佛說海龍王經

Chapter 10: INVITING THE BUDDHA

At that time, the Ocean Dragon King addressed the Blessed One:

“I pray that the Buddha will extend still greater compassion toward the devas, dragons, spirits, and immeasurable multitudes of people, enabling them to attain peace and security. I respectfully invite you to enter the great ocean, proceed to my palace, and condescend to partake of a modest meal. Why is this?

Within the great ocean are dragons, ghosts, spirits, gandharvas, and countless other kinds of sentient beings. Upon seeing the Tathagata, they will all plant roots of virtue, come to the Dharma assembly, and, by hearing the sound of the Dharma, cut off the source of bottomless birth and death. Our entire dragon palace will benefit from this gracious virtue, and beings in the heavens and the human realm will thereby attain liberation.

The Tathagata manifests the Buddha’s great path everywhere, enabling us personally to draw near to the Dharma practices that lead to enlightenment.”

Out of compassion for the Dragon King, the Buddha silently accepted his invitation, so that immeasurable multitudes might extensively plant every root of virtue. Seeing that the Buddha had accepted his invitation, the Ocean Dragon King rejoiced greatly. He bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, circumambulated him three times to the right, and then suddenly vanished together with his retinue. The Dragon King returned to the great ocean, assembled the dragon people, and told them:

“Tomorrow morning I shall invite the Buddha. The Buddha, moved by compassion, has consented. You must unite your efforts and prepare the offerings.”

The Ocean Dragon King further said to Yến Cư, the spirit Vô Thiện, Cuông Hoặc Phược Bổ Ly, and Câu Cẩm:

“You should know that the Tathagata will graciously descend and come to this ocean. You must personally lead all your retinues, assemble at my palace, and offer a meal to the Blessed One.”

The Dragon King also commanded the dragon kings named Chủ Độ Vương, Hoan Vô Lượng Vương, Ly Cấu Vương, Diệm Quang Vương, Hý Lạc Vương, Thanh Tịnh Vương, Diệu Diệu Ý Vương, and Hiện Chư Nan Vương, as well as hundreds of thousands of other dragon kings, to assemble in his inner palace and attend upon the Tathagata. The Dragon King further ordered the young dragon Uy Thủ:

“Go and respectfully proclaim my command to the Dragon King Vô Phần, so that he may order all the palaces of the seas to come and make offerings to the Tathagata, the Most True, the One of Complete and Perfect Enlightenment.”

Uy Thủ immediately accepted the command. The Dragon King then ordered his son Cường Uy to go to the summit of Mount An Minh and invite the Dragon King Hoan Hỷ, the Dragon King Ca Hoan Hỷ, and Śakra, Lord of the Devas, to come to the great ocean and assemble in his inner palace to make offerings to the Tathagata. Cường Uy immediately accepted the command and proclaimed the order accordingly.

At that time, the Ocean Dragon King magically created a great hall fashioned from azure vaidurya, diamonds, and pure gold intermingled together. Banners and pennants were raised; golden intersections were adorned with strings of precious jewels; and vast balustrades were made from the seven treasures. Many kinds of incense were burned, and flowers of every color were scattered, drifting down like snow.

Within the great hall he magically established a lion throne four hundred and eighty miles high, made from every kind of jewel. Countless hundreds of thousands of five-colored celestial silks were spread out as fringes upon the lion throne. Seats were prepared for the bodhisattvas and the assembly of bhikshus, each beautifully adorned, with distinctive steps.

The meal offered to the Buddha comprised innumerable flavors and dishes. The pure foods and beverages for the ceremonial offering were all ready. At dawn, the Ocean Dragon King and his retinue arrayed themselves and reverently stood among the twelve mountain valleys of the An Minh range.

From afar, he invited the Blessed One in verse:

Wisdom extraordinary and immeasurable,

Masterful and free in the Dharma,

Whose knowledge clearly comprehends all things,

Like emptiness, the boundless Sage.

Free from defilement, with purified eyes,

Supreme within the world,

The time has come to invite the Blessed One;

We pray you compassionately consent.

Your voice is pure like Brahmā’s,

Kind, harmonious, and gentle are your words;

Like the resonant cry of the kalaviṅka,

You reveal nectar for all beings.

Removing all those worldly stains,

You are a skilled physician for beings.

Jewel of humankind, we pray you come;

Now is indeed the proper time.

Your mind is disciplined, gentle, and tranquil,

Peaceful, harmonious, and most tender in resolve.

Having crossed over yourself, you save sentient beings;

Please rescue all the people.

You teach and transform all the multitudes,

Causing them to cross beyond the four currents,

To reach the further shore and dwell in peace.

We invite you; the time has come.

You delight in generosity and benevolence,

Train in the path and pure precepts;

Your power of patience is supreme,

And you have attained great diligence.

You have extinguished afflictions through meditation and the gates of liberation;

Your wisdom pervades the immeasurable.

Your teachings are like moonlight;

Venerable One, the time has come.

Though wisdom discerns the paths,

Deviant entanglements have forever been severed.

The seven factors of enlightenment, powers, and faculties

Are manifested for the sake of bodhi.

Equanimous in the four foundations of mindfulness,

Possessing the four bases of spiritual power and concentrated resolve,

Your dharanis penetrate all things without obstruction;

The time has come—we pray you come.

The thirty-two excellent marks,

Wondrous and formed from a hundred virtues,

Preserve virtue and righteousness,

Thus revealing a vast field of merit.

You are honored with the title Benefactor of Beings,

Like a flourishing sprout in spring.

With still greater loving-kindness, please show compassion;

O Greatly Compassionate One, we pray you come.

Your resolve is like Mount Sumeru,

Your mind impartial like the earth.

You have cast away craving and anger,

And expound emptiness.

Honored One among humankind, you are not self-abasing,

Nor have you ever been arrogant.

You abide in the gateway of liberation through emptiness;

We respectfully invite you—the time is now.

Knowing the meaning, you immediately discern it;

Understanding the essentials, you accord with them.

You clearly comprehend the sutras and the Dharma;

Your mind and conduct are always thus.

You fully penetrate the original nature of beings

And contemplate every meaning with wisdom.

We bow at the feet of the Supremely Victorious One;

The time has come—we pray you come.

At that time, the Blessed One heard from afar the Dragon King’s declaration that the appointed time had arrived. He told the bhikshus to put on their robes and carry their alms bowls, so that they might go to the great ocean, teach and transform sentient beings, and assemble at the dragon palace to partake of the meal. The bhikshus replied:

“Yes, Blessed One!”

Immediately, the Blessed One, together with the bodhisattvas and the assembly of bhikshus, surrounded by their retinues, soared into the sky. His body emitted a great radiance, celestial flowers rained down, and hundreds of thousands of musical instruments sounded together in harmony. They then assembled upon the seashore and proceeded to the Garden of Joyful Delight. In that garden was a tư-di flower named Delight of the Mind, and the Buddha paused there.

The Ocean Dragon King went before the Buddha, bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, reverently made his report, and then withdrew to stand to one side. The Dragon King thought to himself, “I wish to magically create jeweled stairways extending from the seashore to the bottom of the ocean, so that the Buddha, the assembly of bhikshus, and the bodhisattvas may descend along them into the sea and reach my palace, just as the Blessed One once magically created jeweled stairways from the Heaven of the Thirty-Three down to Jambudvipa.” As soon as this thought arose, he magically created three jeweled stairways of gold, silver, and vaidurya, extending from the seashore down to his profound, wondrous, and beautiful palace.

At that time, through the majestic power of his spiritual transformations, the Blessed One caused the waters of the great ocean to disappear, yet none of the creatures living in the sea suffered any harm. The Buddha’s body emitted a radiance that illuminated the great ocean and extended throughout the trichiliocosm. Touched by this light, all the creatures living in that ocean became compassionate, gentle, and benevolent.

They did not trouble or harm one another, but regarded one another as fathers and mothers, elder and younger siblings, and children, without distinction. At that time, devas of the desire realm and devas of the form realm followed and attended upon the Blessed One, wishing to hear the teachings of the path and also to behold the magnificently adorned palace of the Dragon King.

The Buddha, together with the bodhisattvas, the great shravakas, devas, dragons, spirits, Gandharvas, Phoenix Mountain spirits, Kinnara spirits, Shakra, Brahma kings, and the Four Heavenly Kings, wished to depart from beneath the Tushita flower tree in the Garden of Delight and proceed to the dragon king’s palace. The Buddha ascended the jeweled stairway in the center; the assemblies of bodhisattvas stood upon the stairway to the right, and the great shravakas stood upon the stairway to the left.

Six billion Shakras led the way before them; six billion Brahma devas in the sky each held a jeweled parasol; six billion devas behind the Buddha rained celestial flowers; six billion devas of the Desire Realm played ancient music as an offering to the Buddha; six billion hosts of maras went before the Buddha, sprinkling fragrant water upon the ground; six billion dragon queens, manifesting the upper halves of their bodies in midair, held jeweled necklaces in their hands and scattered them over the Buddha; six billion mountain spirits played musical instruments and praised the Buddha’s virtues; six billion Gandharvas held flowered parasols in their hands and raised them above the Buddha;

six billion Yaksha spirits brought as many hundreds of thousands of kinds of garments and spread them above the Buddha.

The dragon king Wufen, together with billions of hundreds of thousands of attendants, remained in the sky, offering flowers, incense, blended incense, fragrant powders, and other things; they played every kind of musical instrument, adorned the dragons, and offered celestial flowers to the Buddha. In all these various ways, sixty thousand dragon kings made offerings to the Buddha, wishing to behold the Blessed One and the ocean dragon king.

There were two bodhisattvas from the Buddha-land of the Tathagata Amitayus in the World of Bliss, named the great beings Avalokiteshvara and Mahasthamaprapta. Together with immeasurable billions of bodhisattvas, they manifested their own magnificent offerings for the Buddha, the Blessed One, causing all the magnificent offerings previously presented to be obscured and disappear so that no one could perceive them.

There were two bodhisattvas from the Buddha-land of the Tathagata Nandai in the World of Blazing Radiance, named the great beings Dharma Blossom and Dharma Path.

There were two bodhisattvas from the Buddha-land of the Tathagata Free from Anger in the World of Wondrous Joy, named the great beings Fragrant Hand and Hands of Many Fragrances.

There were two bodhisattvas from the Buddha-land of the Tathagata Moon Eloquence in the World of Illumination, named the great beings Lion and Lion’s Voice.

There were two bodhisattvas from the Buddha-land of the Tathagata Good Eye in the World of Unhindered Progress, named the great beings Guide of the Way and Sovereign over All Dharmas.

There were two bodhisattvas from the Buddha-land of the Tathagata Universal World in the World of Radiant Splendor, named Jeweled Staff and Jeweled Flame.

There were two bodhisattvas from the Buddha-land of the Tathagata Jeweled Hand in the World of Joyful Guidance, named Wisdom’s Course and Wisdom’s Vision.

There were two bodhisattvas from the Buddha-land of the Tathagata Universal Vision in the World of Radiant Lands, named Rain King and Dharma King.

There were two bodhisattvas from the Buddha-land of the Tathagata Honored Sovereign in the World of Delightful Vision, named Subduer of Mara and King over the Hosts of Mara...

In brief, throughout the ten directions, immeasurable billions of bodhisattvas such as these all came to praise the dragon king in the ocean, wishing to behold the Tathagata and make offerings and render service to him. Thereupon, the Blessed One employed the inspiring power of the Great Way of all Buddhas as a mirror of virtue, and through the Buddha’s vast spiritual might exhorted and transformed beings, free from frivolous discourse, so that they might make offerings to all Buddhas.

The Buddha emitted a great radiance that illuminated immeasurable worlds throughout the ten directions, and taught and transformed beings with the Buddha’s “voice of the great lion’s roar.” Hundreds of thousands of devas played music and rained celestial flowers, extinguishing the evil destinies and bestowing peace and security upon all. There was a samadhi named “Establishing Great Compassion and Bringing Joy to All Living Beings.” After the Buddha entered the proper absorption of this samadhi, he brought forth inconceivable radiant adornments throughout the great ocean.

The Buddha descended from the jeweled stairway and manifested in the palace beneath the ocean, while music spontaneously resounded throughout immeasurable worlds in the ten directions. The Buddha’s spiritual majesty and the Tathagata’s inspiring power could be seen as the Tathagata, the Able and Benevolent One, descended into the great ocean. At that time, billions of hundreds of thousands of jeweled maidens, imperial consorts, wives, and attendants of the Yaksha spirits, Phoenix spirits, mountain spirits, Kinnara spirits, and other spirits all brought musical instruments to welcome the Buddha. Harmonizing their music, they sang praises of the Buddha’s virtues:

Giving and purity of precepts,

The strength of patience, honored loving-kindness;

Diligence and zealous devotion to truth,

Reverence, delight in meditation and liberation.

With a pure heart and wisdom’s brilliant light,

Sublimely displaying spiritual majesty,

You now reveal liberation;

Thus you come to remove every stain.

Bestowing the peace of sweet nectar,

The Guide has exhausted every impurity;

Your virtues are as vast as space—

Ocean of wisdom, we invite you into the ocean!

Your essential words are full and complete,

Proclaiming and praising the transcendent perfections;

You bestow eyes of pure radiance,

Supreme among all beings.

You extol the profound meaning,

Compassionate toward beings, with peerless radiance;

Worshiped and universally acclaimed,

You subdue all followers of other paths.

You give the Dharma without miserliness,

Expounding sutras that cleanse the dust of desire;

You praise the true radiance of wisdom,

And reveal the precious Way.

Having seen the Truth, one cannot reject it;

Through right contemplation, the fetters are severed.

Steadfast and unmoving like a mountain,

We bow our heads to the guiding teacher.

Devas and Garudas,

Kinnaras and asuras,

Kalus and Kumbhandas—

May all bow their heads beneath your feet.

Your thirty-two honored marks

Manifest incomparable wondrous blessings;

Your body is supple and golden-purple in hue,

And beneath your feet are auspicious nails.

Your voice is like the plaintive kalavinka;

That voice surpasses Brahma’s voice.

Its sound transcends the three-thousandfold world;

We bow to your gentle, harmonious voice.

Your faculties are disciplined, your mind serene,

Radiant like flashes of lightning and moonlight;

You speak the truth and are ever impartial—

We bow to you who delights in the Dharma!

The sufferings of aging and sickness are crossed,

And all are rescued and liberated.

Every mara has been subdued;

Birth is destroyed and present existence exhausted.

Free from attachment, the dust of affliction dispersed,

You are revered by all devas.

Most Honored One, you protect all beings;

The Guide instructs and transforms the multitudes.

Chapter 11: THE TEN VIRTUES OF THE SIX PERFECTIONS

At that time, after the princesses, imperial consorts, queens, and the queens of the Yaksha spirits, Phoenix spirits, mountain spirits, Kinnara spirits, and others had together praised the Buddha, they all brought forth the aspiration for unsurpassed, right, and true enlightenment. They removed the jeweled necklaces from their bodies and scattered them over the Buddha. The Buddha and the great assembly then descended into the great ocean. Upon reaching the city beneath the ocean, the Buddha proceeded directly to the magnificent great hall of the ocean dragon king and sat upon the lion throne. The bodhisattvas and the assembly of bhikshus then took their seats in order within that palace.

The ocean dragon king and his palace retinue, seeing that the Buddha was seated, personally presented pure food and drink. They offered immeasurable varieties of delicious flavors to the Buddha and the Sangha of bhikshus. When they had finished eating and drinking and water had been brought for washing their hands, the dragon king and his attendants sat before the Buddha to hear the sutra, together with the devas, dragons, spirits, Gandharvas, Yaksha spirits, Phoenix spirits, mountain spirits, Kinnara spirits, Shakra, the Brahma kings, the Four Heavenly Kings, and the bodhisattvas who had come to the assembly from the ten directions.

At that time, seeing that the assembly was peacefully settled, the Buddha emitted a radiance from his body. This radiance was called “Skillfully Ferrying Beings through Gentle Exposition of the Dharma.” It illuminated all creatures dwelling in the great ocean, from those of the highest and middle ranks to those of the lowest rank. All saw the Buddha with their own eyes and rejoiced exceedingly, aspiring with delight to hear the Dharma. From afar, they reverently bowed their heads in homage to the Buddha.

The Blessed One then addressed the ocean dragon king:

—People rely upon the world and create manifold conditions. The workings of their minds are not the same, their offenses and merits differ, and therefore their lives are also different. Dragon King!

Furthermore, observe this assembly and the great ocean: there are manifold kinds whose forms and appearances are not the same. All these forms and appearances are paintings made by the mind. Yet the mind has no form or color and cannot be seen.

All dharmas are deceptive in this way; the forms and characteristics arising from delusion have no master, and each being receives the results of what it has created. It is like a painter who originally creates no image. Dharmas are thus inconceivable.

Naturally resembling illusions and transformations, they are all created by the mind. Wise people who see that the forms and characteristics of dharmas arise from delusion will practice wholesome virtues. Those who understand that the characteristics arising from delusion become the various dharmas, and that the skandhas are the seeds of the ayatanas, will joyfully and gladly attain uprightness and beauty.

Dragon King! Furthermore, observe the body of the Tathagata. It is formed from hundreds of thousands of merits, surpasses the entire assembly, and appears majestically everywhere. Through the mastery attained from these hundreds of thousands of virtues, even Brahma and Shakra are eclipsed and disappear from view. When beholding the Tathagata’s body, one’s eyes dare not gaze directly upon its majestic radiance. Observe the physical bodies of the great beings: their excellent marks and adornments are complete, and they adorn their bodies entirely with wholesome virtues.

The Buddha said to the Dragon King:

—Your pure adornments are all formed from merit. The adornments of the Shakras, Brahmas, devas, dragons, spirits, Fragrant-Sound spirits, Unwholesome spirits, Phoenix spirits, Mountain spirits, and Gentle-Auspice spirits are all born from merit. Today, within this great ocean, there are manifold kinds of bodies—wholesome and unwholesome, large and small, broad and narrow, beautiful and ugly, strong and weak, and minute. All are obtained from their own minds, for these manifold forms and appearances are all produced by the actions of body, speech, and mind.

Therefore, Dragon King, guard the actions of your body so as to remedy offenses and cultivate merit. You should train in this way! By guarding bodily actions, remedying offenses, cultivating merit, and practicing all wholesome deeds, you will attain the path to Buddhahood, eliminate wrong views, and abide neither in the view of permanence nor in the view of impermanence. You should seek the fruit of Buddhahood and cultivate offerings. Through making offerings, you will receive the reverence of devas and human beings.

The Buddha said to the Dragon King:

—A bodhisattva has one Dharma that eliminates all calamities of every evil realm. What is that one?

—He concentrates upon observing the subtle and wondrous Dharma, discerning which truth leads into the Dharma. He delights in contemplating many wholesome dharmas, does not listen to evil things or entertain any false and perverse thoughts, has eliminated unwholesome dharmas, and reverently practices every wholesome deed. Wherever he is born, he will therefore share the virtuous and wholesome nature of Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

The Buddha taught:

—What wholesome deeds establish roots of virtue that bring peace and security to devas and human beings, not for the roots of shravakas or pratyekabuddhas? In establishing the roots of the path, one directs one’s resolve toward the unsurpassed, right, and true path. What is called establishing the foundation? It is to perform ten deeds. What are the ten?

—With the body, one does not kill, steal, or engage in sexual misconduct.

—With the mouth, one does not speak falsely, speak divisively, speak harshly, or engage in frivolous speech.

—With the mind, one is not envious, angry, or deluded.

This is establishing the foundation.

The Buddha said to the Dragon King:

—Those who do not kill attain ten wholesome dharmas of serenity. What are the ten?

1. They always bestow peace and security upon everyone.

2. They always delight in loving-kindness.

3. They eliminate anger.

4. Wherever they are born, they are always free from illness.

5. They always live long.

6. They receive the protection of nonhuman beings.

7. They sleep peacefully and never have nightmares.

8. They harbor no resentment or enmity.

9. They do not fear the evil realms.

10. After death, they are born in a peaceful and secure place.

Those who do not kill attain these dharmas of serenity. By dedicating the virtue of the wholesome root of refraining from killing and aspiring to the unsurpassed, right, and true path, when they attain Buddhahood they may gain mastery over their lifespan.

The Buddha told the Dragon King:

—Those who do not steal attain five dharmas of confidence. What are the five?

1. They attain great wealth that cannot be taken away by rulers and officials, flood, fire, thieves, enemies, or wayward children.

2. They receive the love and respect of everyone.

3. When they reach a place of tranquility, there are no calamities.

4. Calamities and fears are forever eliminated.

5. Because they do not grasp at merit, they constantly resolve to practice generosity and wisdom.

They plant every root of virtue and aspire to the unsurpassed, right, and true path. By relying upon the Tathagata’s wisdom free from views, they attain supreme perfect enlightenment and establish spiritual powers.

The Buddha said to the Dragon King:

—Those who do not engage in sexual misconduct attain four virtues of peace and happiness belonging to wise and discerning people. What are the four?

1. They guard the faculties.

2. They abandon frivolous speculation.

3. The entire world praises them.

4. Having abandoned sexual misconduct, they do not dare to treat their own wives and concubines with contempt.

By dedicating this root of virtue and aspiring to the unsurpassed, right, and true path, they attain the great person’s mark of the concealed male organ.

The Buddha said to the Dragon King:

—Those who do not speak falsely are praised by devas and human beings through eight qualities. What are the eight?

1. They attain a pure countenance.

2. Their words are trusted by everyone.

3. They personally accomplish realization and are respected by devas and human beings.

4. Their minds are sincere, without crooked thoughts.

5. Their minds and intentions are pure, without flattery or deceit.

6. They possess abundant joy, and people do not dislike them.

7. They readily accept admonitions and precepts and speak no coarse words. Whether born among devas or human beings, they are especially trusted, and no one doubts them.

8. By dedicating the wholesome root of sincere speech and aspiring to the unsurpassed, right, and true path, through this practice they always attain sincerity.

The Buddha said to the Dragon King:

—Those who do not engage in divisive speech attain five kinds of inseparability. What are the five?

1. Their bodies remain united and are not scattered.

2. Their retinues do not disperse, and they are not arrogant toward others.

3. They attain indestructible faith and perceive causes and their results.

4. Their Dharma does not cause others to be divided, and they regard conduct as essential.

5. They attain harmonious friends because they do not deceive.

By using this root of virtue to seek supreme perfect enlightenment, they become members of the Tathagata’s undivided retinue. All maras and hostile enemies will certainly be unable to disrupt the Tathagata’s retinue. The Buddha said to the Dragon King:

—Those who do not speak harshly attain eight results of pure speech and, after their lives end, are born in the heavens. What are the eight?

1. Their words accord with truth.

2. Their words are gentle and agreeable.

3. Their words are appropriate.

4. Their words promote harmony.

5. Their words are acceptable.

6. Their words are clear.

7. Everyone believes, follows, and delights in their words.

8. Their words do not deceive anyone.

By dedicating this root of virtue and aspiring to the unsurpassed, right, and true path, they attain the Tathagata’s voice, which surpasses that of the Brahma heavens.

The Buddha said to the Dragon King:

—Those who do not engage in frivolous speech attain three right practices. What are the three?

They always enable everyone to understand impartial respect and affection.

Their minds are always single-mindedly devoted to sincerity, and they do not use excessive words.

They are always respected among devas and human beings and are not troubled. They then receive a Buddha’s prediction and become Tathagatas whose words never differ from the truth.

The Buddha said to the Dragon King:

—Those who are not envious attain five kinds of majestic spiritual power. What are the five?

1. Their body, speech, and mind are lucid, and all their faculties are complete.

2. One obtains exceedingly abundant wealth and may use it as one wishes.

3. One subdues all hostile enemies and delights in the livelihood of savoring fine food and drink.

4. One’s merit and virtue are magnificent; one receives the reverence and protection of kings.

5. One possesses one’s own wondrous treasures. Through roots of merit planted in former times, one is born into an eminent family and does not envy the wealth of others. Through these roots of virtue, one aspires to the unsurpassed, true, and perfect enlightenment, attaining realization equal to that of the World-Honored One and receiving the veneration of the three realms.

The Buddha said to the Dragon King:

—One who is free from anger obtains eight qualities of a joyful mind. What are the eight?

1. Rejoicing in true harmlessness and eliminating anger.

2. Rejoicing in a sincere mind and taking no pleasure in contention.

3. Delighting in uprightness, serenity, and gentleness.

4. Regarding sages and worthies with equanimity and always harboring loving-kindness.

5. Being replete with compassion and rejoicing upon seeing others at peace and happy.

6. Being handsome and beautiful and receiving everyone’s reverence.

7. Finding it easy to be reborn in the Brahma heavens.

8. Employing skillful means with a compassionate mind and being gentle toward everyone.

These are the eight.

Through these eight roots of virtue, if one aspires to unsurpassed, true, and perfect enlightenment, one will become a Tathagata, Worthy One, and Perfectly Enlightened One upon whom people never tire of gazing.

The Buddha said to the Dragon King:

—One who is free from wrong views obtains ten virtuous qualities. What are the ten?

1. One’s resolve and nature are truthful, and one encounters good spiritual friends.

2. One believes in the fruits of good and evil deeds; even at the cost of one’s life, one neither harms nor violates others.

3. One thinks of and practices the Buddha Way, and one’s mind does not deviate from it.

4. One does not worship heavenly beings or spirits, and one’s resolve is always sincere and unadorned.

5. One abandons flattery, deceit, and magical incantations.

6. One befriends human and heavenly beings.

7. One does not become a companion of beings in the hells, hungry ghosts, or animals.

8. Among all eminent virtues, one regards the magnificent path of the sages as supreme.

9. Free from wrong views, greed, anger, and evil views, one remains entirely unobstructed.

10. One is equal with the sages and, in an instant, is reborn among heavenly beings or humans.

These are the ten virtuous qualities.

Using the roots of virtue arising from freedom from wrong views to aspire to unsurpassed, true, and perfect enlightenment, one draws near to the Dharma of all Buddhas, swiftly realizes supernormal powers, and becomes a Tathagata.

The Buddha said to the Dragon King:

—A bodhisattva who abstains from killing and practices generosity always obtains wealth, nobility, and immeasurable longevity.

When practicing the bodhisattva path, no external enemy or hostile entanglement can withstand one. Having abstained from stealing and practiced generosity, one possesses abundant wealth that no one dares to take.

When practicing the bodhisattva path, one cannot be harmed or cast aside but instead gathers all meritorious qualities. By abstaining from sexual misconduct and practicing generosity, one will always be wealthy in future lives, and one’s spouse will be free from misconduct. While among humans, no one will dare violate one, and one will not gaze upon the beauty of another family’s daughters. One who abstains from false speech and practices generosity always possesses great wealth, is not slandered, and even those of humble station receive the benefit of one’s gracious protection.

When practicing the bodhisattva path, one’s words accord with one’s deeds, and one’s resolve is firm. By abstaining from divisive speech and practicing generosity, one always possesses wealth, and one’s family and retinue do not become separated.

When practicing the bodhisattva path, one obtains a retinue whose nature is upright and impartial, like that of a bodhisattva. Having refrained from harsh speech and practiced generosity, one always possesses great wealth, and others accept one’s words.

When practicing the bodhisattva path, whenever one enters an assembly, everyone rejoices. By refraining from frivolous speech and practicing generosity, one always possesses great wealth, and one’s words invariably accord with one’s actions.

When practicing the bodhisattva path, one eliminates all doubts. By abandoning envy and practicing generosity, one always possesses great wealth, is filled with excellent joy, and has abundant clothing, food and drink, and bedding.

After practicing the bodhisattva path, one rejoices and further increases one’s generosity, thereby attaining honor and nobility. By abandoning anger and practicing generosity, one always possesses great wealth, has radiant and dignified deportment and a handsome appearance, and everyone delights in one’s words.

When practicing the bodhisattva path, one harbors no intention to harm, and all one’s faculties are complete. By abandoning wrong views and practicing generosity, one always possesses great wealth, abides in right view, is born into a renowned family, and encounters a Buddha, the World-Honored One.

When practicing the bodhisattva path, one is never separated from the Buddhas, always hears the Dharma, and brings forth the bodhisattva mind.

The Buddha said to the Dragon King:

—This is called the magnificent and vast generosity adorned by the Ten Good Deeds. Those who adorn these ten good practices with morality fulfill their own vows and attain the Dharmas of the Buddhas. Adorning them with patience, they acquire the excellent marks and perfect the voice of a Buddha.

Adorning them with diligence, they subdue the demonic enemies. Adorning them with the Dharma of the Buddha Way, they attain liberation. Adorning them with meditation, the object toward which the mind inclines becomes pure.

Adorning them with wisdom, they eliminate all attachment to views. Adorning the practice of loving-kindness, they act with benevolent harmony and do not harm sentient beings. Adorning the practice of compassion, they do not abandon sentient beings.

Adorning the practice of sympathetic joy, they harbor no laziness or weariness. Adorning the practice of equanimity, they attain nonattachment and sever all fetters of doubt. Adorning the practice of beneficence, they are able to exhort and transform sentient beings.

Adorning the foundations of mindfulness, they bring the sensations of the body to rest and become replete in contemplation of mind and dharmas. Adorning the right efforts, they eliminate evil dharmas and become replete in wholesome virtue. Adorning the bases of supernormal power, they attain effortless supernormal abilities.

Adorning the five faculties, they attain steadfast practice, advance through supreme diligence without negligence, and discipline the mind to eliminate all afflictive defilements. Adorning the five powers, with an upright mind they subdue and transform all hostile enemies. Adorning the factors of enlightenment, they clearly understand that all dharmas arise from the foundation of true suchness.

Adorning the Eightfold Path, they bring forth the adornment of right wisdom and quiescence and eliminate every impurity of the afflictive defilements. Adorning with contemplation, they contemplate all dharmas and discern upon careful examination that all are empty. Adorning with skillful means, they become fully and peacefully established in the enumerable and innumerable, the conditioned and the unconditioned.

The Buddha said to the Dragon King:

—In brief, the virtue of the Ten Good Deeds perfects the ten Powers and the four Fearlessnesses, thereby accomplishing all the Dharmas of the Buddhas. Because these qualities are fulfilled through them, one should always diligently and universally adorn oneself with the virtue of the Ten Good Deeds. It is like the commanderies, counties, towns, villages, hills and mounds, the hundred varieties of grain, medicinal herbs, trees, flowers, fruits, and all else that is planted and harvested: all are established upon the earth.

The virtue of the Ten Good Deeds is likewise; heavenly and human beings all depend upon it. Those in training and those beyond training, those who have attained the fruits, those who abide in the pratyekabuddha path, and those who practice the bodhisattva path and the Dharma of all Buddhas—all arise from it.

Thereupon, the Dragon King addressed the World-Honored One:

—What is meant by entering the bodhisattva practice of the Dharma gate? One who enters this Dharma gate eliminates the offenses arising from the skandhas and hindrances of previous lives. Having eliminated the afflictions, one attains transcendence and liberation.

The Buddha said to the Dragon King:

—A bodhisattva has one quality that eliminates all offenses. What is that one?

—Always receiving protection and never abandoning the confession and repentance of the foremost offenses!

There are also two qualities that eliminate all offenses. What are the two?

1. Constantly contemplating the purity of dharmas.

2. Committing no offenses in the present.

There are also three qualities that eliminate all offenses. What are the three?

1. Entering the wisdom of causes and conditions.

2. Being replete with a joyful mind.

3. Relying upon the originally pure Dharma and clearly knowing that things are fundamentally nonexistent.

There are also four qualities that eliminate all offenses. What are the four?

1. Clearly understanding emptiness.

2. Not abiding in signlessness.

3. Proceeding toward wishlessness.

4. The wisdom of nonaction.

There are also five qualities that eliminate all offenses. What are the five?

1. No self.

2. No person.

3. No being.

4. No life.

5. No consciousness.

There are also six dharmas that eliminate transgressions. What are the six?

1. Joyful, pure faith.

2. Freedom from doubt.

3. Knowing when to advance and when to pause in one’s conduct.

4. Contemplating the truth.

5. Acting with utmost sincerity.

6. Never losing right faith.

These are the six dharmas that eliminate transgressions.

The Dragon King addressed the Buddha, saying:

“What is meant by a bodhisattva attaining liberation?”

The Blessed One replied:

“A bodhisattva has ten practices through which liberation is attained. What are the ten?

1. Always being joyful.

2. Possessing a pure nature of mind.

3. Skillfulness in means.

4. Resolute diligence.

5. Observing persons and things.

6. Practicing immeasurable compassion.

7. Cultivating virtue without weariness.

8. Learning broadly and understanding much without fatigue.

9. Upholding the teachings without heedlessness.

10. Recollecting the place of enlightenment.

“These practices enable a bodhisattva to attain the Buddha’s wisdom without abandoning the mind of enlightenment. These are the ten practices through which a bodhisattva attains liberation.”

CHAPTER 12: THE ASURA YẾN CƯ RECEIVES A PREDICTION

At that time, the spirit Vô Thiện Yến Cư addressed the Blessed One, saying:

“What is meant by a bodhisattva surpassing all virtues?”

The Buddha told the spirit Vô Thiện:

“A bodhisattva has eight dharmas by which all virtues are surpassed. What are the eight?

1. Here, a bodhisattva is free from arrogance. Toward everyone, he is humble and respectful, respectfully accepting instructions and complying with them. His words accord with his actions, and he humbly follows those who are honored and senior.

2. All virtues have the Dharma as their foundation.

3. Resolute practices surpass all wholesome virtues.

4. Delighting in manifold wondrous acts of giving.

5. Preferring to lose one’s life rather than seek personal convenience from others.

6. Upon seeing those in danger and fear, bestowing fearlessness upon them.

7. Never abandoning anyone who comes seeking refuge.

8. Never feeling weary or satisfied in seeking all meritorious and wisdom-producing deeds.

“These are the eight dharmas.”

The spirit Vô Thiện again asked the Buddha:

“How many practices does a bodhisattva have for obtaining a large body, a broad and full face, a numerous retinue, and a vast, immeasurable mind?”

The Buddha told the spirit Vô Thiện Yến Cư:

“A bodhisattva has four practices for obtaining a large body. What are the four?

1. Not speaking of the greedy or jealous deeds of others.

2. Fashioning images of the Buddha complete with all the characteristic marks.

3. Reconciling those who have become estranged and exhorting them to set their resolve upon unsurpassed, right, and true enlightenment.

4. In dealing with sentient beings, not harming their physical appearance.

“These are the four practices for obtaining a large body.

“A bodhisattva has four practices for obtaining a broad and full face. What are the four?

1. Giving manifold jeweled necklaces as offerings.

2. Giving away all cherished possessions without regret.

3. Always gazing upon the Tathagata with eyes of loving-kindness.

4. Upon seeing those of handsome appearance, not giving rise to jealousy.

“These are the four practices for obtaining a broad and full face.

“A bodhisattva has four practices for obtaining a numerous retinue. What are the four?

1. Abstaining from divisive speech.

2. Never disrupting the retinues of others.

3. Upon seeing the companions of others, rejoicing on their behalf.

4. Not abandoning the mind of enlightenment, while also teaching others and causing them to arouse the resolve for enlightenment.

“These are the four practices.

“A bodhisattva has four practices for obtaining a vast, immeasurable mind. What are the four?

1. Having a pure mind free from flattery and deceit.

2. Eliminating the gravest craving and desire, and never growing weary along the way.

3. Resolving upon the profound and wondrous essentials of the Dharma.

4. Understanding that the root and branches of all dharmas are entirely empty.

“These are the four dharmas through which a bodhisattva obtains a vast, immeasurable mind.”

At that time, the spirit Vô Thiện Yến Cư and his thirty-two thousand attendants scattered above the Blessed One eight thousand celestial flowers of innumerable kinds, and praised him in verse:

The people of the ten directions

Could never calculate

Even a moment’s worth

Of offerings to the Blessed One.

Suppose the people of the ten directions

Made offerings of every virtue,

Throughout hundreds of thousands of kalpas,

Giving with impartial minds.

Their loving-kindness could not compare;

Practicing compassionate merit,

Serene and perfectly accordant—

How could offerings ever repay it?

Such are the acts of service

Offered to the Buddhas of the ten directions;

They arouse an unequaled mind

And abide in accord with the Right Truth.

Here I am sovereign and free,

My resolve established, without deceit;

Having clearly understood original nonbeing,

I shall myself accomplish the Buddha Way.

The Honored One among Humans compassionately regards

The three realms and realizes the emptiness of self;

Through the ten powers, he fully knows the self

And understands the nature and conduct of my mind.

Gentle and compliant, yet not timid,

Free from every fear,

Giving and morality are supreme;

Upholding precepts and practicing patience,

Diligence together with meditative intent—

Thus one should abide in wisdom,

Following a mind of loving compassion

And always maintaining sincere reverence.

Do not, for my sake, increase your compassion,

Nor withhold the prediction;

Honored One among Humans, I shall undertake it

And alone receive the Buddha’s prediction.

My resolve admits no doubt

That sovereignty will be attained;

I understand everything to its ultimate end,

My resolve utterly pure upon the path.

When the Honored One among Humans smiled,

Nguyệt Anh at once inquired:

“Why do you now smile so radiantly?

May the Holy One explain.”

While guiding beings, he declared:

“Nguyệt Anh, listen carefully.

The reason this sign has appeared

And great light has been emitted

Is that I rejoice in Yến Cư,

Whose resolve honors the Great Way,

And in his thirty-two thousand people,

His followers and retinue.

Throughout hundreds of thousands of kalpas,

They shall constantly practice the bodhisattva path;

All sharing the same resolve,

They shall attain the path and become Buddhas.

They shall make offerings to Blessed Ones

As numerous as the sands of the Ganges;

The people they shall teach and transform

Will be even more numerous.

That kalpa shall be named Joy,

And it shall also be called Pure Subjugation and Purity.

They shall attain Buddhahood as Freedom from Quiescent Dust,

Understanding clearly and without fear.

This Yến Cư Quảng Phổ

Shall become a Dharma King;

Surpassing others in the power of diligence,

He shall be called Banner of Đê Phiến.

That world shall be called

Joyfully Adorned by Humans;

Daily provisions shall be abundant,

Like those in Tuṣita Heaven.

That Buddha’s lifespan

Shall be seven billion myriad years.

There shall be fully six billion

Bhikshus and bhikshunis,

While the assemblies of bodhisattvas

Shall number more than eighty billion.

They shall firmly abide in dharani,

And fully comprehend all they hear.

In that Kalpa of Joy,

Called Pure Subjugation and Purity,

All, in the same manner,

Shall attain the enduring Buddha Way.

They shall teach hundreds of thousands of people,

Causing them to abide in the Blessed One’s path;

Fully contemplating supreme virtues—

Such is the bodhisattva’s mind of enlightenment.”

When the spirit Vô Thiện Yến Cư

Heard the Buddha’s prediction,

Forty million in the great assembly

All aroused the bodhisattva mind.

The three-thousandfold world trembled,

And celestial flowers poured down with a resounding sound.

“Excellent! Hold fast to virtue;

Guard well your intention and mind.”

CHAPTER 13: THE DRAGON KING VÔ PHẦN RECEIVES A PREDICTION

At that time, the Dragon King Vô Phần addressed the Buddha, saying:

“All dharmas have no abiding place, and there is no person. How, then, can there be a prediction? Who shall attain unsurpassed, right, and true enlightenment and become the Supremely Enlightened One?”

The Buddha replied:

“So it is! It is exactly as you have said! All dharmas have no abiding place, and there is no person. All dharmas are likewise. Deluded ordinary beings abide in inverted views of self, what belongs to self, person, and non-person, and thus give rise to the conception of a person.”

Bodhisattvas bring forth the mind of great compassion because they wish to eliminate delusion, cast off self, what belongs to self, and personhood, and therefore don the armor of awakened virtue. These true beings clearly understand that all dharmas are without self, what belongs to self, or personhood; yet, in order to instruct and guide beings, they abide in terms of self, what belongs to self, personhood, and life, in connection with your question: Who receives a prediction?

When you understand that the person is empty and without self, you have received a prediction. To contemplate the equality of all dharmas... their quiescence is itself the prediction. The Buddha-realms are equal... and when one does not grasp at them, but has a pure and undefiled mind, that is the prediction.

When wisdom contemplates all Buddhas... and understands that the path of the Buddhas does not destroy the dharma realm, that is the prediction. With regard to the maras... when one clearly understands the root of the mind in relation to all maras, whether conditioned by sensory objects or free from sensory objects, that is the prediction. To be without name and without characteristics, with no correspondence that does not correspond, no thought that is not non-thought, neither accepting nor relinquishing—this is the prediction.

The Buddha said to the Dragon King:

-When the consciousness of that mind has nowhere to abide or become established, that itself is the prediction. Such dharmas arise without causes and conditions, for dharmas are originally true. By clearly understanding that all dharmas are equal and without difference, one realizes the unsurpassed, right, and true path. When sought ultimately, there is originally neither the receiving of a prediction nor the attainment of Buddhahood, whether one is now receiving a prediction or has already received a definitive prediction. Why is this? Because all dharmas are without form; their roots and branches are entirely severed, and they have no master. All dharmas transform in accordance with causes and conditions.

-Dharmas are like empty space, for they do not arise from characteristics.

-Dharmas do not arise from characteristics, nor is there any place from which characteristics come.

-Dharmas come from nowhere, for upon examination they are originally empty.

-Dharmas go nowhere, for they have never arisen.

-Dharmas abide nowhere, for they have no location.

-Dharmas are all empty because they have no body.

-Dharmas are without attachment because they rely on nothing.

-Dharmas rely on nothing and therefore do not move.

-Dharmas cannot move because they have no location.

-Dharmas are naturally without verbal teaching.

-Dharmas are without verbal teaching because they have no form or characteristics.

-Dharmas have no form or characteristics because they are without thought.

-Dharmas are without thought because they are without causes and conditions.

-Dharmas are without causes and conditions and therefore do not operate.

-Dharmas do not operate because they are quiescent.

-Dharmas are quiescent and therefore do not grasp at the skandhas.

-Dharmas do not grasp at the skandhas because they are originally pure and empty.

-Dharmas are free from characteristics because they are nondual.

-Dharmas are nondual.

-Dharmas are nondual because they are originally one.

-Dharmas are originally one and therefore transcend enumeration.

-Dharmas are equal and without difference because awakening is equal.

The Buddha said to the Dragon King:

-To understand the dharmas... without receiving a prediction, one would not attain perfect awakening. Furthermore, when contemplated in this way, the Tathagata gives rise to steadfast, boundless loving-kindness and compassion and to the power to exhort and guide the bodhisattvas. Thus, dharmas are expressed through immeasurable numbers for the sake of explaining them to people; because they are gathered into groups, there are numbers.

Yet when contemplating the dharmas, there is neither a dharma that liberates nor a person who is liberated, nor is anyone delivered. The person who accords with Dharma is also “Such”; the path is also “Such”; the Buddha is also “Such”; the prediction is also “Such”; and all dharmas are also “Such.” Therefore, it is said that the Tathagata thoroughly comprehends original nonbeing and abides in original nonbeing without being moved.

Thus it is said that original nonbeing is originally without form and is fundamentally indestructible.

Because he clearly understands original nonbeing, he is called the Tathagata. Because he is the Tathagata, he abides in equality with original nonbeing. All dharmas abide in equality just like original nonbeing. This is the Tathagata’s station of equal abiding. If bodhisattvas hear these words and are neither afraid nor alarmed, and do not consider them difficult, they should explain to others the Tathagata’s station of equal abiding.

When the Buddha spoke these words, three thousand bodhisattvas all attained patience with regard to dharmas. The Dragon King Anavatapta rejoiced greatly and offered the Buddha a necklace of white jewels equal in value to this entire world.

Chapter 14: THE JEWELED BROCADE MAIDEN RECEIVES A PREDICTION

At that time, the Dragon King had a princess named Jeweled Brocade, Stainless Brocade. She was upright and beautiful, with a radiant and exquisitely lovely countenance. Together with tens of thousands of dragon ladies, each holding a jeweled necklace in her right hand, she single-mindedly gazed up at the Buddha without ever blinking. Having bowed to the Buddha, they remained there.

Princess Jeweled Brocade and the tens of thousands of ladies offered their jeweled necklaces to the Buddha, the Blessed One, and praised him in unison, saying:

-Today, all of us, united in mind, bring forth the resolve for the unsurpassed, right, and true path. In future lives, when we become Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Awakened Ones, we shall expound the sutras and Dharma and protect and uphold the Sangha, just as the Tathagata does today.

Thereupon, the Venerable Mahakasyapa said to the princess and the ladies:

-Unsurpassed perfect awakening is exceedingly difficult to attain. One cannot attain Buddhahood in a female body!

The dragon maiden Jeweled Brocade said to the Venerable Mahakasyapa:

-The mind’s resolve is originally pure. If one practices the bodhisattva path, it is not difficult to become a Buddha! Bringing forth the resolve for the path and attaining Buddhahood is as plain as looking at the palm of one’s hand! As soon as one is able to bring forth minds of penetrating wisdom, one immediately embraces the entirety of the Buddha-Dharma.

The dragon maiden Jeweled Brocade said to the Venerable Kasyapa:

-Moreover, as the Venerable One has said that one cannot attain Buddhahood in a female body, neither can one attain it in a male body. Why is this? Because the mind of the path is neither male nor female. As the Buddha has taught, when one examines the eye, it is neither male nor female; so too are the ear, nose, mouth, body, and mind neither male nor female. Why is this?

Venerable One! Because the eye is empty; when the eye is examined and found to be empty, it is neither male nor female. The ear, nose, mouth, body, and mind are all empty. Thus, empty space and quiescence are neither male nor female. If one can clearly understand and discern the root of the eye, this is called the path. The ear, nose, mouth, body, and mind are likewise. When the path is examined, there is no dharma of male or female. Therefore, Venerable Kasyapa, all dharmas abide in their natural state; the path is also natural, and I too am natural.

The Venerable Kasyapa asked the dragon maiden:

-Are you yourself the path?

The dragon maiden replied:

-Venerable One! Do you consider me not to be the path?

The Venerable Kasyapa replied:

-I am not the Buddha-path; I am a sravaka!

The dragon maiden asked again:

-Who instructed and transformed you?

He replied:

-The Tathagata!

The dragon maiden said:

-If the Tathagata had not attained perfect awakening, could he have instructed and transformed the Elder?

He replied:

-He could not!

-Therefore, Venerable One, you should know that this very thing is the path, and there is nothing that does not awaken to the path!

The Venerable Kasyapa asked the dragon maiden:

-Is inversion itself the path?

She replied:

-Yes, Venerable Kasyapa! Inversion itself is the path! Why is this? Because what differs from original purity can be clearly understood! The path does not apprehend inversion. When inversion is originally pure, it is called the path. Emptiness is original nonbeing; discerning all inversions is called the path. If dharmas were subject to union and separation, that would not be the path. Only when all dharmas are equally in accord and correspond is it the path.

The Venerable Kasyapa asked the dragon maiden:

-Who bestowed such eloquence upon you?

The dragon maiden replied:

-Venerable Kasyapa, you have given me this eloquence! For if the Venerable One had not questioned me, upon what could I have relied to bring forth eloquence? It is like an echo: if the Venerable Kasyapa had made no call, upon what could the answering sound depend? If the Venerable One had not asked about the meaning of the bodhisattva path, there would have been no causes and conditions for eloquence to arise.

The Venerable Kasyapa asked the dragon maiden:

-Good one, how many Buddhas have you made offerings to?

The dragon maiden replied:

-Has the Venerable One already cut off the defilements?

The Venerable Kasyapa replied:

“I do not cut off the defilements!”

The dragon maiden again asked:

“Venerable sir, do you still possess defiled impurities?”

Venerable Kasyapa replied:

“I have no defilements, nor do I cut them off.”

The dragon maiden again asked:

“Where are the defilements situated?”

He replied:

“They neither arise nor cease, and have no place in which they are situated! To understand this is to accord with original nonbeing!”

She again asked:

“Can original nonbeing truly be known?”

He replied:

“It cannot be known!”

She again asked:

“Why, then, does the Venerable say that this wisdom accords with the Way and with what is known, clearly illuminates the unconditioned, and that knowing thus is understanding original nonbeing? Therefore, wisdom is said to be equal to ordinary beings.”

He again asked the dragon maiden:

“Does your eloquence put an end to all speech?”

She replied:

“I have nothing to put an end to, nor is there any speech! Why? Because in the Dharma realm there is nothing to be ended. Everything spoken accords with the Dharma realm.”

Venerable Kasyapa again asked the dragon maiden:

“Surely we have no doubts concerning the dharmas of ordinary beings?”

The dragon maiden replied:

“If the Venerable’s dharma of wisdom and the dharmas of ordinary beings were established as different, I would have doubts. I say that the Venerable is no different from an ordinary being; therefore, I have no doubts. All dharmas are equal and are not many; hence this is called equality. They are like empty space; hence this is called equality.”

He again asked the dragon maiden:

“Are you equal to ordinary beings and to sages and saints?”

She replied:

“I am neither an ordinary being nor a sage or saint. Why? Because if my body were equal to ordinary beings, I would not practice the bodhisattva path; yet if it were equal to sages and saints, the Buddha-Dharma would be cut off.”

He again asked the dragon maiden:

“If you are neither equal to ordinary beings nor equal to sages and saints, are you then equal to the Buddha?”

The dragon maiden replied:

“It is not so! Why? Because my body has never been equal to the Buddha-Dharma.”

He again asked the dragon maiden:

“If you are equal to the Buddha-Dharma, have you then already attained the Buddha-Dharma?”

The dragon maiden replied:

“Venerable Elder, do you believe that the Buddha-Dharma has conditions belonging to the past, future, and present? Does it have skillful means? Does it abide somewhere that is blue, yellow, red, white, or black?”

He replied:

“The Dharma of all Buddhas has no form or appearance!”

The dragon maiden replied:

“If the Dharma of all Buddhas has no form or appearance, why seek it from me?”

Venerable Kasyapa asked:

“Where should the Buddha-Dharma be sought?”

She replied:

“It should be sought within the sixty-two views.”

He again asked:

“Where should the sixty-two views be sought?”

She replied:

“They should be sought within the Tathagata’s liberation!”

He again asked:

“Where should the Tathagata’s liberation be sought?”

She replied:

“It should be sought within the five heinous offenses!”

He again asked:

“Where should the five heinous offenses be sought?”

She replied:

“They should be sought in transcending views and knowledge!”

He again asked:

“What is the meaning of these words?”

The dragon maiden replied:

“Neither binding nor releasing, neither grasping nor relinquishing—this is fundamental purity. This is the profound teaching concerning all dharmas; it does not consist of so many words.”

He again asked the dragon maiden:

“Does that teaching not contradict the words of the Tathagata?”

The dragon maiden replied:

“These are truthful words and do not contradict or transgress the Tathagata’s teaching. Why? Because the Tathagata’s Way has no attainment, cannot be grasped, and has no words. All spoken words are merely sounds. When one clearly understands the root of the Way, there is no sound either.

“Venerable sir! Thoroughly understanding the Way, one sees that it is quiescent and without traces. By calling something a trace, one becomes entangled in traces oneself.”

Venerable Kasyapa again asked:

“If the Way is without traces, then, in comparison with one another, how can one be said to attain Perfect Enlightenment?”

She replied:

“Perfect Enlightenment is attained neither from the body nor from the mind! Why? Because it is through the natural suchness of body and mind that the Way is realized. Yet in that natural suchness there is no enlightenment whatsoever. I myself am the Way, but it is not by taking it to be the Way that Perfect Enlightenment is attained.”

Venerable Kasyapa asked the dragon maiden:

“If you establish this Way, why do you not turn the Dharma wheel?”

The dragon maiden replied:

“I do turn the Dharma wheel!”

Venerable Kasyapa asked:

“What kind of Dharma wheel do you turn?”

The dragon maiden replied:

“The unmoving wheel, far removed from every reliance and abiding. That Dharma wheel is called abiding in the Dharma realm. The Dharma wheel that originally has no dharma accords with original nonbeing.

“The Dharma wheel that is not cut off is suchness originally abiding in purity.

“The unattached Dharma wheel is the clear understanding of all dharmas without attachment.

“The Dharma wheel free from duality is equality with all dharmas.

“The Dharma wheel free from multiplicity is the patient acceptance of the single practice.

“The wordless Dharma wheel manifests all sounds, yet is free from conception and enters the single flavor.

“The pure Dharma wheel is entirely free from defilement.

“To cut off all ‘unregulated Dharma wheels’ is to be free from both permanence and impermanence.

“The undisturbed Dharma wheel is skillful contemplation of karmic retribution.

“The Dharma wheel of utmost sincerity neither arises nor ceases.

“The Dharma wheel that is not nonexistent is signlessness and wishlessness.

“Venerable Kasyapa! Since the Dharma wheel is thus, where is it turned?”

Venerable Mahakasyapa said:

“With eloquence such as yours, before long you will realize the unsurpassed, true, and perfect Way and attain Perfect Enlightenment!”

The dragon maiden replied:

“If Venerable Kasyapa attains Perfect Enlightenment, then I too shall attain Perfect Enlightenment.”

Venerable Kasyapa replied:

“I shall certainly never attain Perfect Enlightenment!”

The dragon maiden replied:

“When one understands the Dharma body in this way, the Way abides in no abiding; Perfect Enlightenment cannot be attained!”

When the dragon maiden spoke these words, five hundred bodhisattvas attained patience with regard to dharmas. At the same time, the Buddha praised her, saying:

“Excellent, excellent! You have expounded this Dharma exceedingly well!”

At that time, the devas, dragons, ghosts, spirits, Wu Shan spirits, Gandharvas, and others in the assembly thought to themselves, “When will this dragon maiden, Jeweled Brocade, realize the unsurpassed, true, and perfect Way and attain Perfect Enlightenment?”

The Buddha knew the thoughts of the devas, dragons, spirits, Gandharvas, and others, and therefore told the bhiksus:

“After three hundred incalculable kalpas, this dragon maiden, Jeweled Brocade, will become a Buddha named Universal World Tathagata, Worthy One, Perfectly Enlightened One. His world will be called Radiance, and the kalpa will be called Purity. The radiance of that Tathagata in the world of Radiance will always shine exceedingly brightly. That Buddha will have nine billion two hundred million bodhisattvas, and his lifespan will be ten minor kalpas.”

Thereupon, ten thousand queens of the dragon king addressed the Buddha:

“When the Tathagata Universal World becomes a Buddha, we vow to be reborn in that land.”

The Buddha immediately bestowed upon them the prediction that they would be reborn in that land.

Chapter 15: SAKRA, LORD OF THE DEVAS

At that time, Sakra, Lord of the Devas, addressed the Blessed One:

“The Heaven of the Thirty-Three is constantly beset by the fearful danger posed by the Wu Shan spirits. When the devas and the Wu Shan spirits do battle, contending with one another and bearing such enmity and resentment, the poisonous seeds of anger arise in them all. May the Blessed One take pity on sentient beings! Since the Wu Shan spirits have all come into this assembly together with the devas of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, please cause them to live in harmony with one another!”

The Buddha said to the Wu Shan spirit Yan Ju and the Wu Shan spirit Deceitful Transcender, Stainless Brocade:

“You should know that loving-kindness is praised by all Buddhas! Those who are able to practice loving-kindness obtain abundant benefits in both this life and the life to come. The life of the body is extremely brief, and one will soon pass into a future life. Meetings inevitably end in separation; lands, wealth, and honor all return to impermanence. Your bodies, too, cannot escape this calamity!”

You must contemplate future lives and dwell together in harmony and unity; you must not harbor anger or resentment! The creation of demerit and merit is the retribution arising from causes and conditions.

At this point, the Blessed One spoke earnest words of loving-kindness and compassion for their sake, causing the spirit Vồ Thiện and the devas of Trayastrimsa Heaven to be reconciled with one another. They each declared:

“From this day onward, we shall be harmonious friends, acting with impartiality, all cherishing loving-kindness and compassion, without any thought of anger or ill will!”

The Buddha said:

“Excellent, excellent! Your conduct is the supreme offering to the Tathagata, for you practice loving-kindness!”

When the Buddha spoke these words, he instructed them to create the merit of harmony and refrain from contention. This is called the Samadhi of the Loving Heart. There are four ways of honoring the Tathagata. What are the four?

1. Not transgressing the precepts.

2. Maintaining compassion in body, speech, and mind.

3. Not allowing the Three Jewels to be severed, while aspiring resolutely to the path of Buddhahood.

4. Teaching and explaining to others, in accordance with the Dharma, what one has heard.

These are the four ways of honoring the Tathagata and thus making offerings to him.

At this point, twenty-three thousand devas and the spirit Vô Thiện in the assembly, upon hearing these words, all brought forth the aspiration for the unsurpassed, right, and true path.