金光明最勝王經

CHAPTER 26: GIVING UP THE BODY

After the Blessed One had told the assembly about the past causes and conditions of the ten thousand devas, he then said: “In the past, when I cultivated the bodhisattva path, I not only gave water and food to save the lives of the fish, but also relinquished this precious body. Let us now examine such deeds together.”

The Tathagata, the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Fully and Perfectly Enlightened One, supreme and unsurpassed among devas and humans, whose hundreds of thousands of rays of light illuminate all ten directions, possessed omniscience and was perfect in merit. At that time, he led the bhiksus and the great assembly to the village of Pancala and entered a forest. Although it was a forest, the ground was level and free of thorns, while many fragrant flowers and soft green grasses covered it everywhere. The Blessed One said to the Venerable Ananda: “You may prepare a seat for the Tathagata beneath this tree!” Ananda obeyed. When he had finished, he said: “Blessed One! I have prepared the seat, and the proper time has also arrived!”

The Blessed One then sat cross-legged upon the seat, holding his entire body upright and concentrating his mind single-pointedly. He said to the bhiksus: “Do you wish to see the relics of the bodhisattva who practiced austerities in the past?” The bhiksus replied together: “We very much wish to see them.” The Blessed One immediately placed upon the ground his perfect arm, endowed with the marks produced by a hundred merits.

At once the earth shook in six ways and then split open, whereupon a stupa made of the seven precious substances, covered above by a jeweled net, suddenly emerged. Seeing this, the great assembly considered it exceedingly rare. The Blessed One rose from his seat, bowed reverently, circumambulated the stupa, and then returned to his seat.

He said to Ananda: “You may open the door of this stupa.” Obeying the Buddha’s instruction, Ananda opened the stupa and saw a casket made of the seven precious substances, adorned with many rare and wondrous treasures. Ananda said to the Buddha: “I see a casket made of the seven precious substances, adorned with a great many precious jewels.” The Buddha said to Ananda: “You may open that casket!” Ananda obeyed and opened it.

Seeing relics as pure white as jade and as kumuda flowers, he immediately said to the Buddha: “Blessed One! Within this casket are relics of an extraordinarily wondrous color.” The Buddha again said: “You may bring the relics here!” Ananda immediately presented the relics to the Buddha. The Blessed One received them and said to the bhiksus: “You should behold the relics of the bodhisattva who practiced austerities!” The Blessed One then spoke this verse of instruction:

“The bodhisattva of supreme virtue, endowed with wisdom,

Diligent and courageous, perfected the six paramitas;

Cultivating without rest for the path of enlightenment,

His mind remained ever steadfast, never shrinking from weariness.

Bhiksus, you should bow reverently to the bodhisattva’s relics. These relics were formed and imbued with the fragrance of moral discipline, the fragrance of samadhi, and the fragrance of wisdom. They are a supreme field of merit, exceedingly difficult to encounter.” Hearing the Buddha’s instruction, the bhiksus and the entire great assembly single-mindedly joined their palms and reverently bowed to the bodhisattva’s relics, and all praised this as unprecedented. Ananda then approached, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and said: “Tathagata, you are the great teacher of all living beings, transcending the three realms and wholeheartedly revered by all sentient beings. Why do you bow to these relics?”

The Buddha said: “Through the bones of this body, I swiftly attained unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment. To repay this former kindness, I bow in reverence. Now, to dispel the doubts in your mind and in the minds of the entire great assembly, I shall explain the past causes and conditions of these relics.

Listen attentively and reflect carefully.” Ananda said to the Buddha: “We very much wish to hear. We humbly ask the Blessed One to expound it!”

The Blessed One taught: “Long ago, there was a king named Great Army who was wealthy and possessed immeasurable riches. His treasuries and granaries overflowed, his army was powerful, and all neighboring kingdoms submitted to him. The king governed and taught according to the true Dharma; his people were numerous, and he had no enemies.

His chief queen gave birth to three princes, all upright and handsome in appearance, whom everyone delighted to behold. The first prince was named Mahabala, the second Mahadeva, and the third Mahasattva. One day, the king wished to roam and take pleasure among the mountains and forests, and the three princes also asked to accompany him.

While searching for flowers and fruit, the three princes wandered far from their royal father and gradually came to a bamboo grove, where they rested. The first prince then said: ‘I am very afraid that wild beasts in this forest may harm us.’ The second prince said: ‘I do not begrudge my body; I fear only that those who love us may suffer the pain of separation.’ The third prince spoke this verse to his two elder brothers:

This is a place where immortals dwell;

I have no fear or sorrow of separation.

My body and mind are filled with peace and joy;

Surely I shall gain extraordinary merit.

After expressing their thoughts, the princes continued onward. The three suddenly encountered a tigress that had given birth to seven cubs only seven days before. Surrounded and beset by her cubs, she was unable to search for food. Tormented by hunger and thirst, she was gaunt and emaciated, with little life remaining. Seeing this, the first prince said: ‘How pitiful, how pitiful! This tigress gave birth only seven days ago. Surrounded by her cubs, she has no opportunity to search for food or drink. Driven by hunger and thirst, she will surely eat the flesh of her own cubs.’ Mahasattva asked: ‘What does this tiger ordinarily eat?’ The first prince replied in verse:

Tigers, leopards, lions, and jackals

By nature always delight in flesh and blood.

Nothing other than such food

Can save this body, so gaunt and weak.

Hearing this, the second prince said: ‘The tigress is emaciated and tormented by hunger and thirst. Surely she will die before long. But where could we possibly find such food, and who would relinquish his body to save her?’ The first prince replied to his younger brother: ‘One’s body and life are the hardest things to relinquish.’ Prince Mahasattva then said to his two elder brothers: ‘We ordinary beings cherish our own bodies.

Lacking wisdom, we are unable to benefit others. But a noble being[1], whose compassion is deep and profound, constantly forgets his own body for the benefit of others.’ The prince further thought: ‘Throughout hundreds of thousands of lifetimes, I have allowed this body to decay uselessly. Why should I not now cast it away like phlegm and spittle and use it to relieve the hunger of these tigers?’ As the princes discussed this, they all gave rise to loving-kindness, sorrow, and compassion.

They gazed intently at the starving tigress, never taking their eyes from her even for a moment. After hesitating for a long while, they departed. Prince Mahasattva then thought: ‘Now is precisely the time for me to relinquish my body and life.

Why is this so? Because:

For countless distant kalpas I have preserved this body;

Why cherish this foul mass of blood and pus?

I have supplied it with bedding and clothing,

With horses, elephants, carriages, and wealth.

All conditioned things change and are not enduring;

Though sought endlessly, they never suffice and are difficult to preserve.

Although constantly nourished, this body becomes an enemy;

In the end it abandons me, knowing no gratitude.

Furthermore, this body is truly unstable and brings me no benefit. It is as fearsome as a bandit and as filthy as a heap of dung. Today I should enable this body to accomplish a great work: to become a vessel upon the sea of birth and death, depart far from samsara, and reach the shore of liberation.

Moreover, one should know that by relinquishing this body, one relinquishes immeasurable dangerous illnesses and hundreds of thousands of fears. This body is filled only with foul excrement and urine, as fragile as a bubble, and a gathering place for microorganisms. It is held together and sustained merely by blood vessels, sinews, and bones; truly, it is loathsome.

Therefore, today I should relinquish it in order to seek true and ultimate nirvana, forever depart far from fears and the suffering of impermanence, bring birth and death to an end, sever the defilements of worldly entanglement, perfect my cultivation through the power of concentration and wisdom, become fully adorned with a hundred merits, attain omniscience, and realize the wondrous Dharma-body praised by all Buddhas.

After attaining it, I shall bestow immeasurable Dharma-bliss upon sentient beings.’

The third prince aroused a courageous resolve and made a vast and profound vow, nurturing this mind with thoughts of great compassion. Fearing that his two elder brothers would be alarmed and prevent him from fulfilling his intention, Sattva said, ‘Elder brothers, go back first; I shall follow afterward.’ Once his two brothers had departed, Prince Sattva entered the forest and went to where the tigers were. Slowly removing his garments, he hung them upon a bamboo branch and made this vow:

For all sentient beings throughout the Dharma-realm,

I earnestly seek bodhi, unsurpassed awakening.

I arouse great compassion, steadfast and unmoving;

This precious ordinary body I do not cherish.

The further shore is free from sorrow and burning anguish,

The very place that the wise aspire to reach.

All sentient beings within the sea of suffering—

Today I shall rescue them and bring them peace and bliss.

After making this vow, the prince cast himself down before the starving tigers. Yet because of the majestic power of his compassion, the tigers could do nothing to him. Seeing this, the bodhisattva climbed a tree and threw himself to the ground, but the tree deity caught him, and he was not injured.

The bodhisattva thought, ‘The tigers are extremely gaunt and too weak to eat my flesh by themselves.’ He then searched for a sharp knife but could not find one, so he pierced his own neck with a bamboo branch, causing blood to gush forth and flow toward the tigers. At that moment the earth quaked in six ways, like a fierce wind raising waves upon the sea. Everywhere the ground rose and sank, trembling without rest.

The sun gave no light, as though obscured by asuras, and darkness spread everywhere. The devas rained down beautiful flowers and scattered fragrant incense throughout the forest. Seeing this deed from the sky, the devas all rejoiced in sympathetic joy, regarding it as unprecedented, and praised him together:

The Great Being, intent on compassion, brings deliverance,

Courageous, unsparing, his heart filled with joy.

He regards all sentient beings as his only child;

Relinquishing his body to relieve suffering, his merit is beyond compare.

Seeking to attain the true and eternal, the supremely wondrous state,

He shall forever escape the bonds of birth and death.

Before long he will enter unsurpassed awakening,

Unborn, peaceful, and inconceivable.

Seeing the blood gush from the bodhisattva’s neck, the starving tigers came forward to drink it and devour his flesh, leaving only his bones. At that moment the first prince suddenly saw the earth quake and said to his younger brother:

The earth, mountains, and rivers all are trembling;

Celestial flowers fall in profusion throughout the sky.

Darkness spreads everywhere, and the sun is unseen;

Surely our brother has relinquished his body!

When the second prince heard his elder brother speak thus, he continued in verse:

I heard Sattva speak words of compassion,

And saw how gaunt and feeble the mother tiger was.

He feared that, maddened by hunger, she would eat her cubs;

I suspect he gave his body without regret.

The two princes were overwhelmed with grief. Weeping and lamenting, they ran to where the tigers lay. Suddenly they saw Sattva’s garments hanging upon a bamboo branch, while his bones and hair were scattered everywhere and his blood had soaked the ground. Unable to restrain themselves, they collapsed upon the fragments of bone and lay unconscious for a long while before reviving. Both waved their arms and cried out in anguish, lamenting together:

How dignified and handsome was your countenance,

Ever cherished by our mother and father.

Why, when we went wandering together,

Did you alone relinquish your body and not return?

If our mother and father ask about you,

How shall we answer them?

Better that all three of us should die together;

How could we wish to remain alive?

The two princes wept and grieved for a while, then departed. Meanwhile, Prince Sattva’s attendants said to one another, ‘Where is the prince? Let us search for him!’ At that same time, the chief queen was asleep in a lofty chamber and dreamed of inauspicious omens: both her breasts were cut off, all her teeth fell out, and of three young doves, one was seized by a falcon while the other two were terrified. When the earth quaked, she awoke. Recalling the dream, she became deeply anxious and distressed. She spoke this verse:

Why does the earth now quake?

The mountains, rivers, and dense forests also sway.

The sun gives no light, as though obscured;

Strangely, my eye twitches and my breast aches.

As though my heart were pierced by an arrow, my mind is torn;

My whole body trembles, and I find no peace.

The inauspicious dream that I have seen

Surely portends a great calamity. Can it be so?

At that moment milk spontaneously flowed from the chief queen’s breasts, and she thought that a great calamity must surely have occurred. Then a maidservant heard people outside saying that the prince had not yet been found. Overcome with fear, she hurried into the palace and reported to the queen, ‘Your Majesty, do you know?

I heard the people outside say that they have searched everywhere for the prince but have been unable to find him.’ Hearing this, the queen became even more distressed, and tears streamed down her face. She went before the king and said, ‘I have heard what the people outside are saying. Our dearly beloved youngest son is missing!’ Upon hearing this, the king was greatly alarmed and said with a choking voice, ‘Alas!

Today I have lost my most precious son.’ Wiping away his tears, the king consoled the queen: ‘Virtuous Lady, you should not grieve so deeply. We shall now go together to search for Prince Sattva.’ The king immediately led his ministers and troops out of the city, dividing them into groups to search for the prince in many places. Before long, a minister came and reported, ‘I have just heard that the other princes are safe.

Please do not grieve. Only Prince Sattva has still not been found.’ Hearing this, the king lamented, ‘Alas! Alas!

I have lost my beloved son!’ The king spoke this verse of lamentation:

When my son was first born, how boundless was my joy;

Today, having lost him, how grievous is my pain.

If only my son might fortunately return to life,

I would not care even if this body of mine were lost.

Hearing this, the queen felt as though her heart had been pierced by an arrow, and she too spoke this verse of lamentation:

My three sons, together with their attendants,

Went roaming through the mountains and forests.

Only the youngest prince has not returned;

Surely he has met with some dreadful danger.

Just then the second minister arrived, and the king hurriedly asked, ‘Where is our beloved prince?’ The minister was grieving and weeping; his throat, lips, and tongue were parched, and he could not utter a word. The queen again asked:

Quickly tell me where the prince is!

My body burns as though consumed by blazing oil;

My mind is darkened, bewildered, and distraught.

Would you let my breast burst apart?

The minister then recounted how the prince had relinquished his body. Upon hearing this, the king and queen became even more grief-stricken. Choking with sorrow, they hastened to the bamboo grove. When they arrived and saw the bones scattered everywhere, both collapsed unconscious upon the ground, their minds obscured and unaware of anything, like great trees felled by a fierce wind. The ministers hurriedly sprinkled cold water upon the king and queen. Only after a long while did they revive, whereupon they again waved their arms and wept in anguish:

What a great calamity! How beautiful your body was,

Yet why did you hasten to die so young?

If only I had been able to depart before you,

I would never have witnessed such immense suffering!

The queen regained consciousness, her hair disheveled. Again she beat her breast and writhed upon the ground, like a fish cast upon dry land, like a cow that had lost her calf, weeping and lamenting:

Who has killed my child,

Leaving his bones scattered upon the ground?

Having lost my beloved son,

How can I bear this grief?

Alas! Who has killed him,

Bringing about this dreadful sorrow?

My heart is not made of iron or stone;

How could it not be shattered?

In a dream I saw

Both my breasts cut off,

And all the teeth in both my jaws fall out;

Now indeed I meet with this suffering.

Again, I saw three birds,

One of which was seized by a falcon.

Now I have lost my beloved son;

The evil dream has truly come to pass.

The king, the queen, and the two princes grieved and wept, casting away even the jeweled necklaces from their bodies. Then, together with all the people, they gathered Prince Sattva’s bones, built a stupa in which to enshrine them, and reverently made offerings. Ananda!

You should know that these are the relics of that bodhisattva. In the past, although I still had many afflictions of greed, anger, and delusion, I was able, throughout the various destinies—including the hells, the realm of hungry ghosts, and the animal realm—to rescue beings according to circumstances and free them from suffering. How much more so today, when the Tathagata has completely eradicated all afflictions and no latent tendencies remain, is the Teacher of Gods and Humans, and possesses omniscience—could I not, for the sake of each and every being, enter the hells and other places for many kalpas, undergo suffering in their stead, and enable them to escape the afflictions and the cycle of birth and death?

The Tathagata then repeated the meaning above in verse:

I remember that in the past,

Throughout immeasurable, countless kalpas,

At times I was a king,

And at times I was a prince.

I constantly practiced giving,

Relinquishing my cherished body,

Seeking to transcend birth and death

And reach the realm of wondrous bodhi.

Long ago there was a great kingdom

Whose king was named Great Chariot.

His prince was named Dõng Mãnh,

And the prince had two elder brothers,

Named Đại Cừ and Tiểu Cừ.

One day the three brothers

Went together to roam in the forest.

Seeing a tigress tormented by hunger and thirst,

They immediately began to reflect:

This tigress is scorched by the fire of hunger,

And she has nothing else to eat.

Seeing this, the great being

Feared that she would devour her own cubs.

He therefore gave up his body without regret

To save that family of tigers.

The earth, the mountains, and the forests

All shook at once.

Rivers and seas surged and sank;

Great waves arose, and the waters flowed backward.

Heaven and earth lost their light;

All was dark, and nothing could be seen,

Causing the birds and beasts of the deep forest

To become bewildered and lose their way home.

The two elder brothers grew suspicious and alarmed,

Their anxiety and grief increasing.

Together with their attendants,

They searched everywhere throughout the forest.

The brothers conferred with one another

And went deep into the mountains to search.

Though they searched everywhere, they did not find him.

Then, in a deserted part of the forest, they saw the tigers:

One mother and seven cubs,

Their mouths covered with fresh blood,

While fragments of bone and strands of hair

Lay scattered everywhere.

When the two princes saw this,

Their hearts were overwhelmed with terror.

They fainted and fell to the ground,

Unconscious and knowing nothing.

Dust covered their bodies,

And their six faculties ceased to perceive.

Sattva’s attendants

Wept, their hearts filled with anguish.

They sprinkled the princes with water until they revived,

Waving their hands and crying aloud.

When the bodhisattva relinquished his body,

His loving mother was in the palace,

Together with five hundred palace women,

Enjoying many pleasures.

From both the queen’s breasts

Milk suddenly began to flow.

Her entire body felt as though pierced by needles,

And the pain made her deeply uneasy.

Thinking that she might have lost her child,

She felt as though an arrow had pierced her heart.

She immediately went to inform the king,

Revealing all her anguish.

Unable to stop weeping,

She sorrowfully said to the king:

Great King, you should now know

That I am overwhelmed with grief.

Milk suddenly flows from both my breasts,

And I cannot stop it myself.

My entire body feels pierced by needles;

My breast burns as though about to burst.

Last night I had an evil dream;

It surely portends the loss of my child.

Great King, I beg you to save me;

Go and learn whether our son still lives!

I dreamed of three doves,

The smallest bird being my precious child.

Suddenly it was seized by a falcon;

My sorrow is truly beyond expression.

My heart is filled with fear;

My life cannot last much longer.

I fear that my child’s life is in peril;

Great King, please search for him at once.

I have heard people outside saying

That they cannot find my youngest son.

My heart is deeply troubled;

Great King, please have compassion on me!

When the queen had spoken,

Grief overwhelmed and bewildered her mind.

Her whole body fell to the ground,

And she lay unconscious, knowing nothing.

When the palace women saw the queen

Lying unconscious upon the ground,

They all raised their voices in loud lamentation,

Fearing that they had lost their refuge.

When the king heard these words,

His grief became unbearable.

He immediately summoned all his ministers

To search for his beloved son.

They all departed from the city

And divided among all the roads.

“How may I find my son

And dispel this sorrow?”

The people passed the word among themselves

That the prince had died.

All who heard it were filled with pity,

And their lamentation and suffering overflowed.

At that time King Great Chariot

Rose from his seat, weeping,

And went to the great queen.

He sprinkled water upon her body,

And only after a long while

Did the queen regain consciousness.

Again she lamented and asked the king:

“Is my son still alive?”

The king replied to the queen:

“I have sent everyone

To search throughout all places,

But as yet there is no news.”

The king then consoled the queen:

“Do not grieve excessively.

Keep your heart calm,

And let us leave the city together to search.”

The king and the queen

At once set forth in the royal carriage.

Their cries were utterly heartrending,

And their hearts burned like fire.

Hundreds of thousands of officials and citizens

Also followed the king out of the city.

They wished to search for the prince,

And the sound of their lamentation never ceased.

Seeking his beloved son,

The king looked everywhere.

Suddenly a man came running toward them,

His body stained with fresh blood,

Dust covering him from head to foot,

Weeping as he hurried forward.

When the king saw this dreadful sight,

His heart became still more sorrowful and anxious.

He raised both hands

And cried out in anguish.

Then the first minister appeared,

Hurrying swiftly toward him,

And reported to the great king:

“Please do not grieve excessively.

Although your precious prince

Has not yet been found,

You will see him before long;

Therefore, lessen your sorrow.”

The king continued onward.

Before long, a second minister

Also came before the king

And, weeping, reported:

“The two princes are still alive,

But they are overcome with grief.

As for the third prince,

He has been carried away by impermanence.

He saw a tigress that had newly given birth,

So hungry that she was about to eat her cubs.

The prince aroused a compassionate heart

And aspired to the unsurpassed path,

Vowing to liberate all beings.

He single-mindedly sought wondrous bodhi,

Vast and profound as the ocean.

He therefore climbed to a high place

And cast himself before the starving tigress.

The weakened tigress was unable to eat him,

So he pierced his neck with a bamboo stalk.

The tigress then devoured the prince,

Leaving only his bones.”

When the king and queen

Heard this, they immediately fainted.

Their hearts were flooded with anguish,

Scorched by the fire of affliction.

The minister sprinkled them both

With sandalwood-scented water.

As soon as they revived, they cried out again,

Beating their breasts with both hands.

A third minister arrived

And reported to the king:

“I saw the two princes

Lying unconscious in the forest.

I sprinkled them with cold water,

And only after a long while did they revive.

They looked all around them

As though they saw flames blazing everywhere.

No sooner had they risen than they fell again,

Crying out without restraint.

Raising their hands, they lamented:

‘How exceedingly rare was our younger brother!’”

When the king heard these words,

His heart burned even more fiercely.

The queen cried out again

And said in a loud voice:

My beloved youngest child

Has been carried away by impermanence.

My two elder princes still remain,

But grief has left them insensible.

I must now hasten into the mountains

And tell them to preserve themselves and not be consumed by sorrow.

Thus she went swiftly onward

To the place where the prince had passed away.

She met the two princes, who were crying aloud,

Beating their breasts, grief-stricken and disheveled.

Their sorrowing mother and father embraced them,

And together they went to the place where he had relinquished his body.

Arriving where the bodhisattva had given his life,

They gathered together and cried out in bitter anguish.

They removed their jeweled necklaces, their hearts filled with pain,

And together gathered up the bones.

Reverently they placed them in a precious casket,

And together made offerings with utmost respect.

They then built a jeweled stupa in which to enshrine them,

And returned to the palace bearing their grief.

The Buddha said to Ananda:

Sattva of that former time

Was none other than I myself today;

Do not think that he was someone else.

Great Chariot was the royal father

The lady was the queen mother;

Her eldest son was Maitreya,

And the next was Manjusri.

The tigress was Mahaprajapati,

And the seven tiger cubs were

Maudgalyayana, Sariputra,

And the five bhiksus.

Today I have expounded

This deed of benefiting others in the past.

The bodhisattva practiced in this way;

As it is the cause of Buddhahood, it should be learned.

When the bodhisattva relinquished his body,

He made this vast vow:

“May my relinquishment of this body

Benefit sentient beings in future lives.”

This is the seven-jeweled stupa

At the place where I relinquished my body.

After a long passage of time,

It sank deep into the earth.

Through the power of that former vow,

I practice deliverance in accord with conditions.

To bring benefit and happiness to gods and humans,

The stupa has risen from the earth.

When the Blessed One had related these causes and conditions from the past, the immeasurable, incalculable assembly of gods and humans felt joy and sorrow mingled together. Marvelling that this was unprecedented, they all brought forth the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi. The Buddha again told the bodhi-tree goddess: “To repay that kindness, I bow to this stupa!”

The Buddha then withdrew his spiritual power, and the stupa once again disappeared into the earth.

CHAPTER 27: BODHISATTVAS OF THE TEN DIRECTIONS PRAISE THE BUDDHA

When Sakyamuni Buddha expounded this king of sutras, immeasurable hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of bodhisattvas throughout the ten directions came from their own lands to Vulture Peak. With the five parts of their bodies touching the ground, they bowed at the Buddha’s feet. Single-mindedly reverent, they joined their palms and praised him in verse:

The Buddha’s wondrous body is the color of pure gold;

Its light shines everywhere like a golden mountain.

Pure and supple like a beautiful lotus,

It is adorned with immeasurable hues.

Complete with the thirty-two marks of a great being

And perfected in the eighty minor characteristics,

Its brilliant radiance is beyond compare,

Pure like the orb of the clear moon.

His voice is lucid and truly wondrous,

Like rolling thunder and a lion’s roar.

Endowed with eight qualities, it accords with beings’ capacities;

Even the song of the kalavinka cannot compare.

His body is complete with the marks born of a hundred merits;

Its perfect radiance is utterly pure.

His wisdom is serene and clear like the great ocean;

His merit is vast like empty space.

His halo shines throughout the lands of the ten directions;

According with conditions, he delivers sentient beings.

All afflictions and defilements are utterly extinguished;

The torch of Dharma burns forever without ceasing.

Compassionately benefiting all sentient beings,

He brings peace and well-being in this and future lives.

He also constantly expounds the ultimate truth,

Enabling them to realize the quiescence of great nirvana.

He teaches the sublime and supreme Dharma of amrta[2],

Bestowing the profound and wondrous meaning of amrta,

Leading beings into the quiescent city of amrta[3],

And enabling them to attain the unconditioned bliss of amrta[4].

He constantly enters the vast ocean of birth and death

To rescue the many suffering sentient beings,

Establishing them firmly in peace and security

And bestowing inconceivable, satisfying joy.

The Tathagata’s ocean of virtue is vast and deep;

No analogy can make it known.

He constantly arouses great compassion for sentient beings

And never ceases to teach and transform them through skillful means.

The Tathagata’s ocean of wisdom is likewise boundless.

Even if all gods and humans

Were to ponder it together for thousands of myriads of kotis of kalpas,

They still could not know even a small part of it.

Today I praise the Buddha’s merit and virtue,

But this is only a single drop from that ocean.

Whatever merit is gained, I dedicate to sentient beings;

May they swiftly realize unsurpassed enlightenment.”

After hearing these verses, the Buddha praised them: “Excellent, excellent! By praising the Buddha’s merit and virtue in this way, you can benefit all sentient beings, carry out the Buddha’s work everywhere, extinguish immeasurable transgressions, and generate immeasurable merit.”

CHAPTER 28: BODHISATTVA RUCIRAKETU PRAISES THE BUDDHA

At that time, Bodhisattva Ruciraketu rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, knelt with his right knee on the ground, joined his palms toward the Buddha, and praised him:

The Muni is perfected in the marks born of a hundred merits;

The merit and virtue of his body are also immeasurable.

Pure and majestic, to those who behold him

He is like a thousand suns illuminating the ten directions.

His boundless hues shine brilliantly,

Majestically adorned like a heap of precious jewels.

Like the rising sun, he illuminates everywhere,

With white and crimson intermingled with golden light.

Like a mountain of pure gold shining everywhere,

He brilliantly illuminates hundreds of thousands of lands,

Removing immeasurable suffering from the world

And bringing complete peace to all sentient beings.

The Buddha is endowed with pure and majestic marks;

Sentient beings delight in gazing upon him without weariness.

His hair is exceedingly soft and fine, dark violet-blue,

Like black bees resting upon beautiful flowers.

He is perfectly adorned with great joy and great equanimity,

And fully endowed with great loving-kindness and great compassion.

The thirty-two marks and eighty characteristics

Are accomplished through the factors of bodhi.

The Tathagata skillfully bestows every blessing,

And therefore always possesses peace and joy.

The Tathagata is also perfect in wondrous virtue,

And thus his light shines throughout all places.

The Tathagata’s radiant halo is wholly perfect,

Like the sun in the midst of empty space,

And like Mount Sumeru complete in merit and virtue,

Manifesting everywhere throughout the ten directions.

His golden mouth is beautiful and majestic;

His teeth are white, close-set, and even, like snow and jade.

The Tathagata’s countenance is beyond compare,

Like the bright full moon in empty space.

Moreover, the white curl between his brows

Is crystal clear, spirals to the right, and resembles crystal.

The Buddha told Bodhisattva Ruciraketu: “You have skillfully praised the Tathagata’s merit and virtue in this inconceivable way. This can benefit all sentient beings and enable those who do not yet understand to practice in accord with the teaching.”

CHAPTER 29: THE BODHI-TREE GODDESS PRAISES THE BUDDHA

The bodhi-tree goddess also praised the Blessed One in verse:

Homage to the Tathagata!

The One of utterly pure awakened wisdom,

The One of awakened wisdom who always seeks the true Dharma,

The One of awakened wisdom far removed from what is contrary to Dharma,

The One of awakened wisdom who is forever free from discrimination!

How rare! The Blessed One whose practices are boundless.

How rare! As difficult to encounter as an udumbara flower.

How rare! Like the King of Mountains holding firm amid the ocean.

How rare! The Sugata whose radiance is infinite.

How rare! The Tamer who vows with great loving-kindness.

How rare! The Scion of the Sakyas, more brilliant than the sun.

He expounds the king among all sutras,

Compassionately benefiting all living beings.

The Muni is quiescent, his faculties peaceful and composed;

He has entered the quiescence of nirvana.

He abides in quiescent samadhi

And fully penetrates the profound, serene realm.

The Doubly Honored One abides in emptiness;

The bodies of his sravaka disciples are also empty.

The essential nature of all dharmas is entirely empty;

All sentient beings are likewise empty and quiescent.

I constantly recollect all Buddhas;

I always delight in beholding the Blessed Ones.

I continually give rise to reverence;

I always behold the sun-like Tathagata.

I constantly bow at the feet of the Blessed One;

May I ever yearn for him and never depart.

Moved to tears, I never forget him;

May I always serve him without weariness.

I beseech the Blessed One to arouse compassion

And allow me always to behold his honored countenance.

The Buddha and the sravakas are all pure;

I beseech you to deliver all gods and humans.

The Buddha’s body is pure like empty space,

Like an illusion, a mirage[5], or the moon reflected in water.

Please teach the Dharma gate of extinguishing amrta,

Which can generate immeasurable merit and virtue.

The purity, compassion, and true conduct

Of the Buddha, the Blessed One, are inconceivable.

Sravakas and pratyekabuddhas cannot know them;

Even great sages and bodhisattvas cannot fathom them.

I beseech the Blessed One, in his compassion,

To let me behold the body of great compassion.

With my three karmic activities, may I diligently serve the Compassionate Honored One

And swiftly cross birth and death to reach ultimate reality.

After hearing these verses, the Blessed One addressed the bodhi-tree goddess in the Brahma voice[6]: “Excellent, excellent! O good goddess, for your own benefit and that of others, you have proclaimed the wondrous marks of my pure and true Dharma body. Through this merit, you will swiftly realize unsurpassed bodhi and help all sentient beings to cultivate the path. Whoever hears this will enter the Dharma of unborn amrta[7].”

CHAPTER 30: THE GODDESS MAHASARASVATI PRAISES THE BUDDHA

Great Eloquence rose from her seat, respectfully joined her palms, and praised the World-Honored One in direct words, saying: “Homage to Shakyamuni Tathagata, Worthy One, Perfectly Enlightened One, whose body is the color of pure gold, whose neck is like a conch shell, whose face is like the full moon, whose eyes are like blue lotuses, whose lips are truly red and beautiful like the color of crystal, whose nose is high, slender, and straight like a peak of pure gold, whose teeth are white, close-set, and even like kumuda flowers, whose bodily radiance is like a thousand suns illuminating all places, and whose luminous hue is like Jambu River gold.

Whatever You say is never mistaken. You teach the three gates and open the path to bodhi. Your mind is always pure, and so too is Your intention.

The dwelling place of the Buddha and the sphere of His conduct are also entirely pure. You are free from improper deportment, and Your every movement is faultless. You practiced austerities for six years, turned the Dharma wheel three times, delivered sentient beings from suffering, and reached the shore of awakening.

Your bodily marks are perfect, like kumuda flowers. You cultivated the six perfections, and Your three karmic activities are true. You possess omniscience, benefiting both Yourself and others.

Whatever You expound is entirely for the sake of sentient beings; You utter no empty words. You are the great lion of the Shakya clan, courageous and steadfast, and have perfected the eight liberations. I shall now praise, according to my ability, only a small portion of the Tathagata’s virtues, like a mosquito drawing water from the great ocean.

May this merit help sentient beings forever escape birth and death and attain bodhi.”

After hearing this, the World-Honored One said to the heavenly maiden: “Excellent, excellent! You have fully cultivated eloquence, and today you have further praised My virtues. You will swiftly realize the unsurpassed Dharma gate, become fully endowed with the excellent marks, and benefit sentient beings.”

CHAPTER 31: ENTRUSTMENT

At that time, the Buddha addressed the immeasurable bodhisattvas, devas, and humans: “You should know this! Throughout immeasurable and innumerable great kalpas, I diligently practiced arduous disciplines before attaining this profound Dharma, which is the true cause of bodhi. Today I have clearly expounded it for you to hear.

Now, among this assembly, is there anyone courageous and diligent who will respectfully preserve this Dharma, so that after My parinirvana it may be widely transmitted and the true Dharma may long abide in the world?” Within the assembly were six billion great bodhisattvas and six billion devas, who all said together: “World-Honored One! We gladly vow, without begrudging our bodies or lives, respectfully to preserve this profound Dharma gate—the true cause of bodhi—which the World-Honored One attained after practicing arduous disciplines for immeasurable great kalpas.

After the Tathagata’s nirvana, we shall forever transmit it far and wide, causing the true Dharma to long abide in the world.” The great bodhisattvas then spoke verses of aspiration before the Buddha:

The Buddha speaks words of truth

And abides within the true Dharma;

By the power of this truth,

May this sutra be preserved.

Great compassion is our armor,

And we abide in great loving-kindness;

By the power of loving-kindness and compassion,

May this sutra be preserved.

The provisions of merit are perfected,

Giving rise to the provisions of wisdom;

Through the fullness of these provisions,

May this sutra be preserved.

We subdue all maras

And demolish false doctrines;

By eliminating evil views,

We are able to preserve this sutra.

The World-Protectors, Shakra, and Brahma,

As well as the asuras,

Nagas, spirits, and yakshas,

Shall all preserve this sutra.

Spirits upon the earth and in the sky

Shall remain here forever;

Out of reverence for the Buddha’s command,

They shall preserve this sutra.

In harmony with the four Brahma abodes,[8]

And fully endowed with the Four Noble Truths,[9]

We shall subdue all four maras[10]

And preserve this sutra.

Though empty space should become obstructive matter,

And obstructive matter should turn into empty space,

Protected by all the Buddhas,

This sutra cannot be shaken by anything.

When the Four Heavenly Kings heard the Buddha speak about preserving this sutra, they all rejoiced in accord and together spoke these verses:

We, together with all

Our male and female retinues,

Shall single-mindedly preserve it

And cause this sutra to circulate.

If anyone upholds this sutra

And establishes the true cause of bodhi,

We shall remain in the four directions,

Always serving and protecting that person.

The deva Shakra also respectfully joined his palms and spoke these verses:

All Buddhas have realized this Dharma;

Wishing to repay profound kindness

And benefit the bodhisattvas,

They appear in the world and expound this sutra.

Now, to repay the Buddha’s kindness,

I shall make offerings with utmost sincerity,

And I shall also preserve this sutra

And protect those who uphold it.

The devaputra of the Tushita heaven respectfully joined his palms and spoke these verses:

If anyone accepts and upholds

This king of sutras taught by the Buddha,

That person shall abide in the stage of bodhi

And, in the next life, be born in Tushita.

World-Honored One! I shall joyfully

Relinquish my excellent heavenly recompense,

Descend to Jambudvipa,

And proclaim this scripture.

Brahma, lord of the Saha world, respectfully joined his palms and spoke these verses:

Immeasurable states of meditative absorption,[11]

The vehicles,[12] and the liberations

All arise from this sutra;

Therefore, the Buddha expounds it.

Wherever this sutra is taught,

I shall relinquish the bliss of the Brahma realm,

Go there to hear the Dharma,

And also preserve it.

Merchant Leader, the son of the mara king, respectfully joined his palms and spoke these verses:

If anyone accepts and upholds

This sutra accordant with the true meaning,

That person will not follow the works of mara

And will completely eliminate evil karma.

I shall diligently preserve it,

Bring forth great resolve and vigor,

And transmit it throughout all places.

The mara king respectfully joined his palms and spoke these verses:

Whoever accepts and upholds this sutra

Will be able to subdue the afflictions;

I shall single-mindedly protect them

And cause them to attain peace and happiness.

Wherever anyone expounds this sutra,

Mara will have no opportunity;

Through the Buddha’s awe-inspiring spiritual power,

I shall come there to protect it.

The deity Wondrous Auspiciousness respectfully joined her palms before the Buddha and spoke these verses:

The bodhi of all Buddhas

Is expounded in this sutra;

Whoever accepts and upholds it with utmost sincerity

Thereby makes offerings to the Tathagata.

I, too, shall accept and uphold it

And teach it to billions of devas;

Those who listen with reverence

I shall exhort to proceed toward bodhi.

The bodhisattva Maitreya respectfully joined his palms and spoke these verses:

Whenever I see one abiding in bodhi,

I shall be an uninvited friend;

Even at the cost of my body and life,

I shall preserve this king of sutras.

Having heard this Dharma,

I shall return to the Tushita realm[13];

Blessed by the World-Honored One,

I shall expound it to the devas.

The elder Mahakashyapa respectfully joined his palms and spoke these verses:

Among the great assembly of shravakas,

The Buddha has praised me for lucid wisdom;

Now, according to my ability,

I shall preserve this king of sutras.

Whoever diligently accepts and upholds it,

I shall assist that person,

Bestowing the power of eloquence

And always praising them: “Excellent!”

The Venerable Ananda respectfully joined his palms and spoke these verses:

I myself have heard from the Buddha

Immeasurable scriptures,

Yet I have never before heard

This profound and wondrous king of sutras.

Now that I have heard it,

I personally receive it before the Buddha;

Thereafter I shall expound it again

For those who delight in bodhi.

At that time, the World-Honored One saw that the bodhisattvas and all the devas and humans had resolved to preserve and transmit this sutra, encourage bodhisattvas, and benefit all sentient beings. He then praised them, saying: “Excellent, excellent! You can sincerely transmit this wondrous king of sutras even after I enter nirvana, preventing it from perishing.

This is the true cause of unsurpassed bodhi. Therefore, the merit you shall attain could not be fully described even throughout kalpas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. If bhikshus, bhikshunis, upasakas, upasikas, and good men and women respectfully make offerings, copy and circulate it, and expound it for others to hear, they too shall attain merit equally vast.

Therefore, you must be diligent and cultivate it with wholehearted devotion.”

When the immeasurable and boundless great assembly, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, heard the Buddha’s teaching, they all greatly rejoiced and faithfully accepted and upheld it with reverence.

Notes:

[1] Superior being: one who has perfectly accomplished both benefit for oneself and benefit for others, namely, a bodhisattva; the term may also refer to persons of superior spiritual capacity.

[2] Wondrous Dharma nectar: the savor of the Buddha-Dharma is truly wondrous, like amrita, the medicine of immortality that nourishes the bodies and minds of sentient beings.

[3] City of nectar: that is, the city of nirvana.

[4] Bliss of nectar: the bliss of nirvana.

[5] Mirage: commonly called shimmering heat waves.

[6] Brahma voice: the wondrous, pure voice of a Buddha or bodhisattva, one of the Buddha’s thirty-two excellent marks. This Brahma voice possesses five powers:

– It resounds like thunder.

– It is clear and serene, carrying far, and those who hear it give rise to joy.

– It causes people to give rise to reverence and affection.

– It is easily understood.

– Those who hear it never weary of it.

[7] Deathless nectar of the unborn: the unborn nirvana.

[8] The four Brahma abodes: the four immeasurable minds in which Brahma dwells—loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity.

[9] The Four Noble Truths: the four truths, namely, the four certain and genuine truths—suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path.

[10] The four maras: the four kinds of mara that rob human beings of their physical life and wisdom-life. They are:

– The mara of the five skandhas: form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness accumulate together, producing the painful fruit of birth and death. These phenomena of samsara have the power to rob one of wisdom-life.

– The mara of afflictions: the one hundred and eight afflictions disturb and torment the minds of sentient beings, rob them of wisdom-life, and prevent them from attaining bodhi.

– The mara of death: death disperses the body composed of the four great elements, preventing practitioners from prolonging their wisdom-life.

– The mara who is a heavenly being: the mara king dwelling in the sixth heaven of the Desire Realm, who habitually obstructs people’s wholesome deeds, envies the Dharma of the noble sages, and creates disturbances, preventing practitioners from accomplishing supramundane roots of goodness.

[11] The meditative absorptions: states of meditative concentration such as the First Dhyana, Second Dhyana, Third Dhyana, and Fourth Dhyana.

[12] The vehicles: means that convey beings from one place to another—the Buddha Vehicle, Bodhisattva Vehicle, Sravaka Vehicle, Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, Heavenly Vehicle, and Human Vehicle.

[13] Tushita: the Tushita Heaven.