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Mahāyāna — Northern Canon · Linh Sơn Vietnamese Mahāyāna Canon

合部金光明經

Chinese title:合部金光明經

📖7,009 words · ~28 min read
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Interpreted by Inti AI (English)
🪷 AI interpretation

COMBINED EDITION OF THE SUTRA OF GOLDEN LIGHT — VOLUME 7

At that time, the Tathagata spoke in verse to the Earth Goddess concerning causes and conditions from the past:

In the past I was onceA holy wheel-turning king.I relinquished the great earthAnd all the great oceans.Moreover, at that time,Throughout the four great continents,All precious things were gatheredAs offerings to the Buddhas.When practicing generosity,I never kept anything in mind,Nor cherished or begrudged it,And withheld nothing.In past lives,Throughout countless kalpas,For the sake of seeking the true Dharma,I often relinquished life and body.Again, in the inconceivable past,After an incalculable number of kalpas,There appeared a Buddha, the Blessed One,Whose name was Jewel Victory.After that Blessed OneEntered nirvana,There was a holy kingWhose name was Good Accumulation.Over the four continentsHe exercised complete sovereignty,Governed the world by the true Dharma,And possessed awe-inspiring powerThroughout all the lands.That king had a cityNamed Venerable Sound of Water.Dwelling within that city,The king rightly taught and transformed.One night, while asleep, he dreamedThat he heard of the Buddha’s virtuesAnd saw a bhiksuNamed Jewel Light,Who skillfully proclaimedThe true Dharma of the Tathagata:The Sutra of Golden Light,Subtle, wondrous, and sublime,Shining like the sunAnd illuminating everywhere.When the wheel-turning kingSaw these things in his dream,He immediately awoke,His body and mind filled with joy.He left the royal palaceAnd went to the Sangha’s dwellings,Reverently making offeringsTo the assembly of noble ones.He asked the venerable monks:“Within this great assembly,Is there a bhiksuNamed Jewel Light,Who has perfectedAll virtues?”At that time, Jewel LightWas dwelling within a cave,Sitting peacefully and unmoving,Contemplating with right mindfulness,Single-mindedly reading and recitingThe Sutra of Golden Light.A bhiksuLed the king nearAnd stood outsideJewel Light’s dwelling.At that time, Jewel LightWas seated within the cave,His countenance fresh and radiant,His majestic virtue blazing brightly.The bhiksu pointed him outAnd said to the king:“This is indeedThe bhiksu Jewel Light.He skillfully receives and upholds,And contemplates the wondrous DharmaTaught by all Buddhas:The Sutra of Golden Light,King of all sutras.”The king thenApproached and paid homageTo the bhiksu Jewel Light,Reverently saying:“Your face is like the full moon,Your majestic virtue shines brilliantly.I humbly beseech you, for my sake,To expound and proclaim extensivelyThe Sutra of Golden Light,King of all sutras.”The bhiksu Jewel LightAccepted the king’s requestAnd promised to expoundThe Sutra of Golden Light.The devas throughout the trichiliocosm,Knowing that the Dharma would be taught,All rejoiced.Precious treasuresWere scattered over the ground;Pure and wondrousWater of the finest fragranceWas brought forth and sprinkled,And fragrant flowers were strewnThroughout that entire place.The king himselfPrepared the Dharma throne,Hung banners and canopies,And adorned it with precious things.All kinds of exquisiteAnd deeply fragrant incenseWere scatteredOver the great Dharma throne.All the devas,Dragons, spirits,Mahoragas,Kinnaras, and othersAt once sent down a rain of flowers.From the heavens there descendedMandarava flowers,Filling all the Dharma seatsIn an inconceivable manner.From hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotisOf nayutas of worlds,Innumerable devasImmediately gatheredAt the place where the Dharma would be taught.Then Jewel LightEmerged from the cave.The hosts of devasScattered sala flowersAs offeringsTo the bhiksu Jewel Light.At that time, Jewel LightBathed his body,Put on clean robes,And went to the Dharma throne.All the heavenly kingsAnd assemblies of devasRained down mandarava flowers,Great mandarava flowers,Maha-manjusa flowers,And wondrous jeweled flowers.Innumerable hundreds of thousandsOf musical instrumentsResounded by themselvesIn midair without being played.The bhiksu Jewel Light,Skilled in teaching the Dharma,Ascended the Dharma throneAnd sat in the full lotus posture.Within his mind he recollectedInnumerable myriads of kotisOf inconceivableBuddhas, the Blessed Ones,Throughout the ten directions,And for the sake of sentient beingsGave rise to great compassion.Within the realmOf King Good Accumulation,He obtained a wish-fulfilling jewelThat shone everywhereFor an entire day and night.That Dharma teacherThen proclaimed and expoundedFor the king,Praising the virtuesOf the wondrous scripture.At that time, the great king,Wishing to hear the Dharma,Stood with palms joinedBefore the bhiksu.On hearing the true Dharma,The king praised, “Excellent!”A heart of deep feeling arose in him,And tears streamed down his face.He was also filled with great joy,His mind becoming light and serene.Wishing to make offeringsTo this precious scripture,The king immediately presentedThe wish-fulfilling jewelAnd, for the sake of sentient beings,Made this great vow:“May, from this day onward,Throughout Jambudvipa,There rain down immeasurableRare and wondrous treasures:Seven-jeweled pearls,And jeweled necklaces.Through these causes and conditions,May all immeasurableSentient beingsAttain happiness.”At that very moment,The heavens rained down the seven treasures,All kinds of ornaments,Jeweled crowns and pearls,And jeweled necklaces.They fully adornedThe Dharma throneAnd filledThe four great continents.King Good AccumulationMade offerings to the Three JewelsOf immeasurable sevenfold treasuresThat filled the four great continents,Acting in accordance with the teaching.Within the residual DharmaOf the Buddha Jewel Victory,The bhiksu who thenTaught the Dharma to the kingIs now the Buddha Aksobhya;And King Good Accumulation,Who received the Dharma,Is now my present body,Sakyamuni Buddha.At that time I gavePrecious treasures throughoutThe four continents of this great earthIn order to hearThis Sutra of Golden Light.After hearing this sutra,I praised it but once.Through this root of goodnessAnd these causes and conditions,I obtained a golden-colored bodyAdorned with the hundred merits.I constantly enabled immeasurableHundreds of thousands of myriads of kotisOf various sentient beingsTo behold joyful things.Even after attaining such things,My heart never wearied of them.For ninety-nineKotis of thousands of kalpas in the past,I was continually born asA holy wheel-turning king.Moreover, throughout immeasurableHundreds of thousands of kalpas,I was continually born as kingOf lesser realms.Throughout an inconceivableNumber of kalpas, I was oftenA king in the heavenly realmsAnd King Suddhodana.I was also able to encounterBuddhas, the Blessed Ones,Complete in the ten powers of wisdom,Whose number was immeasurableAnd impossible to recount.I attained virtuesImmeasurable and boundless,All because I heard this sutraAnd praised it, saying, “Excellent!”As I had vowed,I accomplished bodhiAnd attained the true Dharma body,Which I now possess.

– Translated from Sanskrit into Chinese in the Northern Liang by the Tripitaka Dharma Master Dharmaksema.

The Buddha said to the Goddess of Merit:

“If any good man or good woman makes complete offerings of immeasurable kinds of wondrous incense to all Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, of the three periods—past, present, and future—and wishes to know the wondrous practices of the Buddhas who appear in the world, that person must sincerely go wherever this sutra is being propagated, whether in a village, a dwelling, or an open place, and with single-minded right mindfulness listen wholeheartedly to this wondrous sutra.”

Then the Blessed One, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke this verse:

If one wishes to make offeringsTo all BuddhasOf the three periods,And wishes to know the practicesOf the Buddhas of the three periods,One must go to those places—Villages, dwellings,Or wherever this sutra is taught—And reverently listenTo this wondrous sutra.Its merit is exceedingly great,Immeasurable and boundless,Inconceivable.It can enable allSentient beings to escapeImmeasurable sufferingIn the great ocean of the three realms.This sutra is profound and vast;It accords with ultimate truthThroughout the three periods—Past, present, and future.Its meaning cannot be fully expressed,Nor can analogies encompass it.Even if one tookAll the countless sands of the Ganges,The minute dust particles of the earth,The water in the great oceans,And all the mountains—Things such as theseCould not serve as adequate comparisons.One who hears this sutraImmediately enters the Dharma-nature,Profoundly penetrates the Dharma-nature,And abides within it.Within this verySutra of Golden Light,That person beholds me,Sakyamuni.For inconceivableAsamkhyeya kalpas,Born among devas and humans,That person will always enjoy happiness,All because of faithful understanding,Hearing, and receiving this sutra.Its immeasurable meritIs inconceivable.Having accumulatedSuch blessings and virtue,Wherever that person goes,Even if for a hundred yojanasThe way is filled with raging fire,That person will stillEscape from its midst.Whether going to a village,An aranya,Or a Dharma assembly,One should sincerely hear the sutra.After hearing this sutra,All evil dreams will cease;The five kinds of inauspicious stars,Strange calamities,And every evil occurrenceWill be completely eliminated.Upon a lotus throneAt the place where Dharma is taught,This sutra is expounded,Copied, read, and recited.After the Dharma teacherDescends from the Dharma throne,The great assemblyWill still behold upon the throneA Dharma teacher,Or the Buddha, the Blessed One,Or an image of a bodhisattva—The bodhisattva Samantabhadra,Manjusri,The great being Maitreya,Or other sacred images.After the assembly beholdsSuch manifestations,They will immediately disappear,And the Dharma throne will returnTo its former state, unchanged.Having accomplishedSuch merit,That person will bePraised and commended by all Buddhas.Their majestic appearanceWill be immeasurable and boundless,And they will gain renown.Hostile bandits will retreat,And invaders from other regionsWill all be defeated and flee.Their strength will be mighty,Able to crush opposing forces.Inauspicious dreamsAnd immeasurable evil karma—All such evil thingsWill be completely eradicated.If they enter into battle,They will always surpass others;Their fame will resoundThroughout Jambudvipa.They will also subdueAll hostile adversaries,Depart from evil deeds,And cultivate wholesome conduct.Upon entering battle they will prevail,And their minds will always be joyful.The Great Brahma Heavenly King,The devas of the Thirty-three,The Four World-Protecting Kings,Vajrapani the Lord of Mysteries,The kings of spirits,General Samjna,Chan-la Ying-er,And the kinnaras;The Dragon King Anavatapta,King Sagara,The king of the asuras,The king of the garudas,The Goddess of Great Eloquence,The Great Goddess of Merit,All their chiefs,And all benevolent deitiesWill constantly make offeringsTo the person who hears this Dharma,Regarding that person asAn inconceivable “Dharma Stupa.”When sentient beings behold them,They will be reverent and joyful.All the heavenly kingsWill reflectAnd say to one another:“These sentient beingsHave immeasurable majestic virtueAnd have accomplished all virtues.”If one can goTo that Dharma assembly,One who acts in this wayWill obtain superior roots of goodness.Having heardThis wondrous sutra,One should adorn oneselfAnd go to the Dharma assembly,Giving rise to joyAnd immeasurable faith,Reverently making offerings toThe unsurpassed “Dharma Stupa.”That mind of great compassionBenefits sentient beings,Makes the treasure of the true Dharma flourish,And enables them to enter deeplyInto the unsurpassed Dharma-nature.Through a purified mind,One hears and receives this sutra.Such a personHas thereby made offeringsTo immeasurable hundreds of thousandsOf Buddhas of the past.Because they possess immeasurableCauses, conditions, and roots of goodness,They should receive and upholdThe Sutra of Golden Light.Such sentient beingsWill always be protectedBy immeasurable benevolent kings and deities.The Goddesses of Great Eloquence and Merit,The Four World-Protecting Kings,Immeasurable spirits,And mighty guardiansWill wholeheartedly, day and night,Protect them in the four directions.They will suffer no calamityAnd will remain far from suffering.Sakra, Lord of the Devas,The gods of the sun and moon,King Yama,The deities of rain and wind,The deity Mita,The deity Visnu,The Goddess of Great Eloquence,And Isvara;All the fire deities,Possessing mighty power,Will constantly protect peopleAnd never leave them day or night.The Great Powerful Spirit King,The deity Narayana,Mahesvara,The twenty-eight classes,And all spirits,Led by General Samjna;Hundreds of thousands of spirits,Perfect in vital power,Will protect those who hear the sutraAnd cause them to be fearless.Vajrapani, Lord of Mysteries,The great king of spirits,Together with his retinueOf five hundred attendants—All of whom areGreat bodhisattvas—Will also protectThose who hear this sutra.Manibhadra,The great king of spirits,Purnabhadra,And Kumbhira;Alavaka,Pindolaka,The great deity Huang-tan—Each of these deitiesHas five hundredSpirit attendantsAnd will also protectThose who hear this sutra.The asura kingCittasena;The gandharvaNararaja;Kinasabha,Manigandha,And Nigandha;The great deity of rain,The great deity of food,Together with the golden-haired deity;Mahagata,The spirit Panki,And Pancika;Sabhanava,Possessing exceedingly great majestic virtue;The deity Panali,Dharmapala,Mahesvara,The sharp-haired spirit,Surimitta,Ratnacina,Mahapama,And Kundaya;Kemasati,And also the great deityKilamiti;Hemabhadra,Satagirika—Deities such as theseAll possess immeasurableSpiritual powers and great strength,And will constantly protectThose who hear this sutra.For this wondrous sutra,King Anavatapta,King Paggala,King Mucilinda,King Elapatra,The Dragon King Nanda,King Upananda,And all theHundreds of thousands of dragon kingsWill use their great spiritual powersTo come constantly and protectThose who hear this sutra,Never leaving them day or night.The asura kingsBali and Rahu,Vemacitra,And the deity Muci;The sons of Samvari,The sons of Prahlada,Kharaskandha,And the deity Gandha—All these areKings of the asuras,Possessing great spiritual powers.They will constantly come to protectThose who hear this sutra,Never leaving them day or night.Hariti,The Mother of Spirits, and her children,Together with five hundred deities,Will constantly come to protectThose who hear this sutra,Whether they are awake or asleep.The spirits DandaAnd Dandali;The great female spirit,The spirit Kula,And Kuladanti,Who consume human vitality—Deities such as theseAre all mightyAnd will diligently protectThose who uphold this sutra.Throughout the realms of the ten directions,The Goddess of Great Eloquence,Immeasurable heavenly maidens,And the Goddess of Merit,Together with all their retinues;The steadfast Earth Goddess,The great deities of flowers and fruits,And the deities of gardens and crops—All such deitiesWill give rise to joyAnd come to protect,Cherish, and remain nearThose who uphold this sutra.They will cause sentient beingsTo have long lives and strength,And always be adornedWith majestic virtue and beauty.The five kinds of inauspicious stars,Unusual portents,And demons and spirits that harm peopleWill all be eliminated.Evil dreams at nightAnd worries by day—All such evil thingsWill completely cease.The Great Powerful Earth Goddess,Possessing tremendous strength,Through the power of this sutraWill transform the flavor of the earth.From the surface of the great earthDown to the vajra realm,For a depth of one hundred sixty-eight thousandYojanas,There is nowhere within itThat these essences are absent.They will all flow forthAnd nourish sentient beings.Through the power of this sutra,The earth’s essenceWill rise and bring benefitTo a depth of one hundred yojanas.It will also enable the devasTo attain great vigor,Perfect spiritual power,Joy, and peace.Within Jambudvipa,All the deitiesWill give rise to joyAnd boundless delight.Through the power of this sutra,The devas will rejoice;Grain, maize, trees, and fruitsWill all be abundant.The trees in the gardensWill flower and bear fruit,Fragrant and delicious,Entirely complete and lacking nothing.Great trees and lovely grassesWill live long and flourish;Their flavors will be delicate,And they will neither wither nor break.Within Jambudvipa,All the deitiesWill give rise to joy.All the dragon maidens,Immeasurable in numberAnd inconceivable,Will give rise to happinessAnd boundless delight.Everywhere there will beLotus ponds adorned,And within those lotus pondsThere will be many flowers:Utpala flowers,Padma flowers,Kumuda flowers,And Pundarika flowers.From within their palaces,All mist and fog will vanish.In the expanse of spaceThere will be no dust or impurity.Every direction will be clear,Brilliant, pure, and serene.The sun will shine forthWith a thousand rays,Joyful and radiant,Illuminating dark places.Within a palaceMade of Jambunada goldDwells oneOf immeasurable majestic virtue:The divine prince of the sun,And the divine prince of the moon.After hearing this sutra,Their vital powers will be complete.When the divine prince of the sunDeparts from Jambudvipa,His mind will give rise to joy,And he will emit immeasurableKinds of lightThroughout every direction.While emittingThese great rays of light,He will reveal all kinds ofBeautiful lotus ponds.Immeasurable trees and fruitsThroughout JambudvipaWill ripen in their proper seasons,Causing allSentient beings to be well nourished.At that time, the sun and moonWill shine with surpassing brilliance;The stars will rise and setWithout departing from their proper courses.Rain and wind will come in due season;The realm will be prosperous and strong,Possessing many treasuresAnd lacking nothing.Wherever thisExceedingly wondrous Sutra of Golden LightIs propagated,Expounded, read, or recited,That realmWill immediately receiveThe immeasurable benefits and meritsDescribed above.

– Translated from Sanskrit into Chinese in the Northern Liang by the Tripitaka Dharma Master Dharmaksema.

At that time, the Tathagata wished to bestow predictions upon the bodhisattva Faithful Appearance and his two sons, Silver Appearance and Silver Light, that in the future they would attain unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment. Then ten thousand divine princes, led by the Blazing King of Majestic Virtue, came from the Trayastrimsa Heaven to where the Buddha was. They bowed their heads at the Buddha’s feet and withdrew to sit to one side. The Buddha then bestowed this prediction upon the bodhisattva Faithful Appearance:

“In a future life, after immeasurable hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of incalculable nayutas of kalpas, your majestic virtue will illuminate worlds everywhere, and you will attain unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment. You will be called Tathagata King of the Mountain of the Golden Jeweled Canopy, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Persons, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Blessed One.

After that Buddha enters nirvana, and both the true Dharma and the semblance Dharma have entirely disappeared, the elder son, Silver Appearance, will be reborn in that realm and succeed him as the next Buddha. The world will then be renamed Pure Banner, and that Buddha will be called Tathagata Jambunada Golden Banner Radiant Illumination, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Persons, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Blessed One.

After that Buddha enters nirvana, and the true Dharma and semblance Dharma have entirely disappeared, the younger son, Silver Light, will be reborn in that realm and succeed him as the next Buddha. The world will remain as before, and that Buddha will be called Tathagata Golden Light Radiant Illumination, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Persons, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Blessed One.”

At that time, the ten thousand divine princes heard the Buddha bestow predictions upon the three great beings and also heard the Sutra of Golden Light. Having heard it, they gave rise to joy and profound reverence. Their minds were stainless, like vaidurya jewels; pure and unobstructed, like empty space. The Tathagata knew that the roots of goodness of these ten thousand divine princes had matured, and he immediately bestowed upon them predictions of bodhi:

“O divine princes! In future lives, after asamkhyeyas of hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of nayutas of kalpas, you will attain unsurpassed bodhi within this world. You will all belong to one household and one clan, and will share the name Tathagata Blue-Eyed Utpala Flower Fragrance Mountain, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Persons, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Blessed One. In this way, ten thousand Buddhas will successively appear in the world.”

At that time, the goddess of the bodhi tree at the place of enlightenment, named Equal Increase, addressed the Buddha:

“Revered Blessed One! These ten thousand divine princes came here from the Trayastrimsa Heaven because they wished to hear the true Dharma. Why did the Tathagata immediately bestow predictions upon them?

Revered Blessed One! I have never heard that these divine princes fully practiced the six paramitas. Nor have I ever heard that they relinquished their heads, faces, hands, feet, marrow, brains, beloved wives and children, wealth, grain, gold, silver, vaidurya, mother-of-pearl, agate, pearls, coral, all kinds of precious gems and jade, clothing, bedding, food, drink, medicines, elephants, horses, vehicles, palaces, houses, gardens, groves, ponds, streams, servants, and so forth.

Other immeasurable hundreds of thousands of bodhisattvas used all the necessities of their own lives to make reverent and complete offerings to immeasurable hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of nayutas of Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, in past ages. In subsequent lives, those bodhisattvas likewise relinquished immeasurable cherished things, such as their heads, faces, marrow, brains, wives and children, wealth, grain, and even servants.

Having perfected the paramitas, they diligently practiced austerities, and only after immeasurable and boundless numbers of kalpas did they receive predictions of bodhi.

“Revered Blessed One! Through what causes and conditions, and through practicing what Dharma, have these divine princes attained the supreme fruit of bodhi? They descended from the heavenly realm, listened to the Dharma here for only a brief moment, and immediately received predictions. I beseech the Blessed One, out of compassion, to explain this to me and dispel all my doubts.”

The Buddha then said to the tree goddess:

“O virtuous heavenly goddess! Those ten thousand divine princes received predictions because they all possessed roots of goodness arising from mutually dependent causes and conditions in their cultivation. Why is this so? Those divine princes abandoned the pleasures of the five desires in their own abodes and came here to hear this Sutra of Golden Light. Having heard this sutra, their minds became pure. Because they aspired to the fruit of bodhi, they practiced in accordance with the Dharma. They also heard of the practices of the three great bodhisattvas who separately received predictions from the Buddha. Moreover, because of the causes and conditions of vows they made in the distant past, they will later attain unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment.”

– Translated from Sanskrit into Chinese in the Northern Liang by the Tripitaka Dharma Master Dharmaksema.

The Buddha said to the virtuous heavenly goddess who was the bodhi tree deity at the place of enlightenment:

“Listen well, listen well, and remember carefully! I shall extensively explain to you the causes and conditions of vows made in the past.

“In the past, immeasurable, boundless, and countless asamkhyeya kalpas ago, a Buddha appeared in the world named Tathagata Jewel Victory, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Persons, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Blessed One.

“O virtuous heavenly goddess! After that Buddha entered nirvana and the true Dharma had entirely disappeared, during the age of the semblance Dharma there was a king named Heavenly Sovereign Light. He practiced in accordance with the true Dharma and governed the world by the true Dharma. The people lived in harmony and cared for their parents with filial devotion. In that realm there was an elder named Water-Bearer, who was skilled in medicine, able to cure suffering caused by illness, knowledgeable in many methods, and adept at discerning the increase and decrease of the four great elements.

“O virtuous heavenly goddess! At that time, in the household of the elder Water-Bearer was a son named Water-Flow. He possessed the finest handsome and dignified appearance, was complete in majestic virtue, intelligent and wise, thoroughly understood all treatises and skills, and was proficient in every kind of calculation.

At that time, the people of the realm were all afflicted by a plague that gravely endangered their lives. When the elder’s son Water-Flow saw the people suffering from such illnesses, compassion and pity for sentient beings arose in him, and he thought: ‘These sentient beings suffer from illnesses that are difficult to cure. They are truly worthy of compassion.

I should now go to my father and ask him for methods to cure their illnesses, for my father is highly skilled in medical methods. He understands the increase and decrease of the four great elements and can help harmonize the four elements within sentient beings, swiftly eliminating all their illnesses. But my father is already advanced in age, his strength has declined, his steps are slow, and it is extremely difficult for him to go back and forth.

Therefore, he cannot enter the villages to aid those sentient beings. In those villages are sentient beings afflicted by severe illnesses that are difficult to cure. I must quickly see my father and ask him for methods of treatment.

Once I know those methods, I shall go into the villages and help sentient beings escape the suffering of illness.’

“Having reflected in this way, the elder’s son Water-Flow went to his father, knelt with palms joined, bowed his head in homage, and then stood respectfully beside him. He asked his father in verse about the increase and decrease of the four great elements:

Revered father,How may one knowWhen the four great elements and facultiesAlternately increase or decrease,And thereby give rise to illness?How may one knowThe proper seasons for food and drink,So that after eating,The body’s warmthWill not be lost?How may one recognizeIllnesses of wind and heat,Fluid in the lungs,And other diseases?In which season does wind illness arise?In which season does heat illness arise?In which season does cold illnessHarm sentient beings?
Then the elderSpoke in verse,Revealing methods of treatmentIn reply to his son:
Three months of summer,Three months of autumn,Three months of winter,And three months of springMake twelve months,Each season having three.Thus, by this reckoning,One year has four seasons.If two months are taken together,There are six periods in all.Formerly three months were used;Now two months are used.According to the season,Food, drink, sleep, and restMaintain the body’s health—So have physicians taught.Throughout the seasons of each year,The faculties and four great elementsMutually increase and decrease.If the body falls illAnd there is a skilled physician,In accordance with the four seasons,One should nurture it for three months,Harmonizing the six elements,Taking food and drink according to the illness,And administering medicine.Those with excessive windSuffer severely in summer.Those afflicted by heatSuffer acutely in autumn.Those afflicted by bothAre stirred in winter.Those with lung illnessGrow worse in spring.Those with wind illnessShould take in summerFatty, salty, and sour substances,And consume warming foods.Those afflicted by heatShould take in autumnCooling and sweet substances.Those afflicted by bothShould take in winterSweet, sour, and fatty substances.Those with lung illnessShould take in springFatty, pungent, and warming substances.Immediately after eating one’s fill,Lung illness arises.When the food has been digested,Heat illness arises.After digestion is complete,Wind illness arises.Thus do the four great elementsProduce illness according to the season.When wind illness causes depletion,It should be replenished with milk products.For heat illness one should takeHaritaki fruit.When afflicted by both,One should takeThree excellent medicines:Sweet and pungent flavors,And fatty substances.For lung illness one should actAccording to the physician’s directions.If all three occur—Heat, wind, and lung illness—And disease arises out of season,One should seek a skilled physicianAble to cure the illnessWith proper food, drink, and medicine.

“O virtuous heavenly goddess! At that time, the elder’s son Water-Flow questioned his father and learned about the increase and decrease of the four great elements. Through this he came to understand all methods of medicine for treating sentient beings. Having learned these remedies, the elder’s son Water-Flow went throughout the villages. Wherever there were sentient beings suffering from illness, he comforted them and proclaimed: ‘I am a physician; I am a healer. I know excellent remedies and shall give you medicine to remove your illnesses.’

“O virtuous heavenly goddess! When the sentient beings heard the elder’s son Water-Flow promise to cure all their illnesses, their hearts gave rise to boundless happiness and joy. At that time, some sentient beings were gravely ill. Upon hearing his words, they became so joyful that the ailments within their bodies immediately disappeared. Their vitality and strength returned to what they had been before.

“O virtuous heavenly goddess! There were also immeasurable hundreds of thousands of sentient beings afflicted by extremely severe illnesses that were difficult to cure. Together they went to the home of the elder’s son. The elder’s son Water-Flow treated them wholeheartedly, and they immediately recovered their health.

“O virtuous heavenly goddess! At that time, the elder’s son Water-Flow, out of compassion and pity for sentient beings, skillfully acted as a physician. Using excellent remedies, he completely cured all the suffering from illness among the sentient beings of that realm.”

– Translated from Sanskrit into Chinese in the Northern Liang by the Tripitaka Dharma Master Dharmaksema.

THE ELDER’S SON

The Buddha said to the tree goddess:

“At that time, the elder’s son Water-Flow, in the realm ruled by King Heavenly Sovereign Light, eliminated the suffering from illness of immeasurable sentient beings, restoring their bodies to comfort, strength, and their former condition. Through the merit of practicing generosity, he was honored, revered, and praised by sentient beings, who said: ‘Excellent, excellent! The elder’s son has performed an act of immense merit, enabling sentient beings to live immeasurably long lives. He is a great King of Physicians, skilled in curing all the illnesses of sentient beings. He is a bodhisattva who skillfully employs expedient means to aid sentient beings.’

“O virtuous heavenly goddess! The elder’s son Water-Flow had a wife named Water-Void Dragon Treasury, who bore two sons. The elder son was named Water-Void, and the younger was named Water-Treasury. At that time, the elder’s son Water-Flow took his two sons on a journey through the villages. When they reached a vast, empty wilderness, they saw tigers, wolves, crows, and other creatures that feed upon blood. Upon seeing the elder’s son and his children, all these creatures fled. The elder’s son thought: ‘For what reason have these animals fled? I should follow them and investigate.’

“The elder’s son followed them and saw a pond whose water had dried up. Within the pond were many fish. Seeing these fish, compassion arose in him. At that time, a tree deity manifested half of his body and said: ‘Excellent, excellent, great good man! These fish are truly pitiable. You should give them water and save them. For this reason, your name is Water-Flow. There are also two causes and conditions for your name Water-Flow: first, water flows; second, you are able to give water. You should act in accordance with the meaning of your established name.’

“At that time, the elder’s son Water-Flow asked the tree deity: ‘Approximately how many fish are there?’ The tree deity replied: ‘There are about ten thousand fish.’ O virtuous heavenly goddess! When the elder’s son Water-Flow learned the number of fish, he felt deep compassion. The pond’s water had dried up, and the sunlight beat down upon it. The ten thousand fish, suffocating from the heat and near death, swam about in circles at the bottom of the pond. They looked up at the elder’s son, expressing their plea to be rescued. The elder’s son Water-Flow watched them without taking his eyes away.

“He went in all four directions seeking water but found none. Ahead he saw a great tree. He went to it, broke off branches, brought them back, and placed them over the pond to shade the fish from the heat and keep them cool. Afterward, he went to search for the former watercourse and discover where it had led into the pond. He searched in all four directions but found no water. Traveling far onward, he came to a great river named Water-Born. There he saw that wicked men, wishing to catch the fish, had blocked the current and prevented the water from flowing down to the pond. Even if the channel were opened, it would take about ninety days; even a hundred thousand laborers might not accomplish it, much less I alone.

“Then the elder’s son Water-Flow quickly returned to where the king resided. He bowed his head and face at the king’s feet, withdrew to one side, joined his palms, and explained the circumstances: ‘I am a subject within the Great King’s realm and serve as a physician who treats illness. Today, while traveling through the wilderness, I found a pond whose water had dried up. Within it were ten thousand fish scorched by the sunlight, in grave danger and soon to die. They are truly worthy of compassion. I humbly beseech the Great King to grant me twenty elephants to carry water and save these fish that are about to die, just as I have helped the people of the Great King’s realm recover from illness and attain long lives.’

“The king immediately ordered a minister to assist him without delay. Obeying the king’s command, the minister brought the elephants and praised him, saying: ‘Excellent, great elder’s son! You may now use these elephants as you wish to bring peace and happiness to sentient beings.’

“At that time, Water-Flow and his two sons took the twenty elephants and leather bags borrowed from the keeper of the city. They hurried to the water source upstream, quickly filled the bags with water, and returned to the pond. From the elephants’ backs they emptied the leather bags, letting the water flow into the pond. The pond was once again filled with water as before. The elder’s son walked around the four sides of the pond to inspect it. The fish swam about in the pond, following the elder’s son with their gaze. Seeing this, the elder’s son thought: ‘Why are these fish swimming after me? They must still be hungry and are following me to beg for food. I should give them some.’

“O virtuous heavenly goddess! At that time, the elder’s son Water-Flow told his sons: ‘Quickly return home and tell your grandfather to gather all the food in the house—the portions belonging to your parents, my wife and children, and the servants—and bring it here without delay.’ The two sons obeyed their father’s instruction. Riding a great elephant, they returned home and told their grandfather what had occurred. Then they placed the household’s food on the elephant’s back and carried it to the fishpond. When the elder’s son saw his children arrive, he rejoiced beyond measure and scattered the food into the pond. When the fish had eaten their fill, he thought: ‘I have now given these fish enough food. I shall next give them the Dharma as nourishment.’

“He reflected further: ‘I once heard that in the past, in a tranquil and empty wilderness, a bhiksu read and recited the Vaipulya scriptures of the Mahayana. The scripture taught: “If any sentient being, when approaching death, hears the name of Tathagata Jewel Victory, that being will immediately be reborn in a heavenly realm.” I shall now extensively teach these ten thousand fish the wondrous Dharma of the twelve links of dependent origination, and I shall also praise the name of Tathagata Jewel Victory.’ At that time, there were two kinds of people in Jambudvipa: those who had profound faith in the Mahayana Vaipulya teachings, and those who disparaged and disbelieved them.

“The elder’s son then thought: ‘I shall now enter the pond and teach the fish the wondrous Dharma.’ Having thought this, he entered the water and spoke these words: ‘Namo to the Tathagata Jewel Victory of the past, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Persons, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Blessed One. Long ago, when Tathagata Jewel Victory was practicing the bodhisattva path, he made this vow: “If any sentient beings in the worlds of the ten directions hear my name as they approach death, I shall cause those sentient beings, after their lives end, to be reborn in the Heaven of the Thirty-three.”’

“Then the elder’s son Water-Flow taught the fish the wondrous Dharma of the twelve links of dependent origination: ‘Conditioned by ignorance are formations; conditioned by formations is consciousness; conditioned by consciousness are name-and-form; conditioned by name-and-form are the six ayatanas; conditioned by the six ayatanas is contact; conditioned by contact is feeling; conditioned by feeling is craving; conditioned by craving is grasping; conditioned by grasping is becoming; conditioned by becoming is birth; conditioned by birth are aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, and distress.’

“O virtuous heavenly goddess! After teaching this Dharma, the elder’s son Water-Flow returned home with his two sons. After receiving his guests, the elder’s son entered his room and lay down to rest. In a dream, he saw the earth tremble. The ten thousand fish all died, and after dying they were immediately reborn in the Trayastrimsa Heaven.

“Once in that heavenly realm, they reflected: ‘Through what causes and conditions were we reborn in the Trayastrimsa Heaven?’ They then said to one another: ‘In our previous lives we dwelt together in Jambudvipa, where we fell into the animal realm and took birth as fish. The elder’s son Water-Flow gave us water and food. He also taught us the twelve links of dependent origination and praised the name of Tathagata Jewel Victory. Through these causes and conditions, we have been reborn in this heavenly realm. Therefore, we should go to the home of the elder’s son Water-Flow and make offerings to repay his kindness.’

“The ten thousand divine princes immediately descended from the Trayastrimsa Heaven to Jambudvipa and went to the home of the physician, the elder’s son. At that time, the elder’s son Water-Flow was asleep in his room. The ten thousand divine princes placed ten thousand celestial pearl necklaces beside his head, another ten thousand beside his feet, ten thousand beside his left side, and ten thousand beside his right side. They scattered mandarava and maha-mandarava flowers until they reached knee-deep, and played all kinds of celestial music, producing wondrous sounds. Throughout Jambudvipa, all who were asleep awoke. The elder’s son Water-Flow also awoke, and the ten thousand divine princes then flew into the sky.

“They went to the royal city of King Heavenly Sovereign Light and scattered wondrous celestial lotus flowers. The divine princes then flew to the pond, scattered celestial flowers there, and returned to the Trayastrimsa Heaven, where they enjoyed the pleasures of the five desires.

“The next morning, King Heavenly Sovereign Light in Jambudvipa asked his ministers: ‘What occurred last night that caused such brilliant, adorned, and wondrous signs to appear?’ A minister replied: ‘Revered Great King! Devas from the Trayastrimsa Heaven came to the home of the elder’s son Water-Flow. They presented him with forty thousand pearl necklaces and scattered an incalculable number of mandarava flowers.’

“The king ordered a minister to go to the elder’s home and investigate the matter. The messenger obeyed and immediately went to the home of the elder’s son Water-Flow, conveying the king’s summons. When the elder’s son arrived, the king asked: ‘Through what causes and conditions did such adorned signs of merit and blessing appear?’ The elder’s son replied: ‘Revered Great King! Surely the ten thousand fish have died.’ The king sent someone to see whether this was indeed so.

“The elder’s son Water-Flow then told his son to go to the pond and see whether the fish there had died. Obeying his father’s instruction, the son immediately went to the fishpond. He saw many garlands of mandarava flowers in the pond, and all the fish had died. After looking, he returned and told his father: ‘All those fish have died.’ When Water-Flow learned this, he went to the king and said: ‘Revered Great King! The ten thousand fish in the pond have all died.’ On hearing this, the king’s heart was filled with joy.

“At that time, the Blessed One said to the bodhi tree goddess at the place of enlightenment:

“‘O virtuous heavenly goddess, you should know that the elder’s son Water-Flow at that time was none other than I myself. The elder son of the elder’s son, named Water-Void, is now Rahula. His younger son, named Water-Treasury, is now Ananda. Those ten thousand fish are these very ten thousand divine princes. Therefore, I now teach them the Dharma of unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment. As for the tree deity who manifested half of his body at that time, that deity is now none other than you.’

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Translation source: Kinh Kim Quang Minh Hiệp Bộ OCR (Daitangkinh/Truyen Phat Giao)License: Kinh Kim Quang Minh Hiệp Bộ (Việt dịch OCR) · nguồn: daitangkinh.truyenphatgiao.com · EN: AI translation from Vietnamese source, awaiting source English

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