佛本行集經

Chapter 31: MARA, THE DEMON KING, TERRIFIES THE BODHISATTVA

(Part 3)

At that time, Mara’s troops, bearing such strange forms, came mounted on white elephants, horses, camels, oxen, or rhinoceroses, or riding every kind of chariot, and surrounded him on all four sides. There were hosts of asuras and garudas; hosts resembling mahoragas, kumbhandas, rakshasas, yakshas, and pishaca demons who watched over life itself. Some were gaunt and tall like hungry ghosts.

Some hosts had many different forms. Some had huge, grim faces; heads like cords; enormous heads; tiny faces; or wrinkled faces. Some had forms whose mere sight drained all color from the beholder; others caused those who saw them to lose heart, soul, and spirit entirely.

Some had blue faces; some had skin the color of red copper; some had red heads and blue bodies; some had yellow heads and smoke-colored bodies; some had smoke-colored heads and yellow bodies; some had red heads and black bodies; some had black heads and red bodies; some had white heads and green bodies; some had green heads and white bodies. Some were white on the left and green on the right, or green on the left and white on the right.

Others had bodies, heads, faces, left sides, and right sides all of one such color.

Some had skeletons exposed throughout their bodies. Some had skull-like heads and fat, fleshy bodies; others had fleshy heads and faces but exposed skeletons. Some had human arms and legs with the bodies of animals, while others had the legs of animals and human bodies. Some were covered entirely in needle-sharp hair; some had bristles like those on a boar’s neck; some had hair like a donkey’s mane; and some had hair like bears, monkeys, rats, or wolves. Some emitted flashes of fire from their bodies. Some had tangled hair, hair growing backward, hair tied in topknots, or bald heads without any hair.

Some wore red garments with multicolored ornaments upon their backs. Some wore strings of skulls upon their heads. Some had hair dyed in every color—ash-gray, smoke-colored, blue, yellow, red, or white. Some fashioned skulls into hats. In every manner of form, they came together.

Some held khatvanga objects in their hands. (The Sui translation says: one of the four parts of a bed, namely, a leg of the bed.) Some wore bells upon their backs that made a dreadful sound whenever they moved, while holding skulls in their hands. Some made garlands from bones or carried the arms and legs of dead men. Some shook bells in their hands, producing a clamor. Some were tall and immense, with bodies like tala trees, and held lances, swords, knives, spears, bows, arrows, or crossbows. Some held halberds; some held tridents; some held clubs, iron wheels, long swords, or sharp axes. Some held iron pestles whose ends blazed with fierce flames. Some carried boulders as large as mountains in their hands.

Some wore garments made from animal skins of every color—blue, yellow, red, white, and black. Some had red bodies entwined with snakes. From the eyes, ears, and noses of some, black snakes emerged; they seized these snakes in their hands and stood before the Bodhisattva eating them. Some ate human flesh; some drank blood. From the bodies of some, dense billows of smoke arose, while their mouths poured forth fire like torches. From every pore of some, flames shot out; from the gums of others, fire spread across the ground.

At times an immense black cloud appeared in the sky. Winds blew, rain scattered, thunder and lightning shook violently, and hailstones fell like mountains or showers of gravel. Lightning struck the great trees, breaking and destroying their branches.

Some drew their bows, shouting threats and terrifying all who heard them. Some cried loudly, “Rise and flee quickly! Do not remain here!” Some transformed themselves into old men or women, raised both hands, and wailed aloud, “Alas, my child!” or “Alas, my brother!” Some laughed loudly.

Some ran fearfully in circles through the east, west, south, and north. Some ran forward from behind. Some suddenly sprang upright; others abruptly soared into the air and roamed about.

Some moved freely while supported by trees. Some brandished knives; some flourished long swords, tridents, spears, and halberds, their arms and legs never still. Some bellowed like a bull-king calling in summer, while others had voices like the beast Shiva.

Some cried out in midair, “Kha kha! Hu hu! Hu hu! Hi hi! Kili! Kili!” Shouting in this way, they also cast their garments about. Hundreds of thousands of millions of kotis—immeasurable and boundless hosts of yakshas, rakshasas, kumbhandas, pishacas, and others—completely covered the ground before the Bodhi tree. Southward as far as the sea, Mara’s forces filled the land, leaving not even enough empty ground for the point of a needle. In terrifying forms, they desired to seize and kill the Bodhisattva, awaiting only a command from Mara Papiyan. They turned their faces toward the Demon King to see what he would do. All the ghosts and spirits surrounding the Bodhi tree were like beings tormented by hunger, thirst, and privation, resolutely intent upon killing the Bodhisattva.

At the Bodhi tree, immeasurable devas of the Pure Abodes filled three sides: east, west, and north. Immeasurable and boundless devas of the Form Realm joined their palms, bowed to the Bodhisattva, and said:

“Good sirs, do you see? The Bodhisattva is now about to attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.”

Some devas called out:

“Noble scion of the Ikshvaku clan, quickly leave this place! There are many terrors here and many weapons that may injure your body.”

The Bodhisattva then told the devas:

“Before long, I shall shatter the hosts of Mara and scatter them, just as a gust of wind sweeps tiny flower petals from a cloth.”

When all those demons had assembled, it was precisely midnight. The sky was dark. Though the moon and stars shone, none could appear, so profound was the darkness. Even those with eyes could see nothing; they saw only enormous masses of blazing fire and heard the truly terrifying roar of the wind. The great earth shook, and the waters of the four seas seethed.

A verse says:

The waters of the four seas boiled; the earth shook.
Throughout the ten directions, terrifying fires blazed.
Moon and stars were hidden; the heavens grew dark.
At midnight, in blackness, nothing could be seen.

At that time, among the great assembly was a naga king named Upholder of the Earth. Wishing the Bodhisattva to overcome Mara’s army, he became angry with the Demon King. With hostile intent, Upholder of the Earth glared at Mara Papiyan and breathed poisonous vapor upon his body, causing the Demon King to stagger uneasily.

At that time, the devas of the Pure Abodes wished the Bodhisattva to defeat Mara’s army, yet felt compassion for the Demon King, for having exhausted all outflows, the devas of the Pure Abodes were free of anger. Among the devas present, those who revered and trusted the Bodhisattva saw Mara’s forces filling the region around the Bodhi tree and disturbing him. Having seen this, they cried from the sky, “Alas! Alas!” and spoke this verse:

At that time, the Bodhisattva contemplated only the true Dharma. His mind was neither disturbed nor moved, and his thoughts turned to nothing else. The Bodhisattva said to the Demon King:

“Deva-son of the Desire Realm, my body belongs to the royal kshatriya lineage. My clan has never known false speech but has always faithfully kept its word. Why do you not carry out your scheme at once? Do not delay any longer.”

Mara Papiyan answered the Bodhisattva:

“As you have spoken, I intend to cut your body into a hundred pieces. Do you wish to strike me first, or shall I kill you first?”

The Bodhisattva said to Mara Papiyan:

“I have neither bow and arrows nor knife and staff with which to cut or shoot you. Nevertheless, I must first subdue all of you and only then become a Buddha.”

Mara Papiyan then commanded his demonic hosts:

“You must exert all your strength. Be fierce and do not be afraid. Against this man of the Shakya clan, manifest violent disturbances and terrors.”

Having received the command, Mara’s troops said to the Demon King:

“We shall obey the Great Deva’s command and dare not disobey.”

Each demon then employed its own strength to manifest dreadful things and terrify the Bodhisattva. Among the demonic hosts were ghosts who thrust long tongues from their mouths, twisted their cheeks, and exposed sharp teeth, desiring to bite the Bodhisattva. Their eyes bulged like a lion’s, and their ears curled like hooks. They displayed terrifying forms to frighten and secretly harm him. Some opened their mouths wide and stood towering before him, staring directly at the Bodhisattva and seeking to swallow him.

A verse says:

At that time, a ghost among Mara’s forces became angry and hurled a long knife at the Bodhisattva, but the knife adhered to its hand and could not be released. Some lifted mountains or great rocks and threw them at the Bodhisattva, but the mountains and rocks likewise stuck to their hands and did not fall to the ground. Some in the sky hurled mountains, rocks, trees, spikes, great axes, small axes, spears, and halberds at the Bodhisattva, but all remained suspended in the air and did not fall. If they did fall, they shattered of themselves into hundreds of fragments scattered everywhere. In the sky, as though from the sun, great rains of fire poured down and blazing clouds descended, but through the awesome power of the Bodhisattva, they immediately became showers of red lotus flowers.

Some came before the Bodhisattva and spewed snakes from their mouths, sending them to bite him with poisonous fangs. Yet these snakes lay rigid upon the ground as though bound by a spell and could not move. Great clouds arose with violent thunder and lightning, and hail and mountain stones were hurled upon the Bodhi tree.

Through the Bodhisattva’s awesome power, the hail fell to the ground and became showers of many kinds of flowers. Some shot arrows at the Bodhisattva, but through his awesome power, all the arrows clung to their bowstrings and could not be released. Some shot five hundred arrows at once, but those arrows remained suspended in the sky and did not fall to the ground.

Some raised long swords and rushed swiftly toward the Bodhisattva, but before reaching him, they suddenly stumbled and fell facedown upon the ground.

At that time, a black-bodied rakshasi, holding a skull, ran swiftly forward, seeking to delude and disturb the Bodhisattva’s mind. She wished to approach him but merely ran in circles around the place from which she had set out and could not draw near. From the eyes of some, two blazing red flames shot forth to burn the Bodhisattva. They rushed swiftly toward him but suddenly could no longer see him. A ghost carried a great boulder and ran swiftly toward the Bodhisattva, but though it kept running, it could not reach the foot of the Bodhi tree and became utterly exhausted and distressed.

A verse says:

The bodies and minds of Mara’s troops were confused;
By every means they sought to harm the Holy One.
Yet they could not disturb the place where he sat,
For his wisdom was powerful and his vow was firm.

Some of Mara’s troops roared like lions. Some uttered the cries of wild beasts—tigers, leopards, bears, and wolves. Even immeasurable beings hearing such sounds would all have been terrified. Some of Mara’s troops shouted, “Kill him! Kill this man of the Shakya clan!”

Some shouted, “Drag him out and beat him! Drag out this kshatriya!”

Some shouted, “Beat him to death! Beat this shramana to death!”

Some shouted, “Slay him! Slay this man of the Gautama clan!”

Some shouted, “Cut him apart! Cut apart this scion of the Ikshvaku clan!”

Some shouted, “Crush him! Crush this kshatriya!”

Some shouted, “Destroy him! Destroy this Shakya!” Some shouted, “Smash him! Smash this kshatriya to pieces!”

Some shouted, “Annihilate him at once! Annihilate this shramana!” Some shouted, “Dismember him! Dismember this Gautama!”

Some shouted, “As you please! As you please—act quickly!” Some shouted, “Do as you wish! Strike quickly; do not stand still!”

The uproar was so great that nothing could be clearly heard. At its sound, the sky seemed about to fall to earth and the entire great earth seemed to break into pieces. All the forest animals roared and scattered in every direction when they heard it. Birds perched in the trees fell to the ground.

At that time, all the monstrous ghosts among Mara’s forces made mocking laughter. Some uttered the sound “Kili”; some made other cries; some said, “Cut, cut!” Some said, “Sever, sever!” Some said, “Kill him!” Some said, “Cut him apart!” Some said, “Destroy, destroy!” Some said, “Cut him piece by piece!” Some said, “Dismember him, dismember him!” Such savage cries were beyond reckoning.

Mara Papiyan drew a sharp sword and held it in his hand, intending to rush forward and threaten the Bodhisattva. He shouted:

“Shakya bhikshu, if you dare remain seated here and do not rise, I shall surely harm you!”

Yet the Demon King merely ran back and forth. Though he wished to approach the Bodhisattva, he could not advance before him. At that time, the Demon King’s eldest son, Caravan Leader, embraced him with both arms and cried:

“Royal Father! Royal Father, please do not act like this! Do not do this! You certainly cannot kill Siddhartha, the son of the Shakya clan, nor can you disturb this seat. You will only incur immeasurable and boundless offenses.”

Papiyan did not heed Caravan Leader’s remonstrance but ran directly toward the Bodhisattva and refused to turn back.

At that time, a deva-son of the Pure Abodes concealed himself in the sky and did not appear. Seeing Mara Papiyan rushing forward with a distracted mind to afflict the Bodhisattva, he concentrated his mind and spoke these subtle words to Papiyan:

“Mara Papiyan, you do not measure your own strength. Today you must not disturb this Holy One. Quickly abandon your evil, deluded mind and return to your palace. You can never disturb this Bodhisattva. Why? Just as a violent wind cannot shake Mount Sumeru.”

The deva-son of the Pure Abodes then spoke this verse to Mara Papiyan:

Seeing beings suffering in the world,
Gravely afflicted by delusion, stinginess, and craving,
He aroused loving-kindness and compassion for them,
Wishing to be a holy physician who gives wisdom’s medicine.
Why do you now obstruct him?

Beings, through ignorance, have fallen into darkness;
He wishes to kindle wisdom’s lamp and illumine them.
The Holy One wishes to enter the city of nirvana,
Lighting a torch to dispel the world’s darkness.

His body is the branch of patience; his mind, the root;
Faith and mindfulness are its flowers and leaves, joined with resolve.
The tree of wisdom bears the precious fruit of Dharma;
You must not now uproot and fell it.

The Bodhisattva cultivated the path for many kalpas;
Today those merits have come to fruition.
Therefore he sits cross-legged beneath that tree,
Just as all Buddhas of the past once did.

When Mara Papiyan heard the words of the deva of the Pure Abodes, he became exceedingly arrogant and intensely enraged. He rushed urgently before the Bodhisattva, seeking to harm him.

At that time, eight celestial spirits guarded the Bodhi tree. The first was named Merit; the second, Increase; the third, Fearlessness; the fourth, Skillful Eloquence; the fifth, Awesome Virtue; the sixth, Great Strength; the seventh, Truthful Speech; and the eighth, Excellent Assembly. These eight celestial spirits gazed upon the Bodhisattva without blinking and together praised him in sixteen ways, as follows:

You are the most excellent purified being, your radiance shining like the sun and moon in the sky.

You are an outstanding purified being, blazing brilliantly like the light of the sun at dawn.

You are a luminous purified being, your marks clearly manifest like a red lotus blooming in a blue pond.

You are a purified being, fearless, courageous, and majestic like the lion-king in the ancient forest.

You are a tranquil purified being, towering and unmoved like Mount Sumeru rising from the great ocean.

You are a perfectly purified being, standing steadfast and towering like the Great Iron Encircling Mountain, firm and unmoving.

You are a being of profound understanding, replete with merit, like the great ocean filled with precious things.

You are a magnanimous and generous being, ever increasing, like the limitless sky.

You are a sincere and upright being, your mind rightly concentrated and steadfast like the great earth that nourishes beings.

Today you are utterly undefiled, like the pure water of Lake Anavatapta, endowed with eight qualities.

Today you have severed all fetters and are free of attachment, like a powerful wind that clings to nothing.

Today your countenance is radiant and difficult to gaze upon, like a blazing fire, far removed from all the heat of affliction.

You are a valiant and steadfast being, with strength like the divine champion Narayana, whom none can oppose.

Today you are diligent, having cultivated for many kalpas; your resolve is difficult to turn back, like Shakra casting the vajra pestle.

Today you have attained the foremost excellent benefit. Foremost among beings and endowed with the ten powers, you will before long attain the unsurpassed Way. (One sentence is missing from the original text.)

Thus the divine kings guarding the Bodhi tree praised the Bodhisattva in sixteen ways.

At that time, the devas of the Pure Abodes in the Form Realm together used sixteen reproaches to crush the power of the Demon King. What were these sixteen?

“Mara Papiyan, you possess no awesome power. You are like a weakling subdued by a champion who falsely claims, ‘I have won.’

“Mara Papiyan, you are alone and without companions, like one abandoned in a desolate wilderness.

“Mara Papiyan, today all the strength of your army has been crushed, like a sick and aged ox carrying a heavy burden.

“Mara Papiyan, you are foolish, blind, filthy, and impure, like one who shoots an arrow at night and has it fall into an unclean place.

“Mara Papiyan, you are now like a blind, lame donkey dragging itself here and there, or like a merchant who has lost his way and entered a perilous road.

“Mara Papiyan, today your retinue is scattered and your body has lost its radiance, like an impoverished beggar clothed in grass.

“Mara Papiyan, your awesome virtue has truly declined. With no one upon whom to rely, you feign boldness, like a shameless fool.

“Mara Papiyan, you create impure karma and much filth, like one devoid of gratitude, loyalty, filial devotion, and virtue.

“Mara Papiyan, you are pursued by others like a jackal chased by a lion, no longer at liberty.

“Mara Papiyan, your troops will soon retreat and scatter like a flock of flying birds dispersed by a violent gale.

“Mara Papiyan, you are now foolish, benighted, and ignorant of the times, like a poor and lonely man approaching the day of death.

“Mara Papiyan, today your retinue has been defeated and driven back, like powdered medicine spilling from a jar with a hole.

“Mara Papiyan, before long you will be imprisoned and punished according to reason, like a fool who is expelled.

“Mara Papiyan, before long all your spiritual power will be exhausted, like a criminal whose hands and feet have been cut off and who is carried elsewhere.” (Two sentences are missing from the original text.)

When all the devas of the Shuddhavasa heavens had reproached Mara Papiyan in these sixteen ways and crushed his power, the eight spirits guarding the Bodhi tree likewise reproached him in sixteen ways. What were these sixteen?

“Mara Papiyan, before long you will be subdued by the Bodhisattva, like a mighty general slain by an enemy.

“Mara Papiyan, you are now beaten by the Bodhisattva like a weak and timid man struck by a great champion.

“Mara Papiyan, you are now eclipsed by the Bodhisattva’s radiance, like the light of a firefly obscured when sunlight appears.

“Mara Papiyan, before the Bodhisattva’s awesome power you naturally retreat, like a handful of barley flour swept away by a powerful wind.

“Mara Papiyan, today the Bodhisattva has terrified you, and you flee in confusion like a small animal chased by a lion.

“Mara Papiyan, the Bodhisattva will uproot you like a tala tree torn from its roots and felled by a storm.

“Mara Papiyan, today the Bodhisattva has shattered you, like a hostile fortress demolished by the king’s mighty power.

“Mara Papiyan, the Bodhisattva has now exhausted your strength, like a puddle in an ox’s hoofprint dried up by the fierce morning sun.

“Mara Papiyan, today you have lost to the Bodhisattva and flee headlong, like a condemned criminal who happens to escape execution.

“Mara Papiyan, the Bodhisattva now makes you tremble like birds in a wilderness that scatter in panic upon encountering a great fire.

“Mara Papiyan, the Bodhisattva has now subdued you, and sorrow fills your heart, like a king suddenly stripped of power and deprived of authority.

“Mara Papiyan, before long the Bodhisattva will strip away your power, leaving you like an old and sick wild goose without wings.

“Mara Papiyan, before long the Bodhisattva will destroy you, like a traveler in the wilderness without provisions.

“Mara Papiyan, before long the Bodhisattva will despoil you, like a man whose boat is lost and who sinks in the great ocean.

“Mara Papiyan, the Bodhisattva now burns you, as all forests and trees are consumed by fire at the end of a kalpa.

“Mara Papiyan, the Bodhisattva has now smashed you, as a vajra pestle smashes a rocky mountain.”

Hearing the celestial spirits remonstrate with him through these sixteen reproaches, Mara Papiyan sought to demonstrate his defiance of their counsel. He ran toward the Bodhisattva, wishing to kill him. Though reproached by the celestial spirits, Papiyan remained obstinate and refused to return to his palace. Growing still more furious, he commanded his demonic hosts:

“Rise quickly! Hurry and smash this seer to pieces! Do not let him live. This man has now crossed by his own power to the shore of liberation and escaped my world. Moreover, he will teach immeasurable and boundless beings to leave this realm. I will not spare him. If he understands and wishes to escape my grasp, only by going far from this Bodhi tree will his life be prolonged and he be spared suffering.”

At that time, the Bodhisattva said to Mara Papiyan:

“Even if Mount Sumeru were moved from its original place, all beings ceased to exist, all the stars, sun, and moon fell to the ground, and the great ocean dried up, once I have sat beneath the Bodhi tree, I cannot be moved.”

The Demon King grew angry again and shouted:

“Seize this Gautama of the Shakya clan and carry him swiftly through the air to my magnificent palace! Do not kill him hastily. Bind him with fivefold chains, fetter both his hands, and keep him at my gate so that I may always see his misery and adversity, like a wretched slave.”

At that time, the Bodhisattva said to Mara Papiyan:

“One might paint every kind of form in brilliant colors upon empty space, or cause all the stars, sun, and moon in the sky to fall to the ground; but even if your demonic armies filled the trichiliocosm, they could not terrify me. Even all the demons beneath the Bodhi tree could never intimidate me.”

Chapter 32: THE BODHISATTVA SUBDUES MARA, THE DEMON KING

(Part 1)

At that time, Mara’s forces brought all their awesome power to bear upon the Bodhisattva beneath the Bodhi tree, yet they could not make even a single hair upon his body tremble.

A verse says:

“Fools who wish to destroy the substance of empty space
Are just like you who now wish to harm me.
You may shatter the King of Mountains with a vajra,
Or blow the great ocean dry with your mouths,

Stars poured down in splendor; copper waters boiled.
Some held poisonous snakes in their hands.
Some had the heads of white elephants, horses, or camels;
Others the heads of jackals, cats, monkeys, or apes.

Some were nagas or venomous snakes breathing poison;
Some brought thunderbolts and dazzling lightning,
Together with rains of rocks and diamond-hard snow;
Some poured down iron pellets and weapons:

Lances, spears, long swords, halberds, and tridents.
Some manifested poisonous snakes with vajra teeth,
Breaking trees and leaving branches strewn about,
While armored troops raised a deafening roar.

Some fell upon the ground and became flowing streams;
Others hid and surrounded him from front and rear,
On both right and left, even down around his feet.
They staggered, flames pouring from their limbs,

Arise of themselves through inner and outer conditions.
All dharmas are thus, with no creator.
What I say is not false.
If you do not believe it, I shall make a vow again.

Though Mara’s troops, yakshas, and others used every kind of bodily form to terrify him, the Bodhisattva remained fearless and unmoved. Mara Papiyan grew still angrier; sorrow afflicted his mind, and his whole body was ill at ease.

A verse says:

The Bodhisattva then thought, “Mara Papiyan refuses to heed remonstrance. He commits every kind of offense without recognizing it himself. I can speak to him in accordance with the Dharma and put an end to all his evil deeds.”

Having reflected thus, the Bodhisattva said to Mara Papiyan:

“Mara Papiyan, listen carefully. When I came beneath this Bodhi tree, I first took grass, spread it here, and sat down. Why did this cause you alarm, so that afterward you formed enmity with me, contended against me, and reviled me with venomous words?

Mara Papiyan, you perform evil deeds and possess no wholesome mind. I now wish to end all hostility between myself and your demonic hordes and to end all your evil karma. Mara Papiyan, if you wish to give rise to resentment, you should reflect in this way: ‘Why should I envy the Bodhisattva because he wears a robe of discarded rags, spreads grass, and sits beneath this tree?’ Mara Papiyan, compose your mind.

I vow that after attaining unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment, I shall entrust all such matters to you. May you again give rise to great joy. Mara Papiyan, in your mind today you have also made this vow: ‘We shall certainly terrify the Bodhisattva and make him leave this seat so that he no longer remains here.’ Yet I have made an even greater vow: ‘Today I sit upon this seat.

Even if conditions here cause me to lose my life and my body is crushed into ash and dust, so long as I have not attained unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment, I shall never leave this place for the rest of my life.’ Mara Papiyan, we should now examine in due order whose vow possesses firmer and more courageous power, and who can fulfill his vow first—whether it is I, or you and your demonic hosts. If the power of my wholesome roots, merit, and karma is stronger, then this vow of mine shall be fulfilled without falsehood.”

The Bodhisattva then spoke this verse to Mara Papiyan:

Long ago, you gave at one Unrestricted Assembly;
Thus today you have obtained such great authority.
Throughout immeasurable kotis of asamkhya kalpas,
I gave away everything for the sake of all beings.

Mara Papiyan then spoke this verse to the Bodhisattva:

Long ago, I made offerings at an Unrestricted Assembly;
You already know that I speak no falsehood.
But as for your giving throughout many kalpas,
Who will believe these words by which you seek to defeat me?

When the Demon King had spoken this verse, the Bodhisattva was neither frightened nor timid. Focused and undistracted, with a gentle mind that had cast off all fear, the hairs of his body soft and his gaze calm, he extended his right hand. Its nails were bright red like red-copper leaves, and it was adorned with all the marks born from the merit and wholesome roots accumulated throughout immeasurable thousands of kalpas. He raised his hand and stroked his head, then stroked his heel. Having done so, with loving-kindness and compassionate concern, like a naga king wishing to raise its head and look about, he raised his head and surveyed all the demons. Having surveyed them, he pointed to the earth with his right hand, endowed with thousands upon myriads of merits, and spoke this verse:

This earth gives birth to all things,
Making no distinctions, always impartial.
May it bear witness that my words are never false;
I ask only that it speak the truth at this very moment.

When the Bodhisattva pointed to the earth and spoke this verse, the Earth Spirit responsible for that place appeared, adorned with every precious ornament: a supremely beautiful celestial crown, earrings, armlets, bracelets, rings, and jeweled necklaces adorning her body. Holding in both hands a seven-jeweled vase filled with fragrant flowers, she approached the seated Bodhisattva. At a distance neither near nor far from him, she suddenly emerged halfway from the ground, bowed respectfully, and addressed the Bodhisattva:

“Great Man, I shall bear witness to your words. I know that throughout thousands of myriads of kotis of kalpas in past lives, you established Unrestricted Assemblies and practiced giving.”

When the Earth Spirit spoke these words, the entire earth, extending throughout the trichiliocosm, shook in six ways and produced a great sound, like the ringing of a bronze bell in the land of Magadha resounding everywhere. It possessed all eighteen characteristics described previously.

At that time, Mara Papiyan and all the assembled demonic hosts suddenly scattered and retreated. Their power was broken, and everyone fled in confusion. Their battle formation collapsed. Overcome by terror and ill at ease in mind, they ran throughout the east, west, south, and north. At that very moment, some white elephants fell over; some horses lay prostrate; some chariots broke apart and lay strewn crosswise in disorder; some soldiers fainted and lay motionless. Crossbows, spears, bows, arrows, long knives, trapping nets, great axes, machetes, and other weapons fell from the hands of Mara’s troops onto the ground. Some suits of sturdy armor spontaneously broke apart and fell from their bodies as they all vied with one another to flee in the four directions.

Some lay facedown upon the earth, covering their faces and remaining still. Some fell upon their backs like corpses, writhing from side to side. Some fled into the mountains; some crawled into caves; some climbed trees; and some hid in dense forests. Others changed their minds, took refuge in the Bodhisattva, and pleaded, “Please help me!” Those who took refuge in the Bodhisattva did not lose their original clarity of mind.

When Mara Papiyan heard the sound of the great earth, terror filled his heart. He fell to the ground in a faint, unconscious. Then voices were heard crying from the sky:

“Strike Papiyan! Seize Papiyan! Bind Papiyan! Split Papiyan apart! Kill Papiyan! Cut Papiyan to pieces! Slay all who commit dark deeds; do not let Papiyan escape!”