悲華經

VOLUME VI: CHAPTER FOUR — PART IV — PREDICTIONS OF BODHISATTVAS

At that time, the five attendants of the brahmin Treasure Ocean went together to the Buddha, using the precious objects that Treasure Ocean had just given them to make offerings to the Blessed One and the Sangha of bhiksus. After making their offerings, they addressed the Buddha: “Blessed One! We pray that the Tathagata will bestow predictions upon us that, during the Auspicious Kalpa, we shall attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”

“Good man! At that time, the Tathagata Treasure Treasury bestowed upon all five men predictions of their attainment of anuttara-samyak-sambodhi: “Dragon Keeper! In a future life, during the Auspicious Kalpa, you shall become a Buddha named Tathagata Firm Voice, fully endowed with the ten epithets.

“After the Tathagata Firm Voice enters nirvana, Six Dragons shall next become a Buddha named Tathagata Venerable Joy, also fully endowed with the ten epithets.

“After the Buddha Venerable Joy enters nirvana, Water Dragon shall next become a Buddha named Tathagata Guiding Teacher, also fully endowed with the ten epithets.

“After the Buddha Guiding Teacher enters nirvana, Space Dragon shall next become a Buddha named Tathagata Loving Purity, also fully endowed with the ten epithets.

“After the Buddha Loving Purity enters nirvana, Wondrous Voice Dragon shall next become a Buddha named Tathagata Narayana Victorious Leaf, also fully endowed with the ten epithets.

“Good man! After the Tathagata Treasure Treasury had predicted that these five men would become Buddhas during the Auspicious Kalpa, the brahmin Treasure Ocean again said to Swift Holder of Strength: “Good man! You may now choose a wondrously pure world, complete with all the excellent adornments that delight your heart, and then vow to bestow the ambrosial savor of the Dharma upon all sentient beings. Single-mindedly and diligently cultivate and practice the bodhisattva path, and take care not to think that the number of kalpas is remote and long.”

“Good man! At that time, the brahmin took Swift Holder of Strength by the hand, and together they went to the Buddha. Having reached the Buddha, Swift Holder of Strength sat before him and addressed him, saying: “Blessed One! In the future, during the Auspicious Kalpa, how many Buddha-Tathagatas will appear in the world?”

“The Buddha told Swift Holder of Strength: “Good man! Within one half of the Auspicious Kalpa, one thousand and four Buddhas will appear in the world.”

“Swift Holder of Strength then said: “Blessed One! During that Auspicious Kalpa, after all the Buddha-Blessed Ones have entered nirvana, and even the last among them, Wondrous Voice Dragon, has attained anuttara-samyak-sambodhi under the name Narayana Victorious Leaf—Blessed One, I vow that throughout that time I shall cultivate the bodhisattva path, practicing the disciplines of austerity, moral precepts, generosity, extensive learning, diligence, patience, loving speech, merit, and wisdom, and shall perfect all Dharma methods that support the path to bodhi.

“During that Auspicious Kalpa, whenever any Buddha appears in the world, I vow to go to him and make offerings of food and drink from the very beginning. After that Buddha enters nirvana, I shall gather his relics, erect stupas as offerings, and preserve and protect the true Dharma.

“When I see those who violate the precepts, I shall exhort and teach them so that they become steadfast in observing the precepts. When there are those who have departed from right view and fallen into wrong views, I shall exhort and teach them so that they become steadfast in right view. When there are those whose minds are confused and distracted, I shall exhort and teach them so that they become steadfast in meditative concentration. When there are those who fail to maintain proper deportment, I shall exhort and teach them so that they become steadfast in the noble deportment of the sages.

“If there are sentient beings who wish to cultivate roots of goodness, I shall disclose and clearly reveal to them those roots of goodness. After those Blessed Ones enter nirvana, when the true Dharma of each is about to perish, I vow to protect and preserve it so that it will not be extinguished, and I vow to kindle the lamp of the true Dharma in the midst of the world.

“When warfare and turmoil arise, I shall teach all sentient beings to observe the precept against killing, and ultimately to attain right view. I shall rescue all sentient beings from the ten unwholesome deeds and cause them all to believe steadfastly in and practice the ten wholesome deeds. I shall dispel the darkness of ignorance and disclose and clearly reveal the wholesome Dharmas. I shall completely eliminate the five impurities: the impurity of the kalpa, the impurity of the life span, the impurity of sentient beings, the impurity of afflictions, and the impurity of views.

“When famine spreads, I shall exhort and teach all sentient beings, causing them to believe steadfastly in and practice the paramita of generosity, and ultimately to believe steadfastly in and practice the paramita of wisdom. When I have exhorted sentient beings to have steadfast faith in the six paramitas, their famine, ignorance, impurity, enmity, conflict, and all other afflictions shall entirely subside and cease to exist.

“When epidemics spread, I shall teach all sentient beings, causing them to believe steadfastly in and practice the six principles of harmonious reverence and the four means of embracing. When they believe in and practice them in this way, all the dark and gloomy epidemics afflicting sentient beings shall entirely disappear.

“After one half of the Auspicious Kalpa has passed, during which sentient beings endure such sufferings, one thousand and four Buddhas shall appear in the world and then enter nirvana. When even their true Dharma has perished, I shall attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. My life span shall be the same as those of the one thousand and four Buddhas, and the number of my sravaka disciples shall also be the same as those of the one thousand and four Buddhas, without any difference. Just as the one thousand and four Buddhas tame sentient beings throughout half a kalpa, I vow likewise to tame sentient beings throughout one half of the Auspicious Kalpa.

“During one half of the Auspicious Kalpa, among the sravaka disciples of the Buddhas will be those who violate the precepts, fall into wrong views, lack reverence for the Buddhas, give rise to anger, seek to cause harm and distress, destroy the true Dharma and the Sangha, slander sages and saints, cause the true Dharma to disappear, and commit the heinous offenses. Blessed One! When I attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, all such people shall be rescued from the mire of birth and death and caused to enter the fearless realm of nirvana.

“After I enter nirvana, the true Dharma shall perish at the same time that the Auspicious Kalpa comes to an end. At that time, all the remains of my body—my teeth, bones, and relics—shall transform into images of Buddhas, each complete with the thirty-two excellent marks, with jeweled garlands adorning the body, and each mark complete with the eighty minor characteristics, adorning one another in succession. They shall manifest throughout immeasurable, boundless worlds in the ten directions where there are no Buddhas. Each of those transformation Buddhas shall employ the teachings of the Three Vehicles to teach immeasurable, boundless sentient beings, causing them all to attain the stage of non-retrogression.

“If calamities arise in those worlds and the Buddha-Dharma is absent, those transformation Buddhas shall nevertheless manifest there and teach sentient beings as described above.

“If those worlds lack precious treasures of every kind, I vow to create wish-fulfilling jewels that rain down all manner of precious treasures, and to cause treasuries filled with pure gold to arise spontaneously.

“If beings in those worlds are devoid of wholesome roots and their bodies are bound by suffering and affliction, I shall cause various fragrances—udāsa, sandalwood, agarwood, and others—to rain down there, enabling all beings to eradicate the illness of afflictions, the illness of wrong views, and illnesses of the body’s four great elements. They shall then give rise to diligence in cultivating the three kinds of merit, so that when their lives end, they may be born in the two realms of gods and humans.

“World-Honored One! While cultivating the bodhisattva path, I vow to bring all such benefits to beings.

“When I have attained anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, I shall fully perform such Buddha-works. After I enter nirvana, my relics shall also appear throughout immeasurable worlds and bring such benefits to beings.

“World-Honored One! If my vows are not fulfilled, if I do not obtain benefit for myself, if I cannot become a great king of physicians for all beings, and if I cannot accomplish every benefit, then I am now deceiving all the Buddhas presently abiding throughout the immeasurable worlds of the ten directions. In that case, the World-Honored One should not bestow upon me a prediction of anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.

“World-Honored One! If that is so, then among all the immeasurable and boundless hundreds of millions of asaṃkhyeyas of beings who have received predictions of anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, may I never behold even one of them; nor may I hear such sounds as ‘Buddha,’ ‘Dharma,’ ‘Sangha,’ or the sound of doing good; and consequently may I always fall into the Avīci Hell.

“World-Honored One! But if my vows are fulfilled and I obtain benefit for myself, then the Tathagata will surely praise and commend me now.’

“At that time, the Buddha praised Swift Upholder of Strength, saying: ‘Excellent, excellent! Good man! In a future age, you shall become a great king of physicians and enable beings to leave all suffering and affliction far behind. Therefore, I now name you King of Medicine of Pure Fire.’

“Then the Buddha said to King of Medicine of Pure Fire: ‘In a future age, after asaṃkhyeyas of kalpas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges have passed, and after entering the second asaṃkhyeya of kalpas, also as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, during the latter half of the Bhadrakalpa, whenever any among the one thousand and four Buddhas attains anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, you shall make offerings of food and drink to that Buddha. All other matters shall likewise accord with the vows you have just declared.

“After the Buddha Nārāyaṇa Victorious Leaf enters nirvana and the true Dharma disappears, you shall attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. You shall be called Tathagata Ruci, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Persons, Teacher of Gods and Humans, Buddha, World-Honored One. Your lifespan shall be half a kalpa, and the number of your śrāvaka disciples shall equal the total number of disciples of the one thousand and four Buddhas, without any difference.

“After you have taught and transformed beings and then entered nirvana, the true Dharma shall disappear precisely when the Bhadrakalpa also comes to an end. The bodily remains you leave behind—your teeth, bones, relics, and all the rest—shall each transform into Buddhas. Every other matter shall also accord with your vows, including teaching and transforming beings so that all their afflictions are eliminated and, when their lives end, they are born in the two realms of gods and humans. All shall accord with your vows.’

“At that time, Bodhisattva King of Medicine of Pure Fire again addressed the Buddha: ‘World-Honored One! If my vows shall be fulfilled and I shall obtain benefit for myself, I now pray that the Tathagata will place upon the crown of my head his golden hand, adorned with the merit of a hundred blessings.’

“Good man! The Tathagata Ratnagarbha then placed his golden hand, adorned with the merit of a hundred blessings, upon the crown of King of Medicine of Pure Fire’s head.

“Good man! When Bodhisattva King of Medicine of Pure Fire witnessed this, joy arose in his heart. He bowed at the Buddha’s feet and withdrew to stand at one side.

“At that time, the brahmin Ratnasamudra presented Bodhisattva King of Medicine of Pure Fire with a wondrous and beautiful celestial robe and praised him, saying: ‘Excellent, excellent! Good man! Your vows are truly extraordinary and exceptional. From this day onward, I shall no longer direct you in any way. You may freely and independently cultivate the practice of peace and bliss.’

At that time, Buddha Śākyamuni said to Bodhisattva Tranquil Mind:

“Good man! The brahmin Ratnasamudra then thought: ‘I have now exhorted immeasurable and boundless hundreds of thousands of millions of nayutas of beings and caused them to abide securely in anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. I have also seen each of the great bodhisattvas assembled here make vows to accept a pure Buddha-land, with the sole exception of Viṣṇu.

“During that Bhadrakalpa, all the other bodhisattvas also shunned the world of the five defilements. I should now bestow the flavor of the true Dharma upon beings in the final age of the Dharma. I should personally and steadfastly make wholesome vows, as mighty as a lion’s roar, so that all bodhisattvas who hear them will be astonished and praise them as unprecedented.

I shall also cause the entire assembly of gods, nāgas, ghosts and spirits, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans to join their palms respectfully and make offerings to me. I shall cause the Buddha, the World-Honored One, to praise and commend me and bestow upon me a prediction of attaining Buddhahood. I shall cause all Buddhas endowed with the Ten Powers, presently abiding throughout the immeasurable and boundless worlds of the ten directions and expounding the true Dharma for beings, upon hearing my vow like a lion’s roar, to praise and commend me, bestow upon me a prediction that I shall attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, and also send their disciples here on their behalf, so that the entire assembly here may clearly behold them.

“Now I shall make my final great vow and perfect the great compassion of a bodhisattva. Even after I attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, any being who hears of and understands my great compassion shall praise it as rare!

“If, in later times, there are bodhisattvas who perfect great compassion, they too shall vow to accept worlds such as this. The beings in those worlds thirst for and yearn after the true Dharma; they are blind and benighted, without the eye of wisdom, and submerged in the four raging currents. Those bodhisattvas should undertake to rescue them by expounding the true Dharma for those beings.

“Even after I enter nirvana, throughout immeasurable and boundless hundreds of thousands of millions of worlds in the ten directions, wherever Buddhas are expounding the Dharma, each shall praise and commend my name before the great assembly of bodhisattvas and proclaim my wholesome vows, causing those bodhisattvas to nurture and increase their great compassion. They shall all listen wholeheartedly to my deeds, then become profoundly astonished and praise them as unprecedented, while their own inherent great compassion shall also increase.”

“Just as I have vowed to accept an impure world, all these bodhisattvas shall likewise attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi in impure worlds, rescuing all beings submerged in the four swirling currents and establishing them securely in the teachings of the Three Vehicles, until they attain nirvana.’

“Good man! At that time, after the brahmin Ratnagarbha had contemplated making such a vow of great compassion, he bared his right shoulder and went before the Buddha.

“Then immeasurable hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of devas in the midst of space played celestial music and rained down all kinds of heavenly flowers. With one voice they uttered these words of praise and commendation: ‘Excellent, excellent! Today this good and great man goes before the Buddha to make a most rare and extraordinary vow, wishing to use the water of wisdom to extinguish all the afflictions of sentient beings.’

“At that time, the entire assembly respectfully joined their palms before the brahmin Ratnagarbha. Having paid homage to him together, they praised and commended him in unison, saying: ‘Excellent, excellent! Venerable one of great wisdom! We have now all gained immense benefit and are able to bring forth firm and steadfast wholesome vows. We now all wish to hear and understand the wholesome vow arising within your heart.’

“Then the brahmin Ratnagarbha came before the Buddha and knelt with his right knee upon the ground. At that moment, throughout the entire trichiliocosm, the earth trembled in six ways; musical instruments, though played by no one, spontaneously produced music; birds and beasts all raised their voices in harmony;

and every tree burst into bloom, though it was not the season for flowering. All sentient beings possessing wholesome causes for Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, whether they had already aroused the aspiration or had not yet aroused it—with the sole exception of beings in the realms of hell-beings, hungry ghosts, and animals—gave rise to minds of immense benefit, minds of pure goodness, minds free from enmity, minds free from defilement, minds of loving-kindness, and other rare states of mind.

Flying creatures remained suspended in the midst of space, gave rise to joyful minds, and scattered all kinds of flowers, powdered incense, paste incense, music, banners, and garments as offerings. With wondrous and melodious voices, they praised and commended the brahmin Ratnagarbha. All single-mindedly wished to hear the wholesome vow made by the brahmin Ratnagarbha.

“Even the devas of the Akanistha Heaven descended to Jambudvipa. From the midst of space they scattered all kinds of heavenly flowers, powdered incense, and paste incense; played various kinds of celestial music; and offered banners and garments. Together they raised wondrous and melodious voices to praise and extol the brahmin Ratnagarbha. All wholeheartedly concentrated upon hearing the brahmin bring forth his wholesome vow.

“Then the brahmin Ratnagarbha respectfully joined his palms and recited verses in praise of the Buddha:

Roaming freely in meditative concentration,

You are like the Great Brahma King.

Your majestic countenance shines resplendently,

Like Sakra, Lord of the Devas.

You relinquish wealth to practice giving,

Like a wheel-turning king.

You hold a multitude of precious treasures,

Like the deity who guards the treasury.

You have attained mastery of merit,

Like the lion, king of beasts.

Firm and utterly unmoving,

You are like great Mount Sumeru.

Your mind is even and undisturbed,

Like the waters of the vast ocean.

Your mind is all-embracing like the earth,

Receiving those with offenses and those without.

You extinguish all afflictions,

Like a current of pure water.

You burn away every fetter,

Like a blazing crimson flame.

Nothing can obstruct you,

Like a mighty wind sweeping all clean.

You reveal the true Dharma,

Like the Four Heavenly Kings.

You pour down the rain of Dharma,

Like a great dragon king,

Fulfilling the needs of all,

Like rain falling in due season.

You vanquish the heterodox paths,

Like a great master of debate.

The wondrous renown of your merit

Is like the fragrant sumana flower.

The wondrous sound of your Dharma teaching

Is like the voice of the Brahma deva.

You eliminate all suffering and anguish,

Like a great king of physicians.

You cherish all beings equally,

Like a loving mother cherishing her child.

You instruct every sentient being,

Like a loving father teaching his young children.

Your body can never be destroyed,

Like a vajra mountain.

You sever the branches of craving,

Like a keen and sharpened blade.

You ferry beings widely across samsara,

Like a skilled shipmaster.

With wisdom you ferry beings across,

Like a boat carrying them over a river.

Luminous, pure, and cooling,

You are like the full moon.

You cause the flowers of sentient beings to bloom,

Like the sun as it rises.

You bring to sentient beings

The four fruits of the sramana.

You are like a tree in autumn,

Heavily laden with ripe fruit.

Surrounded by hosts of sages and noble ones,

You are like the phoenix.

Your mind is profoundly vast,

Like the boundless great ocean.

You are impartial toward sentient beings,

As toward the myriad trees and grasses.

You clearly know the characteristics of all dharmas,

Like an empty fist,

And remain impartial amid the world,

Like water that has no fixed form.

You have perfected wondrous characteristics

And skillfully nurture great compassion.

You bestow predictions of Buddhahood

Upon immeasurable sentient beings.

I have now trained

Immeasurable sentient beings.

I pray that the Tathagata

Will bestow a prediction upon me,

That in a future age

I shall accomplish the supreme path

And attain sublime wisdom.

Great Sage, World-Honored One,

I pray that with your wondrous voice

You will proclaim words of truth.

In an evil and corrupted age,

I shall diligently cultivate patience,

Counteracting every fetter

And the brigands of affliction.

I shall rescue immeasurable numbers

Of all sentient beings,

Causing them to abide securely

In the wondrous path of quiescent cessation.

“Good man! After the brahmin Ratnagarbha had recited these verses in praise of the Buddha, the entire assembly praised and extolled him, saying: ‘Excellent, excellent! This great man truly knows how to praise the Tathagata, the Dharma King.’

“Then the brahmin Ratnagarbha addressed the Buddha: ‘World-Honored One! I have now taught and transformed immeasurable kotis of sentient beings, causing them all to arouse the aspiration for Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. All these beings have vowed to accept wondrous pure worlds and to remain far removed from impure worlds; to plant wholesome roots with pure minds; and skillfully to gather in and train sentient beings. Among Agnimala’s group are one thousand and four persons who had formerly recited and studied the Vedas of the heterodox paths. The Tathagata has also bestowed predictions upon all these persons that they shall attain Buddhahood during the Auspicious Kalpa.

“Certain sentient beings habitually engage in lust, anger, delusion, and arrogance; all of them shall be trained and subdued through the teachings of the Three Vehicles.

“There are also sentient beings whom those one thousand and four Buddhas have likewise resigned themselves to abandoning. These are sentient beings whose afflictions are deep and grave, who, in an age of the five turbidities, commit the five heinous offenses, destroy the true Dharma, slander the noble ones, follow wrong views, forsake the seven treasures of the noble ones, are unfilial toward their parents, and have no reverence for practitioners of the path.

They constantly do what should not be done, while failing to do what should be done. They perform no meritorious deeds and do not fear retribution in future lives. They have no wish to cultivate the three kinds of merit and do not seek favorable rebirth among gods or humans.

They constantly commit the ten evil deeds and are submerged in greed, anger, and delusion. They remain far from spiritual friends and do not know to draw near those of true wisdom. They wander through the three realms, confined within the prison of birth and death, swept along by the four turbulent currents, and deeply submerged in the river of afflictions.

Blinded by ignorance, they cannot see; they forsake wholesome karma and create only evil karma.

“Sentient beings such as these are admitted into none of the Buddha lands. Driven by the force of their karma, they therefore gather in this world. Because they forsake wholesome karma, create only evil karma, and conduct themselves entirely according to false paths, their grave offenses have accumulated like a great mountain!

“At that time in the Sahā world, when human beings in the Auspicious Kalpa have a lifespan of one thousand years, those one thousand and four Buddhas, whose resolve of great compassion is incomplete, will not accept such an evil world of the five turbidities. They will leave its sentient beings revolving through birth and death as though caught in a turning wheel, with no one to rescue or protect them, no one upon whom they may rely or whom they may follow, no refuge and no light to illuminate their way.

Those sentient beings must endure every kind of suffering and anguish, yet they are abandoned because each of those Buddhas has vowed to accept a wondrously pure Buddha land. The sentient beings in those pure worlds are all well able to discipline themselves. Their minds are pure, they have planted roots of goodness, they diligently and vigorously cultivate the path, and they have already made offerings to immeasurable Buddhas; now they are also received into pure Buddha lands.

World-Honored One! Are the vows made by those persons truly sincere?’

“At that time, the World-Honored One said to the brahmin Treasure-Ocean: ‘It is indeed just as you have said! Good man! In accordance with the desires of their hearts, those persons have all vowed to accept worlds endowed with every kind of pure adornment. In accordance with their aspirations, I too have bestowed predictions upon them that they will attain what they seek.’

“Then the brahmin Treasure-Ocean again addressed the Buddha: ‘World-Honored One! My mind is now agitated like one who, in a moment of peril, grasps a tree branch. My heart is filled with anxiety, sorrow, and anguish, and my body has grown haggard. Although those bodhisattvas have given rise to great compassion, they cannot accept this evil world of the five turbidities, and so the sentient beings here must fall into darkness and gloom!

“World-Honored One! Until the future age, after as many asaṃkhya kalpas as there are grains of sand in the Ganges have passed, and then after entering a second period of asaṃkhya kalpas also as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, in the latter half of the Auspicious Kalpa, when the lifespan of human beings is one thousand years, I shall wait until that time while cultivating and practicing the bodhisattva path. I shall long remain in birth and death and patiently endure every kind of suffering. Through the power of a bodhisattva’s samādhi, I shall resolutely never abandon sentient beings such as these.

“World-Honored One! I shall now personally practice the six pāramitās in order to discipline sentient beings.

“As the Buddha has taught, giving material possessions is called the pāramitā of generosity.

“World-Honored One! When I practice the pāramitā of generosity, if sentient beings follow me from life to life and ask for whatever they need, I shall provide them fully with all that they require: food and drink, medicines, clothing, beds and seats, houses and villages, incense, flowers, and jeweled necklaces; and I shall ensure that the sick have sufficient medicine and care. As for such things as banners, streamers, precious parasols, money and wealth, grain, silk fabrics, elephants, horses, vehicles, gold, silver, pearls, lapis lazuli, crystal, precious gems, jade, coral, genuine treasures, and even hats, crowns, ornaments, and so forth—I shall give rise to great compassion and give all of them away to sentient beings, even if I myself become impoverished.

Yet in performing such generosity, I shall not seek favorable results among gods or humans; I shall do so solely to gather in and discipline sentient beings. Through these causes and conditions, I shall be able to relinquish everything I possess.

“If some sentient beings make excessive requests—for example, asking for servants, villages, towns, my wife and children, hands and feet, nose and tongue, head and eyes, skin and bones, blood and flesh, or even my very life—such requests would indeed be excessive. Yet at that time I shall still give rise to great compassion and give all such things to everyone. Nor shall I seek any reward; I shall do so solely to gather in and discipline sentient beings.

“World-Honored One! Compared with my practice of the pāramitā of generosity, none of the bodhisattvas of the past who practiced the pāramitā of generosity could equal it; and none of the bodhisattvas of the future who will arouse the aspiration for anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi and practice the pāramitā of generosity will be able to equal it!

“World-Honored One! In the future, for the sake of cultivating the bodhisattva path, throughout hundreds of thousands of koṭis of kalpas I shall practice the pāramitā of generosity in this manner.

“World-Honored One! In the future, if anyone wishes to cultivate the bodhisattva path, I shall exhort and instruct that person to practice the pāramitā of generosity, so that it will never be cut off.

“When I begin to practice the pāramitā of moral discipline, because I seek the fruit of anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi, I shall fully observe every precept, cultivate the ascetic practices just as the Buddha has taught, and contemplate all dharmas as self and non-self, so that the five faculties are not harmed by the five sense objects.

“As for the pāramitā of patience, I shall also practice it as described above. I shall contemplate conditioned dharmas and free myself from every fault and evil; clearly perceive unconditioned dharmas as wondrous and quiescent; cultivate diligently and vigorously; and never give rise to a mind of retreat from the unsurpassed path.

“I shall likewise practice the pāramitā of diligence in precisely this manner.

“To cultivate the characteristic of emptiness wherever one may be and attain the Dharma of quiescence is called the pāramitā of meditative concentration.

“To comprehend that the true nature of all dharmas was originally unborn and therefore certainly does not perish now is called the pāramitā of prajñā. Throughout immeasurable hundreds of thousands of koṭis of asaṃkhya kalpas, I have diligently, vigorously, and steadfastly cultivated the pāramitā of prajñā in this manner.

“Why is this so? In the past, there may have been bodhisattvas who cultivated the bodhisattva path and diligently, vigorously, and steadfastly practiced the pāramitā of prajñā without seeking the fruit of anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi; or in the future, there may be bodhisattvas who will cultivate the bodhisattva path and diligently, vigorously, and steadfastly practice the pāramitā of prajñā without yet seeking the fruit of anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. For their sake, in the future I shall arouse the aspiration for anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi and cultivate the path to bodhi, so that wholesome dharmas will never be cut off.”

“Blessed One! Ever since I first aroused the aspiration for enlightenment, I have revealed and opened the mind of great compassion for the bodhisattvas of future ages; from now until I attain nirvana, I shall continue to do so. Should anyone hear and learn of my great compassion, that person will be utterly astonished and praise it as unprecedented!

“Therefore, when practicing generosity, I do not praise myself; when observing the precepts, I do not rely upon my observance of the precepts; when practicing patience, I do not conceive that I am practicing patience; when practicing diligence, I do not depend upon diligence; when practicing meditative concentration, I do not savor the states of meditation; and the wisdom I attain remains unattached to the past, present, and future. Though I practice the six paramitas in this manner, I seek no reward.

“There are sentient beings who, having departed from the seven treasures of the noble ones, are accepted by none of the Buddha-worlds. These sentient beings commit the five heinous offenses, destroy the true Dharma, slander the sages and noble ones, follow wrong views, and accumulate grave evils as high as a great mountain, ever shrouded by false paths. It is for sentient beings such as these that I now single-mindedly adorn myself and diligently cultivate the six paramitas. In order to plant roots of goodness for each one of these sentient beings, for ten kalpas I shall willingly enter the Avici hell and endure innumerable sufferings. I shall also take birth in the realms of animals and hungry ghosts, and even among spirits and deities, or be born as a poor and lowly human being.

“If there are sentient beings entirely devoid of roots of goodness, whose minds are distracted and afflicted, I shall gather them all in and train them, causing them to plant roots of goodness. From now until the Bhadrakalpa, I vow never to be born in either the heavenly or human realms to enjoy their pleasures, except for my final birth in Tusita Heaven before attaining Buddhahood.

“Blessed One! I vow to remain in this realm of birth and death for as many kalpas as there are minute dust particles in a Buddha-land, using all manner of necessities to make offerings to the Buddhas. In order to plant roots of goodness for each sentient being, I shall use offerings as numerous as the minute dust particles in a Buddha-land to make offerings to all the immeasurable and boundless Buddhas throughout the ten directions.

In the presence of each one of those immeasurable and boundless Buddhas throughout the ten directions, I shall also acquire wholesome merits as numerous as the minute dust particles in a Buddha-land. Before each of those Buddhas, I shall teach and transform sentient beings as numerous as the minute dust particles in a Buddha-land, causing them all to abide securely on the path to unsurpassed bodhi. I shall do likewise regarding the attainments of pratyekabuddhas and sravakas, teaching and transforming sentient beings according to their aspirations.

“In worlds where no Buddha has appeared, I vow to become a seer and teach sentient beings, causing them to abide securely in the Ten Wholesome Actions and the Five Superknowledges and to depart from all wrong views.

“If there are sentient beings who worship the deity Mahesvara, I vow to manifest as Mahesvara to teach those sentient beings and cause them to abide securely in wholesome Dharma. For sentient beings who worship the Eight-Armed Deity, I likewise vow to manifest as the Eight-Armed Deity to teach those sentient beings and cause them to abide securely in wholesome Dharma. For sentient beings who worship the Brahma deity of the Sun and Moon, I likewise vow to manifest as the Brahma deity of the Sun and Moon to teach those sentient beings and cause them to abide securely in wholesome Dharma.

“If there are sentient beings who worship garuda birds, or even those who worship rabbits, I vow likewise to manifest as a garuda bird or a rabbit so that I may teach those sentient beings according to their ways and cause them to abide securely in wholesome Dharma.

“If I encounter sentient beings tormented by hunger and thirst, I shall give them the flesh and blood of my own body, enabling them to be fully satisfied.

“If there are sentient beings who have committed offenses, I shall offer my own body and life to bear the consequences in their stead, becoming a rescuer and protector of those sentient beings.

“Blessed One! In future ages, when there are sentient beings who have abandoned their roots of goodness and extinguished wholesome intentions, I shall diligently and vigorously practice the bodhisattva path for their sake. I shall endure sufferings within birth and death for as many asamkhya kalpas as there are sands in the Ganges, continuing into the latter half of a second period of as many asamkhya kalpas as there are sands in the Ganges.

Then, at the very beginning of the Bhadrakalpa, when Huo Man attains anuttara-samyak-sambodhi and is called Krakucchanda Tathagata, all the sentient beings whom I have taught and transformed will be those who had formerly abandoned wholesome karma, created evil karma, lost their wholesome intentions, forsaken the seven treasures of the noble ones, committed the five heinous offenses, destroyed the true Dharma, slandered noble ones, followed wrong views, and accumulated grave evils as high as a great mountain, ever shrouded by false paths and accepted by no Buddha-world.

Having been taught and transformed by me, they will arouse the aspiration for anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, practice the paramita of generosity through the prajnaparamita, and abide firmly at the stage of non-retrogression. They shall all attain Buddhahood and turn the wheel of the true Dharma in Buddha-lands throughout the ten directions as numerous as the minute dust particles in a Buddha-land. They shall cause sentient beings to plant roots of goodness for anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, leave the evil destinies, and abide securely in meritorious qualities, wisdom, and the provisions conducive to bodhi.

I vow that at that time I shall behold all such sentient beings.

“Blessed One! Each of the Buddhas, while dwelling in his own world, will cause sentient beings to approach him and receive predictions of their attainment of anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. The Buddhas will also cause them to attain dharanis, samadhis, and patience, to ascend successively through the stages of cultivation and realization, and to acquire worlds replete with every fine and magnificent adornment, each one accepting a pure Buddha-land according to his own wishes.

All such sentient beings will have been exhorted and instructed by me. When the Bhadrakalpa begins and the Buddha Krakucchanda appears in the world, those sentient beings will also attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi in Buddha-lands throughout the ten directions as numerous as minute dust particles, and each will teach the Dharma in his own Buddha-land. I vow that I shall behold them all.

“Blessed One! When the Buddha Krakucchanda attains enlightenment, I shall go to him and make offerings of all manner of articles. I shall inquire fully into the Dharma of the renunciant, preserve pure moral conduct, become widely learned and deeply informed, cultivate samadhi exclusively, apply myself diligently and vigorously to practice, and expound the wondrous Dharma so that, apart from the Tathagata, no one will be able to surpass me!

At that time, if there are dull and benighted sentient beings devoid of roots of goodness, fallen into wrong views, engaging in improper deeds, committing the five heinous offenses, destroying the true Dharma, slandering sages and noble ones, and accumulating grave evils as high as a great mountain, I shall expound the true Dharma for such sentient beings, gather them in, and train them. After the Buddha enters nirvana, I shall naturally remain behind and continue to perform innumerable Buddha-works.”

“Until the Buddhas Kanakamuni and Kasyapa appear in the world, I shall likewise carry out in succession all the deeds performed during the time of the Buddha Krakucchanda. Even after each Buddha has entered nirvana, I shall continue to remain and perform innumerable Buddha-works.

“Until the human lifespan declines to only one thousand years, I shall exhort sentient beings to cultivate the Three Meritorious Practices. After a full thousand years have passed, I shall be born in the heavenly realm and expound the true Dharma to the devas, causing them all to be brought under discipline.

“Until the human lifespan declines to only one hundred and twenty years, sentient beings will then be ignorant and act solely according to their own wishes. They will always be conceited about their beautiful appearance and birth into noble families. They will also be thoroughly dissolute, indolent, greedy, miserly, envious, and jealous.

Born into an evil and benighted world replete with the five defilements, they will be deeply burdened by craving, anger, ignorance, and arrogance. They will engage in sexual misconduct, seek wealth by unlawful means, follow inverted wrong views, forsake the seven treasures of the noble ones, be unfilial toward their parents, and feel no reverence for spiritual practitioners. They will habitually do what should not be done and fail to do what should be done.

They will perform no meritorious deeds, have no fear of future karmic retribution, and fail to cultivate the Three Meritorious Practices diligently. They will take no delight in the teachings of the Three Vehicles and will not regularly cultivate the three roots of goodness, but will be submerged in greed, anger, and delusion. They will not cultivate the ten wholesome deeds but will habitually commit the ten unwholesome deeds.

Their minds will constantly be obscured by the four inversions, and they will habitually commit the four breaches of the precepts, allowing the four maras to manipulate them at will. They will be swept away by the four raging currents and mentally obscured by the five hindrances. In the future age, such sentient beings will indulge the six faculties and follow the eight wrong practices.

Their offenses will accumulate like a great mountain, giving rise to a hundred bonds. They will not seek favorable recompense in the two realms of devas and humans, but will believe in inverted wrong views, follow wrong paths, commit the five heinous offenses, destroy the true Dharma, malign the noble ones, and sever their roots of goodness. They will fall into poverty, degradation, and hardship; no longer know what to avoid or fear; fail to understand kindness and moral obligation; lose right mindfulness; disparage wholesome teachings; lack wisdom; be incapable of learning; violate the precepts and discipline; and behave obsequiously and deceitfully.

Because they give rise to envy and jealousy, whenever they acquire material wealth they will never share any portion of it with others. They will habitually despise and belittle one another, possess no reverence, and be lazy and negligent. Their faculties will be deficient, their bodies emaciated and weak, and their clothing inadequate.

They will associate with evil people, and upon entering the womb they will become deluded and lose all awareness. Because they endure every manner of suffering and affliction, their appearance will be ugly and haggard; yet when they look upon one another, they will feel no shame whatsoever. Moreover, they will threaten and fear one another.

Within the brief span of a single meal, the evil karma they create through body, speech, and mind will already be immeasurable and boundless. Furthermore, they will praise and extol such evildoing!

“At that time, sentient beings will together cultivate annihilationist and eternalist views. They will tenaciously crave and cling to the frail and unstable body composed of the five skandhas, become deeply attached to the five sensual pleasures, and habitually give rise to anger, resentment, and the desire to harm other sentient beings.

“The minds of those sentient beings will constantly be inflamed by anger and afflicted by defilements. They will be crude and base, having failed to subdue such faults as greed, miserliness, and infatuation with sensual desire. They will be unable to relinquish what is contrary to the true Dharma, lack resolute minds, habitually threaten and fear one another, and provoke disputes and struggles. With wicked minds, they will kill one another, distance themselves from wholesome dharmas, give rise to unwholesome intentions, and commit evil karma.

“Those sentient beings will not believe that either wholesome or evil deeds bear karmic fruit. They will oppose wholesome dharmas, yet rejoice in dharmas that sever roots of goodness. They will set their minds on practicing unwholesome dharmas, yet have no aspiration for the tranquil extinction of nirvana. They will show no reverence toward practitioners who uphold the precepts, yet regard the bonds of affliction as rare and desirable things to be sought.

“They will place their trust in such sufferings as aging, illness, and death; resolve to embrace the afflictions; and set their minds on grasping the five hindrances.

“They will resolve to stay away from places where the true Dharma is expounded, yet set their minds on establishing places where wrong views are taught. They will habitually oppose, undermine, and despise one another; develop the desire to slaughter and devour one another; and all will resist, encroach upon, and struggle against one another, harboring resentment and causing one another affliction and harm.

“They will become infatuated with vile sensual desires and never weary of them or abandon them. They will become jealous of others’ material possessions, feel no desire to repay kindness received, and give rise to the intent to steal and plunder others’ property. They will also desire to violate and harm others’ wives.

“All sentient beings at that time will have no wholesome aspirations in their hearts. Therefore, they will constantly hear the sounds of the realms of hell beings, animals, and hungry ghosts; the sounds of illness, aging, and death; the sounds of affliction and harm and of the eight adverse conditions; the sounds of bonds, chains, fetters, cangues, and shackles; the sounds of plundering, violating, and harming others; and the sounds of anger, contempt, abuse, and the destruction of harmony among others.

“They will also constantly hear the sounds of weapons, military equipment, and raiders arriving from other regions; the sounds of hunger and hardship, of rice and grain becoming scarce and costly, and of thieves and bandits arising; the sounds of sexual misconduct, deceit, derangement, and ignorance; the sounds of divisive speech, harsh speech, and improper speech; the sounds of greed, miserliness, jealousy, and envy; and the sounds of accumulation, attachment to ‘self’ and ‘what belongs to self,’ and the resulting struggle and contention.

“They will also constantly hear the sounds of love and hatred, satisfaction and dissatisfaction; the sounds of affection and separation, and of the sorrow and anguish of being compelled to associate closely with those they resent and hate; the sounds of mutual fear and of enslavement to one another; the sounds of entering and dwelling within a filthy, foul-smelling womb; the sounds of heat, cold, hunger, thirst, and weariness; the sounds of the hectic labor of plowing, sowing, and cultivating seasonal crops; the sounds of exhausting and wearisome occupations of every kind undertaken to earn a livelihood; and the sounds of various illnesses, calamities, sufferings, emaciation, and infirmity.

“At that time, every sentient being will constantly hear sounds such as these.

“Such sentient beings will fill the Saha world. They will all have severed their roots of goodness, distanced themselves from spiritual benefactors, and constantly harbored fiery anger in their hearts. They will not be accepted into the Buddha-lands of other directions. Because of the grave force of their karma, they will be born here in the Auspicious Kalpa, with a lifespan of only one hundred and twenty years.”

“Through the causal conditions of their karmic power, those sentient beings undergo degradation and ugliness in the Saha world. All sentient beings who have cultivated wholesome roots keep far away from them.

“The ground of the Saha world is filled with bitter, salty mineral deposits, sand, gravel, and stones, mountains, hills, mounds, springs, ravines, caves, pits, flies, mosquitoes, and venomous snakes. Poisonous birds and savage beasts throng everywhere. Pestilential winds and storms frequently arise out of season, and hailstorms and torrential rains often descend out of season.

That rainwater contains poisons and has sour, salty, and bitter tastes. The rain causes plants and grasses to proliferate, and thus their branches, flowers, fruits, grains, and cereals all contain every kind of poison. Foods, flowers, and fruits that grow out of season and contrary to nature contain many poisons.

When sentient beings consume them, their agitation and anger increase; their bodies become haggard and wholly devoid of healthy luster; they lack loving-kindness and compassion and frequently slander noble beings.

“Those sentient beings are all devoid of reverence and constantly harbor fear in their hearts. They cruelly harm one another, continually give rise to affliction and disturbance, often eat the flesh and drink the blood of other sentient beings, and flay the skins of other sentient beings to make clothing. They frequently carry knives and clubs and devote themselves to killing.

They are habitually conceited, believing their lineage to be noble and their physical appearance beautiful. They often recite the scriptures of non-Buddhist paths, train in horsemanship, and become skilled in the use of swords, spears, and other weapons. They even give rise to jealousy and envy toward their own relatives.

These sentient beings cultivate false teachings and must undergo every kind of suffering and affliction.

“World-Honored One! I vow that at that time I shall descend from the Tushita Heaven into the Saha realm and be born into the household of the most exalted Wheel-Turning King, voluntarily entering the womb of that noble king’s queen.

“Because I shall have trained and subdued my mind and cultivated wholesome roots for the sake of all sentient beings, the moment I enter the womb I shall emit brilliant radiance. May that wondrous radiance illuminate the entire Saha world, from its lowest depths up to the Akanishtha Heaven, enabling all sentient beings throughout these realms—whether they abide in the hell realm, the animal realm, the hungry ghost realm, the heavenly realms, or the human realm; whether they possess form or are formless; whether they possess perception, are without perception, or are neither percipient nor non-percipient—to behold my brilliant, wondrous radiance.

“When that radiance touches their bodies, I further vow that all sentient beings will become clearly aware of it. Through their awareness of that radiance, they will immediately discern the perils and sufferings of samsara and wholeheartedly seek the realm of unsurpassed, quiescent nirvana. Even within the span of a single thought, they will eliminate all afflictions. This is called enabling sentient beings to plant the seed of nirvana for the first time.

“I vow that during the ten months I remain in the womb, I shall discern and distinguish all dharmas and enter all Dharma gates, such as the Samadhi of Non-Arising, the Samadhi of Emptiness, and others. In future ages, I shall teach these samadhi gates for immeasurable kalpas, yet even those whose minds are skilled in resolute discernment will be unable to comprehend them fully.

“When I emerge from the womb and attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, I shall rescue all those sentient beings and enable them to escape samsara. I shall also enable those sentient beings to see clearly that although I remained in my mother’s womb for the full ten months, in truth I was abiding peacefully in the Samadhi of Precious Jewels, seated cross-legged in meditative concentration and contemplation. When the ten months are complete, I shall emerge from her right side.

Through the majestic power generated by the Samadhi of the Accomplishment of All Merits, I shall cause the Saha world, from its lowest depths up to the Akanishtha Heaven, to quake in all six ways. All sentient beings in the world—whether they abide in the hell realm, the animal realm, the hungry ghost realm, the heavenly realms, or the human realm—shall awaken.

“At that time, I shall once again illuminate the entire Saha world with wondrous radiance and enable immeasurable sentient beings to awaken. If there are sentient beings who have not yet planted wholesome roots, I shall enable them to abide securely and plant wholesome roots. Once they have planted wholesome roots in the realm of nirvana, I shall cause the seeds of samadhi within those sentient beings to grow.

“When I emerge from the right side and my feet first touch the ground, I further vow that the Saha world, from its lowest depths up to the Akanishtha Heaven, shall quake in all six ways. All sentient beings in the world—whether dwelling in water, on land, or in the sky; whether born from a womb, born from an egg, born from moisture, or born through transformation—all sentient beings throughout the five destinies shall awaken.

“If there are sentient beings who have not yet attained samadhi, I vow that they shall all attain it. Having attained samadhi, they shall abide securely in the teachings of the Three Vehicles and attain the stage of non-retrogression.

“After I am born, all devas, Brahma kings, heavenly maras, devas of the Trayastrimsha Heaven and the heavens of the sun and moon, the Four Heavenly Kings, great dragon kings, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kimnaras, mahoragas, immortals born through transformation, yakshas, and rakshasas shall all appear and make offerings to me. I vow that immediately after my birth I shall take seven steps. Having taken seven steps, through the majestic power of the Samadhi of Selecting Merits, I shall teach the true Dharma, causing the assembly to give rise to joyful minds and abide in the Three Vehicles.

“If there are sentient beings within that assembly who study the teachings of the shravakas, I vow that they shall be subdued within that very lifetime. If there are sentient beings cultivating the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, they shall all attain the Sun-Flower Patience. If there are those who study the Mahayana, they shall all attain the Samadhi of Upholding the Vajra, Loving Protection, and Great Ocean. Through the majestic power of this samadhi, they shall immediately transcend the third stage.

“At that time, when I wish to bathe, I vow that the most exalted great dragon king shall appear and bathe my body. Sentient beings who witness this shall then abide firmly in the Three Vehicles and attain the merits described above.

“While I am still a youth, I shall ride in a goat-drawn carriage and display every manner of skill and consummate artistry, all for the purpose of awakening all sentient beings.

“While dwelling in the palace, with wife, children, and palace maidens, I shall live amid and delight in the five sensual pleasures. Perceiving their peril and delusive nature, I shall leave the city in the middle of the night and cast aside all the beautiful ornaments adorning my body, intending thereby to refute the Nirgrantha non-Buddhist ascetics.”

“The teachers of the non-Buddhist paths are all treated with reverence because of their robes; therefore, I shall don the kasaya robe and sit beneath the bodhi tree. When sentient beings see me seated beneath the bodhi tree, they shall all make vows, hoping that I will swiftly employ the awesome power of the Samadhi of Accomplishing All Merits to expound the teachings of the Three Vehicles. Having heard the Dharma, they shall earnestly aspire to one of the Three Vehicles, diligently cultivate it, and practice with vigor.

“If any have brought forth the resolve to seek the Sravaka Vehicle, I shall cause them to be freed from afflictions and, in this very life, to be tamed through my instruction.

“If any have brought forth the resolve to seek the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, I shall cause them all to attain the Sun-Flower Forbearance.

“If any have brought forth the resolve to seek the Great Vehicle, I shall cause them all to attain the Samadhi of Upholding the Vajra, Loving and Protecting the Great Ocean. Through the awesome power of this samadhi, they shall immediately transcend the third stage.

“Beneath the bodhi tree, I shall accept grass and spread it out as a vajra seat. Sitting there in the full lotus posture, with body and mind upright, I shall enter the A Pha Samadhi. Through the awesome power of this samadhi, my inhalations and exhalations shall cease and become utterly still. Abiding peacefully in this samadhi, throughout each day and night I shall consume only half a portion of sesame seeds and half a portion of rice, giving the remaining half to others.

“I shall practice such austerities for a very long time. Throughout the Saha world, extending upward as far as the Akanistha Heaven, all sentient beings who hear my name shall come to where I am to make offerings. These sentient beings shall be able to bear witness to my practice of such austerities.

“If any sentient beings have planted roots of goodness according to the teachings of the Sravaka Vehicle, I vow to cause them to attain a mind tranquil and free from all afflictions. During the remainder of this lifetime, they shall surely come to me and be tamed by me. The same shall apply to sentient beings who follow the teachings of the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle or the Great Vehicle.

“If dragons, ghosts, spirits, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kimnaras, mahoragas, hungry ghosts, pisacas, or sages who have attained the five superknowledges come to me to make offerings, these sentient beings shall be able to bear witness to my practice of such austerities. Among them, the same shall apply to any sentient beings who have trained according to the teachings of the Sravaka Vehicle, the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, or the Great Vehicle.

“If, throughout the Four Continents, there are sentient beings who follow non-Buddhist paths, subsisting on meager food and drink while practicing austerities, nonhuman beings shall come and say to them: ‘You are incapable of enduring every kind of suffering in your practice, nor can you attain any great reward! What you are doing is not rare. Where we dwell, there is a bodhisattva who is about to become a Buddha.

He too practices austerities and enters subtle and wondrous meditative concentration. All activities of his body, speech, and mind have become tranquil and still, and his inhalations and exhalations have ceased. Throughout each day and night, he eats only half a portion of sesame seeds and half a portion of rice.

By practicing such austerities, he shall attain a great reward and immense benefit, revealing the teaching and guiding vast numbers of people. Before long, this practitioner of austerities shall attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. If you do not believe our words, you may go there yourselves and observe his manner of practice.’

“O Blessed One! I vow that these people shall abandon their own practices and all come to where I am to observe my practice of austerities. Among them, the same shall apply to any who have trained according to the teachings of the Sravaka Vehicle, the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, or the Great Vehicle.

“If kings, princes, ministers, officials, or common people, whether householders or renunciants, see me practicing such austerities, they shall all come to where I am to make offerings. Among them, the same shall apply to any who have trained in the teachings of the Sravaka Vehicle, the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, or the Great Vehicle.

“If women see me practicing austerities, they shall immediately come to where I am to make offerings. From that time onward, these women shall never again have to be reborn in a female body. Among them, the same shall apply to any who have trained in the teachings of the Sravaka Vehicle, the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, or the Great Vehicle.

“If birds and beasts see me practicing such austerities, they too shall come to where I am. After their lives end, these birds and beasts shall never again have to be reborn as animals. If they have brought forth the resolve to seek the path of the Sravakas, then during the remainder of this lifetime they shall come to me and be tamed. The same shall apply if they have brought forth the resolve to seek the path of the Pratyekabuddhas.

“Even the tiniest insects and microorganisms, as well as hungry ghosts, shall likewise receive these benefits.

“As I practice austerities for such a long time, each time I spread out my seat and sit in the full lotus posture, hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of immeasurable sentient beings shall bear witness on my behalf. Throughout immeasurable, boundless asamkhyeya kalpas, these sentient beings shall have planted the seeds of liberation.

“O Blessed One! No sentient beings of the past have ever been able to practice austerities as I shall; even followers of non-Buddhist paths or adherents of the Sravaka Vehicle, the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, or the Great Vehicle in the past have been unable to practice such austerities.

“O Blessed One! Nor shall any sentient beings of the future be able to practice austerities as I shall; even followers of non-Buddhist paths or adherents of the Sravaka Vehicle, the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, or the Great Vehicle in the future shall be unable to practice such austerities.

“Even before attaining anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, I shall be able to accomplish great deeds, namely, vanquishing Mara and Mara’s retinue. I vow that, after vanquishing the Mara of afflictions and attaining anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, in order to help one sentient being abide securely in the supremely wondrous fruit of arhatship, I shall, whenever appropriate, manifest a reward body and undergo all the residual karmic consequences of that sentient being. In the same way, I shall then help a second sentient being abide securely in the fruit of arhatship, followed by a third, a fourth, and so forth, up to immeasurably many sentient beings.

“For the sake of all sentient beings, I shall manifest hundreds of thousands of immeasurable displays of supernormal power, wishing to help them abide securely in right view. For the sake of all sentient beings, I shall also expound hundreds of thousands of immeasurable meanings of Dharma teachings. According to each sentient being’s capacity to receive them, I shall cause them all to abide firmly in the fruits of sanctity.

“With vajra wisdom, I shall shatter the mountain-like accumulations of afflictions of all sentient beings. I shall also expound the teachings of the Three Vehicles for sentient beings. For the sake of all sentient beings, I shall travel hundreds of thousands of yojanas without employing supernormal powers, arrive where those sentient beings dwell, and teach them the Dharma, causing them to abide securely in fearlessness.

“If there are people who wish to renounce the household life and train in my teaching, I vow that they shall not be hindered by such conditions as frailty, mental confusion, insanity, or arrogance. Nor shall they be beset by fear, foolishness and lack of wisdom, the many bonds of affliction, or distracted minds.

“If there are women who wish to renounce the household life and train in the path according to my teaching, desiring to receive full ordination, I vow that they shall all accomplish their aspiration.”

“May my disciples—the fourfold assembly of bhikshus, bhikshunis, upasakas, and upasikas—all receive offerings.

“May the devas and humans, together with ghosts and spirits, all realize the Four Noble Truths. May dragons, asuras, and animals all undertake and uphold the Eight Precepts and cultivate pure brahmacarya.

“O Blessed One! After I attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, if any sentient being becomes angry with me and seeks to harm me with knives or clubs, fiery pits, or any other means whatsoever, or slanders and reviles me with malicious words, causing all the worlds throughout the ten directions to despise and denounce me, or brings me poisoned food to eat—all such residual karmic consequences from the past I shall accept and endure in their entirety.

“Before I attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, if any sentient beings, out of enmity, conceive the intention to harm me, utter all manner of malicious words, poison me with food containing various toxins, or cause my body to bleed, such beings will all approach me with evil intentions. At that time, through the Samadhi of Moral Conduct and the Samadhi of Great Learning, I shall arouse great compassion and expound the Dharma to them in a wondrous voice like that of Brahma, causing them, upon hearing it, immediately to develop pure minds and abide securely in wholesome dharmas. They shall repent of all the evil karma they have created, never commit such deeds again, and immediately be born among devas or humans, free from all hindrances.

“After those sentient beings are born in the two realms of devas and humans, they shall all attain the wondrous fruit of liberation and abide securely in the supreme fruition. They shall completely abandon every form of craving and evil, forever eliminate the ignorance and delusive views that afflict them, and extinguish all obstructive karma. Whatever residual karmic consequences those sentient beings may have shall be entirely eradicated, with nothing remaining.

“O Blessed One! After I attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, every day all the pores of my body shall constantly emit transformation Buddhas, each endowed with the thirty-two excellent marks and the eighty minor characteristics adorning his body. I shall send these transformation Buddhas to appear in worlds where no Buddha has arisen, in worlds where Buddhas are present, and in worlds afflicted by the five defilements.

“If, in those worlds, there are people who have committed the five rebellious offenses, destroyed the true Dharma, slandered noble beings, or even severed their roots of goodness; or if there are followers of the shravaka vehicle, the pratyekabuddha vehicle, or the Mahayana who have violated the precepts, committed grave offenses, extinguished every wholesome intention, lost the path to favorable rebirth, fallen into the mire of birth and death, followed deviant paths, and climbed the mountain of transgression—for hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of such sentient beings, each transformation Buddha shall, in the course of a single day, universally expound the Dharma.

“If there are sentient beings who worship Maheśvara, the transformation Buddhas shall accord with their inclinations and assume the form of Maheśvara to expound the Dharma to them, while also praising and extolling my name. May those sentient beings, upon hearing me praised and extolled, develop joyful minds, plant roots of goodness, and be born in my world.

“O Blessed One! When those sentient beings approach the end of their lives, if I am unable to appear before them and expound the true Dharma, thereby purifying their minds, I shall most certainly never attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.

“Moreover, if after death those sentient beings must fall into the three evil destinies and are unable to be born in human form in my world, then the immeasurable true Dharma that I have studied and understood shall entirely perish, and none of my Buddha-works shall be accomplished.

“I make the same vow regarding sentient beings who worship Nārāyaṇa.

“O Blessed One! After I attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, may all sentient beings in worlds of other directions who have committed the five rebellious offenses, or even followed deviant paths and climbed the mountain of transgression, gather at the end of their lives and be born in my world. In accordance with their previous appearances, they shall assume forms with pale, coarse bodies and ugly faces like those of pishacha ghosts. They shall lose right mindfulness, violate the precepts, be filthy and repulsive, and die prematurely. Because of their evil deeds, they shall suffer injury and bodily deterioration, and they shall often lack the necessities of life.

“For the sake of such sentient beings, I shall then descend from the Tushita Heaven into the Saha world, manifest entry into my mother’s womb, be born, grow to maturity, and study the various arts and skills. I shall then renounce the household life, practice austerities, vanquish the maras, attain the unsurpassed Way, turn the wheel of the true Dharma, and, after entering nirvana, leave relics to circulate everywhere. I shall manifest all such Buddha-works throughout hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of four-continent world systems.

THE KARUṆĀPUṆḌARĪKA SUTRA

END OF FASCICLE VI