正法華經

Chapter 19: NEVER DISPARAGING

At that time, the Buddha told the bodhisattva Great Might Attained:

“Therefore, you should know that if any bhiksu, bhiksuni, good man, or faithful woman who upholds this scripture should be reviled and abused by the fourfold assembly, assailed with coarse words, rebuked, or obstructed, the gravity of that offense would be immeasurable. Moreover, if anyone hears this sutra and then receives, upholds, reads, and recites it, and extensively explains its meaning to others, that person will attain supreme and wondrous merit. By such comparisons, the Buddha has praised the purity and unobstructed functioning of the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, body, and mind.”

He further told Great Might Attained:

“In the remote past, an exceedingly long time ago, an incalculable and inconceivable number of kalpas ago, there was a Buddha named King of the Sound of Serene Beasts, the Tathagata, Worthy One, Perfectly Enlightened One, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer in the Dharma, Teacher of Gods and Humans, Buddha, Blessed One. The kalpa was called Free from Great Wealth, and the world was called Great Abode.”

The Buddha said:

“O Great Might Attained! The Tathagata King of the Sound of Serene Beasts expounded the sutras and taught beings throughout the realms of gods and humans. For those of the sravaka vehicle, he taught the Four Noble Truths, enabling them to transcend old age, sickness, and death and draw near to nirvana.

He explained the source from which the twelve links of dependent origination arise. For the bodhisattvas, he taught the six paramitas, enabling them to attain the unsurpassed, true, and perfect path, and revealed the continuous course of conduct of the Tathagata’s wisdom. That Buddha’s lifespan was four Ganges-sands of hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of kalpas.

After that Buddha entered nirvana, the True Dharma remained for hundreds of thousands of kotis of kalpas equal to the number of dust particles in one Jambudvipa; the Semblance Dharma remained for hundreds of thousands of kotis of kalpas equal to the number of dust particles in the four continents beneath heaven.

“Furthermore, O Great Might Attained! After the Semblance Dharma of that Buddha had entirely disappeared, another Buddha appeared, likewise named King of the Sound of Serene Beasts. Thereafter, in succession, there appeared twenty thousand kotis of Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone Ones, Knowers of the World, Unsurpassed Ones, Tamers in the Dharma, and Teachers of Gods and Humans. At that time, these Buddhas entered nirvana one after another. After the True Dharma had disappeared, the Semblance Dharma that followed also entirely disappeared. The bhiksus of that time were arrogant and conceited and acted contrary to the teachings. There was then a bhiksu named Never Disparaging, who practiced the bodhisattva conduct.

“Why was he called Never Disparaging?

“Whenever that Great Being, the bodhisattva, saw bhiksus, bhiksunis, good men, or faithful women, he would call out to them and say: ‘Worthy Ones, do not be arrogant or haughty. Why? Because your resolve is still that of bodhisattvas. Through skillful means and in accordance with the capacities of his hearers, the Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One, has taught the bodhisattva conduct to the bhiksus.’ That Great Being would not comply with their admonitions and would not consent to recite the scriptures. Whenever he saw any of the fourfold assembly, he would call out to them and say: ‘Throughout my life, I would never dare disparage you. You are studying the lofty bodhisattva conduct and will attain the fruit of Tathagata, Worthy One, Perfectly Enlightened One.’”

The Buddha said:

“O Great Might Attained! At that time, when the fourfold assembly heard these words, they all became angry and reviled and abused him, saying: ‘This bhiksu has never questioned us and does not know the minds of others, yet in his arrogance he supposes that he knows our minds and predicts that we will attain unsurpassed, true, and perfect enlightenment. He keeps saying such extraordinary things even though no one wishes to hear them.’

“Furthermore, O Great Might Attained! It was like a traveler caught in heavy rain whose body, protected by the Buddha’s awe-inspiring spiritual power, does not become wet. Although that bhiksu was reviled and humiliated, his mind harbored no anger and his expression did not change.

Some who heard his words hated and disliked him and threw tiles and stones at him. Yet, even from afar, he continued to call out: ‘Do not act disparagingly. Cultivate patient forbearance and arouse the resolve for bodhi.’ Why was this?

At that time, when the self-important and conceited bhiksus, bhiksunis, good men, and faithful women heard the Great Being say, ‘My mind is always humble, and I would never dare disparage you,’ and saw that, though reviled and humiliated, his mind remained serene, the members of that fourfold assembly consequently gave him the name Never Disparaging.

“When this Great Being was approaching the end of his life, he heard the Tathagata King of the Sound of Serene Beasts expound hundreds of thousands of kotis of profound meanings concerning the twenty verses in this Sutra of the Lotus of the True Dharma. As his life was ending, the Great Being rose into the open sky and loudly praised this scripture, saying: ‘Whoever receives and upholds this sutra will first attain purity of the faculty of the eye; the ears, nose, mouth, body, and mind will also become pure.

Having attained purity, that person’s lifespan will immediately be extended by twenty thousand kotis of myriads of years. They will attain samadhi and will then expound this scripture to everyone.’ The fourfold assembly who had formerly heard him speak and slandered him, calling this Great Being Never Disparaging and accusing him of conceit, now saw this Great Being’s wondrous spiritual power, the eloquence born of his power of wisdom, and the skillfulness of his power of the path.

They all came to submit to him, honor him, draw near to him, and hear the Dharma of the sutra. These people numbered countless kotis and were beyond enumeration, and he established them all in the resolve for the unsurpassed, true, and perfect path.

“After the end of his life, that Great Being encountered twenty hundreds of thousands of kotis of true and perfect Tathagatas. Those World-Honored Ones expounded the Sutra of the Lotus of the True Dharma to him. Through that merit, he gradually progressed and again encountered twenty hundreds of thousands of kotis of Tathagatas, all bearing the same name, King of the Sound of Thunderous Proclamation, from whom he also heard this scripture.

He again encountered twenty hundreds of thousands of kotis of Tathagatas, all bearing the same name, King of Thunderous Sound, and likewise heard the Sutra of the Lotus of the True Dharma, received and upheld it, read and recited it, and proclaimed it to the fourfold assembly. Wherever he was born, he naturally and always obtained pure eyes, pure ears, a pure nose, a pure mouth, a pure body, and a pure mind. His sight and hearing penetrated everything, his nose discerned all scents, his speech was eloquent, his body was light and agile, and his mind clearly perceived the thoughts of sentient beings.

He expounded and distinguished the meanings of this scripture for the fourfold assembly.”

The Buddha said:

“O Great Might Attained! After the Great Being Never Disparaging had made offerings to and served hundreds of thousands of kotis of Tathagatas, he again encountered innumerable hundreds of thousands of kotis of Tathagatas and continued to receive and uphold the Sutra of the Lotus of the True Dharma from them. Through this foundation of merit, he naturally attained the unsurpassed, true, and perfect path and realized supreme perfect enlightenment.

“O Great Might Attained! Do you wish to know who the Great Being Never Disparaging was, who, during the time of the Tathagata King of the Sound of Serene Beasts, expounded the Dharma of the sutra to the fourfold assembly? He was none other than I myself. If at that time I had not received this Sutra of the Lotus of the True Dharma, had not received and upheld, read and recited it, and expounded it to everyone, I would not have been able swiftly to attain the unsurpassed, true, and perfect path and realize supreme perfect enlightenment. Because I heard this scripture from the Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones of the past, received and upheld it, read and recited it, and expounded it to everyone, I attained the fruit of Buddhahood.

“The bhiksus, bhiksunis, good men, and faithful women to whom that Great Being had said at that time, ‘I revere you and would never dare disparage you; you will attain the wisdom and virtue of the Tathagata, the Perfectly Enlightened One,’ were members of the fourfold assembly who had despised, reviled, and ridiculed that Great Being. Because they did not repent, for twenty thousand kotis of kalpas they were born into the world without encountering a Buddha or hearing the Dharma of the sutras.

They then fell into the great Hell of No Escape for ten thousand kalpas, where they were tortured and burned, suffering pain beyond description. After their offenses were exhausted, they emerged from hell and, because that Great Being had taught and transformed them, they aroused the resolve to seek the unsurpassed, true, and perfect path. They all attained spiritual powers and unobstructed wisdom and are now present here.”

The Buddha said:

– O Attained Great Might! Do you wish to know who the four assemblies of that time were who humiliated, mocked, grew angry with, and reviled that Great Being? They are precisely the five hundred bodhisattvas in Bhadrapāla’s group, the five hundred bhikshus and bhikshunis in Lion Moon’s group who are present in this Dharma assembly, and the five hundred good men and five hundred good women here before me. All of them are non-retrogressing and will attain the unsurpassed, true, and perfect enlightenment.

The Buddha said:

– O Attained Great Might! The meaning and principles of this Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma are vast; its majestic spiritual power is immeasurable and boundless. All bodhisattva-mahasattvas reverently uphold it. After the Tathagata’s nirvana, those who accept, uphold, read, and recite this sutra will obtain blessings such as these and will attain the unsurpassed, true, and perfect enlightenment.

At that time, the World-Honored One spoke verses of praise:

Now I call to mind

Events of the distant past:

A Buddha named Tranquil Progress,

The Tathagata King of Sounds,

Whose majestic power was immeasurable,

Revered by gods and humans,

Expounded the Dharma for all

People and sentient beings.

After that supremely victorious Buddha

Had entered nirvana,

When his True Dharma

Had reached its final period,

There was a bhikshu

Who cultivated the bodhisattva practice.

At that time he was named

Never Disparaging.

He constantly went among

Assemblies of bhikshus

And bhikshunis.

Seeing that they were inverted in understanding,

He exhorted and guided them

To aspire to the Buddha Way.

He himself would say, “In my heart

I dare not be arrogant toward you.”

He was mocked by others,

Reviled and humiliated.

At that time, for their sake,

He caused them to hear these words.

If they should ever come

To hear this Dharma sutra,

They would dwell securely;

Whatever they might do,

Wisdom would brightly illuminate it.

When he was about to die,

He heard a discerning exposition of

This Lotus Sutra of the Dharma,

And the recompense came at once:

His lifespan was increased,

And his body manifested transformations,

All with complete mastery.

From high in empty space,

He expounded the scripture,

Teaching and transforming all,

So that they awakened the aspiration for enlightenment.

Then that Great Being,

After his life had ended,

Encountered many Buddhas,

Hundreds of thousands of millions of myriads.

Gradually teaching and transforming others,

He entered deeply into the Dharma of the sutra.

Because he could discerningly

Expound this sutra,

That supremely victorious person

Attained the fruit of Buddhahood.

He was none other than I myself,

The Tathagata Able and Humane.

As for the bhikshus

And bhikshunis,

The good men

And good women

Whose mouths delighted in slander

And who were present at that time,

They were taught and transformed

And clearly understood the scripture.

They would constantly encounter

Countless millions of Buddhas.

They are the five hundred members

Of Bhadrapāla’s group,

The assemblies of bhikshus

And bhikshunis,

And the good men and faithful women

Now here before the Buddha.

In former times I caused them

To hear the Dharma of this sutra.

All were taught and transformed

And brought to clear understanding.

Now, after this body of mine

Has entered nirvana,

You should constantly accept and uphold

And revere this sutra.

You should reflect upon it:

Throughout countless millions upon millions of ages,

Never before has there been heard

A Dharma sutra such as this.

Even if there were Buddhas

Numbering in the hundreds of thousands of millions,

One would still long to hear the exposition

Of a scripture such as this.

Therefore, upon hearing

A sutra such as this,

The sovereignly free Honored Sage

Proclaims and praises it.

After I enter nirvana,

Those who expound

This Lotus Sutra of the Dharma

Must always remain patient.

Chapter 20: THE TATHAGATA’S PRACTICE OF SPIRITUAL POWERS

At that time, hundreds of thousands of millions of myriads of bodhisattvas, as numerous as the motes of dust in three thousand worlds, sprang forth from beneath the earth. All stood before the World-Honored One, joined their palms, and addressed the Buddha:

– After the Tathagata enters nirvana, we shall propagate this sutra throughout the lands of the Buddhas and within the World-Honored One’s own land, wherever the World-Honored One enters nirvana. In those very places we shall expound this sutra, enabling many people to receive benefit. If anyone accepts, upholds, reads, recites, copies, or expounds to others this wondrous and essential scripture, that person’s merit and virtue will be immeasurable.

At that time, before Bạc Thủ and countless hundreds of thousands of millions of myriads of bodhisattvas, bhikshus, bhikshunis, good men, faithful women, gods, dragons, spirits, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans in this Sahā world, the Tathagata employed spiritual powers to manifest the Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, of Right and Universal Knowledge. Through the manifestation of this auspicious sign, all attained the gentle and receptive Dharma eye. He also caused hundreds of thousands of millions of great bodhisattvas—manifested in other worlds as they copied the Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma—to appear seated upon lion thrones beneath jeweled trees.

Then the World-Honored One, the Buddha Able and Humane, together with all these perfectly enlightened Tathagatas, fully manifested spiritual powers of complete abundance, such as occur only once in hundreds of thousands of years. At that very moment, the merit accumulated over hundreds of thousands of years naturally shone forth and dispersed the dark clouds. In the time of a finger snap, sounds spontaneously resounded everywhere, and all the worlds throughout the Buddha lands of the ten directions quaked in six ways.

Through the Buddha’s majestic spiritual power, the gods, dragons, spirits, asuras, garudas, kinnaras, and mahoragas, remaining in their own abodes throughout countless thousands of Buddha worlds, all saw this Sahā Buddha land. They also saw countless hundreds of thousands of millions of myriads of Tathagatas throughout the ten directions, all seated upon lion thrones beneath jeweled trees. The Tathagata Able and Humane and the World-Honored One Many Treasures were within the preaching hall of the seven-jeweled stupa, where the lion throne was naturally adorned and purified, radiating a majestic brilliance beyond all description.

Hundreds of thousands of millions of myriads of bodhisattva-mahasattvas and the fourfold assembly witnessed this transformation. Astonished at heart, they rejoiced immeasurably and attained what they had never experienced before. Suddenly, they heard a voice in empty space proclaiming in praise: “Worthy ones!

If you wish to know of those immeasurable, inconceivable hundreds of thousands of millions of nayutas of Buddha worlds, there is a Buddha land named Sahā. In it is a Buddha named the Tathagata Able and Humane, who expounds for the bodhisattva-mahasattvas a Vaipulya scripture called the Lotus of the True Dharma. All Buddhas protect and keep this sutra in mind in order to liberate the bodhisattva-mahasattvas.

Therefore, worthy ones, your minds should be upright and pure. Bow your heads, take refuge in him, praise and serve him, attend upon him, and make offerings to that Perfectly Enlightened One, Able and Humane.”

At that time, sentient beings spontaneously heard the voice in the sky declare that there was a Buddha, a World-Honored One, named Able and Humane. As soon as they heard this name, they joined their palms and, with many kinds of flowers, incense, garments, banners, canopies, and blended fragrances, raised their hands and scattered them toward the Sahā world. They also offered necklaces, precious gems, precious pearls, and wish-fulfilling jewels. Those flowers, incense, banners, canopies, necklaces, precious gems, and luminous moon-like jewels naturally descended into the Sahā world and immediately gathered together in empty space to form a canopy of jeweled flowers, covering all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

At that time, the World-Honored One addressed the bodhisattvas who had come from other places and the assembly of bodhisattvas standing before the Buddha:

– O sons of noble lineage! The merit, virtue, and majestic spiritual power of the perfectly enlightened Tathagata are inconceivable. Even if one were to explain the meaning of this sutra for countless hundreds of thousands of millions of nayutas of kalpas, one could never reach its end. Countless other scriptures cannot equal it, nor can it be measured. Even one who wishes to cross over to the other shore will find it difficult to attain the goal.

O sons of noble lineage! To state it briefly, if anyone wishes to understand clearly the essence of this sutra, it is the majestic spiritual power of the Buddhas, the Dharma of the Buddhas, the domain of the Buddhas, the diligence of the Buddhas, the solitary abiding of the Buddhas, and the wondrous power of the Buddhas that this sutra reveals. Therefore, O sons of noble lineage, after the Buddha enters nirvana, you should earnestly seek this scripture, accept and uphold it, copy it, diligently practice it with reverence, make offerings to and serve it, and expound it for others.

Suppose someone expounds, praises, copies, contemplates, and upholds this sutra, inscribing it upon bamboo or silk, or placing it in a monastery, a refectory, a dwelling, beneath a tree in the forest, or beside a stream; then a stupa or shrine should be erected there. Why? Because that very place is the abode of the Tathagata and should be regarded as the place of enlightenment, the place beneath the tree where the Buddha sits. It should therefore be regarded as a place visited by all Tathagatas, the Perfectly Enlightened Ones, and as the place where the heroic Sages of the world turn the Dharma wheel. The Buddhas of the ten directions enter extinction there, all alike and without distinction.

At that time, the Blessed One spoke verses of praise:

The Dharma that cherishes the world

Is inconceivable;

It constantly establishes

Wisdom and spiritual powers.

It also manifests

Bright eyes illuminating everywhere,

So that all sentient beings

May attain joy.

With the wondrous faculty of speech,

It proclaims the voice of Brahma,

Pure, clear, and melodious,

In hundreds of thousands of millions of ways.

When sentient beings of every kind

Behold these spiritual powers,

Unprecedented and wondrous,

They all enter the Buddha path.

The holy Guide of the Way

Emits a great radiance;

In but a single instant,

He proclaims a mighty voice,

Immediately announcing throughout

All Buddha lands,

Universally across the ten directions,

Throughout the worlds of the Buddhas.

Such transformations

And other tremors

Have been manifested by the Great Sage

As auspicious signs such as these.

At that time the Tathagata

Caused all to rejoice.

After the Buddha’s nirvana,

Those who reverently uphold this sutra,

Abide in it and proclaim

The merits of all its teachings.

Though one passed through countless kalpas,

It would remain inconceivable

To measure the blessings

Of upholding this scroll of scripture.

The Guide praises them

As immeasurable indeed;

Should one seek their utmost limit,

One could never reach the end.

Just as empty space

Can never be exhausted,

The name and supreme virtue of one

Who upholds this sutra are inconceivable;

That person’s pure virtue ever remains.

Then one shall behold the Buddha,

The Great Sage and Guide,

And when I, abiding in the world,

Enter the great extinction,

All the assemblies,

The bodhisattvas there,

And the fourfold assembly

Who behold this gathering—

Those who have once encountered

This scripture before

Within a Dharma assembly

Will now encounter it again.

After the Buddha’s nirvana,

Here in this very place

And throughout the ten directions,

In the worlds of the Buddhas,

If anyone is able

To accept and uphold this sutra,

That person shall encounter

The Buddhas of the past

Throughout the ten directions,

And with their own eyes behold

The Buddhas now present.

They shall make offerings and render service,

All filled with joy,

Turning toward the Blessed One

At the place of enlightenment.

Those able to contemplate it

Should quickly accept and uphold

This scripture;

Their eloquence will naturally arise,

Entirely unobstructed.

Though one’s life

Cannot long endure,

One should discern and understand

The meaning of this sutra,

And should accept and uphold

This scripture,

Clearly understanding all the sutras

And reverently honoring them in succession.

After the Great Sage,

The Blessed One, enters nirvana,

Suppose there is someone

Who, with utmost sincerity, proclaims

And distinguishes this sutra,

Its principles, meaning, and purpose,

Expounding in thorough detail

The meanings of the scriptures.

The radiance of that person’s

Discerning realization

Will be like the sun and moon,

Illuminating both near and far,

Extending throughout the world

And reaching every place.

That person will exhort, transform, and inspire

Innumerable bodhisattvas.

Thus the assemblies of

Wise bodhisattvas,

Having heard such a

Supreme scripture,

Will, after my nirvana,

Reverently uphold this sutra.

That person will harbor no doubt

Concerning the Buddha’s Great Way.

Chapter 21: THE BODHISATTVA MEDICINE KING

At that time, the Bodhisattva Constellation King Flower came before the Buddha and said:

“Through what causes and conditions does the Bodhisattva Medicine King travel about teaching within the world of Endurance, bearing innumerable hardships and sufferings? Excellent indeed, O Heavenly Honored One! For the sake of the bodhisattvas and shravakas throughout the worlds of the Buddhas in the ten directions, who have all gathered here, I beseech you to proclaim the meritorious practices of Medicine King’s former lives, beginning from the time he first awakened the aspiration for enlightenment.

If they hear them, those in today’s assembly and those of future generations will accept and uphold them, study and follow them to ultimate completion. Gods, humans, dragons, spirits, and all venerable divine kings will rejoice, awaken the vast aspiration for enlightenment, personally attain Perfect Enlightenment, and liberate all beings.”

At that time, the Blessed One saw that Constellation King Flower had formed an utterly sincere resolve and had entreated the Buddha on behalf of all beings, and so praised him:

“Excellent! For the sake of future bodhisattvas, I shall admonish and exhort later students, enabling them to enter the wisdom of the Way, by explaining this matter. Listen well, listen well, and reflect upon it carefully!”

“Yes, Blessed One! We wish to hear it.”

The Buddha said:

“In the past, kalpas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges ago, there appeared in the world a Buddha named Stainless Sun-Moon-Radiance-Chief Tathagata, Worthy One, Perfectly Enlightened One. That Buddha’s lifespan was forty-two thousand years. He taught and transformed sentient beings, rescuing them from peril and distress. At that time, eight billion bodhisattvas from the ten directions gathered together, while the assemblies of shravakas numbered as many as the sands of seventy-two Ganges Rivers.

“Furthermore, that Buddha land had no women and none of the three evil destinies. There were no asuras and none of the calamities of the eight difficulties. The ground was level and made of azure lapis lazuli, fashioned from precious substances, pure and magnificently adorned. Various kinds of jeweled trees encircled it; rare and precious interwoven canopies covered its surroundings, and banners and streamers were raised. Precious vessels and incense burners gave forth renowned fragrances. Beneath every tree were placed jeweled couches and beautifully adorned seats, beyond all description. Upon those seats were five hundred billion thrones for the gods. Music was performed, praising the Buddha’s virtues as an offering.

“At that time, that Buddha distinguished and expounded the Sutra of the Lotus of the True Dharma for the assemblies of bodhisattvas and shravakas. There was then a bodhisattva named Gladly Seen by All Beings. Hearing the Buddha elucidate and explain its essential meaning, he immediately reverently upheld the Buddha-Dharma and cultivated ascetic practices.

Diligent day and night, for twelve thousand years he practiced walking meditation without sitting. After completing those twelve thousand years, he immediately attained the Samadhi of Universal Manifestation. Having attained this concentration, he reflected: ‘The reason I have attained the Samadhi of Universal Manifestation is this Sutra of the Lotus of the True Dharma.’ Rejoicing and exultant, he thought to himself: ‘I should make offerings to the Stainless Sun-Moon-Radiance-Chief Tathagata, Worthy One, and revere the Sutra of the Lotus of the True Dharma.’ He immediately entered that samadhi of proper absorption and, from the midst of empty space, scattered celestial flowers and many kinds of sandalwood as offerings.

At that very moment, the fragrance of these flowers and incense pervaded the worlds of the Buddhas throughout the ten directions. All who smelled that fragrance attained patience in the Dharma, and every kind of sentient being single-mindedly looked up in reverence.

“The Bodhisattva Gladly Seen by All Beings emerged from meditative concentration and again reflected: ‘Although I have made many kinds of offerings to the Buddha, I still cannot fully repay the kindness and virtue of the Worthy One. To offer my body would be supreme.’ He immediately acted according to his thought, completely abstaining from the five grains, consuming only various fragrances and drinking the essences of fragrant flowers, so that his body became fragrant both within and without.

“He drank these fragrant flower essences for twelve years. He then blended various fragrances and anointed his body with them, soaked his robe in fragrant oil, and made a vow to use his body as a lamp for all beings. He then set his own body alight as an offering to the Buddhas. Because of the sincerity of his faith, that radiance illuminated Buddha worlds as numerous as the sands of eighty Ganges Rivers. At that very moment, all those Buddhas praised him in unison:

“‘Excellent, excellent, son of noble family! Such diligence is truly rare in the world. This is the genuine way to make offerings to the Tathagata and to the scriptures. For the sake of sentient beings, you endure suffering without shrinking from hardship, surpassing the practices of all gods and humans. Even the giving away of kingdoms and cities, wealth and possessions, wives and children cannot compare with this. Among all offerings, this is the foremost, the most enduring, and beyond compare. The gift of one’s body is itself the gift of Dharma.’”

Having praised these merits in this manner, all the Buddha-World-Honored Ones then remained silent. At that time, flames naturally blazed from the bodhisattva’s body for twelve hundred years without being extinguished; because he was single-minded, he felt no pain. Only afterward did the flames go out. Because he had diligently cultivated with vigor and made offerings to the Dharma, after his life ended the bodhisattva was reborn in that same world, in the land of the Tathagata, Worthy and Fully Awakened One Stainless Sun-Moon Radiance Sovereign. In the royal palace of the kingdom Stainless Corpse, the bodhisattva was suddenly born by transformation. Seated cross-legged, he spoke this verse to his royal father:

Honored King, know now my original vow:

Resolutely and diligently I cultivated great vigor,

Giving my cherished body as an offering,

And thereby established this great samadhi.

Having spoken this verse, he said to his father and mother:

“Stainless Sun-Moon Radiance Sovereign Tathagata, the Worthy and Fully Awakened One, still abides in the world. In the past, I made offerings to him with utmost sincerity, and thereby attained the essential Dharma of the dharani encompassing all sounds, the heart of the study of the Scripture of the Unsurpassed Lotus of the True Dharma. This scripture comprises eighty myriads of hundreds of thousands of kotis of millions of nayutas of verses.

One should therefore contemplate single-mindedly and seek a place to fashion an image of the Buddha; maintaining a mind free from anger and wrath is how a bodhisattva practices this Lotus of the True Dharma. In my former life, I learned many thousands of kotis, hundreds of thousands of myriads of verses, hearing and receiving them from the Tathagata and retaining them.”

King Stainless Corpse praised his son:

“Excellent, excellent! Let us go together, bow reverently, and make offerings to the Holy Honored One.”

After saying this, he and his royal father soared into the air to a height of seven ren above the ground and proceeded through empty space. Their feet did not touch the earth, and their bodies sat upright within a canopy made of the seven treasures, adorned with jeweled netting and rare precious ornaments. They went to the Buddha, joined their palms, bowed to him, and praised him in verse:

Honored One Among Humans,

Your countenance is undefiled;

Your radiance shines brilliantly,

Illuminating all ten directions.

In the past I made offerings

To the supremely victorious World-Honored One;

Now I have received a body once again,

And therefore come to pay homage.

After Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Gladly Seen by All Beings had spoken this verse, he came forward and addressed the Tathagata, the Worthy and Fully Awakened One Stainless Sun-Moon Radiance Sovereign:

“World-Honored One! Out of compassionate pity for the ten directions, the World-Honored One still remains, teaching and liberating sentient beings so that all may benefit from his grace.”

At that time, Tathagata Stainless Sun-Moon Radiance Sovereign told Bodhisattva Gladly Seen by All Beings:

“The time has now come for me to enter nirvana. I entrust this teaching to you. Here my work of transformation is complete; an age of disorder is about to arrive, and I shall relinquish this body. Spread out a seat for me, for I shall now enter nirvana.”

He further said:

“Once again I entrust this scripture to you. Cause it to circulate everywhere, permeating the ten directions, so that all may enjoy blessings, peace, and happiness.”

Bodhisattva Gladly Seen by All Beings replied:

“I shall respectfully accept and follow your instruction.”

At midnight, the Buddha entered nirvana. When Bodhisattva Gladly Seen by All Beings saw that the Buddha had entered nirvana, he cremated the Buddha’s body with sandalwood and other precious incenses. He gathered the relics and washed them with fragrant water.

Overcome with grief, the bodhisattva wept, his tears falling like rain. He then made eighty-four thousand precious vessels to hold the relics and erected seven jeweled stupas reaching as high as the Brahma heaven. He adorned them with banners, streamers, and jeweled canopies and suspended all kinds of precious bells.

He thought to himself, “I have made offerings to the World-Honored One’s relics, but I should honor them even more than before.” He then said to the bodhisattvas, great shravakas, devas, dragons, spirits, and all the people:

“O sons of good family! Let us reflect together and make offerings everywhere to all the World-Honored One’s relics.”

At that time, the Buddha said to Bodhisattva Constellation King Flower:

“At that time, Bodhisattva Gladly Seen by All Beings encouraged everyone to enshrine and honor the relics in eighty-four thousand stupas. Before the stupas, he established images adorned with the marks produced by a hundred merits, lit countless lamps, burned incense, scattered flowers, caused the Dharma of the Way to shine brilliantly, and made offerings and rendered service for seventy-two thousand years.

“Having completed these offerings, he taught and transformed countless thousands among the assemblies of shravakas, and instructed the bodhisattvas, enabling them all to attain the Samadhi of Universal Manifestation. Seeing that the bodhisattvas had become established in concentration, the bodhisattva manifested his own body with impaired faculties. The assemblies of bodhisattvas and disciples, together with devas, dragons, ghosts, and spirits, cried aloud, their tears falling like rain:

“‘O sons of good family! Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Gladly Seen by All Beings is our teacher, who has instructed and transformed us. Now his faculties are impaired and incomplete. Therefore, our grief cannot be restrained.’

“At that time, Bodhisattva Gladly Seen by All Beings said to the bodhisattvas, the great disciples, the devas, dragons, and spirits: ‘I have made a vow with utmost sincerity. If my words accord with the truth and are not false, this arm of mine shall become purple-gold and be restored to its former state. The great earth shall quake mightily, and various fragrant flowers shall rain down from the sky.’

“As soon as he finished speaking, the great earth immediately quaked mightily, various flowers rained down from the heavens, and at that very moment his arm was restored to its former state. Wishing to liberate all beings, Bodhisattva Gladly Seen by All Beings manifested this deed wrought by the power of wisdom and by the potency of the blessings, virtues, merits, and accomplishments he had attained.”

The Buddha said to Bodhisattva Constellation King Flower:

“Do you wish to know who Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Gladly Seen by All Beings was at that time? He is none other than the present Bodhisattva Medicine King.

“O son of good family! If a bodhisattva undergoes incalculable hardships, sacrificing body and life without measure, constantly establishes the aspiration for the Great Vehicle and the unsurpassed great Way, and, before a Tathagata, arouses immeasurable great merit merely by burning a single toe, that merit is difficult to equal. How much more is this so when one burns one’s entire body as an offering!

Such merit surpasses even the giving of kingdoms, cities, wives and children, blood and flesh. Even if one filled an entire Buddha-land with jewels and gave them as offerings to the Buddhas and the holy assemblies, although the resulting merit would be great, it still would not equal that person’s merit. Why is this?

Because such karmic rewards are exhausted in time and do not benefit sentient beings.

“If a son or daughter of good family receives and retains a single four-line verse from the Lotus of the True Dharma, discerns its meaning and practices it reverently, and explains it to others, then the merit of the aforementioned gifts would not equal even one ten-thousandth of this merit. Just as ten thousand rivers all flow into the great ocean, so too does this scripture stand foremost among all Dharmas. It is like Mount Sumeru, towering above all other mountains, and like the full moon shining brightly among the stars. The radiance of great wisdom illuminates the three realms; it is the king of the unsurpassed Way and stands foremost among all Dharmas.

“Just as the sun, when it appears, illuminates the entire world and dispels darkness, so too does this scripture eliminate all the darkness of ignorance and lead beings into the luminous Way.

“Just as Lord Shakra in the Trayastrimsha heaven is king of the devas, so too is this scripture foremost among all Dharmas, encompassing the ten directions and liberating all beings.

“Just as Brahma, the heavenly king in his palace, governs the devas and all obey his commands, so too does this scripture universally rescue sentient beings, both learners and those beyond learning, instruct the three vehicles and guide them forward, and perform the work of a king and a father.

“Just as those who have attained the four fruits of the path, up to and including pratyekabuddhas, surpass the training of all ordinary beings, so too does the Lotus of the True Dharma surpass all superior, middling, and inferior vehicles; in teaching and transforming sentient beings, nothing equals it.

“Just as the lofty and far-reaching practices of bodhisattvas surpass the deeds of shravakas and pratyekabuddhas and protect the three times, so too does this scripture discipline all Dharmas and enable all beings to attain the unsurpassed, right, and true Way.”

Just as the World-Honored One is the Dharma King of the three realms, solemnly adorned in the robe of the Way with the thirty-two marks, guiding beings who are deluded and ignorant, so too is this sutra. From those who are training in the bodhisattva path up to the Tathagata, it instructs and guides shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and others, enabling them all to accomplish the unsurpassed, right, and true Way.

O son of good family! This scripture safeguards the three realms, delivers all beings from peril, hardship, and distress, and satisfies the hunger and poverty of sentient beings: those who are cold obtain warmth, those who are hot obtain coolness, and those who are naked obtain clothing. It guides all beings and causes them to enter the Way.

Just as a guide protects precious jewels, so does a bodhisattva nurture sentient beings like a loving mother. Just as a ferryman carries people across a river, so does a bodhisattva journey throughout the three realms, delivering all beings and dispelling darkness.

Just as a torch dispels darkness, this sutra transforms birth, aging, and death.

Just as a wheel-turning king governs the four continents, so does this sutra illuminate the three realms with the Noble Way.

Just as a great light dispels the darkness of the world, so does this sutra lead beings to non-retrogression and non-arising, until they attain the Buddha Way.

The Buddha told Bodhisattva Constellation King Flower:

– This scripture delivers beings from every calamity and suffering, completely removes the defilements of the illness of the three poisons, and rescues them from the fetters of the prison of birth and death. If someone hears this sutra, immediately understands it, and is able to copy it, that person's merit cannot be fully recounted. How much more so if one hears, accepts, upholds, preserves, and recites it, and makes offerings of flowers, incense, blended incense, powdered incense, lamps, banners, and canopies? If someone hears and accepts the chapter “Bodhisattva Medicine King’s Study of the Ancient Past,” upholds it, and reflects upon it, that person's merit surpasses that of one who offers those objects and cannot be fully recounted. If a woman hears this Dharma sutra and immediately accepts and upholds it, then, when the life span of her female body ends in this present life, she will afterward obtain a male body.

If, during the latter age of the five defilements, a woman hears this Dharma sutra and is able to practice it, then at the end of her life she will immediately enter the Land of Peaceful Nurturing. There she will see the Buddha Infinite Life surrounded by his retinue of bodhisattvas, be born within a precious lotus flower, and sit upon a lion throne. She will no longer have lust, anger, or delusion and will cast off all fetters.

Nor will she harbor greed or jealousy, and she will never bear resentment. As soon as she is born in that land, she will obtain the five supernormal powers, attain non-retrogression, and realize the patience of non-arising. Having attained this Dharma patience, she will immediately behold seventy-two hundred million trillion Ganges-sands of Tathagatas.

As soon as she beholds the Buddhas, her faculty of sight will become pure. Once her faculty of sight has become pure, she will see all the Buddhas of the ten directions praising her from afar: “Excellent, excellent, O son of good family! In the age of the Buddha Able and Benevolent, you encountered and heard the Buddha teach the Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma, accepted and upheld it, recited it, and explained it to others.

Through the merit and virtue of this, fire cannot burn you, water cannot sweep you away, and bandits, enemies, and officials cannot violate you. Even a thousand Buddhas could not exhaust their praise of you. The merit you have attained is immeasurable and so exceedingly lofty.

By relying upon this merit, you subdue the maras, eliminate hostile afflictions, transcend the perils of birth and death, and avert all calamities.”

Furthermore, O son of good family! This Dharma sutra subdues every evil and rebellious act. It has been established through the vision of thousands of Buddhas and protects people; nothing in heaven or among humankind can equal it. Apart from the Tathagata, no shravaka or bodhisattva can equal its merit, blessings, wisdom, or meditative concentration.

The Buddha told Bodhisattva Constellation King Flower:

– If a practitioner accepts and upholds this sutra, that person will attain such surpassing holy wisdom, power, majesty, and virtue. Therefore, O Benevolent One, if someone expounds this chapter on Medicine King and another praises it, then, after being born as a human, the fragrance of lotus flowers will naturally issue from that person's mouth, and the body will be fragrant with sandalwood. If one hears this sutra and praises it as excellent, that person's merit will become renowned far and wide in the present life. The Buddha has already praised that person's meritorious achievements.

The Buddha said:

– Constellation King Flower! I entrust this sutra to you and to all beings who rejoice upon seeing the chapter “Dharma of the Ancient Past,” so that at the end of the latter age of the five defilements it may be circulated throughout the world in Jambudvipa and never be destroyed midway. Mara Papiyan will find no opportunity to exploit, and the retinues of mara, false deities, demons, and specters will be unable to cause harm. Devas, dragons, rakshasas, kumbhandas, and nightmare demons will not dare oppose it.

Furthermore, Constellation King Flower! Wherever this chapter on Medicine King, whose majestic virtue has been established, has circulated, if a sick person hears this Dharma sutra, that person's illness will be eliminated and there will be no further afflictions. Through this merit, that person will later attain the right and true enlightenment, beyond aging, sickness, and death.

If, at the end of the latter age, a bhikshu holds in his hands blue lotus flowers filled with fragrance and scatters them as an offering to a Dharma teacher, thinking to himself, “If anyone seeking the bodhisattva vehicle comes to this place of enlightenment, I shall offer these flowers to make a seat spread beneath the Bodhi tree, that he may subdue the hosts of mara, fully sound the Dharma drum, blow the great Dharma conch, and thereby cross the ocean of birth and death,” then anyone studying the Mahayana who sees bhikshus holding a scroll of this sutra should regard that person's merit in the same way.

When the Buddha taught this chapter on Bodhisattva Medicine King’s ancient past, eighty-four thousand bodhisattvas immediately understood the dharani of all sounds and skillful means.

At that time, the Tathagata Abundant Treasures praised him, saying:

– Excellent, excellent, Bodhisattva Constellation King Flower! You were able to inquire about the inconceivable practices of this scripture. The Tathagata has expounded them; are you delighted?

Chapter 22: BODHISATTVA WONDROUS VOICE

At that time, the World-Honored One, the Tathagata Able and Benevolent, emitted hundreds of thousands of rays of light from the mark of a Great Person between his eyebrows. They illuminated one thousand eight hundred million koṭis of Buddha lands, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, in the eastern direction, shining upon every place. Beyond those Buddhas’ lands was a world called Adorned with Radiant Illumination. In that land was a Buddha, a Tathagata, Arhat, Perfectly Awakened One, named King of Golden Campaka Flowers, Son of Freedom from Defilement. Surrounded by a retinue of innumerable assemblies of bodhisattvas, he was proclaiming the teaching and guiding beings. The light emitted by the Tathagata Able and Benevolent shone throughout that land.

In that Buddha land there was also a bodhisattva named Wondrous Voice. Since the time of past Buddhas, he had planted roots of virtue and made offerings to innumerable hundreds of thousands of millions of nayutas of perfectly awakened Buddhas. He had encountered those Buddhas, questioned them, and received scriptures from them, thereby perfecting noble wisdom.

He had attained profound samadhis such as the Lotus Flower Dharma Samadhi, the Freedom from Defilement Samadhi, the King of Joyful Constellations Samadhi, the Unattached Light Samadhi, the Seal of Wisdom Samadhi, the Universal Understanding of All Sounds Samadhi, the Equal Accumulation of All Virtues Samadhi, the Joyful Faith and Purity Samadhi, the Playful Delight of Supernormal Powers Samadhi, the Light of Wisdom Samadhi, the King of Pure Adornment Samadhi, the Light Free from Defilement Samadhi, the Treasury Free from Defilement Samadhi, the Unconditioned Samadhi, and the Turning of the Sun Samadhi.

In brief, he had realized all the hundreds of millions of thousands of myriads of samadhis, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. That Buddha’s light shone everywhere and reached Bodhisattva Wondrous Voice. Relying upon that light, Bodhisattva Wondrous Voice went before the Buddha and said:

– I wish to go to the Saha world to behold the Buddha Neng Ren and bow before him, to inquire about the scriptures, and respectfully visit Bodhisattva Manjushri, Bodhisattva Medicine King, Bodhisattva Wondrous Valor, Bodhisattva Constellation King Flower, Bodhisattva Practice of Noble Intent, Bodhisattva Pure King, Bodhisattva Surpassing Medicine, and others, so that we may discuss and expound the meaning of the sutra and I may receive instruction concerning what I have not yet mastered, enabling all who hear it to arouse the aspiration for the Way.

That Buddha said:

– Go forth, son of noble family! Although you are going to that realm, do not give rise to discriminating thoughts and consider it inferior and indolent. Why is this? Son of noble family, the earth of that Saha world is black; its mountains are rugged, and it is filled with filthy and defiled rocks and sand. Its ravines, streams, mountains, and caves are not as you imagine. The body of the Buddha in that realm is only one zhang and six chi tall, while the bodies of its bodhisattvas are seven or eight chi tall. Your own body, however, is forty-two thousand yojanas tall, while my body is eighty-four thousand yojanas tall, foremost in dignity and beauty, with sublime and wondrous majestic radiance and a countenance whose beauty is beyond comparison, endowed with hundreds of thousands of virtues and bringing joy to all who behold it.

Moreover, when you arrive there and see the people of that realm, take care not to entertain unwholesome thoughts or suppose that the Tathagata and bodhisattvas in that Buddha-land are not equal to those in this realm. Why is this? Because Buddha-lands are fundamentally empty, while the karma of merit and wrongdoing manifested by sentient beings differs.

Bodhisattva Wondrous Sound again addressed the Buddha:

– Relying upon the Buddha's awe-inspiring spiritual power, the Tathagata's sacred strength, and his lofty virtue, I shall proceed in peace and ease to the Saha world. The pure wisdom and work of the Way of the Tathagata will always enable me to accord with the Dharma, without the slightest lapse, and I shall not dare to give rise to such thoughts.

At that time, Bodhisattva Wondrous Sound thought to himself: “Without leaving my seat, as though entering samadhi and right concentration, I shall reach Vulture Peak in the Saha world. In the space before the Tathagata's Dharma seat, I shall magically produce eighty-four thousand kotis of varieties of jeweled lotus flowers, with stems of purple gold and leaves of white silver, beautifully adorned and blazing with radiant light that illuminates the Dharma assembly.” At that very moment, he accomplished exactly what he had conceived. Manjushri asked the Buddha Neng Ren:

– World-Honored One! Who has conjured these eighty-four thousand jeweled lotus flowers with stems of purple gold and leaves of white silver, which have appeared here so pure and beautiful?

The Buddha told Manjushri:

– There is a bodhisattva named Wondrous Sound who, together with eighty-four thousand bodhisattvas, is coming from the land of the Buddha Stainless Son, Purple-Gold Constellation Flower King to this Saha world. He wishes to behold my body, bow before me, and make inquiries, and he wishes to hear the Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma. Therefore, he first manifested this sign.

Manjushri again asked the Buddha:

– What merit did he accumulate in the past, and what sublime practices did he cultivate, that he has now attained such extraordinary and immense powers? In what samadhi does he abide, and what practices has he established? I earnestly wish to hear about the samadhi he practices and his transformations through spiritual powers. After hearing of them, we shall receive and practice the teaching, so that we may behold the appearance and physical marks of those bodhisattvas and see how their movements, comings, and goings bring benefit. World-Honored One, we earnestly beseech you to manifest a spiritual transformation that will cause those bodhisattvas to come here. The assembly wishes to see them.

The Buddha told Manjushri:

– You should ask the Tathagata Many Treasures to manifest a spiritual transformation that will cause those bodhisattvas to reveal their bodily forms and come here, for the entire assembly wishes to see them.

Manjushri immediately followed this instruction and asked the Tathagata Many Treasures, who had entered parinirvana, to manifest a spiritual transformation.

At that time, Bodhisattva Wondrous Sound suddenly vanished from his own land and, together with eighty-four thousand bodhisattvas, caused the Buddha-lands to quake, scattered jeweled lotus flowers, and simultaneously produced hundreds of thousands of kotis of strains of instrumental music. All the bodhisattvas manifested their forms as they came. Their eyes were bright and beautiful, the color of deep blue; their countenances were full and round like the luminous full moon; their bodies shone with a purple-gold hue.

Countless kotis of hundreds of thousands of virtues adorned their bodies. Their awe-inspiring spiritual power was radiant, their wisdom shone brilliantly, their excellent marks were extraordinary, their faces were clear and luminous, and their physical strength was boundless. They remained upon canopies of nets made of the seven treasures in the sky, forty-nine chi above the ground.

Surrounded by his bodhisattva retinue, Bodhisattva Wondrous Sound proceeded to the Saha world and arrived at Vulture Peak. The jeweled canopies descended, and, holding a precious vase worth hundreds of thousands, he approached the Buddha Neng Ren, bowed his head at the Buddha's feet, presented it to the Tathagata Neng Ren, and said:

– The Buddha Purple-Gold Stainless Constellation King Flower earnestly inquires after the Tathagata: Are your movements light and easy, and are your comings and goings healthy and strong? Does the World-Honored One teach the Dharma as usual? Are all sentient beings progressing in their reception of the teaching? Have they dispelled their doubts and come to accord with the discipline of the Dharma?

Are there no longer many people who, overcome by lust, anger, and delusion, act with jealousy, stinginess, and greed? Are there people who always revere and dutifully obey their parents, receive the Dharma of the Way, and practice it in accordance with the Dharma? Are there people who follow wrong views, cling to wealth, whose faculties are unsettled, and who have been subdued and brought under the control of the maras?

Moreover, have sentient beings heard and received the Dharma taught by the Tathagata Many Treasures, who has entered parinirvana? The bodhisattvas have now come here because the Tathagata in our land sent us. We wish to pay homage to the Buddha Many Treasures, who entered parinirvana and is within the stupa of the seven treasures, and to inquire whether his sacred body is in good health, how he teaches the Dharma, and whether sentient beings receive it and practice in accordance with the Dharma. How does the Tathagata Many Treasures now abide perpetually? We have come here because we wish to behold the form of the Tathagata Many Treasures. We beseech the Buddha to reveal it to us.

At that time, the Buddha Neng Ren said to the Tathagata Many Treasures:

– Bodhisattva Wondrous Sound and his retinue now wish to pay homage to the sacred form of the World-Honored One.

The Tathagata Many Treasures immediately praised him, saying:

– Excellent, excellent, son of noble family! You have been able to come and pay homage to the Buddha Neng Ren, inquire about and receive the Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma, and also meet Manjushri so that you may explain what you have not yet attained.

At that time, Bodhisattva Lotus Hand asked what roots of virtue the Buddha Bodhisattva Wondrous Sound had accumulated in a previous life to attain such limitless spiritual transformations.

The Buddha Neng Ren told Bodhisattva Lotus Hand:

– In the distant past, there was a Buddha, a Tathagata, Arhat, Perfectly Enlightened One, named Cloud-Thunder-Sound King, who expounded the Scripture of the Bodhisattva Dharma Treasury of the Six Paramitas. Everywhere in the heavens and the human world, beings attained peace and happiness. At that time, Bodhisattva Wondrous Sound heard his teaching, rejoiced, and understood it. He produced hundreds of thousands of strains of music to delight that Buddha and offered the World-Honored One eighty-four thousand beautiful jeweled bowls. In this way, he diligently made offerings to the Tathagata for twelve thousand years.

Moreover, son of noble family, in a previous life, beginning in the time of the Tathagata Cloud-Thunder-Sound King, Bodhisattva Wondrous Sound cultivated immeasurable Dharmas and planted these roots of merit without ever growing weary or negligent. He transmitted the Tathagata's teaching and guided foolish and deluded people who did not know ultimate truth, causing them all to develop faith and joyful devotion. You should know that the Bodhisattva Wondrous Sound of that time is the present Bodhisattva Wondrous Sound.

Because in that life he gave jeweled bowls and made offerings of instrumental music, and further made offerings to countless Buddhas, he planted roots of virtue and cultivated practices in the presence of a thousand kotis of Buddhas. In past lives he encountered kotis of hundreds of thousands of nayutas of Buddhas, World-Honored Ones, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges.

O Liên Hoa Thủ! The practices of Bodhisattva Diệu Âm are immeasurable. He transforms himself into innumerable forms in order to proclaim and expound the Lotus of the True Dharma Sutra for sentient beings.

He may manifest the form and appearance of Brahmā to teach and transform them, or the form of Śakra, or the form of one noble and wealthy, or the form of a general who guides and teaches soldiers; or various forms possessing great power, such as the Celestial King Tức Ý, a wheel-turning sage king, or lesser kings. He may assume the appearance of a śramaṇa or brahmin and teach the Lotus of the True Dharma Sutra; or manifest as a bhikshu, bhikshuni, layman, laywoman, palace attendant, palace maiden, wife of an elder, lowly woman, or other men and women, old and young, in order to teach them the Lotus of the True Dharma Sutra and transform them.

He may manifest the form and appearance of an asura, garuda, kinnara, mahoraga, human, or nonhuman to teach them the Lotus of the True Dharma Sutra and transform them; or enter the realms of hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, and those subject to the eight difficulties in order to protect and deliver them. He may also manifest as a person of superior, middling, or inferior station, advancing or withdrawing, going before or following behind, and assume male or female form as appropriate to teach them the Lotus of the True Dharma Sutra and lead them to awakening; or transform himself into a queen, enter the palace, and deliver the nobles.

Liên Hoa Thủ, you should know that Bodhisattva Diệu Âm will protect and sustain all sentient beings in the Sahā world.

Furthermore, O son of good family! Bodhisattva Diệu Âm will employ countless skillful transformations to teach and transform beings throughout the Sahā Buddha realm and expound the Lotus of the True Dharma Sutra. His majestic spiritual powers will never diminish but will instead continue to increase; so too will his noble wisdom and knowledge of the path.

Furthermore, O son of good family! The radiance, merit, and wisdom of Bodhisattva Diệu Âm shine throughout the ten directions. At the appropriate times he guides beings to awakening in an unending succession, causing them all to enter the Dharma and its discipline.

He enables those of superior, middling, and inferior aspirations alike to attain fulfillment. While traveling through and teaching in the Sahā world, he also goes to Buddha realms in other directions as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, manifesting the body of a bodhisattva to teach the Dharma. He also manifests the forms of a śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha to guide beings to awakening and reveal the cultivation and study of the original practices.

Those who hear him naturally fulfill their aspirations without violating their original vows.

If sentient beings uphold the discipline of the Tathagata, he assumes the form of a Buddha in accordance with that Dharma discipline and manifests to transmit and clearly reveal the unsurpassed, true, and perfect Great Way. If anyone aspires to attain nirvana, he manifests a body that has already passed into extinction and thereby guides that person, as appropriate, to the wisdom of the path. The power and noble wisdom of Bodhisattva Diệu Âm are immeasurable, transcendent, and radiant. His merit is likewise beyond all comparison.

At that time, Bodhisattva Liên Hoa Thủ came before the Buddha and said:

– Bodhisattva Diệu Âm has accumulated such immense merit. World-Honored One, in what samādhi does he abide that he is able to guide and transform sentient beings without limit?

Buddha Năng Nhân said to Bodhisattva Liên Hoa Thủ:

– Son of good family, listen carefully! There is a samādhi called Manifest Entry into All Forms. Bodhisattva Diệu Âm abides in this samādhi in order to guide, transform, and benefit immeasurable sentient beings, causing them to enter the meaning of the path.

When the Buddha taught this chapter concerning Bodhisattva Diệu Âm, the bodhisattvas who had accompanied Bodhisattva Diệu Âm immediately attained the right concentration of the Samādhi of Manifest Entry into All Forms and its supreme practice. At that time, a number of great bodhisattvas in the Sahā world also cultivated this samādhi. Those who attained the Samādhi of Manifest Entry into All Forms immediately attained dhāraṇī and gained liberation throughout all three times.

At that time, after Bodhisattva Diệu Âm had made offerings to the Buddha Năng Nhân, the Most Honored and Truly Enlightened One, and had paid homage to the relics within the stupa of Tathagata Đa Bảo, he wished to return to his own land. He came forward and bowed at the feet of Tathagata Năng Nhân, took leave of the assembly, and departed. He caused the lands to quake, rained down lotus flowers, and simultaneously produced the harmonious and elegant sound of hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of verses and musical instruments.

Accompanied by eighty-four thousand bodhisattvas, he returned to his native land. Arriving there, he came before Tathagata Tử Kim Ly Cấu Tú Hoa Vương and bowed at his feet. He recounted how he had gone to the Sahā world to guide and benefit sentient beings, venerated the relics within the jeweled stupa of Tathagata Đa Bảo, and visited Bodhisattva Văn-thù-sư-lợi and Bodhisattva Dược Vương, who had attained the power of the path and boundless diligence, as well as Bodhisattva Diệu Dũng.

He had enabled all eighty-four thousand bodhisattvas to attain right practice and the Samādhi of Manifest Entry into All Forms. The forty-two thousand devas who had accompanied him to that realm and heard the Lotus of the True Dharma Sutra all attained the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas. Bodhisattva Liên Hoa Thủ attained the Concentration of the Lotus of the True Dharma.