離垢慧菩薩所問禮佛法經

Thus indeed have I heard: At one time, the Buddha, together with five hundred great bhikṣus and innumerable bodhisattvas, was dwelling in Anāthapiṇḍada's Park in the Jeta Grove of the city of Śrāvastī. At that time there were countless brāhmaṇas, vaiśyas, śūdras, and elders, each one being a leader, who together led their kinsfolk to the place of the Buddha. There were also devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, and mahoragas present, filling the entire Dharma assembly.

At that time within the assembly there was a bodhisattva-mahāsattva named Vimalamati who rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, placed his right knee upon the ground, and, joining his palms with reverence before the Buddha, said:

"World-Honored One! I have a few matters about which I wish to inquire. I pray that you grant your permission!"

The Buddha said:

"Ask as you wish, and I shall answer according to your intent."

After receiving the Buddha's assent, the bodhisattva Vimalamati, exceedingly joyful, said:

"World-Honored One! If there be good men and good women who wish to revere, pay homage to, and make offerings to the Tathāgata, how should they do so?"

The Buddha said:

"O Vimalamati! Excellent, excellent! You possess a heart of loving-kindness and compassion, bringing about much benefit for all devas and humans. Listen well, and I shall expound it for you.

"If there be any good man or good woman who wishes to revere and bow in homage to the Tathāgata, he must first make this vow: 'Today I, with utmost mind, bow in homage to the Buddhas of the ten directions, and I vow to enter together into all the most excellent dharmas. I vow that when I bow to the Buddha with the five limbs[1], I may be freed from the five destinies and cut off the five hindrances[2]; I vow that all sentient beings may ever abide in peace, never losing the five supernatural powers and fully possessing the five faculties.

When my right knee touches the ground, I vow that all sentient beings may attain the path of Perfect Enlightenment. When my left knee touches the ground, I vow that all sentient beings may not give rise to wrong views toward the dharmas of the non-Buddhist paths, and that all may stand firm in the path of Perfect Enlightenment. When my right hand touches the ground, I vow to become like the World-Honored One who, seated upon the diamond throne, pointed his right hand down toward the earth, whereupon the earth quaked and an auspicious sign appeared, and he realized the fruit of great bodhi; now I too pray to be thus, and together with all sentient beings to realize the path of Awakening.

When my left hand touches the ground, I vow to employ the four means of embracing to subdue the non-Buddhist followers who are difficult to tame, leading them into the true Dharma. When the crown of my head touches the ground, I vow that all sentient beings may part far from the mind of arrogance, and that all may accomplish the mark of the invisible crown of the head[3].'

"O Vimalamati! This is the mark of bowing to the Buddha with the five limbs. Next, pay homage to the present Buddhas throughout the ten directions. You should chant:

"Homage to the Tathāgata Akṣobhya and all the Tathāgatas in the innumerable worlds of the eastern direction, the great treasuries of the Dharma, together with the bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and all the noble and worthy ones.

"Homage to the Tathāgata Ratnaketu and all the Tathāgatas in the innumerable worlds of the southern direction, the great treasuries of the Dharma, the bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and all the noble and worthy ones.

"Homage to the Tathāgata Amitāyus and all the Tathāgatas in the innumerable worlds of the western direction, the great treasuries of the Dharma, the bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and all the noble and worthy ones.

"Homage to the Tathāgata Wondrous Drum Sound and all the Tathāgatas in the innumerable worlds of the northern direction, the great treasuries of the Dharma, the bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and all the noble and worthy ones.

"Homage to the Tathāgata Indraketudhvajarāja and all the Tathāgatas in the innumerable worlds of the southeastern direction, the great treasuries of the Dharma, the bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and all the noble and worthy ones.

"Homage to the Tathāgata Jeweled Walking and all the Tathāgatas in the innumerable worlds of the southwestern direction, the great treasuries of the Dharma, the bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and all the noble and worthy ones.

"Homage to the Tathāgata Sālendrarāja and all the Tathāgatas in the innumerable worlds of the northwestern direction, the great treasuries of the Dharma, the bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and all the noble and worthy ones.

"Homage to the Tathāgata Immeasurable Banner King and all the Tathāgatas in the innumerable worlds of the northeastern direction, the great treasuries of the Dharma, the bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and all the noble and worthy ones.

"Homage to the Tathāgata Light of Wisdom and all the Tathāgatas in the innumerable worlds of the zenith, the great treasuries of the Dharma, the bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and all the noble and worthy ones.

"Homage to the Tathāgata Vairocana and all the Tathāgatas in the innumerable worlds of the nadir, the great treasuries of the Dharma, the bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and all the noble and worthy ones.

"Homage to the Original Teacher of the Sahā world, the Tathāgata Śākyamuni, and all the Tathāgatas in the innumerable worlds throughout the ten directions, the great treasuries of the Dharma, the bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and all the worthy and noble ones.

"Next, vow again:

"Today I, with single-minded concentration, bow in homage to all the Buddhas, the Dharma, and the worthy and noble Saṅgha. I pray that you bear witness for me. From now until I attain Buddhahood, I shall ever take refuge in the Buddha, the World-Honored One, the one of great loving-kindness and compassion, the one of All-Knowledge, of All-Knowing Vision, the one who has parted from fear and dread, the great lion among humankind, the great dragon king, the Great Sage among humankind, the Great Hero, the one whose body knows all things beyond conception, the one of the unsurpassed body, the body without equal, the body not shared with the Two Vehicles, the one of the pure Dharma-body, the supreme among all sentient beings.

Now I, with utmost sincerity and single-minded concentration, take refuge with my life. Thus do I take refuge with my life a hundred times, a thousand times, a hundred thousand times ten thousand times, immeasurable and countless times, even to the very end of future ages, penetrating to my bones and marrow. I take refuge in the Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, as stated above.

"Vow again:

"Now I vow to take the roots of goodness of the three karmas of body, speech, and mind, together with all sentient beings, in taking refuge in the Buddha, and to be ever never parted from the Buddha. I take refuge in the one seated upon the seat of awakening, the one ever-abiding and unchanging, the one without aging, without death, without decay, the one without abiding and without conditions whose nature is eternally tranquil, the one who abides in the dharma of equanimity and serves as the shore of great protective mindfulness, the one who has realized nirvāṇa and serves as a place of reliance, the one who abides in the supreme dharma among all dharmas.

I now, with utmost sincerity, earnestness, and solemnity, take refuge with my life in the true Dharma of all the Buddhas as such. Furthermore, I, with utmost sincerity as above, take refuge with my life in the bodhisattvas abiding in the stage of the lineage-nature, the bodhisattvas from the Stage of Joy up to the Stage of the Dharma Cloud, and the saṅgha of bodhisattvas abiding in the ranks of the Ten Stages.

"Furthermore, I beseech and make this vow of repentance:

"I bow and pray that the Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones of the ten directions, bear witness, remember, and with compassion accept my repentance. The body has three karmas: killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct. Speech has four karmas: lying, harsh words, slander, and frivolous talk. The mind has three karmas: greed, anger, and delusion. These karmas I have either done myself, or caused others to do, or, seeing and hearing others do them, rejoiced therein. Such ten evil deeds I now wholly repent of.

"Reflecting further: from of old until now I have revolved through the six destinies, employing many means to deceive sentient beings — using a heavy scale or a large measure to take things for myself, while using a light scale or a small measure to give to others, gilding the outside with a coating of gold, secretly administering poison... all to the harm and injury of others. Today I wholly repent of all of these.

"Or I have slandered the Three Vehicles, spoken recklessly of the Dharma and the precepts, scorned and slighted the Three Jewels, deceived my father and mother, and failed to revere the venerable elders, the upādhyāyas, the ācāryas, and the senior ones. Such past transgressions I now wholly repent of. With sincere heart I disclose the evil deeds I have done in the present, and as for those not yet done, all the more shall I not dare to do them. Now, before the Buddhas and the bodhisattvas, the most exalted ones, the ones without compare, unsurpassed, and equal to the unequalled, I disclose and repent without daring to conceal. Having repented once, I vow hereafter never to dare to transgress again (Repenting thus, the second and third times one likewise recites as above).

"Next one should exhort and entreat: 'If there be Buddhas in the ten directions who have not yet turned the wheel of the Dharma, or who wish to enter nirvāṇa, then I entreat and request the Buddhas to abide forever in the world, throughout immeasurable kalpas, out of compassion for sentient beings, to pour down the rain of the great Dharma and turn the wheel of the true Dharma — do not hastily enter nirvāṇa!'

"One should also give rise to a mind of sympathetic joy: 'I rejoice in the worthy and noble ones of the Three Vehicles, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, in the ten directions, and in all sentient beings who cultivate the six pāramitās in aid of the dharma of bodhi.'

"Vow again to dedicate the merit: 'May all the deeds of the Buddhas, together with all the practices of the six pāramitās cultivated by the bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, and pratyekabuddhas, be wholly dedicated toward Supreme Bodhi. I too vow to dedicate the merit toward the Buddha-path in this way.'

"Make this vow once more:

"Reverently I reflect! The Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the three periods of time throughout the ten directions all made the vast vow to teach and transform all sentient beings throughout the entire Dharma-realm and all the realms of empty space, embracing all of the three realms, vowing that all sentient beings may attain complete benefit and joy, fully possess the good rules of discipline[4], and abide in the great nirvāṇa.

Now, here in the present, I too establish such a great vow of resolve: 'I vow that, within the Supreme Path, my mind shall not be scattered; that I shall ever behold the Buddhas, hear the true Dharma, receive and cultivate it without ever letting it go to waste. The wholesome dharmas I have performed and the mind of bodhi shall likewise never regress; in whatever place I am born I shall ever make offerings to the noble assembly, teach and transform sentient beings so that they realize the Supreme Path, turn the wheel of the true Dharma, fully possess great spiritual powers, and also cause them to cultivate likewise unto the stage of non-retrogression.'

"Vow again that all sentient beings may swiftly cut off all suffering, quickly realize Nirvāṇa, and abide in the wisdom of the Tathāgata. Having myself emerged from birth and death and awakened to all things, may I also help sentient beings to part far from birth and death, to be freed from all afflictions, and to awaken to all things. I pray that the Buddhas of the ten directions bear witness for me as I practice the bodhisattva path and give rise to the ocean of great vows."

At that time the World-Honored One spoke this verse:

Ever relying upon the ten pāramitās[5],
And so realizing bodhi.

Even unto the very last body,
Ever bestowing joy upon others.

Foremost as the beautiful maṇi jewel,
Accomplishing the practice of benefiting others,
I vow that ever in future ages
I shall unceasingly bring about benefit and joy.

The Buddha said to the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Vimalamati:

"If there be sentient beings who practice the bodhisattva path as I have explained, they should cultivate and study according to it."

When they had heard the Buddha expound this sūtra, the bodhisattva Vimalamati and the great assembly of devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, humans and non-humans, and so forth — all were greatly joyful, and in faith received it and reverently put it into practice.

Notes:

[1] The five limbs 五輪, also called the five bodily points: the five parts of the body — the right knee, the left knee, the right hand, the left hand, and the head.

[2] The five hindrances 五蓋: refers to the five kinds of afflictions that veil and obstruct the nature of the mind, preventing wholesome dharmas from arising (sensual desire, ill-will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and remorse, and doubt).

[3] The mark of the invisible crown of the head 無見頂相: the mark of the crown of the Buddha's head being so high that it cannot be seen; it refers to the sixty-sixth mark among the eighty excellent secondary marks of the Buddha.

[4] The good rules of discipline 善律儀, also called the rules of discipline: the precepts and prohibitions established by the Buddha, used as a standard of conduct in daily life so that his disciples may subdue body and mind and eliminate all faults.

[5] The ten pāramitās 十度: also called the ten pāramitās, the ten excellent practices. The ten excellent practices that a bodhisattva must fully cultivate in order to reach the great nirvāṇa: 1. the pāramitā of giving, 2. the pāramitā of discipline, 3. the pāramitā of patience, 4. the pāramitā of energy, 5. the pāramitā of meditation, 6. the pāramitā of prajñā, 7. the pāramitā of skillful means, 8. the pāramitā of vows, 9. the pāramitā of power, 10. the pāramitā of wisdom.