正法華經

Chapter 16: DWELLING IN BLESSED MERIT

At that time, the Blessed One said to the great being Maitreya:

“Ajita, you should know! Now, as the Buddha expounds this sutra concerning the measure of the Tathagata’s lifespan, sixty-eight quintillion hundreds of thousands of nayutas of bodhisattvas, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, attain the patience of non-arising; two thousand Ganges-sands of bodhisattva great beings all attain dharani; bodhisattva great beings as numerous as the motes of dust in one Buddha-land attain dharani and unobstructed eloquence; moreover, innumerable hundreds of thousands of millions of bodhisattvas, as numerous as the motes of dust in a thousand Buddha-lands, attain the dharani of non-retrogression;

furthermore, bodhisattva great beings as numerous as the motes of dust in a thousand Buddha-lands, upon hearing this scripture, turn the non-retrogressing Dharma wheel; bodhisattvas as numerous as the motes of dust in a medium-thousandfold Buddha-land attain the stainless stage of the Great Sages and turn the Dharma wheel with discerning wisdom; bodhisattvas as numerous as the motes of dust in a small-thousandfold Buddha-land, upon hearing this scripture, shall attain the unsurpassed, right, and true Way after eight more lives; bodhisattva great beings as numerous as the motes of dust throughout the four continents, having heard this Dharma, attain the stage of being bound to one more birth and shall realize perfect enlightenment;

and sentient beings as numerous as the motes of dust in eight Buddha-lands, upon hearing this scripture, all arouse the aspiration to seek the unsurpassed, right, and true Way.”

As soon as the Buddha had spoken thus, the bodhisattva great beings became established in attainment. At that very moment, celestial flowers of various kinds, such as Wish-Fulfilling Flowers and Great Wish-Fulfilling Flowers, descended from the sky, fluttering like snow. They were scattered as offerings over the hundreds of thousands of millions of Buddhas who, out of compassionate concern, had come from innumerable hundreds of thousands of worlds and were seated upon lion thrones beneath seven-jeweled trees; they were also scattered as offerings over the Great Sage, the Mighty Benevolent One, over innumerable and incalculable Buddhas who had entered nirvana, and over the body of the Buddha Many Treasures.

They were also scattered over all the bodhisattvas, and the great earth quaked. Four kinds of sandalwood incense, blended incense, honeyed incense, and all other kinds of incense also descended from the sky. Great thunder resounded through the air, its reverberations deep, gentle, natural, and wondrous.

Countless thousands and myriads of jeweled necklaces, pearls resembling luminous moon-jewels, wish-fulfilling jewels, and others all hung down from the sky like banners and streamers. Innumerable fragrances in the sky naturally diffused their scents. Innumerable hundreds of thousands of jeweled canopies also appeared of themselves; all these jeweled canopies covered all the Buddhas and extended as high as the Brahma heaven.

The assemblies of bodhisattvas in the sky held jeweled canopies and stood in attendance on both sides of the hundreds of thousands of millions of Tathagatas.

At that time Maitreya praised them in verse:

Established, we have heard

A Dharma never known before;

Never in former times

Have we beheld such radiance,

Vast and far-reaching,

Without any boundary;

What we have just beheld

Is inconceivable.

Today I have

Been able to hear this scripture

And contemplate the steadfast

Great Sage, the Guiding Teacher,

Now discerningly expounding the Dharma,

Establishing sentient beings—

Hundreds of thousands of millions,

Extraordinary within the world—

Who turn the non-retrogressing wheel

And abide in the Buddha Way.

Some are established

In grasping the secret treasury;

Some are trained in

Meanings and principles without limit;

Hundreds of thousands of millions attain

The essential mystery of dharani,

Seeking to fathom its measure

And contemplate it fully.

Some are established

In transcending and liberating beings;

Some, after two lives,

Or after eight more lives,

Shall attain the Buddha Way

And liberate immeasurable beings.

Some who are still in training

Have four more lives to pass;

Some have three,

Or only two remaining.

Following the Guiding Teacher

And hearing this scripture,

They shall attain the Buddha Way

And comprehend the supreme meaning.

Some are established

As bound to one more birth;

They shall become wisely accomplished ones

Who journey through all lands.

Hearing and awakening to this sutra

Expounded by the Great Sage,

Some attain the fruit

In which all outflows have ceased.

Like the motes of dust

In eight Buddha-lands—

If one wished to know their number,

It would be just as vast as this.

There are also millions

Of sentient beings who hear the sutra;

Having heard it, they all arouse

The supreme aspiration for the Way.

The Unsurpassed Blessed One

Has accomplished such deeds,

Discerningly expounding the teaching

And establishing the Ultimate Truth.

His immeasurable bodies

Cannot be reckoned,

Just as empty space

Has no boundary.

The devas have scattered

Innumerable millions of flowers;

Incalculable

Thousands of millions of celestial sons,

Shakras and Brahmas,

As numerous as the sands of the Ganges,

Have all come here.

Innumerable thousands of millions

Of blended incense and wondrous incense,

Honeyed incense and superior incense,

Are gathered together as offerings

And scattered before the Buddha,

Falling in successive rows,

Like birds in flight,

To make offerings everywhere

Around the Tathagata’s seat.

High in the sky,

Thunder naturally resounds,

Its reverberations gentle and wondrous,

Deep and sublime.

Hundreds of thousands of millions of devas

All sing praises together.

Luminous moon-jewels

Naturally hang down;

All fragrant scents

Naturally diffuse everywhere.

Hundreds of thousands of millions of myriads

Of seven-jeweled vessels

Fill the sky,

Like wild geese in flight,

Making offerings to the Great Sage,

The One of majestic spiritual power.

Millions of jeweled canopies,

Adorned with the seven treasures,

Incalculable in number,

Vastly surround him.

The bodhisattvas,

Their bodies lofty and immense,

Reach as high as the Brahma heaven,

Beautiful and wondrous,

Intelligent and wise,

Their majestic radiance blazing brightly.

With beautifully embroidered banners and streamers,

They make offerings to the Buddha

And praise the sacred assembly

With thousands of millions of verses.

Their hearts uplifted,

They reverently take refuge in the steadfast one;

Looking down from that place,

They praise what has never been before.

They behold so many

Other Guiding Teachers,

All manifesting together

The measure of their lifespans.

All these sentient beings

Are filled with joy.

The Guiding Teacher’s Dharma voice

Resounds far and wide,

Reaching the ten directions,

Distinctly heard everywhere,

Fulfilling the hearts of sentient beings,

Hundreds of thousands of millions in number,

Who clearly understand the intent of the Way

And are fully adorned.

At that time, the Blessed One said to Maitreya:

“Whoever hears the Dharma sutra spoken by the Tathagata concerning the present manifestation of the measure of his lifespan and, even for a moment, gives rise to delight, faith, and trust, gains merit that cannot be fathomed. Suppose good men or good women who wish to attain the unsurpassed, right, and true Way were to practice five paramitas—giving, moral discipline, patience, diligence, and one-pointed concentration—for eight hundred thousand million kalpas.

Their merit would not equal that of good men or good women who, on hearing here the measure of the Tathagata’s lifespan, give rise for even a moment to joy, faith, and delight, entertaining no doubt that the many forms of practice all converge upon the One Way. You should know that, compared with the merit of practicing the five paramitas for eight hundred thousand million kalpas, their merit is a hundredfold, a thousandfold, ten-thousandfold, a millionfold, and more than ten thousand millionfold greater; no analogy could express such merit.”

The Buddha said:

“Ajita! Good men and good women who hear this Dharma sutra and, even for a single moment, give rise to joy and faithfully follow it shall become firmly established in the unsurpassed, right, and true Way and attain perfect enlightenment.”

At that time the Buddha spoke in verse:

If all were to follow and

Practice the five paramitas,

Aspiring to seek this wisdom

And preserving the great Way in their hearts,

Even for hundreds of thousands of millions of kalpas,

With all eight kalpas complete,

Always making offerings to the Buddhas

And to the shravakas,

Making offerings to thousands of millions of nayutas

Of pratyekabuddhas and bodhisattvas,

Presenting food and drink,

Clothing, beds, and cushions,

Blankets, mats, and dwellings,

All fashioned with sandalwood,

And level pleasure gardens

To serve as places for walking meditation;

After making offerings of so many kinds,

In such innumerable ways,

Throughout hundreds of millions of kalpas,

In order to seek the unsurpassed Way;

And if they also upheld the precepts,

Purely, without violation,

In order to attain the Buddha’s wisdom,

Joyfully believing in and bowing before the Buddha;

And furthermore cultivated patience,

Abiding in gentleness,

Their lofty resolve free from resentment,

Enduring innumerable insults;

Even when encountering violent people,

Arrogant and conceited,

They could endure them all

In order to seek the Buddha Way;

Always earnest and diligent,

Gentle, with steadfast minds,

Their thoughts not turning to other matters,

Traveling through millions of Buddha-lands;

Or dwelling in secluded places,

Wishing to abandon sleep and rest,

Such persons cultivating for millions of kalpas,

Constantly practicing walking meditation;

Even wishing to equal it, they could not equal

Thousands of millions of kalpas of meditation,

And a further eight thousand millions,

Cultivating single-minded concentration.

Resolutely aspiring to attain the Buddha Way

Wishing to gain all-knowing wisdom,

Perfecting the samadhi-paramita,

Single-mindedly meditating in tranquil stillness,

All the merits they have created

Are gathered and amassed together

Throughout hundreds of thousands of kotis of kalpas,

As previously praised.

If a man or woman

Hears of the Buddha’s lifespan

And for even a moment rejoices and believes,

That virtue is supreme.

They should cast away all doubt

And every thought of attachment,

Faithfully delighting in the meaning of the Great Dharma;

Their merit is likewise such.

Therefore, bodhisattvas seeking the Way

Should reverently practice for kotis of kalpas;

Whether or not they have heard

That the Buddha’s lifespan is immeasurable,

They should bow their heads in homage.

Those who attain such merit,

In future lives and ages,

Will liberate kotis of beings,

Like the World-Honored One, the Able and Benevolent,

The Great Being, the Lion of the Shakyas,

Who sat beneath the Bodhi tree

And uttered the lion’s roar.

The reason I have now come

And am revered by sentient beings,

Dwelling at the Buddha’s place of enlightenment,

Is likewise to proclaim the length of his life.

Those endowed with steadfast resolve,

Who hear widely and uphold

The Dharma of liberation that has been taught,

Will harbor no doubt.

The Buddha again addressed Ajita:

“Whoever hears the teaching of the Tathagata’s lifespan and, while dwelling in the human realm, upholds, discerns, and clearly understands it, gains merit beyond all reckoning. Such merit surpasses that of one who, throughout many kotis of kalpas, practices the five paramitas; moreover, that person will manifest and uphold the Buddha’s wisdom.

“Furthermore, one who hears this sutra and immediately upholds it, copies it upon bamboo or silk, makes offerings to it, venerates it, scatters flowers, burns various kinds of incense—such as powdered incense and blended incense—and offers silken parasols, banners, sesame-oil lamps, fragrant-oil lamps, and lamps of clarified butter, gains merit countless times greater than the former person and will attain the Tathagata’s wisdom and vision.

“O Ajita! If that good man hears this sutra concerning the Tathagata’s lifespan and gives rise to sincere rejoicing and faith, then, because with such a disposition he contemplates this sign, know that he has already seen the Tathagata upon Vulture Peak teaching this sutra, surrounded by assemblies of bodhisattvas and encircled by shravakas. He also sees the Buddha-land within this three-thousand-great-thousand world-system: its ground is level and soft, violet-gold in color like lapis lazuli, with eight intersecting avenues, seven rows of jeweled trees, and countless kotis of houses and chambers, within which dwell assemblies of bodhisattvas.

“O Ajita! If one wishes to know whether that person’s mind is constantly upright, joyful, and trusting, one may know from the foregoing signs that the workings of that mind have already beheld the Buddha’s Dharma assembly. Moreover, the Tathagata fully sees that person’s faithful and joyful mind.

After the Tathagata’s nirvana, any good man or good woman who hears this sutra, does not disparage it, but joyfully accepts and upholds it, will be protected by the Tathagata. Such a good man or good woman surpasses one who builds stupas and shrines for the Buddha and establishes monasteries and lecture halls, and surpasses one who tends sick bhikshus and supplies them with medicines and offerings. Why is this?

Because for that person, it is as though the work of erecting stupas and shrines and building monasteries of the seven treasures, reaching as high as the Brahma heaven, and offering them to enshrine all relics has already been completed. The monasteries and stupas dedicated to the Buddha are vast and boundless, covering the whole earth and hung with jeweled bells; their shrines preserve the unsurpassed relics and are offered incense and flowers, blended incense, powdered incense, banners, jeweled canopies, music, hymns of praise, and countless other fragrances.

All the jewels of the heavenly and human realms, heavenly flowers, heavenly incense, and heavenly music are offered; thunder resounds in the sky, reverberating far and wide, together with bells, chimes, great drums, harps, musical instruments, flutes, zithers, and innumerable cymbals. Their sounds are gentle and delightful, and the singing and dancing are rhythmic, harmonious, and joyful. Throughout countless hundreds of thousands of kotis of kalpas, offerings and service are rendered, and all the paramitas are perfected.

“After the Buddha’s nirvana, anyone who hears this sutra and accepts, upholds, reads, recites, distinguishes, or expounds it gains immeasurable merit far surpassing that of one who cultivates and maintains all-embracing loving-kindness; builds lecture halls and monasteries; furnishes beds and beautiful bedding; invites the community of bhikshus to dwell therein; provides landscaped gardens and orchards, luminous moonlike jewels, places for walking meditation and places to sit; supplies food and drink and medicines during illness, with everything fully prepared and complete; and places beneath the beds countless kinds of wondrous treasures whose radiance reaches the Brahma heaven, while interlacing banners and canopies adorn them.

By encouraging and assisting such merit, one gradually brings it to completion, extinguishes transgressions, and becomes pure and radiant; one diligently applies all five limbs, dwells in secluded places, and accumulates merit. Throughout countless hundreds of thousands of kotis of kalpas, one praises the name of this sutra, and every adornment and majestic spiritual power shines brilliantly and pervades everywhere.”

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

If one erects stupas of the seven treasures

Reaching to the Brahma heaven,

And offers flowers, incense, and music,

Banners and canopies in homage;

Provides beds and bedding,

Presents delicious food and drink,

Supplies medicines for the sick,

And many kinds of jeweled beds,

All wondrously adorned,

Reaching to the Brahma heaven;

Adorns the entire Buddha-land,

And fully encourages and assists all such deeds;

Diligently worships in secluded places

And accumulates merit for many kotis of kalpas,

Bringing delight to everyone;

Displays the supremely wondrous,

Making every offering complete;

Provides fresh, pure flowers and banners,

And uses them to make garments,

In numbers as vast as peals of thunder;

Offers music of gentle sound

In homage to the relics;

Lights lamps with fragrant oil

And arranges them all around—

Where one who upholds this sutra

Expounds the Dharma in an age of disorder,

Fully endowed with eloquence—

And makes so many offerings;

Builds countless kotis of chambers,

All fashioned of sandalwood,

And thirty-two lecture halls,

Lofty and unsurpassed,

All furnished with seats;

Provides food and drink as desired,

Offering delicious meals

In hundreds of thousands of kotis of such places;

Makes landscaped gardens and walking grounds,

With flowers scattered over the earth,

And immeasurably many sheltering canopies,

Together with countless paintings,

As offerings to the Sangha—

One who upholds this scripture

May perform all these deeds in the present.

Yet after the Tathagata’s nirvana,

If one reads, recites, respectfully copies,

Rejoices in, and faithfully delights in it,

One gains immeasurable merit,

Surpassing all the merit described above.

If someone copies it,

Enshrines it in a pure place,

And makes offerings to the sutra scroll

With fragrant flowers perfuming all around;

Constantly lights bright lamps,

Burning their wicks with fragrant oil,

Whose fragrance spreads and inspires joy;

And arranges flowers as described above—

One who reverently upholds this sutra

Should make offerings in this way

And will gain exceedingly great merit,

The measure of which cannot be calculated.

Just as the realm of empty space

Has limits that cannot be known,

And the ten directions are vast and immeasurable,

So too is that merit.

How much more so if one also

Constantly practices the way of peace,

Observing the precepts and meditating,

Sitting quietly in a secluded place,

Free from anger and harsh speech,

Reverent and resolute in contemplation;

If bhikshunis constantly practice,

Humble and never arrogant,

Their wisdom bright as the moon,

Unafraid when questioned by the wise,

Explaining each matter in proper sequence,

With hearts aspiring to become Buddhas.

If there is a person such as this,

That person upholds the supreme sutra;

The merit of such a person

Cannot be fathomed or measured.

If you see such a person,

Know that this is indeed a Dharma teacher.

One who upholds this scripture

Should be reverently honored with offerings.

Suppose that someone

Uses heavenly fragrant flowers

And heavenly jeweled canopies

To cover and shelter that person;

One should bow one’s head

In homage to that person,

Always regarding them as

The supremely excellent Tathagata.

Upon seeing that person,

One should think in this way:

‘This person is seeking

To sit beneath the Bodhi tree

And will attain Perfect Enlightenment.’

Therefore, one should make offerings at once,

For that person brings benefit

To devas and human beings.

Whether standing still,

Sitting quietly,

Walking in meditation,

Lying upon a bed,

Or putting on robes,

That person still preserves virtuous qualities

And constantly expounds

This sutra of the Tathagata.

At that time, there is a person

Who, regarding this scripture,

By every skillful means

Reveals its wondrous import,

Which the World-Honored One, the Guiding Teacher,

Has taught with utmost sincerity.

Using countless treasures

To make offerings to that person.

As I have praised,

Wherever that person

May pass,

There is the Buddha’s body;

It abides in that place

As though seated upon a throne,

Clearly knowing on the spot

The places through which that person has passed.

Chapter 17: ENCOURAGEMENT AND REJOICING

At that time, the Great Being Maitreya addressed the Buddha:

“What merit will be gained by a person who hears this scripture that has been proclaimed?”

He then restated this in verse:

After the Great Hero enters extinction,

If someone hears this sutra,

Understands it, and encourages others to rejoice,

What merit will that person gain?

At that time, the Blessed One told Maitreya:

“After the Tathagata enters extinction, if anyone hears this sutra—whether a bhikshu, bhikshuni, good man, faithful woman, or any male or female relative, young or old—and, having heard it, encourages others to rejoice, then within an assembly that person may expound it to others, whether at home, in an open place, or in a quiet place within a village, town, or district. According to what that person has heard in the sutra and comprehended, that person relies upon this ability to explain it to others, or praises and chants it for parents and relatives.

Those who hear the words of the Great Being likewise rejoice in and praise whatever they are able to hear and understand, transmitting it successively from one to another. If they do not encounter the dignified countenance and presence of a Dharma teacher, those skilled in learning take that teacher’s place in encouraging and assisting them. Through these causes and conditions, they devise skillful means enabling beings born within the five destinies and obstructed by the five hindrances to encounter one another.

They exhort one another with what they have heard, so that others may hear of the merit of encouragement and rejoicing that I have described, and hear of the virtues of the Dharma of this sutra as taught by the Dharma teacher.

“Good men and good women! Throughout countless thousands of years, the beings of the six destinies in the four continents beneath heaven have not yet entirely escaped bondage. These are beings with form or without form, with perception or without perception, neither with perception nor without perception; beings with feet or without feet, with two feet, four feet, or many feet; devas and humans.

Suppose among them there is a person who wishes to seek merit and, according to the inclinations of these beings, takes that person’s own finest and most precious possessions—enough to fill the whole of Jambudvipa—and distributes them widely to everyone according to their wishes: houses, gold, silver, crystal, vaidurya, coral, amber, mother-of-pearl, agate, elephant carriages, horse carriages, and ox carriages fashioned from precious substances.

Throughout countless years, that person supplies all their needs in full and also provides food and drink, so that nothing is lacking. In the course of this, that person thinks: ‘They have grown old and feeble, and their minds are weary. How could they be taught and brought into the Dharma and discipline of the Tathagata?

I must instruct them by means of the Buddha’s teachings.’ Having thought thus, that person first employs the precepts to restrain wrongdoing and guides them by means of the scriptures. All of them then discover the traces of the Path; they no longer undergo birth and death, do not cling to what they have realized, have exhausted all outflows, are fully endowed with meditative concentration, radiate majestic spiritual power, attain the eight liberations, and possess single-minded concentration without distraction.

“Ajita, what do you think? Could the merit established through that person’s giving be conceived or measured?”

Maitreya replied:

“It would be exceedingly great and beyond calculation! Merely comforting immeasurable beings and fully supplying all that they lack would already be so; how much more so when that person establishes them in nonattachment to the fruit of realization!”

The Buddha told Ajita:

“I shall now explain this clearly to you. Suppose a person transcends the prescribed discipline and, like that person, performs great acts of giving, supplies the beings of the four continents, and establishes them in nonattachment to the fruit of realization. Yet one who hears a single sentence of this sutra or a single verse from it and then encourages others to rejoice will possess more merit than the giver just described.

The merit of encouraging others to rejoice in a single sentence of the sutra or a single verse cannot be fully recounted. It surpasses what could be recounted in a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred million, ten billion, or a hundred thousand billion myriads of kalpas, and no analogy can express it. How much more difficult, then, would it be to equal the merit of one who personally sees and hears this scripture and rejoices accordingly!

Suppose a person wishes to hear this sutra and enters a monastery, a town, or a village, and, whether standing or sitting, hears this sutra-Dharma for but a moment, or hears it again, and immediately applies that person diligently and vigorously. In this very life, that person will gain merit and will constantly and spontaneously obtain countless precious treasures, palaces, monasteries, beds, seats, elephants, horses, and carriages, enjoying immeasurable ease.

Whenever that person expounds the sutra—whether standing, sitting, or resting—the heavenly kings will all come to protect that person, who will encounter no calamity. Shakra, Brahma, and the Four Heavenly Kings will stand guard on both sides, while wheel-turning sage kings will attend close beside the Lion Throne.

“If a good man proclaims: ‘There is a sutra called the Lotus of the True Dharma, worthy of reverence and veneration. Let us hear and uphold it together!’ and people consult one another and perhaps someone invites a copy home only to let it gather dust, being indolent and failing to practice it, nevertheless, if someone listens to it even briefly and understands offenses and merit, good and evil, and their corresponding retributions, that person will immediately acquire roots of virtue and will attain dharani.

Life after life, that person will accompany the bodhisattvas. Wherever that person is born, that person will be intelligent and wise. For hundreds of thousands of millions of kalpas, that person’s body will always be fragrant and pure.

That person will not fall into the evil destinies, encounter thieves, bandits, or warfare, or harbor a perverse mind. That person will be born into a virtuous family, with a bright and radiant complexion; all who see that person will rejoice and cherish that person. That person will not be blind or deaf; the nose will not be crooked, flattened, or broken; that person will not be mute, stammering, bald, lame, afflicted by discharges, addicted, foolish, deluded, short, tall, weak, strong, pale, or dark; the face will be neither sallow nor wrinkled.

The entire body will be beautiful and upright, like a peach blossom, and everyone will respect and cherish that person. That person’s disposition will be gentle and compassionate, speech will be fluent, and that person will swiftly attain meditative concentration and the Tathagata’s teaching. Wishing to see the Buddhas, that person will, in accordance with that wish, behold the Blessed Ones, the Perfectly Enlightened Ones.

Therefore, one should study this sutra.”

The Buddha taught:

“Ajita! If one considers the merit of such a person, even one who hears the name only once and encourages others to rejoice accordingly gains merit such as this. How much more so one who diligently and vigorously listens to and upholds it, contemplates it, makes offerings to it, and then expounds it fully to others!”

The Blessed One then spoke verses of praise:

In the future, if someone

Should encounter this sutra

And be able to recite

Only a single verse,

Listening and understanding its meaning,

With a mind delighting in encouraging others to rejoice,

That person’s merit

Cannot be measured.

Suppose there is someone

Who, entirely alone, practices giving,

Constantly bestowing upon living beings

Countless abundant possessions,

Just as the Buddha earlier

Set forth in an analogy,

Causing them throughout countless kalpas

All to be fully satisfied.

When that person sees

Their countenances changing,

Their heads white and teeth fallen out,

Aged and stooped,

That person thinks: ‘These living beings

Are drawing near to death.

I wish to teach and transform them,

Causing them to enter the Dharma of the Path.’

Ultimately, that person

Uses the Dharma to teach and transform them,

Distinguishing and expounding

The unconditioned realm.

All the five destinies

Are like the plantain tree;

That person causes them swiftly to accomplish

The realm of extinction.

All those people,

Having heard the sutra, accept it.

They follow this person,

Drawing near and asking questions,

Subduing their own minds,

So that all become free from outflows

And, in but a moment,

Realize nonattachment.

If one hears a single verse

And people encourage one another to rejoice,

The merit thereby attained

Surpasses that act of giving.

Its measure is vast and immeasurable;

The merit of discerning

Even a single verse

Is difficult to count or fathom.

If one should suddenly hear

A single verse expounded,

The merit is boundless

And cannot be measured.

That person gains merit

Countless in this way;

How much more so one who, in the present,

Personally asks questions!

Suppose there is someone

Who goes to an assembly

And hears the sutra but once,

Rejoicing and exulting.

Throughout hundreds of thousands

Of millions of thousands of kalpas,

That Dharma is difficult to encounter

And also difficult to understand clearly.

If now there is someone

Who becomes like that person

And for but a moment hears

This volume of scripture

Having heard it already,

The recompense attained is this:

Wherever one is born,

One has no grave illness.

Life after life, upon being born,

One’s tongue has no defect,

And one’s teeth are firm and strong,

Never falling out or breaking.

One is born in peace and security,

Without any danger or harm;

Evil māras do not obstruct one,

And one’s parents are virtuous and kind.

One’s undertakings proceed favorably,

And one’s lifespan is long.

One is neither blind,

Nor are one’s eyes dim.

One’s nose and ears are handsome,

Without any defect.

One’s lips and tongue are bright red,

Always pure and clean.

One is constantly loved

And honored by everyone.

One’s breath is fragrant,

Without any foul odor.

One’s body is always

Like a blue lotus,

Its fragrance spreading abroad,

Perceived everywhere.

If one is in a dwelling,

Goes to a monastery,

Or travels to any place

Where this sutra may be heard,

Whether for but a moment

Or heard once again,

One rejoices exceedingly

And immediately receives and retains it.

That person’s body

Will be peaceful and secure.

Fine carriages and horses

Will be used to welcome them,

Or they will ride

Upon a gentle elephant carriage,

Traveling throughout the land.

All manner of precious things

Will constantly be offered,

Together with supremely wondrous necklaces.

Hundreds of thousands of people

Will all arouse the aspiration

And go to that place.

Wherever the Dharma is being taught,

They will immediately teach it to them,

Expounding the pure doctrine.

For the sake of the pure Dharma,

They establish a radiant place

And obtain a seat and couch.

Śakra and Brahmā

Will swiftly take their seats.

Like a Dharma-wheel-turning king,

They will long remain among the assembly,

Expounding the meaning of the sutra.

Chapter 18: PRAISE OF THE DHARMA TEACHER

At that time, the Blessed One addressed the Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva Ever Responsive to the Occasion:

“Any good man or good woman who receives and retains, reads and recites, and copies this scripture will attain ten merits of the eye faculty, eight hundred appellations, one thousand two hundred merits of the ear faculty, one thousand two hundred of the nose faculty, one thousand two hundred of the tongue faculty, one thousand two hundred of bodily conduct, and one thousand two hundred of purified mind. These are innumerable hundreds of thousands of merits, by which the merits of the six faculties may be adorned and purified.

“If that person attains purity of the eye faculty, then with the physical eye they will see all things existing throughout the trichiliocosm: the sweet essences within the forests and trees; downward as far as the great Avīci Hell; and upward as far as the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. They will see everything universally and will be able to encompass it all; therefore, this is called the physical eye. They will see all the sentient beings existing therein and clearly know their transgressions and merits, as well as the destinations toward which they are proceeding.”

At that time, the Blessed One praised this in verse:

Those who receive and retain this sutra,

Courageous among the assembly,

Proclaim it without fear—

Hear now of these meritorious qualities.

With eight hundred appellations,

Their eyes are pure and radiant.

Since they have left all defilements behind,

Those eyes see and know universally.

That person, using the physical eyes

Received from father and mother,

Sees the worlds of all Buddhas,

Seeing everywhere beyond the seers;

The mountains and Mount Sumeru,

And also the entire Iron Encircling Range,

Together with other hills and mounds;

They also behold the great oceans.

Sitting silently in one place,

They see every place completely,

Downward as far as Avīci Hell—

Such is the power of their physical eyes.

Though they have not yet attained the divine eye,

Nor the perfectly clear vision and knowledge

Of the sphere of the physical eye,

Their faculties and consciousness are light and unburdened.

The Buddha again addressed the Bodhisattva Ever Responsive to the Occasion:

“Any good man or good woman who teaches this scripture, whether to those of the Śrāvaka Vehicle or to beings of other kinds, will attain one thousand two hundred appellations pertaining to the ears. They will hear throughout the trichiliocosm, downward as far as the great Avīci Hell and upward as far as the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, surpassing even the seers. They will hear the sounds of elephants, horses, and cattle; the sounds of music and carriages; the sounds of wailing and lamentation; the sounds of drums and bells; the sounds of singing and dancing; the sounds of laughter and play; the voices of men and women, boys and girls; the sounds of wind and wondrous sounds; the sounds of the true Dharma and of what is contrary to the Dharma;

sounds of joy and suffering, strength and temperament, softness and harshness; the voices of devas and nāgas; and the various voices of spirits, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, and mahoragas; the sounds of fire, water, and things within the earth; and the voices of bhikṣus, śrāvakas, bodhisattvas, and Tathagatas.

All kinds of sounds existing throughout the trichiliocosm, inside and outside, will be thoroughly understood and entirely purified. With the physical ear faculty, they will hear all the voices of sentient beings. Though they have not attained the divine ear, they will hear them all and clearly understand the origins and particulars of those sounds.

Without contemplating or examining the origins of sentient beings, they will nevertheless hear them all; and without seeking after all those sounds, they will nevertheless hear them clearly and harmoniously. Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva Ever Responsive to the Occasion, though they have not yet attained the divine ear, their ears will always hear in this way.”

After the Buddha had spoken thus, wishing to explain the meaning once more, he spoke these verses:

Their ear faculty is purified,

Immaculate and all-embracing;

Of the many different kinds,

There are one thousand two hundred.

Within the worlds,

They hear and know them all.

When they hear those sounds,

Not a single voice escapes them.

The voices of the six classes of beings

Can all be heard;

The sounds of the various vehicles,

Carriages, cattle, elephants, and horses;

Clapping hands and beating drums;

Music of sorrow and joy;

Striking time on gongs and cymbals—

All are likewise heard.

Gentle instrumental music

And sounds of surpassing excellence—

Though amid the multitude,

They do not become attached.

They hear innumerable things

From those who give teachings,

And that person compares them,

Delighting in discerning them.

They hear the voices of the devas,

Constantly hearing the sounds

That the divine ear can hear;

The voices of men and women,

Gentle and sweet;

And all the sounds of wailing.

The activities of

Boys and girls;

The mournful cry of the luan bird,

The voices of crows and shu birds,

The giao-tinh birds and mandarin ducks,

Together with parrots—

Whenever they utter their cries,

Those dwelling in mountain forests

Can hear them all.

Sounds of this kind—

Of painful suffering,

Of anguished wailing,

Of cruelty and bitterness—

Arising within the hells;

Those longing for food and drink,

Entreating and imploring,

Suddenly surging forth with force

And issuing as cries;

The asuras

Dwelling in the sea,

Whose voices carry unobstructed,

Each sound differing from the others—

At that time, the Dharma teacher,

Remaining in a single place,

Hears and knows

Every sound whatsoever.

The cries of hunger and thirst

Of the hungry ghosts,

Every sound they utter,

Whether a cry or a roar—

At that time, the Dharma teacher,

Standing motionless in that place,

Can also hear and know

All the many kinds of voices.

The voices of the devas

In the Brahmā heavens,

In the Heaven of Radiant Sound,

And in the Heaven of Ultimate Goodness,

Together with sounds

Wondrous, extraordinary, and strange—

The Dharma teacher hears them all

And knows every one of them.

There are people in the world

Who leave the household life and go forth,

Joining the community of bhikṣus,

Practicing and chanting,

Discerning and expounding;

The thoughts and understanding of those people

The Dharma teacher hears and knows.

The sutras thus taught,

And the assemblies of bodhisattvas

Within their own spheres,

Who are able to chant and recite,

Proclaim them for others,

Compile their meanings,

And form them into scriptures—

All these are completely heard.

All the voices

Of the Buddha, the Blessed One,

Teaching the Dharma for others,

And for the sake of sentient beings

Expounding innumerable sutras—

Even while alone beneath a tree,

They hear them all.

Because that bodhisattva

Constantly upholds this sutra,

The voices of innumerable sentient beings

Within the Buddha lands,

Throughout the trichiliocosm,

Resound and reverberate.

Whether within dwellings

Or outside them,

Words coarse or subtle

Are all received;

They hear completely

Every kind of sound

Made by sentient beings,

Yet form no attachment to them.

What everyone in every place

Expresses openly or conceals deeply,

With purified ears

They understand completely.

Although this person has not yet

Attained the divine ear’s penetrative power,

As soon as the conditions converge,

They immediately hear it all.

Such are, at that time,

The merits of the Dharma teacher;

By studying this sutra,

They attain them in this way.

The Buddha again addressed the Bodhisattva Ever Responsive to the Occasion:

– If a good man or good woman accepts and upholds, analyzes, expounds, reads, recites, or copies this sutra upon bamboo or silk, that person will attain eight hundred merits; the faculties will become steadfast, and the faculty of the nose will become pure. Therefore, with the faculty of the nose, that person can smell all the fragrances within the trichiliocosm: gentle fragrances; the fragrance of sumana; the fragrance of birth; the fragrance that transmits the power of cultivation; the fragrance of tư-di flowers; the fragrances of blue, red, yellow, and white lotuses; and all the fragrances emitted by plants, flowers, and fruits, such as blended incense, floral incense, sandalwood incense, fragrant wood, and green wood. That person can smell every kind of fragrance—the hundreds of thousands of distinct fragrances found everywhere; the fragrances of simple trees; the bodily scents of men, women, boys, and girls; perfumes applied to the body; the scents of elephants, horses, the six kinds of domestic animals, flying birds, and running beasts; the fragrances of all kinds of plants; the scents of blood-bearing creatures in forests; the scents of sprites; the fragrance called chí-thàn; heavenly fragrances; the fragrance called tỷ-đà-mỹ; the fragrance of the trú-đạt tree; the fragrance of thought; the fragrance of great thought; gentle fragrance; the fragrances of devas; and the fragrances of heavenly palaces. That person knows whence the bodily fragrance of Sakra emanates—whether he is in a Dharma hall where drums are beaten and music and songs performed, whether he is establishing and regulating essential ordinances, or whether he is teaching the Dharma to the devas of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. That person can smell the fragrances naturally arising from the earth, the fragrance of the celestial maidens of the Lợi-nghị Heaven as they sing and play, and the fragrances of celestial boys and girls. For this reason, even if fragrances arise from the bodies of the celestial princes of the Brahma heavens and the great celestial princes of the Great Brahma Heaven, each having its distinct name, or from shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattva-mahasattvas, and Tathagatas as they travel and teach, that Dharma teacher, though dwelling far away, neither going there nor drawing near, and without approaching to smell them, can nevertheless perceive all those fragrances. Yet the Dharma teacher neither delights in them nor seeks them, neither thinks upon them nor perfumes the body with them. Perceiving and recognizing these fragrances, the teacher abides with a single-minded heart and, in the assembly, distinguishes and explains them all, while the mind remains unattached, neither delighting in nor longing for them.

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

That person's faculty of smell

Is purified in this way;

Knowing many kinds of fragrance,

That person perceives a great multitude.

Throughout the world at that time,

In every place whatsoever,

Wherever there may arise

A fragrance of surpassing excellence,

And also whatever its form—

The fragrance of cultivated flowers,

Sandalwood and other fragrances,

All their diverse varieties—

Those precious fragrances,

Each different in kind,

Their perfumes wafting richly,

And the fragrances of tree resins;

Men and women,

Boys and girls—

That person, while remaining in place,

Knows their different kinds.

The superior and inferior fragrances

That arise among humankind,

Where they were cultivated,

Pale green or mingled in color;

That person also knows within a kingdom

The wheel-turning sage-king,

How gentle and compassionate he is,

And how great his heroic strength;

Also the names of silks and fabrics

Within that kingdom—

All their different fragrances

Can be distinguished;

How abundant its wealth and jewels are,

Where its stores and treasuries

Are concealed and kept,

And whether there are precious maidens

And other rare treasures.

At that time, the bodhisattva,

Clearly knowing their fragrances,

Knows the necklaces that are present,

Worn upon their bodies,

Their jeweled bracelets and ornaments,

Their beautiful garments,

Whether they sit upon seats

Or recline upon beds,

And what perfumes they apply to their bodies—

The bodhisattva knows them all.

Singing, jesting, playing in delight,

And every display of spiritual power—

The wise and discerning one

Perceives them all with the nose.

If there are those who reverently uphold

The teachings of this sutra,

Using aromatic incense

And sesame-oil fragrance,

However many varieties there may be

Of other precious floral fragrances,

While abiding in one place,

That person perceives and knows them all:

From what place

Each fragrance comes,

And can distinguish it

Together with all the fragrances

Present within

Mountains and forests—

Countless varieties

Of flowers, sandalwood,

And other fragrances.

While dwelling among the people

And remaining in one place,

That person knows them all:

Those favored

By a wheel-turning king,

Those concealed in secret places

Within the great ocean,

And those hidden beneath the earth

Where ants and insects are born.

The wise one thoroughly knows

All these fragrances,

And knows the asuras—

Their sons and daughters, wives and children,

And all their subjects—

Distinguishing and knowing them all.

When the asura kings

Sing, dance, play, and rejoice,

That person's nose perceives it all;

Such is the resulting recompense.

Whether in an open wilderness

Or at a crossroads,

Where there are many lions,

Tigers, wolves, dragons, elephants,

Oxen and their herds,

Of every different kind,

Male and female alike,

That person can know them all.

If there is a woman

Following her own preference,

Whether she desires a son

Or wishes for a daughter,

After she has conceived

And her body has grown weary,

By her scent that person knows

Whether the child in her womb is male or female.

That person also clearly knows

Whence the body has come,

And fully understands

The meaning of causes and conditions:

Whether, upon encountering this person,

There will be peace, suffering, or happiness;

The health of the child,

And the merit the child will obtain;

All wishes concerning sons or daughters

Are known completely.

That person also separately perceives

The fragrance of each aspiration,

According to every inclination—

Thus, without end.

That person also separately perceives

The fragrance of tranquil bodies,

And where within the earth

Treasuries of wealth and jewels lie:

All kinds of gold and silver,

Soft and lustrous coral,

And objects resembling purple gold.

Though remaining peacefully in one place,

That person perceives and knows them all.

All jeweled necklaces,

Moon-bright jewels,

And whatever exists in the world

That ordinary people do not know—

By smelling with the nose,

That person knows whether they are fine or inferior,

Whether they come or go, advance or halt,

And clearly knows good and evil.

Among the devas in the heavens

Are thought-flowers and other flowers,

Flowers of gentle sound,

And many kinds of blossoms

Gathered together in profusion

Within empty space.

Through the power of the nose,

That person perceives them all from here.

Those celestial beings

Possess palaces—

Palaces of superior,

Inferior, and intermediate grades,

Of every different class.

Exactly as they are in form,

While standing here,

That person perceives and knows them through the nose,

And can also distinguish

The pleasure gardens where they roam,

The Dharma of the devas,

Luminous and tranquil,

And likewise fully comprehends

The majestic palaces

Of the celestial princes,

Where they are established,

And where they sport and play.

That person perceives every fragrance

And distinguishes by fragrance

The hosts of celestial princes:

In what Dharma they abide

And what deeds they perform.

While remaining in that very place,

That person knows it all by fragrance.

The celestial maidens

Gather flowers and fruits,

And precious necklaces,

And play all around.

At that time, the bodhisattva

Knows all their fragrances—

From the Heaven of the Thirty-Three

Up to the foremost heaven,

And the Great Brahma heavens;

By smelling with the nose,

The bodhisattva can know

All their palaces.

Their abiding and their dissolution

Can be clearly known;

All places, far and near,

Are likewise completely understood.

Their deaths and subsequent rebirths,

And their lives in former existences—

By smelling with the nose,

The bodhisattva clearly knows them from root to branch.

If there are bodhisattvas

Who uphold this scripture,

Or bhikshus

Who comply when invited to teach,

Constantly cultivating diligence,

Walking in meditation in secluded places,

Or who, with utmost sincerity,

Chant, recite, lecture upon, and expound it,

Then that bodhisattva

Knows them all completely.

That bodhisattva also knows the shravakas,

Those supremely excellent ones,

Who constantly dwell beneath trees,

Solitary and alone.

That discerning one

Knows them through their scent;

Wherever any bhikshu

May be dwelling,

That person can distinguish him

And immediately know that place.

If there are bodhisattvas

Whose minds are firmly established in meditation,

Who constantly delight

In chanting, reciting, lecturing, and expounding,

And who also explain the teaching

For the sake of others,

At that time, the bodhisattva

Knows them by perceiving their fragrance:

Where those great beings

Are dwelling,

How, moved by compassion and practicing loving-kindness,

They distinguish and teach the Dharma,

Seated in that very place

And surrounded by disciples.

By perceiving fragrance, the bodhisattva clearly knows

The place where the Dharma King abides.

If sentient beings

Are able to hear the sutra and the Dharma,

Accept and uphold them,

Their hearts and minds become elated.

At that time, the bodhisattva

Also sees from here

The bodhisattvas' spiritual power

As they abide within the assembly.

Though in all these circumstances

That person has not yet attained

The nose of a celestial being,

It naturally becomes thus.

This corresponds to

The nose of the devas,

Free from all outflows.

The Buddha said:

– Good man! If anyone accepts and upholds, reads and recites, and copies this scripture, that person will attain twelve hundred extraordinary merits of the tongue faculty. The tongue faculty will fully distinguish all flavors. If there is delicious food, it will become like celestial food naturally. If one eats coarse, salty, or bitter food, it will be transformed into a celestial banquet of exquisitely wondrous flavor. If one enters an assembly to expound and transmit the essentials of the Dharma, everyone will rejoice and revere the scriptural Dharma. If one enters a place of angry contention, one will use gentle and virtuous speech, reasoning and explaining every difficulty clearly; through loving-kindness and sympathetic understanding, everyone will become joyful and harmonious, and discordant voices will be transformed.

Because that person has heard the sutra and speaks with wondrous eloquence, devas and humans will come; Shakra, Brahma, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Pure Heaven devas, and the celestial maidens will wish to behold that person. The celestial princes, dragons, spirits, and the wives of dragons and spirits; asuras and the wives of asuras; garudas and the wives of garudas; kimnaras and the wives of kimnaras; mahoragas and the wives of mahoragas; gandharvas and the wives of gandharvas; the female yaksha spirits and the female Pratyangira spirits will all wish to come, behold, bow, inquire after that person, accept and uphold the precepts of the sutra, and take refuge.

Bhikshus, bhikshunis, good men, good women, kings, crown princes, great ministers, officials, powerful and wealthy nobles, and majestic wheel-turning sage-kings replete with the seven treasures; crown princes, their retinues, royal consorts, palace women, brahmins, sages, and householders from cities, prefectures, districts, villages, and residences will all wish to come and behold that person. Throughout their lives, they will desire to bow, take refuge, make offerings, attend upon that person, and listen to and accept the scriptural Dharma.

That person's teachings will be lucid and gentle, just as the Blessed One, the Tathagata, has praised. Having encountered, contemplated, and examined it, that person will attain the profound essence of the Buddha's wisdom, naturally hearing and comprehending it in this way; that person will also know in which direction the Blessed One is facing when he expounds the Dharma.

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

That person's tongue faculty

Is truly soft and supple;

It distinguishes every flavor,

Discerns what is delicious or poor.

Whatever is naturally delicious

Is like the food of the heavens;

However many flavors there may be,

They arise one after another.

With an exceptionally wondrous voice

And gentle, harmonious speech,

Those who hear are filled with wonder,

Rejoicing and delighting.

Within the assembly,

Everyone admires and reveres that person,

Who will further expound

With a profound voice.

Those who are able to hear

The scriptures thus proclaimed

Will perceive karmic recompense

As utterly pure.

They will immediately give rise to joy,

Clearly understand and show reverence,

And make offerings to the scriptures

Beyond all reckoning.

The devas, dragons, and spirits,

And the asura spirits,

Will always revere that person

And wish to behold them.

They bow in reverence

And inquire about the scriptures.

That person's virtuous renown

Will attain such a state.

Within this world,

In the instant a thought arises,

That person will use their voice

To proclaim it everywhere.

That voice is soft and gentle,

Subtle, wondrous, and exceptional,

Profound and refined,

With harmonious cadence.

The eminent and noble,

The wheel-turning sage-kings,

Queens and royal daughters,

Will wish to come there

In order to make offerings.

All will join their palms

And, from beginning to end,

Listen attentively to the scripture.

The celestial spirits everywhere

Will hold that person in complete reverence.

The gandharvas

And all their retinues,

The female Pratyangira spirits,

Together with men and women,

Will all be reverent

And come to attend upon that person.

The heavenly king Brahma,

Sovereign and honored,

The wondrous great divine ministers,

And the celestial princes;

Shakra and Brahma,

The hosts of celestial princes,

And countless celestial maidens

Will come to that person's dwelling.

When a Buddha is present in the world,

The enlightened Guide,

The shravaka disciples,

Upon hearing that gentle voice,

Will appear at that place

And silently protect and uphold that person.

Examining the Dharma expounded,

They will all rejoice.

The Buddha said:

– Good man! If a bodhisattva-mahasattva, having heard this sutra, accepts and upholds, reads and recites, and copies it, that person will attain eight hundred merits of the body: their complexion will be radiant and their voice powerful, and they will be like pure, stainless vaidurya. Whatever they do, everyone will admire and emulate. Their countenance and bearing will inspire reverence, and their conduct will be refined. Making no distinction between self and others, all beings throughout the trichiliocosm will bow their heads and pay homage. All living beings, whether good or bad, with flourishing or withered appearances; good realms and evil realms; the Iron Ring Mountains and the Great Iron Ring Mountains; small mountains and great mountains; inhabited places; from the great Avici hell below up to the Heaven of the Thirty-Three throughout the Buddha's lands—all will be universally seen through the natural majesty of that person's virtue.

In this world, wherever shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, or Tathagatas expound the scriptural Dharma, that person, through their own majestic radiance, will see everything clearly. Why is this? Because their body is pure, they attain such a state.

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

That person's body

Has become pure,

Like vaidurya

Without a single flaw.

All who behold that person

Will honor and cherish them,

For that person has upheld

This wondrous sutra.

Like a bright mirror

In which one sees one's own face,

One sees all myriad things

In precisely the same way.

One sees one's own roots and branches

And also sees other people;

That body is pure,

Like Mount Sumeru.

Within this world,

However many beings there are—

Devas and humans,

Asura spirits,

Hell beings, hungry ghosts,

And animals—

All their bodily forms

And countenances are seen.

The palaces and halls

Of the devas,

Mountains of earth, mountains of stone,

And the Iron Ring Mountains,

The Snow Mountains, Mount Sumeru,

And all the great mountains—

All are seen completely.

Wherever beings may dwell,

Through great spiritual majesty,

One beholds the Buddhas,

All the shravakas

And their disciples,

Or bodhisattvas

Who, in secluded places,

Proclaim the scriptural Dharma;

One can know them all.

That pure body

Is likewise such:

It sees completely

All the worlds.

Through an ordinary worldly body,

One clearly knows all this,

Though this person has not yet

Attained the Noble Path.

The Buddha said:

– Good man! After the Tathagata has entered nirvana, if a bodhisattva-mahasattva accepts and upholds, reads and recites, explains, and teaches this sutra, that person will attain twelve hundred pure merits of the mind faculty.

With that pure mind faculty, the person will thoroughly penetrate all things. Merely upon hearing a single verse, they will comprehend its ultimate, profound, and extensive meaning. Then, through that profound and extensive understanding, they will be able to expound the scriptural Dharma for one month, four months, or even an entire year, retaining all that they have accumulated and never forgetting it.

Through the Dharma, they will perceive, distinguish in proper sequence, and never lose the thread even of the words exchanged over prices in ordinary buying and selling. They will know whether the good and evil thoughts of the six classes of beings throughout the trichiliocosm are correct or incorrect. They will also perceive whether the shramanas among them are noble ones or are not noble ones.

With a pure mind, they will have no need for deliberate thought, but will naturally distinguish and expound the meaning of the Dharma in utterly sincere words. Whatever they teach will accord with the words of the supreme scriptures that the Tathagata formerly taught and fully elucidated.

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

That person's mind faculty

Is pure and immaculate,

Radiant and bright,

Clearly perceiving thoughts.

For this reason,

They understand every kind—

Defiled and base,

Good, bad, and middling.

If they hear a single verse,

They will always uphold it,

Understanding its countless

Profound meanings.

They may speak for one month or four,

Or even for an entire year,

Concerning good and evil deeds,

With the utmost sincerity.

Within this world,

Everywhere throughout it,

If there are beings

Of every kind—

Devas and humans,

As well as asuras,

Other kinds of spirits,

And animals—

Among the six destinies,

Whatever beings there may be,

With all their thoughts

And manifold mental states,

The person who upholds this sutra,

Within a single instant,

Will see and know them all.

The differing thoughts

Of the Buddhas, the Great Sages,

Adorned with the marks of a hundred merits—

All are directed toward

Expounding the Dharma for the world.

When they reach the place of teaching,

All listen attentively

To the pure words of the discourse,

And immediately receive and recite them.

In former lives, they had already

Studied this scripture

And expounded it for a long time,

Unraveling its knots.

They constantly elucidate

The essential meaning of the scripture;

Amid the assembly,

They are utterly fearless.

Those who uphold this scripture

Have radiant faculties

And never encounter

Any afflictions of the mind.

The friends with whom they associate

Are all virtuous and kind;

Their faculty of mind is penetrating and clear,

And likewise,

The bodhisattva has never

Abided in any fixed place,

But, for all sentient beings,

Discerns and expounds the scripture.

Those who constantly receive and uphold it

Abide securely in the true Dharma;

Through skillful means suited to circumstances,

They know what is appropriate.