正法華經

Chapter 10: MEDICINE KING TATHAGATA

The Buddha told the bhikshus:

– The Dharma of the Way is only one; there are not two vehicles. This means that, from ancient times until now, the unsurpassed, right, and true Way has never had two paths of rightness. It is like the rivers and streams flowing from the four directions into the sea and merging into a single flavor; it is also like the sun shedding its radiance and illuminating every place, never increasing or diminishing. If good men wish to attain perfect enlightenment and fully realize that there are no three evil paths and no past, future, or present, they must study and uphold the Sutra of the Lotus of the True Dharma, discern the wisdom of emptiness, entertain no conception of the six paramitas, and understand that making offerings with incense, flowers, and music is not true offering. You must fully realize the three liberations and attain the boundless wisdom of the three knowledges; only this constitutes an offering. Why is this so? Because, in the distant past, immeasurable and incalculable kalpas ago, there was a Buddha named Medicine King Tathagata, the Most Honored, the Fully and Perfectly Enlightened One, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, the Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Those to Be Tamed, Teacher of Gods and Humans, Buddha, the World-Honored One. His world was named Great Purity, and the kalpa was named Pure Removal. Medicine King Tathagata’s lifespan was twenty intermediate kalpas. His assembly of shravakas numbered three billion six hundred million, and there were one billion two hundred million great bodhisattvas. At that time there was a wheel-turning sage king named Jeweled Canopy, who ruled the four regions. The king had one thousand handsome and valiant sons, and seven ministers of noble virtue who subdued hostile armies. That king made offerings to Medicine King Tathagata for a full five intermediate kalpas. The king and his retinue all wholeheartedly revered and served Medicine King Buddha. After five intermediate kalpas, the king told his one thousand sons:

– I have made offerings to and attended upon the Tathagata. You too should follow this example.

At that time, having heard their royal father’s instruction, the sons likewise made offerings to Medicine King Tathagata for five kalpas, presenting supreme and wondrous things conducive to peace and well-being. Among them was a crown prince named Good Canopy. While alone in a secluded place, he thought: “We are now making offerings to the Tathagata, but is there some way of making an offering that is more extraordinary than this?”

From the sky, a god, relying upon the Buddha’s majestic spiritual power, said to the Crown Prince:

– Good man, do you now wish to know? There is a form of offering that is supremely honored.

The Crown Prince asked:

– What is that form of offering called?

The god replied:

– Crown Prince, you should go and ask Medicine King Tathagata. He will explain it clearly to you.

Good Canopy immediately went to Medicine King, bowed his head to the ground, and addressed the Buddha:

– World-Honored One! What is the Dharma offering that accords with the scriptures?

The World-Honored One taught:

– The Dharma offering that accords with the profound and subtle scriptures spoken by the Tathagata consists in guiding and transforming all sentient beings through teachings that are difficult to receive and understand in the world; renouncing worldly benefits by leaving the household life; aspiring to seek the bodhisattva treasury; dwelling in remote and secluded places; contemplating by means of the seal of dharani; striving diligently without retreat; penetrating the boundless wisdom of the six paramitas; earnestly embracing in their entirety the Buddha’s factors of the Way; realizing the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas; opening the gate and entering deeply into the true scriptures; cherishing great loving-kindness and compassion for sentient beings; subduing the armies of Mara; abandoning all views and attachments; thoroughly understanding and fluently expounding the twelve links of dependent origination; not clinging to a self, a person, a living being, or a lifespan; aspiring to seek the Dharma gates of emptiness, wishlessness, and signlessness; and not taking conditioned activities as objects. At the place of enlightenment, one turns the Dharma wheel and exhorts and instructs the assemblies of gods, nagas, gandharvas, and others, causing all without exception to take refuge and look up in reverence; opens the treasury of the True Dharma; protects the noble sages; proclaims and reveals the practices of bodhisattvas; completely liberates beings from all suffering; and clings neither to a self nor to a body. Because sentient beings violate the precepts, one establishes skillful means. Maras and followers of other paths fall into inverted views, crave and cling to conditioned existence, and constantly harbor fear, and therefore they lament. The merit of the Buddhas enables them to extinguish birth and death, eliminate calamities, and attain peaceful liberation. In this manner one must praise the Buddhas of the past, future, and present, and thoroughly discern subtle and wondrous forms, the dharanis embracing all the sources of dharmas, and the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas. One reveals, proclaims, and elucidates all realms, and, in accordance with skillful means, makes offerings to the True Dharma. This is the Dharma offering. With regard to the sutras, one’s resolve always abides in the acceptance of dharmas. One expounds the scriptures, repeatedly reiterating them accordingly, and explains the essentials of the Dharma. One is free from wrong views and does not give rise to a belief or attachment to the proposition, “It arises from nowhere,” but penetrates the principle of causes and conditions. Clearly seeing that there is no self and no person, one harbors no anger, engages in no contention, and brings no disputes. Clearly seeing the principle that there is no self and no living being, one relies upon the meaning conveyed by words, while one’s wisdom remains unattached to conceptual knowledge. One is not heedless, but disciplines the mind and establishes it in the Dharma of “abiding nowhere.” Knowing the intended meaning, one thereby points out mistaken interpretations, examines them, and enables the unhindered circulation of the Dharma. One does not cause listeners to rely upon the ultimate truth in such a way that they turn away from the Dharma as it truly is—unattached and without entry. One cuts off thoughts of attachment and reliance and extinguishes all delusion. Birth, old age, sickness, and death are entirely eliminated. One constantly contemplates the twelve links of dependent origination and, when encountering erroneous views and attachments, does not fall into the cycle of inversion. This is the Dharma offering made by good men.

As soon as Prince Good Canopy heard Medicine King Buddha explain the Dharma offering, he immediately attained the acquiescence of gentle conformity. He then removed the robe from his own body and draped it over the Buddha, after which he addressed the World-Honored One:

– World-Honored One! I humbly beseech the Holy One’s grace to bear witness to my vow: After the Tathagata enters parinirvana, I vow to protect and uphold the True Dharma, make offerings to it and cause it to flourish, subdue the armies of Mara, and perpetuate the teaching in the future.

At that time, the Buddha knew the prince’s thoughts and knew that in a future age he would become a stronghold protecting the True Dharma. He therefore told the assembly of bhikshus:

– In the presence of the Buddha of that time, Prince Good Canopy possessed steadfast faith, left the household life to practice the Way, always diligently cultivated and studied, and brought forth the roots of all merit. Before long, he would perfect the five spiritual powers and possess the power of dharani and unhindered eloquence. After the Buddha’s parinirvana, he would fully attain the spiritual powers, dharani, and fearlessness. For ten intermediate kalpas, he would turn the Dharma wheel and propagate the sutra teachings taught by Medicine King Tathagata. Because Bhikshu Good Canopy protected and upheld the True Dharma and taught and transformed beings throughout one lifetime, a hundred billion people all aroused the aspiration for unsurpassed, right, and true enlightenment and became non-retrogressive; immeasurable people abided in the stages of shravakas and pratyekabuddhas; and countless people attained rebirth among the gods. Bhikshus, do you wish to know who King Jeweled Canopy was at that time? He was none other than the present Buddha Jeweled Flame, the Tathagata, the Most Honored, the Fully and Perfectly Enlightened One.

The king’s thousand sons were precisely the thousand Buddhas who would appear in this Fortunate Kalpa. The first was Tathagata Krakucchanda, and the last to attain Buddhahood was named Joyful Delight; Crown Prince Good Canopy was none other than I in my present body. Therefore, bhiksus, you should know that no offering surpasses the offering of the Dharma, for through it all Buddhas of the past, future, and present attain Buddhahood. If good men and good women wish to make offerings to the Buddhas of the ten directions, they should accept and uphold the Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma, read and recite it, proclaim and explain it, and clearly show all beings that there is only the One Vehicle and not three vehicles.

The Buddha then spoke these verses:

Suppose there is someone

Who wishes to understand the great Dharma,

To teach and transform all beings

So that they attain the True Dharma.

That person should accept and uphold

This Lotus Sutra of the Dharma,

And reveal it far and wide

To those who have not heard it.

Just as all rivers

Flow onward into the sea,

Merging into a single flavor

With no distinction among them,

The paths of the sravaka,

The pratyekabuddha,

And the bodhisattva

All return to unsurpassed true enlightenment.

Just as the sun and moon

Shine throughout the world

Upon a hundred kinds of grain and herbs,

Thorns, grasses, and trees,

So too is the Buddha’s Dharma:

With boundless wisdom

It illuminates the three realms,

Leading all into the one meaning.

In the past there was a Buddha

Named Medicine King,

And a noble king

Named Jeweled Canopy.

For five kalpas he made offerings

To the Buddha Medicine King,

Providing every requisite

Without the slightest deficiency.

He then instructed his thousand sons

To make offerings to the Buddha.

The thousand sons obeyed,

Their hearts filled with joy,

And made offerings to the Buddha

For five full kalpas as well:

Food, drink, beds,

Banners, canopies, and music.

Crown Prince Good Canopy,

Alone in a secluded place, reflected:

“Is there any kind of offering

That surpasses these offerings?”

From the sky, a deity told him:

“The offering of Dharma is supreme.”

He immediately asked:

“What is the offering of Dharma?”

The deity replied:

“You should go and ask the Buddha.”

The crown prince questioned the Buddha,

And the Buddha fully expounded

The profound and wondrous treasury of Dharma,

Whose phrases and meanings are difficult to understand:

Emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness,

Entry into right wisdom,

Great loving-kindness and great compassion,

And the subjugation of all maras;

Thus the sixty-two views

Are naturally eliminated.

All conditioned things are impermanent,

Suffering, empty, and not a self;

There is no self, no person,

No sentient being, and no life span.

By following this teaching one attains

Patience in the non-arising of dharmas,

Turns the irreversible wheel,

And illuminates all dharmas.

The twelve links of dependent origination

Arise successively through mutual conditions;

One clearly sees that dharmas are originally empty,

Having neither beginning nor end.

At that time Good Canopy

Attained conforming patience.

After the Buddha’s nirvana,

He preserved and established the True Dharma,

Diligently advancing without indolence,

And attained the five superknowledges,

Dharani, and eloquence.

He taught and transformed all beings:

A hundred billion people

Were all established on the Great Path;

One hundred forty trillion

Became sravakas and pratyekabuddhas;

And immeasurable numbers of people

Were reborn in the heavenly realms.

Therefore it is praised that

The offering of Dharma is foremost.

Suppose there is someone

Who wishes to make an offering of Dharma;

That person should accept and uphold

The Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma,

Clearly understand how the Tathagata

Skillfully employs expedient means,

And know that there are no two vehicles,

For all return to the One.

At that time, on account of the Great Being Medicine King and the other bodhisattvas, the Buddha addressed the eighty thousand bodhisattvas:

“Observe this fourfold assembly, together with innumerable hundreds of millions of devas, dragons, ghosts, spirits, asuras, garudas, kimnaras, gandharvas, mahoragas, human and nonhuman beings, bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, upasikas, sravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas, who now see with their eyes and hear with their ears the Tathagata expound this sutra. If anyone in this assembly hears even one line of verse or one stanza and gives rise to so much as a single joyful thought of praise and support, I shall bestow upon that member of the fourfold assembly the prediction that they will attain unsurpassed true and perfect enlightenment.”

The Buddha told Bodhisattva Medicine King:

“After the Tathagata’s nirvana, if anyone hears a single four-line stanza from this sutra and, even for a moment, gives rise to a mind of praise, I shall likewise bestow upon that person the prediction of unsurpassed true enlightenment. Know that in the past such a person served hundreds of thousands of Buddhas and, in the presence of hundreds of thousands of millions of Buddhas, aroused the aspiration and established vows.

Out of compassion for sentient beings, such people will in future lives accept and uphold this sutra, read and recite even a single stanza from it, and inscribe it upon bamboo or silk, engraving it in their memories so that they never forget it. Or, upon hearing the sound of its reverent recitation and contemplating it, they will immediately recognize it as the supreme scriptural words of the Tathagata, the Holy Honored One.

Or they may offer incense, flowers, brocade and silk, banners, and streamers to that scroll of scripture, join their palms toward it, bow their heads, and pay homage. Such people are called refuges for the world.”

He further told Bodhisattva Medicine King:

“If good men or good women can accept and uphold a single stanza, encourage and support it, rejoice upon hearing the name of this sutra, or, after hearing its name, study and investigate it, the Blessed One will successively bestow upon those good men and good women the prediction that in the future they will become Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones. Why is this? Those who obey this sutra by reading, reciting, copying, viewing, or hearing it, and who make offerings of banners, streamers, incense, flowers, silks, and various fragrant incenses, should be known as good men and faithful women who will attain unsurpassed true enlightenment.

After my nirvana, if they encounter a Tathagata, they will extend loving-kindness throughout the devas and humans. Their minds will be sovereign in accordance with their vows, and they will always be born among the people to whom they wish to expound this sutra. Such people have already established wondrous practices.

Through the deeds they have performed, they will be reborn in pure and adorned Buddha lands, constantly contemplating causes and conditions in order to expound the Dharma of the sutras. Know that such people, out of compassion for sentient beings, will be born in this place after the Buddha’s nirvana. If anyone acts contrary to the Tathagata’s teaching, those good people will exhort them to perform the works of a Buddha in accordance with the Blessed One’s teaching.

“There may be someone who expounds the Tathagata’s teaching, yet if the matters explained are not thoroughly understood, that person will continue to investigate them. Suppose someone is of vicious and dangerous disposition, always harboring malice, and gives rise to even a single thought of slandering that person; the resulting offense is immeasurable. If throughout an entire kalpa one slanders the Tathagata, or if one maligns that person, the offenses are equal and do not differ.

When a good person expounds this sutra, there may be children who accept and uphold it, yet laypeople or sramanas may address them with harsh words, impute undesirable things to them, cause others who hear those malicious words to believe them true, and then mistakenly spread resentful accusations. They will incur evil offenses just as though they had intended to harm the Tathagata.

“If good men or good women accept, uphold, read, and recite this sutra but do not travel about teaching and expounding it to others, they will be at fault. If there are those who accept and uphold this sutra, one should offer clothing, fine food, incense, flowers, lamps, and excellent pearls to those good men and good women, honor and serve them as great treasures, and bow one’s head before them. Why is this? It is because through them one may hear this scripture even once. If anyone hears this scripture and makes offerings, that person will thereby form the aspiration for unsurpassed true enlightenment.”

The Buddha then spoke these verses:

If one wishes to abide in the Buddha-path

And aspires to merit and virtue,

One should make offerings to those

Who have accepted and upheld this sutra.

If one delights in the Dharma of penetrating wisdom

And rejoices in following others to hear the Dharma,

One should accept and uphold this sutra

And make offerings to those who uphold it.

Those who expound the Dharma of this sutra

Take pity upon all sentient beings;

Proclaiming it loudly throughout the world,

They go forth to teach and transform myriad beings.

Those who uphold this sutra

And remain diligent throughout their lives,

Whose courageous minds bring them forth of their own accord

Out of compassion for all sentient beings,

May be born wherever they wish.

In their final birth in the world,

Through those conditions they will encounter

This supreme scripture,

And they will receive offerings

Of incense and flowers from devas and humans,

Clothing and precious canopies.

Always make offerings to Dharma teachers

And forever revere such people.

As one reverently honors the Buddha,

With palms joined in homage,

The sacred path arises naturally.

In the final age,

One encounters this sutra.

After the Buddha has entered nirvana,

Those who uphold, read, and recite it

Should always make offerings to it

As though venerating the Buddha:

All kinds of food,

Replete with delicious flavors,

Rooms and sleeping couches,

And countless garments.

Upon hearing it even once

And honoring it in this way,

That person shall receive

A prediction from the Tathagata.

I shall cause that person

To be born among humankind

And, in the final age,

To encounter this sutra.

Suppose one who hears it

Copies, receives, and upholds it;

At that very moment,

The Buddha appears before them.

Should one slander the Tathagata

Throughout an entire kalpa,

Harboring hatred within,

One's countenance becoming distorted,

That person would immediately encounter

Countless kings of calamity.

Suppose someone

Receives and upholds this sutra,

Then expounds its distinctions

And explains it to others;

If anyone should slander that person,

The offenses of such people

Would be even more grave,

Beyond all reckoning.

Suppose someone,

In the Buddha's presence, praises him,

Joining both palms together,

And throughout an entire kalpa,

With purity and utmost sincerity,

Honors the Buddha's path.

Among hundreds of thousands of millions,

Whoever chants praises

And extols the Dharma teacher,

Giving rise to a joyful heart—

That person's merit

Can never be exhausted.

Because they have praised

The virtue of one radiant with wisdom,

That person's merit

Far surpasses that of the former.

Then suppose someone comes

To make offerings to the practitioner

Throughout eighteen

Thousand myriads of millions of kalpas.

That person makes offerings of

Precious foods,

Heavenly incense and flowers,

Delicate, soft, and beautiful things.

Throughout countless kalpas,

For eighteen thousand myriads,

Joyful and gentle,

They endure hardship to present offerings.

If, even on a single occasion,

They hear this sutra,

The joy and benefit they obtain

Are beyond all comparison.

The Buddha told Bodhisattva Medicine King:

“I have previously declared that among the sutras I taught in the past throughout many immeasurable ages, the sutras I have just taught, and the many sutras I am now teaching, compared with all worldly dharmas, this sutra's name and position are clearly all-encompassing, lofty, and foremost. Throughout the world, those who neither believe nor delight in it cannot harm the Tathagata, the Perfectly Enlightened One. In secluded places they stalk and seek to harm Dharma teachers who receive and uphold this sutra, yet because those teachers are protected by the awesome power of the Tathagata, they cannot be harmed.

This is precisely because they heard this sutra in former lives. Even while the Tathagata is still present, many who hear this sutra slander it; how much more difficult will it be to encounter after the Tathagata has entered nirvana! Those who sincerely aspire and seek it shall be sheltered and protected.

I behold such good men and faithful women. The Tathagatas presently dwelling in other worlds all watch over them. Because they personally remember the teachings they have heard through the power of faith, the power of wholesome roots, and the power of aspiration, they are able to dwell in the house of the Tathagata.

This is attained because their merit and virtue are of the same kind.

“To seek the Tathagata's water of amrita and entrust oneself completely into the Buddha's hands—this is attained through vows and practices cultivated in former lives. After the Buddha has entered nirvana, if anyone believes in this Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma, receives and upholds it, copies it, makes offerings to it, practices in accordance with it, and expounds it to others, that person's merit and virtue shall likewise be equal to this.”

The Buddha told Bodhisattva Medicine King:

“If anyone constantly teaches, copies, and reads this sutra, then at the place where that person dwells, a shrine for worshiping the Buddha should be erected. It should be constructed of many precious substances, lofty, spacious, and magnificent, but there is no need to enshrine the Buddha's relics there. Why is this?

Because all the relics of the Tathagata are already contained within it. Wherever this Dharma sutra is taught, it should be recited, chanted in praise, and copied. After it has been copied upon bamboo or silk and made into a scripture scroll, it should be honored as though it were a Buddha stupa: one should face it in homage and make offerings of every kind of incense and flower, fragrant perfumes, incense for burning, lutes, zithers, harps, banners, streamers, and brocade canopies.

If any sentient beings wish to have a Buddha shrine before which they may reverently bow in worship, they should draw near to this unsurpassed Dharma sutra.”

He further told Medicine King:

“There are many bodhisattvas who have renounced the household life to practice the path, as well as ordinary white-robed laypeople who practice the bodhisattva Dharma, yet they are unable to encounter this scripture to read, recite, copy, and honor it. There are others who practice the bodhisattva conduct and clearly understand skillful means. If they should hear of the Buddha's realm, the practices of the Dharma, and the deeds of bodhisattvas, and then believe, delight in, and deeply enter this Dharma, expounding it clearly, they shall immediately receive offerings. Seated upon the Dharma seat, they are approaching the unsurpassed, true, and perfect path. If anyone encounters such a bodhisattva and deeply penetrates this meaning, that person's merit and virtue are beyond measure.

“Suppose an extremely thirsty man seeks water. Leaving level ground behind, he digs for water upon a high hill. Day after day he labors at digging but sees only dry earth. Although many days and months pass, the underground watercourse remains far away, and therefore there is no water. At another time, he digs very deeply and finally sees muddy, filthy water that cannot be drunk. What should he do? He does not grow discouraged but digs still farther down, and then water appears. When that man sees this favorable sign, he no longer has any doubt or hesitation. He says to himself, ‘I have expended my strength and labored through many days and months; only now have I found water.’

“In the same way, Medicine King, if bodhisattvas hear this scripture but do not receive, uphold, recite, read, or study it, they remain very far from the unsurpassed, true, and perfect path. Those who cultivate the bodhisattva conduct, if they hear this Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma, read and recite it, diligently cultivate it, constantly keep it in mind, and practice accordingly, shall swiftly attain the fruit of supreme perfect enlightenment.

“If any bodhisattva refuses to receive, uphold, read, recite, and practice this sutra, that bodhisattva cannot attain the unsurpassed, true, and perfect path or become a Supremely Perfectly Enlightened One. Why is this? I previously declared: ‘If anyone does not delight in this sutra, that person remains very far from the Tathagatas.’ This sutra is the gateway to the Dharma path, the source of wisdom, and that which brings all bodhisattvas to fulfillment.

If bodhisattvas hear this sutra and become alarmed, frightened, and displeased, you should know that they are bodhisattvas newly entered upon the path. If they are not frightened, they are those who have long practiced the bodhisattva conduct. If sravakas encounter this Dharma sutra and become alarmed and frightened, they harbor arrogance and are undisciplined.”

The Buddha said to Medicine King:

“After the Tathagata has entered nirvana, if bodhisattva-mahasattvas wish to teach this sutra to the fourfold assembly, they must put on the Tathagata's robe and sit upon the Blessed One's lion throne; only then should they proclaim this sutra to the fourfold assembly. What does it mean to put on the Tathagata's robe? It means possessing a mind of patience, gentleness, and serenity. This is called putting on the Tathagata's robe. Good men must cultivate such a mind. What does it mean to sit upon the Blessed One's lion throne? Clearly understanding that all dharmas are empty and quiescent, and abiding in signlessness and wishlessness—this is called sitting upon the Blessed One's lion throne.”

Good men must abide in such a seat, and only then broadly expound and distinguish this Dharma scripture for bhikshus, bhikshunis, upasakas, upasikas, devas, dragons, ghosts, and spirits. Their minds shall be courageous and unafraid, and their resolve shall accord with the Great Way as they teach it to the fourfold assembly. If those good men are in worlds of other directions, they may manifest as people and their retinues, or as bhikshus, bhikshunis, upasakas, and upasikas, to propagate this Dharma.

If any who hear it take no delight in it, I shall cause them to become joyful and inspire them to delight in it. If they are in secluded places or open wildernesses where there are devas, dragons, Gandharvas, Asuras, Garudas, Kinnaras, and Mahoragas, I shall dispatch conjured beings to teach this Dharma scripture to them. Although I dwell in another land, I shall also manifest my body so that everyone may see me.

If those who accept and uphold this scripture do not remember or understand its meaning, or forget its sequence, I shall cause them to recite and study it, and, relying upon my awe-inspiring spiritual power, they shall comprehend its sequence and meaning.

At that time, the Blessed One then spoke in verse:

Cast aside all fear and weakness;

You should listen to this sutra.

This Dharma is difficult to encounter,

And those who believe are also hard to meet.

It is like a person seeking water,

Digging upon a high plateau;

Though continually exerting himself,

He sees only dry earth.

Seeing this, he thinks to himself:

“The water is still very far away.”

He continues digging deeper,

Yet again encounters parched earth.

Afterward, as he digs still deeper,

He gradually sees moist earth appear.

At that moment, all doubt leaves his heart:

“Now I am close to the water.”

Those who do not hear this sutra

And do not constantly cultivate it

Are far removed from the Way,

And likewise far from the Buddha’s wisdom.

This sutra is exceedingly lofty;

It clarifies the matters of the shravakas.

Those who hear this supreme sutra,

And, having heard it, contemplate its meaning,

Thereby draw near to the Great Way.

The wise attain noble wisdom,

Like one who, seeing moist earth,

Then knows that water is present.

Therefore, enter the Buddha’s house,

Put on the Tathagata’s robe,

And sit upon the Tathagata’s noble seat.

The wise explain these things:

Loving-kindness is entering the house;

Patience and gentleness are the robe;

Understanding emptiness is the lion seat.

Then they teach without fear.

Though struck with knives, tiles, and stones,

Though reviled by others,

For the sake of teaching this Dharma,

I patiently endure all such words.

Though journeying through thousands of kotis of lands,

My body remains steadfast

For inconceivable numbers of kalpas,

Distinguishing the Dharma for sentient beings.

After the Buddha’s nirvana,

To free beings from enmity and bondage,

I shall cause many conjured beings

To teach this scripture.

Bhikshus and bhikshunis,

Faithful men and women,

Should make offerings to those beings

And also to those who come to listen.

If others strike them with stones and staffs, revile them,

Harbor hatred, and speak malicious words,

Should such evil omens arise,

The conjured beings shall admonish and instruct them.

Suppose one dwells alone,

Reciting and cultivating,

Undisturbed by harsh voices,

Having gone directly to a tranquil place.

There that person practices,

Alone throughout day and night.

I shall send someone to join him,

To be his companion and teach this sutra.

That person’s eloquence

Shall encounter no obstruction;

Possessing many abilities and penetrating understanding,

He shall accord with all dharmas,

Causing people to rejoice

By hundreds of thousands of kotis,

Like the establishment

Made by the noble Buddhas.

Suppose there are people

Who do not rely upon that Dharma;

They are then called

Bodhisattvas who act contrary to it.

Those who study and journey,

Or remain seated in one place,

Shall behold Buddhas

As numerous as the sands of the Ganges.

Chapter 11: THE STUPA OF SEVEN PRECIOUS SUBSTANCES

At that time, before the Buddha, a stupa of seven precious substances emerged from the earth, twenty thousand miles in height. As soon as it appeared, it circumambulated the Buddha and then soared upward, remaining suspended in empty space. The stupa was wondrously beautiful in color, transforming into a thousand hues.

Five kinds of flowers were scattered over it, falling profusely like snow. The stupa’s Dharma hall was beautifully and magnificently adorned, formed from countless precious substances. Its hundreds of thousands of balustrades, windows, and great doors were beyond enumeration.

All kinds of banners, streamers, and canopies hung down from it. Jeweled necklaces and various bright pearls filled empty space like the stars. Its censers and precious vessels were filled to overflowing with every kind of renowned incense, and the fragrance of sandalwood spread everywhere.

Gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, coral, amber, mother-of-pearl, and agate from the Buddha lands throughout the trichiliocosm formed a jeweled canopy whose height reached the first celestial realm. The devas of the Trayastrimsha Heaven and the Four Heavenly Kings all scattered incense and flowers as offerings to the stupa of seven precious substances.

From within that stupa, a voice naturally issued forth in praise: “Excellent, excellent! The Blessed One abides in accord with what has been taught. His virtue is subtle, wondrous, and lofty, unequaled by anyone. His wisdom is impartial like empty space, true and without the slightest deviation.”

At that time, the fourfold assembly saw the immense and wondrous stupa of seven precious substances suspended in empty space, radiating brilliant light that illuminated everywhere. They all exclaimed, “Excellent!” Rejoicing and elated, they stood with palms joined and gazed upon it without weariness.

At that time, a bodhisattva named Great Eloquence saw the devas and humans hesitating in their hearts, both anxious and joyful, wishing to understand the meaning of this phenomenon. He then approached the Buddha and asked:

“Revered Blessed One! For what reason has this immeasurably tall and vast stupa of seven precious substances now appeared before the Blessed One, visible to everyone? This jeweled stupa has also naturally issued the words of praise, ‘Excellent!’ In response to what has this phenomenon occurred?”

The Blessed One told Bodhisattva Great Eloquence:

“Within this jeweled stupa is the Tathagata’s body, entirely whole and without any damage. In the Buddha worlds of the eastern direction, at an incalculable distance from here, there was a Buddha named Abundant Treasures, whose land was called Jeweled Purity. While still practicing the Way, he made this vow: ‘I shall certainly use this Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma to cultivate the Way and cause all bodhisattvas to hear it.

Only afterward shall I sit beneath the Bodhi tree and realize the unsurpassed, right, and true Way.’ Because of that Buddha’s resolve and vow, the result accorded precisely with his aspiration. He expounded the Dharma throughout the ten directions, teaching and transforming all sentient beings so that they all attained the fruit of the Way. When he was about to enter nirvana, that Buddha instructed the devas, people of the world, and bhikshus: ‘After my nirvana, you must venerate the Tathagata’s body, preserve it perfectly intact, and enshrine it within a great stupa.

Whoever sees that stupa should know that the Tathagata is within it, and that person’s merit shall be difficult to measure.’

“At that time, the Buddha made this great and far-reaching vow: ‘In the worlds of the ten directions, wherever this Lotus Sutra is taught, my stupa of seven precious substances shall appear before the Buddha who teaches that sutra, and the relic-body within the stupa of seven precious substances shall proclaim, “Excellent!”’”

The Buddha told Great Eloquence:

“That stupa of seven precious substances was in a realm below and to the east, separated from here by Buddha lands as numerous as the sands of immeasurable Ganges Rivers. It remained suspended in empty space and had never before appeared. That Buddha now sees me, the Tathagata Nengren, the Perfectly Awakened One.

While cultivating the bodhisattva path, for the sake of sentient beings I spared neither body nor life, diligently advanced without indolence, and practiced skillful means, generosity, moral discipline, patience, diligence, single-mindedness, and wisdom. When asked for my head, I gave my head; when asked for my eyes, I gave my eyes; when asked for my nose, I gave my nose; when asked for my ears, I gave my ears. I gave even my hands, feet, the parts of my body, my wife and children, attendants, the seven precious substances, carriages, elephants, horses, clothing, kingdoms, cities, and settlements.

Whatever people requested, I gave without attachment or regret, continuing until I attained Buddhahood. Therefore, he has now appeared here to visit me and wishes me to sit upon his golden lion throne to teach the Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma, instructing and transforming all sentient beings so that they may all be imbued with its beneficent virtue. Buddha Shakyamuni then acted in accordance with that Buddha’s vow, ascended and sat upon the lion throne in the Dharma hall, distinguished and expounded the Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma, and then spoke this verse:

Whoever hears of Buddha Abundant Treasures

And knows his name

Never before were they afraid,

Nor did they encounter suffering or calamity.

If they hear the name Medicine King

And recollect his honored name,

All illnesses naturally cease and are healed,

And they immediately come to know their former lives.

Of all forms of offering,

Reverence for the Dharma is supreme.

Discerning emptiness and the absence of wisdom,

They themselves attain the fruit of Buddhahood,

Expounding and comprehending the Lotus Sutra

To guide those of lesser capacity

To understand that originally there are not three vehicles,

But only the single Supreme Vehicle.

The Buddha said to Great Eloquence:

“Now the Tathagata Many Treasures, the Most True, within that stupa heard from afar as I expounded this Lotus Sutra. Therefore, he appeared and praised it, saying, ‘Excellent!’”

Bodhisattva Great Eloquence again addressed the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! We, together with all those in this Dharma assembly, now wish to behold the bodily marks of the Buddha Many Treasures. We beseech the World-Honored One, out of compassionate kindness, to bestow his blessing and employ his spiritual might so that everyone in this assembly may awaken the aspiration for the great path.”

The Buddha said to Bodhisattva Great Eloquence:

“The Buddha Many Treasures originally also made this vow: ‘Wherever my stupa goes to hear this scripture, if the Tathagatas and the fourfold assembly wish to see my body, then, in accordance with that wish, all the Buddhas of the ten directions must be seen, and all must together make offerings to this manifested image.’ Great Eloquence, if you wish to see my body, you must also summon the Buddhas of the ten directions, causing all the manifested bodies of the Tathagata that are expounding the Dharma throughout all worlds to assemble here.”

Then Bodhisattva Great Eloquence again addressed the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! We beseech the World-Honored One, out of compassionate kindness, to bestow his blessing and clearly reveal the sacred virtues of the Buddhas throughout all the lands of the ten directions!”

The Buddha silently assented. Immediately, from the white curl between his eyebrows, he emitted a wondrous ray of light that illuminated five hundred Ganges-sands of countless hundreds of thousands of millions of Buddha lands. All the World-Honored Ones became clearly visible within their respective lands, seated beneath trees upon wondrously adorned lion thrones.

Countless hundreds of thousands of bodhisattvas sat upon fine seats adorned with precious jewels, extraordinarily splendid and beautiful. Silken cords, banners, streamers, and jeweled canopies hung down on all four sides of the Buddhas’ seats. The Buddhas were expounding the scriptures and Dharma for sentient beings in gentle voices that everyone could understand.

Hundreds of thousands of bodhisattvas opened their hearts and received what they heard. The same was true throughout countless hundreds of thousands of myriads of millions of Ganges-sands of Buddha worlds in the four directions—east, west, south, and north—as well as above and below; there was nowhere they could not be seen.

At that time, all the Buddhas of the ten directions said to the bodhisattvas:

“Good men! You should go to the Sahā world to visit the Buddha, the Tathagata Able Sage, the Most True, and to behold the image and stupa of the World-Honored One Many Treasures.”

At that time, within the Sahā world, all accumulated wholesome merit and wondrous, extraordinary spiritual might appeared spontaneously. Trees of the seven treasures appeared all around. The ground became blue vaidurya, and cords of pure gold extended in succession, adorning the level ground at the eight intersections.

Districts, counties, settlements, villages, vast seas, rivers, ravines, and streams all disappeared. Only celestial censers burning various exquisite fragrances and heavenly flowers scattered everywhere could naturally be seen. At that time, the devas and people of this Buddha land were moved to other Buddha lands.

The assemblies then present remained within curtains interwoven with the seven treasures. These interwoven curtains of seven treasures were extraordinarily magnificent and beautiful beyond description, filling the entirety of that Buddha land.

At that time, all the Buddhas of the ten directions, each accompanied by an attendant, came together to this Sahā world. They all arrived beneath jeweled trees. These jeweled trees were twenty-two thousand miles tall, with luxuriant branches and leaves and flourishing flowers and fruits. Beneath each tree was a lion couch twenty thousand miles high, with every seat made of various precious jewels. Each Tathagata sat upon such a throne. Throughout this trichiliocosm, Buddhas alone were seen appearing everywhere. Yet they were not conjured manifestations of the Tathagata Śākyamuni, the Most True and Perfectly Enlightened One; rather, they had all come from Buddha lands in the ten directions to display the majestic virtue of the supreme great path.

At that time, in each of the eight directions there were two hundred billion lands containing manifested Tathagatas conjured by the World-Honored Buddha Śākyamuni. In all these lands there were no hell beings, hungry ghosts, or animals. The devas and asuras were moved to Buddha worlds in other directions.

The blue vaidurya ground of those two hundred billion Buddha lands brought forth trees of the seven treasures. Those jeweled trees were twenty-two thousand miles tall, with luxuriant branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits; their lion thrones were twenty thousand miles high. Those Buddha lands were all level, without rivers, seas, ravines, or streams.

Nor were there mountains such as Mount Mucilinda, Great Mount Mucilinda, Mount Sumeru, the king of mountains, the Iron Encircling Mountains, or the Great Iron Encircling Mountains. Everywhere within those Buddha lands, the ground was level, made of the seven treasures, magnificent and beautifully adorned. The jeweled intersections were exceedingly delightful, covered with various flowers, while exquisite fragrances were burned.

Beneath every jeweled tree, Tathagatas sat upon lion thrones. In the same way, there were separately another twenty thousand worlds of the Buddha Able Sage, each world adorning the respective directions and manifesting purity; all were fashioned into Buddha lands for the Buddhas. In those Buddha lands there were likewise no hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, dragons, ghosts, spirits, or asuras.

The devas and people were also moved to other Buddha lands. The ground of these Buddha lands was blue vaidurya, and cords of purple-hued pure gold extended between rows of trees at the eight intersections. The trees were lofty and beautiful, and the lion thrones were as magnificent and beautifully adorned as previously described.

The ground was level, without mountains, rivers, seas, and so forth. Fragrant flowers, various treasures, and precious gems were interwoven, while moon-bright jewels hung down, just as before. The intersecting roads and thoroughfares were likewise as described above, without any difference.

At that time, the Tathagatas who were manifested bodies of the Buddha Śākyamuni and were expounding the Dharma throughout Ganges-sands of Buddha lands in the east all came as well. Three hundred billion perfectly enlightened Buddhas from each direction throughout the worlds of the ten directions likewise came to this world. The Tathagatas all sat upon jeweled lion thrones.

Each took jeweled lotus flowers, handed them to his attendants, and said: “Good men! Go to Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa, to the place of the Buddha Able Sage. State my name, then respectfully inquire whether the Buddha’s sacred body and strength are well, whether his movements are comfortable, and whether he is in health and peace.

Then scatter these flowers as offerings over the Buddha and his bodhisattva disciples, and convey my message that many have been taught and transformed.”

At that time, the Tathagata Shakyamuni, the Most True One, saw that all the transformation Buddhas were seated upon lion thrones and that their attendants had come to scatter flowers as offerings. He then rose from his seat and remained suspended in space; the fourfold assembly likewise all stood up with palms joined. With his finger, the Buddha opened the door of the preaching hall within the seven-jeweled stupa, and natural light shone through it like sunlight.

Just as the inside and outside of a great city gate become wholly unobstructed when its bolt is removed, so too did the Buddha Shakyamuni use two fingers to open the door of the preaching hall within the seven-jeweled stupa, revealing awe-inspiring virtue beyond all description. When the Tathagata opened the door of this seven-jeweled stupa, the body of the Buddha Many Treasures, the Tathagata, the Most True One, the Perfectly Enlightened One, immediately appeared.

He was seated upon a lion throne, his complexion as fresh and radiant as ever, neither withered nor discolored. His features were dignified and beautiful, like a finely painted image. From his mouth he again uttered these words: “Excellent, excellent!

The Buddha Shakyamuni is teaching this scripture—what could be more joyful? Because I wished to hear this Lotus Sutra of the Dharma, I have manifested here of my own accord.”

At that time, the fourfold assembly saw the Tathagata Many Treasures, the Most True One, the Perfectly Enlightened One. They knew that he had entered nirvana innumerable hundreds of thousands of kotis of kalpas ago, and when they heard him proclaim, “Excellent!” they were filled with wonder, considering it unprecedented. They immediately scattered heavenly flowers as offerings to the Buddha Shakyamuni and the Tathagata Many Treasures.

The Buddha Many Treasures then yielded half of his jeweled seat to the Buddha Shakyamuni. From within the seven-jeweled stupa, a voice resounded: “May the Buddha Shakyamuni be seated upon this throne!” The Buddha Shakyamuni immediately complied. The two Tathagatas sat together in one place upon the lion throne adorned with the seven treasures, suspended in space.

At that time, everyone in the fourfold assembly thought: “The most true Buddhas possess lofty and far-reaching virtue with which none can compare. They are exalted beyond measure and cannot be fully described. We beseech the Tathagata to look upon us with compassion, bestow his grace, and through his awe-inspiring spiritual power enable us all to ascend into space.” The Buddha knew their thoughts and immediately manifested his spiritual power, causing the fourfold assembly to rise naturally into space.

The Buddha Shakyamuni then addressed the fourfold assembly of bhikshus:

– Who in this Saha world is able to undertake the teaching of this scripture? Now is the time and also the great opportunity. After the present Tathagata has entered nirvana, you should accept, uphold, and recite this Dharma. The Tathagata is now also about to enter nirvana. Bhikshus, you should cease making offerings to and serving the Tathagata, and instead honor and reverently serve this scripture.

At that time, the Buddha spoke in verse:

The unsurpassed Great Sage

Has come here;

Because the Buddha manifested

This wondrous jeweled stupa.

Bhikshus, if you wish to know

Of one who heard the Dharma in the past,

Who, knowing of this event,

Would not strive diligently?

Since his nirvana,

Innumerable kalpas have passed;

Yet today he again wishes

To hear this scripture.

Therefore he has come here

For the proclamation of the teaching,

By which beings are delivered without limit—

A beneficial and wholesome Dharma.

In a past age,

He himself made this vow;

The vow of that Guiding Teacher

Was precisely this.

Though it has likewise been

An immensely long time since his nirvana,

He now appears again

In the worlds of the ten directions.

Coming here in perfect freedom,

Arriving from far away,

In hundreds of thousands of kotis,

As numerous as the sands of river channels,

They too, for the sake of this scripture,

Have come to this place.

Though they had entered nirvana,

They manifested themselves again,

Traveling everywhere

Throughout all lands.

Seeing that all delight

In the practices of the shravakas,

They therefore wish to protect and uphold

The true Dharma.

For what reason

Does the scripture long endure?

It is because it relies upon

The path of all Buddhas.

From among innumerable

Worlds of the Buddhas,

Assemblies of sentient beings

Have come to this realm.

It has been purified and adorned

Through the power of spiritual mastery;

Each one speaks for himself

Of such vast meaning.

How can it be spoken

Within this Dharma-eye?

The Buddhas gathered here

Are beyond all reckoning,

Seated beneath the trees

At the places of enlightenment.

Their bodily marks are dignified,

Exalted in myriad ways.

The Guiding Teachers

Sit upon lion thrones,

Pure and magnificently adorned,

Shining like the sun,

Like a great radiance

That dispels the darkness.

Their delicate fragrance

Pervades the ten directions.

Offerings are presented to them

As they compassionately regard the world.

They liberate

All sentient beings;

Their gracious virtue permeates

Everywhere throughout this place.

After I enter nirvana,

Those who uphold this scripture

Will swiftly receive a prediction of enlightenment

And will encounter the Guiding Teacher.

After the Buddha enters nirvana,

The compassionate father, Many Treasures,

Will be seen upon the lion throne

Manifesting within the jeweled stupa.

Next will be this body of mine,

And hundreds of thousands of kotis will come here,

Solely because the Supremely Victorious One

Teaches this scripture.

Those who hear this Dharma

And uphold it to the end

Thereby serve

And take refuge in my body,

As well as in Many Treasures,

The honored Tathagata.

They serve all Buddhas

Present throughout the ten directions,

And in the future

They will reverently honor all Buddhas,

Whose sacred bodies are adorned

With incomparable beauty.

All this constitutes offerings

Complete and limitless,

For those who obediently

Accept and uphold this scripture

Have encountered me in the past

And heard me teach;

They will also behold

The World-Honored One within the stupa

And see innumerable

Guiding Teachers

Who have come here from hundreds of thousands

Of kotis of lands.

Good sons, understand the meaning well;

Have compassion for sentient beings.

This place is truly difficult to encounter,

A place cherished by the Guiding Teachers.

Innumerable scriptures

Are like the sands within a river;

Although the Buddha has taught those scriptures,

That is not yet extraordinary.

Suppose someone lifted and supported

Mount Sumeru with his hand,

Then leapt across hundreds of thousands of kotis of realms—

This would not be considered difficult.

Even if someone could discern and expound

Hundreds of thousands of proofs,

And be heard throughout all Buddha realms,

That would not be considered difficult.

Or if one dwelt in the highest realm

And taught the Dharma to gods and humans,

Proclaiming innumerable scriptures,

That too would not be wondrous.

After the Buddha has entered nirvana,

To be able in the age of the declining Dharma

To accept, uphold, and proclaim

This scripture—this alone is extraordinary.

Or if one used only a single hand

To grasp the whole of space,

Even unto its furthest reaches,

That would not be considered difficult.

After I have entered nirvana,

If one turns toward the sacred image

And copies this scripture,

That alone is called extraordinary.

Or if one placed the realms of the ten directions

Upon the tip of a toenail,

Carried them wherever one wished,

And set them in the Brahma heaven,

This would not be difficult;

Such diligence would be nothing remarkable.

It cannot compare with, in a later age,

Reading this scripture for but a moment.

Suppose one encountered the conflagration at the end of a kalpa

And carried grass through the flames,

Yet it still was not burned—

That would not be considered remarkable.

After I have entered nirvana,

If one accepts and upholds this scripture

And expounds it for others,

That alone is truly extraordinary.

If someone accepts and upholds

The eighty thousand Dharma treasuries,

Teaches them exactly as they were spoken,

And instructs tens of millions of people;

If the bhikshus of that time

Teach and transform the shravakas

And establish them in spiritual powers,

That still would not be considered remarkable.

But if one upholds this scripture,

Joyfully believes and delights in it,

Constantly studies and praises it,

That alone is truly supreme.

Even if one erected innumerable

Hundreds of thousands of kotis of jeweled stupas

Through the six spiritual powers of the Great Sage,

As numerous as the sands of the Ganges,

After the Buddha has entered nirvana,

If anyone upholds this scripture,

The merit of that person

Will be difficult for anyone to surpass.

Throughout hundreds of thousands of worlds,

The Dharma is taught beyond all reckoning;

Now I too proclaim

And distinguish the Buddha’s wisdom:

Among all scriptures,

This scripture is supreme.

Those who reverently uphold this scripture

Are attendants of all Buddhas.

Good sons who expound it

Before the present Tathagata,

And who uphold this scripture in a later age—

Only sages and saints can bear this task.

To uphold this scripture for but a moment

Is to revere and serve the Buddha

And all Guiding Teachers.

This scripture is difficult to encounter.

All Buddhas of the ten directions

Manifest to praise

Those of courageous and awe-inspiring spiritual power.

They have attained spiritual powers,

And the fragrance of their virtue pervades everywhere.

All Buddhas cherish them,

For solely by upholding this scripture

They attain serene concentration.

After the Guiding Teacher has entered nirvana,

For the sake of gods and humans,

They appear as guides

And proclaim this scripture.

In a future age,

If they teach this scripture for but a moment,

Then all sentient beings

Will bow their heads in reverence.

At that time, the Buddha Năng Nhân said to the assembled multitude:

“For incalculable, innumerable kalpas, I sought the Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma and never grew weary. When I was a king, I cultivated the six paramitas, giving away gold, silver, crystal, lapis lazuli, amber, coral, pearls, mother-of-pearl, agate, my head, eyes, flesh, hands, feet, bodily members, wife and children, men and women, elephants and horses, and carriages, never begrudging even my own life.

“At that time, the people’s lifespans were incalculably long. For the sake of the True Dharma, I relinquished the royal throne and entrusted it to the crown prince so that I might go in quest of the great scripture. I had drums beaten and wooden gongs struck, proclaiming throughout the kingdom, both near and far: ‘Whoever is able to expound the great scripture for me, I shall become his servant, attending upon him and obeying his commands.’ At that time, a brahmin came and said to me: ‘I possess a great scripture called the Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma. If you are willing to become my servant, I shall bestow it upon you.’”

The Buddha told the bhikshus:

“When I heard these words, I rejoiced greatly and followed the brahmin to serve and attend upon him. I provided everything he needed, including food and drink; I swept, cleaned, gathered vegetables and fruits, and stored provisions. I never grew weary or neglected my duties. I attended upon him for a full thousand years without ever becoming disheartened.”

At that time, the Buddha spoke these verses:

Beating drums and striking bells,

He proclaimed both far and near:

“I wish to seek the great scripture,

The Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma.

If anyone will bestow it upon me,

I shall become his attendant,

Following him and rendering service,

Providing whatever he may need.

Gladly shall I obey him,

Never daring to be idle or tardy.

I shall undertake to make offerings,

Without concern for my own well-being,

Wishing only that I may hear

The Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma.

My vow extends throughout the ten directions;

It is not for my own sake.”

That king diligently advanced,

Never resting at any time.

He provided clothing and food,

Seeking no fine flavors for himself.

Out of compassion for sentient beings,

For those who had not yet been delivered,

Then, at that time,

He obtained the Lotus Sutra.

The Buddha told the bhikshus:

“The king of that time was none other than I, and the brahmin was none other than Devadatta. That I have now perfected the six paramitas, great loving-kindness and great compassion, accomplished the four impartial states of mind, become endowed with the thirty-two excellent marks and eighty beautiful characteristics, a body the color of pure gold, the ten Powers, the four Fearlessnesses, the four things requiring no protection, and the eighteen distinctive qualities; that I possess majestic spiritual power and sovereign dignity and deliver beings throughout the ten directions—all this is due to the beneficent power of Devadatta.

“After innumerable kalpas, Devadatta shall become a Buddha named Heavenly King Tathagata, Most True One, Perfectly Enlightened One, Perfect in Wisdom and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer by the Dharma, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Blessed One. His world shall be named Heavenly Path.

“At that time, the Buddha Heavenly King shall extensively expound the teachings of the sutras. Sentient beings as numerous as the sands of the Ganges shall attain arhatship; innumerable and incalculable beings shall seek the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle; and immeasurable people, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, shall all arouse the aspiration for unsurpassed, true, and perfect enlightenment and attain non-retrogression.

That Buddha’s lifespan shall be twenty intermediate kalpas. After his nirvana, the True Dharma shall abide for twenty intermediate kalpas. His relics shall not be divided but shall remain together in one place, where a stupa of the seven treasures, sixty leagues high and eighty leagues wide, shall be erected for their veneration.

People throughout the world shall bring incense, flowers, and music as offerings, praise his merit, circumambulate the jeweled stupa, and pay homage to it. Incalculably many shall attain arhatship; innumerable beings shall aspire to the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle; and inconceivably many devas and humans shall arouse the aspiration for unsurpassed, true, and perfect enlightenment and remain resolute without retrogression.

“If good men or good women hear this Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma and comprehend it clearly within their hearts, free from all doubt, they shall block the three evil destinies and shall not fall into hell, the realm of hungry ghosts, or the animal realm. They shall be born in the presence of the Buddhas of the ten directions, where they shall study and uphold the True Dharma; or they shall be born amid the riches of the heavenly or human realms; or, in the presence of a Buddha, they shall spontaneously be born by transformation within a lotus of the seven treasures.”

At that time, a bodhisattva named Accumulated Wisdom, who had come from the region below while attending upon the World-Honored One Many Treasures, requested that the Buddha Many Treasures return to his original land.

The Buddha Năng Nhân then said to Bodhisattva Accumulated Wisdom:

“I have a bodhisattva named Đoàn Thủ, the Pure Youth. Wait for a moment so that you may meet and exchange greetings after your long separation and discuss the scriptures together. Then you may return to your original land.”

At that time, Đoàn Thủ was seated upon a seven-jeweled lotus with a thousand petals, as large as a chariot wheel. Together with other bodhisattvas, likewise seated upon jeweled lotuses, he emerged from the palace of the Dragon King and rose out of the great ocean. Đoàn Thủ, the Pure Youth, descended from his jeweled lotus and bowed at the feet of the two World-Honored Ones. Afterward, he and Bodhisattva Accumulated Wisdom exchanged greetings.

Bodhisattva Accumulated Wisdom asked Đoàn Thủ:

“How many beings did you convert after entering the depths of the ocean?”

He replied:

“Their number is immeasurable and incalculable. The mouth cannot fully describe it, nor can the mind completely fathom it. Before long, they will appear of themselves.”

At once, a lotus emerged from the ocean and remained suspended in empty space, with innumerable bodhisattvas seated upon it. All these bodhisattvas had been converted by Đoàn Thủ in the ocean. They had all aroused the aspiration and resolved to seek unsurpassed, true, and perfect enlightenment, and together in empty space they expounded the Dharma of the Great Vehicle. Those who had originally aroused the aspiration for the shravaka path spoke in empty space about the practices of shravakas, but had now come to understand the Great Vehicle.

Đoàn Thủ then said to Accumulated Wisdom:

“This is how many beings I taught and converted in the ocean.”

Bodhisattva Accumulated Wisdom asked in verse:

Your wisdom is without limit;

In the ocean, you deliver sentient beings.

Solely to reveal the true teaching,

What Dharma did you expound and distinguish?

Đoàn Thủ replied:

“In the ocean, I expounded only the Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma.”

Accumulated Wisdom asked again:

“This Dharma is profound, exalted, subtle, and difficult to attain. Is anyone able to awaken to it immediately?”

Đoàn Thủ replied:

“There is a daughter of the Dragon King who is only eight years old. She is intelligent, with extraordinary and surpassing wisdom. She has aroused the aspiration to seek the Great Way, her vows are vast, her nature and conduct are gentle and harmonious, and her bearing is calm and composed. She is able to become a Buddha.”

Accumulated Wisdom said:

“I have seen that the Buddha Năng Nhân, the Great Teacher, while still a bodhisattva seeking the Buddha Way, accumulated merit and diligently advanced without indolence. Only after passing through an incalculable number of kalpas did he attain Buddhahood. I cannot believe that this female can become a Buddha.”

Before he had finished speaking, the young woman suddenly appeared. She bowed her head in homage, circumambulated the Buddha three times, stood to one side, and praised him:

Having attained sublime and wondrous merit,

He displays the thirty-two marks.

He is revered by all the devas;

Dragons and spirits all take refuge in him.

Among all classes of sentient beings,

There is none who does not honor him.

Now I wish to become a Buddha

And expound the Dharma to save all beings.

At that time, Shariputra said to the young woman:

“Although you, Worthy One, have aroused the aspiration and possess surpassing wisdom, you cannot attain Buddhahood. Even if one in a female body diligently practices for many kalpas and accumulates lofty merit, she still cannot become a Buddha. Why is this? Because one in a female body cannot attain five stations: first, Shakra, lord of the devas; second, Brahma; third, Mara, ruler of the heavens; fourth, a wheel-turning sage king; and fifth, a Great Being.”

At that time, the dragon maiden immediately took a precious wish-fulfilling jewel and presented it to the Buddha. The Buddha at once accepted it. The dragon maiden asked Shariputra and Accumulated Wisdom:

“I offered this jewel to the World-Honored One, and the World-Honored One accepted it. Was that done quickly?”

They replied:

“Very quickly!”

The dragon maiden said:

“My attainment of unsurpassed, true, and perfect enlightenment and my becoming a Supremely and Perfectly Enlightened One shall be even quicker than that.”

At that very moment, the dragon maiden transformed into a male bodhisattva and immediately attained Buddhahood, complete with the thirty-two auspicious marks and all the excellent features. The entire assembly clearly beheld that land and learned the Buddha’s name, regarding this as an unprecedented marvel. Countless devas, humans, dragons, ghosts, and spirits all aroused the aspiration for unsurpassed, true, and perfect enlightenment. The three-thousandfold world manifested six kinds of trembling. Thirty thousand Stream-enterers among the shravakas also attained the mind of non-retrogression, and all would attain unsurpassed, true, and perfect enlightenment. Shariputra and Bodhisattva Accumulated Wisdom silently accepted this in faith.

Chapter 12: EXHORTATION TO PREACH

At that time, a bodhisattva named Medicine King and another bodhisattva named Great Eloquence, together with twenty thousand other bodhisattvas, addressed the Blessed One:

“May the Great Sage serenely proclaim the teaching and be free from concern. After the Blessed One enters nirvana, we shall together disseminate and expound this sutra to reveal it to sentient beings. Suppose there are people who are obstinate, willful, and unwilling to change; whose virtue is slight and merit deficient; whose minds are arrogant; who crave offerings; who lack roots of goodness and remain far removed from liberation; and who are difficult to bring to accomplishment. Blessed One, we shall summon the strength of patience and, in that world, uphold this scripture, transcribe it, read and recite it, make offerings to and serve it, and carry it with us. Furthermore, we shall proclaim this sutra in order to repay the kindness through which we abide securely.”

Then five hundred bhikshus, both learners and those beyond learning, who were in the assembly came forward and addressed the Buddha:

“Venerable Blessed One! We undertake to proclaim this sutra. Moreover, Blessed One, you have bestowed predictions of unsurpassed, true, and perfect enlightenment upon the shravakas, both learners and those beyond learning, of the Tathagatas in other worlds.”

They all joined their palms and bowed at the feet of the Blessed One.

Another eight thousand bhikshus addressed the Buddha:

“May the Blessed One be at ease and harbor no concern. After you enter nirvana, we shall extensively expound and disseminate this sutra, and we shall also disseminate it in other worlds. Why is this? Because in this Saha world, people are exceedingly arrogant, their roots of virtue are shallow, their minds are constantly disturbed as though scorched by fire, and, deluded within the three realms, they cannot find peace in themselves.”

At that time, the bhikshuni Great Reverence, together with six thousand bhikshunis, knelt and gazed up at the Blessed One without weariness, and addressed the Buddha:

“Supremely honored Lord of the Way and Virtue, lofty and immeasurable, transcending even empty space, with none who can equal you!”

The Buddha then said:

“Gautami, you and the others should not harbor anxiety or sorrow while gazing at the Blessed One in this manner. Do you suppose that the Blessed One has not mentioned you and has not bestowed upon you a prediction of attaining unsurpassed, supremely true, perfect enlightenment? The entire assembly is equally included without distinction.”

The Buddha then proclaimed predictions that everyone would attain unsurpassed, true, and perfect enlightenment, all alike and without distinction. He said to Gautami:

“In the future, you will encounter, make offerings to, and serve thirty-eight thousand kotis of Buddhas. You will be a bodhisattva who always serves as a Dharma teacher. These six thousand bhikshunis, both learners and those beyond learning, will likewise become bodhisattva Dharma teachers for all kinds of sentient beings. Having successively perfected the bodhisattva practices, all will attain Buddhahood and bear the name Tathagata Revered by All Sentient Beings, the Supremely True, Perfectly Enlightened One. After attaining Buddhahood and teaching and transforming the people, each will successively bestow upon the next a prediction of Buddhahood, liberating innumerable people beyond reckoning.”

At that time, the bhikshuni who was the mother of Rahula, the bhikshuni Bearer of Renowned Name, thought to herself, “The Buddha, the Blessed One, now has no compassion for me; I alone have been forgotten.”

The Buddha then said to the bhikshuni Renowned Name:

“I now proclaim to this entire assembly, both near and far, that you will cultivate the path in the presence of one hundred thousand kotis of Buddhas, always serving as a Dharma teacher, upholding the bodhisattva practices and fully following them. You will attain Buddhahood and bear the name Tathagata Banner of a Hundred Thousand Perfect Lights, the Supremely True, Perfectly Enlightened One, Perfect in Wisdom and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Those to Be Tamed, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Blessed One. That Buddha’s world will be called Virtuous Humanity. At that time, the light and awesome spiritual power of that Buddha will extend through countless hundreds of thousands, and his lifespan will be limitless.”

The bhikshuni Great Reverence and the bhikshuni who was Rahula’s mother obtained what they had never had before. Their sorrow and joy intermingled, and they immediately spoke verses in praise of the Buddha:

The Blessed One has revealed the teaching,

The guiding teacher of all beings,

Teaching and transforming within the world,

Including devas and humans alike.

Revered by devas and humans,

We have now received consolation,

For the Great Guiding Teacher

Has fulfilled our aspirations.

After speaking these verses, the bhikshunis addressed the Buddha:

“Venerable Blessed One! We joyfully believe in and follow the Buddha’s Dharma instructions. We shall receive, read, and recite them, transmit them to others, and carry them to other worlds.”

The Blessed One then turned his gaze upon eighty trillion myriads of hundreds of thousands of dharani-holding bodhisattva mahasattvas, those who turned the Dharma wheel without retrogression. Seeing the Buddha look toward them, the bodhisattvas joined their palms and addressed him:

“May the Blessed One entrust this scripture to us so that we may expound and disseminate it, and thereby fully comprehend the Buddha’s gracious virtue.”

Those good men joyfully gazed up at the Blessed One and also reflected upon themselves. Because in previous lives they had practiced vows of equality, they raised their voices before the Buddha and said:

“After the Tathagata enters nirvana, wherever this sutra’s Dharma may be throughout the ten directions, we shall transcribe and uphold it, chant and recite it, contemplate its meaning, distinguish and disseminate it, and reveal it to and transform others so that they may do likewise. Our companions in other realms will also act according to the Buddha’s teaching. May the Great Sage bestow his grace upon us, guide us, and enable us to bring this to accomplishment.”

At that time, the bodhisattva mahasattvas, united in mind and purpose, spoke these verses before the Buddha:

We pray that the Blessed One

May remain serene and tranquil.

After the Buddha enters nirvana,

We shall extol the Buddha’s words.

In the latter age to come,

Fearing there may be calamities,

We shall proclaim it everywhere

And expound this sutra distinctly.

Though people beat and revile us,

And cast stones to strike us,

In the future, for the Great Sage,

We shall patiently endure evil afflictions.

When explaining what is hard to comprehend,

The flattering, foolish, and arrogant,

Dwelling later in mountain forests,

Will claim attainment they have not attained.

What can be said in reply

To the ignorant in the mountains,

Who indulge their minds in solitude,

Harboring evil and lacking patience?

They delight in places of harsh speech,

Yet will claim to preach the sutra’s Dharma;

The doctrines they proclaim decisively reject it,

While they appear to possess the six spiritual powers.

Violent and harboring venomous minds,

They pursue such intentions in secluded places;

Entering lonely places by themselves,

They do not delight in being reviled,

Yet call us impatient.

Attached to gain and offerings,

They call us followers of an outside path,

And say that we teach giving for our own sake.

Though diligent regarding the sutra,

Because of the offerings received,

They say that we preach among the assembly

Only for the sake of fame.

They may go to the royal palace,

To ministers and their officials,

To brahmins and householders,

Or to other bhikshus,

And malign us as evil,

Whose deeds resemble a false path.

We shall patiently endure it all,

Always attending upon the Great Sage.

Then we shall be free from anxiety.

If we are able to practice patience,

We shall take the Buddha’s teachings

And use them to exhort and instruct them.

In a turbulent age, bhikshus will contend,

Violent and exceedingly fearsome,

Reviling every one of us,

Those bhikshus being like ghosts.

While practicing reverence in the world,

We shall endure all hardships,

Using gentleness, harmony, and compliance

In order to preach this sutra.

We do not cherish our bodies,

Nor do we begrudge our lives.

We shall uphold this sutra,

Resolved to attain the Buddha Way.

The Blessed One fully knows

Those vicious bhikshus

Who, in the latter age to come,

Will clearly distinguish and understand,

Whose countenances are always displeased,

Who constantly commit transgressions,

Who travel at improper times,

And whose robes are disorderly.

Suppose that after the Buddha

Has entered nirvana, in the latter age,

We, amid the assembly

Courageously proclaim this sutra.

If anyone seeks quiescent cessation,

Or has something they desire,

It shall be granted there and then,

Without departing from the Buddha's wisdom.

Out of loving concern for the world,

One should cultivate loving-kindness and compassion,

Have few desires, and practice contentment,

Attaining the tranquil cessation of nirvana.

All the lights throughout the worlds of dust

In the ten directions assemble together.

These sincere words of ours

Reveal our true and genuine hearts.