佛說大乘莊嚴寶王經

VOLUME TWO

After the age of Sikhin Buddha, a Buddha appeared in the world named Visvabhu Tathagata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly and Completely Awakened, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Persons, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Blessed One. O Sarvanivaranaviskambhin! At that time I was a Patient Immortal dwelling deep in the mountains.

That place was lofty and perilous, covered with barren stones, and no one passed through it; I remained there for a long time. At that time, in the presence of that Tathagata, I heard of the meritorious qualities and awesome spiritual power of the great bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. Avalokitesvara manifested a body and entered the Land of Gold, where, for the sentient beings called Abundant-Faced, he taught the wondrous Dharma and revealed the Noble Eightfold Path, enabling them all to attain the state of nirvana.

Leaving that Land of Gold, he then entered the Land of Silver. The sentient beings there all had four legs. The great bodhisattva Avalokitesvara taught those beings the Dharma: “You should listen attentively!

Regarding this true Dharma, you must give rise to the resolve to examine it carefully. I shall now reveal to you the provisions for nirvana.” Those beings stood before Avalokitesvara and addressed the bodhisattva, saying: “For beings without eyes, you bring illuminating deliverance and enable them to see the path. For those without refuge, you become their father and mother, giving them a place of reliance.

On the dark path, you become a radiant lamp, opening the true path that is the source of liberation. If sentient beings recollect the bodhisattva’s name, they attain peace and happiness. We have constantly endured such suffering.” When all those sentient beings heard the Mahayana Sutra of the Sublime Treasure King, they immediately attained peace and happiness and realized the stage of non-retrogression.

The great bodhisattva Avalokitesvara then left that place and entered the Land of Iron, the forbidden domain of Great-Might, King of the asuras. When the bodhisattva entered, he manifested a form like that of a Buddha. Great-Might, King of the asuras, came from afar to welcome the great bodhisattva Avalokitesvara into the asura royal palace. He had innumerable attendants, many of whom were hunchbacked and ugly. All those attendants approached, drew near, bowed at the feet of the great bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, and spoke this verse:

In this life I have attained the fruit;
All my vows have been fulfilled.

What I sought has come according to my wish;
This is my right view.

“Now that we have seen the bodhisattva, my attendants and I have all attained peace and happiness.” He then offered a precious jeweled throne to the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, joined his palms reverently, and said: “From ancient times until now, my attendants and I have delighted in sexual misconduct, constantly harbored anger, and taken pleasure in killing living beings. Having created such evil karma, my heart is deeply sorrowful. I fear old age and death and the cycle of rebirth, in which we undergo much anguish, without refuge or support. I beseech you, out of compassion, to save us and reveal to us the path of liberation.”

The bodhisattva Avalokitesvara taught: “Good man! The Tathagata, Worthy One, Perfectly Awakened One, always practices almsround. If anyone gives him food, that person acquires merit beyond all description.

Good man! Not only am I unable to describe it fully while dwelling here in this asura cave; even if Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Awakened Ones, as numerous as the sands of twelve Ganges Rivers gathered in one place, they could not fully describe the measure of that merit. Good man!

I could count the number of all existing motes of dust. Good man! But I could not fully describe the measure of the merit acquired by offering a meal to the Tathagata.

Good man! Likewise, I could count every drop of water in the great ocean. Good man!

But I could not fully describe the measure of the merit acquired by offering food to the Tathagata. Good man! Suppose that all the men, women, boys, and girls throughout the four great continents cultivated fields filling all four continents, planting no other seed but mustard seed.

If the naga kings sent timely rain, the mustard plants ripened well, and one entire continent were made into a threshing floor where the harvest was trodden and gathered into a great heap—good man, I could count every single mustard seed. Good man! But I could not fully describe the measure of the merit acquired by offering food to the Tathagata.

Good man! Likewise, Mount Sumeru, King of Mountains, extends eighty-four thousand yojanas into the water and rises eighty-four thousand yojanas above it. Good man!

Suppose that king of mountains were made into paper, while the waters filling the great ocean were all made into ink, and all the men, women, boys, and girls of the four great continents wrote upon all that paper made from Mount Sumeru until none remained. I could count every character they wrote. Good man!

But I could not describe the measure of the merit acquired by offering food to the Tathagata. Good man! Suppose all those scribes attained the stage of bodhisattvas of the Tenth Bhumi.

All the merit possessed by those bodhisattvas would equal, without difference, the merit of offering a single meal to the Tathagata. Good man! I could count every grain of sand contained in great oceans as numerous as the sands of the Ganges.

Good man! But I could not fully describe the measure of the merit acquired by offering a meal to the Tathagata.”

When Great-Might, King of the asuras, heard this, he wept bitterly. Tears streamed down his face, and, filled with sorrow, he choked and lamented. He addressed the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara: “Since the distant past I have practiced giving, but my gifts were dark and contrary to the Dharma.

Because of that giving, my attendants and I are now bound by karmic retribution in an evil destiny. How may I now offer even a small portion of food to the Tathagata and have it transformed into amrta? From ancient times until now I have been foolish and ignorant, practicing the doctrines of the Brahmanical outsiders.

At that time, a man of lowly and ugly appearance came before me and requested what he needed. I displayed all manner of beautiful jeweled crowns, gold and silver earrings, supreme and wondrous garments, ornaments set with every kind of jewel, arghya vessels, and other things. There were also hundreds of thousands of elephants, horses, and jeweled carriages; pearl necklaces and nets adorned with jewels; strings of pearls interwoven as ornaments; and jeweled parasols, jeweled nets, and canopies from which jeweled bells hung, producing wondrous, melodious sounds.

There were also one thousand golden-colored oxen with exceptionally beautiful coats, their hooves adorned with silver and their horns ornamented with gold. They were further embellished with interwoven jewels. There were also one thousand maidens with beautiful forms and dignified features, resembling celestial maidens.

They wore celestial crowns upon their heads, golden jewels upon their ears, wondrous garments upon their bodies, jeweled sashes around their waists, precious bracelets upon their arms, and pearl necklaces that sounded softly and wondrously, as well as exquisite flower garlands; their bodies were adorned with all such ornaments. There were also innumerable hundreds of thousands of jeweled seats and immeasurable stores of gold, silver, pearls, and jewels.

There were hundreds of thousands of myriads of cattle and goats, with an equal number of herdsmen. There were fragrant and delicious foods like those in the celestial realms. There were also innumerable jeweled bells, innumerable lion thrones of gold and silver, innumerable beautiful chowries of gold and jewels, and innumerable parasols and canopies adorned with the seven treasures.

When I had arranged all these things to hold a great assembly of giving, hundreds of thousands of lesser kings gathered there. Innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of ksatriyas also assembled.

“When I saw them, doubt arose in my heart. At that time I was the most exalted, possessing mighty power and ruling the great earth. Following the Brahmanical rites, I devoted myself to repenting evil karma from past lives.

I intended to kill the ksatriyas together with their wives, children, and attendants, cut out their hearts and livers, and sacrifice them to the gods, hoping the gods would destroy my offenses. I had the hands and feet of all those hundreds of thousands of people from the border regions bound and confined them in a forbidden copper cave. They were all cast into that prison, fastened to iron pillars with iron cords, and bound by their hands and feet.

I then constructed the entrance to the cave. Common wood formed the first gate, khadira wood the second, iron the third, refined copper the fourth, raw copper the fifth, white silver the sixth, and yellow gold the seventh. Upon each of these seven gates I fastened five hundred chains securely, and upon every gate I placed a mountain to weigh it down.

Then the god Narayana, on one day, suddenly manifested as a fly and flew there to investigate. On another day he manifested as a bee. On another day he manifested with the body of a pig.

One day he appeared in the form of a nonhuman being. Thus, day after day, he changed his bodily form and investigated. At that time I was contemplating how to perform the Brahmanical rite.

Seeing me conduct that rite, the god Narayana went to the copper cave, destroyed and removed its seven gates, hurled each mountain elsewhere, and loudly called to those who were bound: ‘Princes of the Invincible Deva! Your bodies have endured great suffering. Are you still alive, or are you dead?’ Hearing his call and question, they answered: ‘Our lives still remain.’ The Venerable god Narayana commanded Great-Might-Vigor, the reliever of suffering, to come to their rescue.

That god immediately destroyed the copper cave and its seven gates. The lesser kings confined within the cave were then freed from their bonds and saw the god Narayana.

“At that time those people thought: ‘Has Great-Might, King of the asuras, died? Where is he, or in what place has he died?’ Those ksatriyas then declared: ‘We would rather oppose him and die fighting, for then at least we would have ground beneath us. We will not submit to being bound in this manner until we die. We shall now follow the ksatriya code and fight him. Even if we die upon that ground, we shall be reborn in heaven.’ The lesser kings then prepared their chariots at their own residences, fitted bridles and reins to their horses, and, holding mallets and clubs, made ready for a great battle.

“At that time the god Narayana manifested as an ugly, dwarfish brahmin. He wore leather armor wrapped around his shoulders and carried a three-pointed spear in his hand as his personal implement. He came to my gate.

The gatekeeper said to him: ‘You must not enter this gate. You are lowly and ugly; do not go inside.’ The brahmin said: ‘I have come here from far away.’ The gatekeeper asked: ‘From where have you come?’ The brahmin replied: ‘I am a great immortal and the king of the land of the Yueh-chih. I have come here from there.’ The gatekeeper then went to Great-Might, King of the asuras, who asked: ‘Why has that man come here?’ The gatekeeper replied: ‘I do not know why he has come.’ Great-Might, King of the asuras, said: ‘Go and summon the brahmin.’ Obeying the command, the gatekeeper called the brahmin inside.

When Great-Might, King of the asuras, saw him, he invited him to sit upon a jeweled seat. Sukra, the teacher whom the asura king served and attended, was present there. He said to Great-Might, King of the asuras: ‘This brahmin is a greatly evil man.

He has come here determined to ruin you, his disciple.’ The king asked: ‘How do you know this?’ Sukra replied: ‘I know it now.’ ‘How do you know that the body he has manifested is the god Narayana?’ Having heard this, I thought: ‘When I give in charity, I never go back on my word. Yet he has now come to obstruct and ruin me.’ Great-Might, King of the asuras, said: ‘My speech is eloquent; why should I question the brahmin?’ He then asked: ‘For what purpose have you come to me?’ The brahmin replied: ‘I have come to ask the king for two measures of land.’ The asura said to the brahmin: ‘You ask for two measures of land;

I shall give you three.’ First he took a golden vase and poured pure water into the brahmin’s hands, saying: ‘Receive the land you require.’ After accepting it, the brahmin wished him peace, happiness, and long life.

“Then the brahmin’s ugly form vanished. At that time Sukra said to the asura king: ‘You will now undergo the retribution of evil karma.’ The god Narayana suddenly revealed his true form. Upon his shoulders he bore the two orbs of the sun and moon; in his hands he held a sharp sword, a precious discus, a bow and arrows, and a staff.

When Great-Might, King of the asuras, suddenly saw him, he was startled and trembled with fear. His body collapsed unconscious upon the ground. After a long while he revived and thought: ‘What shall I do now?

Should I take poison and kill myself?’ The god Narayana was then measuring the land, but only two measures remained and there was no more. It was insufficient to make three measures, contrary to the previous promise. ‘What shall I do now?’ Narayana said to the king: ‘You must now follow my instructions.’ Great-Might, King of the asuras, replied: ‘I shall obey your instruction.’ The god Narayana asked: ‘Is this truly so?’ Great-Might, King of the asuras, replied: ‘It is truly so.

These are truthful words, and I do not regret them.’

“At that time, because I had followed the Brahmanical teaching, the ritual site was destroyed, together with all the possessions there: gold, silver, precious jewels, adorned maidens, garments, jeweled bells, parasols and canopies, wondrous chowries, jeweled lion thrones, golden oxen adorned with jewels, and all the other precious ornaments. The lesser kings and all the multitudes accepted those things and immediately departed from the ritual ground of Great-Might, King of the asuras.”

Great-Might, King of the asuras, addressed the great bodhisattva Avalokitesvara: “My mind now constantly reflects that in the past, following the Brahmanical rites, I held a great assembly of giving, but my giving was truly deluded and mistaken. Because of this, my attendants and I are now confined in this iron cave and endure great suffering. O Avalokitesvara! I now take refuge in you. I beseech you to have compassion and deliver us from suffering.” He then offered this praise:

I take refuge in the Great Compassionate Lotus-Bearer,
The Great Lotus King of Great Auspiciousness.

His wondrously colored body bears every adornment;
Upon his head is a celestial crown adorned with jewels.

Upon his crown is Amitabha, knower of all;
He ever saves innumerable sentient beings.

When people afflicted by illness seek peace and happiness,
The bodhisattva manifests as a physician.

His radiant eyes are suns above the great earth,
Supreme, pure, and wondrous eyes.

They shine upon sentient beings, bringing liberation;
Once liberated, they attain wondrous accord.

Like the precious wish-fulfilling mani jewel,
He guards the true and wondrous Treasury of Dharma.

He constantly teaches the Six Paramitas,
Proclaiming that Dharma with perfect wisdom.

I now come earnestly to take refuge
And praise Great Compassionate Avalokitesvara.

Sentient beings who recollect the bodhisattva’s name
Leave suffering, attain liberation, peace, and happiness.

Those who create evil karma and fall into the Black-Rope Hell
Or onto the path of the great Avici Hell,

And hungry ghosts dwelling in realms of suffering—
If, in terror, they invoke his name, all are liberated.

Thus all sentient beings in the evil destinies
Are freed from suffering and attain peace and happiness.

Whoever constantly recollects the Great Being’s name
Will be reborn in the Land of Utmost Bliss,

See Amitayus Buddha, the Tathagata,
Hear the wondrous Dharma, and realize the Unborn.

The great bodhisattva Avalokitesvara then bestowed a prediction upon Great-Might, King of the asuras: “In a future life you will attain Buddhahood and be named Auspicious Tathagata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly and Completely Awakened, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Persons, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Blessed One. At that time you will realize the Six-Syllable Great Illumination of the dharani gateway.

All the asura kings now present will be saved by you in future lives. Among all sentient beings in that Buddha-land, the words ‘greed, hatred, and delusion’ will no longer be heard.” After Great-Might, King of the asuras, received this prediction, he offered pearl necklaces worth hundreds of thousands, ornaments set with every kind of wondrous jewel, hundreds of thousands of myriads of celestial crowns, and golden and jeweled earrings, beseeching the bodhisattva to accept them.

The great bodhisattva Avalokitesvara then said to Great-Might, King of the asuras: “I shall now teach you the Dharma. Listen and reflect upon it. Human life is impermanent and provisional; the life faculty is difficult to preserve for long.

In your minds you constantly think with craving attachment about possessing great merit, and your hearts constantly cherish your people and servants, even your rice, granaries, and treasuries of precious things. Your minds remain attached to your parents, wives, children, and all your relatives. Although you constantly love such things, they are only like visions in a dream.

When your life ends, none can save another. Hoping to live long in this Jambudvipa, because of such delusion, after death you see the Nai River overflowing with blood, and a great tree blazing fiercely with fire. Seeing this, fear arises in your heart.

Then the wardens of Yama bind you with ropes and hastily lead you along a great road filled with sharp blades and spikes. Each step cuts and rends your body. Innumerable raucous birds, ferocious vultures, and mad dogs roar and devour your flesh.

In hell you undergo extreme suffering. Along the great road filled with keen blades are also sharp thorns sixteen finger-widths long. With every step, five hundred sharp blades pierce the soles of your feet.

In agony, you weep and cry out miserably: ‘We sentient beings delighted in creating evil karma and must now undergo great suffering. What can we do?’ The wardens of Yama then say: ‘Since ancient times, you have never offered food to sramanas, never listened to the profound, wondrous, gentle sounds of the Dharma, and never circumambulated stupas or images of the Buddha.’ The offenders then say to the wardens of Yama: ‘Burdened by offenses against the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, we neither revered them nor understood them through faith, but constantly remained far away.’ The wardens say: ‘You yourselves created these evil deeds; now you must undergo their painful retribution.’ The wardens bring those offenders before King Yama, and they stand in his presence.

King Yama says: ‘Go to the place of your karmic retribution.’ The wardens of Yama then lead the offenders and cast them into the great Black-Rope Hell. Once cast into that hell, every offender receives one hundred wounds. Though their bodies are pierced and cut, their lives do not end.

They then receive two hundred great wounds. Though their bodies are pierced and cut, their lives still do not end. They then receive three hundred great wounds.

Though their bodies are simultaneously pierced and cut, they still do not die; their lives remain. They are then thrown into a great fiery pit, yet they still do not die. Next, red-hot iron pellets are forced into their mouths and they are compelled to chew and swallow them.

Their lips, teeth, tongues, gums, necks, and throats are all burned and destroyed. Their hearts, livers, intestines, and bellies are roasted, and their entire bodies are burned and ruined as though scorched dry.” Avalokitesvara taught Great-Might, King of the asuras: “When one undergoes these sufferings, no one can save another. You should understand this.

I now teach you this Dharma: you must personally use your bodies to cultivate merit.”

The great bodhisattva Avalokitesvara then said to Great-Might, King of the asuras: “I now wish to go to the Jeta Grove, where a great assembly has gathered today.”

The bodhisattva Avalokitesvara then emitted innumerable rays of colored light: blue rays, yellow rays, red rays, white rays, crystal-colored rays, radiant golden rays, and others. Those rays shone into the presence of Visvabhu Tathagata. At that time devas, nagas, yaksas, raksasas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and all the others assembled.

Innumerable great bodhisattvas also gathered. Among them was a bodhisattva named Akasagarbha, who rose from his seat, adjusted his robes, bared his right shoulder, placed his right knee upon the ground, joined his palms reverently toward the Blessed One, and addressed the Buddha: “World-Honored One! From where has this brilliant light come?” The Buddha said: “Good man!

This brilliant light was emitted here by the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara from the palace of Great-Might, King of the asuras.” The bodhisattva Akasagarbha then addressed the Blessed One: “How may I now behold that Avalokitesvara?” The Buddha said: “Good man! That bodhisattva will come here.”

When the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara departed from the royal palace of Great-Might, King of the asuras, celestial trees of wondrous flowers and celestial kalpaka trees suddenly appeared in the Jeta Grove. Innumerable devas of beautiful and majestic appearance also appeared. Hundreds of kinds of pearl necklaces, exquisite kausika cloth, and other garments hung from the trees.

The branches were deep crimson, while gold and silver formed their leaves. Innumerable trees of subtle fragrance and wondrous flowering trees also appeared. There were innumerable jeweled pools, within which hundreds of thousands of myriads of wondrously colored flowers intermingled and spread their fragrance everywhere.

When such phenomena appeared, the bodhisattva Akasagarbha addressed the Blessed One: “Where is the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara now? Why has he not yet arrived?”

The Buddha said: “Good man! After Avalokitesvara left the palace of Great-Might, King of the asuras, he went to a place called Darkness, which no one is able to reach. Good man!

Neither sunlight nor moonlight can penetrate that dark place. Within it is a wish-fulfilling jewel called Fulfiller of Wishes, which constantly and naturally emits illuminating light. Innumerable hundreds of thousands of yaksas dwell there.

When they saw the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara enter, their hearts overflowed with joy. Leaping and rejoicing, they went to gaze upon and welcome him. Bowing with their heads and faces at his feet, they asked: ‘Bodhisattva, were you not wearied in coming here?

For a long time we have not seen you come to this dark place.’ The bodhisattva Avalokitesvara said: ‘I have come here to save sentient beings.’ The hosts of yaksas and raksasas then brought forth a celestial lion throne of precious gold and invited him to be seated. The bodhisattva immediately taught the yaksas and raksasas the Dharma: ‘You should listen attentively! There is a Mahayana sutra called the Sublime Treasure King.

If anyone hears even one four-line verse and is able to receive, retain, read, recite, explain its meaning, and constantly contemplate it, that person will acquire immeasurable merit. Good men! I could count all existing motes of dust.

Good men! But if anyone can receive and retain one four-line verse from this Mahayana Sutra of the Sublime Treasure King, I could not measure that person’s merit. I could count every drop of water in the great ocean, but I could not measure the merit of receiving and retaining one four-line verse from this sutra.

Suppose Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Awakened Ones, as numerous as the sands of twelve Ganges Rivers, remained together in one place for ten kalpas, while one constantly offered those Buddhas garments, bedding, medicine, food, drink, and all other necessities. Even they could not fully describe the measure of that merit. It is not merely I, here in the place called Darkness, who cannot fully describe it.

Good men! Furthermore, suppose every person throughout the four great continents personally built houses and monasteries, and within them constructed one thousand multistoried stupas entirely of celestial gold and jewels, completing in a single day all meritorious offerings to them. That merit would not equal the merit of receiving, retaining, reading, and reciting one four-line verse from this sutra.

Good men! Just as five great rivers channel their waters into the great ocean and those streams are seemingly inexhaustible, so too, if anyone can receive and retain a four-line verse from this Mahayana sutra, the merit acquired is inexhaustible.’

“The yaksas and raksasas then addressed Avalokitesvara: ‘If a sentient being copies this Mahayana sutra, what merit will that person acquire?’ ‘Good men! That merit is infinite and inexhaustible. If anyone can copy this sutra, that person’s merit will equal the merit of one who copies the eighty-four thousand Dharma treasuries.

That person will attain the station of a wheel-turning sage king, rule the four great continents with majestic power and sovereignty, possess dignified and handsome features, be surrounded and attended by one thousand celestial maidens, and naturally subdue every enemy. If anyone merely constantly recollects the title of this sutra, that person will swiftly be liberated from the painful retribution of samsara and leave behind old age, death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, and anguish.

Wherever that person is subsequently born, they will remember their former lives. Their body will always emit the fragrance of ox-head sandalwood, their mouth will constantly exude the fragrance of blue lotus flowers, and their bodily marks will be perfect and endowed with great power.’

“After this Dharma was taught, some of the yaksas and raksasas realized the noble fruit of stream-entry, while others attained the fruit of once-returning. They said: ‘We beseech the bodhisattva to remain here and not go elsewhere. We shall now use precious gold to build a walking-meditation ground here in the place called Darkness.’ The great bodhisattva Avalokitesvara said: ‘Because I wish to save innumerable sentient beings and enable them to attain the path of bodhi, I must go elsewhere.’ The yaksas and raksasas then bowed their heads, rested their cheeks upon their hands, and lingered there, their hearts growing ever more attached. They thought: ‘Now that the great bodhisattva Avalokitesvara is leaving us, who will teach us the wondrous Dharma in the future?’

“When the great bodhisattva Avalokitesvara departed, all the yaksas and raksasas followed to escort him. The great bodhisattva Avalokitesvara said: ‘You have accompanied me far enough. You should return to your dwelling.’ The yaksas and raksasas bowed with their heads and faces upon the ground at Avalokitesvara’s feet and then returned to their former place.

“The great bodhisattva Avalokitesvara then rose through the sky like a flash of fire and went directly to a celestial palace. Arriving there, he manifested as a brahmin. Among those devas was a devaputra named Wondrous Adornment, who constantly suffered the retribution of poverty.

“The bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, manifested as a brahmin, went to that devaputra and said: ‘I am sick, hungry, thirsty, and weary.’ Weeping, the devaputra said to the brahmin: ‘I am poor and destitute and have nothing to offer you.’ The brahmin said: ‘I am in great need. Please give me even a little.’ The devaputra forced himself to enter his palace and search for anything he might have. Suddenly he saw great jeweled vessels filled with various precious things.

Other precious vessels were filled with the finest food and drink. Supreme and wondrous garments for adorning the body also filled the palace. The devaputra then thought: ‘The brahmin outside the gate must be an inconceivable being who has enabled me to obtain such extraordinary, excellent merit.

I should invite that great brahmin into the palace.’ The king offered him precious objects and fine, delicious food and drink. Having accepted the offerings, the brahmin wished the king peace, happiness, and long life.

“The devaputra then addressed the brahmin: ‘Worthy one, from what region have you come?’ The brahmin said: ‘I have come from the great monastery in the Jeta Grove.’ The devaputra asked: ‘What is that place like?’ The brahmin replied: ‘The monastery in the Jeta Grove is pure. Celestial mani jewels and adorned kalpa trees have appeared there. Other precious mani jewels delightful to the heart have also appeared, as have various jeweled pools.

Innumerable members of the great assembly, perfect in virtuous discipline and majestic deportment and endowed with great wisdom, have assembled there. A Buddha named Visvabhu Tathagata dwells there. It is a dwelling place of noble devas, where such transformations have appeared.’ The devaputra then addressed the worthy one: ‘Great brahmin, please tell me truthfully: Are you a deva or a human being?

Worthy one, how did these things appear?’ The brahmin said: ‘I am neither a deva nor a human being. I am a bodhisattva who wishes to save all sentient beings and enable them to see the path of the great bodhisattvas.’ Hearing this, the devaputra offered a wondrous celestial jeweled crown and precious jeweled bracelets, and spoke this verse in praise:

I have encountered one endowed with merit
And have left all transgressions far behind.

As I have now planted in a fertile field,
I shall certainly receive the fruit in this very life.

“After the devaputra spoke this verse, the brahmin, having completed his work of transformation, departed from the celestial palace. He immediately went to the land of Sinhala. Arriving before the raksasa women, he manifested an extraordinarily beautiful and majestic form.

When the raksasa women saw his beauty, lust arose within them. Filled with desire, they approached and said: ‘You may become my husband. I am a beautiful young maiden who has never been betrothed.

Please become my husband. Now that you have come here, do not go elsewhere. You are like one without a master who has now found one, or a house in darkness that has found a bright lamp.

I am wealthy, and my granaries are filled with food, drink, and clothing. I have gardens filled with delicious, sweet fruit and clear, cool bathing pools that delight the heart.’ The brahmin said to the raksasa women: ‘Listen attentively to what I shall say.’ The raksasa women replied: ‘We shall listen to your instruction.’ The brahmin said: ‘I shall now teach you the Dharma of the Noble Eightfold Path and the Dharma of the Four Noble Truths.’ After hearing the Dharma, the raksasa women all realized noble fruits.

Some attained the fruit of stream-entry and others the fruit of once-returning. They no longer suffered from greed, hatred, or delusion, gave rise to no evil thoughts, had no intention of killing living beings, cherished the true Dharma, and delighted fully in the precepts. The raksasa women said: ‘From this day onward, we dare not kill.

Like the people of Jambudvipa, we shall uphold the precepts, live pure lives, and consume pure food and drink. From now on, we vow to live in this way.’ Thus the raksasa women ceased creating evil karma and upheld the pure precepts.

“The great bodhisattva Avalokitesvara left the land of Sinhala and went to the great city of Varanasi. That place was foul and filthy, and innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of worms lived crowded together there. Wishing to save those sentient beings, the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara manifested as a bee, flew there, and emitted from his mouth the sound: ‘NANG MO MOT DA DA’ (Namo Buddhaya).

Hearing that sound, all the insects voiced it together. Through the power of his awesome spiritual might, although those worms’ view of self was as massive as a high mountain and they were filled with secondary afflictions, the wisdom of the vajra-pestle destroyed them all. They were immediately reborn in the Land of Utmost Bliss, where they all became bodhisattvas bearing the same name, Wondrously Fragrant Mouth.

“After saving those sentient beings there, Avalokitesvara left the city of Varanasi and went to the kingdom of Magadha. At that time the kingdom had suffered drought for more than twenty years. He saw the people and other sentient beings afflicted by hunger and thirst, devouring one another’s flesh. The bodhisattva Avalokitesvara thought: ‘By what means may I save these sentient beings?’ He then sent down rainstorms, and the rainwater soaked every parched place. Next, rain fell and filled all their vessels. Within each vessel, the water transformed into delicious food and drink, and the people ate and drank their fill.

“The bodhisattva Avalokitesvara then sent down showers of seeds—rice, sesame, beans, maize, and all other necessities. The people there could use them freely and had everything in abundance. All the people of Magadha were astonished at this unprecedented event.

They assembled in one place and said together: ‘Why has the power of the devas come to us in this way today?’ Among them was an old man with a hunched back who leaned upon a staff. He had lived for innumerable hundreds of thousands of years. He told the people: ‘This is not the power of the devas!

What has now appeared must be a manifestation of the awesome spiritual power of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara.’ The people asked: ‘How has the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara caused these auspicious signs to appear?’ The old man said: ‘Through his awesome spiritual power, noble Avalokitesvara transforms darkness into a bright lamp and scorching heat into cooling shade. Wherever there is thirst and deprivation, he causes a river to appear; wherever there is fear, he bestows fearlessness.

When beings are oppressed by illness and pain, he manifests as an excellent physician. For sentient beings undergoing suffering, he becomes their father and mother. He enables beings in the Avici Hell to see the path to nirvana and enables all sentient beings in the world to acquire merit, benefit, peace, and happiness.

If anyone recollects Avalokitesvara’s name, that person will in the future leave behind all the sufferings of samsara.’ Hearing this, the people all exclaimed: ‘Excellent!’ If anyone establishes a square mandala before an image of Avalokitesvara and constantly offers incense and flowers to the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, that person will become a wheel-turning sage king and possess the seven treasures: the precious golden wheel, precious elephant, precious horse, precious jewel, precious woman, precious treasurer, and precious general.

Thus will that person possess the seven treasures. If anyone offers a single flower to the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, fragrance will emanate from that person’s body, and wherever that person is born, their bodily marks will be perfect.

“After the old man had recounted the meritorious qualities and spiritual power of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, he and the others returned to their dwellings.

“The bodhisattva Avalokitesvara then rose into the sky and thought: ‘For a long time I have not seen Visvabhu Tathagata. I shall now return to the monastery in the Jeta Grove to see the Blessed One.’ The bodhisattva Avalokitesvara immediately returned to the monastery and saw innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of devas, nagas, yaksas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans. Innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of bodhisattvas had also assembled.

The bodhisattva Akasagarbha then addressed the Buddha: ‘World-Honored One! Which bodhisattva is this who has arrived?’ The Buddha said: ‘Good man! This is the great bodhisattva Avalokitesvara.’ The bodhisattva Akasagarbha then sat in silence.

The bodhisattva Avalokitesvara circumambulated the Buddha three times and then sat to his left. The Blessed One comforted him, saying: ‘Are you not weary? Good man!

How have you carried out the work of teaching and transforming beings in the various places?’ Avalokitesvara then recounted all the acts of teaching and transformation he had performed: ‘In this way have I saved sentient beings.’ Hearing this, Akasagarbha marveled at what had never occurred before: ‘Although Avalokitesvara is still a bodhisattva, he is able to save the sentient beings of so many lands. The sentient beings in those lands have now become bodhisattvas and beheld the Tathagata.’ The bodhisattva Akasagarbha then stood before Avalokitesvara and asked: ‘Were you not wearied by teaching and transforming beings in this way?’ The bodhisattva Avalokitesvara replied: ‘I was not weary.’ After asking this, Akasagarbha sat in silence.

“The Blessed One then called to the good men: ‘Listen attentively. I shall now teach you the Six Paramitas. Good men! Those who become bodhisattvas must first cultivate dana-paramita, and afterward cultivate sila-paramita, ksanti-paramita, virya-paramita, dhyana-paramita, and prajna-paramita, bringing them all to perfection.’ Having taught this Dharma, the Blessed One remained peacefully in silence. Everyone in the assembly then returned to their former places, and the bodhisattvas also returned to their respective Buddha-lands.

Namo Noble Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Mahasattva. (3 times)

The Buddha’s Teaching of the Mahayana Sutra of the Sublime Treasure King.

(END OF VOLUME TWO)