佛說文殊師利般涅槃經

Thus indeed have I heard: At one time, the Buddha was dwelling together with the great Sangha of bhiksus and great bodhisattvas at Prince Jeta’s Grove in Anathapindika’s Park, in the kingdom of Sravasti. Among the eight thousand bhiksus attending the assembly, the elders Sariputra, Mahamaudgalyayana, Mahakasyapa, and Mahakatyayana were the foremost. Among the bodhisattvas were sixteen great bodhisattvas and one thousand bodhisattvas of the Auspicious Kalpa, with the bodhisattva Maitreya as their foremost; there were also twelve hundred bodhisattvas who had come from other directions, with the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara as their foremost.

At that time, near the end of the night, the World-Honored One entered the Samadhi of Universal Light. His entire body emitted golden light, intensely illuminating far and wide and turning the trees of Prince Jeta’s Grove a brilliant golden hue. The stream of light then turned and gradually shone into the chamber of the bodhisattva Manjusri, where it transformed into a seven-tiered golden platform. Upon each tier, five hundred emanation Buddhas walked in meditation.

At that time, five hundred seven-jeweled lotus blossoms spontaneously appeared before Manjusri’s chamber. They were round like wheels, with stems of silver, receptacles of amutrasa agate, and stamens of pearls in many colors. These flowers emitted light that shone into the Buddha’s monastery. From the monastery, the light streamed forth again and shone into the chamber of the bodhisattva Manjusri.

At that time, a bodhisattva-mahasattva in the assembly named Bhadrapala saw this auspicious sign. He immediately left his chamber, bowed toward the Buddha’s monastery, went to Ananda’s chamber, and said: “You should know that the time has come! Tonight the World-Honored One has manifested a sign of spiritual power. For the benefit of sentient beings, he will teach the wondrous Dharma. You should sound the ghanta.”

Ananda replied: “Great Being! The World-Honored One is now abiding in profound meditative concentration. We have received no instruction. How could we assemble the congregation?” As Ananda spoke these words, Sariputra came and said: “Dharma brother, the time to assemble the congregation has arrived!” Ananda immediately entered the monastery and bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet. Before he could raise his head, he heard a voice from the sky telling him: “Quickly assemble the Sangha!”

Upon hearing this, Ananda rejoiced greatly and sounded the ghanta to assemble the congregation. Its sound resounded throughout the kingdom of Sravasti and reached the Akanistha Heaven. Sakra and Brahma, the four heavenly kings who protect the world, and innumerable heavenly princes brought celestial incense and flowers to Prince Jeta’s Grove as offerings.

As soon as the World-Honored One emerged from samadhi, he smiled. Five-colored light issued from his mouth and shone everywhere, transforming the Jetavana monastery into vaidurya.

At that time, the Dharma prince Manjusri entered the monastery and bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet. A five-petaled lotus grew from each of Manjusri’s knees. When Manjusri joined his palms and stood before the Buddha, golden lotuses with ten thousand petals grew from his ten fingers and palms. These flowers flew upward above the Buddha and transformed into a great canopy made of the seven treasures and adorned with banners. Immeasurable Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions appeared from within the jeweled canopy, circled the Buddha three times, and withdrew.

Bhadrapala then rose from his seat, adjusted his robes, bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, knelt upright with palms joined, and said: “World-Honored One! Manjusri has attended hundreds of thousands of Buddhas, performed Buddha-works in the saha world, and freely manifested transformations throughout the ten directions. Before long, he will enter nirvana.”

The Buddha told Bhadrapala: “This Manjusri possesses great loving-kindness and compassion. He was born into the Brahmin family of Brahmadeva in the village of Tala in this country. When he was born, the rooms of the house transformed into the shapes of lotus blossoms.

He emerged from his mother’s right side, his body the color of purple-gold. Immediately after birth, he could speak like a celestial child, and seven jeweled canopies appeared above his head. Later, he went to the ascetics to seek the Dharma and leave the household life.

Yet the Brahmins of the ninety-five non-Buddhist schools and their treatise masters could not surpass him in debate. Thus, he followed only the Buddha, left the household life to study the Way, and attained the Surangama Samadhi. Through the power of this samadhi, in every direction throughout the ten directions—from birth, renunciation, and extinction to entry into nirvana and distribution of relics—he benefits sentient beings.

“This Great Being attained the Surangama Samadhi long ago. Four hundred and fifty years after the Tathagata enters nirvana, Manjusri will enter the Snow Mountains, expound the twelve divisions of scripture, and fully mature five hundred ascetics, causing them all to attain the stage of nonretrogression. Afterward, the bodhisattva Manjusri and the ascetics will transform themselves into bhiksus, fly through the sky back to his native village, sit in the full lotus posture beside a nyagrodha tree[4] in the wilderness, and enter the Surangama Samadhi.

Through the power of this samadhi, brilliant golden light will issue from the bodhisattva’s every pore, illuminate worlds throughout the ten directions, and liberate those with affinities. The five hundred ascetics will all see the brilliant light issuing from his pores.

“At that time, Manjusri’s body will resemble a mountain of pure gold, standing one zhang and six chi tall. His round aureole will shine to a distance of one fathom. Within this aureole will be five hundred emanation Buddhas, each attended by five emanation bodhisattvas.

Manjusri’s crown will be adorned with a five-hundred-colored vairangika jewel. Within every color, the sun, moon, stars, devas, naga palaces, and things rarely seen by beings of the world will all appear distinctly. From the white curl between his eyebrows, spiraling to the right, emanation Buddhas will issue forth.

These emanation Buddhas will enter the stream of radiant light. The brilliant light covering each emanation Buddha’s body will connect continuously with that of the next. Within each ray of light will be five mani jewels, each possessing wondrous light and a distinctly different color.

Within these colors will be innumerable emanation Buddhas and bodhisattvas beyond all reckoning. In their left hands they will hold bowls; in their right hands they will hold Mahayana scriptures aloft. After this sign appears, the light will be extinguished and his body will transform into a vaidurya image.

Upon the image’s left arm will be ten Buddha seals. Within each seal will be ten Buddha images, with each Buddha’s name clearly and distinctly displayed. Upon the right arm will be seven Buddha seals.

Within each seal will be seven Buddha images, likewise bearing the names of the seven Buddhas. At the heart will be an image of a pure-gold Buddha, one zhang and six chi tall, sitting in the full lotus posture upon a lotus blossom and clearly visible from all four directions.”

The Buddha further told Bhadrapala: “Manjusri possesses immeasurable spiritual powers and transformations that cannot be fully described. I shall now speak of them only briefly. Deluded beings in future ages need only hear the name Manjusri, and the karmic offenses accumulated through 1.2 billion kalpas of birth and death will be extinguished.

If they bow and make offerings to him, they will always be born, life after life, into the household of the Buddhas and will receive the aid of Manjusri’s majestic spiritual power. Therefore, sentient beings should earnestly recollect the image of Manjusri and contemplate Manjusri’s Dharma image. They should first recollect the vaidurya image and visualize each detail clearly.

Those who have not yet seen the bodhisattva face to face should read, recite, and uphold the Surangama teaching and invoke the name Manjusri for one to seven days. Manjusri will then certainly come to them. Those who still possess karmic hindrances from former lives will encounter Manjusri in dreams.

If those who encounter Manjusri in dreams seek the sravaka vehicle in the present life, they will attain the fruit of stream-entry through the fruit of non-returning. If monastics see him face to face, they will attain arhatship after one day and one night. Those who possess firm faith in the Vaipulya scriptures will hear this Dharma prince explain the profound and wondrous Dharma while they are in meditation.

Those whose minds are distracted will see the bodhisattva explaining the true meaning in their dreams, causing their minds to become steadfast and preventing them from retreating from the unsurpassed Way.”

The Buddha further told Bhadrapala: “If someone recollects the Dharma prince Manjusri and wishes to cultivate the meritorious deed of generosity and offerings, the bodhisattva will transform into an impoverished, distressed, and solitary being, come before the practitioner, and receive the gift. Those who recollect Manjusri must practice loving-kindness; those who practice loving-kindness will see Manjusri face to face.

Therefore, the wise should carefully contemplate Manjusri’s thirty-two excellent marks and eighty subsidiary characteristics. By contemplating in this way, through the spiritual power of the Surangama Samadhi, they will quickly see Manjusri face to face. Such contemplation is right contemplation; any other contemplation is called erroneous contemplation.

After the Buddha’s passing, sentient beings who hear Manjusri’s name or see his image will not fall into hell for hundreds of thousands of lives. Those who uphold and recite this sutra or recollect the name Manjusri will not fall into Avici Hell and suffer the torment of raging flames, even if they have committed grave offenses. Instead, they will always be born in pure lands in other directions, encounter Buddhas, hear the Dharma, and realize the patience of the non-arising of dharmas.”

When the Buddha finished teaching this sutra, five hundred bhiksus became free from the dust and defilements and attained arhatship. Immeasurable devas aroused the mind of awakening and vowed always to follow and study under Manjusri.

Bhadrapala then addressed the Buddha: “World-Honored One! Who will build a seven-jeweled stupa in which to venerate Manjusri’s body?”

The Buddha told Bhadrapala: “Within Mount Gandhamadana are eight great ghost spirits. These eight will carry Manjusri’s bodily relics to the summit of Vajra Mountain within the Gandhamadana range. There, immeasurable devas, nagas, spirits, and yaksas will constantly come to make offerings. Whenever the great assembly gathers, Manjusri’s image will emit light. From within that light, the teachings of suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and nonself will continually be proclaimed. Bhadrapala! This Dharma prince has attained an indestructible body. You should now uphold this teaching well and expound it to all sentient beings.”

After hearing the Buddha’s words, the great bodhisattvas such as Bhadrapala, the great sravakas such as Sariputra, and the eight classes of devas, nagas, and others rejoiced greatly, bowed their heads at the Buddha’s feet, and withdrew.

Notes:

[1] Western Jin 西晉: China, 265–317.

[2] Summit of Existence 有頂: the Akanistha Heaven.

[3] Sakra and Brahma 釋梵: Sakra Devanam Indra and Brahma Deva.

[4] Nyagrodha 尼拘樓陀 (Skt. Nyagrodha): a tree of the mulberry family, similar to the banyan, ten to fifteen meters tall, with elongated oval leaves and pointed tips.