曼殊室利咒藏中校量數珠功德經

At that time, Mañjuśrī, the Dharma Prince, the Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva, was within the Great Assembly. He rose from his seat, arranged his robes, bared his right shoulder, joined his palms together in reverence, and addressed the Buddha, saying: "Now, because I wish to bring benefit to all sentient beings, I shall speak of the merit of holding and reciting with the rosary, comparing the differences in the benefits of its portions of blessing. I pray that the World-Honored One, out of compassion, will listen and grant his consent."

The Buddha said to Mañjuśrī: "Excellent! Excellent! You may proclaim it."

Mañjuśrī, the Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva, said: "If good sons and good women are able to recite and chant the various Dhāraṇīs together with the names of the Buddhas, because they wish to benefit themselves and to protect others, and swiftly accomplish the various Dharmas so as to obtain efficacy, then in the Dharma of the rosary they should fix their intention upon holding and reciting in this manner. Yet the substance of these beads is of many different kinds.

If one makes a rosary of iron, then reciting and passing through it once will yield blessings five times as many.

If one makes a rosary of red copper, then reciting and passing through it once will yield blessings ten times as many.

If one makes a rosary of precious things such as pearls, coral, and the like, then reciting and passing through it once will yield blessings a hundred times as many.

If one makes a rosary of soapberry seeds (Hoạn Tử), then reciting and passing through it once will yield blessings a thousand times as many.

If one makes a rosary of lotus seeds, then reciting and passing through it once will yield blessings ten thousand times as many.

If one makes a rosary of Indra-akṣa (Nhân Đà La Khư Xoa), then reciting and passing through it once will yield blessings a million times as many.

If one makes a rosary of Rudra-akṣa (Ô Lô Đà La Khư Xoa), then reciting and passing through it once will yield blessings a hundred koṭi times as many.

If one makes a rosary of crystal, then reciting and passing through it once will yield blessings a thousand koṭi times as many.

If one makes a rosary of bodhi seeds, then whether one passes the beads while chanting, or merely holds and keeps them, reciting even a single round, that blessing is immeasurable and cannot be reckoned, hard indeed to compare.

If one wishes to vow to be born in the various Pure Lands of the Buddhas, one should rely upon this Dharma of holding and reciting with the rosary."

Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva said: "As for the bodhi seeds: if, moreover, there is a person who holds and keeps this bodhi-seed rosary, and is unable to recite and chant the names of the Buddhas and the Dhāraṇīs according to the Dharma, but is only able to keep it upon his person—whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, whether the words he speaks be good or evil—because this person has held and kept the bodhi seeds, the merit he obtains is no different from reciting the names of all the Buddhas and chanting the mantras, and he obtains immeasurable blessings.

That rosary should properly be furnished with a full 108 beads. If it is difficult to obtain such, then 54 beads, or 21 beads, or only 14 beads—and so the merit of such a rosary will differ accordingly."

"For what cause and condition do I now incline toward praising the use of bodhi seeds as yielding the most supreme benefit?"

Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva said: "Long ago, in the past, there was a Buddha who appeared in the world and attained Perfect, Right Enlightenment (Samyak-saṃbodhi) directly beneath this tree. At that time there was a follower of a heterodox path holding wrong views, who harbored a mind set on destroying and slandering the Three Jewels. This person had a son who was suddenly struck dead by a non-human (amanuṣya).

The heterodox one thought to himself: 'Now I, holding wrong views, have not yet examined clearly what manner of divine power the Buddhas possess. Now the Tathāgata has, directly beneath this tree, attained Perfect, Right Enlightenment. If it is truly a holy tree, there will surely be a response.' He then took his dead son and laid him beneath the bodhi tree, and spoke thus: 'O tree of the Buddha, if you are holy, then cause my dead son to come back to life.' For seven days he recited and chanted the name of the Buddha, and the son thereupon came back to life.

The heterodox one rejoiced and praised, saying: 'The Buddhas possess great divine power. I have now seen that the tree of the Buddha's attainment of the Way manifests a rare and marvelous event; its majestic virtue is vast and deep, beyond conception.' At that time the followers of the heterodox paths, having heard of this matter, abandoned the wrong and returned to the right, gave rise to the mind of bodhi (bodhicitta), and believed that the Buddha possesses divine power beyond conception.

For this cause and condition, the people of the world gave it the name 'Tree of Lengthened Life' (Diên Mạng Thọ).

That bodhi tree thereupon had two names. The first name is 'Bodhi Tree'; the second name is 'Tree of Lengthened Life.'"

When Mañjuśrī, the Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva, had finished speaking these words, the Buddha said: "Excellent! Excellent, Mañjuśrī! It is indeed just as you have said."

At that time the Great Assembly, having heard the Sūtra on the Merit of Holding the Rosary, all rejoiced greatly, and with faith received it and reverently put it into practice.

THE SŪTRA SPOKEN BY MAÑJUŚRĪ COMPARING THE MERIT OF THE ROSARY (The End)