佛說轉女身經

Thus have I heard:

At one time, the Buddha was dwelling on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa near the city of Rājagṛha, together with an assembly of one thousand great bhikṣus and eight thousand bodhisattvas, all of whom were wise and learned. Also present in the assembly were those who had come from other Buddha-realms, as well as devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, kiṃnaras, and mahoragas, accompanied by hundreds of thousands of attendants. They had gathered there in great numbers.

At that time, the fourfold assembly surrounded the Blessed One and listened as he expounded the sutra. Its words and meaning were profound and sublime, wholesome at the beginning, wholesome in the middle, and wholesome at the end, and it fully and clearly revealed the characteristics of the pure life. In the assembly was a brahmin named Sudatta, whose wife was named Pure Sun. She was pregnant with a baby girl and was also present in the assembly. Although the girl was still in the womb, her faculties were complete and she was free from impurity and defilement. With palms joined and her mind single-pointedly directed toward the Buddha, she listened to the Dharma and wished to ask a question.

At that time, Venerable Aniruddha had attained the pure and luminous divine eye, surpassing the vision of ordinary people and subject to neither increase nor decrease. He saw that Pure Sun was pregnant with a baby girl whose faculties were complete and who was free from impurity and defilement. With palms joined and her mind single-pointedly directed toward the Buddha, she was listening to the Dharma and wished to ask a question. Having seen this, Venerable Aniruddha said to the Buddha:

“World-Honored One, Pure Sun is pregnant with a baby girl whose faculties are complete and who is free from impurity and defilement. With palms joined and her mind single-pointedly directed toward the Buddha, she is listening to the Dharma and wishes to ask a question.”

The Buddha said to Aniruddha:

“I saw that girl in the womb before you did, but I did not speak of it. Why? Because I feared that if any beings did not believe the true words of the Tathagata, they would undergo great suffering and distress for a very long time.”

At that time, the Blessed One emitted a great ray of light that universally illuminated the entire trichiliocosm. Through his spiritual power, he also enabled everyone in the assembly to see the baby girl within her mother’s womb. Her faculties were complete, and she was free from impurity and defilement.

With palms joined and her mind single-pointedly directed toward the Buddha, she was listening to the Dharma and wished to ask a question. The Blessed One then produced the many pure and melodious sounds known among beings: sounds that were easy to understand; sounds that were genuine and sincere; wondrously pure sounds; sounds pleasing to the ears and free from faults; sounds that brought peace and happiness to body and mind; sounds that dispelled the disturbances of affliction like the radiant moon; gentle sounds flowing continuously without interruption; sounds free from clamor; sounds that, upon entering people’s minds, enabled them to abandon greed, anger, and delusion; sounds that inspired faith, delight, and joy in everyone; sounds surpassing the voice of Brahmā;

sounds like thunder and lightning; sounds like celestial music; sounds like a lion’s roar proclaiming the Dharma; and sounds accumulated from the fruits of wholesome roots cultivated for more than hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of asaṃkhyeya nayutas of kalpas.

With such harmonious and gentle sounds, the Blessed One said to the girl:

“For what reason have you come to listen to the Dharma, and what do you wish to ask?”

Relying upon the Buddha’s majestic spiritual power, the girl in the womb said to the Buddha:

“World-Honored One, many beings are greedy and cling to the view of self, thereby giving rise to false, discriminating, and inverted conceptions. Although there is no characteristic of a being, they give rise to the fixed view of a being. Although there is no characteristic of a self, they give rise to the fixed view of a self. Although there are no characteristics of a person, a living being, or one who is nurtured, they cling to the existence of a person, a living being, and one who is nurtured. Because all beings cling in this way, I wish to ask a question.

“Moreover, there are beings who cling to the view of self and cannot clearly understand the path of the One Vehicle. I wish to awaken them to the path of the One Vehicle. There are also beings who are obscured and bound by ignorance, craving for existence, and attachment, and who cannot clearly understand the Dharma of liberation. I wish to enable them to understand clearly that Dharma of liberation.

“There are also beings subtly obscured by greed, anger, and delusion, who are benighted and foolish and cannot advance in seeking the three gates of liberation—emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness. I therefore wish to enable them to cultivate and realize the three gates of liberation.

“There are also beings who have fallen into the four inverted views: regarding the impermanent as permanent, suffering as happiness, that which is without self as possessing a self, and the impure as pure. I wish to explain to them the Dharma of the Four Noble Truths: suffering, the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the path leading to the cessation of suffering.

“There are also beings obscured by the five hindrances who do not cultivate the five faculties. I wish to enable them to perfect the Dharma of the five faculties. There are also beings who crave the six ayatanas and do not realize the six superknowledges. I therefore wish to explain the Dharma of the six superknowledges.

“There are also beings who delight in dwelling among the seven consciousnesses and cannot understand the seven factors of enlightenment. For their sake, I wish to explain the seven factors of awakening. There are also beings who follow the eightfold wrong path and do not understand the Noble Eightfold Path. I therefore wish to explain the Noble Eightfold Path to them.

“There are also beings whose minds harbor the nine forms of distress and who cannot enter the nine successive meditative attainments. I therefore wish to explain to them the dhyānas, liberations, and samādhis. There are also beings who commit the ten unwholesome deeds and do not diligently cultivate the ten wholesome deeds. I wish to enable them to perfect the ten wholesome deeds.

“There are also beings who have fallen into the class of those wrongly determined or the class of those not yet determined, and who do not relinquish their attachment even within the undefiled Dharma. I wish to enable them to understand clearly the Dharma of the class of those rightly determined, to help beings accomplish wholesome roots and discipline themselves, and to teach the Dharma in accordance with their aspirations and wishes.

“World-Honored One, it is for all these causes and conditions that I have directed myself toward the Buddha to listen to the Dharma and that I wish to ask a question.”

At that time, the great assembly praised this unprecedented event, saying:

“The Dharma of the Tathagata is exceedingly rare. Although this bodhisattva is still in the womb, she does not abandon teaching the Dharma for the benefit of beings. Among all good men and good women who see or hear of this, there will be none who fail to arouse the aspiration for unsurpassed, complete, and perfect enlightenment.”

Then, relying upon the Buddha’s majestic spiritual power, the girl suddenly emerged from her mother’s right side, just as a bodhisattva in his final existence is born. Because of the causes and conditions of the girl’s merit and wisdom, her mother’s body remained as usual during the birth, without distress or pain. Soon after the girl was born, the great earth trembled, many kinds of flowers rained down from the heavens, and every musical instrument sounded without being played.

Great flowers as large as chariot wheels sprang from the earth, each exquisitely adorned with superb colors and fragrances that brought peace and joy to all who beheld them. Each had hundreds of thousands of leaves, petals of pure gold, leaves of silver, stamens and stems of agate, and receptacles of red pearl. The girl stood upon one of them.

Her body resembled that of a two- or three-year-old child, and her features were upright, beautiful, and exceedingly lovely. She had been born in this way through the karmic fruits of wholesome deeds performed in previous lives.

At that time, Śakra, Lord of the Devas, came holding celestial garments and jeweled necklaces, and said to the girl:

“Good woman, put on these garments and jeweled necklaces. Do not stand there naked.”

The girl replied to Śakra, Lord of the Devas:

I am a bodhisattva who does not adorn herself with garments and jeweled ornaments. Why is this? Because when a bodhisattva constantly takes the mind of bodhi as her garment and jeweled ornament and thereby adorns herself, this surpasses all adornments of devas, humans, and the world.

Furthermore, Kausika, a bodhisattva has ten kinds of garments and jeweled ornaments with which she adorns herself. What are the ten? They are: never losing the mind of bodhi; never abandoning the profound mind; always rescuing and protecting, with great loving-kindness, all sentient beings who seek aid; always taking great compassion as the foundation, diligently practicing vigor to deliver all beings without abandoning a single sentient being, and bringing all sentient beings to fulfillment; always adorning body, speech, and mind with moral shame and dread of wrongdoing; giving away all possessions without seeking recompense; throughout one’s life upholding the precepts and practicing the meritorious ascetic practices without transgression;

possessing the power of patience and being able to endure what is difficult to endure; seeking supreme roots of goodness through right skillful means; and, although the mind abides in the immeasurable meditative absorptions and samadhis, not seeking personal realization of liberation.

– Kausika, these are the ten kinds of garments and jeweled ornaments with which a bodhisattva is adorned and from which she never departs at any time.

Furthermore, Kausika, a bodhisattva adorns her body with the excellent marks and characteristics, which surpass all kinds of jeweled ornaments. These marks and characteristics arise from merit and wisdom. What are merit and wisdom? They mean giving away what one cherishes and being able to relinquish many other things; harboring no anger toward any sentient being; constantly seeking to perform wholesome deeds; giving innumerable gifts so that others may be fully provided for; and contemplating all sentient beings as fields of merit.

Kausika, this is called the foremost garment and jeweled ornament adorning a bodhisattva. If a bodhisattva wishes to attain the state of a sravaka or pratyekabuddha, this cannot be called adornment. A bodhisattva resolves: “So long as there remain sentient beings with minds of miserliness, minds that violate the precepts, minds of anger, minds of indolence, minds of distracted thought and corrupt wisdom, and minds that are base and defiled by the afflictions, I shall not attain perfect and complete enlightenment.” To become frightened or remorseful is not the adornment of a bodhisattva, for it is to depart from the Dharma that adorns bodhisattvas.

At that time, upon hearing the teaching concerning the Dharmas that adorn bodhisattvas, twelve thousand devas and humans in the assembly who had previously planted roots of goodness all generated the aspiration for perfect and complete enlightenment.

The Blessed One then said to the young girl:

“You may accept Sakra Devendra’s garments and jeweled ornaments.”

The young girl said to the Buddha:

– Venerable Blessed One, I cannot accept them, because garments and jeweled ornaments must accord with me and share my aspiration. Yet this Sakra seeks lesser wisdom, aspires to what is inferior, is weary of samsara, and constantly harbors fear, wishing quickly to enter nirvana. Although he continually follows the Blessed One to hear and receive the teachings, he seeks lucid wisdom solely for himself and not for others. He is like one who binds together a grass raft merely to cross the river quickly; he does not become a pure field of merit for others. He remains far removed from the pure wisdom of patient acceptance possessed by the Buddhas and does not clearly understand the capacities of sentient beings. Blessed One, I have now donned the firm armor of one who seeks the Great Vehicle. I wish to benefit all beings and become a great vessel of Dharma that carries across those who have not yet crossed. I seek spontaneous wisdom so that I may turn the wheel of the true Dharma, not seeking it from others. Adorning myself with the wisdom of the Tathagata, I shall enable all beings to attain the pure wisdom-eye of the Buddhas.

Venerable Blessed One, I came from that land, where I was born, because I wished to behold Sakyamuni Tathagata, pay homage and make offerings to him, and hear him teach the Dharma. The Blessed One should bestow garments and jeweled ornaments upon me so that I may wear them.”

At that time, the devas and humans in the assembly all thought: “What is the name of this young girl’s world? How far away is it, and in which direction does it lie? What is the name of the Tathagata in that land, and what Dharma is he now teaching?”

Knowing the thoughts of the great assembly, the Blessed One said to Sariputra:

“Travel southeast from here, passing through thirty-six nayutas of Buddha lands, and there is a world called Pure Abode. A Buddha named Stainless Renown King Tathagata, Worthy One, Perfectly Enlightened One, is presently teaching the Dharma there.

Sariputra!

This young girl passed away in the world of Pure Abode and was born in this realm because she wished to bring sentient beings to fulfillment and also wished to pay homage and make offerings to me and hear me teach the Dharma.”

Not long after the Buddha had spoken these words, the Buddha Stainless Renown King Tathagata, moved by compassion, employed his spiritual power and dispatched bodhisattvas to bring adorned garments and jeweled ornaments to the young girl. They came and stood in midair before her, saying:

“Virtuous maiden! The Buddha Stainless Renown King Tathagata of the world of Pure Abode has sent these garments and jeweled ornaments for you. You should therefore put them on. In that land, whenever bodhisattvas put on such adorned garments and jeweled ornaments, they all attain the five superknowledges. You too shall attain them.”

The young girl then received the garments and jeweled ornaments, which emitted rays of wondrously colored light. Apart from the radiance of the Tathagata, the light of the sun and moon, Brahma, Sakra, and the Guardian Heavenly Kings all vanished. The young girl immediately acquired the five superknowledges. She stepped down from the lotus dais and approached the Buddha. With every step she took, the earth trembled in six ways. Arriving before the Buddha, she bowed her head at his feet, circumambulated him seven times, and said to him:

“Venerable Blessed One! May the Blessed One teach the Dharma by which the bodhi of the great bodhisattvas increases, so that the great bodhisattvas may enter the unsurpassed path without regression, overcome the deeds of Mara, and swiftly attain perfect and complete enlightenment.”

The Buddha said to the young girl:

– If a bodhisattva perfects four qualities, she can preserve bodhi and cause it to increase: first, a pure mind; second, a profound mind; third, a mind of skillful means; and fourth, never abandoning the mind of bodhi. These are called the four.

There are four further qualities: first, always wishing to benefit all sentient beings; second, constantly arousing a mind of loving-kindness and compassion toward all sentient beings; third, delivering and liberating all sentient beings through great compassion; and fourth, fully perfecting all Buddha-Dharmas with a steadfast and vigorous mind. These are called the four.

There are four further qualities: first, discerning all dharmas and thereby giving rise to abundant faith; second, remaining far removed from the paths of sravakas and pratyekabuddhas; third, delighting in contemplating the supreme Dharma and wishing to perfect all Buddha-Dharmas; and fourth, diligently applying vigor in order to accomplish that fruit. These are called the four.

There are four further qualities: first, remaining far removed from pride and arrogance; second, eliminating a self-willed mind; third, honoring and respecting elders; and fourth, heeding their instructions. These are called the four.

There are four further qualities: first, not becoming angry with those who come seeking aid; second, giving all things without seeking recompense; third, feeling no regret after giving; and fourth, wholeheartedly dedicating all roots of goodness to bodhi. These are called the four.

There are four further qualities: first, not breaking the precepts; second, not allowing the precepts to become deficient or leaky; third, not defiling the precepts; and fourth, not staining the precepts. These are called the four.

There are four further qualities: first, being gentle and conciliatory by nature and capable of patience; second, skillfully guarding the feelings of others; third, guarding one’s own conduct and not offending others; and fourth, dedicating everything to bodhi. These are called the four.

There are four further qualities: first, steadfast vigor; second, steadfast clarity and purity; third, fearless vigor; and fourth, dedication to bodhi. These are called the four.

There are four further qualities: first, having a strong body capable of endurance; second, possessing steadfast endurance; third, being skilled in cultivating the factors of meditation; and fourth, never forgetting the mind of bodhi. These are called the four.

There are four further qualities: first, generosity; second, loving speech; third, beneficial action; and fourth, cooperation. These are called the four.

There are four further qualities: first, a mind of loving-kindness extending everywhere; second, great compassion that never grows weary; third, a mind filled with joy, affection, and reverence for the Dharma; and fourth, a mind of equanimity free from attachment and aversion. These are called the four.

Again, there are four dharmas: first, hearing the Dharma without weariness; second, rightly contemplating and reflecting; third, practicing in accordance with the Dharma; fourth, dedicating the merit to bodhi. These are called the four.

Again, there are four dharmas: first, knowing that all conditioned phenomena are impermanent; second, knowing with certainty that the skandhas are suffering; third, knowing with certainty that all dharmas are without self; fourth, knowing with certainty that nirvana is the Dharma of quiescent cessation. These are called the four.

Again, there are four dharmas: first, not rejoicing upon gaining benefit; second, not grieving upon losing benefit; third, maintaining an even mind despite enjoying renown; fourth, remaining free of affliction despite hearing words of disrepute. These are called the four.

Again, there are four dharmas: first, not becoming angry when others offend one; second, not rejoicing when praised; third, being able to endure when encountering suffering; fourth, neither pursuing nor rejecting happiness when it is obtained. These are called the four.

Again, there are four dharmas: first, contemplating causes; second, knowing effects; third, abandoning the two extreme views; fourth, knowing the Dharma of dependent arising. These are called the four.

Again, there are four dharmas: first, knowing that inwardly there is no self; second, knowing that outwardly there are no sentient beings; third, knowing that neither inwardly nor outwardly is there a living principle; fourth, knowing that all persons are ultimately pure. These are called the four.

Again, there are four dharmas: first, practicing emptiness without fear; second, contemplating signlessness without losing mindfulness; third, making no discriminations regarding wishlessness; fourth, delighting in contemplating all dharmas as uncreated. These are called the four.

Again, there are four dharmas: first, not realizing the knowledge of suffering; second, not realizing the knowledge of its arising; third, not realizing the knowledge of its cessation; fourth, not realizing the knowledge of the path. These are called the four.

Again, there are four dharmas: first, deeply contemplating bodhi; second, not slandering the true Dharma; third, throughout one’s life never retreating from the Sangha; fourth, not engaging in disputes concerning the teachings. These are called the four.

Again, there are four dharmas: first, being able to prevent sensual desire from arising; second, not grasping at objects; third, cutting off desire, anger, and delusion; fourth, doing likewise with the afflictions. These are called the four.

Again, there are four dharmas: first, always maintaining an impartial mind toward sentient beings; second, regarding all sentient beings as fields of merit; third, honoring the Buddha and sentient beings equally; fourth, regarding dharmas and sentient beings as equal. These are called the four.

Again, there are four dharmas: first, not exalting oneself; second, not disparaging others; third, not slighting those who have not yet studied; fourth, lovingly respecting those who have studied as teachers. These are called the four.

Again, there are four dharmas: first, abandoning useless speech; second, always seeking tranquility and seclusion; third, delighting tirelessly in solitary places; fourth, seeking the merit and benefit found in solitary places. These are called the four.

Again, there are four dharmas: first, having few desires; second, knowing contentment; third, knowing the proper measure in using pure requisites; fourth, delighting in the dhutanga practices and not craving fine clothing or delicious food and drink. These are called the four.

Again, there are four dharmas: first, knowing oneself; second, knowing others; third, knowing the proper time; fourth, knowing the meaning. These are called the four.

Again, there are four dharmas: first, delighting in the Dharma; second, delighting in its meaning; third, delighting in the noble truths; fourth, delighting in bringing sentient beings to accomplishment. These are called the four.

Again, there are four dharmas: first, through inner purity being able to guard one’s own mind; second, through outer purity being able to protect sentient beings; third, purity of Dharma in the practice of virtue; fourth, purity of wisdom through which pride and arrogance can be relinquished. These are called the four.

Again, there are four dharmas: first, abandoning the self; second, relinquishing what belongs to the self; third, eliminating all views; fourth, cutting off craving and anger. These are called the four.

Again, there are four dharmas: first, skillful means embracing wisdom; second, wisdom embracing skillful means; third, great compassion embracing every form of giving; fourth, diligence embracing and preserving all the factors of the Dharma path. These are called the four.

Good woman! A bodhisattva who accomplishes these fourfold dharmas can embrace and preserve bodhi, causing it to increase.

When the Blessed One taught the fourfold dharmas that embrace and preserve bodhi and cause it to increase, thirty-two thousand devas and humans in the assembly simultaneously aroused the aspiration for complete, perfect enlightenment. At that time, Venerable Sariputra asked the young girl:

“What name did your parents give you?”

The young girl replied:

“Venerable Sariputra! All dharmas are originally nameless. Names are established according to discriminations; they are not real and therefore have no fixed master.

Venerable Sariputra! A great bodhisattva is given a name according to the practice undertaken. One who attains a pure mind is called a person of pure mind.

One who attains a profound mind is called a person of profound mind. One who practices skillful means is called one pure in skillful means. One who practices giving is called one well able to give.

One who cultivates sila is called one pure in precepts. One who abides in patience is called one possessing the power of patience. One who practices diligence is called one clad in the armor of diligence.

One who abides in the meditative absorptions is called one who abides in dhyana samadhi. One who attains wisdom is called a person of great wisdom. One who abides in loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity is called one of great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, and great equanimity.

One who dwells in a solitary place is called a tranquil dweller free from affairs. One who does not abandon the dhutanga practices is called one who practices pure merit. One who delights in cultivating the Dharma of meditation is called one who joyfully seeks the Dharma.

In brief, a name is given according to whatever roots of virtue are directed toward the Mahayana.”

The Blessed One then told Sariputra:

“You should know that when this young girl donned her garments and jeweled ornaments, she emitted a great harmonious radiance that illuminated the entire assembly. Therefore, this young girl is called Stainless Light. Remember this well.”

Sariputra asked the maiden Stainless Light:

“When you were in the Pure Abode World in the presence of the Buddha King of Stainless Renown, did you also have a female body there?”

The maiden Stainless Light replied, “Venerable Sariputra! There are no women in that Buddha’s world.”

Sariputra asked:

“Then what were you at that time? Since you bear a female body, how were you born there?”

The maiden Stainless Light replied:

“I am now neither male nor female, nor were form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness born there. Why is this so? Venerable Sariputra, what do you think? When the Tathagata conjures a person who travels from one Buddha-land to another, does that conjured being assume the distinguishing characteristics of a male or female body?”

Sariputra said:

“No. Why? Because the Tathagata’s conjurations have no distinctions.”

The maiden Stainless Light said:

“Venerable Sariputra! Just as the Tathagata’s conjurations have no distinctions, so all dharmas are like conjurations. One who knows that all dharmas equally bear the characteristic of a conjuration sees no distinction when traveling from one Buddha-land to another.”

Sariputra asked:

“If you see no distinctions among dharmas, how do you bring sentient beings to accomplishment?”

The maiden Stainless Light replied:

“Venerable Sariputra! If one sees distinctions among dharmas, one cannot bring sentient beings to accomplishment. If one sees no distinctions among dharmas, one can bring sentient beings to accomplishment.”

Sariputra asked the maiden Stainless Light:

“Then how many sentient beings have you brought to accomplishment?”

The maiden Stainless Light replied:

“As many as the afflictions Venerable Sariputra has cut off.”

Sariputra said:

“The nature of the afflictions I have cut off has no existence.”

The maiden Stainless Light said:

“The nature of sentient beings likewise has no existence.”

Sariputra said:

“If sentient beings have no inherent nature, what is there to bring to accomplishment?”

The maiden Stainless Light asked in return:

“If the afflictions have no inherent nature, what is there to cut off?”

Sariputra replied:

“Because there is no discrimination, it is called cutting off.”

The maiden Stainless Light said:

“As Venerable Sariputra has said, when there is no discrimination between self and other, this is called bringing sentient beings to accomplishment.”

Sariputra again asked the maiden Stainless Light:

“What is meant by bringing sentient beings to accomplishment?”

The maiden Stainless Light replied:

“Not giving rise to defiling attachment within the realms of existence is called bringing sentient beings to accomplishment.”

Sariputra again asked the maiden Stainless Light:

“Among the Three Vehicles, which vehicle do you use to bring sentient beings to accomplishment?”

The maiden Stainless Light replied:

“Venerable Sariputra! It is like timely rain falling everywhere through the sky, upon high, middle, and low places, causing young rice seedlings, medicinal herbs, and trees to grow. Does such rain make distinctions?”

Sariputra said:

“Although water can cause rice seedlings to grow, it makes no distinctions.”

Maiden Immaculate Light said:

“So it is, Venerable Sariputra! When the Buddhas and bodhisattvas teach the Dharma, they likewise make no distinctions. According to the ripening of all beings’ roots of virtue within the Three Vehicles, they tame them.”

Sariputra asked Maiden Immaculate Light:

“What is meant by ‘taming,’ and what is its meaning?”

Maiden Immaculate Light replied:

“To be able to contemplate a wrong path as itself the right path is called taming. Why is this so?

“Because ordinary beings are confused and inverted and cannot contemplate rightly, they are not tamed. If one contemplates the characteristics of wrong paths as equal, neither following nor relying upon any wrong path, this is called ultimate taming. Venerable Sariputra! Furthermore, taming means that, with respect to self, there is no non-self; this is called taming. Why? Because there is no view of self regarding the afflictions, no craving, and no arising; this is called liberation.”

Maiden Immaculate Light asked Sariputra:

“Venerable One, have you attained liberation?”

Sariputra replied:

“I have attained liberation.”

Maiden Immaculate Light said:

“Who bound you, that you speak of liberation?”

Sariputra said:

“It is not that liberation is attained from bondage. Rather, the original nature has always possessed the characteristic of liberation; therefore, I say that I have attained liberation.”

Maiden Immaculate Light asked:

“If the original nature is neither bound nor liberated, and that is the characteristic of liberation, why do you say, ‘I have attained liberation’?”

Sariputra replied:

“Because all dharmas possess the characteristic of liberation, I say, ‘I have attained liberation.’”

Maiden Immaculate Light said:

“As the Venerable One has said, ‘If one knows that all dharmas possess the characteristic of liberation,’ this is called ultimate liberation.”

Sariputra said:

“What you have now said is no different from what the arhats whose outflows are exhausted have taught.”

Maiden Immaculate Light said:

“Venerable Sariputra! I, too, am now an arhat whose outflows are exhausted.”

Sariputra said:

“What proof is there for this statement?”

Maiden Immaculate Light said:

“I have completely left behind all defilements and impurities. I see and understand the factors of the paths of the sravakas and pratyekabuddhas just as they do, yet I do not abide in the states of the sravakas or pratyekabuddhas. I seek only the Buddha’s Wisdom. This is the proof of my statement that I am an arhat whose outflows are exhausted.”

Sariputra asked:

“Under what causes and conditions do bodhisattvas become arhats?”

Maiden Immaculate Light replied:

“There are such causes and conditions.”

Sariputra asked:

“What are those causes and conditions?”

Maiden Immaculate Light replied:

“If beings planted roots of virtue in former lives and should be liberated through the body of a sravaka, a bodhisattva manifests the body of a sravaka and says, ‘I am an arhat,’ then teaches the Dharma to those beings and enables them to attain arhatship. This, too, is called a bodhisattva becoming an arhat.”

When this Dharma was taught, two hundred bhikshus ceased to grasp the dharmas of the outflows, and their minds attained liberation. The bhikshus addressed the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! Does this maiden’s eloquence arise through the Buddha’s spiritual power or through her own power?”

The Buddha replied:

“It arises through the Buddha’s spiritual power, and this maiden also possesses the power of eloquence.”

At that time, Maiden Immaculate Light addressed the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! In this assembly, the bhikshus, bhikshunis, upasakas, and upasikas would gladly hear what wholesome practices should be cultivated so that women may relinquish the female body, swiftly acquire a male body, and bring forth the resolve for immeasurable bodhi. May the World-Honored One teach this for us.”

Wishing to benefit the fourfold assembly, the Buddha spoke to Maiden Immaculate Light about the accomplishment of these practices:

“If a woman accomplishes one dharma, she can leave the female body behind and swiftly acquire a male body. What is that dharma? It is to seek bodhi with a profound mind.

Why? If a woman brings forth the resolve for bodhi, hers is the mind of a greatly virtuous person, the mind of a great being, the mind of a great sage, a mind inferior to none, a mind that forever leaves behind the inferior Two Vehicles, a mind capable of refuting the various doctrines of non-Buddhist paths, a mind supreme throughout the three periods of time, and a mind capable of eliminating the afflictions, free from defilement, purified of accumulated bonds.

If women bring forth the resolve for bodhi, they are free from defilement. Such a woman’s mind is no longer bound by womanhood. Because she is free from defilement, she forever leaves behind the female body and acquires a male body.

She must dedicate all her roots of virtue to unsurpassed bodhi. This is called the one dharma.

“Furthermore, if a woman accomplishes two dharmas, she can leave the female body behind and swiftly acquire a male body. What are these two dharmas? They are to eliminate arrogance and to abandon contempt and deceit, engaging in no deception. She vows to leave the female body behind and swiftly acquire a male body, and dedicates all her roots of virtue to unsurpassed bodhi. These are called the two dharmas.

“Furthermore, if a woman accomplishes three dharmas, she can leave the female body behind and swiftly acquire a male body. What are the three dharmas? First, bodily karma is purified by observing the three bodily precepts. Second, verbal karma is purified by keeping the mouth free from the four faults. Third, mental karma is purified by abandoning anger, wrong views, and delusion. Through the ten wholesome deeds she generates roots of virtue, vows to leave the female body behind and swiftly acquire a male body, and dedicates them to bodhi. These are called the three dharmas.

“Furthermore, if a woman accomplishes four dharmas, she can leave the female body behind and swiftly acquire a male body. What are the four dharmas? First, she is not irritable. Second, she is not angry. Third, she does not give rise to afflictions. Fourth, she abides in the power of patience. These are called the four dharmas.

“Furthermore, if a woman accomplishes five dharmas, she can leave the female body behind and swiftly acquire a male body. What are the five dharmas? First, she delights in seeking wholesome dharmas. Second, she reveres the true Dharma. Third, she finds joy and peace in the true Dharma. Fourth, she respects the teacher of the Dharma as she would her own master. Fifth, she practices according to the teachings, vows through those roots of virtue to leave the female body behind and swiftly acquire a male body, and dedicates them to bodhi. These are called the five dharmas.

“Furthermore, if a woman accomplishes six dharmas, she can leave the female body behind and swiftly acquire a male body. What are the six dharmas? First, she constantly recollects the Buddha and vows to attain the Buddha’s body. Second, she constantly recollects the Dharma and aspires to turn the Dharma wheel. Third, she constantly recollects the Sangha and aspires to protect the Sangha. Fourth, she constantly recollects the precepts and aspires to fulfill all vows. Fifth, she constantly recollects generosity and aspires to relinquish all filthy afflictions. Sixth, she constantly recollects the devas and aspires that all devas throughout the heavenly realms attain omniscience. These are called the six dharmas.

“Furthermore, if a woman accomplishes seven dharmas, she can leave the female body behind and swiftly acquire a male body. What are the seven dharmas? First, she attains unshakable faith in the Buddha. Second, she attains unshakable faith in the Dharma. Third, she attains unshakable faith in the Sangha. Fourth, she does not venerate other deities but venerates only the Buddha. Fifth, she neither hoards nor acts with stinginess, and she is able to practice in accordance with her words. Sixth, her speech is always faultless and consistently sincere. Seventh, her deportment is complete and proper. These are called the seven dharmas.

“Furthermore, if a woman accomplishes eight dharmas, she can leave the female body behind and swiftly acquire a male body. What are the eight dharmas? First, she is not deeply attached to men. Second, she is not deeply attached to women. Third, she is not deeply attached to her husband. Fourth, she takes no delight in garments or jeweled adornments. Fifth, she is not attached to flowers, ornaments, or fragrant substances. Sixth, she does not crave delicious food but regards it as the food of raksasas. Seventh, she does not fraudulently withhold objects intended for generosity, but always recollects giving and gives rise to joy. Eighth, she constantly practices purity and is always mindful of shame and moral dread. These are called the eight dharmas.”

Furthermore, a woman who perfects nine dharmas will be freed from the female body and swiftly attain a male body. What are these nine dharmas? They are to bring an end to nine distressing dharmas: relinquishing what one loves—what one relinquished in the past, relinquishes in the present, and will relinquish in the future; cherishing what one dislikes—what one cherished in the past, cherishes in the present, and will continue to cherish in the future; and, regarding what one has relinquished, relinquishing it in the past, present, and future. These are called the nine dharmas.

Furthermore, a woman who perfects ten dharmas will be freed from the female body and swiftly attain a male body. What are these ten dharmas? First, not being conceited; second, eliminating arrogance; third, respecting venerable elders; fourth, speaking truthfully; fifth, harboring neither resentment nor anger; sixth, not speaking coarse or vulgar words; seventh, not being difficult to instruct; eighth, not being covetous or miserly; ninth, not being cruel or violent; and tenth, not behaving frivolously. These are called the ten dharmas.

Good woman! If a woman is able to contemplate, in accordance with reality, the faults of the female body and gives rise to a mind of disenchantment and detachment, she will be freed from the female body and swiftly attain a male body. The faults of the female body are that, because of greed, anger, and delusion, the mind is burdened with many afflictions and one must defer to men.

Moreover, within that body are a hundred kinds of parasites, which constantly give rise to suffering, illness, sorrow, and distress. Thus, the female body is heavily burdened by afflictions. One should carefully reflect upon and contemplate that body as a vessel of impurity, filled with filth.

Just as a village can hardly live in ease when its well has run dry, so should one give rise to disenchantment with and detachment from this body.

Furthermore, contemplate this body as being like a maidservant, lacking freedom and constantly serving men and women by attending to clothing, food and drink, and household affairs, undergoing great suffering and distress. Therefore, it should be cast off as one casts away filth, phlegm, saliva, and other impurities. During the nine months of pregnancy, the body endures countless hardships; when giving birth, it undergoes such pain that life is difficult to preserve. For this reason, a woman should become disenchanted with and detach herself from the female body.

Furthermore, even if a woman is born in a royal palace, throughout her life she remains dependent upon others, like a female slave obeying the commands of a great household, or like a disciple serving a teacher. She is subjected to many kinds of punishment—with blades, staffs, tiles, stones, fists, and blows—and to coarse, abusive, and insulting words. Thus, she undergoes much suffering and lacks freedom. Therefore, a woman should give rise to disenchantment with and detachment from this body.

Furthermore, the female body is constantly restrained and confined, like a snake or mouse in a hole that dares not venture outside. A woman is also bound by prescribed rules and has no freedom. She must constantly remain beside others to attend upon them, report to them, and provide them with food, drink, garments, fragrances, flowers, various ornamental necklaces and adornments, as well as elephants, horses, and carriages.

Therefore, she should become disenchanted with and detach herself from the female body. The female body is also subject to the commands of others and has no autonomy. A woman must perform many kinds of labor, such as pounding medicines, husking rice, cooking, grinding soybeans and grains large and small, weaving cloth, and spinning thread.

In this way, she undergoes countless kinds of hardship and performs innumerable services. Therefore, a woman should understand that this body is a calamity and aspire to be forever freed from such sufferings. She should teach this Dharma to others and constantly remember the sincere words of the Tathagata.

She should praise the renunciant life and repay the Buddha’s kindness. She should arouse this resolve, vowing to be freed from the female body and swiftly attain a male body. Having renounced the household life to cultivate the path within the Buddha-Dharma, she must not crave flowers, fragrances, ornaments, or necklaces, nor wander for pleasure in gardens and groves.

Regarding clothing, food, drink, and bodily adornment, she should be content with what is sufficient. She should contemplate her own body as it serves her family and attendants: it is like a mechanism or a wooden puppet, carried and pulled, raised and lowered. This body is false and deceptive, an accumulation of flesh and blood that will before long decay and perish.

This body is like a privy, with nine openings through which impurities flow. This body is foolish, yet one remains attached to it, although it is merely compounded from the four great elements. This body consists of the skandhas, which are like hostile enemies.

This body is temporary, empty, and unreal; it is neither enduring nor solid, like an abandoned village. This body has no master; it is born from one’s parents, yet one performs karma to adorn it. This body is unclean, plainly filthy.

This body is a vessel containing urine and excrement; cast it away without delay and do not become infatuated with it. This body is close to death: if the breath goes out and does not return, it immediately perishes. This body is without self, like grass, trees, tiles, and stones.

This body is uncreated, arising from causes and conditions. When this body is discarded in the charnel ground, it becomes food for birds, wolves, and jackals. This body is filled with suffering and is afflicted by four hundred and four diseases.

This body bears many illnesses caused by wind, cold, chill, and heat. Medicines are constantly used to preserve it, yet in the end it still comes to decay and destruction. This body knows no gratitude; though sustained with food and drink, it never knows contentment.

This body is insentient; within it there is no agent. Death awaits this body. Therefore, a woman should contemplate this body in this manner, give rise to disenchantment, and cultivate wholesome dharmas.

When cultivating wholesome dharmas, if she has delicious food or fragrant fruit, she should first offer it to the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, the unsurpassed fields of merit, and to her parents and teachers; only afterward should she partake of it herself. She should reflect: “Today, with reverence, I offer this delicious food and fragrant fruit to these pure fields of merit. May I be freed from this filthy female body and attain a handsome male body.”

When the Buddha taught this Dharma, five hundred bhiksunis in the assembly all aroused the aspiration for complete and perfect enlightenment and said: “Through our roots of goodness, we vow to cast off the female body and swiftly attain male bodies.”

At that time, seventy-five female lay devotees in the assembly heard the Buddha teach this Dharma, and their hearts were filled with immeasurable joy. They removed the jewels and ornaments from their bodies and scattered them over the Buddha. Through the Buddha’s spiritual power, those ornamental necklaces rose into the air above the crown of the Buddha’s head and transformed into seventy-five magnificent and exceedingly beautiful jeweled pavilions, each supported by four pillars and delightful to behold.

Within the pavilions were many jeweled seats, upon each of which sat a Tathagata, surrounded before and behind by a great assembly of bhiksus and bodhisattvas. All of this appeared spontaneously. Upon witnessing the Buddha’s miraculous spiritual transformations, the female lay devotees rejoiced with boundless and redoubled delight.

They approached the Buddha, bowed with their heads at his feet, circumambulated him three times to the right, and said:

“World-Honored One! Through our roots of goodness, we have now assembled together and have jointly aroused the aspiration for complete and perfect enlightenment. We dedicate our merit toward unsurpassed bodhi so that we may be freed from the female body. With great compassion, the World-Honored One has extensively explained the faults of the female body. It is indeed exactly as the World-Honored One has taught. We shall now diligently cultivate skillful means and forever distance ourselves from these evil faults. From this day until the end of our lives, we shall renounce them, uphold the five precepts, and purely cultivate the holy life. Through these roots of goodness, may we, together with all sentient beings, attain complete and perfect enlightenment.”

At that time, Venerable Sariputra said to the female lay devotees:

“It is truly rare that you sisters can utter such a lion’s roar. Have your husbands permitted you to cultivate the holy life? You should ask them!”

The female lay devotees said to Venerable Sariputra:

“If each of us were to ask her husband, ‘From where did I come to be born here? When I die here, where will I be reborn?’ although he is our husband, he would be unable to answer. What, then, would be the use of asking him?

“Venerable Sariputra! If we were to put these questions to the Tathagata—‘Where did we die before being reborn here, and where will we be born after dying here?’—the Tathagata would know clearly and would certainly explain and distinguish these matters for us.”

Therefore, the Tathagata is our father and mother, our Blessed One, our great teacher, our field of merit, and the precious island in which we take refuge. Now that we cultivate the holy life, why should we need to ask our husbands? From this day forward, we shall diligently cultivate skillful means and shall not depend upon husbands as other women do. Why is this? If a person is able to eliminate the bonds of greed, anger, and ignorance, that person will never again be bound throughout the remainder of life. Our own bodies and minds are now our husbands and children; as our minds cultivate the holy life, how could we not rejoice?

Venerable Sariputra! Even if one who is not our husband should wish to become our husband and kill us, we would still remain resolute in purely cultivating the holy life without regret.

At that time, the Venerable Sariputra said to the laywomen:

– You should constantly and diligently cultivate skillful means so that you may leave the female body far behind. Why is this? Because the female body cannot realize supreme perfect enlightenment.

The laywomen said to the Venerable Sariputra:

“From this day forward, we shall no longer be afflicted by the troubles of women.” They then bowed their heads at the Buddha’s feet and said:

Revered Blessed One! We now bow our heads at the Blessed One’s feet. We vow that unless our female bodies are transformed into male bodies, we shall certainly not rise.

The Buddha said:

Sisters! I have always taught that women can perform deeds of courage equal to those of men. Sisters!

There are sixteen dharmas which, if one is able to cultivate them, will enable all one’s aspirations to be fulfilled according to one’s wishes. First, purity of precepts; second, purity of mind; third, purity of emptiness; fourth, purity of wishlessness; fifth, purity of signlessness; sixth, purity of non-action; seventh, knowing bodily karma to be like an illusion; eighth, knowing verbal karma to be like an echo; ninth, knowing mental karma to be illusory; tenth, knowing the dependent arising of dharmas; eleventh, abandoning the two extremes; twelfth, knowing the causes and conditions of all dharmas; thirteenth, contemplating all dharmas as illusions; fourteenth, knowing all dharmas to be like dreams; fifteenth, perceiving all dharmas as blazing fire;

and sixteenth, profound tranquility of mind.

When the Buddha taught these sixteen pure dharmas, the great earth trembled through the Buddha’s spiritual power. At that time, the husbands of the seventy-five laywomen came to where the Buddha was. Seeing each of their wives bowing her head at the Buddha’s feet, they asked the Venerable Sariputra:

For what reason are our wives bowing their heads at the Buddha’s feet?

Sariputra replied:

These sisters heard the Buddha teach the Dharma for leaving the female body far behind. Their hearts were immeasurably joyful and exultant, and they aroused the aspiration for supreme perfect enlightenment, vowing to uphold the precepts and purely cultivate the holy life for the remainder of their lives. They are now bowing their heads at the Buddha’s feet and have made this vow: “If these female bodies of ours are not transformed into male bodies, we shall never rise.” Laymen! You should allow these sisters freely to enter the Buddha’s Dharma, renounce household life, and cultivate the path.

The laymen said:

Venerable One! In accordance with your words, we consent to let them renounce household life. Venerable Sariputra! We too now wish to enter the Buddha’s Dharma and renounce household life, first liberating ourselves and afterward liberating the women.

At that time, the Venerable Sariputra addressed the Buddha:

Blessed One! These laymen wish to renounce household life within the Buddha’s true Dharma. We pray that the Buddha will grant them permission.

The Buddha said to the laymen:

You may freely renounce household life within my Dharma.

The laymen said to the Buddha:

We pray to renounce household life.

The Buddha said, “Welcome, bhiksus!” They all became renunciants, clothed in kasayas, and fully endowed with dignified deportment.

At that time, through the Buddha’s spiritual power and the strength of their own roots of goodness, the laywomen practiced right contemplation and reflection, abandoned their female bodies, and were transformed into male bodies. Relying upon the Buddha’s spiritual power, they rose into the sky to a height of seven tala trees and together spoke these verses in unison:

All dharmas are like illusions,

Arising solely through discrimination.

Within the ultimate truth,

There are no marks of female or male.

An illusionist performs an illusion

At the middle of a crossroads,

Conjuring bodies of men

And soldiers fighting one another,

Who then kill one another;

Yet these events are not real.

We regard birth and death

As no different from an illusion.

It is like a person dreaming,

Performing all manner of deeds;

Because those deeds are not real,

Upon awakening, none are seen.

Closely contemplating what we perceive,

There are only skandhas, ayatanas, and dhatus.

Their essential nature is not real,

For they arise from delusion.

It is like the moon in the water:

It can be seen but cannot be grasped.

The nature of dharmas is like the moonlight;

In truth, it neither comes nor goes.

It is also like a blazing fire,

In which wavering forms appear;

Or it may resemble a lake,

Yet it is not truly real.

All dharmas are like a heat haze;

The nature of heat has no reality.

They arise from delusion;

Ultimately, there is no self.

We formerly had female bodies,

Which arose through delusion.

Now, contemplating these male bodies,

They too are empty and exist nowhere.

If one clearly knows that they are empty,

One should not discriminate even emptiness;

Then, within the present Dharma,

One personally realizes unobstructed freedom.

This is the power of the Buddha’s realm,

Arising from accumulated merit.

By cultivating the Dharma here and now,

We have immediately left the female body behind.

If there is any woman

Who wishes to obtain a male body,

She should arouse the bodhi mind,

And her aspiration will be fulfilled.

At that time, those whose female bodies had been transformed renounced household life and became bodhisattvas. They descended from the sky, bowed their heads at the Buddha’s feet, and said to the laymen who had been their husbands:

Good spiritual friends! You should arouse the aspiration for supreme perfect enlightenment. The appearance of a Buddha in the world is difficult to encounter, and to be born free from the states of adversity is even more difficult. For the Buddha, out of great compassion for all sentient beings, to inspire them to arouse the aspiration for supreme perfect enlightenment is likewise difficult. All of you should arouse the bodhi mind and make offerings to the Buddhas of the past, present, and future.

At that time, the bhiksus said to the bodhisattvas whose female bodies had been transformed:

– You are all our good spiritual friends, capable of teaching and transforming us so that, for the sake of sentient beings, we may arouse the aspiration for supreme perfect enlightenment. Now, before the Buddha, we arouse the bodhi mind and vow that in a future life we shall attain Buddhahood like the Blessed One Sakyamuni, the Arhat, the Perfectly Enlightened One.

At that time, the bodhisattvas whose female bodies had been transformed addressed the Buddha:

Revered Blessed One! We pray that we may renounce household life in accordance with the ordination of the “Welcome, bhiksus.” We do not wish to renounce household life among the sravakas.

The Blessed One said to Maitreya Bodhisattva:

You should ordain these good men in accordance with the Dharma.

At that time, the maiden Immaculate Light went to her mother and said:

Mother, you should arouse the aspiration for supreme perfect enlightenment. If you arouse that aspiration, I shall have repaid your kindness.

Her mother said:

I have already aroused that aspiration. Why is this? From the time I conceived you and carried you in my womb for ten months until now, no stinginess or greed, violation of precepts, or anger has arisen in my mind, nor have laziness, distracted thought, corrupt wisdom, wrong views, lust, or wrath arisen. I have always been exceedingly joyful, with body and mind at ease. In my dreams, I have often seen Tathagatas surrounded on all sides by the Sangha of bhiksus, teaching the Dharma. At those times I thought, “The child I carry in my womb must surely be a bodhisattva; that is why I see the bodies of Tathagatas in my dreams.” My heart rejoiced greatly, and I immediately aroused the aspiration for supreme perfect enlightenment. Now that you have exhorted me, I renew that aspiration at once.

At that time, an exquisitely beautiful jeweled canopy spontaneously appeared in the left hand of the maiden Immaculate Light. She brought it to her mother and said:

Mother! Take this jeweled canopy and offer it to the Tathagata. You should make the great vow to become a canopy of the precious Dharma for devas and human beings.

Lady Pure Sun took the jeweled canopy, offered it to the Tathagata, and made this vow, saying:

Through this root of goodness, in the future I shall become a canopy of the precious Dharma for devas and human beings.

The Blessed One then said to Sariputra:

This woman Vimalaprabhā, through the play of spiritual powers, came from the land of the Buddha Vimalakīrtirāja and assumed a female body here. Śāriputra! This woman was originally the bodhisattva named Vimalaprabhā, who had attained irreversibility from unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. In order to bring sentient beings to fulfillment, she manifested a female body; it was not due to karma. Śāriputra! Do you see those seventy-five women who have transformed into male bodies?

Śāriputra replied: “Yes, I see them.”

The Buddha told Śāriputra:

In former lives, they were all the parents of this woman. Śāriputra! For many kalpas, the woman Vimalaprabhā made this vow: “If any sentient beings have been my parents, I shall help them attain irreversibility from unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.”

Śāriputra! Although the stars in this three-thousandfold great-thousand world-system are innumerable, their number could still be known. Yet the number of those who were the parents of the woman Vimalaprabhā in former lives and who, exhorted by her to cultivate wholesome Dharmas, attained irreversibility from unsurpassed perfect enlightenment cannot be known.

At that time, the woman Vimalaprabhā bowed before the Buddha, touching her head to his feet, and said:

“Dharmas are neither male nor female. If this statement is true, may my female body be transformed into a male body.” As soon as she had spoken, the three-thousandfold great-thousand world-system shook in six ways. The woman Vimalaprabhā disappeared and was transformed into a male form, complete with the splendid major and minor marks.

The Venerable Śāriputra said to the bodhisattva Vimalaprabhā: “Virtuous one! Although you have not yet attained unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, you are able to perform the work of a Buddha. This is indeed rare.”

The bodhisattva Vimalaprabhā said to Venerable Śāriputra:

“It is truly as you say. It is indeed rare that great bodhisattvas, through their great vows, aspire to benefit and bring all sentient beings to fulfillment. It is like an agaru tree, whose flowers and leaves emit the fragrance of agaru. In the same way, whenever great bodhisattvas give rise to even a single wholesome thought directed toward unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, they emit the fragrance of the merits of the Buddha-Dharma.” When this Dharma was spoken, twelve thousand sentient beings in the assembly aroused the aspiration for unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. The great earth trembled, and the devas in the sky rained down many kinds of flowers. The devas’ musical instruments sounded without being played, and a voice proclaimed:

“The bodhisattva Vimalaprabhā has taught the true and pure Dharma. If sentient beings hear this Dharma and respond with faithful joy in body and mind, they will acquire great majestic power, leave many afflictions and calamities far behind, and cultivate wholesome conduct. If a woman hears this sutra, know that this is her final female body. Why is this? Because this sutra extensively explains the faults of the female body and also expounds at length the practices and vows through which one leaves the female body far behind and attains the pure Dharma.”

At that time, the Blessed One told Ānanda:

“You should uphold this sutra, read and recite it, disseminate it for the benefit of others, and expound it widely in every place. Why is this? Ānanda! A woman might fill Jambudvīpa with many kinds of precious jewels and offer them to the Buddha, the Blessed One, and through those roots of goodness seek to leave the female body behind.

“Another woman might hear this sutra, faithfully understand it, and rejoice; through these roots of goodness, she seeks to leave the female body behind. Ānanda, you should know that this sutra must be given a title.”

Ānanda said to the Buddha:

“What is the title of this sutra, and how should it be upheld?”

The Buddha told Ānanda:

“This sutra is called ‘Transformation of the Female Body,’ or ‘The Questions of the Bodhisattva Vimalaprabhā.’ It is also called ‘The Instruction on the Bodhisattva Path of Anavadyakīrti.’ You should remember and uphold it.”

When the Buddha had finished teaching this sutra, the bodhisattva Vimalaprabhā, the bodhisattvas who had come from other realms, Vimalaprabhā’s parents, the elder Ānanda, the devas, gandharvas, asuras, humans, and nonhumans, having heard the Buddha teach the sutra, rejoiced beyond measure, bowed in homage, and faithfully practiced it.