師子莊嚴王菩薩請問經

Thus have I truly heard: At one time, the Buddha was dwelling on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa in the city of Rājagṛha. At that time there were one thousand two hundred and fifty great bhikṣus, five hundred great bodhisattvas, and immeasurable beings of the eight classes—devas, nāgas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans—all gathered around to listen to the Buddha expound the Dharma.

At that time the Bodhisattva Siṃhavyūharāja rose from his seat, went before the Buddha, bowed his head at the Buddha's feet, circumambulated him countless times, and addressed the Buddha:

"World-Honored One! I have in the past attended the great assemblies of a koṭi of hundreds of thousands of nayutas of Buddhas, yet I have never witnessed anything such as what I see today. I have something I wish to ask; I pray the Buddha will permit me."

The Buddha said:

"Whatever you have doubts about, just ask, and I shall resolve your doubts for you."

Then the Bodhisattva Siṃhavyūharāja said to the Buddha:

"World-Honored One! In times past, what supremely excellent practice did the Tathāgata cultivate, that he is now so revered among the realms of humans and devas, and is surrounded, served, honored, respected, and praised by the assemblies of bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, devas, nāgas, humans, and the rest? I humbly pray that you will tell me the causes and conditions of the past, and thereby also cause sentient beings to attain great benefit."

The Buddha said to the Bodhisattva Siṃhavyūharāja:

"Excellent! Excellent! Now, because you wish to bring peace and joy to sentient beings, you ask in this way. Listen carefully and reflect upon it deeply, and I shall explain it for you.

"Good son! I recall that immeasurable lives ago there appeared in the world a Buddha named Acintyaprabhā—Tathāgata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly and Completely Awakened, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Beings, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, World-Honored One.

"At that time there was an elder named Śreṣṭhadāna who, relying upon his wealth and rank, did not believe in the true Dharma and did not take refuge in or revere the Buddha. At that time there was a bhikṣu named Vijayasaṃbhava who, seeing this elder, gave rise to a heart of compassion and devised a great skillful means, wishing to cause this man to give rise to the aspiration for awakening, to cultivate practice, and to accomplish Perfect Enlightenment.

Having reflected thus, that bhikṣu went to the elder's house. When the elder beheld the bhikṣu—of strange and beautiful form, complete in majestic virtue, with faculties serene and stilled, his countenance radiant—he naturally gave rise to a heart of reverence, rose to his feet, and welcomed him. After bowing his head to the bhikṣu, the elder prepared a seat, invited the bhikṣu to sit, joined his palms, and said:

"'I know myself to be of thin virtue; how fortunate I am that you have come to my house today.'

"The bhikṣu said to the elder:

"'There is a great Dharma gate called the Eight Maṇḍalas, whose merit is immeasurable. Now I wish to expound it to you, and at the same time also wish to cause all devas and humans to gain wisdom and benefit. If any sentient being hears this Dharma gate and then applies it in practice, then wherever they are born they will obtain four good recompenses.

They are: 1. To be born in the same place as good spiritual friends and great bodhisattvas, with many kinsfolk, and wealth abundant and complete; 2. Kinsfolk many in number and yet harmonious, without obstruction; 3.

Bodily form whole and complete, free of illness; 4. As soon as one thinks of any necessary article, it naturally appears; even if pressed beneath a mountain the body feels no pain; one knows what sentient beings are thinking, and with compassion pities, protects, and rescues them.'

"When the elder Śreṣṭhadāna had heard this Dharma, his joy was boundless. Again he bowed his head to the bhikṣu and praised him, saying:

"'Excellent! I pray, master, that you will clearly explain that supreme Dharma gate of the Eight Maṇḍalas, and I shall cultivate and study it accordingly.'

"The bhikṣu said:

"'If you wish to know this special Dharma, you must first make a vow in this way: "I wish to make offerings to all the Buddhas, the great bodhisattvas, and the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas of the three times." After you have made this vow, then go to the place of practice and establish a square altar[1] named maṇḍala, broad or narrow according to the occasion. The smallest altar is square, four fingers across or one handspan, made using various kinds of incense and other articles. This altar may be made on open ground or made in a courtyard, setting out eight circles to make offerings to eight bodhisattvas: Avalokiteśvara, Maitreya, Ākāśagarbha, Samantabhadra, Vajradhara, Mañjuśrī, Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, and Kṣitigarbha.'

"Thus, elder, this special Dharma gate of the Eight Maṇḍalas was expounded by that Tathāgata Acintyaprabhā. I have received and upheld it, and now expound it to you. You should cultivate and study it accordingly and propagate this Dharma gate widely; at the same time, take this wholesome root and dedicate it toward anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi.

"The elder should know that if anyone cultivates this Dharma of the Eight Maṇḍalas, this is to make offerings to all the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, and śrāvakas of the three times. Such a person is constantly upheld by the devas. If any king himself cultivates and studies it, or encourages others to cultivate and study it, then all the evils within his land will be utterly extinguished. If a good son or good woman cultivates and studies this Dharma gate, then after death they will not fall into the evil destinies, will not be born in a borderland, will not be afflicted by wrong views, will not transgress unwholesome rules of discipline, and will not be born into a poor and suffering household.

"Therefore you should know: if anyone wishes to obtain in this life and in lives to come such special recompenses as those above, they must study that Dharma gate of the Eight Maṇḍalas. If anyone wishes to obtain a beautiful bodily form, intelligence, and quick wit; or wishes to be born in the Heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings, then they too should cultivate and study the Dharma gate of the Eight Maṇḍalas. Likewise, if anyone wishes to be born in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, the Yāma Heaven, the Tuṣita Heaven, the Nirmāṇarati Heaven, or the Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven, or even to be born as Śakra, as the Brahmā King, as a Ghost King, or as a Wheel-Turning Sacred King, then they should all cultivate and study this Dharma.

If anyone wishes to be born into a great clan and lineage among the destinies of devas and humans, with kinsfolk who are successful, wealth abundant, body and mind at peace and joy, fame resounding afar, whatever they teach being trusted and followed by all, being the foremost among all people, then they too should cultivate and study this Dharma. If anyone wishes to cultivate and accomplish the fruit of srotāpanna, the fruit of sakṛdāgāmin, the fruit of anāgāmin, the fruit of arhat, the path of the pratyekabuddha, to enter the stages of the bodhisattva, and even to attain anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi, then they too must cultivate and study this Dharma gate of the offering of the Eight Maṇḍalas."

The Buddha said to the great Bodhisattva Siṃhavyūharāja:

"At that time, was the bhikṣu Vijayasaṃbhava a stranger? He is none other than the present Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī. And the elder Śreṣṭhadāna of that time is none other than I, Śākyamuni Buddha. From then until now I have passed through many kalpas, cultivating and making offerings according to that Dharma gate, and have attained all the merits and benefits as described above. Moreover, if any sentient being cultivates and studies it accordingly, they too will attain just as I have attained.

"Good son! From the time I began to practice the bodhisattva path until now, I have passed through three asaṃkhyeya kalpas, fully cultivating the six perfections and benefiting sentient beings, and have become Perfectly and Completely Awakened; using the power of radiant light and majestic virtue, I crushed the hosts of Māra—by whose strength was this? It was by the merit of making offerings at the altar of the Eight Maṇḍalas. Therefore, any sentient being who hears this Dharma gate as described above should strive to cultivate and study it. Whether using incense, flowers, and lamps, or using food, drink, banners, canopies, garments, and music to make offerings, to praise, to pay homage, to make vows and repent—each according to their own ability—all will be rescued and blessed.

"As for the practice of the six pāramitās: when establishing the place of practice, to use various kinds of fragrant water to sprinkle the ground, or to smear fragrant mud upon the earth, or to take water and earth to make the square altar and the round altar—this is the perfection of giving (dāna-pāramitā). When cultivating the offering, to keep the karma of body, speech, and mind from causing affliction to sentient beings is the perfection of discipline (śīla-pāramitā).

When cultivating the offering, if insects or ants crawl into the place of practice, and though one has driven them out they still keep coming in—to bear this patiently is called the perfection of patience (kṣānti-pāramitā). When cultivating the offering, for wholesome thoughts to arise continuously without interruption is called the perfection of vigor (vīrya-pāramitā). For the mind to be undistracted, single-mindedly making offerings, is the perfection of meditation (dhyāna-pāramitā).

When performing the rite, not allowing the square altar or the round altar to become slanted or tilted, and clearly knowing when it should be established and when it should be dismantled—this is the perfection of wisdom (prajñā-pāramitā).

"Good son! Such a single Dharma, manifesting in accordance with the mind, can fully complete the six pāramitās. You should transform and teach all sentient beings, bringing them great benefit, even unto Buddhahood."

When the Buddha had finished expounding this sūtra, the Bodhisattva Siṃhavyūharāja and the devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, humans, nonhumans, and the rest, all rejoiced and faithfully received and practiced it.

Note:

[1] Square altar 方壇: an altar of square shape. The square is the shape of the earth element (the ground), symbolizing the growth of the myriad things. This altar is used in the rites of Augmentation, the rites of Pacification, and the rites of Reverence and Love.