佛說彌勒大成佛經

Thus have I heard:

At one time, the Buddha was dwelling on Mount Solitary Peak in the kingdom of Magadha, a place where the Buddhas of the past had often subdued the armies of Mara. It was then the summer rains retreat, and the Blessed One was walking in meditation upon the summit with the Elder Sariputra. He then spoke this verse:

"Single-mindedly gather your thoughts and listen.

From within the radiance of the great samadhi,

A holy one shall appear in the world,

Whose unsurpassed merit none can exceed.

That one shall proclaim the wondrous Dharma,

Whereby all shall attain complete fulfillment.

As the thirsty drink ambrosial nectar,

They shall at once proceed directly to the path of liberation."

At that time, the fourfold assembly of disciples all gathered together. They repaired the roads, sprinkled water, swept the ground, and burned incense. They brought offerings for the Tathagata and the Sangha of bhiksus. They gazed intently upon the Tathagata, as a filial child looks upon a loving father, or as one tormented by thirst longs for water. In the same way, they remembered and cherished the Father of the Dharma. Each of them, united in single-mindedness, wished to entreat the Dharma King to turn the wheel of the true Dharma. Their faculties remained unmoving, and their minds flowed continuously toward the Buddha.

Then the bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, upasikas, devas, nagas, ghosts, spirits, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kimnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans all rose from their seats, circumambulated the Blessed One clockwise, bowed their heads to the ground, and, facing the Buddha, shed tears and lamented.

At that time, the greatly wise Sariputra arranged his robes properly and bared his right shoulder. He understood the thought in the Dharma King's mind. He was also well able to follow the Dharma King in studying and practicing the Buddha Dharma and turning the wheel of the true Dharma. He was a great minister of the Buddha and a great general who upheld the Dharma. Out of compassion for sentient beings and wishing to free them from the bonds of suffering and distress, he addressed the Buddha, saying:

"Blessed One! Just now, upon the summit of the mountain, the Tathagata spoke a verse praising one foremost in wisdom. In the sutras previously taught, the Blessed One has never mentioned this before. Now the hearts of the entire assembly thirst with reverence, and their tears fall like heavy rain. They wish to hear the Tathagata speak of the future Buddha, the one who shall open the path of ambrosia, as well as the name of Maitreya, his meritorious spiritual powers, and the adornments of his land. What roots of goodness, observance of precepts, generosity, meditative concentration, wisdom, and powers of knowledge must one possess in order to behold Maitreya? How should one cultivate the Noble Eightfold Path within one's mind?"

When Sariputra asked this question, hundreds of thousands of devas and innumerable Brahma kings all reverently joined their palms and, speaking in unison, addressed the Buddha:

"Blessed One! We respectfully beseech you to enable us, in a future age, to behold Maitreya Buddha, the one endowed with the supreme and magnificent fruition, the radiant eye of the Three Realms. With vast loving-kindness and compassion, he shall extensively proclaim the Dharma for sentient beings."

Then the beings of the eight classes also reverently joined their palms and entreated the Tathagata.

At that time, the Brahma kings and the multitudes of Brahma devas, speaking in unison, joined their palms in praise and recited this verse:

"Namo to the Full-Moon Honored One,

Perfectly endowed with the ten powers,

The one of great diligence,

Courageous and fearless,

The holy one possessing all-knowing wisdom,

Who has transcended and departed from the Three Realms,

Who has accomplished the three penetrating knowledges

And subdued the four hosts of Mara.

His body is a vessel of the Dharma;

His mind is vast as empty space,

Serene and never shaken.

It is existent, yet not existent;

It is nonexistent, yet not nonexistent.

He thoroughly comprehends the emptiness of all dharmas

And is praised throughout the world.

With minds united as one,

We all take refuge together

And beseech him to turn the Dharma wheel."

At that time, the Blessed One said to Sariputra:

"I shall explain and expound this extensively for you. Listen, listen, and consider it well! With subtle and wholesome minds, you now wish to ask the Tathagata about the unsurpassed path and its practice leading to great prajna. The Tathagata sees it clearly, as one beholds an amalaka fruit in the palm of one's hand."

The Buddha said to Sariputra:

"If anyone, in the presence of the seven Buddhas of the past, has heard the names of those Buddhas and paid homage and made offerings to them, then, through these causes and conditions, that person's karmic hindrances shall be eliminated. If that person also hears of Maitreya Buddha's deeds of great loving-kindness, the mind shall become purified. You should now single-mindedly join your palms and take refuge in the one of great loving-kindness and compassion who shall appear in the future. I shall explain and expound this extensively for you.

The land of Maitreya Buddha shall be pure, without flattery or deceit, because he neither accepts nor clings to the paramita of generosity, the paramita of morality, or the prajnaparamita. His wondrous Buddha-land shall be adorned by his ten great vows. All sentient beings who behold Maitreya and are embraced by his mind of great loving-kindness shall give rise to gentle and pliant minds. They shall be born in that land with their faculties disciplined and shall always follow the Buddha's teaching and transformation.

Sariputra! When the waters of the four great seas have receded by 3,000 yojanas, the land of Jambudvipa shall measure 10,000 yojanas in both length and breadth. That land shall be level and pure, like a mirror of vaidurya.

There shall be great wish-fulfilling flowers, delightfully pleasing flowers, richly fragrant flowers, udumbara flowers, flowers with great golden petals, flowers whose petals are made of the seven treasures, and flowers whose petals are made of pure silver. The stamens of these flowers shall be as soft as heavenly silk. They shall produce auspicious fruits, replete with every flavor and as soft as heavenly cotton.

Within the forests shall be many beautiful flowering trees and sweetly fragrant fruit trees, surpassing even the Garden of Delight belonging to Sakra, Lord of the Devas. The trees shall tower majestically to a height of thirty miles.

The cities and settlements shall be close to one another, separated by no more than the distance of a chicken's flight. The sentient beings of that land shall all have planted vast roots of goodness before the Buddhas of the present and, as the karmic fruition of practicing loving-kindness, shall be born in that land. They shall possess majestic virtue and wisdom, be fully provided with the objects of the five desires for their enjoyment, and live in happiness, ease, and peace.

There shall be none of the nine kinds of affliction, nor shall they suffer from the various illnesses caused by heat, cold, wind, or fire. They shall enjoy a full lifespan, living for 84,000 years, and no one shall die prematurely. Every person shall stand sixteen zhang tall.

Each day they shall constantly enjoy subtle and wondrous happiness; their delight shall be to enter deeply into meditative concentration. They shall have only three ailments:

1. The need to eat and drink

2. The need to urinate and defecate

3. The necessity of growing old and feeble

Only when a woman reaches the age of 500 shall she marry.

At that time there will be a great city named Ketumati, measuring 1,200 yojanas in length and breadth and seven yojanas in height, adorned with the seven precious substances. Within the city, towers and pavilions made of the seven precious substances will arise spontaneously, magnificent, splendid, exquisitely adorned, pure, and immaculate. Through their windows, precious maidens may be seen, each holding a net of pearls in her hands.

The tops of those towers and pavilions will be ornamented with various jewels. Precious bells will also hang there, and their resonance will resemble celestial music. Amid rows of trees made of the seven precious substances will be channels and fountains, likewise composed of the seven precious substances.

From them will flow streams of wondrously colored water, mutually reflecting and sparkling. They will flow gently along their courses without ever obstructing one another. Both banks will be strewn entirely with golden sand.

The thoroughfares will be twelve miles wide. Everything will be pure, swept, and cleansed like a garden in the heavenly realms.

At that time there will appear a great dragon king named Tarasikhin, fully endowed with majestic power and merit. The pond in which the dragon king dwells will be beside the city. His palace will resemble a tower made of the seven precious substances and will be clearly visible even from afar. In the depths of night, the dragon king will often transform himself into human form, fill an auspicious vessel with fragrant water, and sprinkle it upon the dusty ground until the earth is moistened like oil. Those who walk upon it will not be soiled by dust.

Because of the merit of the people of that time, a luminous pearl will rest atop every pillar along all the roads and pathways. These pearls will illuminate the four directions and shine more brightly than the sun. Each pearl will cast its light for eighty yojanas, and everything will be suffused with a single golden hue.

That light will shine gently and equally by day and night. Compared with this radiance, the light of lamps and torches will seem like a pool of ink. When fragrant winds blow past the pillars bearing luminous pearls, jeweled necklaces will rain down.

The people will all take and wear them, spontaneously experiencing bliss like that of the third dhyana. Everywhere there will be gold, silver, pearls, mani jewels, and other precious gems, amassed into mountains. These jeweled mountains will emit light that illuminates the entire city.

When the people are touched by that light, they will all rejoice and arouse bodhicitta.

At that time there will be a great yaksha named Bhadrapala Shatka [Good Instruction], who will constantly protect the city of Ketumati and its people by day and night. This deity will sweep and cleanse every place. If someone should urinate or defecate, the earth will open to receive it and then close again as before when the person has finished. A red lotus will afterward grow in that place to dispel the foul odor.

When the people of that time reach the decline of old age, they will naturally go into the forest and sit beneath trees. Joyful and serene, they will single-mindedly recollect the Buddha until their lives come to an end. At death, most will be reborn in the Great Brahma Heaven or in the presence of the Buddhas.

That land will be peaceful, without hostile enemies, thieves, or plunder. The gates of its cities, towns, and villages will never be closed. Nor will there be suffering caused by floods, fires, warfare, famine, thirst, poisons, or other harmful things.

The people will always be kind, respectful, harmonious, and restrained in their faculties. They will treat one another as a child loves his father and as a mother cherishes her child, and their speech will be humble. All this will come from the compassionate instruction of Maitreya Buddha.

Those who uphold the precept against killing and refrain from eating meat will, through these causes and conditions, be reborn in that land. Their faculties will be exceedingly serene, their features upright and handsome, and their majestic bearing complete, like that of celestial youths.

Surrounding the city of Ketumati there will also be 84,000 smaller jeweled cities, with Ketumati at their center. Men and women, young and old, whether near or far, will, through the Buddha’s spiritual power, all be able to see one another without obstruction.

Night-luminous mani jewels and wish-fulfilling jewel flowers will pervade that world. From the sky will rain flowers of the seven precious substances, red lotuses, blue lotuses, yellow lotuses, white lotuses, mandarava flowers, great mandarava flowers, manjushaka flowers, and great manjushaka flowers. They will fall everywhere upon the ground, while some, meeting the wind, will be carried aloft and drift through the air.

At that time, throughout that land—in its cities, towns, villages, parks, groves, bathing pools, rivers, lakes, ponds, and springs—water possessing the eight meritorious qualities will arise naturally. There will be jivajivaka birds, geese, ducks, mandarin ducks, peacocks, parrots, kingfishers, sharika birds, sweetly singing cuckoos, rajivajivaka birds, pleasing-to-behold birds, and other birds. They will sing and warble melodiously. There will also be countless other wondrous species of birds, producing subtle and marvelous sounds, and all will fly to perch in the groves or beside the bathing pools.

There will also be golden-hued flowers of stainless, pure radiance; flowers of sorrowless, pure wisdom and sunlight; immortal-white flowers of seven-day fragrance; green, fragrant magnolia flowers; and hundreds of thousands of myriads of varieties of aquatic and terrestrial flowers. Those that are blue will emit blue light; those that are yellow will emit yellow light; those that are red will emit red light; and those that are white will emit white light. Their pure fragrance will be beyond compare. They will bloom continuously throughout day and night and never wither or fade.

There will also be trees bearing wish-fulfilling fruit, whose exquisite fragrance will spread throughout that land. Upon the jeweled mountains there will also be fragrant trees. They will emit golden light throughout the land and release a delightful fragrance that perfumes every place.

At that time, Jambudvipa will always be filled with exquisite fragrance, gathered as though into a mountain of perfume. The waters of its streams will taste exceptionally sweet and delicious and will be able to dispel afflictions. Rain and wind will come in due season, and the grains will ripen evenly. Because the beings of that time will possess spiritual powers like those of the devas, they will sow only once but harvest seven times, expending little effort yet reaping abundant yields. The rice plants will flourish without weeds. As a karmic result of the beings’ merit, food will be digested as soon as it enters the mouth, will possess the full hundred flavors, will be incomparably fragrant and delicious, and will make their strength full and abundant.

At that time, in that land there will be a Wheel-Turning Sage King named Shankha, fully endowed with the thirty-two marks of a great person. He will possess the four divisions of an army, yet he will not employ force to govern the four continents beneath heaven. The king will have 1,000 princes, all courageous, upright, and handsome. Every enemy will naturally submit. The king will possess the seven treasures:

1. The precious golden wheel—its hub, rim, and 1,000 spokes will all be complete.

2. The precious white elephant—its hide will be white as the Snow Mountains; its seven limbs will rest upon the ground, and it will be splendidly adorned and majestic like the king of mountains.

3. The precious blue horse—its hide will be azure blue, its mane and tail red, and the rims of its hooves made of the seven precious substances; wherever it places its feet, flowers will bloom.

4. The precious divine jewel—entirely luminous and translucent, two cubits long, it will emit light and rain down jewels to fulfill the wishes of sentient beings.

5. The precious jeweled woman—her countenance will be exquisitely beautiful, and her body so supple that she will seem to have no bones.

6. The divine treasurer—from his mouth he will emit precious jewels; wherever he places his feet, jewels will rain down, and precious pearls will appear in his two hands.

7. Guardian deity of armies—when his body moves, the four divisions of the army will appear from the sky like clouds.

The 1,000 princes and the people throughout his kingdom of seven treasures will all be free of evil intentions and will regard one another as a mother cherishes her child. At that time, each of the king’s 1,000 princely sons will contribute precious treasures to erect a seven-jeweled ceremonial platform before the main hall. This platform will have 30 tiers, rise 30 yojanas high, possess a thousand heads and a thousand wheels, and travel freely at will.

At that time, there will be four great treasure repositories. Surrounding each great repository will be four hundred million smaller repositories.

– The great I-bát-đa treasure repository will be in the kingdom of Càn-đà-la.

– The great Bàn-trục-ca treasure repository will be in the kingdom of Di-đề-la.

– The great Tân-già-la treasure repository will be in the kingdom of Tu-la-tra.

– The great Nhương-khư treasure repository will be in the kingdom of Ba-la-nại, near Mount Cổ Tiên.

These four great treasure repositories will open of themselves, emitting magnificent great light that shines for 1,000 yojanas. They will be filled throughout with precious treasures, and each great repository will be surrounded by four hundred million smaller repositories. There will also be four great dragons guarding these four great treasure repositories and the smaller repositories there.

Those repositories will spontaneously rise from the earth in the form of lotus flowers. At that time, innumerable people will all come to behold them. The jewels of that age will be left unguarded.

When the people see these treasure repositories, no attachment or greed will arise in their hearts. They will leave the treasures upon the ground like tiles and stones, grass and wood, or clods of earth. Having seen them, they will become disenchanted, and each will say to the others:

‘As the Buddha taught, sentient beings in former times harmed and killed one another for the sake of these jewels. They stole from one another, deceived one another, and spoke falsely, causing the karmic conditions for the suffering of birth and death to increase day by day, until in the end they fell into the great hells.’

The city of Sí-đầu-mạt will be covered by a jeweled net canopy. Adorning it will be suspended precious bells. When the wind blows through them, they will produce harmonious sounds like the resonance of a struck chime, proclaiming: take refuge in the Buddha, take refuge in the Dharma, take refuge in the Sangha.

At that time, there will be a great Brahmin lord in the city named Tu-phạm-ma. His wife will be named Phạm-ma-bạt-đề, a virtuous spouse of gentle disposition. When Maitreya descends to take birth, they will become the bodhisattva’s father and mother. Although dwelling within the womb, he will move about as though in a celestial palace. While in his mother’s womb, the bodhisattva will emit great light, and no dust or defilement will be able to obstruct it.

Maitreya’s body will be purplish gold in color and endowed with the thirty-two marks of a great man. Maitreya will then sit upon a precious lotus throne, and when sentient beings behold him, their eyes will not wish to turn away even for an instant. Maitreya will emit light so dazzling that none can gaze directly upon it. Humans and devas alike will regard this as something never before witnessed.

Maitreya’s strength will be immeasurable. Every part of his body will surpass all dragons and elephants of immense power. The pores of his body will emit inconceivable light, illuminating immeasurable distances without anything being able to obstruct it. The light of the sun, moon, stars, water, fire, and precious jewels will seem like dust and will all disappear from sight.

– His body will be 80 cubits [32 trượng] tall, equal to the height of Buddha Shakyamuni.

– His chest will be 25 cubits [10 trượng] broad.

– His face will be 12.5 cubits [5 trượng] long.

– The bridge of his nose will be high and straight, situated in the center of his face.

Maitreya’s bodily marks will be complete; he will be upright and handsome, perfectly endowed with the excellent characteristics, and none will be his equal. Each excellent mark will contain 84,000 beautiful features adorning him like a statue cast of gold. Each beautiful feature will emit light that illuminates a distance of 1,000 yojanas.

Maitreya’s physical eyes will be pure and limpid, with the blue and white clearly distinguished. He will always have a halo surrounding his body, extending for 100 yojanas. The sun, moon, stars, mani pearls, and rows of seven-jeweled trees will all appear clearly within the Buddha’s light, while every other light will be obscured. The Buddha’s body will tower majestically like a mountain of gold. Whoever beholds him will naturally be freed from the three evil destinies.

At that time, Maitreya will thoroughly contemplate the harm caused by the five desires in the world. With loving-kindness and compassion, he will pity sentient beings who undergo suffering, submerged and ceaselessly drifting in the current of birth and death. Having reflected in this way, he will contemplate with right mindfulness: suffering, emptiness, and impermanence. He will take no delight in worldly life but will abhor it as a prison.

At that time, King Nhương-khư, together with the great ministers and the people of the kingdom, will present to Maitreya the seven-jeweled ceremonial platform, 1,000 precious canopies, 1,000 precious carriages, one hundred billion precious bells, one hundred billion precious banners and streamers, 1,000 precious vessels, and 1,000 precious censers. After accepting them, Maitreya will give them to the Brahmins. Having received them, the Brahmins will divide the objects among themselves. They will be utterly astonished to see Maitreya perform such a great act of generosity.

When Maitreya Bodhisattva sees the brief and impermanent nature of that precious platform, he will know it to be a conditioned phenomenon destined for destruction. He will then contemplate impermanence and praise the verse on impermanence—the cooling nectar spoken by the Buddhas of the past:

‘All conditioned things are impermanent,

Subject to arising and ceasing.

When arising and ceasing have wholly ceased,

Quiescent cessation will be bliss.’

Having spoken this verse, he will leave the household life to study the Way and sit beneath the Dragon Flower Bodhi tree at the Vajra Adornment Place of Enlightenment. Its branches will resemble precious dragons spouting forth 100 jeweled flowers. Every petal will bear the colors of the seven treasures. Its fruits will have many different colors, and sentient beings who behold them will be filled with delight. Whether in the heavens or in the human world, no other tree will compare with it. That tree will be 50 yojanas tall; its branches and leaves will spread in all four directions and emit great light.

At that time, Maitreya, together with 84,000 Brahmins, will proceed to the Place of Enlightenment. Maitreya will shave his own head, leave the household life, and study the Way. He will renounce the household life in the morning, and that very evening he will subdue the four kinds of maras and attain unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment. He will then immediately speak this verse:

‘Long have I remembered sentient beings’ suffering,

Wishing to rescue them, yet unable to do so.

Now I have realized the Way of bodhi,

Suddenly and completely free of every obstruction.

I have also comprehended that sentient beings are originally empty

And understood their fundamental nature as it truly is.

Forever eliminating all sorrow and suffering,

With unconditional loving-kindness and great compassion of shared essence,

In order to liberate all of you,

I have given away my head and eyes, kingdoms and cities,

Virtuous wife and children, as well as my hands and feet,

Bestowing them upon countless people.

Today I have attained liberation,

The great quiescent cessation of unsurpassed bodhi.

For your sake, I shall expound it,

Widely opening the true Way of ambrosia.

The Dharma of the Six Paramitas brings forth great rewards:

Generosity, moral discipline, patience,

Diligence, meditative concentration, and wisdom.

They also arise from great compassion

And will bring undefiled merit.’

After speaking this verse, he will remain silent. At that time, devas, dragons, ghosts, and spirits, concealing themselves and remaining invisible, will rain down celestial flowers as offerings to that Buddha. Then the great trichiliocosm will quake in six ways. The Buddha’s body will emit light that illuminates immeasurable lands. All sentient beings ready to be liberated will behold the Buddha.

At that time, in the Flower Grove Garden, Shakra, the Four Heavenly Kings who protect the world, the Great Brahma Kings, and innumerable heavenly beings bowed their heads at the Buddha’s feet, joined their palms, and entreated him to turn the Dharma wheel. The Buddha Maitreya then silently accepted their request and said to the Brahma Kings:

'During the long night, I endured immeasurable suffering and affliction. Nevertheless, I constantly and diligently cultivated the Dharma of the Six Paramitas. Only today has the ocean of Dharma finally reached perfection.

Listen attentively. I shall now expound the Dharma for you, raise the banner of Dharma, beat the drum of Dharma, sound the conch of Dharma, and rain down the rain of Dharma. Only the Buddhas can turn the Dharma wheel of the Noble Eightfold Path; neither heavenly beings nor humans of the world can turn it.

Its principle is equal and leads directly to the unsurpassed state of unconditioned, quiescent cessation. It can enable sentient beings to eliminate the suffering of the long night. This Dharma is extremely profound and wondrous, difficult to encounter and difficult to enter, difficult to believe and difficult to understand.

No one in the world can know or perceive it. Yet it can cleanse the defilements of the mind and enable people to attain myriad pure practices.'

When he had spoken these words, innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of heavenly sons and daughters and Great Brahma Kings arrived from worlds in other directions. Traveling in their celestial palaces, they came to this place. They brought celestial incense and flowers and offered them to that Tathagata. They then circumambulated him hundreds of thousands of times, bowed their heads to the ground, joined their palms, and entreated him to turn the Dharma wheel. At that time, all the celestial musical instruments sounded spontaneously without being played. Then the Brahma Kings, speaking with different mouths but in a single voice, proclaimed these verses:

'For measureless, countless hundreds of thousands of years,

Time passed without a Buddha;

Sentient beings fell into the evil realms,

And the eye of the world was extinguished.

The three evil realms stretched far and wide,

While the path to heavenly birth was forever cut off.

Today the Buddha has appeared in the world,

And the three evil destinies are forthwith destroyed.

Blessings and goodness increase, benefiting humans and heavenly beings;

May the Buddha open the gate of ambrosia,

Causing the minds of sentient beings to be free from attachment,

So that they may swiftly realize the path of nirvana.

All of us Brahma Kings

Heard that the Buddha had appeared in the human world.

Now we have attained the sight of the Buddha,

The great Dharma King, the unsurpassed Honored One.

The palaces of the Brahma heavens will become resplendent,

And the radiance of our bodies will also shine magnificently.

For all sentient beings throughout the ten directions,

We respectfully entreat the great Guide:

Please open the gate of ambrosia

And turn the unsurpassed, wondrous Dharma wheel.'

After reciting these verses, they bowed their heads in homage, again joined their palms, and earnestly entreated him three times, saying:

'We pray only that the World-Honored One will turn the extremely profound and wondrous Dharma wheel, uproot the suffering and afflictions of sentient beings, cause them to leave the three poisons far behind, and destroy the four evil realms and all unwholesome karma.'

At that time, for the sake of the Brahma Kings, the World-Honored Maitreya smiled, emitted five-colored light, and silently granted their request. Knowing that the Buddha had consented, the heavenly beings and the innumerable great assembly rejoiced exceedingly, their entire bodies leaping with joy. It was as though a filial child, having just buried his loving father, suddenly saw his father return to life. The great assembly’s joy was likewise.

The heavenly hosts then circumambulated that World-Honored One clockwise innumerable times, reverently gazing upon him with loving devotion and without weariness. Afterward, they stood to one side. At that time, everyone in the great assembly thought:

'Although we may enjoy the pleasures of the five desires for a thousand kotis of years, we still cannot escape the suffering and peril of the three evil realms. Wives, children, and possessions cannot save one another. The world is impermanent, and life is brief. We should now cultivate pure conduct within the Buddha-Dharma.'

Having thought thus, they further reflected:

'Even if we were to enjoy the five desires for innumerable kalpas, as in the Heaven of No Perception, possessing lifespans of innumerable kotis of years, delighting with celestial maidens and enjoying smooth and gentle sensations of touch, all of this would ultimately perish. We would then fall into the three evil realms and undergo immeasurable suffering. Such pleasure amounts to very little; it is like an illusion and cannot be expressed in words. Upon falling into hell, we would be burned by great fires for hundreds of kotis of myriads of kalpas and endure immeasurable suffering. It would be difficult to gain deliverance from the suffering and peril of the long night, however much we might seek it. Today, having encountered the Buddha, we must be diligent.'

At that time, King Shankha proclaimed in a loud voice:

'Although born in heaven, enjoying pleasures,

In the end they too will perish.

Before long, one falls into hell,

Like a fiercely blazing mass of fire.

Therefore, we should quickly

Renounce the household life and cultivate the Buddha’s path.'

When he had spoken these words, 84,000 great ministers reverently surrounded King Shankha, and together with the Four Heavenly Kings escorted the Wheel-Turning King to the Flower Grove Garden. The king arrived, bowed before the Buddha Maitreya beneath the Dragon Flower Tree, and requested permission to enter the monastic life. Before he had even raised his head, his hair and beard fell away by themselves, a kashaya appeared upon his body, and he became a shramana.

At that time, King Shankha, together with the 84,000 great ministers, the bhikshus, and innumerable heavenly beings, nagas, and the eight classes of beings, reverently surrounded the Buddha Maitreya. They then followed him into the city of Ketumati. As soon as he entered the city gate, the Saha World quaked in six ways. The ground of Jambudvipa turned golden. The ground at the center of the great city of Ketumati was made of vajra. The jeweled vajra seats upon which the Buddhas of the past had sat, together with rows of jeweled trees, spontaneously emerged. From the sky, heavenly beings rained down great jeweled flowers. The naga kings played various musical instruments, emitted flowers from their mouths, and showered flowers from their pores as offerings to the Buddha.

That Buddha will sit upon this jeweled throne and turn the wheel of the True Dharma:

'- This is suffering, the Noble Truth of Suffering.

– This is the origin of suffering, the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering.

– This is cessation, the Noble Truth of Cessation.

– This is the path, the Noble Truth of the Path.'

He will also expound the Thirty-Seven Factors Conducive to Enlightenment.

He will further proclaim the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination:

'- conditioned by ignorance, volitional formations arise;

– conditioned by volitional formations, consciousness arises;

– conditioned by consciousness, name-and-form arises;

– conditioned by name-and-form, the six sense bases arise;

– conditioned by the six sense bases, contact arises;

– conditioned by contact, feeling arises;

– conditioned by feeling, craving arises;

– conditioned by craving, grasping arises;

– conditioned by grasping, becoming arises;

– conditioned by becoming, birth arises;

– conditioned by birth, aging and death, sorrow, and suffering arise.'

At that time, the great earth quaked in six ways. A sound such as this will then resound throughout the trichiliocosm and extend beyond it through immeasurable and boundless worlds, reaching downward to the Avici Hell and upward to the Akanishtha Heaven.

Each of the Four Great Heavenly Kings, commanding innumerable ghosts and spirits, will proclaim in a loud voice:

'When the sun of the Buddha’s wisdom appears in the world, he will rain down the ambrosia of Dharma. Today the eye of the world has opened. All members of the eight classes of beings who have affinities with the Buddha should know this.'

The heavenly beings of the Trayastrimsha Heaven, the Yama Heaven, the Tushita Heaven, the Heaven of Delight in Transformations, the Heaven of Freely Enjoying Others’ Transformations, and even the Great Brahma Heaven will each proclaim in a loud voice throughout the realm under their authority:

'When the sun of the Buddha's wisdom appears in the world, he will rain down the ambrosia of the Dharma. Today, the eye of the world has opened. All those who have affinities should know this.'

At that time, the devas, dragons, and the eight classes of beings, the mountain spirits, tree spirits, medicinal-herb spirits, water spirits, wind spirits, fire spirits, earth spirits, city spirits, household spirits, and other spirits rejoiced and leapt with delight, and they too proclaimed the foregoing words in loud voices.

There were also 84,000 intelligent and gifted brahmins who followed King Shankha and went forth to study the Way in the Buddha's Dharma.

There was also an elder named Sudatta, who is now none other than Elder Sudatta, and together with 84,000 people he went forth into homelessness.

There were also the brothers Rishidatta and Purana, who together with 84,000 people went forth into homelessness.

There were also two great ministers who had once been highly esteemed by the king. The first was named Brahmadamali, and the second was named Sumana. Together with 84,000 people, they went forth to study the Way in the Buddha's Dharma.

The precious daughter of the Wheel-Turning King was named Shyamavati, who is now none other than Mother Vishakha. Together with 84,000 palace women, she went forth into homelessness.

The crown prince of King Shankha was named Celestial Golden-Hued One, who is now none other than the son of the elder Devavana. Together with 84,000 people, he went forth into homelessness.

Sumati, the son of a brahmin, possessed luminous wisdom and was also a relative of Maitreya Buddha. He is now none other than the son of the bhikshuni Uttara Sunanda. Together with 60,000 people, he went forth in the Buddha's Dharma.

Of King Shankha's 1,000 sons, only one remained to inherit the throne. The other 999 princes, together with 84,000 people, went forth in the Buddha's Dharma.

There were also immeasurable hundreds of millions of people such as these who, seeing the suffering of the world and the burning of the five skandhas, all went forth together in the Dharma of Maitreya Buddha.

At that time, Maitreya Buddha aroused great loving-kindness and addressed the great assembly:

'You have now come to the Tathagata, not because you seek rebirth in the heavens to enjoy pleasures, nor because you seek happiness in this present life, but solely because of the causes and conditions leading to the permanence, bliss, self, and purity of nirvana. All of you have previously planted roots of goodness within the Buddha-Dharma. When Shakyamuni Buddha appeared in the evil world of the five turbidities, he taught the Dharma to you by employing various skillful means of admonition, teaching you to plant the causes and conditions by which you might encounter me in a future life. Now the Tathagata shall accept and gather you in.

Among you, some have been born in my presence because you cultivated various merits, such as reading and reciting the sutras, the Vinaya, and the Abhidharma; expounding them for others; praising their principles without giving rise to jealousy; and teaching others to receive and uphold them.

Some gave clothing and food to others, observed the precepts, and cultivated wisdom. Because you cultivated these merits, you have been born in my presence.

Some made offerings to the Buddha with music, banners and streamers, incense and flowers, and lighted lamps. Because you cultivated these merits, you have been born in my presence.

Some regularly provided food, built dwellings, and supplied the four requisites to the Sangha, observed the Eight Precepts of the fasting retreat, and cultivated loving-kindness. Because you cultivated these merits, you have been born in my presence.

Some, moved by the suffering of sentient beings, gave rise to compassion, personally bore their suffering, and enabled them to attain peace and happiness. Because you cultivated these merits, you have been born in my presence.

Some observed the precepts, practiced patience, and cultivated pure loving-kindness. Because you cultivated these merits, you have been born in my presence.

Some built monasteries and offered vegetarian meals to members of the Sangha who came from all directions to attend Dharma assemblies. Because you cultivated these merits, you have been born in my presence.

Some observed the precepts, became learned through extensive study, and cultivated meditative concentration and undefiled wisdom. Because you cultivated these merits, you have been born in my presence.

Some built stupas as offerings to the relics and contemplated the Buddha's Dharma-body. Because you cultivated these merits, you have been born in my presence.

Some rescued and aided people undergoing suffering and adversity—those who were poor and alone, dependent upon others, subject to royal law or about to be executed, or enduring the extreme sufferings of the eight difficult circumstances of karma—and enabled them to attain liberation. Because you cultivated these merits, you have been born in my presence.

Some, through the power of skillful means, reconciled people who were enduring the extreme suffering of separation from loved ones or engaging in disputes and quarrels. Because you cultivated these merits, you have been born in my presence.'

After speaking these words, Maitreya Buddha will praise me as follows:

'Excellent, excellent! Shakyamuni Buddha was able, in the evil world of the five turbidities, to teach hundreds of thousands of millions of sentient beings who created evil karma, causing them to cultivate and plant roots of goodness and to be born in my presence.'

At that time, Maitreya Buddha will praise me three times in this way and speak this verse:

'Patient, courageous, great Teacher of the Way,

Skillfully dwelling in the unwholesome world of five turbidities,

You taught and brought evil sentient beings to maturity,

Causing them to practice and attain the vision of a Buddha.

Bearing sentient beings, you endured immense suffering,

Leading them into the unconditioned realm of permanence and bliss.

You instructed your disciples to come into my presence;

I shall now teach them the Four Noble Truths,

And also the Thirty-Seven Factors of Awakening,

And the Twelve Links that adorn nirvana.

You should contemplate the unconditioned

And enter empty quiescence, originally without any abode.'

After speaking this verse, Maitreya Buddha will again praise those sentient beings of former times who were able to accomplish difficult deeds in an evil world filled with suffering. He will say:

'You were able to observe the precepts and perform meritorious deeds among people filled with greed, hatred, ignorance, delusion, and short lives. How exceedingly rare!

Sentient beings at that time did not honor their parents, shramanas, or brahmins. They did not know the Dharma of the Way, harmed one another, and brought about warfare. They were immersed in the five desires, jealousy, flattery, falsehood, and deceit, and they had no compassionate hearts.

They killed one another, ate flesh and drank blood, disrespected teachers and elders, did not recognize good spiritual friends, and did not know how to repay kindness. Thus they had to be born in the evil world of the five turbidities, yet they knew no shame. Throughout the six periods of day and night, they constantly committed evil without knowing when to stop or rest.

They devoted themselves solely to unwholesome deeds. Their grave and rebellious offenses accumulated layer upon layer, like the overlapping scales of a fish, yet they never grew weary of them. Their relatives, even through nine degrees of kinship, had no means to help one another.

Excellent, excellent! With profound loving-kindness and compassion, Shakyamuni Buddha employed the vast power of skillful means, wisdom, and his beautiful, honored countenance. Among suffering sentient beings, he was able to speak these truthful words: “In a future age, I shall liberate you.” Such a teacher, whose wisdom penetrates all things, is rare in the world and exceedingly difficult to encounter. With deep compassion, he eradicated the suffering of sentient beings in the evil and turbid world, enabled them to attain peace, and led them into the ultimate meaning of the exceedingly profound Dharma-nature.

Throughout three asamkhya kalpas, Shakyamuni Buddha practiced austerities and performed difficult deeds for your sake. For the sake of the Noble Eightfold Path and the Dharma of liberation, he gave away his head, cut off his ears and nose, sacrificed his hands, feet, and body, and endured manifold sufferings in order to benefit you.'

At that time, Maitreya Buddha will give such instruction, comforting immeasurable sentient beings and causing them all to rejoice. The sentient beings at that time will embody the Dharma throughout their entire bodies, embrace the Dharma with their whole minds, and constantly expound the Dharma with their mouths. People endowed with merit, virtue, and wisdom will fill that land; the devas will all revere, trust, and look up to them.

At that time, the great Guiding Teacher will cause each of them to hear about the sufferings and afflictions they endured in former times. He will then reflect thus:

'The impure five desires are the root of all suffering and affliction. If one can relinquish sorrow and resentment and discern which dharmas are painful and which are pleasant, one will see that they are all impermanent.'

He will then expound form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness as suffering, empty, impermanent, and without self.

When he has spoken these words, 9.6 billion people will no longer cling to any dharma, and, with the exhaustion of the outflows, their minds will be liberated. They will attain the path of the arhat, the Three Knowledges, the Six Superknowledges, and the complete Eight Liberations. Three hundred and sixty thousand sons of devas and two hundred thousand daughters of devas will arouse the aspiration for unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment. Among the devas, nagas, and the eight classes of beings, some will attain the fruit of stream-entry, while others will plant the causes and conditions for the path of a pratyekabuddha. The multitude who arouse the aspiration for the unsurpassed path will be so vast that their number cannot possibly be calculated or fully recounted.

At that time, Maitreya Buddha, together with the great Sangha of 9.6 billion bhikshus, King Śaṅkha, eighty-four thousand great ministers, bhikshus, and their retinues surrounding them, will be like the constellations attending the moon deva. Maitreya Buddha will lead them out of Ketumati City and return to the teaching hall in Flower Grove Park. At that time, the lesser kings and elders from the cities and villages, together with the four castes, will all assemble beneath the Dragon Flower Tree in Flower Grove Park.

At that time, Maitreya, the World-Honored One, will again expound the Dharma of the Four Truths and the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination. Some 9.4 billion people will attain the path of the arhat. Devas from lands in other directions, together with the eight classes of beings and beings as numerous as the sands of 6.4 billion Ganges Rivers, will arouse the aspiration for anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi and abide at the stage of non-retrogression.

At the third great assembly, Maitreya Buddha will expound the Four Noble Truths and turn the exceedingly profound, subtle, and wondrous Dharma wheel. Some 9.2 billion people will attain the path of the arhat. Some 3.4 billion devas, nagas, and beings of the eight classes will arouse the bodhi-mind.

When he has finished liberating devas and humans, he will lead his śrāvaka disciples, the devas, nagas, and eight classes of beings, together with the entire great assembly, into the city to beg for alms. At that time, immeasurable devas from the Pure Abodes will reverently follow the Buddha and enter Ketumati City with him.

As he enters the city, Maitreya Buddha will manifest eighteen kinds of spiritual powers. From the lower part of his body, water will surge forth like mani jewels, transforming into a radiant terrace that illuminates worlds throughout the ten directions. From the upper part of his body, fire will blaze forth, shining with a vast purple-golden light like Mount Sumeru.

He will manifest an immense body that pervades all of space and then transforms into lapis lazuli. He will also manifest a body as tiny as a mustard seed and then disappear. He will appear throughout the ten directions and vanish throughout the ten directions.

He will cause all people to possess bodily marks like those of the Buddha. He will manifest immeasurable spiritual powers so that all those with the appropriate affinities may attain liberation.

At that time, Śakra Devānām Indra, together with his thirty-two attendant ministers, the devas of the desire realm, the great Brahma kings, the devas of the form realm, and the sons and daughters of devas, will remove their celestial jeweled necklaces and scatter celestial robes over the Buddha. Those celestial robes will then transform into flower canopies. Celestial music will sound without being played, singing praises of the Buddha's virtues. Celestial flowers and various kinds of sandalwood incense will descend as offerings to the Buddha. Trees adorned with banners and streamers will be erected along the roads. Many kinds of precious incense will be burned, and the fragrant smoke will spread like clouds.

As Maitreya, the World-Honored One, enters the city, the Great Brahma Deva King and Śakra Devānām Indra will reverently join their palms and praise the Buddha in verse:

'Honored One, Perfectly and Universally Awakened,

Among all devas and humans, none is your equal.

Rare indeed is the World-Honored One of the Ten Powers,

The supreme and unsurpassed field of merit.

Whoever makes offerings to you will be born among the devas,

And in the future attain liberation and abide in nirvana.

We bow before the unsurpassed one of great diligence;

We bow before the great Guiding Teacher of loving-kindness.'

Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Heavenly King of the East; Virūḍhaka, Heavenly King of the South; Virūpākṣa, Heavenly King of the West; and Vaiśravaṇa, Heavenly King of the North, together with their retinues, will reverently join their palms and, with pure minds, praise Maitreya, the World-Honored One:

'In the Three Realms, none surpasses you;

You are adorned with great compassion.

You fully comprehend the ultimate truth

And perceive no inherent nature in sentient beings.

Together with the characteristics of all dharmas,

They equally enter the nature of empty quiescence.

You skillfully abide in non-possession.

Though you practice with great diligence,

The unconditioned leaves no trace.

I now bow my head before

The great Guiding Teacher of loving-kindness.

Sentient beings, unable to see a Buddha,

Endure birth and death throughout the long night,

Falling into the three evil paths

And repeatedly taking the bodies of women.

Today the Buddha appears in the world,

Removing suffering and bestowing peace and joy,

Diminishing the three evil destinies;

Women will no longer engage in flattery.

Evil deeds will cease,

And great nirvana will be perfectly fulfilled.

The greatly compassionate one who rescues beings from suffering

Appears in the world to bestow joy.

While practicing the bodhisattva path,

You always bestowed every kind of happiness.

You neither killed nor afflicted others;

Your patience was like the great earth.

I now bow before

The great Guiding Teacher of patient endurance.

I now prostrate myself before

The greatly compassionate, heroic one,

Who ends the suffering of birth and death

And skillfully delivers sentient beings from adversity.

Like a lotus blossoming from fire,

In all the world, none is your equal.'

At that time, Maitreya, the World-Honored One, will beg for alms in sequence. He will then lead the bhikshus back to their original dwelling and enter deeply into meditative concentration, remaining quiescent and unmoving for seven days and seven nights.

The disciples of Maitreya Buddha will have physical forms like those of devas, and all will be dignified and handsome. They will all be weary of birth, aging, illness, and death; they will be learned and widely versed, skillful in safeguarding the treasury of the Dharma, and diligent in cultivating meditation. They will have left every desire far behind, like birds emerging from their eggshells.

At that time, Śakra Devānām Indra and the devas of the desire realm will all rejoice exceedingly and speak this verse:

'Great Guiding Teacher, refuge of the world,

Your clear wisdom-eye penetrates the ten directions.

Your powers of wisdom and virtues surpass those of the devas;

Perfect in name and meaning, you bring merit to sentient beings.

For our sake, for the multitude of living creatures,

May you and your disciples proceed to that mountain

To make offerings to the untroubled Teacher Śākyamuni's

Foremost disciple in the dhuta practices.

We shall behold the kāṣāya robe

And the final teachings of the Buddha of the past,

Repent of our former lives in the turbid and evil age,

And purify our unwholesome and evil karma.'

At that time, Maitreya Buddha, together with those sentient beings who in former lives had been the obstinate and unruly beings of the Sahā World, and accompanied by his great disciples, will all proceed to Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa. Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Maitreya and his disciples will ascend Wolf Track Mountain in serene composure. When they reach the summit, Maitreya will press his great toe against the ground. The great earth will then quake in eighteen ways. Afterward, Maitreya will use both hands to split the mountain open, just as a Wheel-Turning King opens the gate of a great city.

At that time, the Brahma Kings brought fragrant oil from the heavenly realm and poured it over the crown and body of Mahakasyapa. When they had finished pouring it, they struck the great gandhi and blew the great Dharma conch. Mahakasyapa immediately awakened from the Samadhi of Cessation. He arranged his robes properly, bared his right shoulder, knelt with his right knee touching the ground, and joined his palms. He then knelt on both knees, took the sanghati Dharma robe of Sakyamuni Buddha, presented it to Maitreya, and said:

'When the great teacher Sakyamuni Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One, was about to enter nirvana, he entrusted this Dharma robe to me and instructed me to offer it to the Blessed One.'

At that time, the entire great assembly asked Maitreya Buddha:

'Why is there today, on the summit of this mountain, a bald-headed man who is short, small, and ugly, and who wears the robes of a sramana, yet is able to bow to and pay reverence to the Blessed One?'

Maitreya Buddha then rebuked the great disciples and told them not to look down upon this man. He spoke this verse:

'Though the peacock has beautiful colors,

It is still devoured by the hawk.

Though the white elephant possesses boundless strength,

A lion cub, though very small,

Seizes and devours it as though it were mere dust.

Though the great dragon's body is boundlessly vast,

It is still seized and eaten by the garuda.

Though a person's body may be tall and large,

With smooth white skin, upright and beautiful,

It is like excrement contained in a seven-jeweled vase,

Truly impure and impossible to endure.

Though this man is short and small,

His wisdom is like refined gold.

The afflictions accumulated over long ages are utterly extinguished;

Not the slightest suffering of birth and death remains.

For the protection of the Dharma, he has remained here,

Constantly practicing the dhutanga practices.

Among devas and humans, he is the most excellent;

In ascetic practice, none can equal him.

Sakyamuni Buddha, perfect in merit and wisdom,

Sent this man to my presence.

All you disciples must single-mindedly

Join your palms, bow your heads, and pay him reverence.'

After speaking this verse, Maitreya said to the bhiksus:

'Sakyamuni, the Blessed One, taught and transformed sentient beings in the evil age of the five turbidities. Among his 1,250 disciples was one who was foremost in the dhutanga practices and whose body was golden in color. Wishing to study the Way, he left the household life and departed from his virtuous wife, whose body was likewise golden in color. Day and night, he always exerted himself diligently, as though extinguishing a fire upon his head. With loving-kindness and compassion, he pitied poor, suffering, and lowly sentient beings and always wished to deliver and liberate them. For the sake of the Dharma, he remained in the world. This man is none other than Mahakasyapa.'

When he had spoken these words, the entire great assembly bowed their heads in homage.

At that time, Maitreya will take the sanghati robe of Sakyamuni Buddha and place it upon his right hand, but it will cover only two of his fingers. Maitreya will then place it over his left hand, but again it will cover only two fingers. The great assembly will be deeply astonished at the small stature of the former Buddha, and they will all understand that this was due to the greed and arrogance of sentient beings in former times.

Maitreya Buddha will then say to Mahakasyapa:

'You may now manifest spiritual powers and expound the sutra teachings of the Buddha of the past.'

At that time, Mahakasyapa will leap into empty space and manifest eighteen transformations.

– He may manifest a vast body filling all of empty space.

– From that vast body, he will manifest a body as small as a sesame seed.

– From the small body, he will again manifest a vast body.

– Water will stream forth from the upper part of his body.

– Fire will blaze forth from the lower part of his body.

– He will enter the earth as though entering water.

– He will walk upon water as though walking upon land.

– He will lie down or sit in empty space without his body falling.

– He will appear in the east and disappear in the west.

– He will appear in the west and disappear in the east.

– He will appear in the south and disappear in the north.

– He will appear in the north and disappear in the south.

– He will appear at the edge and disappear in the center.

– He will appear in the center and disappear at the edge.

– He will appear above and disappear below.

– He will appear below and disappear above.

Thereafter, in empty space, Mahakasyapa will transform himself into a cave of vaidurya. Then, relying upon the Buddha's spiritual power and using his Brahma voice, he will proclaim the twelve divisions of the sutras of Sakyamuni Buddha. When the great assembly has heard them, they will marvel at what they have never experienced before. Eight billion people will become free from defilement and, among all dharmas, will no longer cling to any dharma; they will attain the path of arhatship. Countless devas and humans will give rise to the bodhi mind.

Mahakasyapa will descend from the sky, circumambulate the Buddha three times, bow his head in homage, and declare that all conditioned dharmas are impermanent. He will then bid farewell to the Buddha and withdraw. Mahakasyapa will return to his original dwelling place on Mount Grdhrakuta, emit fire from the upper part of his body, and enter parinirvana. The great assembly will then gather Mahakasyapa's relics and build a stupa on the mountain summit in which to enshrine and honor them.

At that time, Maitreya Buddha will praise him, saying:

'When Sakyamuni Buddha was among the great assembly, he often praised the bhiksu Mahakasyapa as foremost in the dhutanga practices and as one who had mastered dhyana meditation and the Samadhi of Liberation. Although he possessed great spiritual power, he was never arrogant. He was able to bring sentient beings great peace and happiness and always had compassion for the distressed and the lowly.'

Maitreya Buddha will praise Mahakasyapa's relics, saying:

'Excellent! Mahakasyapa, the great disciple of Sakyamuni, the lion lord of great spiritual virtue, was able to cultivate his mind in that evil age.'

At that time, Mahakasyapa's relics will immediately speak this verse:

'Dhutanga is a precious treasury;

Observance of the precepts is ambrosia.

Whoever practices dhutanga

Will surely reach the deathless ground.

Those who observe the precepts will be born in heaven

And will also attain the bliss of nirvana.'

Mahakasyapa will appear like water of vaidurya, and after speaking this verse, he will return into the stupa.

At that time, the place where Maitreya Buddha teaches the Dharma will be eighty yojanas wide and one hundred yojanas long. Every person in the great assembly, whether standing or sitting, whether near or far, will see the Buddha directly before them, teaching the Dharma solely for them.

Maitreya Buddha will abide in the world for six trillion years. Out of compassion for sentient beings, he will enable them all to attain the Dharma eye. After his passing into nirvana, devas and humans in the world will cremate the Buddha's golden body. At that time, the Wheel-Turning King will gather the relics, and 84,000 stupas will be built on each of the four continents beneath heaven. The True Dharma of Maitreya Buddha will abide in the world for sixty thousand years, and the Semblance Dharma for twenty thousand years.

You must be diligent, give rise to a pure mind, and perform every good deed. In this way, you will see the radiant lamp of the world. When you behold the bodily marks of Maitreya Buddha, you will also eliminate all doubts."

When the Buddha had spoken these words, Venerable Sariputra and Venerable Ananda immediately rose from their seats, bowed their heads in homage to the Buddha, knelt on both knees, joined their palms, and addressed him, saying:

"Blessed One! What is the title of this sutra, and how should we uphold it?"

The Buddha said to Ananda:

“You should carefully remember, receive, and uphold it. Expound and explain it widely for devas and human beings, and do not allow this Dharma to be cut off and extinguished. This essential teaching is called ‘All Sentient Beings Sever the Seeds of the Five Heinous Offenses, Purify and Eliminate Karmic Obstructions, Retributive Obstructions, and Afflictive Obstructions, Cultivate the Mind of Loving-Kindness, and Practice Together with Maitreya.’ You should receive and uphold it as such.

It is also called the Sutra of ‘All Sentient Beings Who Hear the Name of Maitreya Buddha Will Certainly Escape the Age of the Five Turbidities and Not Fall into the Lower Realms.’ You should receive and uphold it as such. It is also called the Sutra of ‘Destroying the Evil Karma of Speech, Attaining the Samadhi of a Mind Like a Lotus Flower, and Seeing Maitreya Buddha.’ You should receive and uphold it as such. It is also called the Sutra of ‘Cultivating Loving-Kindness, Refraining from Killing, and Abstaining from Eating Meat.’ You should receive and uphold it as such.

It is also called the Sutra of ‘Shakyamuni Buddha’s Robe as an Article of Faith.’ You should receive and uphold it as such. It is also called the Sutra of ‘Those Who Hear the Buddha’s Name Will Certainly Escape the Eight Difficulties.’ You should receive and uphold it as such. It is also called the Sutra of Maitreya’s Attainment of Buddhahood.

You should receive and uphold it as such.”

The Buddha told Venerable Shariputra:

“After I enter nirvana, if any bhikshu, bhikshuni, upasaka, upasika, any among the eight classes of devas, nagas, and other beings, or any assemblies of ghosts and spirits hear this sutra and then receive, uphold, read, and recite it, pay homage and make offerings to it, and revere the Dharma teacher, all their karmic obstructions, retributive obstructions, and afflictive obstructions will be eliminated. They will behold Maitreya Buddha and the one thousand Buddhas of the Auspicious Kalpa. In accordance with their aspirations, they will attain the three kinds of bodhi. They will no longer take birth in a female body; with right view, they will leave the household life and attain great liberation.”

When the Buddha had finished speaking, the entire assembly rejoiced greatly. They bowed at the Buddha’s feet and then respectfully withdrew.

The Sutra Spoken by the Buddha on Maitreya’s Great Attainment of Buddhahood