思益梵天所問經

Chapter 12: PRAISE

At that time, Shakra, Brahma, and the Four Heavenly Kings, all present in the assembly, scattered celestial flowers over the Buddha and said:

“World-Honored One! If good men and good women, upon hearing Bodhisattva Manjushri expound the Dharma in this way, believe and understand it, one should know that they are able to vanquish all kinds of demonic adversaries. Why is this? Because the Dharma taught today by Bodhisattva Manjushri can eradicate all deluded thoughts and wrong views.

“World-Honored One! If good men or good women hear this Dharma without fear, one should know that they have not attained this through only meager merit. Wherever this sutra is enshrined, one should know that place is always protected, kept in mind, and used by the Buddhas. Wherever this sutra is being heard, one should know that the Dharma wheel is also being turned there. In any village, hamlet, mountain forest, wilderness, temple, stupa, Sangha dwelling, place for walking meditation, or other place where this sutra is preserved, no demons, followers of non-Buddhist paths, or those bound by attachment can damage or disturb it.

“World-Honored One! Only those who in the past made offerings to many Buddhas are able to comprehend this sutra.

“World-Honored One! It is precisely through this sutra that we have attained the light of wisdom, yet we are unable to repay the kindness of the Buddha, Bodhisattva Manjushri, and Brahma Thinker of Benefit.

“World-Honored One! Because we have heard this sutra, we always regard its Dharma teachers as we would the World-Honored One. We shall constantly attend upon those who expound this sutra, and such teachers will always receive the protection of the devas. If anyone transcribes this sutra into a written volume, then whenever that person reads, recites, or expounds it, immeasurable devas will come to that place in order to hear the Dharma.”

Chapter 13: EXTOLLING MERIT

At that time, the World-Honored One praised Shakra, Brahma, the Four Heavenly Kings, and the great assembly:

“Excellent, excellent! It is just as you have said. Suppose all the various precious treasures filling the trichiliocosm were taken as one portion, and the merit acquired by one who hears this sutra were taken as another portion: the merit of the person who hears this sutra would far surpass the former merit. Let us set aside even that comparison. Suppose worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges throughout the ten directions were all filled with various precious treasures: the merit acquired by one who hears this sutra would still far surpass that merit.

“Good men! Those who wish to acquire abundant merit should comprehend this sutra. Those who wish to obtain a handsome and dignified physical form; abundant wealth and possessions; many relatives and attendants; freedom and mastery; the complete enjoyments of devas and humans; renown; broad learning and retentive memory; steadfast right conduct; dignified deportment; the three trainings of morality, concentration, and wisdom; thorough understanding of the scriptures and treatises; good spiritual friends; the Three Knowledges and Six Superknowledges; all wholesome dharmas; the fruit of unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment; the ability to bring peace and happiness to all sentient beings;

or nirvana should comprehend, uphold, read, and recite this sutra, cultivate in accordance with the Dharma, and expound it to others.

“Good man! If anyone practices this sutra, the Tathagata will assuredly see that person attain all such sublime joys in full.

“Good men! I shall now explain this clearly to you. If anyone hears this sutra, whether from an upadhyaya or an acharya, I see no worldly offering that could repay the kindness of those teachers. Because this Dharma transcends the world, worldly offerings cannot adequately repay it. Because this Dharma surpasses the world, worldly wealth and possessions cannot repay it. Because this Dharma is undefiled, defiled objects cannot repay it.

“Good men! Nothing can repay this Dharma. There is only one way: to cultivate in accordance with the teachings. If anyone practices this Dharma in accordance with the teachings, that is called repaying the teacher’s kindness, showing reverence to the teacher, and making a perfectly pure repayment of kindness.

“Such a person is called one worthy to receive the offerings of faithful donors.

“Such a person is called one who accords with the words of the Tathagata and follows the Tathagata’s instructions.

“Such a person is called one who has crossed the currents of birth and death.

“Such a person is called one who has escaped the perilous paths.

“Such a person is called one who has raised the banner of the supreme Dharma.

“Such a person is called one who has routed the enemy’s army.

“Such a person is called a lion king, because all fear has ceased.

“Such a person is called a king of elephants, because the mind is always gentle and harmonious.

“Such a person is called a king of bulls, because the teachers of non-Buddhist doctrines cannot overcome such a person.

“Such a person is called a king of physicians, because that person can cure the illnesses of sentient beings.

“Such a person is called fearless, because that person can expound the profound and sublime Dharma.

“Such a person is called one fully endowed with the practice of relinquishment, because that person has relinquished every kind of affliction.

“Such a person is called one of pure moral discipline, because that person has perfectly accomplished all wholesome dharmas.

“Such a person is called one of great patience, because that person is free from self and what belongs to self.

“Such a person is called one who has attained the power of great diligence, because that person’s mind never wearies throughout immeasurable kalpas.

“Such a person is called one fully endowed with meditative concentration, because that person constantly maintains right mindfulness and keeps the mind abiding in one place.

“Such a person is called one of great wisdom, because that person completely understands all expressions, meanings, and discourses.

“Such a person is called one endowed with great merit, because that person adorns the bodily marks with immeasurable blessings.

“Such a person is called one of great majestic virtue, because that person can outshine all the light of the sun and moon.

“Such a person is called one of great power, because that person can preserve the ten sublime powers of the Buddhas.

“Such a person is called a great cloud, because that person can resound with the thunder of the Dharma.

“Such a person is called one who sends down great rain, because that person can extinguish every defiled affliction.

“Such a person is called one who provides shelter, because that person can lead beings to nirvana.

“Such a person is called a great savior, because that person delivers beings from all fears of birth and death.

“Such a person is called the radiance of a shining lamp, because that person is far removed from every dark path of ignorance.

“Such a person is called a refuge, because that person is a place of reliance that causes the demons to fear.

“Such a person is called the ultimate path for sentient beings.

“Such a person is called one who has realized the fruition, because that person is seated at the seat of enlightenment.

“Such a person is called one who has attained the Dharma eye.

“Such a person is called one who clearly sees the suchness of all dharmas.

“Such a person is called one who recognizes the characteristic of the emptiness of dharmas.

“Such a person is called one who abides in great compassion.

“Such a person is called one who establishes great loving-kindness.

“Such a person is called one who never abandons any sentient being.

“Such a person is called one who does not cultivate lesser teachings.

“Such a person is called one who proceeds toward the Mahayana.

“Such a person is called one who eliminates all inverted views.

“Such a person is called one who has attained perfect equality.

“Such a person is called one who has entered the station of the Dharma.

“Such a person is called one who abides at the seat of enlightenment.

“Such a person is called one who vanquishes the demons.

“Such a person is called one who turns the Dharma wheel.

“Good men! Even if the Tathagata were to extol and praise the merit of one who cultivates in accordance with the Dharma for an entire kalpa or for somewhat less than a kalpa, he could not exhaust it, even though the eloquence of the Tathagata is inexhaustible.”

Chapter 14: PRACTICE OF EQUALITY

At that time, in the assembly there was a deva named Non-Retrogression, who said to the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! You have taught the practice in accordance with the Dharma. What, then, is the meaning of practice in accordance with the Dharma?”

The Buddha told the deva:

-To practice in accordance with the Dharma is not to practice within any dharma whatsoever. Why is this? If one does not practice within any dharma whatsoever, one does not discriminate between right and wrong.

Practicing in this way, one does not practice wholesome dharmas, does not practice unwholesome dharmas, does not practice contaminated dharmas, does not practice uncontaminated dharmas, does not practice worldly dharmas, does not practice supramundane dharmas, does not practice conditioned dharmas, does not practice unconditioned dharmas, does not practice samsara, and does not practice nirvana. This is called practicing in accordance with the Dharma.

If one gives rise to conceptions regarding dharmas, this is not called practicing in accordance with the Dharma. If one thinks, “I am practicing this Dharma,” that is conceptual proliferation, not practice in accordance with the Dharma. If one does not accept or grasp any dharma whatsoever, that is practice in accordance with the Dharma.

With regard to all dharmas, one neither recollects nor discriminates, and there is no object of practice. This is called practicing in accordance with the Dharma.

The God Irreversible addressed the Buddha:

-World-Honored One! If a person can practice in accordance with the Dharma in this way, that person will never fall into wrong practice. Why is this? One who practices rightly is said to be complete and consummate. One who abides in a wrong path does not practice in accordance with the Dharma. One who abides in the Right Path practices in accordance with the Dharma.

World-Honored One! For one who practices right conduct, there is no wrong dharma. Why is this? All dharmas are equal and without distinction.

At that time, Brahma Viśeṣacintin said to the God Irreversible:

-Worthy One, are you practicing in accordance with that Dharma?

The God Irreversible replied:

-If the Dharma expounded by the World-Honored One possessed two characteristics, I would practice in accordance with the Dharma. But because the absence of two characteristics is itself practice in accordance with the Dharma, neither the practitioner nor the Dharma practiced can be apprehended therein.

Brahma! I practice in accordance with the Dharma by means of the nondual Dharma, free from all discrimination; thus, I practice in conformity with dharmas as they truly are. This is called practicing in accordance with the Dharma.

Brahma Viśeṣacintin asked:

-Worthy One, have you never seen this Buddha-land before?

The god replied:

-This Buddha-land has never seen me either.

Brahma Viśeṣacintin said:

-With regard to this Buddha-land, one cannot conceive or discriminate in terms of seeing and not seeing.

The god said:

-I, too, do not conceive or discriminate that I have previously been in this Buddha-land and have seen or not seen it.

Brahma Viśeṣacintin asked:

-Who, having never seen, is able to see?

The god replied:

-All ordinary beings have never seen the station of the Dharma of the noble ones. If anyone can enter it, then although they have never seen it before, they will now see it. Yet the characteristic of that station of the Dharma cannot be seen by the eye, nor can it be known by the ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind. These correspond only to the characteristic of suchness in cognition. Just as the characteristic of suchness of eye-consciousness, through to the characteristic of suchness of mind-consciousness, so too is the characteristic of suchness of the station of the Dharma. If one can perceive in this way, it is called Right View.

Chapter 15: THE PREDICTION OF THE GOD IRREVERSIBLE

At that time, Śakra Devānām Indra addressed the Buddha:

-World-Honored One! It is like a merchant who arrives in a land filled with precious jewels: everything he sees there is a treasure. In the same way, one who has accomplished inconceivable merit speaks whatever one wishes, and all of it is the treasure of the Dharma.

Whatever one wishes to speak is entirely the ultimate reality.

Whatever one wishes to speak is free from attachment to all dharmas and free from clinging to self and what belongs to self.

Whatever one wishes to speak is true and not inverted.

Whatever one wishes to speak concerning the past is quiescent, the future is unobtainable, and the present cannot be perceived.

Whatever one wishes to speak enables those without faith and understanding to attain faith and understanding, while those who already possess faith and understanding attain liberation.

Whatever one wishes to speak destroys overweening pride; those who are free from overweening pride can themselves declare that what had to be done has been accomplished.

Whatever one wishes to speak cannot be disturbed by Māras, and all who hear the Dharma transcend the deeds of Māra.

Whatever one wishes to speak causes wholesome dharmas not yet arisen to arise and causes wholesome dharmas already arisen to increase.

Whatever one wishes to speak causes afflictions that have already arisen to be eliminated and afflictions not yet arisen not to arise.

Whatever one wishes to speak causes those not yet adorned to attain the great adornment, and causes those who have attained the great adornment to become irreversible.

Whatever one wishes to speak does not cut off any dharma, but instead safeguards the Buddha’s Dharma.

World-Honored One! Therefore, whatever one wishes to speak can subdue all followers of other paths. Why is this? No jackal can display itself before the lion king, much less endure hearing the lion’s roar.

World-Honored One! In the same way, none of the masters of doctrines among the followers of other paths can withstand the roar of the unsurpassed Lion.

At that time, the God Irreversible said to Śakra Devānām Indra:

-Kauśika! You have spoken of the lion’s roar. What is this roar?

Kauśika replied:

-If a practitioner teaches the Dharma without attachment, this is called the lion’s roar. If a practitioner teaches the Dharma while clinging to views and knowledge, this is the cry of a jackal, not the lion’s roar, for that practitioner has given rise to wrong views.

God! You should explain in turn: why is it called the lion’s roar?

The god replied:

-Worthy One! To expound the dharmas without attachment even to the Tathagata, much less to other dharmas, is called the lion’s roar.

Furthermore, Kauśika! To practice in accordance with what one teaches is called the lion’s roar. To teach the Dharma with certainty is called the lion’s roar. To teach the Dharma fearlessly is the lion’s roar.

Furthermore, Worthy One! If a practitioner contemplates the dharmas as neither arising, nor ceasing, nor emerging, and teaches accordingly, this is called the lion’s roar. If one contemplates the dharmas as neither defiled nor pure, neither conjoined nor dispersed, and teaches the Dharma accordingly, this is called the lion’s roar.

Furthermore, Worthy One! The lion’s roar means teaching with certainty that all dharmas are without self and without sentient being.

The lion’s roar is teaching with certainty that all dharmas are empty.

The lion’s roar is teaching the Dharma in order to preserve all dharmas.

The lion’s roar is making the vow: “I shall become a Buddha in order to eliminate all the suffering and anguish of all sentient beings.”

The lion’s roar is remaining pure in one’s use of necessities, always having few desires and knowing contentment.

The lion’s roar is never abandoning a secluded dwelling place.

The lion’s roar is being a guiding teacher in the practice of generosity.

The lion’s roar is always upholding the precepts.

The lion’s roar is possessing an impartial mind that no longer distinguishes between enemy and friend.

The lion’s roar is always practicing diligence and never abandoning one’s original vow.

The lion’s roar is being able to eliminate all afflictions.

The lion’s roar is using wisdom to discern skillfully all courses of conduct.

When this Dharma teaching on the lion’s roar was proclaimed, the entire trichiliocosm manifested all six kinds of trembling. Hundreds of thousands of kinds of exquisite music sounded forth spontaneously, without being played. That great radiance illuminated all throughout heaven and earth. Hundreds of thousands of devas rejoiced exceedingly and said:

-We have heard the Deva-son Irreversible proclaim the Dharma teaching on the lion’s roar, and in this Jambudvipa we have once again witnessed the turning of the Dharma wheel!

At that time, the Buddha smiled. According to the customary sign, whenever a Buddha smiles, hundreds of thousands of rays of light in various colors—blue, yellow, red, white, rose, and violet—issue from his golden mouth and illuminate immeasurable, boundless worlds. Above, they extend beyond the Brahma worlds, eclipsing even the light of the sun and moon; then they return, circle the Buddha’s body three times, and disappear into the crown of his head. At that time, Brahma Viśeṣacintin joined his palms toward the Buddha and praised him in verse:

Supreme in wisdom, you deliver all,

Knowing clearly the conduct of beings throughout the three times;

Perfect in merit, wisdom, and liberation,

We pray you proclaim the cause and condition of your smile.

The Buddha’s wisdom is immeasurable and unobstructed;

Śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas cannot compare.

Knowing beings’ minds, you teach in accordance with them;

We pray the Supreme One explain the cause of his smile.

The Buddha’s radiance is pure and undefiled,

Illuminating devas and humans, eclipsing sun and moon,

Mount Sumeru and the Cakravāḍa Mountains;

We pray the Incomparable One explain the cause of his smile.

The Great Sage is quiescent, free from anger;

Devas and humans gaze upon him without ever growing weary.

All aspire to attain peace and happiness;

We pray you discern and explain the cause of your smile.

You penetrate all dharmas as empty and without self,

Seeing them as bubbles, mist, dreams, and illusions,

Like the appearance of space or the moon reflected in water;

We pray you explain the cause of your smile with your wondrous voice.

Free from discriminating conceptions and all wrong views,

You clearly comprehend emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness,

Ever delighting in meditative concentration and the Dharma of quiescence;

We pray you explain the cause of this pure radiance.

Without attachment to written words or speech,

You teach without relying upon dharmas or beings,

Yet all beings believe you speak for their sake;

We pray your wisdom and spiritual powers reveal the cause of your smile.

The Buddha is the King of Physicians, curing every illness;

With the strength of Nārāyaṇa, he rescues the world,

Guiding beings toward the radiant lamp and the ultimate path;

Worshiped by devas and humans, pray explain the cause of your smile.

The Buddha said to Brahma Viśeṣacintin:

-Do you see the Deva-son Irreversible?

-I do, World-Honored One.

-O Brahma! From this time onward, after three million two hundred thousand asaṃkhyeya kalpas have passed, this Deva-son Irreversible will attain Buddhahood with the name Sumeru Lamp King, fully endowed with the ten epithets: Tathagata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly and Completely Awakened One, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Persons, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, the World-Honored One.

His world will be called Wondrous Transformation, and the kalpa will be called Brahma Praise. In that Buddha-land, the ground will be made entirely of Jambunada gold and lapis lazuli. The Sangha will consist exclusively of bodhisattvas, and there will be no Māras or hostile forces of any kind.

Whatever necessities are required will appear immediately in response to a thought. That Buddha’s lifespan will be immeasurable and incalculable.

Brahma Viśeṣacintin said to the Deva-son Irreversible:

-Today the Tathagata has bestowed a prediction upon you, worthy one!

The Deva-son replied:

-Worthy one! Just as a prediction has been bestowed upon the Dharma-nature of Suchness, so too has a prediction been bestowed upon me.

Brahma Viśeṣacintin said:

-The Dharma-nature of Suchness cannot receive a prediction.

The Deva-son replied:

-If the Dharma-nature of Suchness cannot receive a prediction, you should know that the predictions received by all bodhisattvas are likewise so.

Brahma Viśeṣacintin said:

-If the Tathagata had not bestowed a prediction upon you, would that mean that in the abodes of the Buddhas of the past you had not abided in the holy life?

The Deva-son replied:

-To have no abiding place is precisely to abide in the holy life.

Brahma Viśeṣacintin asked:

-How can one abide in the holy life without abiding?

The Deva-son replied:

-If one does not abide in the desire realm, does not abide in the form realm, and does not abide in the formless realm, this is called abiding in the holy life.

Furthermore, O Brahma! If a practitioner does not abide in a self, does not abide in a sentient being, does not abide in a living being, and does not abide in a person, this is called abiding in the holy life. In brief, neither abiding in dharmas nor abiding in non-dharmas is abiding in the holy life.

Brahma Viśeṣacintin asked again:

-What is the meaning of the holy life?

The Deva-son replied:

-Abiding in the path of nonduality is the meaning of the holy life.

The Brahma asked again:

-When one abides in the path of nonduality, where does one abide?

The Deva-son replied:

-To abide in the path of nonduality is not to abide in any dharma. Why is this? All sages and worthies have no abiding place, nor do they grasp any dharma, and thus they are able to cross the currents of birth and death.

Brahma Viśeṣacintin asked:

-What is cultivation of the path?

The Deva-son replied:

-Neither grasping existence nor grasping nonexistence, and making no distinction that this is existence and that is nonexistence—one who cultivates in this way is said to cultivate the path.

The Brahma asked again:

-By means of what dharma does one cultivate the path?

The Deva-son replied:

-It is not cultivated by means of seeing, hearing, understanding, or knowing; not by means of attainment, nor by means of realization. With regard to all dharmas, there are no characteristics and no manifestations. This is called cultivating the path.

The Brahma asked again:

-What constitutes a bodhisattva’s courageous vigor?

The Deva-son replied:

-If, with regard to all dharmas, a bodhisattva sees neither a single characteristic nor any other characteristic, this is called the bodhisattva’s courageous vigor and great adornment. With regard to all dharmas, the bodhisattva does not destroy the Dharma-nature. With regard to all dharmas, there is no defilement or attachment, no annihilation, no increase, no decrease, no perception of impurity, and no perception of purity; one transcends the nature of dharmas. This is called the foremost vigor of a bodhisattva: the body has no place from which it arises, and the mind has no arising.

At that time, the World-Honored One praised the Deva-son Irreversible:

-Excellent, excellent!

Having praised him, the Buddha said to Brahma Viśeṣacintin:

-As the Deva-son has said, the body has no place from which it arises, and the mind has no arising. This is called the foremost courageous vigor.

O Brahma! The Tathagata recalls all the practices he cultivated in previous lives: he was always steadfastly vigorous, observed the precepts in accordance with the dhūta practices, constantly honored and made offerings to his teachers and elders, diligently practiced the path in secluded places, recited scriptures, studied extensively, cherished sentient beings, and provided them with whatever necessities they required. Earnestly and diligently, he undertook every painful and difficult task. Yet the Buddhas of the past did not bestow upon him a prediction of attaining unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. Why was this? Because in the Tathagata’s body, speech, and mind there constantly arose attachment to the characteristic of vigor.

O Brahma! Later, the Tathagata attained courageous vigor precisely as the Deva-son has described, and therefore Dīpaṃkara Buddha bestowed upon him the prediction: “In a future life, you will become a Buddha named Śākyamuni.” Therefore, O Brahma, if a bodhisattva wishes swiftly to receive a prediction, he must cultivate courageous vigor in this manner. That is, with regard to all dharmas, he must not give rise to attachment to the characteristic of vigor.

The Brahma said:

-World-Honored One! What does it mean not to give rise to attachment to the characteristic of vigor?

The Buddha said:

-Vigor throughout the three times is entirely empty. This is called vigor that does not give rise to attachment to characteristics.

The Brahma said:

-World-Honored One! How is vigor throughout the three times entirely empty?

The Buddha said:

—The mind of the past has ceased, the mind of the future has not yet arrived, and the mind of the present does not abide. If a dharma has ceased, it does not arise again. If it has not yet arrived, it has no characteristic of arising. If it does not abide, it abides in the true characteristic.

Furthermore, the true characteristic itself has no arising. If dharmas do not arise, there is no past, present, or future. If there is no past, present, or future, then from the beginning their nature has always been unborn. This is called diligence wherein the three times are all empty, which can enable bodhisattvas swiftly to receive predictions of Buddhahood.

Brahma, a bodhisattva who accomplishes such acceptance can clearly understand that there is nothing in any dharma to relinquish; this is called the paramita of giving. Thoroughly comprehending that all dharmas are uncontaminated is called the paramita of moral discipline. Fully penetrating that all dharmas cannot be harmed is called the paramita of patience.

Clearly understanding that there is nowhere in any dharma from which anything arises is called the paramita of diligence. Knowing that all dharmas are equal is called the paramita of meditative concentration. Knowing that all dharmas are without discrimination is called the paramita of wisdom.

If a bodhisattva comprehends in this way, then with regard to all dharmas there is neither increase nor decrease, neither right nor wrong. Although that bodhisattva practices giving, he seeks no reward. Although he observes moral discipline, he is no longer attached.

Although he practices patience, he clearly knows that both inward and outward are empty. Although he practices diligence, he comprehends that there is no characteristic of arising. Although he practices meditative concentration, he has no place upon which to rely.

Although he cultivates wisdom, he no longer clings to characteristics.

Brahma, a bodhisattva who accomplishes such acceptance may manifest everywhere and carry out the work of transformation, yet remains undefiled.

Such a person attains the characteristic of the world’s equality and is not shaken by gain or loss, praise or blame, honor or disgrace, suffering or happiness. Transcending all worldly dharmas, he is neither conceited nor self-abasing, neither joyful nor sorrowful, neither agitated nor heedless. His mind is nondual; having left all conditions far behind, he attains the nondual Dharma. For sentient beings who have fallen into the paths of dualistic views, he arouses great compassion and assumes a body in order to teach and transform them.

Brahma, this is called the foremost courageous diligence. Having attained acceptance of emptiness and non-self, one arouses great loving-kindness and compassion toward sentient beings, assumes a body for their sake, and expounds the characteristic of such courageous diligence. At that time, eight thousand bodhisattvas attained acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas. The Buddha predicted that they would all attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect awakening. In their respective lands they would all accomplish Buddhahood, each bearing the same name: Firm in Diligence.

At that time, Venerable Mahakasyapa addressed the Buddha:

—World-Honored One, it is like the great Dragon Kings: when they wish to send down rain, they rain upon the great ocean. These bodhisattvas are likewise; they pour down the great rain of Dharma upon the minds of bodhisattvas.

The Buddha said:

—Kasyapa, it is as you have said. The reason the great Dragon Kings do not send rain upon Jambudvipa is not that they are miserly, but only that the land there cannot withstand it. Why is this? The torrents poured down by the great Dragon Kings are exceedingly fierce. If such rain were to fall upon Jambudvipa, its cities, towns, villages, mountains, forests, ponds, and lakes would all be swept away like withered leaves carried off by the current. Therefore, the great Dragon Kings do not pour down great rain upon Jambudvipa.

Likewise, Kasyapa, the reason these bodhisattvas do not pour down the great rain of Dharma upon other sentient beings is not that they are miserly, but that those beings’ capacities are insufficient to receive dharmas such as these. Therefore, only upon bodhisattva minds that resemble the immeasurable ocean and possess profound, wondrous wisdom do these bodhisattvas pour down such unsurpassed, inconceivable rain of Dharma.

Kasyapa, just as the great ocean can receive immense, fierce torrents of rain without increasing or decreasing, so too are these bodhisattvas. Whether for one kalpa or a hundred kalpas they receive and comprehend or expound this Dharma, this Dharma remains serene, neither increasing nor decreasing.

Kasyapa, just as a hundred rivers may flow into the great ocean, yet all the ocean’s waters have the same salty taste, so too are these bodhisattvas. Although they hear every variety of teaching and every variety of discourse, they can understand and have faith that all possess the single taste of “emptiness.”

Kasyapa, just as the great ocean is always clear and pure, without defilement, and every turbid stream that enters it immediately becomes clear and still, so too are these bodhisattvas, who constantly purify every kind of affliction, fetter, and defilement.

Kasyapa, just as the great ocean is profoundly deep and bottomless, so too are these bodhisattvas. Because they can contemplate and enter immeasurable teachings, they are called profound. Because all sravakas and pratyekabuddhas are unable to fathom them, they are called bottomless.

Kasyapa, just as the great ocean contains an immeasurable quantity of water, so too are these bodhisattvas. They have accumulated immeasurable dharmas and boundless wisdom; therefore, the minds of bodhisattvas are said to resemble the great ocean.

Kasyapa, just as the great ocean contains immeasurable varieties of precious treasures, so too are these bodhisattvas. They enter innumerable Dharma gates, accumulate the treasures of the Dharma, and possess every kind of practice of the path; therefore, they bring forth immeasurable Dharma treasures.

Kasyapa, just as the great ocean contains three kinds of treasure—first, those of little value; second, those of value; and third, those that are priceless—so too are the teachings expounded by these bodhisattvas. According to whether sentient beings’ faculties are keen or dull, they guide them to attain liberation. Some should attain liberation through a lesser Dharma. Some attain liberation through an intermediate Dharma. Some attain liberation through the Mahayana Dharma.

Kasyapa, just as the great ocean gradually becomes deeper, so too are these bodhisattvas, becoming ever more profound as they advance toward omniscience.

Kasyapa, just as the great ocean does not retain corpses, so too are these bodhisattvas. They do not accept the minds of sravakas or pratyekabuddhas. Nor do they accept minds that are foolish, deluded, indolent, angry, immoral, greedy, or miserly. Nor do they cling to a self, a person, or a sentient being.

Kasyapa, just as, when the kalpa-ending conflagration burns everything, the small ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, and springs dry up first, and only afterward does the great ocean become exhausted, so too is it when the True Dharma perishes. The True Dharma of the lesser paths of practice and transformation perishes first; only afterward does the True Dharma of bodhisattvas whose minds resemble the great ocean perish completely.

Kasyapa, these bodhisattvas would not relinquish the True Dharma even if they were to lose their lives. Do you think that bodhisattvas could allow the True Dharma to be lost? Do not think so, Kasyapa! In that great ocean there is a diamond jewel called “Collection of All Treasures.” When the flames of the kalpa-ending conflagration burn for seven days and reach as high as the Brahma realm, that precious jewel is neither burned nor damaged. It moves to the great ocean in another direction. It is impossible for that precious jewel to be burned in that world. Those bodhisattvas are likewise. When the True Dharma has completely perished and seven false dharmas appear, they move even to worlds in other directions where the same conditions prevail. What are the seven false dharmas?

1. The doctrines of non-Buddhist paths.

2. Evil spiritual friends.

3. The teachings of the path being misused.

4. Mutual disruption.

5. Falling into the dense forest of wrong views.

6. Failing to cultivate merit and virtue.

7. Failing to attain the fruits of the path.

When these seven evil dharmas appear, those bodhisattvas know that sentient beings can no longer be transformed and liberated. They then go to Buddha-realms in other directions, yet never cease seeing Buddhas, hearing the Dharma, teaching and transforming sentient beings, and causing their wholesome roots to grow.

Kasyapa! It is also like the great ocean, which is a refuge for innumerable sentient beings. These bodhisattvas are likewise a refuge upon which sentient beings rely to attain three kinds of happiness: the happiness of the heavenly realms, the happiness of the human realm, and the happiness of nirvana.

Kasyapa! It is also like the salty water of the great ocean, which cannot be drunk. These bodhisattvas are likewise such that the various maras and non-Buddhist practitioners cannot disturb or destroy them.

At that time, Venerable Mahakasyapa addressed the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! Although the great ocean is deep and vast, it can still be measured, whereas these bodhisattvas cannot be fathomed.”

The Buddha told Venerable Kasyapa:

“The minute particles of dust throughout the trichiliocosm can still be counted and known, but the immeasurable merits of these bodhisattvas cannot be calculated.” Then the World-Honored One restated in verse what he had taught:

Just as the great ocean receives all waters,

Yet is never filled by all the flowing streams,

These bodhisattvas are likewise so:

They ever seek the Dharma’s benefit, never satisfied.

Just as the great ocean contains all streams,

All flowing into it without increase or decrease,

These bodhisattvas are likewise so:

Receiving the profound Dharma, they neither increase nor diminish.

Just as the great ocean is always still and clear,

And turbid waters flowing in all become pure and clear,

These bodhisattvas are likewise so:

They do not admit the defilements of affliction.

Just as the great ocean has no boundary,

These bodhisattvas are likewise so:

Their wisdom and merit are without measure;

No sentient being can fathom them.

Just as the great ocean makes no distinctions,

And a hundred rivers merge into a single taste,

These bodhisattvas are likewise so:

The Dharma they realize has the same single characteristic.

Just as the great ocean came to be

Not merely for the sake of a single sentient being,

These bodhisattvas are likewise so:

For the sake of all, they universally arouse the mind of enlightenment.

As in the ocean there is a jewel named “Treasure-Gathering,”

Through which the other treasures multiply,

The treasure of bodhisattvas is likewise so:

From the bodhisattva treasure, all treasures appear.

Just as the great ocean produces three kinds of treasure,

Yet that great ocean makes no distinctions,

When bodhisattvas teach the Dharma, it is likewise so:

Through the Three Vehicles they liberate people without distinction.

Just as the great ocean gradually becomes deep and vast,

These bodhisattvas are likewise so:

For the sake of sentient beings, they cultivate merit

And dedicate it to profound omniscience.

Just as the great ocean does not retain a corpse,

These bodhisattvas are likewise so:

With pure resolve, they aspire to bodhi

And do not retain the afflictive mind of a sravaka.

Just as the great ocean holds an indestructible jewel,

That jewel being called “Gathering of All Treasures,”

When the kalpa burns to its end, it is not consumed,

But moves to a Buddha-realm in another direction.

When the true Dharma perishes, it is likewise so:

With vigorous perseverance, they uphold the Dharma of the precepts;

Knowing that sentient beings cannot be liberated,

They move to a Buddha-realm in another direction.

When the three-thousandfold world is about to be destroyed,

And the kalpa fire is about to consume heaven and earth,

The hundred rivers and all streams first run dry;

Only afterward does the great ocean dry up.

Those who practice the lesser path are likewise so:

When the Dharma is about to perish, they perish first;

Courageous bodhisattvas, not cherishing their own bodies,

Preserve the true Dharma and perish only afterward.

Whether the Buddha is present in the world or has entered nirvana,

The Dharma treasure within their minds is never extinguished;

With profound and pure minds, they abide securely in the Dharma

And use this wholesome Dharma to cultivate the path.

Hundreds of thousands of sentient beings rely upon the ocean;

The ocean did not come to be for only one sentient being.

The bodhisattva’s resolve is likewise so:

It is aroused to rescue and liberate every living being.

Even the great oceans throughout the worlds of the ten directions

Can still be measured,

But the bodhisattvas’ practice of the path

Cannot be fathomed by sravakas or pratyekabuddhas.

Kasyapa, you should know that these bodhisattvas,

With courageous and vigorous minds, dedicate their merit,

Vowing to become Buddhas and liberate all beings;

None can equal them, much less surpass them.

Their precious virtues accumulate like the great ocean;

They are worthy fields of merit to whom offerings may be made.

They are the supreme great kings of physicians,

Curing every illness of sentient beings.

They are a refuge that brings aid and deliverance,

A bright lamp illuminating every path,

Giving those in the world who dwell in ignorance

Clear eyes with which to receive the ambrosia.

They are the Dharma kings of the world,

Possessing the discerning wisdom of Sakra;

They are Brahma kings who practice the four dhyanas,

Pure ones who turn the Dharma wheel.

They are wise teachers who guide others,

Clearly revealing false paths and the right path;

They are courageous ones who destroy Mara’s armies,

Pure ones who eliminate afflictions and defilements.

Cultivating wholesome dharmas, they are like the full moon;

Their light shines everywhere like the sun.

Their wisdom towers above all like Mount Sumeru;

Like precious clouds, they rain down ambrosia.

Like lions, they are utterly fearless;

Their minds are well-tamed like a king of elephants.

They are like a vajra mountain

That no non-Buddhist practitioner can destroy.

They are limpid and pure like water,

Endowed with majesty and courage like a great fire.

They are like the wind, unobstructed,

And like the great earth, immovable.

They uproot arrogance and self-conceit,

And, like medicinal trees, make no distinctions.

Their observance of the precepts is pure like the lotus,

Never stained by worldly dharmas.

Like the precious udumbara flower,

Which appears but once in countless millions of kalpas,

They know how to repay the kindness of the Buddhas

And ensure that the Buddha lineage is never severed.

They diligently practice great compassion

And transcend all through loving-kindness and sympathetic joy.

They can remain far removed from the mind of the five desires

And constantly seek the Buddha-Dharma as their treasure.

Their practice of giving is supreme;

None equals the purity of their precepts.

None surpasses the power of their patience;

They diligently practice vigor without indolence.

They practice meditative concentration and possess spiritual powers,

Enabling them to reach immeasurable Buddha-realms.

They always encounter Buddhas and receive the Dharma,

Then teach others whatever they have heard.

They clearly know the courses of conduct of sentient beings

And whether their faculties are keen or dull.

This is the wondrous power of their skill in means;

Their lamp of wisdom shines brightly, bringing universal deliverance.

They completely penetrate all dharmas,

Knowing that all arise from the convergence of causes and conditions.

They can thoroughly comprehend the characteristics of causation,

Abandon views of self, and delight in equality.

They practice right contemplation of all dharmas:

From where do they come, and where do they go?

They clearly understand that dharmas neither come nor go,

And abide in the Dharma-nature, unmoving.

Seeing that all conditioned dharmas are empty,

They deepen their compassion to liberate every living being.

Sentient beings suffer through deluded perceptions;

Wishing to rescue and liberate them, they cultivate the path.

Ordinary beings discriminate between self and what belongs to self,

Following innumerable wrong views.

Bodhisattvas penetrate the true characteristic of dharmas

And teach the Dharma to eliminate attachment to views.

They regard the impermanent as permanent and the unquiescent as quiescent,

What is without self as self, and suffering as happiness.

Deluded by such inversions, ordinary beings cling to them

And cannot know their previous lives in samsara.

Clearly knowing that all this arises from inversion,

And that there is no self, no person, and no sentient being,

I should thus cultivate the right path:

Impermanence, no-self, and impurity.

Kasyapa, you should know that of those bodhisattvas,

I have praised only some of their merits;

Their courses of practice and transformation cannot be exhausted—

What I have described is like a single dust mote upon the great earth.

Those who arouse the irreversible mind of bodhi

Are worthy of all the offerings in the trichiliocosm.

If offerings surpassing even these exist,

They should all be offered to such beings.

If anyone arouses the resolve and vows to become a Buddha,

That person thereby reveres and makes offerings to me,

And has thereby revered and made offerings

To the Buddhas of the past, present, and future.

Chapter 16: ESTABLISHING THE DHARMA

At that time, Brahma Thinker of Benefit said to Manjusri, Prince of the Dharma:

“Great Being, you should entreat the Tathagata to protect and keep this sutra in mind, so that even five hundred years hence it may continue to circulate widely.”

Bodhisattva Manjusri said:

“What do you think? With regard to this sutra, has the Buddha expounded or instructed anything, and is there anything he can protect and keep in mind?”

Brahma Viśeṣacintin replied:

“No!”

Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī said:

“Worthy One! Therefore, you should know that all dharmas are neither expounded nor revealed, and there is nothing to be safeguarded and kept in mind. Since these dharmas are utterly indestructible, they cannot be safeguarded and kept in mind. To wish to preserve these dharmas is to seek to safeguard empty space.

“Worthy One! If a bodhisattva wishes to have a dharma to accept, then there is no such dharma. Why? Because dharmas always transcend every course of verbal discourse. This is called a bodhisattva’s freedom from delight in contention.

“Worthy One! If any bodhisattva in this assembly thinks, ‘Today this Dharma is being taught,’ you should know that this person is not hearing the Dharma. Why? Because not hearing the Dharma is what is called hearing the Dharma.”

The Brahma asked:

“Why is not hearing the Dharma called hearing the Dharma?”

Mañjuśrī replied:

“When the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind are all pure, this is called hearing the Dharma. Why? Because when a person’s six inner faculties encounter the six outer objects without becoming attached to form, sound, scent, taste, touch, or dharmas, only then is it called hearing the Dharma.”

At that time, within the assembly were thirty-two thousand devas, five hundred bhikshus, three hundred bhikshunis, eight hundred upasakas, and eight hundred upasikas. Upon hearing Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī expound the Dharma, they all attained the patience regarding the non-arising of dharmas and immediately said:

“Indeed, indeed! Venerable Mañjuśrī! Just as the Great Being has said, only when one does not cling to what is heard in the Dharma is it called hearing the Dharma.”

Then Brahma Viśeṣacintin asked the bodhisattvas who had attained the patience regarding the non-arising of dharmas:

“Have you not heard this sutra?”

They replied:

“Yes, we have heard it, hearing by means of non-hearing.”

He asked:

“How do you understand that Dharma?”

They replied:

“We understand it by means of non-knowing.”

He asked:

“What have you attained that is called attainment?”

They replied:

“Because all dharmas are unattainable, we call it attaining the patience regarding dharmas.”

He asked:

“What is it to practice in accordance with the Dharma?”

They replied:

“Because we practice without conforming, it is called practice in accordance with it.”

He asked:

“Do you have clear and penetrating comprehension of this Dharma?”

They replied:

“All dharmas are comprehended and penetrated, without self or anything belonging to self.”

At that time, within the assembly was a deva named Pure Appearance, who said to Brahma Viśeṣacintin:

“If anyone merely hears this sutra but does not receive a prediction from a Buddha, then I shall predict that person’s attainment of unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment. Why? Because this sutra does not negate cause and effect; it can give rise to wholesome dharmas, eliminate hostile māras, free one from all affection and aversion, purify the minds of sentient beings, and cause those who believe and understand it to rejoice and eliminate all anger.

“This sutra is cultivated by all virtuous people.

“This sutra is safeguarded and kept in mind by all Buddhas.

“This sutra is jointly preserved by all devas, humans, and asuras in the world.

“This sutra ensures the attainment of the stage of non-retrogression.

“This sutra is not false, for it leads to the seat of enlightenment.

“This sutra is true, for it can enable sentient beings to attain the dharmas of the Buddhas.

“This sutra can turn the Dharma wheel.

“This sutra can eliminate every kind of doubt and hesitation.

“This sutra can open the path of the noble ones.

“This sutra should be thoroughly comprehended by those who seek liberation.

“This sutra should be diligently preserved by those who wish to attain the dharanis.

“This sutra should be expounded by those who earnestly seek merit.

“This sutra should always be recollected by those who delight in the teachings.

“This sutra can bring every joy and lead to nirvana.

“This sutra cannot be destroyed even if the hosts of māras and non-Buddhist practitioners were to obtain it.

“This sutra enables those who receive offerings to accord with its meaning and principles.

“This sutra can bring still greater joy to those of keen faculties.

“This sutra can bring still greater delight to those endowed with wisdom.

“This sutra can help the wise abandon all views and attachments.

“This sutra can enable the wise to dispel the darkness of ignorance.

“The words and characters of this sutra follow the proper sequence, for it is skillfully expounded.

“This sutra is ultimate, for it is skillfully taught in accordance with its meaning and principles.

“This sutra brings abundant benefit, for it expounds the ultimate truth.

“This sutra is that toward which the minds of those who delight in the Dharma earnestly aspire.

“This sutra is that from which those endowed with wisdom cannot part.

“This sutra is a great treasury for those who practice generosity.

“This sutra is a clear, cool pool for those scorched by afflictions.

“This sutra can enable those with loving-kindness to attain a mind of equanimity.

“This sutra can cause the indolent to become diligent.

“This sutra can enable those with distracted thoughts to attain a concentrated and tranquil mind.

“This sutra can enable the ignorant to attain luminous wisdom.

“Worthy One! This sutra is revered by all Buddhas.”

When the deva Pure Appearance expounded this Dharma, the trichiliocosm manifested every kind of tremor. The Buddha then praised him:

“Excellent, excellent, deva! It is exactly as you have said!”

At that time, Brahma Viśeṣacintin addressed the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! Did this deva formerly hear this sutra in the abodes of Buddhas of the past?”

The Buddha said:

“This deva formerly heard this sutra in the abodes of six billion four hundred million Buddhas. After forty-two thousand kalpas, he will attain Buddhahood with the name Jeweled Adornment, and his land will be called Many Jewels. During that interval, whenever Buddhas appear in the world, he will make offerings to them all and will also hear this sutra.

“Brahma! The bhikshus, bhikshunis, upasakas, upasikas, and the eight classes of Dharma protectors—devas, nāgas, spirits, and others—in this assembly who have attained the patience regarding dharmas will all be born in that land of Many Jewels.”

The deva Pure Appearance addressed the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! I do not seek bodhi, make vows for bodhi, crave bodhi, delight in bodhi, recollect bodhi, or discriminate concerning bodhi. Why, then, have I received a prediction from the Tathagata?”

The Buddha told the deva:

“It is as though someone were to cast grass, wood, trunks, branches, and leaves into a fire and say, ‘Do not burn! Do not burn!’ It is utterly impossible that these words could cause those things not to burn.

“Deva! A bodhisattva is likewise. Although one neither delights in nor craves bodhi, you should know that one has received predictions from all Buddhas. Why? Because if a bodhisattva neither rejoices in, delights in, covets, clings to, becomes defiled by, nor apprehends bodhi, that bodhisattva will certainly receive from the Buddhas a prediction of unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.”

At that time, five hundred bodhisattvas in the assembly together addressed the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! Today we do not seek bodhi, vow for bodhi, delight in bodhi, crave bodhi, recollect bodhi, or discriminate concerning bodhi.”

After they had spoken these words, through the Buddha’s spiritual power they immediately received predictions from eighty-four thousand Buddhas in the upper direction that they would attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.

The five hundred bodhisattvas again addressed the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! This is truly unprecedented. The Tathagata’s teaching of the Dharma is indeed wondrous. Bodhisattvas neither seek nor make vows, neither cling nor rejoice, nor attain the fruit of bodhi, yet they receive predictions of Buddhahood from the Buddhas.

“World-Honored One! Today, all of us have received predictions from eighty-four thousand Buddhas in the upper direction that we shall attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.

Chapter 17: PRAISE BY THE DEVAS

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

“World-Honored One! I beseech you to be mindful of and protect this sutra, so that in the future, after five hundred years, it may circulate widely throughout Jambudvipa and cause this Dharma to remain in the world for a long time. May that Dharma of great adornment also be comprehended by good men and good women. Even if Mara and his retinue were to perform countless deeds, they would still be unable to cause disruption. By accepting and upholding this sutra, they will not regress from unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.”

The Buddha told Bodhisattva Manjusri:

“So it is, so it is. Bodhisattva, listen attentively. Wishing this sutra to remain in the world for a long time, the Tathagata will teach you an incantation for invoking the eight classes of Dharma protectors: devas, dragons, yakshas, gandharvas, kumbhandas, and others.

If a Dharma teacher upholds and recites this incantation, devas, dragons, yakshas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras, mahoragas, and others will constantly accompany and protect that Dharma teacher. Whether this Dharma teacher travels upon the proper road or loses the way, dwells in a village or a solitary place, stays in the Sangha’s quarters or a quiet dwelling, walks in meditation or attends an assembly, those spirits will always remain close by, guarding and assisting the teacher and increasing the teacher’s eloquence in expounding the Dharma.

They will also increase the conditions for the wondrous power of wisdom, make mindfulness and recollection ever more steadfast, prevent enemies and bandits from causing harm, and enable that Dharma teacher to remain single-minded, peaceful, and secure while walking, standing, lying down, or sitting.

“Manjusri! This is the sequence of the incantation:

1. Uất đầu lệ.

2. Đầu đầu lệ.

3. Ma lệ.

4. Già lệ.

5. Nghê lệ.

6. Thê lệ đề lệ.

7. Di lệ.

8. Hầu lâu.

9. Hầu lâu.

10. Hầu lâu.

11. Nhân bà lệ.

12. Vi đa lệ.

13. Khúc khâu lệ.

14. A na nhỉ.

15. Dà đế.

16. Ma ê lý.

17. Ma na tùng.

18. Ma nhĩ.

19. Bà hầu càn địa tát ba lâu đế.

20. La bà bà già đế.

21. Hạnh đầu lệ.

22. Nam-mô Phật-đà già lê đế lệ.

23. Nam-mô Đạt-ma bàn dà đà nhỉ.

24. Nam-mô Tăng-già hòa ế đà hòa ế đà.

25. Tỳ bà phiến đà nhĩ.

26. Tát bà ba ba nhĩ nghê đế lệ đi phù đề lý, tát già bàn đề xá phạm lam ma ba xá đa dư lợi sư tỳ ba xá đa a đá la đề sả đề tát bà phù đa dà la ha. Nam-mô Phật-đà tất triền đấu mạn đa la.

“When one expounds the Four Noble Truths to all sentient beings with a mind of loving-kindness, one receives the praise of Brahma and the sages and noble ones. By invoking the spirits therein and revering the Buddhas, one will accomplish this incantation.

“Great Being Manjusri! These are all the phrases of the mantra. If a great bodhisattva wishes to practice and uphold this sutra, that bodhisattva should recite this entire incantation, practice it earnestly with single-minded concentration and without distraction, and maintain purity in every coming and going.

The practitioner should not store leftover food, should have few desires and know contentment, dwell alone in seclusion, take no delight in noisy places, keep body and mind tranquil, constantly cherish loving-kindness and compassion, take joy in the Dharma, abide in truthful speech, not deceive others, value seated meditation, delight in expounding the Dharma, practice right mindfulness, abandon wrong thoughts, and always delight in practicing the dhutas.

Whether attaining realization or not, the practitioner should feel neither sorrow nor joy, should turn toward nirvana, become disenchanted with samsara, maintain an impartial mind toward both affection and hatred, abandon discriminating characteristics, spare neither body and life nor any possessions, remain free of attachment, possess complete dignity of deportment, always delight in observing the precepts, be patient, gentle, and harmonious, endure all harsh and malicious words, always maintain a joyful and kindly countenance, continually inquire after others so as to eliminate arrogance, and dwell together in peace and happiness.

“Bodhisattva Manjusri! Dharma teachers who abide in this Dharma and recite that incantation will attain ten powers in this present life. What are the ten?

1. They attain the wondrous power of recollection and never forget.

2. They attain the power of wisdom to discern the dharmas skillfully.

3. They possess the power to practice in accordance with the meaning of the sutra.

4. They attain the steadfast power to carry out transformative practices throughout samsara.

5. They attain the power of moral shame and dread of wrongdoing, thereby protecting both others and themselves.

6. They possess the power of extensive understanding and complete wisdom.

7. They attain the wondrous power of dharani and can accept and retain everything they comprehend.

8. They possess the power of eloquence, delight in expounding the Dharma, and receive the protection of the Buddhas.

9. They attain the wondrous power of the profound Dharma and fully acquire the five superknowledges.

10. They accomplish the wondrous power of patience regarding the non-arising of dharmas and swiftly realize perfect omniscience.

“Bodhisattva Manjusri! If any Dharma teacher can abide in, practice, uphold, and recite this incantation, that teacher will accomplish these ten wondrous powers in the present life.”

When the Buddha taught the wondrous powers of this incantation, the Four Heavenly Kings were greatly awestruck. Together with immeasurable spirits and their surrounding retinues, they immediately approached the Buddha, reverently bowed at his feet, and said:

“World-Honored One! We, the Four Heavenly Kings, have attained the fruit of stream-entry. In accordance with the Buddha’s teaching, we shall command all our retinues and attendants continually to accompany and protect those Dharma teachers. If any good men or good women devote themselves to preserving the Dharma and are able to uphold, recite, and expound this sutra, we Four Heavenly Kings shall go to their dwellings and protect them. Whether those people reside in cities, towns, or villages, or in solitary places, and whether they are householders or monastics, we and our retinues shall attend and provide for them, causing their minds always to remain peaceful and secure, free from weariness, and ensuring that nothing whatsoever can disturb them.

“World-Honored One! Furthermore, if this sutra appears anywhere within a radius of fifty miles, neither devas nor children of devas, neither dragons nor children of dragons, neither yakshas nor children of yakshas, neither kumbhandas nor children of kumbhandas, and so forth, will be able to cause disruption.”

At that time, Virudhaka, the Heavenly King and Protector of the World, spoke this verse:

All those within my retinue,

My relatives and my people,

Shall together offer protection

And make offerings to the Dharma teacher.

Heavenly King Virupaksha spoke this verse:

I am a child of the Dharma King,

Born through transformation from the Dharma.

Those who seek bodhi, the Buddha’s children,

I shall make offerings to them all.

Heavenly King Dhrtarashtra spoke this verse:

If there are Dharma teachers

Who accept and uphold such a sutra,

I shall constantly protect them

Throughout all the ten directions.

Heavenly King Vaisravana said:

Those who have awakened the resolve for the path

Are worthy to receive offerings;

Yet none among all sentient beings

Can discern who they are.

The son of Heavenly King Vaisravana, named Good Treasure, held a parasol made of the seven precious substances and offered it to the Tathagata, speaking this verse:

World-Honored One, from this day forth

I shall accept and uphold this sutra,

And I shall also teach it to others;

Such is the resolve I have awakened.

The World-Honored One knows my mind

And the practices of my former lives;

From the time I first awakened the resolve,

I have sincerely sought the Buddha-path.

The Buddha’s invisible crown

I now offer this splendid parasol;

May I attain in like manner

That invisible crown protuberance.

With a mind of loving reverence,

I gaze in homage upon the World-Honored One;

May I attain the pure eye

And encounter Maitreya Buddha.

The World-Honored One, the Wise One,

Immediately answered in verse:

When your life here has ended,

You will be born in Tusita Heaven.

Descending from Tusita,

You will encounter Maitreya Buddha.

For twenty thousand years you will make offerings,

And only then leave home to train in the path.

After you have left home,

You will purely cultivate the brahma-conduct.

All the Buddhas of the Auspicious Kalpa

You will behold without exception.

You will also make offerings to those Buddhas

And cultivate the brahma-conduct in their presence.

After six billion kalpas,

You will attain Buddhahood.

Your name will be Jeweled Parasol;

Your land will be exceedingly pure and adorned.

It will contain only the bodhisattva Sangha,

For whom you will expound the wondrous Dharma.

Your lifespan will last a full kalpa.

After you enter nirvana,

The true Dharma will remain for half a kalpa,

Bringing benefit to myriad beings.

At that time, Sakra, Lord of the Devas, surrounded by countless hundreds of thousands of devas, addressed the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! We too shall protect the Dharma masters who are able to uphold this sutra, and we shall make offerings to them and provide for their needs. Wherever this sutra is found, or wherever someone reads, recites, or explains it, we shall go to those places to uphold the teaching. We shall also increase the spiritual might of the Dharma master, ensuring that none of the sentences or meanings are omitted or lost.”

At that time, Sakra’s son, named Gopaka, held a pearl parasol adorned with the seven treasures and offered it to the Tathagata, speaking in verse:

Now I clearly understand

The Dharma taught by the Buddha.

I too shall practice accordingly,

Seeking the Buddha’s omniscience.

In former lives, the World-Honored One

Gave away everything in generosity.

I shall follow this practice

And relinquish all that I possess.

Before the Dharma King,

I vow to uphold this sutra

And expound it to others,

Thus repaying the Buddha’s kindness.

Those who delight in this sutra

Are the same as I;

I shall make offerings to them

For the attainment of bodhi.

World-Honored One, the sravakas

Are unable to safeguard the Dharma.

In the terrifying age to come,

Please protect this sutra.

World-Honored One, please reassure me

And dispel the doubts of the devas:

How much longer will it be

Before I become a Buddha like the World-Honored One?

The Buddha, who had penetrated wisdom,

Immediately bestowed a prediction upon him:

In the future you will become a Buddha,

No different from the Tathagata.

After a hundred billion kalpas,

And more than ten billion kalpas beyond that,

You will then attain Buddhahood,

Bearing the name King of Wisdom.

At that time, the Brahma King, lord of the Saha world, addressed the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! We shall leave the bliss of meditative concentration and gladly go wherever there is a Dharma master, or wherever good men or good women are able to expound this Dharma. Why is this? It is because from sutras such as this arise Sakras, Brahma kings, and other honored and noble beings.

“World-Honored One! We shall make offerings to those good men. Those good men are worthy to receive every offering from the devas, humans, and asuras of the world.”

At that time, the Deva King Wondrous Brahma spoke in verse:

Bhiksus and bhiksunis,

Good men and faithful women,

Who are able to uphold this sutra

Are worthy of the world’s offerings.

Even if there is only one person

Who devotes himself to practicing this sutra,

For that person I shall

Expound such a sutra.

I shall spread a seat of splendid flowers

Rising as high as Brahma Heaven;

Seated securely upon that seat,

I shall expound such a sutra.

If, during an evil age,

One hears this sutra from another,

One should give rise to a rare and precious resolve,

Rejoicing and exclaiming, “Excellent!”

Even if immeasurable worlds

Were entirely filled with a great conflagration,

One should pass through its midst

To reach a place where this sutra is heard.

This sutra reveals the Buddha path.

If anyone wishes to hear it,

One should amass treasures as high as Mount Sumeru

And offer them to that person.

Chapter 18: ENTRUSTMENT

At that time, the World-Honored One manifested wondrous spiritual power, causing Mara Papiyan and all the armies of Mara to come before the Buddha and say together:

“World-Honored One! Together with our retinues, we now make this vow before the World-Honored One: Wherever this sutra is widely circulated, wherever there are those who expound the Dharma and those who listen to the Dharma, and in those lands where the deeds of Mara do not arise, we shall protect this sutra.”

Then the World-Honored One emitted a golden light that illuminated this entire world and said to Bodhisattva Manjusri:

“The Tathagata will now be mindful of and protect this sutra, bringing benefit to the Dharma masters. As long as this sutra is propagated and remains in Jambudvipa, the Buddhadharma will not perish.”

At that time, those assembled scattered all kinds of flowers, incense, and powdered incense before the Buddha and said:

“World-Honored One! May the World-Honored One cause this sutra to remain for a long time in Jambudvipa and to be expounded and circulated far and wide.”

The Buddha said to the Venerable Ananda:

“Can you uphold this sutra?”

The Venerable Ananda replied:

“World-Honored One! I am able to uphold it.”

The Buddha said:

“Ananda! The Tathagata now entrusts this sutra to you. You should uphold, read, and recite it, and expound it widely to others.”

The Venerable Ananda addressed the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! What merit will those attain who uphold, read, recite, and expound this sutra?”

The Buddha said:

“Ananda! Suppose a person, throughout his entire life, were to offer all necessary requisites to as many Buddhas and members of the Sangha as there are sentences, passages, and written characters in this sutra. If another person were to make an offering to this sutra, even only once, with reverence, respect, and praise, the merit of that person would surpass the former. In this present life, that person will attain eleven treasuries of merit. What are these eleven?

1. Clearly beholding the treasury of the Buddha, because one attains the divine eye.

2. Comprehending the treasury of the Dharma, because one attains the divine ear.

3. Beholding the treasury of the Sangha, because one attains the Sangha of non-retrogressing bodhisattvas.

4. Attaining the treasury of inexhaustible wealth, because one acquires the precious hand.

5. Attaining the treasury of the physical form, because one is fully endowed with the thirty-two marks.

6. Attaining the treasury of retinues, because one acquires retinues who cannot be disrupted.

7. Attaining the treasury of Dharma never before heard, because one acquires the dharani teachings.

8. Attaining the treasury of recollection, because one possesses eloquence and delights in expounding the Dharma.

9. Attaining the treasury of fearlessness, because one refutes all the doctrines of non-Buddhist paths.

10. Attaining the treasury of merit, because one benefits all sentient beings.

11. Attaining the treasury of wisdom, because one acquires all the qualities of a Buddha.”

When the Buddha expounded this sutra, seventy-two nayutas of sentient beings attained patience regarding the non-arising of dharmas; immeasurable sentient beings generated the aspiration to attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment; and countless sentient beings, no longer attached to any dharma, exhausted all outflows and attained liberation of mind.

At that time, the Venerable Ananda rose from his seat, adjusted his robes, bared his right shoulder, reverently bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, and said:

“World-Honored One! What is the title of this sutra, and how should we uphold it?”

The Buddha said to the Venerable Ananda:

“This sutra is called The Collection of All Dharmas. It is also called The Adornment of All the Dharmas of the Buddhas. It is further called The Questions of Brahma Visesacintin, and it is also called The Discourse of Manjusri. You should uphold it under these titles.”

When the Buddha had finished expounding this sutra, Manjusri, Prince of the Dharma; Brahma Visesacintin; Bodhisattva Equal Practice; the Elder Mahakasyapa; the Venerable Ananda; and all the devas and humans accepted and upheld the Buddha’s teaching and rejoiced exceedingly.