大寶積經

THE DHARMA ASSEMBLY OF THE TATHAGATA OF IMMEASURABLE LIFE

FIFTH

(Chinese collection: from Fascicle 17 through the end of Fascicle 18)

Translated into Chinese during the Cao Wei dynasty by Dharma Master Kang Sengkai

Translated into Vietnamese by Vietnamese Bhikshu Thích Trí Tịnh

Thus have I heard. At one time, the Buddha was dwelling in the city of Rajagriha, on Mount Gridhrakuta, together with an assembly of twelve thousand great bhikshus. They were all great shravakas well known to the people.

Among them were the Venerable Ajnata Kaundinya, the Venerable Ashvajit, the Venerable Mahanama, the Venerable Bhadrika, the Venerable Vimala, the Venerable Yashas, the Venerable Suvachasa, the Venerable Purnaka, the Venerable Gavampati, the Venerable Uruvilva Kashyapa, the Venerable Gaya Kashyapa, the Venerable Nadi Kashyapa, the Venerable Mahakashyapa, the Venerable Shariputra, the Venerable Mahamaudgalyayana, the Venerable Mahakatyayana, the Venerable Mahakapphina, the Venerable Mahacunda, the Venerable Purna Maitrayaniputra, the Venerable Aniruddha, the Venerable Revata, the Venerable Nanda, the Venerable Rahula, the Venerable Ananda, and others.

These venerable ones were the leaders of the assembly.

There was also an assembly of great bodhisattvas, including Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, Bodhisattva Manjushri, Bodhisattva Maitreya, and the great bodhisattvas of the present Auspicious Kalpa, who surrounded the Buddha before and behind.

Also gathered there were Bhadrapala and the other sixteen worthy ones. Among them were Bodhisattva Skillful Contemplation of Meaning, Bodhisattva Wisdom and Eloquence, Bodhisattva Contemplation of Non-Abiding, Bodhisattva Wondrous Flower of Spiritual Powers, Bodhisattva Banner of Light, Bodhisattva Supreme Wisdom, Bodhisattva Tranquil Faculties, Bodhisattva Vow of Wisdom, Bodhisattva Fragrant Elephant, Bodhisattva Jeweled Banner, and others, who were the leaders of the assembly.

All these great bodhisattvas followed and cultivated the practices of Samantabhadra, fully perfected all bodhisattva practices and vows, abided securely in every virtue, and reached the ultimate further shore of the Buddha-Dharma. They vowed to attain complete and perfect enlightenment in all worlds. They also vowed to be born in the palace of Tushita Heaven, and, when their lives there ended, to descend and be born from their mothers’ right sides; to manifest taking seven steps, radiating great light, shaking all worlds, and proclaiming: “Throughout all worlds, I am the most honored.” Shakra and Brahma would then approach and make offerings.

They would also manifest learning the six arts and surpassing all others. While dwelling in the royal palace, they would become weary of the five desires. Upon seeing old age, sickness, and death, they would immediately understand the impermanence of worldly life.

They would renounce the royal throne, leave the city to seek the Way, remove their silks and jeweled ornaments, put on robes of subdued color, and practice austerities for six years. In this world of the five turbidities, they were able to manifest all these deeds. In accord with worldly convention, they would bathe in the Nairanjana River and then proceed to the place of enlightenment.

Dragon kings would sing praises and welcome them, while bodhisattvas would circumambulate them clockwise and extol them. They would receive grass, spread it with their own hands beneath the bodhi tree, and sit there in the lotus posture. They would then manifest the armies of Mara surrounding and assailing them.

Through the power of samadhi and wisdom, they would subdue those hostile forces and attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. King Brahma would entreat them to turn the fearless and heroic Dharma wheel. The Buddha’s voice would resound; they would beat the Dharma drum, blow the Dharma conch, raise the Dharma banner, kindle the Dharma torch, uphold the true Dharma and the meditative concentrations, rain down the Dharma rain to moisten all beings, and send forth the thunder of Dharma to awaken every land.

Their radiance would illuminate all worlds, the earth would tremble, the palaces of Mara would collapse, and Mara Papiyan would be terrified. They would defeat the enemy of the afflictions, tear apart the net of wrong views, abandon evil dharmas, and greatly increase wholesome dharmas. They would be able to accept and digest the food offered in faith.

To tame sentient beings, they would proclaim the wondrous principle. At times they would manifest a smile and emit hundreds of thousands of rays of light, bestowing the anointment of consecration and predictions of enlightenment. At times they would accomplish Buddhahood and manifest entry into nirvana, enabling immeasurable sentient beings to attain the undefiled fruit and bringing the roots of goodness of boundless bodhisattvas to maturity.

In every Buddha-land, they were able to manifest in this way.

It is like an illusionist who thoroughly understands the art of illusion and can conjure the appearances of men, women, and so forth, although within those appearances nothing real can be found.

In the same way, because these bodhisattvas had skillfully mastered the boundless illusory arts of merit and virtue, they could manifest transformations. Because they thoroughly understood the path of transformation, they could manifest great loving-kindness and compassion throughout all lands and benefit all beings. They accomplished boundless bodhisattva practices and vows.

They penetrated immeasurable gateways of meaning in perfect equality. They fully cultivated all wholesome dharmas. They entered all Buddha-lands impartially and directly.

They were constantly encouraged and empowered by all Buddhas. They were known, recognized, and approved by all Tathagatas. To teach and transform bodhisattvas, they served as acharyas.

They constantly cultivated and accomplished boundless virtuous practices. They penetrated all practices of the dharmadhatu. They could clearly discern sentient beings and their lands.

They also constantly went forth to make offerings to all Buddhas. They manifested bodies of every kind, like reflected images. They skillfully mastered the Dharma of fearlessness, broke through the net of Mara, eliminated wrong views, and transcended the retinues of afflictions and the companions, subjects, and hosts of Mara.

They far surpassed shravakas and pratyekabuddhas. They entered the gateways of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, yet abided skillfully in expedient means. They never delighted in the nirvana of the two vehicles.

They attained the samadhis of non-arising and non-ceasing and the gateways of dharani. Their faculties were vast and their eloquence decisive. Within the treasury of bodhisattva teachings, they clearly understood the Buddha-Flower Samadhi and entered it in accordance with the proper occasion.

They fully knew all kinds of extremely profound meditative concentrations. All Buddhas appeared before them. In a single thought, they traveled throughout all Buddha-lands; though they journeyed there and back, no interval of time elapsed.

They rescued beings from suffering and peril. They distinguished and revealed the true original limit. They attained the Buddha’s eloquence and abided in the practices of Samantabhadra.

They could clearly distinguish the languages of sentient beings. They transcended all worldly dharmas and thoroughly understood all supramundane dharmas. They had sovereign mastery over all things according to their wishes.

They were uninvited friends to all sentient beings. They could receive and uphold the Dharma treasuries of all Tathagatas. They abided in such a way that the lineage of all Buddhas would never be severed.

Out of loving concern for sentient beings, they opened the Dharma eye for them. They closed the gates to the evil destinies and opened the gates to the wholesome paths. They regarded all sentient beings as their parents, brothers, and sisters.

They also regarded beings as no different from their own bodies. They brought all wholesome dharmas to ultimate perfection. They had already attained the immeasurable merit and virtue of all Buddhas.

Their noble and luminous wisdom was inconceivable.

Immeasurable and boundless assemblies of great bodhisattvas such as these came together at this Dharma assembly.

At that time, the countenance of the Blessed One was joyful and radiant.

Through the Buddha’s awe-inspiring spiritual power, the Venerable Ananda rose from his seat, adjusted his robes, bared his right shoulder, placed his right knee upon the ground, joined his palms, faced the Buddha, and said: “Blessed One! Today the Blessed One’s countenance is joyful and radiant, pure as a bright mirror, a sight never before beheld.

“Blessed One! I have reflected that today the Blessed One abides in the abiding place of all Buddhas. Today the Eye of the World abides in the practice of a great guiding teacher. Today the Hero of the World abides in the supreme Way. Today the Mighty One of the World performs the virtues of the Tathagata.

“Could it be that today the Blessed One is recollecting the Buddhas of the past, future, and present?”

The Buddha said: “Ananda! How did you know this? Did the devas tell you, or did you perceive it yourself?”

Ananda replied: “Blessed One! I saw the Blessed One’s countenance shining with a rare radiance, and therefore I asked this question. It was not because the devas informed me.”

The Buddha said: “Excellent, excellent! Ananda! With wisdom and eloquence, you have asked the Tathagata about this matter. You are a rare great being, like an udumbara flower appearing in the world. Because you possess great compassion and wish to benefit sentient beings, you have asked this question.”

Ānanda! The Tathagata, the Perfectly and Fully Awakened One, is able to reveal immeasurable knowledge and vision. Why is this? Because the Tathagata’s knowledge and vision are unobstructed and unhindered.

Ānanda! If the Tathagata, the Perfectly and Fully Awakened One, wished to remain in the world, he could remain for immeasurable, innumerable hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of kalpas, or even longer than that, while the Tathagata’s body and faculties would suffer no decline. Why is this?

Because the Tathagata has attained ultimate mastery of samadhi. Among all dharmas, his mastery is supreme.

Ānanda! You should listen attentively and reflect well upon this. I shall distinguish and explain it for you.”

Venerable Ānanda said: “Yes, World-Honored One! I wish to hear the Buddha’s teaching.”

The Buddha told Venerable Ānanda: “In the distant past, more than innumerable asaṃkhyeyas of great kalpas ago, a Buddha appeared in the world named Dīpaṅkara Tathagata, who taught, transformed, and delivered immeasurable sentient beings.

After him appeared Buddha Far-Reaching Light, Buddha Moonlight, Buddha Sandalwood Fragrance, Buddha King of Excellent Mountains, Buddha Heavenly Light of Sumeru, Buddha Wondrous Equal of Sumeru, Buddha Moon-Hued, Buddha Right Mindfulness, Buddha Free from Defilement, Buddha Unattached, Buddha Dragon Heaven, Buddha Nocturnal Light, Buddha Crown of Peaceful Radiance, Buddha Immovable Ground, Buddha Wondrous Lapis Lazuli Flower, Buddha Golden-Hued Lapis Lazuli, Buddha Treasury of Gold, Buddha Blazing Light, Buddha Root of Flame, Buddha Element of Earth, Buddha Image of the Moon, Buddha Sound of the Sun, Buddha Flower of Liberation, Buddha Adorned Radiance, Buddha Oceanic Enlightenment and Spiritual Powers, Buddha Light of Water, Buddha Great Fragrance, Buddha Free from Dust and Defilement,

Buddha Renouncing Weariness of Mind, Buddha Precious Flame, Buddha Wondrous Crown, Buddha Courageously Established, Buddha Wisdom Sustained by Merit, Buddha Radiant Sun and Moon, Buddha Unsurpassed Lapis Lazuli Light, Buddha Supreme Leader, Buddha Flower of Bodhi, Buddha Moon Radiance, Buddha Sunlight, Buddha Flower-Hued Fragrance, Buddha Light of the Moon upon Water, Buddha Radiance Dispelling Delusion, Buddha Practice Transcending the Hindrances, Buddha Pure Faith, Buddha Excellent Constellation, Buddha Awesome Spiritual Power, Buddha Dharma Wisdom, Buddha Cry of the Luan Bird, Buddha Lion’s Roar, Buddha Dragon’s Roar, and Buddha Dwelling in the World.

Buddhas such as these appeared successively in the world.

Thereafter appeared a Buddha named Lokeśvararāja Tathagata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly and Fully Awakened, Perfect in Wisdom and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Persons, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, World-Honored One.

At that time, a king heard the Buddha teach the Dharma. His heart was filled with joy, and he aroused the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi. Renouncing his royal throne, he left the household life and became a bhikṣu named Dharmākara. He went before Buddha Lokeśvararāja, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, circumambulated him three times to the right, knelt with palms joined, and praised him in verse:

The Buddha’s countenance is radiant;

The Buddha’s awesome power is boundless.

His light shines with such brilliance

That none can equal the Buddha.

The sun and the moon,

And the precious maṇi jewel,

Have all their radiance obscured,

As though they were masses of ink.

The countenance of the Tathagata

Has no equal in the world.

The Tathagata’s perfect voice

Resounds throughout the ten directions.

In morality, vast learning, and diligence,

In samadhi and in wisdom,

None can equal his majestic virtue;

It is supremely excellent and rare.

The ultimate truth is profound, and his mindfulness is wholesome;

The Dharma ocean of all Buddhas—

He has fathomed all its deepest mysteries,

Reached its furthest shore, and penetrated to its bottom.

Ignorance, greed, and anger

The World-Honored One has utterly eliminated.

Hero among beings, lion among men,

His spiritual virtue cannot be measured.

The Buddha’s merit is vast;

His wisdom is profound and wondrous.

The radiance of his marks and majestic bearing

Shakes the great trichiliocosm.

May I, when I become a Buddha,

Be equal to the Dharma King,

Transcend the stream of birth and death,

And leave nothing undelivered.

Giving and moral discipline,

Patience and diligence,

Meditative concentration and all samadhis—

Wisdom is supreme among them.

I vow that I shall attain Buddhahood

And completely fulfill this aspiration.

For all who are seized by fear,

I shall bring peace and security.

Even if there were Buddhas

Numbering hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis,

Immeasurable great sages,

As numerous as the sands of the Ganges,

And even if one made offerings to all

Those Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones,

It still would not equal seeking the Way

With a steadfast mind that never abandons it.

Suppose there were Buddha worlds

As numerous as the sands of the Ganges,

And beyond them, incalculable,

Countless other lands;

My light shall shine upon them all,

Pervading every one of those realms.

With diligence such as this,

My awesome spiritual power shall be immeasurable.

When I become a Buddha,

My land shall be foremost,

Filled with manifold wonders;

Its place of awakening shall be supremely excellent.

The land shall be like nirvana,

With no other realm its equal.

I shall always cherish with compassion

And deliver all sentient beings.

Those from the ten directions who are born there

Shall have hearts joyful and pure;

Once they have reached my land,

They shall all be happy and secure.

I pray that the Buddha will bear witness

And enable me to accomplish this.

Through the power of my aspiration and diligence,

I make the vows declared above.

World-Honored Ones throughout the ten directions,

Whose great wisdom is unhindered,

May they cause this World-Honored One

To know the thoughts within my mind.

Even if my body should dwell

Amid places of suffering and hardship,

I shall diligently practice the Way,

Enduring all without regret.

Ānanda! After Bhikṣu Dharmākara had finished reciting these verses, he addressed Buddha Lokeśvararāja, saying:

“World-Honored One! I have aroused the aspiration for unsurpassed perfect awakening. I beseech the World-Honored One to expound the sutras and Dharma extensively for me. I shall cultivate the practices by which an immeasurably adorned and pure Buddha-land is embraced. May I quickly attain perfect awakening and uproot the very source of the suffering and afflictions of birth and death.”

Lokeśvararāja Tathagata said to Bhikṣu Dharmākara:

“You yourself should know the practices for adorning a Buddha-land.”

Bhikṣu Dharmākara replied:

“World-Honored One! This matter is profound and vast and lies beyond my sphere of understanding. I reverently beseech the World-Honored One to instruct me in the practices by which the Buddha Tathagatas establish pure lands. Having heard them, I shall practice accordingly and fulfill my aspiration.”

At that time, Buddha Lokeśvararāja knew that Bhikṣu Dharmākara was noble and wise and that his aspiration was profound and vast. He therefore instructed him, saying:

“Consider the great ocean: if a person were to measure out its water with a dipper throughout the course of many kalpas, he could still drain it to the bottom and obtain its wondrous treasures. If a person seeks the Way with wholehearted diligence and never ceases, he will certainly attain the fruit. What vow could then remain unfulfilled?”

Buddha Lokeśvararāja then extensively described twenty-one billion Buddha-lands, including the good and evil circumstances of their devas and humans and the excellent and inferior features of those lands. In accordance with Bhikṣu Dharmākara’s aspiration, he manifested them all clearly for him to behold.

Having heard of and seen those pure and adorned lands, Bhikṣu Dharmākara brought forth supreme and unsurpassed vows. His mind was tranquil and his wisdom unhindered; no one in the entire world could equal him. For the full span of five kalpas, he contemplated and selected the pure, adornment-producing practices for his Buddha-land.”

Venerable Ānanda asked: “World-Honored One! How long was the lifespan of the beings in that Buddha-land of old?”

The Buddha said: “Ānanda! The lifespan of Buddha Lokeśvararāja was forty-two kalpas.

“At that time, Bhikṣu Dharmākara selected and fully cultivated the pure, adornment-producing practices of twenty-one billion Buddha-lands. He then went before Lokeśvararāja Tathagata, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, circumambulated him three times to the right, joined his palms, stood before him, and said:

“World-Honored One! I have selected the practices for the pure adornment of my Buddha-land.”

Lokeśvararāja Tathagata said:

“You should now proclaim them. Know that this is the proper time, so that you may inspire and bring joy to the entire great assembly. Bodhisattvas who cultivate these practices will fulfill immeasurable great vows.”

Bhikṣu Dharmākara said:

“World-Honored One! I pray that you will examine and bear witness. I shall now clearly proclaim the vows I have made.

1. If, when I attain Buddhahood, hell beings, hungry ghosts, or animals should still exist in my land, may I not attain perfect awakening.”

2. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the devas and humans in my land should, after the end of their lives, return to the three evil realms, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

3. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the devas and humans in my land should not all have bodies the color of pure gold, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

4. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the devas and humans in my land should differ in bodily appearance, some being ugly and others beautiful, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

5. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the devas and humans in my land should not know their former lives, at least recalling events from hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of kalpas, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

6. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the devas and humans in my land should not obtain the divine eye, at least seeing hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of Buddha lands, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

7. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the devas and humans in my land should not obtain the divine ear, at least hearing the Dharma taught by hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of Buddhas and retaining it all, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

8. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the devas and humans in my land should not obtain the wisdom that knows the minds of others, at least knowing the thoughts of beings in hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of lands, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

9. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the devas and humans in my land should not obtain the power of unimpeded travel, at least reaching hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of Buddha lands in a single thought-moment, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

10. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the devas and humans in my land should give rise to thoughts of greedily clinging to their bodies, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

11. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the devas and humans in my land should not abide in the assured state, certain to attain nirvana, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

12. If, when I attain Buddhahood, my light should be limited and should not illuminate at least hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of Buddha lands, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

13. If, when I attain Buddhahood, my lifespan should be limited and should not extend for at least hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of kalpas, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

14. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the shravakas in my land should be countable—even if all the beings in a great trichiliocosm became pratyekabuddhas and together counted them for hundreds of thousands of kalpas and were able to know their number—may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

15. If, when I attain Buddhahood, anyone should be able to measure the lifespans of the devas and humans in my land, except those who, in accordance with their original vows, freely choose their lifespans to be long or short, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

16. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the devas and humans in my land should even hear words of evil, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

17. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the immeasurable Buddhas throughout the ten directions should not all praise and extol my name, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

18. If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings throughout the ten directions who sincerely entrust themselves with joyful faith, wish to be born in my land, and think of me even ten times should not be born there, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

19. If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings throughout the ten directions awaken the bodhicitta, cultivate various merits, and sincerely vow to be born in my land, yet at the end of their lives I should not appear before them surrounded by the great assembly, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

20. If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings throughout the ten directions hear my name, single-mindedly recollect my land, plant roots of merit, and sincerely dedicate them toward birth in my land, yet should not fulfill their aspiration, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

21. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the devas and humans in my land should not all be endowed with the thirty-two marks of a great person, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

22. If, when I attain Buddhahood, bodhisattvas from other lands who are born in my land should not all ultimately reach the stage of being bound to one more birth, may I not attain perfect enlightenment. Excepted are those who, in accordance with their original vows, freely undertake the work of teaching and liberating beings: donning the armor of great vows for the sake of sentient beings, accumulating merit to deliver them all, traveling through the Buddha lands to cultivate the bodhisattva practices, making offerings to the Buddhas throughout the ten directions, teaching and transforming immeasurable beings as numerous as the sands of the Ganges so that they abide in the unsurpassed path of true enlightenment, surpassing the practices of ordinary bodhisattvas,

and presently cultivating the virtues of Samantabhadra.

23. If, when I attain Buddhahood, bodhisattvas in my land, empowered by the Buddha's spiritual might, should go to make offerings to the Buddhas yet fail, within the time of a single meal, to reach countless, immeasurable kotis of nayutas of lands throughout all directions, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

24. If, when I attain Buddhahood, bodhisattvas in my land should manifest their merit before the Buddhas yet lack whatever articles of offering they desire, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

25. If, when I attain Buddhahood, bodhisattvas in my land should be unable to expound all-knowledge, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

26. If, when I attain Buddhahood, bodhisattvas in my land should not obtain the vajra body of Narayana, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

27. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the devas, humans, and all things in my land, adorned with purity and radiant with forms of extraordinary, wondrous, and utmost subtlety, should be measurable or knowable by anyone, or if even one possessing the divine eye could discern their names and numbers, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

28. If, when I attain Buddhahood, any bodhisattva in my land, even one possessing the least merit, should fail to see and know the bodhi-tree, which has immeasurable radiant colors and rises four million miles in height, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

29. If, when I attain Buddhahood, bodhisattvas in my land should read, recite, accept, retain, and expound the sutras and Dharma teachings yet fail to obtain wisdom and eloquence, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

30. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the wisdom and eloquence of the bodhisattvas in my land should be limited, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

31. If, when I attain Buddhahood, my land should not be so pure that all the immeasurable, countless, inconceivable worlds of the Buddhas throughout the ten directions are visible within it, as a face is reflected in a bright mirror, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

32. If, when I attain Buddhahood, from the ground upward to the sky, all the palaces, towers, ponds, flowering trees, and myriad things in my land should not be fashioned from immeasurable jewels and hundreds of thousands of blended fragrances, wondrously beautiful beyond anything among devas and humans; if their fragrance should not pervade the immeasurable worlds throughout the ten directions; or if bodhisattvas who smell that fragrance should not all cultivate the practices of a Buddha, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

33. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the bodies of sentient beings in the immeasurable, inconceivable worlds throughout the ten directions, upon being touched by my light, should not become far more soft and supple than those of devas and humans, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

34. If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the immeasurable, inconceivable worlds throughout the ten directions who hear my name should not attain the bodhisattva's patience regarding the non-arising of dharmas and profound dharanis, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

35. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the women of the immeasurable and inconceivable worlds throughout the ten directions, upon hearing my name, rejoice, faithfully delight in it, arouse the aspiration for bodhi, and become weary of the female body, yet after death are again born in female bodies, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

36. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the bodhisattvas in the immeasurable and inconceivable worlds throughout the ten directions, upon hearing my name, do not constantly cultivate pure conduct after the end of their lives until they attain Buddhahood, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

37. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the devas and humans in the immeasurable and inconceivable worlds throughout the ten directions, upon hearing my name, prostrate themselves with their five limbs upon the ground, bow their heads in homage, rejoice, faithfully delight in it, and cultivate the bodhisattva practices, yet are not honored and respected by devas and humans alike, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

38. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the devas and humans in my land who desire clothing do not immediately receive it according to their wishes, with fine robes in accordance with the Dharma and praised by the Buddhas appearing naturally upon their bodies, but must still have them sewn, cut, dyed, or washed, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

39. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the devas and humans in my land do not enjoy bliss equal to that of bhiksus who have exhausted all outflows, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

40. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the bodhisattvas in my land who wish to behold the adornments and purity of the immeasurable Buddha lands throughout the ten directions do not immediately have their wishes fulfilled, seeing them all reflected among the jeweled trees as clearly as one sees one’s own face in a bright mirror, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

41. If, when I attain Buddhahood, bodhisattvas in other lands who hear my name should, from that time until they attain Buddhahood, have defective or unattractive faculties and bodies that are not made complete, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

42. If, when I attain Buddhahood, bodhisattvas in other lands who hear my name do not all attain the samadhi of pure liberation and, within the time it takes to arouse a single thought, make offerings to immeasurable and inconceivable Buddhas, World-Honored Ones, without losing the mind of right concentration, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

43. If, when I attain Buddhahood, bodhisattvas in other lands who hear my name are not born into noble families after the end of their lives, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

44. If, when I attain Buddhahood, bodhisattvas in other lands who hear my name do not rejoice with exultation, cultivate the bodhisattva practices, and fully establish the roots of merit, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

45. If, when I attain Buddhahood, bodhisattvas in other lands who hear my name do not all attain the samadhi of universal equality and, abiding in this samadhi until they attain Buddhahood, constantly behold all the immeasurable and inconceivable Buddhas, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

46. If, when I attain Buddhahood, the bodhisattvas in my land, each according to his aspiration and wish to hear the Dharma, do not naturally hear it, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

47. If, when I attain Buddhahood, bodhisattvas in other lands who hear my name do not immediately attain the stage of non-retrogression, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

48. If, when I attain Buddhahood, bodhisattvas in other lands who hear my name do not immediately attain the first, second, and third Dharma-patiences, and do not immediately attain non-retrogression in the Dharma of all Buddhas, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

Having proclaimed these forty-eight great vows, Bhiksu Dharmakara spoke these verses:

I have established vows surpassing the world;

I shall certainly reach the unsurpassed Way.

Should these vows not be fulfilled,

I vow not to attain perfect enlightenment.

If, throughout immeasurable kalpas,

I do not become a great donor

And universally rescue the poor and suffering,

I vow not to attain perfect enlightenment.

When I attain Buddhahood,

My renown shall surpass the ten directions.

Should there be anyone who does not hear it,

I vow not to attain perfect enlightenment.

Free from desire, with profound right mindfulness,

Pure wisdom, and the cultivation of pure conduct,

I am resolved to seek the unsurpassed Way

And become the teacher of devas and humans.

With spiritual power I shall emit radiant light,

Illuminating boundless lands everywhere,

Dispelling the darkness of afflictions

And delivering beings from calamities and hardships.

I shall open their eyes of wisdom

And dispel the darkness of this blindness;

I shall close and bar all evil paths

And open the gateways of the wholesome paths.

When my merit is brought to fulfillment,

Its majestic radiance shall shine throughout the ten directions,

Brighter than the sun and moon,

Eclipsing the light of the heavens.

For the assembly I shall open the treasury of Dharma

And widely bestow the treasures of merit.

Always dwelling amid the great assembly,

I shall teach the Dharma with a lion’s roar.

I shall make offerings to all Buddhas

And fully perfect all merits.

When my vows and wisdom are both perfected,

I shall become a World-Honored One.

Like the Buddha’s unobstructed wisdom,

I shall penetrate and illuminate all things.

May the merit of my vows

Equal that of this Supremely Honored One.

If these vows of mine are indeed fulfilled,

May the great trichiliocosm tremble in response,

And may the devas and spirits in the sky

Rain down exquisite jeweled flowers.

When Bhiksu Dharmakara had finished speaking these verses, the entire earth immediately trembled in six ways. Exquisite flowers rained from the heavens and scattered over his body. Celestial music arose spontaneously in the sky, proclaiming: “He shall certainly attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.”

From that time onward, Bhiksu Dharmakara cultivated and completely fulfilled those great vows, which were true and unfailing, transcending the world.

Ananda! In the presence of the Buddha Lokesvararaja and amid the great assembly of devas, Maras, Brahmas, nagas, spirits, and the eight classes of beings, Bhiksu Dharmakara made these vast vows. After establishing them, he single-mindedly adorned a pure land that was beautiful, vast, and supremely excellent beyond all others, free from decline and change.

For an inconceivably vast span of countless kalpas, he accumulated immeasurable bodhisattva virtues and practices. He gave rise to no thoughts of sensual desire, anger, or harming; entertained no perceptions of sensual desire, anger, or harming; and remained unattached to forms, sounds, fragrances, tastes, tangible objects, or dharmas. He perfected the power of patience and took no account of any suffering.

He had few desires, knew contentment, and was free from greed, anger, and delusion. His right concentration was constantly serene, and his wisdom was unobstructed. He had no false, deceitful, flattering, or crooked mind.

With a gentle countenance and loving words, he was always the first to inquire after others’ welfare. Courageous and diligent, his resolve never wearied, and he single-mindedly sought the pure and wholesome Dharma. He bestowed benevolent kindness upon all beings, bringing them benefit.

With great adornments he perfected all practices, enabling sentient beings to accomplish merit and abide in the Dharma of emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, non-action, and non-arising. He contemplated all dharmas as illusions and transformations. He avoided harsh and harmful speech that injured himself, injured others, or injured both himself and others, and cultivated wholesome speech that benefited himself, benefited others, and benefited both himself and others.

He relinquished his kingdom and throne and renounced wealth and sensual pleasures. He himself practiced the six paramitas and also taught others to practice them. Throughout innumerable kalpas he accumulated merit and virtue.

Wherever he was born, immeasurable treasuries of precious things appeared naturally according to his wishes. He taught, transformed, and established countless sentient beings, causing them to abide in the path to unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. At times he became an elder, a householder, or a member of a noble and distinguished family; at times he became a king, a wheel-turning sage-king, a heavenly king in one of the six heavens of the Desire Realm, or even a Brahma king.

He constantly and reverently made offerings of the four requisites to all Buddhas. Such were the merits of Bhiksu Dharmakara; they cannot be fully recounted.

His mouth was delicately fragrant like a blue lotus, and the pores of his body emitted the fragrance of sandalwood, which pervaded immeasurable worlds. His countenance was upright and noble, endowed with all the excellent marks. His hands constantly produced inexhaustible treasures, such as clothing, food and drink, exquisite jeweled flowers, precious fragrances, jeweled canopies, banners, pennants, and other adornments. Such things far surpassed those of devas and humans, and he attained mastery over all dharmas.”

Venerable Ananda asked, “World-Honored One! Has Bodhisattva Dharmakara already attained Buddhahood and entered nirvana, does he still abide at present, or has he not yet attained Buddhahood?”

The Buddha said, “Ananda! Bodhisattva Dharmakara has already attained Buddhahood and now dwells in the western direction, ten trillion lands from here. He is called Amitayus, and his world is named Land of Peace and Bliss.”

Venerable Ananda again asked, “World-Honored One! How long has it been since that Buddha attained enlightenment?”

The Buddha said, “Ananda! It has been ten kalpas since he attained Buddhahood.

The land of that Buddha is naturally composed of the seven treasures—gold, silver, lapis lazuli, coral, amber, mother-of-pearl, and agate—which together form an earth vast and boundless. Those seven treasures intermingle, shining brilliantly with wondrous beauty, adorned and pure beyond the finest jewels and treasures of all worlds. Those seven treasures resemble the seven treasures of the palace of the sixth heaven.

Furthermore, that land has no Mount Sumeru, Vajra Mountain, Cakravada Mountain, or any other mountains. Nor does it have great or small seas, rivers, streams, ravines, or wells. Through the Buddha’s spiritual power, however, anyone who wishes to see them is able to do so. That land also has no hell beings, hungry ghosts, or animals, and there are no four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. It is neither cold nor hot, but always mild, harmonious, and pleasant.”

Venerable Ananda asked, “World-Honored One! If that land has no Mount Sumeru, where do the devas of the Heaven of the Four Great Kings and the Heaven of the Thirty-Three dwell?”

The Buddha said, “Ananda! Upon what do the devas from the third heaven, the Yama Heaven, up to the Akanistha Heaven depend for their dwelling?”

Venerable Ananda replied, “World-Honored One! The workings of karma and their fruits are inconceivable.”

The Buddha said, “Ananda! The workings of karma and their fruits are inconceivable, and the worlds of the Buddhas are inconceivable. Through the wholesome power of the merits of those beings, grounded in their practices and vows, it is thus.”

Venerable Ananda said, “World-Honored One! I have never doubted this Dharma. I ask the Buddha about this matter only because I wish to dispel the doubts of beings in future generations.”

The Buddha said, “Ananda! The majestic spiritual radiance of Amitayus Buddha is supreme and foremost; the radiance of all other Buddhas cannot equal it. His light may illuminate one hundred worlds or one thousand worlds, and may even illuminate throughout Buddha worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges in the eastern direction. It is likewise in the other nine directions. As for other Buddhas, the light of some Buddhas illuminates seven feet; that of others illuminates one yojana, or two, three, four, or five yojanas. Increasing by multiples in this manner, the light of some Buddhas may illuminate one Buddha land.

Therefore, Amitayus Buddha is also called the Buddha of Immeasurable Light, the Buddha of Boundless Light, the Buddha of Unimpeded Light, the Buddha of Incomparable Light, the Buddha of Flame-King Light, the Buddha of Pure Light, the Buddha of Joyful Light, the Buddha of Wisdom Light, the Buddha of Unceasing Light, the Buddha of Inconceivable Light, the Buddha of Ineffable Light, and the Buddha of Light Surpassing the Sun and Moon.

Any beings who encounter that light are freed from greed, anger, and delusion; their bodies and minds become gentle and yielding, they rejoice with delight, and wholesome thoughts arise in them.

If beings in the three evil realms, places of extreme suffering, behold that light, their afflictions cease and no longer remain; after their lives end, they all attain liberation.

The radiant light of Amitayus Buddha shines upon the lands of the Buddhas throughout the ten directions, and there is no land it does not penetrate. It is not only I who now praise his light; all Buddhas, bodhisattvas, shravakas, and pratyekabuddhas likewise extol it.

If any beings, after hearing of the majestic spiritual power and merit of Amitayus Buddha’s light, praise and speak of it day and night with wholehearted devotion and without ceasing, they will, according to their aspiration, attain birth in that Buddha’s land. The bodhisattvas and shravakas there will together praise their merit. In the ultimate future, when they attain Buddhahood, bodhisattvas will praise their light in the same manner.

The Buddha continued, “Even if I were to speak throughout an entire kalpa, day and night without cease, I could not finish describing the sublime, wondrous, majestic spiritual radiance of Amitayus Buddha.

Furthermore, Ananda! The lifespan of Amitayus Buddha is so long that it cannot be expressed or calculated. Do you understand? Suppose that immeasurable beings throughout the worlds of the ten directions all attained human bodies and were all brought to the realization of shravakas and pratyekabuddhas. Suppose they gathered together, entered meditative concentration with one-pointed minds, and exhausted the utmost power of their wisdom for fifty million kalpas, jointly calculating the number of years and kalpas in that Buddha’s long lifespan. Even then, they could not fathom its limit.

The lifespans of the bodhisattvas, shravakas, devas, and humans in that Land of Peace and Bliss are likewise so long that they cannot be known through calculation or analogy.

The shravakas and bodhisattvas in that land are immeasurably numerous and cannot be counted or described. Those noble beings possess penetrating wisdom, majestic power, and mastery, and are able to hold all worlds in the palms of their hands.

Ananda! At the first Dharma assembly of Amitayus Buddha, the multitude of shravakas was beyond calculation or description, and the same was true of the bodhisattvas.

Even if persons as numerous as hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of countless Mahamaudgalyayanas, throughout innumerable nayutas of kalpas until their entrance into nirvana, were all to calculate and count together, they still could not clearly determine the size of that multitude.

It is like a great ocean of immeasurable depth and breadth. Suppose someone divided a single hair into one hundred parts and used one part of that hair to draw up a single drop of water.

Ananda! What do you think? How would the drop of water drawn up compare with that great ocean?”

“World-Honored One! If that drop of water were compared in quantity with the vast volume of the great ocean, their difference could not be known through calculation, words, or analogy.”

“Ananda! Even if persons as numerous as hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of nayutas of Mahamaudgalyayanas spent kalpas calculating the number present at that first assembly, the number they could know would be like the single drop of water, while the number they could not know would be like the waters of the great ocean.

Furthermore, Ananda! In the Land of Peace and Bliss, trees made of the seven treasures fill the entire land: trees of gold, trees of silver, trees of lapis lazuli, trees of crystal, trees of coral, trees of agate, and trees of mother-of-pearl. Some trees are formed from two kinds of treasures, some from three kinds, and others from combinations of as many as all seven kinds of treasures.

There were trees of gold with silver leaves, flowers, and fruits. There were trees of silver with golden leaves, flowers, and fruits. There were trees of lapis lazuli with crystal leaves, flowers, and fruits.

There were trees of crystal with lapis lazuli leaves, flowers, and fruits. There were trees of coral with agate leaves, flowers, and fruits. There were trees of agate with lapis lazuli leaves, flowers, and fruits.

There were trees of mother-of-pearl with leaves, flowers, and fruits made of other precious substances. There were jeweled trees whose roots were of purple gold, trunks of white silver, boughs of lapis lazuli, branches of crystal, leaves of coral, flowers of agate, and fruits of mother-of-pearl. There were jeweled trees whose roots were of white silver, trunks of lapis lazuli, boughs of crystal, branches of coral, leaves of agate, flowers of mother-of-pearl, and fruits of purple gold.

There were jeweled trees whose roots were of lapis lazuli, trunks of crystal, boughs of coral, branches of agate, leaves of mother-of-pearl, flowers of purple gold, and fruits of white silver. There were jeweled trees whose roots were of crystal, trunks of coral, boughs of agate, branches of mother-of-pearl, leaves of purple gold, flowers of white silver, and fruits of lapis lazuli. There were jeweled trees whose roots were of coral, trunks of agate, boughs of mother-of-pearl, branches of purple gold, leaves of white silver, flowers of lapis lazuli, and fruits of crystal.

There were jeweled trees whose roots were of agate, trunks of mother-of-pearl, boughs of purple gold, branches of white silver, leaves of lapis lazuli, flowers of crystal, and fruits of coral. There were jeweled trees whose roots were of mother-of-pearl, trunks of purple gold, boughs of white silver, branches of lapis lazuli, leaves of crystal, flowers of coral, and fruits of agate. Those jeweled trees stood row facing row, trunk aligned with trunk, bough corresponding to bough, leaf turned toward leaf, flower matching flower, and fruit corresponding to fruit.

Their beautiful colors shone so brilliantly that they could not all be fully beheld. Cool breezes constantly blew through them, naturally producing the five subtle notes—gong, shang, and the rest—in harmonious accord.

Furthermore, the bodhi tree of the Buddha Infinite Life was four million miles high. The circumference of its base was five thousand yojanas, and its branches and leaves spread two hundred thousand miles in all four directions. That tree was naturally composed of every kind of precious substance and was adorned with the king of jewels, the moonlight mani jewel, and the ocean-sustaining wheel treasure.

From all its branches hung strands of jewels in hundreds of thousands of myriad colors, changing in manifold ways, while immeasurable radiance illuminated boundless distances. Exquisite jeweled nets covered the tree. Every adornment appeared at the proper time.

When a gentle breeze stirred slightly and passed through the jeweled trees, they produced immeasurable sounds proclaiming the wondrous Dharma, and those sounds resounded throughout the lands of all Buddhas. Whoever heard those sounds attained profound Dharma-patience, abided at the stage of non-retrogression until realizing Buddhahood, and possessed a pure and clear faculty of hearing, free from illness and suffering. Whoever perceived those sounds and radiance with the eyes, nose, tongue, body, or mind likewise attained profound Dharma-patience, abided at the stage of non-retrogression until realizing Buddhahood, and possessed six pure and clear faculties, free from every illness and suffering.

Ananda! If the devas and humans in the Land of Peace and Bliss behold that bodhi tree, they attain three kinds of patience: first, patience through hearing the sounds; second, compliant patience; and third, patience in the non-arising of dharmas.

All these things arise through the majestic spiritual power of the Buddha Infinite Life, and also through the power of his original vows, the power of his fulfilled vows, the power of his manifest vows, and the power of his ultimately steadfast vows.