praise the Tathagata:

“Excellent indeed, ever abiding in right samadhi!

You manifest inconceivable great spiritual powers,

Taming sentient beings difficult to transform,

And causing their minds to abide securely without regression.

In the Buddha’s presence, I rejoice wholeheartedly.

I respectfully beseech the Blessed One to emerge from samadhi

And, for all sentient beings, turn the Dharma wheel,

Forever ending every affliction.

Abiding in the non-abiding Great Nirvana,

We whose minds are purified

Have come from myriad koṭis of realms to hear the Dharma.

Through the power of right samadhi, we constantly contemplate with care.

We respectfully offer these humble gifts; may you compassionately accept them!

The giver, the receiver, and the gift

Are unattainable throughout the three times.

We abide in the most excellent mind

And make offerings to all Buddhas throughout the ten directions.

Life after life, may we draw near to the Lord of Great Compassion

And constantly serve the Honored One of Great Loving-Kindness.

With wondrous roots of virtue that are unattainable,

May the perfectly interpenetrating Dharma realm return to true awakening.

Tathagatas of the past entered the samadhi of quiescence,

Manifested great spiritual powers, and turned the Dharma wheel.

The present Buddha, the Blessed One, likewise does so:

Entering samadhi and emitting radiance, just like all Buddhas.

Therefore, we think that the Lion of the Shakyas

Certainly intends to expound the gateway of the mind-ground.

Those who wish to transcend the causes of birth and death

And resolutely attain the true and eternally abiding fruit throughout the three times,

Join your palms and wait single-mindedly;

You shall enter the Tathagata’s palace of bliss.”