佛說大乘莊嚴寶王經

VOLUME FOUR

At that time, Bodhisattva Sarvanivaranaviskambhin addressed the Buddha, saying: “World-Honored One! How may I now obtain the Six-Syllable Great Illumination Dharani? If I obtain it, I shall thereby attain immeasurable and inconceivable corresponding samadhis.

It is equivalent to attaining unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment, entering the gateway of liberation, beholding the stage of nirvana, forever extinguishing greed and anger, perfecting the treasury of Dharma, destroying transmigration through the five destinies, purifying the hells, cutting off afflictions, delivering beings born as animals, and perfecting the Dharma flavor of all wisdom, with which wisdom I shall expound without end.

World-Honored One! I need that Six-Syllable Great Illumination Dharani. I shall do this: I shall give in charity the seven treasures filling the four great continents in order to have it written down.

World-Honored One! If paper and brush are lacking, I shall pierce my own body and use my blood as ink, strip off my skin as paper, and split my bones to make a brush. Truly, World-Honored One, I shall have no regret, but shall honor it as I would my great parents.”

The Buddha then said to Bodhisattva Sarvanivaranaviskambhin: “Good man! I recall that in the past, for the sake of this Six-Syllable Great Illumination Dharani, I traversed innumerable worlds as numerous as motes of dust. I made offerings to innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of nayutas of Tathagatas, yet even in the presence of those Tathagatas I did not hear it.

At that time there was a Buddha named Ratnottama Tathagata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly and Completely Enlightened, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Men, Teacher of Gods and Humans, Buddha, World-Honored One. Before that Buddha I shed tears and wept sorrowfully. Then that Tathagata, Worthy One, Perfectly Enlightened One, said to me: ‘Good man!

Do not weep sorrowfully. Good man! Go from here and you will see Padmottama Tathagata, the Worthy and Perfectly Enlightened One.

That Buddha knows the Six-Syllable Great Illumination Dharani.’

“Good man! I gradually departed from Ratnottama Tathagata and went to the Buddha-land of Padmottama Tathagata. Upon arriving, I bowed at the Buddha’s feet, joined my palms, and stood before him, saying: ‘I beseech the World-Honored One to bestow upon me the Six-Syllable Great Illumination Dharani. That King of Mantras is the mother-source of all. By recollecting its name, the stains of wrongdoing are eliminated and bodhi is swiftly realized. For this reason I yearn for it greatly. I have endured hardship and passed through innumerable worlds without obtaining it, and therefore I have now come here.’

“At that time Padmottama Tathagata spoke of the merits of the Six-Syllable Great Illumination Dharani, saying: ‘Good man! I can count the number of all motes of dust. Good man!

Likewise, I can count the grains of sand in the great ocean one by one. Good man! But if one recites the Six-Syllable Great Illumination once, I cannot count the resulting merit.

Good man! Suppose gods and humans built a granary one thousand yojanas in circumference and one hundred yojanas high, filled it entirely with sesame seeds without leaving even a needle-tip of empty space, and its keeper, neither aging nor dying, cast out one sesame seed at a time over five hundred kalpas until none remained in the granary. I could count their number.

Good man! But if one recites the Six-Syllable Great Illumination once, I cannot count the merit thereby obtained. Good man!

Again, suppose every kind of rice were planted throughout the four great continents; the Dragon Kings sent rain and sunshine at the proper times; all the rice ripened golden; and the entire harvest was reaped. Suppose Jambudvipa were made into a threshing floor, all the rice transported there by carts, completely threshed, and gathered into a great heap. Good man!

I could count every grain of that rice one by one. Good man! But if one recites this Six-Syllable Great Illumination once, I cannot count the resulting merit.

Good man! In Jambudvipa there are great rivers flowing day and night, called the Mita River, the Ginga River, the Naira River, the Candara River, the Bhagirathi River, the Airavati River, the Sumanada River, the Hema River, and the Kalasodari River. Each of these great rivers has five thousand tributaries that flow day and night into the great ocean.

“‘Good man! I could count every single drop of water in each of those great rivers. Good man!

But if one recites the Six-Syllable Great Illumination once, I cannot count the resulting merit. Good man! Again, I could count every hair on all the four-footed sentient beings throughout the four great continents—lions, elephants, horses, oxen, buffaloes, tigers, leopards, deer, apes, foxes, pigs, goats, and rabbits.

Good man! But if one recites this Six-Syllable Great Illumination once, I cannot count the resulting merit. Good man!

Again, Mount Vajrankusa, king of mountains, measures eighty-four thousand yojanas on each of its four sides. On that mountain is a person who neither ages nor dies and who, over the course of one kalpa, completes only a single circuit around it. I could completely cover such a king of mountains with Kausika cloth, leaving nothing uncovered.

But if one recites this Six-Syllable Great Illumination, I cannot fully express the measure of the resulting merit. Good man! Again, the great ocean is eighty-four thousand yojanas deep and its vast opening is immeasurable, yet I could fill it completely with a single hair, leaving no space.

Good man! But if one recites this Six-Syllable Great Illumination once, I cannot fully express the measure of the resulting merit. Good man!

Again, I could count every leaf in a forest of sirisa trees. Good man! But the merit obtained by reciting the Six-Syllable Great Illumination once is inconceivable and immeasurable.

Good man! Again, suppose the four great continents were entirely filled with men and women, boys and girls, and all of them attained the seventh bodhisattva bhumi. The merit possessed by that assembly of bodhisattvas would be no different from the merit of one who recites this Six-Syllable Great Illumination.

Good man! Apart from an ordinary year of twelve months, suppose there were leap years of twelve months and the additional leap months were counted as years until they completed one kalpa in the heavens, during which heavy rain fell constantly day and night.

“‘Good man! I could count every raindrop. But if one recites this Six-Syllable Great Illumination once, the quantity of merit is exceedingly vast. What do you think, good man? Again, suppose innumerable hundreds of kotis of Tathagatas gathered in one place and, throughout one heavenly kalpa, were offered every kind of food and drink, clothing, bedding, medicine, and necessary article. Even then, the measure of the merit of the Six-Syllable Great Illumination could not be fully counted. It is not only today, in this world, that I cannot conceive of it; even after emerging from samadhi, I cannot conceive of it.

“‘Good man! This is the subtle and wondrous corresponding preparatory practice of all contemplative wisdom. People of later ages will obtain this subtle and wondrous Dharma of mind. The great Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara abides well in this Six-Syllable Great Illumination Dharani.

“‘Good man! Through meritorious preparatory practices, I passed through innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of nayutas of worlds and reached the presence of Amitayus Tathagata. With palms joined before him, I shed tears and wept sorrowfully for the sake of this Dharma.

Then Amitayus Tathagata saw me there and, for the sake of future generations, said to me: “Good man! Do you require the yogic contemplative practice of the Six-Syllable Great Illumination King?” I replied: “World-Honored One, I require that Dharma! Sugata, I require that Dharma as a person tormented by thirst requires water.

World-Honored One! For the sake of that Six-Syllable Great Illumination Dharani, I have traveled through innumerable worlds and attended upon and made offerings to innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of nayutas of Tathagatas, yet I have never obtained the Six-Syllable Great Illumination King Dharani. I beseech the World-Honored One to rescue me from dullness; where I am incomplete, make me complete; when I have lost the road home, guide me and show me the way back; under the blazing sun, provide cooling shade; at the crossroads, plant a tala tree.

My heart thirsts and longs for that Dharma. I beseech you to instruct me, so that my view may abide well in the ultimate path and I may don vajra armor and wear a vajra crown.”

“‘Then Amitayus Tathagata, the Worthy and Perfectly Enlightened One, addressed the great Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara in a wondrous voice like that of the kalavinka bird: “Good man! You see that Padmottama Tathagata, the Worthy and Perfectly Enlightened One, has passed through innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of nayutas of worlds for the sake of this Six-Syllable Great Illumination Dharani.

“‘“Good man! You should give him the Six-Syllable Great Illumination. This Tathagata has come here for that reason.” Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara said to the World-Honored One: “Without seeing the mandala, one cannot obtain this Dharma. How is the Lotus Seal known? How is the Mani-Holding Seal known? How is the Seal of the King of All known? How is the Mandala of the Pure Essence known?

“‘“The form of this mandala is as follows: Its four sides form a square, each side measuring five cubits. At the center of the mandala place an image of Amitayus Buddha, Amitabha Buddha. Five kinds of precious powder should be scattered within the mandala: indranila jewel powder, padmaraga jewel powder, marakata jewel powder, sphatika jewel powder, and suvarnarupa jewel powder.

To the right of Amitayus Tathagata place the Bodhisattva Who Holds the Great Mani Jewel; to the Buddha’s left place the Six-Syllable Great Illumination deity. The deity has four arms and a body of beautiful white color like autumn moonlight, adorned with various precious ornaments. The left hand holds a lotus, upon which rests a mani jewel.

The right hand holds a rosary, and the two lower hands form the Seal of the King of All. Below the feet of the Six-Syllable Great Illumination deity place gods and humans with various adornments; one holds a censer in the right hand, while another bears in the left hand a bowl filled with various jewels. At the four corners of the mandala arrange the Four Great Heavenly Kings holding their various weapons.

Outside the four corners of the mandala place four auspicious vessels filled with various mani jewels. If good men or good women wish to enter the mandala, they may not bring their relatives into it. They should merely write down their names.

The one who enters the mandala first should cast the names of his relatives into the mandala, and all those relatives will attain the bodhisattva stage. Those within it will be freed from every suffering and swiftly attain unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment.

“‘“An acarya must not recklessly transmit this mandala Dharma. It should be transmitted to one who possesses skillful means, has profound faith in the Mahayana, diligently practices, and earnestly seeks liberation. It must not be transmitted to adherents of heterodox paths and wrong views.” Then Amitayus Tathagata, the Worthy and Perfectly Enlightened One, said to the great Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara: “Good man!

Only when these five kinds of precious colored powder are present can the mandala be established. But what should be done if good men or good women are poor and destitute and cannot procure all those precious substances?” Avalokitesvara replied: “World-Honored One! As a skillful means, they should make a beautiful mandala and offer various kinds of incense and flowers.

If such a good man cannot prepare anything at all because he is staying temporarily at an inn, a marketplace pavilion, or sometimes on the road, the acarya should mentally visualize the mandala and form the acarya’s seal.”

“‘Then Padmottama Tathagata, the Worthy and Perfectly Enlightened One, said to Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara: “Good man! Proclaim this Six-Syllable Great Illumination Dharani to me. For the sake of innumerable hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of sentient beings, I shall enable them to escape the suffering of samsara and swiftly attain unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment.”

“‘The great Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara then pronounced the Six-Syllable Great Illumination for Padmottama Tathagata, the Worthy and Perfectly Enlightened One:

“‘“OM MA NI PAD ME HUM.”

“‘As this Six-Syllable Great Illumination Dharani was pronounced, the four great continents and all the heavenly palaces trembled and shook like plantain leaves. The waters of the four great oceans surged in billowing waves. All the Vinayaka demons, yaksas, raksasas, kumbhandas, mahakas, and the retinues of those obstructing maras were terrified and fled.

“‘Then Padmottama Tathagata, the Worthy and Perfectly Enlightened One, extended his hand like the trunk of a royal elephant and presented to the great Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara a pearl necklace worth hundreds of thousands as an offering. Having accepted it, the great Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara presented it to Amitayus Tathagata, the Worthy and Perfectly Enlightened One. That Buddha accepted it and then offered it in turn to Padmottama Tathagata. Having received the Six-Syllable Great Illumination Dharani, Padmottama Tathagata returned to the Padmottama world. Good man! In the past, when I went into the presence of Padmottama Tathagata, the Worthy and Perfectly Enlightened One, I heard this Dharani.’”

Bodhisattva Sarvanivaranaviskambhin then addressed the Buddha, saying: “World-Honored One! How may I obtain that Six-Syllable Great Illumination? World-Honored One! It is fully endowed with the virtuous flavor of amrta and perfect correspondence. World-Honored One! If I hear that Dharani, my heart will never grow indolent; I shall constantly recollect, contemplate, receive, and uphold it, and shall enable sentient beings to hear the Six-Syllable Great Illumination Dharani and obtain immense merit. I beseech you to proclaim it for this reason.”

The Buddha said: “Good man! If anyone writes out this Six-Syllable Great Illumination Dharani, it is equivalent to writing out the eighty-four thousand Dharma treasuries. Suppose someone used celestial gold and jewels to fashion images of Tathagatas, Worthy and Perfectly Enlightened Ones, as numerous as motes of dust, and then, in a single day, honored, praised, and made offerings to them.

The resulting karmic reward would not equal the meritorious reward obtained by writing even one syllable of this Six-Syllable Great Illumination Dharani, through which one abides well in the inconceivable path of liberation. If good men or good women recite this Six-Syllable Great Illumination Dharani in accordance with the Dharma, they will attain samadhis called: the Samadhi of Holding the Mani Jewel, the Samadhi of Vast Expansion, the Samadhi of Purifying the Hells and Animal Realm, the Samadhi of Vajra Armor, the Samadhi of Wondrous Fulfillment and Perfection, the Samadhi of Entering All Skillful Means, the Samadhi of Entering All Dharmas, the Samadhi of Contemplating Adornments, the Samadhi of the Sound of the Dharma Vehicle, the Samadhi of Freedom from Greed, Anger, and Delusion,

the Samadhi of the Boundless Limit, the Samadhi of the Gateway of the Six Paramitas, the Samadhi of Upholding Great Sumeru, the Samadhi of Rescuing All from Fear, the Samadhi of Manifesting All Buddha-Lands, and the Samadhi of Contemplating All Buddhas.

In this way they will attain one hundred and eight samadhis.”

Bodhisattva Sarvanivaranaviskambhin then addressed the Buddha, saying: “World-Honored One! Where should I now go to obtain the Six-Syllable Great Illumination Dharani? I beseech you to instruct me.”

The Buddha said: “Good man! In the great city of Varanasi there is a Dharma master who continually resolves to recite, receive, and uphold the Six-Syllable Great Illumination Dharani.”

“World-Honored One! I now wish to go to the great city of Varanasi, see that Dharma master, bow to him, and make offerings.”

The Buddha said: “Excellent! Excellent, good man! That Dharma master is extremely difficult to encounter, for he is able to receive and uphold the Six-Syllable Great Illumination Dharani. Seeing that Dharma master is like seeing the Tathagata, like seeing the meritorious ground of the noble ones, like seeing an accumulation of merit and virtue, like seeing precious treasure, like seeing one who bestows the wish-fulfilling mani jewel, like seeing the treasury of Dharma, and like seeing the savior of the world.

“Good man! If you see that Dharma master, do not give rise to contempt, arrogance, or doubt. Good man! I fear that you might fall from the bodhisattva stage and instead sink into samsara, for that Dharma master is deficient in moral conduct, has a wife and children, has excrement and urine staining his kasaya, and lacks dignified deportment.”

Sarvanivaranaviskambhin then addressed the World-Honored One, saying: “World-Honored One! Just as the Buddha has instructed, I, Bodhisattva Sarvanivaranaviskambhin, together with innumerable assemblies of renunciant bodhisattvas, elders, boys, and girls, surrounded by an escort of protectors and attendants, wish to conduct a vast and vigorous offering ceremony. We shall carry celestial robes and parasols, various precious crowns, jeweled earrings and necklaces as adornments, precious bracelets, Kausika garments, various brocade and velvet beddings, and many kinds of flowers: utpala flowers, kumuda flowers, pundarika flowers, mandara flowers, maha-mandara flowers, manjusa flowers, maha-manjusa flowers, and exquisitely fragrant umanpadra flowers.

“There will also be other flowering trees: campaka trees, karavira trees, patala trees, atimuktaka trees, varsikaset trees, kunda trees, sumana trees, and mallika trees.

“There will also be birds: mandarin ducks, white cranes, and sari birds, following in flocks; and hundreds of kinds of leaves in five colors: yellow, blue, red, white, pink, and crystal-colored. There will also be precious trees exuding sweet fragrances.

“We shall bring all such offerings to the great city of Varanasi and go to the dwelling of the Dharma master. Upon arriving, we shall bow our heads at his feet. Although we may see that he is deficient in moral conduct and lacks dignified deportment, we shall nevertheless present parasols, bedding, clothing, incense, flowers, and every adornment, and conduct a great offering ceremony for him.

Then, with palms joined before that Dharma master, we shall say: ‘This is the Great Treasury of Dharma, the treasury of the flavor of amrta, a profound and subtle ocean of Dharma, like empty space. Whenever you expound the Dharma, all humans, gods, dragons, yaksas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, mahoragas, human and nonhuman beings assemble there. Hearing you expound the Dharma is like encountering a great vajra, for it enables sentient beings to be liberated from the karmic bonds of samsara.

All those sentient beings obtain merit. Because the people of this great city of Varanasi constantly see you, all their transgressions are extinguished, just as fire consumes a dry forest. The Tathagata, the Worthy and Perfectly Enlightened One, knows you clearly.

Now innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of nayutas of bodhisattvas have come to you, all requesting to hold a grand offering ceremony and attend upon you. Great Brahma, Narayana, Mahesvara, the Sun God, the Moon God, the Wind God, the Wind God, the Water God, the Fire God, Yama the Dharma King, and the Four Great Heavenly Kings have also all come to make offerings.’”

The Dharma master then said: “Good man! Are you joking? Or do you truly possess an earnest quest? Or are you a noble one who seeks to cut off the afflictions and samsara of the world?

“Good man! If someone obtains this Six-Syllable Great Illumination King Dharani, that person cannot be defiled by the three poisons of greed, anger, and delusion, just as refined purple gold cannot be stained by dirt. Truly so, good man! If anyone wears or keeps this Six-Syllable Great Illumination King Dharani upon the body, that person will not be tainted or attached by the diseases of greed, anger, and delusion.”

Bodhisattva Sarvanivaranaviskambhin then clasped the Dharma master’s feet and said: “My eyes are not yet fully clear, and I have lost the wondrous path. Who will be my guide? I now thirst for the true Dharma and pray that you bestow upon me its flavor.

Since I have not yet attained perfect enlightenment, enable me to abide in the Dharma-seed of bodhi, purify my physical body without destroying its wholesome qualities, and enable all sentient beings to be firmly established in this Dharma. When others inquire of you, do not begrudge it. I beseech the Dharma master to bestow upon me the ‘Six-Syllable Great Illumination King,’ so that we may swiftly attain unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment, constantly turn the twelvefold Dharma wheel, and deliver all sentient beings from the suffering of samsara.

This Dharma of the Great Illumination King has never before been heard. Now enable me to obtain the ‘Six-Syllable Great Illumination King Dharani,’ to become a refuge for those without help or support, and to be a radiant lamp in the dark night.”

The Dharma master then taught: “This Six-Syllable Great Illumination King Dharani is difficult to encounter. It is like a vajra that cannot be destroyed, like seeing unsurpassed wisdom, like inexhaustible wisdom, like the pure wisdom of the Tathagata, like entering unsurpassed liberation, like escaping greed, anger, delusion, and the sufferings of samsara, like dhyana, liberation, samadhi, and samapatti, and like entering all Dharmas, where one is always cherished by the noble Sangha.

Some good men, seeking liberation in various places, follow the teachings of heterodox paths: revering Sakra, or worshiping white-robed deities, blue-robed deities, the Sun God, Mahesvara, Narayana, Garuda, or the naked ascetics among the heterodox paths. They delight in such places, but they are not liberated from falsehood and ignorance. Though they bear the name of practitioners, they do not attain the path and merely waste a lifetime of toil.

All the hosts of gods—Great Brahma, Sakra the lord of gods, Narayana, Mahesvara, the Sun God, the Moon God, the Wind God, the Water God, the Fire God, Yama the Dharma King, and the Four Great Heavenly Kings—often come afterward to seek from me the ‘Six-Syllable Great Illumination King.’ All who obtain from me the Six-Syllable Great Illumination King attain liberation.

“Sarvanivaranaviskambhin! Prajnaparamita, the Mother of All Tathagatas, proclaims the Six-Syllable Great Illumination King in this way. All Tathagatas, Worthy and Perfectly Enlightened Ones, and all bodhisattvas reverently join their palms and bow to it.

“Good man! Within this Mahayana Dharma, it is supreme, pure, subtle, and wondrous. Why is this?

Because it is attained within the Mahayana canonical teachings of geyya, vyakarana, gatha, avadana, jataka, vaipulya, adbhuta-dharma, and upadesa. Good man! One who obtains this mother-source obtains the liberation of nirvana; why would one need to rely upon much else?

It is like the stalks of rice from one’s own household. When a vessel is full, it must overflow; under excessive sunlight, the grain must dry; after pounding, winnowing, and sifting, the husks are discarded so that the pure rice may be obtained. In the same way, the other divisions of yoga are like rice still in its husk.

Among all the divisions of yoga, this Six-Syllable Great Illumination King is like rice revealed after its husk has been removed.

“Good man! A bodhisattva who obtains this Dharma practices the paramitas of generosity, moral discipline, patience, diligence, dhyana, and wisdom. Good man! This Six-Syllable Great Illumination King is difficult to encounter. By merely reciting it once, that person will receive offerings from all Tathagatas of clothing, food and drink, medicine, seats and bedding, and every necessary article.”

Bodhisattva Sarvanivaranaviskambhin then said to the Dharma master: “Bestow upon me the Six-Syllable Great Illumination Dharani.” The Dharma master then recollected and contemplated with right mindfulness. Suddenly a voice arose in empty space, saying: “Noble one, bestow the Six-Syllable Great Illumination King.” The Dharma master thought: “From where has that voice arisen?” Again a voice issued from empty space: “Noble one! This bodhisattva earnestly seeks the preparatory practice and should therefore receive the illumination’s response. Bestow upon him the Six-Syllable Great Illumination King.”

The Dharma master then looked into empty space and saw the Lotus-Handed One, the Auspicious Lotus One, radiant like the autumn moon, with hair bound in a topknot and wearing a precious crown, adorned with the excellence of all wisdom. Seeing this bodily form, the Dharma master said to Sarvanivaranaviskambhin: “Good man! The great Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara has instructed that the Six-Syllable Great Illumination King Dharani be transmitted to you. Listen attentively.” Sarvanivaranaviskambhin then joined his palms, respectfully bowed his body, and listened to the Six-Syllable Great Illumination King Dharani:

“OM MA NI PAD ME HUM.”

When this Dharani was transmitted to him, the earth shook in six ways. At that time Bodhisattva Sarvanivaranaviskambhin attained samadhi and also attained the Samadhi of Subtle and Wondrous Wisdom. Having attained samadhi, the great Bodhisattva Sarvanivaranaviskambhin presented to the Dharma master the seven treasures filling the four great continents as an offering.

The Dharma master said: “This offering is not equal in worth even to one syllable; how, then, could it serve as an offering for the Six-Syllable Great Illumination? I shall not accept your offering. Good man!

You are a noble bodhisattva, are you not?” Sarvanivaranaviskambhin then offered the Dharma master pearl necklaces worth hundreds of thousands. The Dharma master said: “Good man! Listen attentively to my words.

You should take this offering and present it to Sakyamuni Tathagata, the Worthy and Perfectly Enlightened One.” Bodhisattva Sarvanivaranaviskambhin bowed with his head and face at the Dharma master’s feet, declared that his aspiration had been fulfilled, took leave of him, and departed. He returned to the Jeta Grove and, upon arriving, bowed at the Buddha’s feet.

The World-Honored One, Sakyamuni Tathagata, the Worthy and Perfectly Enlightened One, then said: “Good man! I know what you have attained.”

“It is exactly so, World-Honored One!”

At that time, seventy-seven hundred kotis of Tathagatas, Worthy and Perfectly Enlightened Ones, assembled there. Those Tathagatas together pronounced the Great Cundi Dharani:

“NAMO SAPTANAM, SAMYAKSAM BUDDHA KOTINAM, TADYATHA: OM—CALE CULE CUNDE SVAHA.”

When the seventy-seven hundred kotis of Tathagatas, Worthy and Perfectly Enlightened Ones, pronounced this Dharani, there was upon the body of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara a pore called Sunlight, within which were innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of nayutas of bodhisattvas. Within that Sunlight pore were twelve thousand golden mountains, each with one thousand two hundred lofty peaks. Around those mountains were precious lotuses and ornamented groves, celestial wish-fulfilling mani jewels, celestial bathing pools, and innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of pavilions adorned with precious gold.

Hundreds of thousands of garments, pearls, and necklaces hung above them. Within those pavilions were wondrous wish-fulfilling jewels that supplied all the great bodhisattvas with every necessary article in complete abundance. The bodhisattvas entered the pavilions and recited the Six-Syllable Great Illumination.

They then beheld the stage of nirvana. Upon reaching the stage of nirvana, they saw the Tathagata and the great Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, and joy arose in their hearts. When those bodhisattvas left the pavilions, they returned to the places for walking meditation among the precious gardens, then returned to the bathing pools, and afterward reached the jewel mountain called Lotus Color.

There they sat together in the full lotus posture and entered great samadhi. Thus it is, good man! In this way the bodhisattvas abide within that pore.

Good man! There is another pore called Lord Sakra, within which are innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of nayutas of non-retrogressing bodhisattvas. Within that Lord Sakra pore are eighty thousand celestial golden mountains.

In those mountains is a wish-fulfilling mani jewel called Lotus Light, through which whatever those bodhisattvas contemplate is fulfilled according to their minds.

“When the bodhisattvas dwell within those mountains, if they think of food and drink, these are immediately provided in abundance. They no longer undergo the afflictions and sufferings of samsara, and whenever they contemplate, their bodies accord with their contemplation. Good man!

There is another pore called Great Medicine, within which are innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of nayutas of bodhisattvas who have first aroused the aspiration for enlightenment. Good man! Within that pore are ninety-nine thousand mountains.

In those mountains are caves of precious vajra, caves of precious gold, caves of precious silver, caves of precious sapphire, caves of precious lotus color, caves of precious green color, and caves of precious crystal color. That king of mountains has eighty thousand lofty peaks adorned with various wish-fulfilling mani jewels and other wondrous treasures. Upon the mountain peaks are hosts of gandharvas who constantly perform sweet and melodious music.

Those bodhisattvas who have first aroused the aspiration contemplate emptiness, signlessness, non-self, the suffering of birth, the suffering of aging, the suffering of illness, the suffering of death, the suffering of separation from those one loves, the suffering of encountering those one hates, the suffering of the Avici hell, the suffering of sentient beings fallen into the Black Rope hell, and the suffering of sentient beings fallen into the realm of hungry ghosts.

Contemplating in this way, they sit in the full lotus posture and enter great samadhi within those mountains. Good man! There is another pore called King of Paintings, within which are innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of nayutas of pratyekabuddhas, manifesting blazing rays of light.

Within that pore are hundreds of thousands of myriads of kings of mountains, adorned with the seven treasures. There are also kalpa trees whose branches and leaves are of gold and silver, adorned with innumerable hundreds of treasures and various ornaments. Precious crowns, jeweled rings, garments, necklaces, precious bells, and Kausika robes hang upon them.

Bells of precious gold and silver chime with subtle, resonant sounds. The mountains are filled with such kalpa trees. Innumerable pratyekabuddhas abide there, constantly expounding the canonical teachings of geyya, vyakarana, gatha, avadana, jataka, vaipulya, adbhuta-dharma, upadesa, and other Dharmas.

“Sarvanivaranaviskambhin! When those pratyekabuddhas emerge from that pore, there is finally another pore called Banner King, eighty thousand yojanas wide. Within it are eighty thousand mountains adorned with wondrous treasures and wish-fulfilling mani jewels. Upon those kings of mountains are innumerable kalpa trees, innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of sandalwood trees exuding sweet fragrances, and innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of great trees. There is also ground of precious vajra and ninety-nine pavilions, above which hang hundreds of thousands of myriads of pearls, precious gold, garments, and jeweled necklaces. Such things appear within that pore. Sarvanivaranaviskambhin! I have now finished expounding the Dharma for you.”

The Buddha then said to Ananda: “If a person, not understanding karmic retribution, spits, urinates, or defecates within a monastery, I shall now explain the consequences to you. If someone spits upon the pure land belonging permanently to the Sangha, that person will be born within a tala tree as a worm whose beak is as sharp as a needle, and will remain there for twenty years. If someone urinates or defecates upon land belonging permanently to the Sangha, that person will be born as a filthy worm in a place of excrement and urine in the great city of Varanasi.

If someone secretly takes for personal use property permanently belonging to the Three Jewels, even something no larger than a toothpick, that person will fall among loaches, whales, and crocodiles. If someone steals sesame, oil, rice, beans, or other things permanently belonging to the Three Jewels, that person will fall among three kinds of hungry ghosts, with disheveled hair, bristling body hair, a belly as large as a mountain, and a neck as thin as a needle.

Scorched as though roasted dry, that person’s body will display only bones, and the person will undergo such painful retribution. If someone treats the Sangha with contempt and arrogance, that person will be reborn in an impoverished and lowly household. Wherever that person is born, the faculties will be incomplete; the back will be hunched and the body short and ugly.

After abandoning that body and being reborn elsewhere, that person will suffer many illnesses, become emaciated, have crooked hands and feet, ooze blood and pus, and have cracked flesh and skin discharging fluid. For hundreds of thousands of myriads of years, that person will undergo such painful retribution. If someone encroaches upon or steals the land or soil permanently belonging to the Sangha, that person will fall into the Wailing Hell and swallow red-hot iron balls.

The teeth and lips will fall away, the throat will burn and decay, and the heart, liver, intestines, abdomen, and entire body will blaze with fire.”

A bhiksu then said: “The wind of karma blows that person to death, after which he revives. There, Yama’s hell wardens seize the offender by the head. Through the person’s own karmic retribution, a vast, long tongue emerges, and hundreds of thousands of myriads of iron plows furrow that tongue.

The person undergoes this painful retribution for many myriads of years. After emerging from that hell, he enters the hell of boiling oil cauldrons. Yama’s hell wardens seize the offender by the head and pierce his tongue with hundreds of thousands of myriads of needles.

Because of karmic power, he still does not die. In this manner he passes successively through the hells for three kalpas. That person then regains a human body in Jambudvipa, is born into an impoverished and distressed household, and is blind in both eyes.

Such painful retributions must be endured. Take care never to steal property permanently belonging to the Three Jewels.

“If bhiksus uphold the precepts, they should keep three robes. When entering a royal palace, they should wear the first, great robe. On ordinary days among the assembly, they should wear the second robe. When performing duties, entering a village, or traveling on the road, they should wear the third robe. Bhiksus should keep the three robes in this manner. Those who uphold the precepts gain merit and wisdom. I say that bhiksus should uphold the precepts and discipline and must not steal or personally use property permanently belonging to the Three Jewels. I may be able to rescue someone from a pit of fire or a place filled with poison, but if someone steals and uses property permanently belonging to the Three Jewels, that person cannot possibly be rescued.”

Ananda then addressed the World-Honored One, saying: “Just as the Buddha has taught, we shall fully practice and train. Bhiksus who receive and uphold the precepts and discipline should abide well in and preserve the World-Honored One’s precepts.”

The Venerable Ananda then bowed at the Buddha’s feet, circumambulated him, and withdrew. The great sravakas also returned to their former places. All those in the world—gods, dragons, yaksas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans—having heard the Buddha expound the Dharma, rejoiced, faithfully accepted it, bowed to the Buddha, and departed.

The Buddha’s Discourse on the Mahayana Sutra of the Sublime Treasure King

(END OF VOLUME FOUR)