佛說八大菩薩經

Thus have I heard: At one time the Buddha was dwelling at the Jeta Grove, the Garden of Anāthapiṇḍika, in the country of Śrāvastī. At that time there were also at his side one thousand two hundred and fifty great bhikṣus, and eight foremost great bodhisattvas: Mañjuśrī, Noble Avalokiteśvara, Maitreya, Ākāśagarbha, Samantabhadra, Vajrapāṇi, Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, and Kṣitigarbha. There were also assembled the great bodhisattvas: Ajita, Nāga-lakṣaṇa, Joyful Mind, Vimalagarbha, Vimalakīrti, King of Wisdom, Boundless Army, Light of Wisdom, Radiance of Wisdom, Lamp of Wisdom, Lamp of Knowledge, Brahma-life, and Heavenly Crown.

At that time the Buddha addressed Śāriputra:

"Listen attentively! In the eastern direction, at a distance from here of as many world-systems as there are sands in the Ganges, there is a buddha-land named Invincible. The Buddha in that land is named Tathāgata Excellent Diligence and Auspiciousness, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly Enlightened One, who is at present expounding the wondrous Dharma for sentient beings to hear.

"Furthermore, Śāriputra! In the eastern direction, at a distance from here of ten Ganges' sands of world-systems, there is a buddha-land named Selflessness. The Buddha in that land is named Tathāgata Universal Illumination, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly Enlightened One, who is at present expounding the wondrous Dharma for sentient beings to hear.

"Furthermore, Śāriputra! In the eastern direction, at a distance from here of three Ganges' sands of world-systems, there is a buddha-land named Excellent Love. The Buddha in that land is named Tathāgata Auspiciousness, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly Enlightened One, who is at present expounding the wondrous Dharma for sentient beings to hear.

"Furthermore, Śāriputra! In the eastern direction, at a distance from here of thirty-four Ganges' sands of world-systems, there is a buddha-land named Treasury of Tranquil Stillness. The Buddha in that land is named Tathāgata King Indra-ketu-dhvaja, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly Enlightened One, who is at present expounding the wondrous Dharma for sentient beings to hear.

"Furthermore, Śāriputra! In the eastern direction, at a distance from here of five Ganges' sands of world-systems, there is a buddha-land named Free from Dust. The Buddha in that land is named Tathāgata Sovereign King of Joyful Merit and Light, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly Enlightened One, who is at present expounding the wondrous Dharma for sentient beings to hear."

The Buddha said further:

"O Śāriputra! If there be good men or good women and others who, upon hearing the names of these buddhas in this sūtra, listen single-mindedly and then remember and reflect upon them, or copy them out, recite them, and expound them for the sake of others, then after their lives end they will not fall into the evil destinies, will not be born in a frontier region, in a household of wrong views, in a family of evil disciplines, or in a lowly lineage; nor will they be born in the Long-Life Heaven, nor born into the world of the five turbidities and evil,[1] nor born into an age of famine, plague, or warfare; nor will they encounter the calamities of kings and officials, of flood and fire, of bandits and robbers, of thieves, or of tigers and wolves, and so forth.

Rather, they will always be born in a buddha-land, in the heavenly realms or the human realm, with bodily features adorned and majestic, complete in all faculties, surrounded by a harmonious gathering of kinsfolk, possessed of the knowledge of past lives, complete in the six pāramitās,[2] practicing the Dharma of the Four Immeasurables,[3] thoroughly penetrating in detail all the profound treasuries of the Dharma, and accomplishing the supreme path."

When the Buddha had finished speaking this sūtra, the great bodhisattvas, Śāriputra together with the bhikṣus, and all the devas, humans, asuras,[4] and others, rejoiced exceedingly, faithfully received it, and reverently put it into practice.

Notes:

[1] The Five Turbidities and Evil (五濁惡世): The five kinds of defilement. Also called the Five Defilements or the Five Murky States. During the abiding kalpa, after human beings receive a lifespan of twenty thousand years, there appear the five impure and defiled dharmas. The Record of the Practice of Conduct (Hành sự sao tư trì kí), first fascicle, states the Five Turbidities: 1. the turbidity of the kalpa; 2. the turbidity of views; 4. the turbidity of afflictions; 3. the turbidity of sentient beings; 5. the turbidity of lifespan.

[2] Pāramitā (六波羅蜜): (also called) the Six Perfections, of which there are six kinds: 1. giving; 2. observance of the precepts; 3. patient endurance; 4. diligence; 5. meditative concentration; 6. wisdom.

[3] The Four Immeasurables (四無量): The four immeasurable states of mind. (Also called) the Four Equanimities, the Four Brahma-conducts, the Four Dhyānas among the Twelve Dhyānas (the four dhyānas within the twelve dhyānas). They comprise: 1. the immeasurable mind of loving-kindness: which can bring joy and happiness to sentient beings; 2. the immeasurable mind of compassion: the mind that can remove suffering for sentient beings; 3. the immeasurable mind of sympathetic joy: the mind that rejoices upon seeing others freed from suffering and attaining happiness; 4. the immeasurable mind of equanimity: which, like the three minds above, lets go, so that the mind no longer clings.

Moreover, treating enemy and kin with equality, it relinquishes both enemy and kin. These four minds pervade and engage with immeasurable sentient beings and lead to immeasurable blessings; hence they are called the Immeasurable Minds. Moreover, because they benefit and bring joy to sentient beings equally, they are called the Mind of Equality.

[4] Asura (阿須倫): The older translation is asura, asurā, asula. It is translated as "Lacking Excellence," meaning ugly in appearance. It is also called "Without Wine," meaning the karmic retribution of being without wine. The newer designation is asura, translated as "Non-deva," referring to a class of sentient beings possessing spiritual power and palaces but whose bodily form is not like that of the devas. They are deities who constantly do battle with Śakra (Indra). They are one of the ten kinds of sentient beings, one of the Six Destinies, and one of the Eight Classes of Devas and Nāgas.