虛空孕菩薩經

Good man! This is called the first grave offense committed by a bodhisattva. After this good man has committed that grave offense, he loses all the roots of goodness he previously cultivated, violates his original vows, is overcome by afflictions, cannot attain rebirth in the higher realms, and likewise cannot attain the bliss of nirvana.

These things render his bodhisattva practice fruitless; he forgets the mind of bodhi and subsequently falls into the evil destinies. Good man! Therefore, a bodhisattva who wishes to guide sentient beings must first understand their minds so that his practice may accord with theirs, and then, in accordance with their practices, expound the Dharma to them in due sequence.

It is like a person who wishes to enter the great ocean: he should first know where its waters are deep and where they are shallow, and only afterward enter it... and so forth... To speak briefly, this great bodhisattva Akashagarbha takes birth in those lands for the sake of such sentient beings, manifests bodily forms there, and is well able to know that those sentient beings have committed grave offenses and fear falling into the evil destinies.

If, moreover, anyone fears his offenses, or hears another speak and invokes the name of that bodhisattva Akashagarbha, or wishes and longs to behold that bodhisattva, then that novice bodhisattva, wishing to repent of his grave offenses, should, during the latter part of the night, bathe in scented water, put on clean garments, burn agarwood incense and tagara incense, kneel with his right knee upon the ground, join his palms facing east, and single-mindedly invoke the name of bodhisattva Akashagarbha.

Bodhisattva Akashagarbha knows the gravity or lightness of the offenses and merits of that person who has newly aroused the aspiration for the path of bodhi. Then, in accordance with that person's faculties and nature, he manifests a body before him—perhaps the body of a brahmin... or even the body of a boy or a girl. Having appeared before him, this bodhisattva, out of compassion for the person who has newly aroused the aspiration, examines the original causes of that bodhisattva's grave karma and the conditions underlying his offenses, and instructs him in repentance.

For that person, he reveals exceedingly profound, subtle, and skillful means; expounds the essential teachings of the unsurpassed Mahayana; and teaches him to establish the samadhis, gates of patience, dharanis, stages of the Dharma, and so forth. He thereby enables that person to be liberated from all evil destinies and from the causes and conditions of grave offenses, to abide on the Stage of Non-Retrogression, and to advance toward unsurpassed complete perfect enlightenment.

That person also acquires great strength like a vajra, perfects steadfast resolve in the six paramitas, and ultimately attains unsurpassed complete perfect enlightenment. This bodhisattva Akashagarbha may manifest his own body before sentient beings and, after appearing in person, expound the Dharma to them. If bodhisattva Akashagarbha has not yet appeared to that person in due time, the novice bodhisattva-mahasattva should again, during the latter part of the night, bathe in scented water, put on clean garments, burn agarwood incense, and supplicate the yellow-white great being of the east named Aruna, saying aloud: “Venerable Aruna!

You of great loving-kindness and compassion are about to appear in this Jambudvipa. Please have compassion for me! Arouse loving-kindness and compassion, shelter and protect me, and on my behalf address bodhisattva Akashagarbha, asking bodhisattva Akashagarbha to reveal skillful means to me.

I now wish to repent of the grave offenses I have committed, so that I may attain the great eye of wisdom within the noble Mahayana.” Having spoken these words of supplication and paid homage, that person should return to his former place and sleep peacefully.

At that time, when the yellow-white great being Aruna appears in the east, bodhisattva Akashagarbha immediately comes and manifests within a dream. Before the bodhisattva who has committed grave offenses, he reveals his own body and teaches that novice bodhisattva who has committed grave offenses the skillful means of great wisdom by which to repent of the offenses he has committed. Or he may reveal skillful means of great wisdom that enable the bodhisattva who has newly aroused the aspiration for the path to attain the samadhi called Never Forgetting the Mind of Bodhi, to remain securely established in the Mahayana Dharma, and swiftly to perfect the six paramitas.

Furthermore, good man! A novice bodhisattva may see someone practicing the bodhisattva path, approach that person, and say: “You are incapable of practicing the bodhisattva's six paramitas, and you are also incapable of attaining unsurpassed complete perfect enlightenment! You should instead arouse the aspiration for the shravaka vehicle or the pratyekabuddha vehicle! You will thereby immediately be liberated from the afflictions”... and so forth, as stated above... Good man! This is called the second grave offense committed by a bodhisattva.

Furthermore, good man! A novice bodhisattva may see another sentient being and say: “You should not practice the Pratimoksha or the Vinaya precepts. You should not be diligent in that Dharma! You should swiftly arouse the aspiration for unsurpassed complete perfect enlightenment! You should quickly read and recite the Mahayana sutras! As for your deeds—the three kinds of activity of body, speech, and mind that arise from the afflictions—through these afflictions and evil karma you will immediately attain purity”... and so forth, as stated above. Good man! This is called the third grave offense committed by a novice bodhisattva.

Furthermore, good man! A bodhisattva may see others and say: “All of you should abandon the shravaka vehicle. Do not listen to it or read and recite its teachings!

Do not explain them to others; conceal them and do not reveal them! You good men should not reveal the shravaka vehicle! If you practice this shravaka vehicle, you will not attain the great fruit and will be unable to eradicate the bonds of the afflictions.

You should only teach the pure Mahayana sutras: listen to them, recite them, accept and retain them, and clearly expound them to others. Through these causes and conditions, you will escape all evil destinies, extinguish all evil karma and so forth, and swiftly attain unsurpassed complete perfect enlightenment.” If that person listens to the words of the novice bodhisattva and follows this practice, both of them commit a grave offense.

Good man! This is called the fourth grave offense.

Furthermore, good man! Bodhisattvas in the initial stage of practice habitually engage in divisive speech, for their hearts and mouths contradict one another. Whenever they read and recite Mahayana scriptures, they do so in pursuit of fame, material gain, honor, and offerings.

Giving rise to such intentions, they read and recite the scriptures, explain them to others, receive and uphold them, proclaim and disseminate them, or teach others through expedient means suited to circumstances. Having heard teachings from someone else, they then turn to others and say, “I myself am now a follower of the Mahayana; no one else is.” They give rise to such jealousy for the sake of material gain. Or, when they see other practitioners of the Mahayana receiving valuables and the four kinds of offerings from others, they consequently give rise to anger and spread malicious and contemptible reports about those bodhisattvas, humiliating, reviling, slandering, and disparaging them while praising themselves.

Because of such jealousy, they tell others that they possess the Dharma of superior persons, saying, “I have attained such a superior state and such a superior Dharma; I have attained it, and I know it.” For this reason, they violate their original vows, are overcome by afflictions, and turn their backs on the Mahayana Dharma. Within the Mahayana, such beings commit a grave offense... and, upon relinquishing their bodies, fall into the evil destinies.

It is like a person who wishes to gather precious jewels and travels to a region where treasures are found but does not enter the sea. Or, though he enters the sea, he destroys his own vessel midway, and that foolish person meets his death in the ocean. Good man!

So it is! So it is! Those bodhisattvas in the initial stage of practice resolve to enter the ocean of the Mahayana, yet, because of jealousy, those foolish people slander others and speak falsely.

For this reason, those fools destroy the vessel of faith. Having destroyed faith in cultivation, they extinguish the life faculty of wisdom. Good man!

Such bodhisattvas in the initial stage of practice are foolish, ignorant, and poorly learned; because jealousy leads them to speak falsely and slander others, they thereby commit a grave offense. Good man! This is called the fifth grave offense committed by a bodhisattva who has newly aroused the aspiration for enlightenment.

Furthermore, good man! In a future age, there will be bodhisattvas in the initial stage of practice, whether laypeople, monastics, and so forth, who possess profound Dharma gates of the “marklessness of emptiness,” subtle and wondrous scriptures, dharanis, stages, kinds of patience, and so forth. They adorn themselves with all manner of practices.

Great wise ones, bodhisattvas, and others encourage them to seek the sphere of ascetic practice. With regard to the Mahayana scriptures, they may read them, recite them, explain and extol them, expound them to others, analyze them, and widely disseminate them, yet they tell others, “I understood such scriptures naturally, realized and knew them naturally, and became enlightened to them naturally. I alone, out of compassion for you, expound them.

After hearing them from me, contemplate them in this way and read and recite them in this way; then you will naturally comprehend such profound Dharma. Through these causes and conditions, you will attain the same knowledge and vision that I possess today.” Yet they refuse to say, “It was because you explained them that I read and recited such subtle and wondrous, profound scriptures!” Such people seek material gain from the four assemblies and thus sell themselves.

For this reason, before all the Tathagatas, Arhats, and Samyaksambuddhas of the three times, the great bodhisattvas, and all noble pudgalas, those foolish people incur a parajika offense. By committing that grave offense, they falsely deceive all devas and humans. Such foolish people have no share in the Mahayana; how, then, could they enter the Mahayana?

How could they attain the supreme state? How, moreover, could they ever accomplish unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment? It is like a person who wishes to travel a distant road and reaches a wilderness.

Tormented by hunger and thirst, he suddenly comes upon a grove of fruit trees. He enters that grove seeking something to eat so that he may preserve his life. He then comes upon a great tree abundant with flowers and fruit, fully endowed with delightful fragrance and flavor.

Having encountered it, he tastes its fruit. But after tasting it, he instead climbs a poisonous tree and eats its poisonous fruit; after eating it, he dies. Good man!

So it is! So it is! These foolish people have now obtained human bodies, encountered good spiritual friends, and, relying upon good spiritual friends, gained entrance into the Mahayana.

Yet these beings seek material gain, delight in boasting about themselves, and slander others. By acting in this way, they commit a grave offense. Having committed that grave offense, they are despised by the wise and must fall into the evil destinies.

For this reason, no kshatriya, brahmin, vaishya, or shudra should associate with them. If anyone associates with them, such people thereby turn against all noble ones of great wisdom and incur great guilt. Good man!

This is called the sixth grave offense committed by a bodhisattva in the initial stage of practice.

Furthermore, good man! In a future age, there may be kshatriyas and kings of various countries who are surrounded by brahmin royal preceptors who practice evil, ministers who practice evil, physicians who practice evil, and so forth. These people are truly foolish, yet consider themselves greatly wise and highly capable, and they receive abundant stipends and fiefs.

They practice various forms of giving and create all manner of meritorious conditions. Because they cultivate giving with only a slight understanding of its meaning, they become arrogant and heedless, believing themselves to possess the Way. They urge the kshatriya kings to contend with the shramanas who are my disciples and to harm one another, or they urge the shramanas and the kshatriya kings to struggle against each other.

Relying upon the kshatriya kings, those evil people impose penalties upon bhikshus or compel them to surrender property. Because they are oppressed by the kshatriya kings, ministers, and others, those bhikshus may steal their own community’s property, steal property belonging to the Sangha, or steal property belonging to the Sangha of the four directions, and then deliver the stolen goods to the officials and those evil people.

Those evil people take these goods from the bhikshus and present them to the kshatriya kings; both groups thereby commit grave offenses. Those kshatriyas and evil people contend with the bhikshus. For this reason, they abandon the true Dharma and establish what is contrary to the Dharma; by adopting what is contrary to the Dharma, they become far removed from the true Dharma.

If they abandon reliance upon the teachings of the Mahayana scriptures, the Vinaya and precepts, the Upadesha, and the Mahopadesha, they become far removed from the practice of loving-kindness and compassion, prajnaparamita, skillful means, and the other scriptures and disciplinary teachings. There is nothing spoken by the Tathagata that they do not cast aside, for they wish to disturb the bhikshus. Hollow-hearted and perverse, they contravene the Buddha’s disciplinary teachings and devise regulations of their own.

Having devised these regulations, they disturb the bhikshus, causing all the bhikshus to become far removed from samatha contemplation, right conduct, right mindfulness, and so forth—even causing meditators to become disturbed, angry, and wrathful, and to engage constantly in disputes. For this reason, they cause the bhikshus to give rise to afflictions and prevent them from attaining tranquil concentration.

At that time, those bhiksus lost right faith in the Dharma and lost the dignified deportment and observances of virtuous bhiksus, causing them to fall into various wrong views. Because of these causes and conditions, the bhiksus all became indolent, occupied themselves with many worldly affairs, could not uphold the precepts, violated and abandoned the precepts, and could no longer rely upon the rules of the sramana. With their mouths they said, “I am a bhiksu, a sramana.” Although they also proclaimed, “I practice the holy life,” their movements and vocal tones resembled the sound of a conch shell, and they did not teach the Dharma in accordance with the true Dharma.

Such bhiksus and their retinues received increasingly abundant offerings of stolen goods from ksatriya kings and their subjects. Such evil bhiksus and others spoke before laypeople of the supposed faults of virtuous bhiksus dwelling in aranyas, in secluded places, thereby causing those ksatriya kings, evil ministers, and their retinues to give rise to unwholesome and slanderous thoughts toward precept-observing and diligent bhiksus, and to seize all the possessions of those diligent bhiksus.

Having seized them, they transferred them to bhiksus who recited the sutras; both parties thereby committed grave offenses. Why is this? Because those bhiksus who cultivate meditation are true fields of merit.

Having discerned this, one should cause them to cultivate and rectify their karma and should not let them become involved in the affairs of the Sangha. Those meditating bhiksus will attain samadhis, dharanis, patiences, stages, and so forth; they will become vessels of the Dharma, true fields of merit, true vessels of merit, and the eyes of the world. They will serve as a great light for the world, revealing the wholesome path; they will be the ground upon which the karma of insight is cultivated amid the field of afflictions.

They will instruct those sentient beings so that all may cross over, and after crossing over, establish them upon the path to nirvana.

Good man! These are called the eight kinds of grave offenses of bodhisattvas in their initial practice. If they do not exert themselves to abandon the two positions, then, through the causal power of committing these great and grave offenses of bodhisattvas in their initial practice, all the roots of goodness they cultivated in the past will be forgotten. Having forgotten them, they will later fall into the evil destinies, turn away from their original vows, be overcome by afflictions, lose the happiness of humans and devas, be deluded by falsity, and lose the bodhicitta.

Good man! For the sake of such good men, this Akasagarbha Bodhisattva is born in their lands and manifests bodily forms to those sentient beings. He may manifest as a bhiksu possessing the appropriate dignified deportment, or as a brahmin whose dignified deportment is fully perfected... even to the point that, if one can be liberated through the body of an animal, he immediately manifests the dignified appearance of an animal...

In brief, up to all that is taught in the Surangama Samadhi, you should know that it is likewise so here. Akasagarbha Bodhisattva skillfully knows their faculties and their various dispositions and, in response, manifests bodies before those sentient beings, teaches the Dharma according to their needs, and instructs various sentient beings in that unprecedented Dharma. Concerning omniscience, he expounds subtle and wondrous sutras and universally reveals dharanis, patiences, stages, and so forth for their sake, causing those evil people who have committed grave offenses—those bodhisattvas in their initial practice—to give rise to shame and remorse, causing their hearts to become fearful and enabling them to regret and repent of those grave offenses, distance themselves from them,

abandon them, and never dare commit them again.

Good man! Because those sentient beings fear the consequences of committing grave offenses, they hear the name of this Akasagarbha Bodhisattva and wish to behold his body themselves, fearing that they will fall into the evil destinies and regretting those transgressions... These sentient beings should bow their heads at the feet of the Great Bodhisattva Akasagarbha and should also single-mindedly invoke that bodhisattva’s name.

In accordance with the faculties and karma of those sentient beings, Akasagarbha Bodhisattva may manifest the bodily form of a bodhisattva directly before them. To those who should be liberated through the body of a bhiksu, he immediately manifests the bodily form of a bhiksu. To those who should be liberated through the body of a brahmin, he immediately manifests the bodily form of a brahmin.

To those who should be liberated through the bodies of a boy or a girl, he immediately manifests the bodily form of a boy or a girl... According to how Akasagarbha Bodhisattva perceives the grave offenses committed by those bodhisattvas in their initial practice, he manifests accordingly. Through such skillful means, he teaches and transforms those who have committed grave offenses, causing them to repent.

Then, within the profound and wondrous Dharma of the Unsurpassed Vehicle, Akasagarbha Bodhisattva reveals practices of skillful means, whether a correct stage or an incorrect stage, whether samadhis, dharanis, or the instructional practices manifested within the patiences... proceeding step by step in teaching and transforming them until he establishes them in the Noble Eightfold Path. Through the power of Akasagarbha Bodhisattva, those sentient beings are freed from all the sufferings of the evil destinies.

After freeing them from the evil destinies, he establishes and securely places them on the Stage of Non-retrogression. Once established there, they will certainly attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment. Good man!

So it is! So it is! Through great and vigorous effort in the six paramitas, those bodhisattvas swiftly accomplish the path to unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment, as quickly as a flash of lightning.

Good man! If the Great Bodhisattva Akasagarbha does not manifest his bodily form before a bodhisattva who has committed grave offenses, then that bodhisattva in the initial practice, knowing his own transgressions and wishing to invite Akasagarbha Bodhisattva, should, during the latter part of the night, bathe with scented water, put on clean garments, kneel with one knee on the ground, join his palms, face east, burn agarwood incense, and single-mindedly entreat the yellow-white celestial prince Aruna in the east, saying: “O Aruna!

O Aruna! You possess great loving-kindness and compassion! You possess great merit!

When you first appear in the east, you illuminate the entire continent of Jambudvipa. I pray that, through your loving-kindness and compassion, you will shelter and protect me! For my sake, please swiftly invite Akasagarbha Bodhisattva, the one endowed with great compassion, and cause that bodhisattva, especially for my sake, to manifest skillful means in my sleep, skillfully teach me to repent of the grave offenses I have committed, and enable me swiftly to attain the eye of wisdom within the great and sacred Mahayana!” Having spoken these words, that bodhisattva in the initial practice who had committed grave offenses should return indoors and lie down to sleep.

Then, when the yellow-white Aruna appears in the east of the continent of Jambudvipa, Akasagarbha Bodhisattva immediately follows him and transforms into the body of a bodhisattva before the eyes of that bodhisattva in the initial practice. Within a dream, he manifests wondrous skillful means, teaching the offender to repent of evil karma. Before that bodhisattva in the initial practice, Akasagarbha Bodhisattva produces such skillful knowledge and vision. Once he has produced these skillful means, the bodhisattva in the initial practice immediately attains a samadhi called Never Forgetting Bodhi, abides decisively in the Mahayana, and can no longer retreat or be shaken. He swiftly accomplishes the six paramitas and, before long, will realize unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.

Good man! This Akasagarbha Bodhisattva has undergone immense toil, undertaken the most excellent task, and attained the sublime, wondrous, and supreme wish-fulfilling mani jewel, which then wondrously appears above the crown of that bodhisattva’s head. Good man! Akasagarbha Bodhisattva possesses such an immeasurable, boundless, and inconceivable accumulation of merit.

Furthermore, good man! If any beings hear the name of this Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha, or make an image of him, and use all manner of offerings to make offerings to this bodhisattva, honoring, revering, bowing to, and praising him; using all manner of incense and flowers, flower garlands, anointing incense, powdered incense, burning incense, and so forth; and using all manner of banners, streamers, and jeweled canopies to make offerings to that bodhisattva—after making those offerings, they again make offerings to him, honor and revere him, and entrust their own bodies and lives to that bodhisattva.

Through the awe-inspiring spiritual power of this bodhisattva, those beings cannot be burned by fire, drowned by water, or injured by clubs; they cannot be harmed anywhere in any land; and in all places, neither humans nor nonhumans can ultimately seize their vital essence, except when their lives come to an end. Even if they suffer grave illness, it will not linger long. They will not die from the torment of hunger or thirst, will not be harassed by tyrannical officials, and will not commit grave offenses.

When their lives are about to end, their eyes can no longer see forms, their ears can no longer hear sounds, their noses can no longer smell fragrances, their tongues can no longer taste flavors, and their bodies can no longer experience contact. When only the faintest breath remains, together with bodily warmth and the slightest consciousness that has not yet departed, Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha will then manifest his own body for those beings.

If, during life, a being had faith in brahmins, then at the final moment, when that being’s consciousness is about to leave the body, this good man clearly manifests before them in the form of a brahmin, causing that being to become joyful. If a being formerly worshiped Māra, then after that being’s life comes to an end, Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha manifests in the form of Māra. Likewise, for those who during life worshiped the god Nārāyaṇa, Maheśvara, Śakra, a Wheel-Turning Sage King, the gods of the sun and moon, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Virūḍhaka, Virūpākṣa, Vaiśravaṇa, or even the various worldly mountain spirits, tree spirits, river spirits, spring spirits, well spirits, and so forth—for such beings,

Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha transforms himself into the corresponding bodily form according to the object in which they took refuge.

In this way, when they are about to die, the bodhisattva manifests that bodily form before them. In accordance with the aspirations in the minds of those beings, the bodhisattva appears before each of them. Having manifested that body, the bodhisattva says:

If one, by means of wisdom,

Can perceive the Four Truths,

Though dwelling amid affliction,

One can cross at once to the other shore.

After those beings perceive and understand this Dharma through consciousness, they are reborn in a good destination. If some beings should be transformed by means of a Buddha-body, the bodhisattva immediately manifests the body of a Buddha before them and says:

If one reaches the depths of Buddha-wisdom,

One can cross the sea of affliction;

One will swiftly realize wisdom

And be liberated from suffering and hardship.

At that time, because those beings recollect the Buddha and hear the Buddha’s voice, joy arises in their hearts. After their lives end, they leave behind the world of the five turbidities and are immediately born in a pure land, where they encounter the Buddhas and hear and receive the true Dharma. The same applies, in brief, to the Dharma and the Sangha. Good man! Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha has attained such inconceivable qualities of Dharma.

Good man! If, moreover, a person inwardly wishes to realize all manner of samādhis and attain great mastery, that being should rise during the latter part of the night, bathe with scented water, burn agarwood incense, and then, according to their strength and means, use all manner of offerings to make offerings to Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha and bow at his feet. After making offerings and bowing, they should generate loving-kindness toward all beings and say: “Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha, you have attained the gateway of great loving-kindness and compassion and have attained wisdom! Please quickly be mindful of me! Quickly be mindful of me! May you always bestow upon me the skillful means of the samādhi of Right Mindfulness!” They should then recite the dhāraṇī:

Đa địa tha ⁽¹⁾ Lô mộ ⁽²⁾ La na khí ⁽³⁾ Bác xoa ni lệ ⁽⁴⁾ Tát mộ đạt la đa lệ ⁽⁵⁾ Đa na gia na gia ⁽⁶⁾ Ma ha ca lưu ni ca ⁽⁷⁾ A nô ba xà bà tam vật lợi đế ⁽⁸⁾ A ca la xà bà tam vật lợi đế ⁽⁹⁾ Bạt chiết la diêm bà tam vật lợi đế ⁽¹⁰⁾ Hồ lô xá tam vật lợi đế ⁽¹¹⁾ A na ma tam vật lợi đế ⁽¹²⁾ Bồ đa câu trí tam vật lợi đế ⁽¹³⁾ Tá ha.

After reciting this dhāraṇī, through the awe-inspiring spiritual power of that bodhisattva, they immediately attain Right Mindfulness and enter the gateways of the samādhis.

If, moreover, a person wishes to recite all manner of sutras and treatises, the words of the Buddhas, or the words of the śrāvakas, and so forth, then during the latter part of the night, in a place to the east, when the Yellow-White Star appears, that person should bathe with scented water, put on clean clothing, kneel with the right knee toward the east, burn agarwood incense, arrange offerings according to their means, and bow to Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha.

Generating a mind of loving-kindness and compassion toward all beings, they should say: “O Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha! Good man, you have attained an inconceivable mind of loving-kindness and compassion toward all beings. Please, with your great wisdom, be mindful of me!

Be mindful of me! You are the supreme bodhisattva pudgala. Please grant me Right Mindfulness, the excellent samādhis, great wisdom, and profound and wondrous skillful means!” They should then recite the dhāraṇī:

Đa địa tha ⁽¹⁾ Ni la thiệp tỳ ⁽²⁾ Kiềm bồ sa thiệp tỳ ⁽³⁾ Gia bà na thiệp tỳ ⁽⁴⁾ Bác sát tát mê ⁽⁵⁾ Ba tra la xà sử ⁽⁶⁾ Tát tha na tô lô tỳ ⁽⁷⁾ Hộ ma hộ ma ⁽⁸⁾ Ma ha ca lưu ni ca ⁽⁹⁾ Tá ha ⁽¹⁰⁾

Good man! Even if there are beings who wish to enter the great ocean to gather precious treasures; who wish to go beneath the earth into the palaces of the asuras; who wish to obtain and drink medicine that fixes the span of their years (fixes the year?); who have been cast into prison and bound; who are separated from those they love; who are compelled to meet those they hate and cannot escape them; who face the danger of fire, water, knives or clubs, poisonous gu, or spoken curses and spells; who face danger from lions, tigers, wolves, pythons, snakes, centipedes, or scorpions; who face robbers, delusion, or any terrifying danger; who are fettered, confined, imprisoned, or bound; who are constrained by officials; who have been sentenced to exile or are about to be executed;

who are gravely ill and bedridden, oppressed and terrified by an epidemic and afraid of death; or who lack clothing, food, bedding, medicines, wealth, or material goods—those beings should, during the latter part of the night, when the morning star (the Yellow-White Star) appears, bathe with scented water, put on clean clothing, bow to Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha, kneel with the right knee, join their palms, and face east.

According to their strength and means, they should arrange offerings and make offerings to that bodhisattva. Generating a mind of great compassion for all beings, they should proclaim: “O Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha! You are endowed with great loving-kindness and compassion and constantly benefit all beings!

Please be mindful of me! Be mindful of me! With your compassion, I pray that you regard my mind!

I pray that you liberate me!” They should then state their misfortunes as described above and recite this verse:

I possess no marks of merit;

May you bestow virtue upon me.

I now suffer poverty and lowliness;

Now may you fulfill my prayer.

Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha

Is the refuge to which I return.

In this present life,

And in lives to come, grant me peace and happiness.

At that time, the great bodhisattva Akashagarbha, upon hearing the voices of those beings, would sometimes manifest his own bodhisattva body... and even manifest the body of a boy or girl before them, speaking words of consolation and reassurance, protecting them from all fears and calamities, and completely eliminating all their existing fears... In brief... for impoverished, solitary, and destitute beings, or those without the means to sustain their lives, that bodhisattva would observe their thoughts and intentions and cause their wishes to be fulfilled, bestowing upon them everything they required.

Good man! If a prince wishes to attain the position of royal consecration and wishes to be worthy of that office, he should make offerings to that great bodhisattva, invoke the bodhisattva’s name, and, according to his ability and circumstances, make offerings to the bodhisattva Akashagarbha... Likewise, those who wish to attain the status of a brahmin, the status of a wealthy elder, or the status of a great householder;

who wish to learn various arts and sciences, realize the inner Dharma, acquire mantra practices, learn crafts, hear even a single verse, or seek liberation—when those beings hear the name of this bodhisattva Akashagarbha, then, during the latter part of the night when the morning star appears, they should bathe in fragrant water, put on clean garments, face east, kneel with one knee on the ground, join their palms, and bow in homage to the bodhisattva Akashagarbha.

Having taken refuge in that bodhisattva, they should join their palms and make this earnest entreaty: “Venerable Akashagarbha! You are endowed with great loving-kindness and compassion! My merit is meager!

I pray that you grant me the marks of merit and fulfill the aspiration of my heart!” They should then recite this verse:

May the prayer within my heart

Not be left unfulfilled.

I pray you arouse a heart of compassion;

May your loving-kindness accord with my wish.

At that time, the bodhisattva Akashagarbha, with his purified divine ear surpassing the human ear, would hear the voice of that being. For that being’s sake, he would sometimes manifest his own body before them, observe their heart and the conduct arising within it, and bestow upon them according to their capacity, in such and such ways... thus displaying skillful means for that being.

Good man! The bodhisattva Akashagarbha, fully endowed with such powers of skillful means, has entered the ocean of great wisdom. This great bodhisattva Akashagarbha possesses such inconceivable qualities. Good man! A person might be able to determine the number of drops of water in the four great seas. Yet when this great bodhisattva Akashagarbha teaches and transforms beings, displaying and exercising the skillful means of his supreme wisdom, that person could never calculate or comprehend them.

Good man! Suppose a person could determine the extent of all the regions throughout the ten directions of space, both where things appear and where they do not appear. Yet that person could never determine the bounds or number of the skillful means by which this great bodhisattva Akashagarbha teaches and transforms beings.

For the sake of beings, that bodhisattva exercises skillful means, transforming his own body and appearing before them. He may manifest the body of a Buddha to deliver beings, or assume the body of a brahmin to teach them... According to whatever bodily form is appropriate for those to be transformed, he immediately manifests that body without discrimination.

For those who should be transformed through the body of an animal, he immediately manifests the body of an animal. For those who should be transformed through the body of a hell-being, he immediately manifests the body of a hell-being (?)...

For beings who should see him directly before them, he manifests an emanation body. For beings to whom he should manifest in a dream, the bodhisattva immediately appears to them while they are asleep and dreaming. When beings are approaching the end of life and only a little consciousness remains, if their transgressions are to be extinguished so that they may avoid the lower realms and be led to a good destination, that bodhisattva manifests various bodies for their sake.

Whichever deity a being took refuge in while alive, the bodhisattva manifests as that deity, and the being immediately attains peace and happiness... Even to lead them to an appropriate wholesome realm, the bodhisattva immediately manifests that heavenly realm and causes them to rejoice. Good man!

Therefore, no one can measure or know the extent or number of the bodies through which this bodhisattva Akashagarbha teaches and transforms beings.

Good man! That bodhisattva Akashagarbha has attained such inconceivable Dharma methods of supreme wisdom, with wondrous and complete powers of skillful means, and so forth... This great bodhisattva Akashagarbha has entered the ocean of the Buddhas’ merits. Good man! Therefore, upon the head of the great bodhisattva Akashagarbha there appears a resplendent, responsive mani jewel.

At that time, when the entire great assembly gathered there heard the Buddha praise the bodhisattva Akashagarbha, they immediately conceived an extraordinary and exceptional regard for him. They gave rise to profound reverence and respect, joined their palms, and remained gazing upon him. They brought forth various fragrant flowers, powdered incense, anointing incense, banners, canopies adorned with jewels, multicolored garments, jeweled necklaces, hymns, praises, and all kinds of music as offerings to the bodhisattva Akashagarbha. The great bodhisattva Akashagarbha first presented these offerings to the Blessed One. Having presented them to the Blessed One, the bodhisattva knelt upright before him with palms joined and addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! Among the beings in this age of the five turbidities who are shrouded in the darkness of ignorance, how can the work of a Buddha be performed?”

The Buddha said:

“Good man! Consider space: it is neither bound nor released, neither seeing nor deluded. Space in its essential nature is originally pure. Yet because winds arise and move within it, dust, haze, smoke, and clouds appear, and thus space is said to be impure. Because of rainwater, space becomes free from that dust... and those obstructing phenomena; then the sun, moon, and stars immediately become visible. Thereby one can know the hours, seasons, and the length of day and night... and calculate the half-month, the full month, and the complete year.

“So it is! So it is! Good man!

The True Suchness of all the Tathagata’s dharmas accords with the original characteristic of the mind, which is like space and pure by nature. It is only because beings are affected by the adventitious defilements that their minds and thoughts become sullied. For this reason, the Tathagata employs Dharma methods such as loving-kindness and compassion, raining down loving-kindness and compassion so that beings sullied by the afflictions may immediately become purified and free of every stain.

Once the minds of those beings are purified, they immediately see the sun of the Buddha appearing in the world. Having been suffused with the light of wisdom, they themselves gain illumination amid the inconceivable merits of the Buddhas. The Tathagata establishes them in the four supreme establishments of mindfulness and in the Noble Path... and even establishes them in the eighteen distinctive qualities, and in the true Dharma of great loving-kindness and great compassion.

Therefore, arhats, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas appear in the world.

“Good man! What do you think? Can the nature of space abide in the eye?”

He replied:

“No, Blessed One!”

The Buddha said:

“Can the eye abide in consciousness?”

He replied:

“No, Blessed One!”

The Buddha said:

“Does the eye abide in contact?”

He replied:

“No, Blessed One!”

The Buddha said:

“Within the eye, three kinds of feeling arise dependent upon contact. Does space abide within them?”

He replied:

“No, Blessed One!”

The Buddha said:

– To speak briefly... the ears, nose, tongue, and body, likewise, must also be contemplated in this way! Good man! What do you think? Does the mind abide in the realm of space?

He replied:

– No, World-Honored One!

-... And so forth, does space abide within the mind? Is it on account of this Dharma that the Buddhas, Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones appear in the world?

He replied:

– No, World-Honored One!

The Buddha said:

– Good man! Do those sentient beings and so forth abide in dependence upon space?

He replied:

– No, World-Honored One!

The Buddha said:

– Good man! What do you think? Does the nature of space abide in dependence upon sentient beings?

When the Buddha had spoken these words, the great bodhisattva Akashagarbha addressed the Buddha, saying:

– World-Honored One! Each abides without depending upon the other! Within their own respective domains, none encroaches upon another! World-Honored One! All dharmas are without any domain; because they are empty, they are undefiled. They are one suchness of the ultimate reality, one suchness of Thusness! One should give rise to such understanding! World-Honored One! Space, for example, cannot be destroyed, cannot be discriminated, makes no discriminations, does not move, is unobstructed, and has no sprout, no seed, no fruit, no name, no designation, no thought, and no recollection! So it is! So it is! World-Honored One! Having understood the characteristics of all dharmas in this way, a great bodhisattva attains the patience regarding the non-arising of all dharmas.

At that time, the World-Honored One pronounced this dharani:

– Đa địa tha ⁽¹⁾ Phược bà hà la xà ⁽²⁾ Mạt nô xoa dạ ⁽³⁾ Kỳ na xà gia ⁽⁴⁾ Xà na nhị mạc ⁽⁵⁾ Mâu ni ha la ⁽⁶⁾ A na dã ⁽⁷⁾ Phá la phiêu pha ⁽⁸⁾ Già la bà nhị mạc ⁽⁹⁾ A nhỉ nại dã ⁽¹⁰⁾ A bà xá xá bà ⁽¹¹⁾ Xá na xá mạc ⁽¹²⁾ Na xá đá đa ⁽¹³⁾ Ca la mạc xá mạc ⁽¹⁴⁾ Kiết lị ma đổ tỳ sa mạc ⁽¹⁵⁾ Chi đa na dã ⁽¹⁶⁾ Kê lê xa đô ⁽¹⁷⁾ Tam thự tá nhị ⁽¹⁸⁾ Tá ha ⁽¹⁹⁾.

The Buddha said:

– Excellent! Excellent! Good man! With this Roar of the Lion’s Majestic Stretch Dharani, your gaze can subdue even the mightiest lion, and you can walk serenely upon water. For sentient beings at the end of their lives, when they breathe their final breath and their lives are about to cease, you can eliminate their afflictive obstructions, karmic obstructions, and Dharma obstructions. Having eliminated these obstructions, you cause them to be born in a pure realm. Good man! You can travel throughout immeasurable and boundless Buddha-worlds, arousing a mind of loving-kindness and compassion for sentient beings, and enter villages, towns, cities, prefectures, provinces, districts, official palaces, and various kingdoms. Having arrived there, you manifest all manner of forms and all manner of dignified conduct, expound the Mahayana sutras, and teach and transform sentient beings. From kshatriyas who engage in evil conduct to shramanas who engage in evil conduct, you eliminate their various unwholesome dharmas and establish them in all wholesome dharmas.

At that time, as the World-Honored One taught this Dharma, immeasurable and boundless devas and humans within the great assembly attained various samadhis, dharanis, and kinds of patience. Some also attained true wisdom concerning the Dharma of the Ten Grounds. Ten thousand people... attained patience regarding non-arising within the Dharma of non-arising.

If sentient beings cling to space as conditioned, then, upon obtaining the light of this lamp, all their roots of conditioned generosity are completely extinguished, and the practice of unconditioned generosity swiftly manifests and is perfected. When the Buddha had finished speaking this sutra, the bhikshus and others in the great assembly, together with devas, nagas, yakshas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kimnaras, mahoragas, Brahma kings, Shakra, and the Four Great Heavenly Kings, Protectors of the World, having heard the Buddha expound this wondrous sutra, all rejoiced and faithfully put it into practice.