佛說大乘大方廣佛冠經

Thus have I heard:

At one time the Buddha was dwelling on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa (Vulture Peak), in the city of Rājagṛha, together with a great assembly of bhikṣus fully numbering one thousand two hundred and fifty, all of them Arhats who had exhausted every defilement. There were also assemblies of great Bodhisattvas, with the Bodhisattva Maitreya and the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī as their foremost leaders, together with innumerable devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, and the assemblies of the goddesses, the Vidyādhara Ṛṣis, and others.

At that time, the World-Honored One addressed the venerable Mahākāśyapa:

"Kāśyapa! Now, in order to cause the Bodhisattvas who have newly aroused the mind to bring all roots of goodness to maturity, I have this proclamation to make. Listen attentively and reflect upon it well."

Then Mahākāśyapa addressed the Buddha:

"Excellent! Reverently, O World-Honored One! We will receive and uphold your teaching and listen attentively."

The Buddha said:

"Kāśyapa! In the East, beyond worlds as numerous as the sands of more than one Ganges River from this Buddha-realm, there is a world named Samādhi-Adornment. In that realm there is a Buddha whose title is Foremost Auspicious Upholder of Samādhi, the Tathāgata, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly and Completely Enlightened One, who at present dwells there teaching and transforming beings for their benefit. In that Buddha-realm there is a great Bodhisattva named Free from Dust, who, succeeding that Buddha, will accomplish the fruit of Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment, with the title Constant Foremost Auspicious Upholder of Samādhi, the Tathāgata, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly and Completely Enlightened One, appearing in the world.

Kāśyapa! If there be any good sons and good daughters abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle who hear this title of the Foremost Auspicious Upholder of Samādhi Tathāgata and the title of the great Bodhisattva Free from Dust, and who constantly recite, uphold, and keep them, then such persons in their future lives will attain the knowledge of their former lives, will turn their backs upon birth and death for a hundred kalpas, will be able to receive immeasurable merit, and will draw near to the attainment of the fruit of Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment.

Furthermore, Kāśyapa! In the East, beyond worlds as numerous as the sands of two Ganges Rivers from this Buddha-realm, there is a world named Adornment of the Great Bodhi-Maṇḍala, Wondrously Beloved. In that realm there is a Buddha whose title is Foremost Auspicious Lotus Tathāgata, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly and Completely Enlightened One, who at present dwells in that realm teaching and transforming beings for their benefit. In the realm of that Buddha there is a great Bodhisattva named Lotus-Holder, who, succeeding that Buddha, will accomplish the fruit of Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment, with the title Lotus Supreme King Tathāgata, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly and Completely Enlightened One, appearing in the world.

Kāśyapa! If there be any good sons and good daughters abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle who hear the title of the Foremost Auspicious Lotus Tathāgata, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly and Completely Enlightened One, and the title of the great Bodhisattva Lotus-Holder, and who constantly recite, uphold, and keep them, then such persons in their future lives will attain the knowledge of their former lives, and even when they are born they will always be born by transformation from a lotus flower; dwelling in the world, they will not be tainted or attached, and will transcend all unwholesome dharmas, just as the lotus flower is not stained by water.

With respect to Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment they will attain non-retrogression; for thirty thousand kalpas they will turn their backs upon birth and death, and will be able to gather in immeasurable merit, drawing near to the attainment of the fruit of Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment.

Furthermore, Kāśyapa! In the East, beyond worlds as numerous as the sands of more than three Ganges Rivers from this Buddha-realm, there is a world named Treasury Free from Dust. In that realm there is a Buddha whose title is Most Victorious Auspicious Radiance of the Solar Orb, the Tathāgata, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly and Completely Enlightened One, who at present dwells there teaching and transforming beings for their benefit.

In that Buddha-realm there is a great Bodhisattva named Radiance of Sunlight, who, succeeding that Buddha, will accomplish Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment, called the Tathāgata Whose Body Is Adorned with the Foremost Multitude of Marks, the Perfect Fulfillment of the Auspiciousness of All the Sages, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly and Completely Enlightened One, appearing in the world.

Kāśyapa! If there be any good sons and good daughters abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle who hear this title of the Most Victorious Auspicious Radiance of the Solar Orb Tathāgata, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly and Completely Enlightened One, and the title of the great Bodhisattva Radiance of Sunlight, and who constantly recite, uphold, and keep them, then such persons in their future lives will attain the knowledge of their former lives, and relying upon the wholesome dharmas they will shine forth as the radiance of the solar orb.

They will no longer be born again to fall into the three evil destinies, into ignorance, delusion, confusion, or fear; with respect to Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment they will attain non-retrogression. For one thousand kalpas they will turn their backs upon birth and death, drawing near to the attainment of the fruit of Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment.

Furthermore, Kāśyapa! In the East, beyond worlds as numerous as the sands of more than four Ganges Rivers from this Buddha-realm, there is a world named Attainment of Sovereign Mastery. In that realm there is a Buddha whose title is Foremost One-Jeweled Canopy, the Tathāgata, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly and Completely Enlightened One, who at present dwells there teaching and transforming beings for their benefit.

Kāśyapa! If there be any good sons and good daughters abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle who are able to hear the title of the Foremost One-Jeweled Canopy, the Tathāgata, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly and Completely Enlightened One, and who constantly recite, uphold, and keep it, then such persons in their future lives will attain the knowledge of their former lives. They will not be born in a lowly clan, nor be born in a destitute and base clan; wherever they receive birth, they will be born within the palace of a king.

In the place where they are born, there will be no calamity from the mother, no calamity from the father, no calamity to their wealth and nobility, and no calamity of illness. With respect to Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment they will attain non-retrogression; for thirty thousand kalpas they will turn their backs upon birth and death, drawing near to the attainment of the fruit of Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment.

Furthermore, Kāśyapa! In the East, beyond worlds as numerous as the sands of more than five Ganges Rivers from this Buddha-realm, there is a world named Pure Treasury. In that realm there is a Buddha whose title is Foremost Auspicious Samādhi, the Tathāgata, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly and Completely Enlightened One, who at present dwells there teaching and transforming beings for their benefit.

Kāśyapa! That Foremost Auspicious Samādhi Tathāgata, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly and Completely Enlightened One, in ages past, while cultivating the practices of the Bodhisattva path, made this great vow: 'I vow that in a future age, when I have accomplished Buddhahood, if there be any good sons and good daughters abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle who hear my title and constantly recite, uphold, and keep it, then such persons, life after life when they are born, shall always be able to leave the household life; and having left the household life, they shall all attain a thousand samādhis, and within each single samādhi they shall further realize a hundred thousand myriad koṭi nayuta gateways of samādhi.

The samādhis that such a one attains shall never be lost; he shall be able, in the past, to have paid reverence to ten thousand Buddhas who had entered Nirvāṇa, hearing the Dharma; and thus in the present and future, the seeing of Buddhas and hearing of the Dharma shall likewise be so. He shall attain non-retrogression with respect to Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment, and life after life, throughout a thousand kalpas, shall be born turning his back upon birth and death, drawing near to the attainment of the fruit of Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment.'

Kāśyapa! If there be any good sons and good daughters abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle who hear the title of the Foremost Auspicious Samādhi Tathāgata, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly and Completely Enlightened One, and are able to recite, uphold, and keep it, then with respect to such characteristics of practice as they have sought, they shall all attain them.

Furthermore, Kāśyapa! In the East, beyond worlds as numerous as the sands of six Ganges Rivers from this Buddha-realm, there is a world named Jeweled Adornment. In that realm there is a Buddha whose title is King of the Lofty and Victorious Auspicious Radiance of the Jeweled Orb, the Tathāgata, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly and Completely Enlightened One, who at present dwells there teaching and transforming beings for their benefit.

Kāśyapa! If there be any good sons and good daughters abiding in the Bodhisattva Vehicle who hear this title of the King of the Lofty and Victorious Auspicious Radiance of the Jeweled Orb, the Tathāgata, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly and Completely Enlightened One, and are able to recite, uphold, and keep it, then such persons in their future lives will attain the knowledge of their former lives. They will possess mindfulness and wisdom, and all their marks will be perfect and complete; they will accomplish speech that is trustworthy and accordant, and will attain eloquence in speech that is unbroken.

Kāśyapa! Such persons are able, amid all the eloquence of the world, of the devas, and of human beings, to be unbroken; they will not be made by others to be interrupted or to retreat, but will constantly possess eloquence, with speech unbroken.

Furthermore, if any good sons and good daughters constantly recite the title of that Buddha, then such persons, when they hear the Dharma, will have the marks of the Holy Buddha appear directly before them. If, with respect to dharmas that they had never heard before, then according to what they study, at that very moment they will attain boundless myriad koṭi nayuta hundred thousand dhāraṇī-gateways of accordant turning.

Moreover, within this realm of Jambudvīpa, whatever all sentient beings delight in and aspire to and seek, such a one will be able to know it, and thereafter, in accordance with what they have come to faithfully understand, will skillfully expound the Dharma for their sake. They will attain non-retrogression with respect to Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment, and for asaṃkhyeya myriad koṭi nayuta hundred thousand kalpas will turn their backs upon birth and death, and will be able to gather in immeasurable merit."

THE GREAT VEHICLE MAHĀVAIPULYA SŪTRA OF THE BUDDHA'S RADIANCE, SPOKEN BY THE BUDDHA

End of the Upper Scroll