添品妙法蓮華經

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION

Thus have I heard:

At one time, the Buddha was dwelling on Mount Gridhrakuta near the city of Rajagriha, together with a great assembly of twelve thousand bhikshus, all of whom were arhats. Their outflows had been exhausted, they had no further afflictions, they had attained their own benefit, severed all bonds, and gained mastery of mind.

Their names were: Ajnata Kaundinya, Mahakashyapa, Uruvilva Kashyapa, Gaya Kashyapa, Nadi Kashyapa, Shariputra, Mahamaudgalyayana, Mahakatyayana, Aniruddha, Kapphina, Gavampati, Revata, Pilindavatsa, Bakkula, Mahakaushthila, Nanda, Sundarananda, Purna Maitrayaniputra, Subhuti, Ananda, and Rahula. These were arhats well known to all. There were also two thousand trainees and those beyond training; the bhikshuni Mahaprajapati, together with six thousand attendants; and the bhikshuni Yashodhara, the mother of Rahula, together with her attendants.

There were eighty thousand great bodhisattvas, all irreversible from unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment. They had attained dharanis and joyful eloquence, turned the irreversible Dharma wheel, and made offerings to immeasurable hundreds of thousands of Buddhas. In the presence of those Buddhas they had planted roots of merit and were constantly praised by the Buddhas. They cultivated themselves through the Dharma of loving-kindness, had fully entered the wisdom of the Buddha, and penetrated the great wisdom that reaches the other shore. Their renown extended throughout immeasurable worlds, and they were able to liberate countless hundreds of thousands of sentient beings.

The names of these bodhisattvas were Manjushri, Avalokiteshvara, Mahasthamaprapta, Ever Diligent, Never Resting, Jeweled Palm, Medicine King, Courageous Giving, Jeweled Moon, Moonlight, Full Moon, Great Strength, Immeasurable Strength, Transcending the Three Realms, Bhadrapala, Maitreya, Accumulation of Jewels, and Guide. Such were the eighty thousand great bodhisattvas.

At that time, Shakra, Lord of the Devas, was present with twenty thousand attendant devas. There were also the devas Bright Moon, Universal Fragrance, and Jeweled Light. The Four Great Heavenly Kings were present with ten thousand attendant devas. The devas Ishvara and Maheshvara were present with thirty thousand attendant devas. The lord of the Saha world, the Brahma Heavenly King, the Great Brahma Shikhin, the Great Brahma Radiance, and others were each present with two thousand attendant devas.

There were eight dragon kings: Nanda, Upananda, Sagara, Vasuki, Takshaka, Anavatapta, Manasvin, and Utpalaka, each together with hundreds of thousands of attendants.

There were four kinnara kings: Dharma, Wondrous Dharma, Great Dharma, and Upholder of Dharma, each together with hundreds of thousands of attendants.

There were four gandharva kings: Music, Musical Sound, Beautiful, and Beautiful Sound, each together with hundreds of thousands of attendants.

There were four asura kings: Bali, Kharaskandha, Vemachitrin, and Rahu, each together with hundreds of thousands of attendants.

There were four garuda kings: Great Majestic Virtue, Great Body, Great Fullness, and Wish-Fulfilling, each together with hundreds of thousands of attendants.

King Ajatashatru, son of Vaidehi, was present with hundreds of thousands of attendants. They all bowed their heads at the Buddha’s feet and then sat to one side.

At that time, the fourfold assembly surrounded the Blessed One, making offerings to him, revering, honoring, and praising him. The Buddha expounded for the bodhisattvas a Great Vehicle sutra called Immeasurable Meanings, a Dharma for Bodhisattvas Guarded and Kept in Mind by the Buddhas. After expounding this sutra, the Buddha sat cross-legged and entered the samadhi called the Station of Immeasurable Meanings, his body and mind unmoving.

At that moment, the heavens rained down various kinds of flowers: mandarava, maha-mandarava, manjushaka, and maha-manjushaka flowers, scattering them over the Buddha and the great assembly. The entire Buddha land quaked in six ways. At that time, within the assembly were bhikshus, bhikshunis, male lay devotees, female lay devotees, devas, dragons, yakshas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, nonhumans, minor kings, and wheel-turning sage kings. All regarded this as unprecedented, and, filled with joy, they joined their palms and gazed intently at the Buddha.

At that time, the Buddha emitted a ray of light from the white hair-mark between his eyebrows, illuminating eighteen thousand worlds in the east. It shone downward as far as the Avichi hell and upward as far as the Akanishtha heaven. Within these worlds, all could see the sentient beings of the six destinies.

They also saw the Buddhas presently dwelling there and heard the sutras and Dharma taught by those Buddhas. They saw bhikshus, bhikshunis, male lay devotees, and female lay devotees who cultivated the path and attained its fruit. They also saw great bodhisattvas practicing the bodhisattva path through various causes and conditions, degrees of faith and understanding, and outward forms.

They saw Buddhas entering nirvana, and they also saw, after those Buddhas had entered nirvana, their relics being gathered and stupas of the seven treasures being erected.

Then Bodhisattva Maitreya thought: “Today the Blessed One has manifested a sign of spiritual transformation. Why has this auspicious portent appeared? The Blessed One is now absorbed in samadhi. This is a rare and inconceivable event. Whom should I ask about it? Who can answer?” He then thought: “Manjushri, son of the Dharma King, has formerly drawn near to and made offerings to the Buddhas of the past. He must have seen such a rare sign before. I should ask him.”

At that time, the bhikshus, bhikshunis, male lay devotees, female lay devotees, devas, dragons, spirits, and others all thought: “Whom should we ask about this sign of the Buddha’s spiritually potent light?”

Then, wishing to resolve his own doubts and discerning the thoughts of the fourfold assembly of bhikshus, bhikshunis, male lay devotees, and female lay devotees, as well as those of the devas, dragons, spirits, and others, Bodhisattva Maitreya asked Manjushri:

“Why has this spiritually potent auspicious sign appeared? The Buddha has emitted a ray of light illuminating eighteen thousand lands in the east, revealing the adornments of those Buddha lands.”

Wishing to restate this matter, Bodhisattva Maitreya spoke in verse:

Manjushri,

Why does the Guide,

From the white hair-mark,

Send forth light everywhere?

Mandarava flowers rain down,

And manjushaka blossoms;

Fragrant sandalwood winds

Delight the hearts of all.

For what reason

Is the earth entirely adorned and pure,

And why does this whole world

Quake in six ways?

At this time, the fourfold assembly

Is filled with great joy;

Body and mind rejoice,

Having gained what they never had before.

The light of the white hair-mark

Shines toward the east,

And eighteen thousand lands

All become golden-hued.

From the Avichi hell

Up to the Akanishtha heaven,

Within all these worlds

The beings of the six destinies,

Cycling through birth and death

Because of good and evil karma,

Receiving favorable and unfavorable retribution,

Can all be clearly seen here.

We see the Buddhas,

Sagely Lords, Lions among beings,

Expounding sutras

Supremely subtle and wondrous.

Their voices are clear,

Their speech gentle and pleasing,

Teaching bodhisattvas

In countless myriads of millions.

Their Brahma voices, supremely wondrous,

Bring delight to those who listen;

In every world,

They proclaim the true Dharma.

Through various causes and conditions,

They make the Buddha-Dharma clear

And awaken sentient beings.

If people suffer,

Weary of aging, illness, and death,

They teach nirvana,

Bringing all suffering to an end.

If people possess merit,

Having formerly made offerings to Buddhas,

And seek the supreme Dharma,

They teach the path of the pratyekabuddha.

If there are children of the Buddha

Who fully cultivate the various practices

And seek unsurpassed wisdom,

They teach the pure path.

Manjushri!

While dwelling here,

I see and hear such things,

And thousands of millions of other events.

So exceedingly numerous are they

That I shall now describe them only in brief.

I see in those lands

Bodhisattvas numerous as Ganges sands,

Who, through various causes and conditions,

Seek the Buddha path.

Some practice generosity,

Giving gold, silver, and coral,

Precious mani jewels,

Mother-of-pearl and agate,

Diamonds and precious treasures,

Servants, maidservants, and vehicles,

And precious, splendid palanquins.

Joyfully making these gifts,

They dedicate the merit to the Buddha path,

Aspiring to realize this Vehicle,

Foremost throughout the three realms

And praised by all Buddhas.

Some bodhisattvas give

Precious carriages drawn by four horses,

Surrounded by flower-adorned canopies,

Offering these splendid vehicles.

Again, I see bodhisattvas

Giving their wives and children,

And even their own hands and feet,

To seek the unsurpassed path.

Again, I see bodhisattvas

Joyfully giving

Their heads, eyes, and bodies,

To seek the wisdom of the Buddha.

Manjushri!

I see kings

Going to the Buddha

To inquire about the unsurpassed Way.

At once they relinquish their precious thrones,

Their palaces and royal consorts,

Shave off their beards and hair,

And don the Dharma robes.

Or I see bodhisattvas

Becoming bhikshus,

Dwelling alone in secluded places,

Delighting in reciting the sutras.

Again I see bodhisattvas,

Diligent and courageous,

Entering deep into the mountains

To contemplate the Buddha Way.

I see those free from desire

Dwelling in solitude,

Entering deeply into meditative concentration

And attaining the five superknowledges.

And I see bodhisattvas,

Serene, with palms joined,

Using a thousand verses

To praise the Dharma Kings.

Again I see bodhisattvas

Of profound wisdom and steadfast resolve,

Skilled in questioning the Buddhas,

Who, having heard, accept and uphold the teachings.

And I see children of the Buddha,

Perfect in concentration and wisdom,

Using many parables

To expound the Dharma to the assembly.

Delighting in teaching the Dharma,

They bring bodhisattvas to liberation,

Crush the armies of Mara,

And beat the great Dharma drum.

Or I see bodhisattvas

Sitting silently in tranquil stillness,

Revered by devas and dragons,

Yet taking no delight in it.

Again I see bodhisattvas

In forests emitting light,

Relieving the sufferings of hell

And leading beings into the Buddha Way.

And I see children of the Buddha

Who never sleep or rest,

Walking in meditation through the forests,

Diligently seeking the Buddha Way.

Those endowed with the virtue of the precepts,

Whose dignified conduct lacks nothing,

Shining like precious jewels,

Seek the Buddha Way.

Or I see children of the Buddha

Endowed with the power of patience,

Who, when abused and beaten

By the overbearingly arrogant,

Patiently endure it all

To seek the Buddha Way.

Again I see bodhisattvas

Who have left far behind amusement

And foolish companions,

Who draw near to the wise,

Single-mindedly dispel distraction,

And maintain right mindfulness in the forests

For hundreds of millions of thousands of years

To seek the Buddha Way.

Or I see bodhisattvas

Offering excellent food

And a hundred kinds of medicines

To the Buddha and the Sangha;

Fine and beautiful garments

Worth thousands and tens of thousands,

And priceless robes,

Offered to the Buddha and the Sangha;

Thousands of millions of varieties

Of precious sandalwood dwellings

And exquisite bedding,

Offered to the Buddha and the Sangha;

Pure gardens and groves,

Abundant with flowers and fruit,

With flowing springs and bathing ponds,

Offered to the Buddha and the Sangha.

Making offerings such as these,

Perfect in every excellence,

Joyfully and without weariness,

They seek the unsurpassed Way.

Or there are bodhisattvas

Who teach the Dharma of tranquil cessation,

Instructing in many ways

Countless sentient beings.

Again I see bodhisattvas

Who perceive that all dharmas lack dual characteristics

And are like empty space.

Again I see children of the Buddha

Whose minds are unattached,

Who, through this wondrous wisdom,

Seek the unsurpassed Way.

Manjushri!

Again I see bodhisattvas

Who, after a Buddha's nirvana,

Make offerings to his relics.

Or I see children of the Buddha

Constructing stupas

As countless as the sands of the Ganges,

Adorning the lands.

The precious stupas, lofty and magnificent,

Are five thousand yojanas high,

And equally extend

Two thousand yojanas in breadth and length.

Each Buddha stupa

Has a thousand banners and canopies,

Interlacing jeweled garlands,

And precious bells chiming in harmony.

Devas, dragons, spirits,

Humans and nonhumans

Constantly make offerings

Of incense, flowers, and music.

Manjushri!

Those children of the Buddha,

Making offerings to the relics

And adorning the Buddha stupas,

Render the lands naturally pure,

Supremely beautiful,

Like the king of celestial trees

Bursting into lovely blossoms.

The Buddha emits this light,

And I and the assembly

See those lands

Filled with every excellence.

The Buddha's spiritual power

And rare wisdom

Emit brilliant rays

Illuminating all the lands.

Seeing this,

We marvel exceedingly.

Manjushri, child of the Buddha!

Please resolve our doubts.

The fourfold assembly waits expectantly,

Looking upon you and me.

Why does the World-Honored One

Emit this light?

Manjushri, please answer,

Resolve their doubts and bring them joy.

For what benefit

Has he emitted this light?

Has the Buddha, seated at the place of awakening,

Realized the wondrous Dharma

And now wishes to teach it,

And to bestow predictions of buddhahood?

He has revealed Buddha lands

Adorned and purified with precious things,

And we have seen the Buddhas;

This is no minor matter.

Manjushri, you should know:

The fourfold assembly, dragons, and spirits

Are gazing intently at you,

Wondering what you will say.

At that time, Manjushri spoke to the great bodhisattva Maitreya and the other mahasattvas:

“Good men! As I consider it, today the Buddha wishes to teach the great Dharma, send down the great rain of Dharma, blow the great Dharma conch, beat the great Dharma drum, and proclaim the great meaning of the Dharma.

“Good men! I have seen this auspicious sign before among the Buddhas of the past. Those Buddhas emitted light and thereafter taught the great Dharma. Therefore, you should know that the Buddha now manifests this radiance for the same reason. Wishing all sentient beings to hear, see, and know the wondrous Dharma, which is difficult for all the world to believe, he manifests this auspicious sign.

“Children of the Buddha, in the past, immeasurable, boundless, inconceivably countless kalpas ago, there was a Buddha named Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiance, the Tathagata, Worthy One, Perfectly Enlightened One, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Persons, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, World-Honored One. He expounded the true Dharma, excellent in the beginning, excellent in the middle, and excellent in the end.

Its meaning was extremely profound, its words lucid, pure and unmixed, and it fully embodied the immaculate holy life. For those seeking to become shravakas, the Buddha taught the Dharma of the Four Noble Truths, enabling them to transcend birth, aging, illness, and death and attain nirvana. For those seeking to become pratyekabuddhas, he taught the Dharma of the twelve links of dependent origination.

For the bodhisattvas, he taught the six paramitas so that they might attain unsurpassed complete enlightenment and perfect the knowledge of all modes.

“Next there was another Buddha named Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiance, and then another Buddha also named Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiance. In this way there were twenty thousand Buddhas, all bearing the same name, Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiance, and all belonging to the same clan, the Bharadvaja clan.

“Maitreya, you should know that from the first Buddha to the last, all bore the same name, Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiance, and were fully endowed with the ten epithets. The Dharma taught by each Buddha was excellent in the beginning, excellent in the middle, and excellent in the end.

“Before the last Buddha renounced household life, he had eight royal sons named Intention, Good Intention, Immeasurable Intention, Precious Intention, Increasing Intention, Doubt-Dispelling Intention, Responsive Intention, and Dharma Intention. These eight royal sons possessed majestic virtue and sovereign power, each ruling over the four continents. Hearing that their royal father had renounced household life and attained unsurpassed complete enlightenment, the princes relinquished their imperial thrones and likewise followed their father into the monastic life. They awakened the aspiration for the Mahayana, constantly cultivated the holy life, and all became Dharma teachers, having planted roots of goodness in the presence of thousands of millions of Buddhas.

“At that time, the heavens rained down mandarava flowers, great mandarava flowers, manjushaka flowers, and great manjushaka flowers, scattering them over the Buddha and the great assembly; and throughout that Buddha land, the earth quaked in six ways.

“At that time, the assembly included bhikshus, bhikshunis, male lay followers, female lay followers, devas, dragons, yakshas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kimnaras, mahoragas, humans and nonhumans, together with minor kings and wheel-turning sage kings. Seeing what they had never seen before, the entire assembly rejoiced, joined their palms, and gazed reverently upon the Buddha.

“Then the Tathagata emitted a ray of light from the white tuft between his eyebrows, illuminating all eighteen thousand Buddha lands in the east and encompassing them completely, just as these Buddha lands are now being seen.

“Maitreya, you should know that at that time there were two billion bodhisattvas in the assembly who greatly wished to hear the Dharma. When these bodhisattvas saw the light illuminating all the Buddha lands, they experienced what they had never experienced before and all wished to know the cause and condition for the emission of this light.

“At that time, there was a bodhisattva named Wondrous Light who had eight hundred disciples. Then the Buddha Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiance arose from right concentration and, for the sake of the bodhisattva Wondrous Light, taught the Mahayana sutra called The Lotus Flower of the Wondrous Dharma, the Dharma for Instructing Bodhisattvas and Cherished by the Buddhas. For sixty minor kalpas, he did not rise from his seat.

“At that time, all those in the assembly listening to the Dharma likewise remained seated in one place for sixty minor kalpas, their bodies and minds unmoving, yet they felt that the Buddha's teaching of the Dharma had lasted only for the span of a single meal.”

At that time, no one in the assembly was weary in body or mind. After the Buddha Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiance had preached that sutra for sixty minor kalpas, he immediately proclaimed amid the assembly of Maras, Brahmas, sramanas, brahmins, devas, humans, and asuras: “At midnight tonight, the Tathagata will enter nirvana.”

At that time, there was a bodhisattva named Virtue Treasury, to whom the Buddha Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiance bestowed a prediction, saying to the bhiksus:

– This Bodhisattva Virtue Treasury will next become a Buddha, named Pure Body Tathagata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly and Fully Awakened One.

After bestowing this prediction, at midnight that very night the Buddha entered nirvana.

After the Buddha’s passing, Bodhisattva Wondrous Light upheld the Sutra of the “Lotus of the Wondrous Dharma” for a full eighty minor kalpas and explained it to others. The eight sons of the Buddha Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiance were all disciples of Wondrous Light. Taught and transformed by Wondrous Light, they became steadfast in their resolve for unsurpassed, complete, perfect awakening.

After making offerings to immeasurable hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of Buddhas, all these princes attained the Buddha path. The last to become a Buddha was named Lamp-Lighter. Among the eight hundred disciples was one named Seeker of Fame. He craved fame and gain. Although he read and recited a great many scriptures, he did not comprehend them and forgot most of what he learned; therefore, he was called Seeker of Fame. Because he had planted roots of goodness, he encountered immeasurable hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of Buddhas, making offerings to them, revering, honoring, and praising them.

Maitreya, you should know that Bodhisattva Wondrous Light at that time was none other than myself, while that Bodhisattva Seeker of Fame was you. Seeing that this auspicious sign is no different from the one in the past, I therefore reflect: “Today the Tathagata will preach the Mahayana sutra called the Lotus of the Wondrous Dharma, the Dharma for Instructing Bodhisattvas, of which the Buddhas are Mindful and Protective.”

At that time, amid the great assembly, Manjusri wished to restate this meaning and therefore spoke in verse:

I recall that in the past,

Immeasurable, countless kalpas ago,

There was a Buddha, Honored One Among Humans,

Named Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiance.

The World-Honored One taught the Dharma,

Delivering immeasurable sentient beings,

And countless kotis of bodhisattvas,

Causing them to enter the wisdom of the Buddha.

Before that Buddha renounced the household life,

He had fathered eight royal sons.

Seeing the Great Sage leave the household life,

They followed him and cultivated the pure conduct.

The Buddha preached a Mahayana sutra

Called Immeasurable Meanings;

Amid the great assembly,

He clearly expounded its distinctions.

After the Buddha had preached this sutra,

There, upon the Dharma seat,

He sat cross-legged and entered samadhi,

Called the Abode of Immeasurable Meanings.

The heavens rained mandarava flowers,

And celestial drums sounded of themselves;

Devas, nagas, ghosts, and spirits

Made offerings to the World-Honored One.

All the Buddha lands

Quaked in six different ways;

The white urna emitted light,

Revealing rare and wondrous events.

The radiance illuminated the east,

Reaching eighteen thousand Buddha lands,

Revealing the karmic retributions of birth and death

Of all sentient beings.

They also saw the Buddha lands

Adorned with many kinds of jewels;

The hues of lapis lazuli and crystal

Were all illumined by the Buddha’s light.

And they saw devas and humans,

Assemblies of nagas, spirits, and yaksas,

Gandharvas and kimnaras,

All making offerings to the Buddha.

They also saw the Tathagatas

Naturally attaining the Buddha path,

Their physical forms like mountains of gold,

Majestic and exceedingly beautiful,

Like pure and radiant lapis lazuli

Within which images of gold appeared.

The World-Honored Ones, amid the great assemblies,

Expounded the profound and wondrous meaning.

In each and every Buddha land

Were countless assemblies of sravakas;

By the illumination of the Buddha’s light,

All those great assemblies could be seen.

There were also bhiksus

Dwelling deep within mountains and forests,

Diligently upholding the pure precepts

As though guarding a brilliant jewel.

They also saw bodhisattvas

Practicing generosity and patience,

As numerous as the sands of the Ganges,

All illumined by the Buddha’s light.

They also saw bodhisattvas

Entering deeply into meditative concentrations,

Their bodies and minds entirely unmoving,

In quest of the unsurpassed path.

They also saw bodhisattvas

Knowing the quiescent nature of all dharmas,

Preaching the Dharma in each of those lands

In quest of the Buddha path.

At that time, the fourfold assembly,

Seeing the Buddha Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiance

Manifest great spiritual powers,

All rejoiced in their hearts.

Each asked the others:

Why has this event occurred?

The One revered by devas and humans

Then emerged from samadhi

And praised Bodhisattva Wondrous Light:

You are the eye of the world;

Everyone places faith in you.

You skillfully uphold the treasury of the Dharma;

As for the Dharma that I teach,

You alone can clearly understand it.

The World-Honored One, having praised him

And caused Wondrous Light to rejoice,

Preached this Lotus Sutra

For a full sixty minor kalpas,

Without rising from his seat,

Expounding the supreme Wondrous Dharma.

The Dharma Master Wondrous Light

Received and upheld it all completely.

After the Buddha had preached the Lotus Sutra,

Causing sentient beings to rejoice,

On that very day

He instructed the assemblies of devas and humans:

The meaning of the true characteristics of all dharmas

Has now been taught to all of you.

At midnight tonight,

I shall enter nirvana.

You must single-mindedly and diligently advance,

And must abandon heedlessness.

The Buddhas are exceedingly difficult to encounter;

Only after kotis of kalpas does one meet them.

The disciples of the World-Honored One,

Hearing that the Buddha would soon enter nirvana,

Were all filled with great sorrow:

Why must the Buddha pass away so soon?

The Holy Lord, the King of all Dharmas,

Consoled the immeasurable assembly:

When I have passed away,

You must not be afraid.

This Bodhisattva Virtue Treasury

Has already attained complete understanding in his heart

Of the undefiled true characteristics;

Afterward, he shall become a Buddha,

Named Pure Body,

And shall also deliver immeasurable beings.

That night the Buddha passed away,

Like a fire extinguished when its fuel is spent.

They distributed the Buddha’s relics

And erected immeasurable stupas.

Bhiksus and bhiksunis,

As numerous as the sands of the Ganges,

Redoubled their diligence day and night

In quest of the unsurpassed path.

That Dharma Master Wondrous Light

Guarded the Buddha’s treasury of Dharma;

For eighty minor kalpas,

He widely expounded the Lotus Sutra.

Those eight royal sons,

Instructed by Wondrous Light,

Became steadfast upon the unsurpassed path

And constantly beheld countless Buddhas.

They made offerings to the World-Honored Ones

And cultivated the great path in accordance with it;

In succession, they all became Buddhas,

Bestowing predictions upon one another in turn.

The last to become a Buddha

Was named Buddha Lamp-Lighter.

As the Guiding Teacher of seers,

He liberated immeasurable beings.

At that time, Wondrous Light

Had a disciple

Whose mind was habitually indolent

And attached to fame and gain.

Insatiably seeking fame and gain,

He often visited wealthy households.

He neglected his cultivation,

And forgot what he had learned, failing to master it.

For this reason,

He was called Seeker of Fame.

Yet he also performed wholesome deeds

And came to behold countless Buddhas.

He made offerings to the World-Honored Ones

And cultivated the great path in accordance with it,

Perfecting the six paramitas.

Now he has encountered Buddha Sakyamuni,

And afterward he shall become a Buddha

Named Buddha Maitreya.

He shall universally deliver sentient beings,

Whose vast number cannot be measured.

After that Buddha had passed away,

The indolent one was you;

And Dharma Master Wondrous Light

Was none other than I myself.

I see that the auspicious sign of Buddha Lamp Radiance

Was the same in the past as it is today;

Therefore I now know that the Buddha

Will preach the Lotus Sutra.

This auspicious sign, like that omen of old,

Is an expedient means of the Buddha.

The Buddha now emits this radiance

To reveal the meaning of the true characteristics.

All of you should now understand this;

Join your palms and wait attentively.

The Buddha is about to pour down the rain of Dharma

To saturate those who seek the path.

Those who seek the Three Vehicles,

Should they harbor any doubts,

The Buddha will explain them

So that all may attain complete understanding.

Chapter 2: EXPEDIENT MEANS

At that time, the World-Honored One serenely emerged from samadhi and said to Sariputra:

– The wisdom of the Buddhas is extremely profound. The gateway to that wisdom is difficult to understand and difficult to enter; none among all the sravakas and pratyekabuddhas can comprehend it. Why is this?

The Buddha has formerly drawn near to hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of countless Buddhas, fully cultivated the immeasurable paths and Dharmas of the Buddhas, advanced with courageous diligence, and gained renown everywhere. He has accomplished profound and unprecedented Dharmas and teaches according to what is appropriate in each case, yet his intent is difficult to understand.

Shariputra! Since I attained Buddhahood, through causes and conditions and extensive use of parables, I have expounded the teachings and employed innumerable skillful means to guide sentient beings, enabling them to free themselves from all attachments. Why is this? The Tathagata is fully endowed with skillful means, knowledge and vision, and the paramitas.

Shariputra! The Tathagata’s knowledge and vision are vast and profound. His immeasurable powers, unobstructed wisdom, fearlessness, meditative concentrations, liberations, and samadhis are profound and boundless. He has accomplished all unprecedented Dharmas.

Shariputra! The Tathagata is able to expound the Dharma through many skillful methods, using gentle words that gladden everyone’s heart.

Shariputra! In brief, the Buddha has accomplished immeasurable and boundless unprecedented Dharmas.

Enough, Shariputra; there is no need to say more! Why is this? Only a Buddha together with another Buddha can completely fathom the foremost, rare, and difficult-to-understand Dharma accomplished by the Buddha: the true aspect of all dharmas—such an appearance, such a nature, such an essence, such a power, such an activity, such a cause, such a condition, such an effect, such a recompense, and such ultimate equality from beginning to end among all dharmas.

At that time, wishing to restate this meaning, the Blessed One spoke in verse:

The Hero of the World is unfathomable;

Devas and human beings,

And all kinds of sentient beings,

Cannot know the Buddha.

The Buddha’s powers and fearlessness,

Liberations and samadhis,

And all the Buddha’s Dharmas—

No one can measure them.

Having, before innumerable Buddhas,

Fully practiced all the paths,

This wondrous and exceedingly profound Dharma

Is difficult to see and difficult to understand.

Throughout immeasurable kalpas,

I practiced this path;

Having attained its fruit at the place of enlightenment,

I know all of it completely.

Such great blessed recompense,

And all the varieties of natures, appearances, and meanings—

Only I and the Buddhas of the ten directions

Can fully know these matters.

This Dharma cannot be expressed

Or conveyed through language;

Among all other kinds of sentient beings,

None can understand it,

Except the assemblies of bodhisattvas

Whose power of faith is firm.

The Buddha’s disciples

Who have made offerings to the Blessed Ones,

Have extinguished all outflows,

And bear their final bodies—

Even the powers of such people

Could not enable them to comprehend it.

Even if the entire world

Were filled with beings like Shariputra,

And together they calculated and measured,

They still could not fathom the Buddha’s wisdom.

Even if throughout the ten directions

All were like Shariputra,

And the other disciples as well,

Filling all the realms of the ten directions,

So that the ten-directional realms were full of them,

And together they pondered and compared,

They still could not know it.

Pratyekabuddhas of luminous wisdom,

In their final, outflow-free bodies,

Filling all the realms of the ten directions,

Numerous as a bamboo grove—

If they all single-mindedly,

Throughout immeasurable kotis of kalpas,

Contemplated the Buddha’s true wisdom,

They could not know even the smallest part of it.

Newly resolved bodhisattvas,

Who have made offerings to innumerable Buddhas,

Comprehend the purport of all teachings,

And are also skilled in expounding the Dharma,

Numerous as rice plants, sesame, bamboo, and reeds,

Filling all the realms of the ten directions—

If single-mindedly, with wondrous wisdom,

Throughout kalpas numerous as the sands of the Ganges,

They all together attempted to fathom it,

They could not know the Buddha’s wisdom.

Even non-retrogressing bodhisattvas,

Numerous as the sands of the Ganges,

Single-mindedly attempting together to fathom it,

Still could not know it.

Again, I tell you, Shariputra:

The wondrous and exceedingly profound Dharma,

Free from outflows and inconceivable,

I have now fully attained.

Only I know this aspect,

And the Buddhas of the ten directions likewise.

Shariputra, you should know

That the words of the Buddhas do not differ.

In the Dharma spoken by the Buddha,

You should believe wholeheartedly;

After expounding the Buddha-Dharma for a long time,

One must speak the truth.

I tell the assemblies of shravakas

And those who seek the state of a pratyekabuddha:

I have enabled you to escape suffering

And swiftly attain nirvana.

The Buddha, through the power of skillful means,

Teaches the Dharma of the Three Vehicles,

Leading sentient beings away

From all that to which they cling.

At that time, among the great assembly were outflow-free shravaka arhats—Ajnata Kaundinya and twelve hundred others—as well as shravakas who had aroused the aspiration, pratyekabuddhas, bhikshus, bhikshunis, upasakas, and upasikas. They all thought: “Why does the Blessed One today so earnestly praise skillful means and say: ‘The Dharma realized by the Buddha is profound and difficult to understand; the purport of his words is difficult to know, and no shravaka or pratyekabuddha can attain it’? The Buddha has taught the single meaning of liberation, and through this Dharma we too have reached nirvana, yet we do not understand the meaning by which it is attained.”

At that time, Shariputra, knowing the doubts in the minds of the fourfold assembly and himself still lacking clarity, addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! For what reason do you so earnestly praise the foremost, profound, wondrous, and difficult-to-understand Dharma of skillful means of all the Buddhas? Ever since long ago, while following the Buddha, I have never heard such a teaching. Now the entire fourfold assembly harbors doubts. I humbly beseech the Blessed One to explain this matter clearly. Why do you so earnestly praise this wondrous, profound, and difficult-to-understand Dharma?”

At that time, wishing to restate this meaning, Shariputra spoke in verse:

Great Sage, Sun of Wisdom,

Only after a long time do you speak this Dharma:

The Dharma you yourself have realized—

The powers, fearlessness, and samadhis,

The meditative concentrations and liberations—

Is inconceivable.

Concerning the Dharma realized at the place of enlightenment,

No one is able to question you.

It is difficult even for me to conceive,

And no one knows what to ask;

Without being asked, you speak of it yourself,

Praising the path you have practiced.

The exceedingly profound wisdom

Realized by all the Buddhas—

The outflow-free arhats

And those seeking nirvana

Have now fallen into a net of doubt:

Why has the Buddha spoken thus?

Those who seek the state of a pratyekabuddha,

Bhikshus and bhikshunis,

Devas, nagas, ghosts, and spirits,

Together with the gandharvas,

Look at one another with hesitant hearts

And gaze up at the Blessed One.

What does this matter mean?

We beseech the Buddha to explain it!

The Buddha has declared me foremost

Among the assembly of shravakas,

Yet even with my own wisdom,

I doubt and cannot understand

Whether this Dharma is ultimate

Or is the path practiced by the Buddha.

Born from the Buddha’s mouth,

I join my palms and gaze expectantly;

Please bestow your wondrous voice

And speak truthfully at the proper time.

Devas, nagas, ghosts, and spirits,

Numerous as the sands of the Ganges,

Bodhisattvas seeking Buddhahood,

Numbering as many as eighty thousand,

And wheel-turning kings who have come

From myriads of kotis of lands,

All join their palms with reverent hearts,

Longing to hear the complete path.

At that time, the Buddha told Shariputra:

“Enough, enough! There is no need to speak further. If I were to explain this matter, all the devas, humans, and worldly beings would be frightened and give rise to doubt.”

Shariputra said:

“Blessed One! Please explain it; Blessed One, please explain it! Why is this? Within this assembly are innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of sentient beings who have encountered Buddhas in the past. Their faculties are keen and their wisdom is lucid. Upon hearing the Buddha’s teaching, they will be able to believe and revere it.”

At that time, wishing to restate this meaning, Shariputra spoke in verse:

Supreme King of the Dharma,

Please speak and do not be concerned.

Among this immeasurable assembly

Are those able to believe and revere it.

The Buddha again restrained Shariputra:

“If I were to explain this matter, all the devas, humans, and asuras throughout the world would become apprehensive and doubtful, while bhikshus of overweening pride would fall into a deep abyss.”

The Blessed One then spoke in verse:

Enough, enough! Speak no more;

My Dharma is difficult to understand.

Those of overweening pride,

On hearing it, surely would not revere or believe it.

Shariputra said:

“Blessed One! Please expound it! Blessed One, please expound it! Within this assembly are hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of people like me who, throughout many lives, have been taught and transformed by the Buddhas. These people will surely give rise to reverent faith, dwell long in peace and security, and obtain abundant benefit.”

Shariputra restated this meaning in verse:

Supreme One, Perfect in Wisdom and Merit,

Please speak the foremost Dharma.

I am the Buddha’s eldest son;

Please expound it clearly.

This immeasurable assembly

Will deeply revere and believe this Dharma.

Throughout many lives, the Buddhas

Have taught and transformed such beings.

All single-mindedly join their palms

And listen to the Buddha’s teaching—

We twelve hundred,

And those who seek Buddhahood

For the sake of this great assembly,

Out of compassion, explain it clearly.

We are poor in this Dharma

And give rise to great joy.

The Buddha told Shariputra:

“You have earnestly asked three times, so I cannot refrain from speaking. Now remember well and reflect carefully; I shall explain it for you.”

When the Buddha spoke these words, five thousand bhikshus, bhikshunis, upasakas, and upasikas in the assembly immediately rose from their seats, bowed to the Buddha, and withdrew. Why was this? The roots of wrongdoing in these people were deep and grave, and they were afflicted with overweening pride. Having not attained, they claimed to have attained; having not realized, they claimed to have realized. Those with faults such as these did not remain. The Buddha was silent and did not restrain them. The Buddha told Shariputra:

“Now this assembly of mine has no branches or leaves; it consists solely of firm kernels. It is well that people of such overweening pride have departed. You should listen attentively, and I shall explain it to you.”

Shariputra said:

“World-Honored One, I wish to hear it!”

The Buddha said:

“Shariputra! This profound and wondrous Dharma is spoken by the Buddha Tathagatas only at the proper time, just as the udumbara flower blooms but once at the proper time.

“Shariputra! You should believe that the Buddha’s words are neither false nor deceptive. Shariputra, the Buddhas teach the Dharma according to what is appropriate, and their intent is difficult to understand. Why is this? Because I expound the various teachings through innumerable skillful means, all kinds of causes and conditions, parables, and expressions. These teachings cannot be understood through conceptual deliberation. Why is this? The Buddhas appear in the world for the sake of one great matter.”

Shariputra said:

“World-Honored One! What does it mean that the Buddhas appear in the world for the sake of one great matter?”

“Shariputra! The Buddhas appear in the world because they wish to open and reveal the knowledge and vision of awakening, enabling sentient beings to attain purity. They appear in the world because they wish to show sentient beings the knowledge and vision of awakening. They appear in the world because they wish to cause sentient beings to awaken to the knowledge and vision of awakening. They appear in the world because they wish to cause sentient beings to enter the knowledge and vision of awakening.

“Shariputra! This is why the Buddhas appear in the world for the sake of one great matter.” The Buddha told Shariputra:

“The Buddhas teach and transform only bodhisattvas. Whatever they do is solely for the one matter of opening and revealing the knowledge and vision of awakening to sentient beings.

“Shariputra! The Tathagata teaches sentient beings only the Dharma of the One Vehicle; there are neither two nor three vehicles. Shariputra!

The Dharma of all the Buddhas throughout the ten directions is likewise. Shariputra! The Buddhas of the past expounded the Dharma to sentient beings through immeasurable and innumerable skillful means, causes and conditions, parables, and expressions.

All those teachings were for the One Buddha Vehicle. Those sentient beings, following the Buddhas and hearing the Dharma, all ultimately attained the wisdom of all modes. Shariputra!

The Buddhas who will appear in the future will also expound the various teachings for sentient beings through immeasurable and innumerable skillful means, causes and conditions, parables, and expressions. All those teachings will be for the One Buddha Vehicle. Those sentient beings, following the Buddhas and hearing the Dharma, will all ultimately attain the wisdom of all modes.

“Shariputra! At present, throughout the immeasurable hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of Buddha lands in the ten directions, the Buddha Tathagatas likewise bring many benefits, peace, and joy to sentient beings. Those Buddhas also expound the various teachings to sentient beings through immeasurable and innumerable skillful means, causes and conditions, expressions, and parables. All those teachings are for the Buddha Vehicle. The sentient beings who hear the Dharma from the Buddhas will all ultimately attain the wisdom of all modes.

“Shariputra! Those Buddhas teach and transform only bodhisattvas, because they wish to show and teach sentient beings the knowledge and vision of awakening; because they wish to cause sentient beings to awaken to the knowledge and vision of awakening; and because they wish to cause sentient beings to enter the knowledge and vision of awakening.

“Shariputra! I now do likewise. Knowing the various desires of sentient beings and the deluded attachments in their minds, I teach the Dharma according to their capacities, using causes and conditions, expressions, parables, and the power of skillful means.

“Shariputra! Throughout the worlds of the ten directions, there are not even two vehicles, much less three.

“Shariputra! The Buddhas appear during the evil age of the five turbidities. These are the turbidity of the kalpa, the turbidity of afflictions, the turbidity of sentient beings, the turbidity of views, and the turbidity of lifespan.

“Shariputra! During the turbulent and turbid kalpa, the minds of sentient beings are corrupt. Being miserly, greedy, and jealous, they cultivate various unwholesome roots. Therefore, by the power of skillful means, the Buddhas make distinctions within the One Buddha Vehicle and speak of three.

“Shariputra! If disciples of mine consider themselves arhats or pratyekabuddhas but neither hear nor understand that the Buddha Tathagatas teach only bodhisattvas, then they are not disciples of the Buddha, nor are they arhats or pratyekabuddhas.

“Shariputra! If bhikshus or bhikshunis consider themselves to have attained the fruit of arhatship, to be in their final bodies, and to be completely liberated, yet are not firmly resolved to seek unsurpassed bodhi, you should know that all such people are afflicted with overweening pride. Why is this? It is impossible for a bhikshu who has truly attained arhatship not to believe this Dharma, except after the Buddha’s nirvana, when no Buddha is present. Why is this? After the Buddha’s nirvana, it will be extremely difficult to find anyone able to receive, uphold, read, recite, and understand the meaning of sutras such as this. If they encounter another Buddha, they will immediately gain clear understanding of this Dharma.

“Shariputra! You should single-mindedly believe, understand, accept, and comprehend the Buddha’s teaching. The words of the Buddhas are neither false nor deceptive. There is no other vehicle; there is only the One Buddha Vehicle.” At that time, the World-Honored One restated this meaning in verse:

Bhikshus and bhikshunis

Harboring overweening pride,

Proud male lay devotees,

And unbelieving female lay devotees—

Among the fourfold assembly such as these,

There were nearly five thousand people.

They could not perceive their own faults,

And their observance of the precepts was deficient.

Concealing their transgressions,

These dregs of little wisdom

Departed from this assembly.

Because of the Buddha’s awe-inspiring virtue,

Those of meager merit

Were unable to receive this Dharma.

This assembly is now without branches or leaves;

It consists solely of firm kernels.

Shariputra, listen attentively:

The Dharma realized by the Buddhas,

Through immeasurable powers of skillful means,

Is expounded to sentient beings.

What their minds contemplate,

The various deeds they have performed,

Their many kinds of desires,

And their good and evil karma from former lives—

The Buddha knows all these clearly.

Using causes and conditions, parables,

Expressions, and the power of skillful means,

He causes everyone to rejoice.

At times he teaches sutras,

Independent verses, and accounts of past events,

Accounts of former lives and unprecedented events;

He also teaches causes and conditions,

Parables and reiterated verses,

Together with expositions.

Those of dull faculties who delight in lesser teachings,

Being deeply attached to birth and death,

In the presence of immeasurable Buddhas

Did not cultivate the profound and wondrous path.

Tormented by afflictions,

For their sake, nirvana was taught.

I established this skillful means

To enable them to enter the Buddha’s wisdom.

Never before did I tell you

That you would attain the path of Buddhahood.

The reason I never said this

Was that the proper time had not yet arrived.

Now truly is the proper time

To teach the Mahayana definitively.

The nine divisions of my Dharma

Were taught in accordance with sentient beings.

As the foundation for entering the Mahayana,

I therefore now teach this sutra.

There are children of the Buddha whose minds are pure,

Gentle, pliant, and keen in faculties,

Who in the presence of immeasurable Buddhas

Have cultivated the profound and wondrous path.

For these children of the Buddha,

I teach this Mahayana sutra.

I bestow predictions upon such people

That in future lives they will attain the path of Buddhahood.

Because they wholeheartedly recollect the Buddha

And cultivate and uphold the pure precepts,

When they hear that they will become Buddhas,

They are filled with exuberant joy.

The Buddha, knowing their minds,

Therefore teaches the Mahayana sutra.

Shravakas or bodhisattvas

Who hear the Dharma I teach,

Even if only a single verse,

Will certainly become Buddhas.

In the Buddha lands of the ten directions,

There is only the Dharma of the One Vehicle;

There are neither two nor three,

Except when the Buddhas teach through skillful means.

They merely employ words and expressions

In order to guide sentient beings

And thus teach the Buddha’s wisdom.

The Buddhas appear in the world

Solely for the One Buddha Vehicle;

The other two vehicles are not true.

They would never use the Lesser Vehicle

To liberate sentient beings.

The Buddha abides in the Great Vehicle,

In the Dharma he himself realized,

Adorned with samadhi, wisdom, and powers,

And uses these to deliver sentient beings.

Having himself realized the unsurpassed path,

The impartial Dharma of the Great Vehicle,

If I were to deliver even one person

By means of the Lesser Vehicle,

I would fall into miserliness and greed;

Such a thing could never be done.

Those who believe in and take refuge in the Buddha—

The Tathagata does not deceive them.

He is free from envy and greed

And has utterly ended all unwholesome qualities.

Among all beings in the ten directions,

The Buddha alone has no fear.

With my marks of adornment,

I illuminate the entire world.

Revered by sentient beings,

I proclaim the seal of true reality.

Shariputra, you should know:

Long ago I made this vow,

Wishing that all sentient beings

Might become no different from me.

The vow I made in ancient times

Has now been completely fulfilled:

I teach and transform all sentient beings,

Causing them all to enter the Buddha path.

When I encounter sentient beings

And wholeheartedly teach them the Buddha path,

Those without wisdom become confused,

Deluded and unable to accept it.

I know that such sentient beings

Have never cultivated wholesome qualities;

They are bound to the five desires,

And deluded attachment gives rise to suffering.

Through the causes and conditions of desire,

They fall into the three evil destinies,

Revolving through the six paths,

Enduring every kind of painful affliction.

Receiving a lowly body within the womb,

They perpetuate it lifetime after lifetime.

Those of meager merit and little virtue

Are tormented by manifold sufferings.

They enter the dense forest of wrong views,

Clinging either to existence or nonexistence;

Relying upon such attachments,

They embrace all sixty-two

False doctrines of wrong views,

Holding them tightly and never relinquishing them.

Filled with self-conceit and arrogance,

They flatter and dissemble, their hearts insincere.

Throughout thousands of millions of kotis of kalpas,

They do not hear the name of a Buddha,

Nor do they hear the true Dharma;

Such people are difficult to deliver.

Therefore, Shariputra,

For their sake I employ skillful means,

Teaching paths that bring suffering to an end

And revealing the Dharma of nirvana.

Although I speak of nirvana,

It is not true extinction.

From the beginning, all dharmas

Have always borne the mark of quiescence.

When children of the Buddha have practiced the path,

In a future life they will become Buddhas.

Through the power of skillful means,

I reveal the Dharma of the Three Vehicles,

Yet all the World-Honored Ones

Teach only the path of the One Vehicle.

Now, within this great assembly,

You must cast away all doubt.

The words of all Buddhas do not differ:

There is only one vehicle, not two.

Throughout countless kalpas in the past,

Immeasurable Buddhas entered nirvana;

Hundreds of thousands of millions of kotis of Buddhas,

So numerous they cannot be measured.

Such World-Honored Ones,

Through causes, conditions, and parables,

And innumerable powers of skillful means,

Expounded the characteristics of all dharmas.

All those World-Honored Ones

Taught the Dharma of the One Vehicle,

Delivering immeasurable sentient beings

And causing them to enter the Buddha path.

Moreover, those great Holy Lords,

Clearly knowing the desires and inclinations

Of devas, humans, and sentient beings

Throughout all worlds,

Employed various skillful means

To reveal the ultimate truth.

If any sentient beings

Encountered Buddhas of the past,

Whether they heard the Dharma or practiced giving,

Or observed the precepts and cultivated patience,

Diligence, meditation, and wisdom,

Cultivating merit and wisdom,

All such people

Have already attained the Buddha path.

After Buddhas entered nirvana,

If there were sentient beings

Whose hearts were gentle and well-tamed,

They all attained the Buddha path.

After Buddhas entered nirvana,

Those who made offerings to their relics

And erected myriads of kotis of stupas,

Using gold, silver, crystal,

Giant clam shell, agate,

Rose pearls, and lapis lazuli

To adorn the stupas,

Making them open, splendid, and magnificent;

Or those who built stupas of stone,

Sandalwood and aloeswood,

Aromatic wood and other timbers,

Bricks, tiles, and clay;

Or those who, in the wilderness,

Heaped earth to form a Buddha stupa;

Even children at play

Who gathered sand to make Buddha stupas—

All those who did such things

Have already attained the Buddha path.

If anyone, for the sake of the Buddha,

Made and established images,

Carving them with the sacred marks,

They have all attained the Buddha path.

Whether they used the seven treasures,

Brass, red copper, white copper,

Pewter, lead,

Iron, wood, or clay;

Or whether they used glue, lacquer, and cloth

To adorn and fashion Buddha images,

All those who did such things

Have already attained the Buddha path.

Or if they painted images of the Buddha,

Adorned with the marks born of a hundred merits,

Whether doing so themselves or directing others,

They have all attained the Buddha path.

Even children at play,

Using grass, twigs, or brushes,

Or merely using their fingernails

To draw images of the Buddha—

All such people

Gradually accumulated merit,

Perfected the mind of great compassion,

And have all attained the Buddha path.

They taught and guided bodhisattvas

And delivered immeasurable multitudes.

Those who, before Buddha stupas,

Jeweled images, or painted images,

With incense, flowers, banners, and canopies,

Made offerings with reverent hearts;

Or caused others to perform music,

Beating drums and blowing conches,

Playing flutes, pipes, zithers, harps,

Lutes, gongs, and cymbals—

Offering all such beautiful music;

Or those who, with joyful hearts,

Sang praises of the Buddha,

Even in a single faint sound—

They have all attained the Buddha path.

Those whose minds were distracted,

Yet offered even a single flower

Before a painted image,

Will encounter countless Buddhas.

Or those who bowed in homage,

Or merely joined their palms,

Or even raised a single hand,

Or merely inclined their heads slightly,

Thus making offerings before an image,

Will encounter immeasurable Buddhas

And themselves attain the unsurpassed path.

They will deliver countless beings everywhere,

Leading them into nirvana without remainder,

As when the fire goes out after the fuel is exhausted.

Those whose minds were distracted,

Yet entered a Buddha stupa

And uttered only, “Namo Buddha,”

Have all attained the Buddha path.

Whether the Buddhas of the past

Were still present or had entered nirvana,

Those who heard this Dharma

Have all attained the Buddha path.

The future World-Honored Ones

Will be too numerous to measure;

All those Tathagatas

Will likewise teach the Dharma through skillful means.

All Tathagatas,

Using immeasurable skillful means,

Deliver all sentient beings,

Causing them to enter the Buddha’s uncontaminated wisdom.

Of those who hear the Dharma,

There is no one who will not become a Buddha.

The original vow of all Buddhas is:

“As I cultivate the Buddha path,

I wish all sentient beings

Likewise to attain this path.”

Though the Buddhas of future ages

Will teach hundreds of thousands of kotis

Of countless Dharma gates,

In truth there is only the One Vehicle.

The Buddhas, Honored Ones Perfect in Wisdom and Merit,

Know that dharmas are eternally without intrinsic nature,

And that awakening arises in dependence upon conditions;

Therefore, they teach the One Vehicle.

This Dharma abides in its Dharma-position;

The marks of the world arise and cease.

Having realized this at the place of enlightenment,

The Buddha teaches it through skillful means

And receives offerings from devas and humans.

The Buddhas now present throughout the ten directions,

As numerous as the sands of the Ganges,

Appear within the worlds

To bring peace and security to sentient beings.

They likewise teach this Dharma.

Knowing that quiescent cessation is supreme,

They therefore employ the power of skillful means.

Though they reveal many different paths,

In truth they do so for the Buddha Vehicle.

Knowing the actions and thoughts

Of all sentient beings,

The karma they accumulated in the past,

Their desires or diligence,

And whether their faculties are dull or keen,

They employ various causes and conditions,

Parables, and expressions,

Teaching through skillful means according to their capacities.

Now I, too, do likewise.

To bring peace and security to sentient beings,

I employ various Dharma gates

To proclaim and praise the Buddha path.

With the power of wisdom,

I know the dispositions and desires of sentient beings.

Through skillful means I teach various dharmas,

Causing them to rejoice.

Shariputra, you should know:

When I observe with the Buddha-eye,

I see sentient beings in the six paths,

Impoverished and bereft of merit and wisdom.

They enter the perilous road of birth and death,

Where suffering continues without end,

And are deeply immersed in the five desires,

Like a yak enamored of its tail.

Obscured by craving and attachment,

They are blind and perceive nothing.

They do not seek the Buddha’s mighty power

Or the Dharma that brings suffering to an end.

They enter deeply into wrong views,

And, seeking to abandon suffering, instead embrace more suffering.

For the sake of these sentient beings,

The Buddha gives rise to great compassion.

Long ago, when I sat at the place of enlightenment,

Gazing upon the tree and walking in meditation,

For twenty-one days

I reflected on this matter:

“The wisdom I have realized

Is subtle, wondrous, and supremely excellent.

Yet sentient beings mostly have dull faculties;

They delight in craving and are blinded by delusion.

How can people such as these

Possibly be delivered?”

At that time the Brahma kings,

Together with the devas Shakra,

The Four Heavenly Kings who protect the world,

And the Great Sovereign Deva,

Along with hundreds of thousands of myriads

Of retinues of other devas,

Reverently joined their palms and bowed,

Entreating me to turn the Dharma wheel.

I then reflected within myself:

“If I praise only the Buddha Vehicle,

Sentient beings immersed in suffering

They could not believe that Dharma,

And, by disparaging it and disbelieving,

Would fall into the three evil paths.

I would rather not preach the Dharma,

But quickly enter nirvana!

Then I called to mind the Buddhas of the past,

Who had employed the power of skillful means.

The Way that I had realized

Should likewise be taught as three vehicles.

As I reflected in this way,

The Buddhas of the ten directions appeared,

And with Brahma voices consoled me:

“Excellent, O Shakyamuni,

Foremost among Guiding Teachers!

You have realized the unsurpassed Dharma.

All the Buddhas

Employ the power of skillful means.

We too have realized

The foremost, wondrous Dharma,

Yet for the various kinds of sentient beings,

We distinguish and teach three vehicles.

Those of little wisdom delight in lesser teachings

And do not believe that they themselves can become Buddhas.

Therefore, through skillful means,

We distinguish and teach the various fruits.

Although we teach the Dharma of the three vehicles,

We do so only to instruct bodhisattvas.”

Shariputra, you should know:

When I heard the Sacred Lions’

Wondrous and pure voices

Proclaiming, “Namo to all Buddhas,”

I reflected once again:

“I have appeared in an evil and turbid age;

As the Buddhas have taught,

I too shall act in accord with them.”

Having reflected upon this matter,

I immediately went to Varanasi.

The quiescent character of all dharmas

Cannot be expressed in words;

Therefore, through skillful means,

I taught the five bhikshus.

This was called the Turning of the Dharma Wheel.

Thereupon arose the terms “nirvana,”

And “arhat,”

And the distinct names “Dharma” and “Sangha.”

Throughout incalculably distant kalpas,

I praised only the Dharma of nirvana,

The severance of the suffering of birth and death;

Thus did I always teach.

Shariputra, you should know:

I saw the Buddha’s children,

Whose resolve was to seek the Buddha Way,

Numbering immeasurable thousands, myriads, and kotis.

All, with reverent minds,

Came to the Buddha’s presence,

Having formerly heard from the Buddhas

The Dharma taught through skillful means.

I then reflected to myself:

“The Tathagata appears in the world

In order to teach the wisdom of the Buddhas;

Now is precisely the right time.”

Shariputra, you should know:

Those of dull faculties and little wisdom,

Those attached to appearances and filled with arrogance,

Cannot believe this Dharma.

Now, joyful and without fear,

Among the bodhisattvas

I shall proceed directly, setting skillful means aside,

And teach only the unsurpassed Way.

When the bodhisattvas hear this Dharma,

They will all cast off the net of doubt;

And the twelve hundred arhats

Will likewise all become Buddhas.

Just as the Buddhas of the three times

Have taught the Dharma according to this manner,

So now do I likewise

Teach the undifferentiated Dharma.

The Buddhas appear in the world

Only after exceedingly long intervals and are difficult to encounter.

Even when a Buddha appears in the world,

It is difficult for him to teach this Dharma.

Throughout immeasurable and countless kalpas,

It is also difficult to hear this Dharma;

And one who is able to hear this Dharma

Is even more difficult to find.

It is like the udumbara flower,

Which everyone cherishes and delights in,

Rare among devas and humans,

And appearing only after a very long time.

One who, on hearing the Dharma, rejoices and praises it,

Even if uttering but a single word,

Has thereby made offerings

To all the Buddhas of the three times.

Such a person is exceedingly rare,

Rarer even than the udumbara flower.

You must not harbor doubts.

I am the Dharma King,

And I proclaim to the entire great assembly:

I use only the One Vehicle Way

To teach and transform bodhisattvas;

There are no shravakas.

Shariputra, all of you—

Shravakas and bodhisattvas—

Should understand that this Wondrous Dharma

Is the secret essence of all the Buddhas.

Because in the evil age of the five turbidities,

Beings are deeply attached to sensual desires,

Sentient beings such as these

Are unable to seek the Buddha Way.

Evil people in ages to come,

Hearing the Buddha teach the One Vehicle,

Will be deluded, refuse to believe or accept it,

Disparage the Dharma, and fall into evil paths.

But those who have a sense of shame, are pure,

And are resolutely determined to seek the Buddha Way—

For such people

One should praise the One Vehicle Way.

Shariputra, you should know:

Such is the Dharma of all the Buddhas.

Through myriads of kotis of skillful means,

They teach the Dharma according to beings’ capacities.

Those who have not cultivated or studied

Cannot understand this matter.

Since you know that the Buddhas

Are the Teachers of the world

And employ appropriate skillful means,

You should no longer harbor doubts.

Let your hearts be filled with great joy,

Knowing that you will become Buddhas.