佛本行集經

Chapter 7: RETURNING FROM THE FLOWER GARDEN TO THE CITY

(Part 2)

At that time, in the city of Kapilavastu, there were five hundred great ministers of the Sakya clan, all relatives of the bodhisattva. Each returned to his private residence and established a monastery, awaiting the bodhisattva’s arrival to rest there. As soon as the bodhisattva entered the city gate, each great minister stood before the entrance to his residence, joyfully joined his palms in reverence, and said:

“May the God among gods deign to visit our monastery.”

Or they said:

“May the Great Helmsman who crosses the ocean of birth and death deign to visit our monastery.”

Or they said:

“May the One whose golden body is pure among sentient beings deign to visit our monastery.”

Or they said:

“May the Bestower of all joy deign to visit our monastery.”

Or they respectfully said:

“May the One whose flawless good name resounds everywhere deign to visit our monastery.”

Or they respectfully said:

“May the Supremely Honored One, unequaled by any, deign to visit our monastery.”

King Suddhodana, feeling compassion for these five hundred great ministers who were his kinsmen, took the Child to visit each of the monasteries in succession before returning to the inner palace.

On the very day the bodhisattva was born, there were also:

Five hundred children of the Sakya clan born at the same time, among whom the bodhisattva’s noble countenance was the most beautiful.

Five hundred maidens of the Sakya clan born at the same time, among whom Yasodhara was the most beautiful.

Five hundred male servants of the Sakya clan born at the same time, among whom Chandaka, born in the royal palace, was foremost.

Five hundred female servants of the Sakya clan born at the same time, among whom the daughter of the woman who attended the Prince in the royal palace was foremost.

Five hundred fine, strong white horses born at the same time, among whom the horse Kanthaka in the royal stable was foremost.

Five hundred mighty lordly elephants, each with six tusks and white as snow, suddenly appeared before the palace gate.

Five hundred great hidden treasuries of gold suddenly appeared around the four sides of Kapilavastu.

Five hundred superb flower groves and gardens appeared on the four sides of Kapilavastu. Everywhere within those gardens were streams, bathing ponds, flowers, fruits, and all manner of other things, all brought forth through the majestic virtue and power of the Prince.

Five hundred merchants also arrived in Kapilavastu that day, bringing abundant wealth, jade, pearls, and precious jewels.

Five hundred vassal kings also sent envoys that day bearing five hundred parasols and five hundred golden vessels. They came before the Great King and said: “Your vassals offer these modest gifts to the Great King in celebration of the Prince.”

The brahmins, kshatriyas, and elders, five thousand people in all, each brought a beautiful maiden and presented her to King Suddhodana. At that time, every need of the king was fully supplied.

King Suddhodana then thought: “What name should I now give the Prince who has been born to me?” He further reflected: “On the day the Prince was born, every benefit was naturally accomplished. I may therefore name the Prince Siddhartha, ‘Accomplisher of Benefit.’” The Great King ordered the treasury opened and took out ten billion measures of gold as an offering to Prince Siddhartha for the naming ceremony. The king then spoke this verse:

On that day within the royal palace,

Everything became abundant.

Now I name the Prince;

His noble name is Siddhartha.

Chapter 8: THE PHYSIOGNOMISTS EXAMINE THE MARKS

King Suddhodana summoned all the renowned physiognomists to court for deliberation and interpretation. The king told them:

“Physiognomists, you must carefully examine the Prince’s auspicious and inauspicious marks and then determine whether they portend anything good or ill for our royal house.”

Obeying the king’s command, the brahmin physiognomists attentively examined the Prince’s form and features. Relying upon the scriptures handed down by the sages of ancient times, they deliberated together. Having reached a unanimous conclusion, they reported to the king:

“Your Majesty, today the royal house has gained great benefit. Why is this? The Prince born in the royal palace is supremely noble among sentient beings and is endowed with majestic virtue.

Your Majesty should know that the Prince possesses the thirty-two marks of a Great Man. Whoever in the world possesses these thirty-two marks will certainly receive one of two blessed destinies. What are these two?

First, if he remains at home, he will enjoy worldly blessings and happiness and become a wheel-turning sage-king who rules the four continents, protects the great earth, and possesses the seven treasures. Without employing weapons or armies to subjugate the people, he will cause people everywhere, from the mainland to the lands beyond the seas, naturally to live in accordance with the true Dharma. Second, if he renounces the throne, leaves home, and trains in the path, he will attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, and his good name will resound everywhere throughout the world.”

Having heard this, the Great King further questioned the physiognomists:

“What are the thirty-two marks of a Great Man found upon the Prince’s body?”

The brahmin physiognomists replied:

“The thirty-two marks of a Great Man are these:

1. The soles of the Prince’s feet are level and full, and his steps are steady.

2. At the center of each sole is the figure of a thousand-spoked wheel, distinct, pure, and readily discernible.

3. The Prince’s fingers are slender and long.

4. The Prince’s heels are rounded and beautiful.

5. The tops of the Prince’s feet are rounded and full.

6. The Prince’s hands and feet are soft.

7. Between the Prince’s fingers and toes are delicate webs.

8. The Prince’s calves are like those of a royal stag.

9. When the Prince stands upright, his hands extend beyond his knees.

10. The Prince possesses the mark of concealed male organs, like those of a stallion.

11. From each pore of the Prince’s skin grows a single spiraling hair.

12. The hair upon the Prince’s body is exceedingly beautiful.

13. The Prince’s skin is as soft as cotton.

14. The hair upon the Prince’s body is golden.

15. The Prince’s body is entirely pure.

16. The inside of the Prince’s mouth is deep and beautiful, while its outer shape is square and well formed when he smiles.

17. The Prince’s cheeks are square like those of a lion king.

18. The Prince’s shins are slender and long.

19. The Prince’s body is proportionate above, below, and on both sides, like a nyagrodha tree.

20. Seven places upon the Prince’s body are full and beautiful.

21. The Prince has forty teeth.

22. The Prince’s teeth are even, level, and closely set.

23. The Prince’s teeth have no gaps, chips, or protrusions.

24. The Prince’s teeth are clean and white.

25. The Prince’s body is pure and entirely the color of refined gold.

26. The Prince’s voice is like the voice of Brahma.

27. The Prince’s tongue is broad and long, exceedingly soft and thin, and bright red.

28. Whatever food touches his tongue becomes supremely flavorful.

29. His irises are deep blue.

30. The Prince’s eyelashes are like those of a royal bull.

31. The white hair between the Prince’s eyebrows is soft, clear, lustrous, and curls to the right.

32. The ushnisha upon the crown of the Prince’s head rises prominently and is lofty, broad, level, and beautiful.

“Your Majesty, these are the Prince’s thirty-two marks of a Great Man. Whoever fully possesses these thirty-two marks will receive one of the two blessed destinies already described: that of a householder or that of one who has left home.”

After hearing the physiognomists’ explanation, the Great King was so filled with jubilant joy that he could not maintain his usual composure. He immediately served them a banquet of a hundred flavors so that they might partake to their satisfaction. He then provided the brahmin physiognomists with every kind of finest garment, wealth, and precious jewel.

At that time, throughout Kapilavastu, at every crossroads and at the entrances to roads leading into the villages, the king held an unrestricted assembly of giving. Whatever anyone needed was provided: those needing food were given food; those needing drink were given drink; those needing clothing were given clothing; those needing wealth were given wealth; those needing vehicles were given vehicles, and so forth. The king vowed to dedicate all these merits for the benefit of the Prince.

To recount what had occurred: when the bodhisattva, his mind collected in right mindfulness, was born from the right side of the holy mother Maya in Lumbini Garden, within the territory of Devadaha, he emitted a great radiance that illuminated the entire world. The earth quaked in six ways, and ten auspicious signs appeared. The devas and earthly-dwelling spirits and seers witnessed these extraordinary phenomena and were so overjoyed that they could not contain themselves. They raised their voices in acclamation: “Today the bodhisattva has been born in Lumbini Garden in Jambudvipa. He brings great peace and happiness to all humans and devas in the world. He is a great torch that dispels the dark obscurity of ignorance in all sentient beings.”

The Four Heavenly Kings then heard the praises voiced by the devas, spirits, and seers of the realm of earthly-dwelling devas. The inhabitants of that realm passed the news from one to another, joyfully waving and dancing as they cried aloud: “The bodhisattva has been born, bringing the light of peace and happiness to all sentient beings in the world.”

The devas of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three heard the praises from the Heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings and were likewise filled with joy. In this manner, the devas of the Yama Heaven heard the praises from the Heaven of the Thirty-Three; the devas of the Tushita Heaven heard the praises from the Yama Heaven; the devas of the Heaven of Delight in Creation heard the devas of the Tushita Heaven; and the devas of the Heaven of Mastery over Others’ Creations heard the praises from the Heaven of Delight in Creation.

The news was successively transmitted until the Brahma devas of the form realm heard the praises of the devas from the Heaven of Mastery over Others’ Creations. The devas of the Brahma Hosts Heaven heard the praises from the Brahma Heaven. The devas of the Brahma Ministers Heaven heard the praises from the Brahma Hosts Heaven.

The devas of the Great Brahma Heaven heard the praises from the Brahma Ministers Heaven. The devas of the Luminous Heaven heard the praises from the Great Brahma Heaven. The devas of the Heaven of Lesser Light heard the praises from the Luminous Heaven.

The devas of the Heaven of Immeasurable Light heard the praises from the Heaven of Lesser Light. The devas of the Heaven of Radiant Sound heard the praises from the Heaven of Immeasurable Light. The devas of the Pure Heaven heard the praises from the Heaven of Radiant Sound.

The devas of the Heaven of Lesser Purity heard the praises from the Pure Heaven. The devas of the Heaven of Immeasurable Purity heard the praises from the Heaven of Lesser Purity. The devas of the Heaven of Universal Purity heard the praises from the Heaven of Immeasurable Purity.

The devas of the Vast Heaven heard the praises from the Heaven of Universal Purity. Then the news passed from the Vast Heaven to the Heaven of Lesser Vastness, from the Heaven of Lesser Vastness to the Heaven of Immeasurable Vastness, from the Heaven of Immeasurable Vastness to the Heaven of Extensive Fruit, from the Heaven of Extensive Fruit to the Heaven of Heat, from the Heaven of Heat to the Heaven Free from Heat, from the Heaven Free from Heat to the Peerless Heaven, and from the Peerless Heaven to the Heaven of Excellent Manifestation.

From the Heaven of Excellent Manifestation, it proceeded successively to the Akanishtha Heaven in no more than the time of a flash of lightning. All the devas proclaimed:

“Today the bodhisattva has been born into the world. He brings boundless peace and happiness to devas and humans. He is a great lamp that illuminates and destroys the dark veil of ignorance covering sentient beings.”

At that time, the seer Asita was cultivating in purity in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. He saw that the devas of that heaven were so jubilant and delighted that they could not maintain their usual composure. Some waved their garments, while others loudly sang the praises described above. The seer asked the devas:

“Virtuous elders of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, why today are you so jubilant, your hearts overflowing with joy beyond restraint, crying out in celebration and waving your garments and crowns?”

The devas of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three replied:

“Seer Asita, have you not heard? Today, in the human world, in Jambudvipa, immediately north of the Snow Mountains, there is a capital city of the Sakya clan named Kapilavastu, ruled by the great King Suddhodana. The king’s chief queen has given birth to a Prince whose features are exceedingly handsome and supremely lovely.

His body resembles refined gold, his head is rounded like a parasol, his nose is high, rounded, and straight, and his hands extend beyond his knees. His form is dignified and his six faculties are perfect; every part of his body is exceptionally beautiful. He resembles a statue of refined gold and fully possesses the thirty-two marks of a Great Man and the eighty excellent characteristics.

Great Seer, while dwelling in the world, among all devas, humans, maras, Brahmas, sramanas, and brahmins, the Prince will realize the spiritual powers and will certainly attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. After attaining Buddhahood, he will surely turn the unsurpassed and pure Dharma wheel and proclaim the true Dharma, good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end. All its teachings are profound mysteries, sublime in meaning, and constitute the pure holy life.

When sentient beings hear him teach the Dharma, those who still possess karma leading to birth will forever end the karma of birth; those still subject to old age will end old age; those still subject to illness will end illness forever; and those still subject to the suffering of death will forever end the suffering of death. All sorrow, anguish, and suffering will be eradicated and utterly destroyed at their roots.”

Upon hearing this, the seer Asita developed reverent faith. He vanished from the Heaven of the Thirty-Three and appeared in the human world in the Forest of Increase. (At that time, there was also an account stating that in southern India there was a city named Ujjayini. Not far from that city was a mountain named Vindhya, within which was another peak named Asita. A seer was then practicing on Mount Asita, and people named him Asita after the mountain.)

When the seer descended from the Heaven of the Thirty-Three to this mountain, he brought with him an attendant named Narada. From the mountain, master and disciple concealed their forms and flew through the sky to Kapilavastu. As they approached the city, the seer descended and stood contemplating: “When I formerly came to this city, I heard the royal preceptors and brahmin teachers predict: ‘The Great King will beget a bodhisattva child, and this child will be the Teacher of devas and humans.’ I must not treat him lightly.

How could I now display spiritual powers when entering Kapilavastu? Why? Because Kapilavastu today is unlike the Kapilavastu of former times.

Therefore, if I enter the city today, I must adopt a different manner to show reverence for the Child, serving him as the supremely honored sage.”

The seer Asita and his attendant Narada walked together along a narrow road into Kapilavastu, thinking only of proceeding directly to the palace where King Suddhodana resided. When they reached the gate of the royal palace, the seer saw that everywhere in Kapilavastu the crowds were dense and bustling, with scarcely a place devoid of people. They had adorned the inner city with great magnificence to express their reverent celebration of the bodhisattva Prince.

When the people saw the seer Asita entering the city on foot along a narrow road and proceeding directly toward the palace gate, they crowded toward him. They were greatly astonished, wondering why he had appeared there, yet they did not dare ask him. At that time, throughout the inner city, some stood before the doors of their homes, some at windows, some leaning against railings, some upon elevated platforms, and some atop towers. All gazed at the seer and said to one another: “In the past, when this seer came to Kapilavastu, he exercised great spiritual power, riding upon the clouds to the palace of King Suddhodana. For what reason does he walk to the royal palace today?”

When the great seer Asita arrived before the palace gate, he said to the gatekeeper:

“I am an aged brahmin remaining from the former generation, one of the grandsires, and this is Narada, my disciple, a child only eight years old. Though I am now old, I have walked here like a young man of twenty. Would you enter and report my arrival to King Suddhodana?”

The gatekeeper replied:

“It shall be exactly as the Venerable One has instructed. I respectfully obey.”

The gatekeeper then went directly into the inner palace. Moving humbly and slowly, he approached the Great King and respectfully reported everything.

Upon hearing this, the king’s heart was filled with reverence and immense joy. He immediately arose and told the gatekeeper:

“Quickly bring the seer here without delay.”

The gatekeeper returned to the seer and said:

“Great Seer, this is indeed an opportune time. Please enter the palace.”

Upon hearing this, the great seer Asita entered King Suddhodana’s palace together with his attendant Narada.

From the main hall, King Suddhodana saw the great seer Asita slowly approaching. When the seer drew near, the Great King arose, went forward, and reverently welcomed him. The king placed both hands beneath the seer’s arms, escorted him to the finest and most honored jeweled seat, and invited him to sit. Once the seer was seated, the king bowed to him and said:

“I now reverently pay homage to the Venerable One.”

The great seer returned the courtesy and offered this blessing:

“May the Great King always dwell in peace and happiness.”

The Great King asked:

“Great Seer, what do you require today that you have undertaken the hardship of traveling here from afar? Do you need clothing? Do you need food? Or do you require anything else? Please speak freely. I will provide everything in full and will not go against your wishes.”

The seer Asita replied:

“May the Great King understand that I have come here today without lacking anything. I do not seek clothing or food and need nothing at all. I have come today solely because I wish to behold the supreme countenance of the Prince. May the Great King permit me to see your most excellent Prince.”

The Great King replied:

“Venerable Great Seer, please be understanding and wait a short while. The Child is presently sleeping soundly upon his jeweled seat and appears not yet to have awakened.”

The seer Asita immediately said:

“Great King, please do not speak in this way. Do not say that the bodhisattva is still asleep. Why? Although we are awake, we are like people in a dream. But the Great King’s Prince long ago eliminated torpor and sleep; how could he still sleep today? Day and night, he constantly concerns himself with bringing great peace, happiness, and benefit to sentient beings and therefore perpetually abides in samadhi.”

When the Great King knew that the hour at which the Child would awaken was near, he entered the inner palace and commanded:

“Sprinkle water and sweep everything clean, then scatter fragrant oil and fresh flowers upon the ground. Adorn all chambers and palace halls. Place censers burning celebrated incenses everywhere. Hang silken banners and parasols, together with tasseled cords and streamers of precious gems. Suspend jeweled necklaces, pearl netting, and inverted golden bells, interspersed with precious objects that glitter like the light of the sun, moon, and stars. Hang precious garments so that the scene resembles devas wearing jeweled necklaces, holding flowers, and flying through the sky. Also suspend brilliantly colored fabrics—red, yellow, pink, purple, and more.”

With all these beautiful things, they adorned the palace with utmost magnificence, making it resemble a city of gandharvas.

The king invited the venerable dignitaries, eminent worthies, and elders endowed with majestic virtue from both the maternal and paternal branches of the Sakya clan to assemble in the inner palace. The Great King stood to one side together with Queen Maya.

Queen Maya then approached the Child. Upon reaching him, she raised the Child’s head with her hand and turned it toward the great seer. Yet because of the Child’s majestic virtue, his body turned back by itself, and his feet continued to point toward the great seer. Seeing this, the Great King helped the Queen turn the Child’s body so that his head faced the great seer as a gesture of homage. Yet through the Child’s majestic spiritual power, his body again turned back by itself, and his feet still pointed toward the great seer. King Suddhodana tried in this way three times but could not succeed.

Watching from afar, the great seer Asita beheld the majestic spiritual power of the Child. He also saw the Child’s natural radiance illuminating the entire great earth, his noble countenance upright and venerable, his body entirely golden, his head rounded like a parasol, his nose high, rounded, and straight, his arms extending beyond his knees, and all his joints straight, proportionate, and altogether beautiful. The seer immediately arose and said:

“Great King, please do not turn the holy Child’s head toward me. Why? It is not proper for the Child’s head to bow at my feet; my head must bow at the Child’s feet.”

The seer continued:

“Rare indeed! Rare indeed! A Great Man has appeared in the world. Exceedingly rare indeed! A Great Man has appeared in the world. When I was in the palace of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, I heard the devas speak of the Child. This Child is indeed exactly as the devas described, without the slightest difference.”

The seer Asita then adjusted his garments, bared his right shoulder, and knelt with his right knee upon the ground. Taking the Child in both hands, he raised him above his head and then returned to his seat. After sitting down, the seer slowly lowered the Child from above his head and placed him upon his knees.

The chief royal consort Maya said to the great seer Asita:

“Venerable Teacher, please allow the Child to bow at the great seer’s feet.”

The seer Asita replied:

“Chief royal consort, please do not speak such words. The Child should not bow to me. Rather, I and all devas and humans in the world must bow down at the Child’s feet.”

King Suddhodana then had many kinds of rare and precious treasures brought as offerings to the great seer Asita.

The great seer washed both hands with water before accepting the king’s offerings. After receiving them, the seer presented them to the Child.

The Great King said to the great seer:

“Venerable One, I offered these things to you. May you compassionately accept them. Why do you offer them to the Child?”

The great seer Asita replied:

“The Great King has given these offerings to me, and I offer them to the Child, the Most Excellent One.”

The Great King again said:

“I know the great seer to be an unsurpassed field of merit, and so I make these offerings to the great teacher. Please accept them.”

The great seer again replied:

“Your Majesty, I have fortunately encountered the most excellent conditions, and therefore I offer them to the Child.”

King Suddhodana said:

“Venerable Great Sage, I do not now understand the honored teacher’s intention.”

The great seer replied:

“Great King, you should know that today I devote my entire body and mind to the Child.”

The Great King asked:

“For what reason? May the great seer explain.”

The great seer Asita explained:

“May the Great King listen attentively. I will present the matter fully and clearly.

“Great King, you should know that previously, while I was cultivating in purity and practicing the path in the palace of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, I suddenly saw one day that the devas of that heaven were jubilant, their hearts overflowing with delight beyond restraint. They played and danced, tossed their garments and crowns, and smiled joyfully. I then asked the devas:

“‘Good sirs, why are you so joyfully celebrating beyond restraint, waving your garments and crowns and dancing in delight?’

“The devas of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three replied:

“‘Venerable Seer, how can you not know? In the human world, to the north at the foot of the Snow Mountains, there is a capital city of the Sakya clan named Kapilavastu. The king who holds his court in this city is named Suddhodana.

The king’s chief queen has given birth to a Child of handsome and lovely appearance. His body resembles refined gold, his head is rounded, his nose straight, his legs full and well formed, and his hands extend beyond his knees. He resembles a golden statue and fully possesses the thirty-two marks of a Great Man and the eighty excellent characteristics, delighting all who behold him.

The Child will certainly attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. After attaining Buddhahood, he will turn the unsurpassed and pure Dharma wheel. The Child’s features are such that he will assuredly become a Buddha, without doubt.

At that time, through his spiritual power, the Child will know the faculties and capacities of all sentient beings—devas, humans, maras, Brahmas, sramanas, and brahmins—throughout the three periods of past, present, and future. In accordance with each sentient being, he will teach the characteristics of the Dharma and so forth. In brief, all forms of suffering and affliction will be explained, and every sentient being capable of liberation will attain liberation.’

“Great King, after hearing this, I came here to examine the Child’s countenance and determine whether the account was true.”

King Suddhodana again said:

“Great Seer, if this is truly so, you have shown compassion to me and the Child and brought me many benefits, leaving nothing about which I need be concerned. Yet what quality does the Child possess that surpasses the four kinds of conduct? Only one who transcends these four kinds of conduct is the Most Excellent One. Now that the Child has been born among humans, how will he attain the unsurpassed path in the future?”

The great seer Asita replied:

“Great King, you should know that wherever there are brahmins of outstanding ability, they become known to many people.”

The Great King again asked:

“I am now before the great seer. Please explain this clearly for me, for I wish to hear.”

The great seer Asita replied:

“Your Majesty, I have inherited the scriptures and treatises handed down within the brahmin lineage. As stated in the four Vedas, in past ages there was a brahmin named Cudayang, another brahmin named Bhargari, another named Bhagava, another named Mandadi, another named Katra-Rali, and another named Pancashikha. These brahmins had all mastered, to the utmost profundity, the science of calculation taught by the asura king. There was also a seer named Atreya, a king named Pramardana, and a king named Janaka. All these people attained the method of extinguishing bodily suffering.

“Great King, you should understand that those people were like this. Although the Child has been born among humans, he surpasses everyone and will attain a superhuman Dharma.

“Furthermore, Great King, in the past there was a king named Bhagiratha who could run across waves as high as mountains upon the great ocean. Although the king’s forefather, despite the greatest exertion, had been unable to cross them, the king himself succeeded.

“Great King, although people such as these were born among humans, they possessed great majestic virtue, and through this majestic virtue they surpassed devas and humans.”

King Suddhodana said to the seer:

“What the honored teacher says is indeed true. It is not that I disbelieve, but my understanding is narrow, and hearing this has caused fear to arise in my heart.”

The great seer said:

“Does some doubt perhaps remain in the Great King’s mind? Please express it freely, and I will gladly explain.”

The Great King said:

“Great Seer, I truly have doubts. In ancient times there were kings named Diaofu, Duolagu, Triliva, and Daliba. Those kings had never seen or known the Dharma that liberates sentient beings. Why, then, will my Child see and know these matters? May the great seer clearly explain the reason.”

The seer Asita replied:

“I know that the Great King harbors such doubts, and they are not without cause. Why? Because the Great King has merely heard others speak, then grasped at personal judgments and calculations, thereby giving rise to doubt.

The knowledge of earlier and later kings is certainly not identical. Great King, princes, royal fathers, and former kings differ in superiority and inferiority. The Great King should not cling to any lineage as the most excellent lineage, nor regard any particular person as supreme.

Neither should you assume that those born earlier are superior and those born later inferior, for one born later may surpass those born before him. Great King, consider the dawn: first we see only the diffused rays of the sun appearing, and afterward the sun itself rises. The light at dawn is not yet brilliant, but once the sun emerges, its light illuminates the entire great earth, revealing every dark place without omitting any.

Great King, people in the world are likewise: sometimes descendants surpass their fathers and forefathers.”

The Great King said to the great seer:

“Venerable and honored teacher, you have skillfully used an analogy as proof, illuminating my mind, eliminating all my doubts, and giving rise to peace and assurance. The great seer and honored teacher has skillfully embraced and guided me.”

The great seer Asita said:

“Your Majesty, you should know that I am now exceedingly old and feeble, and the end of my life is not far away. The Child is still an infant. As the years pass, he will grow to maturity and attain the fullness of his strength. He will then leave home and enter the forests and mountains to cultivate. I lament that because of my old age, I shall not live to behold his noble countenance on the day he attains enlightenment.”

King Suddhodana again asked the seer:

“Honored great seer, is it certain that the Child will leave home?”

The seer replied:

“Your Majesty, there can no longer be any doubt about this.”

The Great King then looked toward the royal preceptor’s face.

Understanding his meaning, the seer asked:

“Is there something the Great King wishes to say?”

The Great King said:

“Venerable Great Seer, these brahmin royal preceptors once told me that in the future the Child would become a wheel-turning sage-king.”

The seer Asita replied:

“Your Majesty, it is exactly as I have said, entirely without falsehood. Everything I have said today is utterly true and sincere.”

Hearing this firm declaration, the Great King said:

“Venerable and honored teacher, if this is indeed true, it causes my heart even greater sorrow. My heart feels cut by a knife, and my innermost being is thrown into turmoil!”

The great seer replied:

“The Great King is a wise man and should not speak in this way. Your grandparents and ancestors throughout many generations planted numerous roots of goodness and accumulated causes, conditions, merit, and blessed karma in the past. Therefore, the Child has now taken birth in the royal palace to carry sentient beings across to the shore of liberation. How could he be the Great King’s son merely to govern the people and bring peace to the nation?”

The Great King said:

“My own intention is also thus, yet it should happen in this manner: today the Child should inherit the imperial vocation, relieve me of my cares, and bear the heavy responsibility of the nation. Then, when I reach old age, I will leave home, enter the mountains, and cultivate the ancient path of the seers.”

The Great King further said:

“Great Seer, I wish that from this day onward the Child will never leave me. Have you any means to ensure this?”

The seer Asita replied:

“Your Majesty, I am firmly resolved never to speak words that obstruct leaving home.”

King Suddhodana again said:

“Great Teacher, please listen carefully. From this day forward, I will employ every means to ensure that my Child, from his present infancy until he reaches maturity, will never leave me even briefly, much less leave home.”

The seer Asita immediately asked:

“Your Majesty, upon what causes and conditions do you base such words?”

The Great King replied:

“Honored teacher, you should know that all the brahmin physiognomists in my realm have said: ‘If this Child remains at home, he will become a wheel-turning sage-king.’ Because of this, I spoke those words.”

The seer Asita said:

“Great King, you should know that those physiognomists have all uttered great falsehoods. Why? Such excellent marks are not the marks of a wheel-turning sage-king. The Child now fully possesses one hundred auspicious marks and eighty excellent characteristics, all exceedingly distinct.”

The Great King asked:

“Great Seer, what are the Child’s eighty excellent characteristics?”

The seer Asita replied:

“Great King, you should know that the Child now possesses eighty excellent characteristics. I shall enumerate them fully as follows:

1. His palms bear vajra markings.

2. His fingernails are soft and thin.

3. His fingernails are rosy red, like thin copper leaves.

4. His fingernails are uniformly smooth and lustrous.

5. The color of his fingers is exceptionally beautiful.

6. His fingers are straight.

7. His ankle bones do not protrude.

8. His knees are rounded and exceedingly smooth.

9. He walks with composure, taking slow and measured steps.

10. He walks like a lion king.

11. He walks like a royal bull.

12. He walks like a royal goose.

13. He walks slowly and gracefully, his course curving like an earring.

14. He walks so gently that he seems to remain still.

15. His body is upright.

16. His body is soft.

17. His body is smooth.

18. The skin of his body is not rough.

19. His body emits a distinctive fragrance.

20. No one’s skin equals his in beauty.

21. The skin of his body is full and firm.

22. The joints of his body are clearly defined.

23. The skin of his body is radiant like that of Great Brahma, king of the devas.

24. The skin of his body is unwrinkled.

25. The skin of his body is pure and free from dark blemishes.

26. His body is free from every illness.

27. His body is supremely rounded and full.

28. The seven places upon his body are all perfect.

29. His body possesses every beautiful feature.

30. Every part of his body is upright and handsome.

31. All the excretory organs of his body are pure.

32. His body is supremely excellent and undefiled, and its hairs are pure.

33. His body does not discharge impure substances but emits pure substances.

34. His body is constantly surrounded by an aura extending one fathom.

35. His waist curves inward like a bow.

36. The skin of his abdomen is unwrinkled.

37. His navel is deep, concealed, and very beautiful.

38. His navel is round and not misshapen.

39. His navel resembles a wheel.

40. His navel distinctly spirals to the right.

41. His hands are neither rough nor coarse.

42. His hands are soft and gentle like cotton.

43. The lines upon his palms are deep and distinct.

44. The lines upon his palms are as clear as a painting, soft, smooth, and pure.

45. The lines upon his palms are not tangled.

46. The markings upon his hands are clearly distinguished and orderly.

47. His wrists are broad and long.

48. His head is shaped like a rounded ankle bone.

49. His lips and mouth are red like the bimbajala fruit.

50. His countenance is serene and composed.

51. His tongue is long and thin, red like a copper leaf.

52. His voice carries far and is clear and pure.