佛說觀佛三昧海經

CHAPTER THREE: CONTEMPLATION OF THE MARKS

II. The Buddha said:

“Father, what is meant by the radiance of the white urna-mark when the bodhisattva subdued Mara?”

From afar, the celestial Mara Papiyan used his divine eye to observe Jambudvipa. He saw that the son of the Sakya clan had cast aside his kingdom as one would spit out saliva and was seated beneath the Bodhi tree. His skin and bones were withered, and his body was emaciated like that of one long afflicted by illness. Only his golden radiance shone ever more distinctly. His eyes were deep and dark, like stars at the bottom of a well; his joints pressed against one another, and he had lost the majestic bearing of a coiled dragon.

Papiyan rejoiced and said, “Gautama’s body is emaciated, and his bones and joints are like withered grass. Although he possesses a luminous complexion, his life will not last much longer, and he has not yet attained the Way. I must defeat him.”

Displaying anger, he ordered the yakshas to assemble their armies and said, “I now intend to descend into Jambudvipa and wage war against Gautama!”

At that time, Mara’s son, named Satara, knelt upright and addressed his father, saying, “When the son of King Suddhodana was born, myriad deities attended him, and his radiance illuminated all the heavenly realms. His compassionate heart embraces all beings. Now, for the sake of sentient beings, he sits beneath the Bodhi tree. Why, then, does my royal father give rise to such a wicked and rebellious intention?”

Mara immediately became angry and said, “You are still young and ignorant; that is why you claim that Gautama possesses virtue surpassing that of others. Gautama’s body is wasted away like a dry skeleton. Upon careful examination, in what respect can he be called compassionate?”

His son again said, “Gautama’s body is emaciated because he does not eat. When I behold his radiance, it resembles the brilliant purple flames pouring forth from Mount Vajra. He has sat in silent stillness for six years, his mind never disturbed. When I observe his countenance, he has never shown the slightest look of fear. I beseech the Great King to remain in the celestial palace and not go forth to attack him!”

Papiyan replied, “You should simply remain silent. Why speak so many words?”

The lord of the yakshas, named Shita, then came before Mara, bowed his head to the ground in homage, and said, “Where does Your Majesty command us to go?”

Papiyan said, “Carry my proclamation throughout the six heavens, and proclaim it below to the kings of the ghosts, the beings of the eight classes, the wilderness ghosts, King Yama, and the spirits of the eighteen levels of hell. Let them all assemble at Gautama’s dwelling place.”

Then the ghosts surged like rising clouds and gathered from all four directions. Some had heads like oxen’s heads and forty ears. From within those ears emerged red-hot iron arrows, with flames rising one yojana high. They had eighteen horns, and upon the tip of each horn rested a mountain; upon each mountain was a dragon holding a red-hot iron ball in its mouth.

There were also ghosts with heads like foxes’ heads and ten thousand eyes. Their eyelashes were long and enormous, like blazing flames and crashing thunderbolts. They had mouths upon their necks, from which raging fire poured forth. The hairs covering their bodies resembled sword-trees.

There were also ghosts who stood swaying in empty space and had twelve legs. Upon their heels were a thousand wheels of blades. Their heads were like great mountains, and upon each head were five hundred swords, with flames rising from the tips of the blades.

There were also ghosts who crawled sinuously upon their bellies, carrying the Iron Encircling Mountains on their heads and approaching with their backs bent.

There were also ghosts with a single neck and many heads, whose mouths contained a thousand tongues. Sharp thorn-trees grew upon their tongues. Their hair and beards bristled, and from the tips of their hairs rained blood. Spewing sharp thorns, they sped through the air.

The pishacha ghosts uttered great and dreadful cries. Their breath billowed upward like clouds, raining down red-hot iron balls, and they arrived as swiftly as lightning.

The kumbhanda ghosts sat with their legs spread upon the ground, manifesting hideous forms.

The putana ghosts had black, emaciated bodies. On their heads they carried cauldrons filled with red-hot iron balls, and in their hands they held wheels of blades. Their left feet trod upon the backs of dogs, and their right feet upon the backs of wolves, as they came racing swiftly.

The rakshasa kings had backs as black as dark lacquer and chests as white as the moon. Their eyes were like blazing fire, and their disheveled hair bristled like tangled thorns. Their canine teeth jutted upward like spears and sharp swords. Their ten fingers bore claws as sharp as spear-points, and their feet had ten claws crossing one another like swords. With iron bands securing their heads, they came racing swiftly.

The wilderness ghosts, great generals, and others had one neck and six heads, six faces upon their chests, and two faces upon their knees. Their entire bodies were covered with hairs like iron arrows; by shaking their bodies, they shot these arrows at others. Their eyes were wide open and blood-red, streaming with blood. Together with all kinds of ferocious beings, they came rushing swiftly.

There were also ghosts whose heads resembled tigers’ heads and who had twelve eyes. Their noses resembled elephants’ trunks, and they had thirteen trunks. Upon their left shoulders they carried mountains, and upon their right shoulders they bore fire. Holding sharp swords in their hands and treading lightly like lions, they approached with thunderous roars.

There were also ghosts whose bodies resembled clouds, with fire, thunder, and lightning arising like the crests of storm clouds. Beside those clouds were hundreds of thousands of myriads of dragons. Their bodies could not be seen; only the poisonous smoke they emitted was visible, spreading throughout the ten directions.

Every evil thing gathered together like clouds. Mother-and-child ghosts, spirit generals, and all their offspring each carried a sheer rock wall ten miles square, towering high and terrifying. They vied with one another as they approached.

There were also ghosts with hunched spines and tails tucked beneath them. They sniffed the ground with their noses, from which they snorted fire. Within the blazing red flames, other ghosts were miraculously born, covering their faces as they ran....

At that time, the Mara King cast a sidelong glance at the yakshas and issued orders to the ghosts: “Today the ghostly armies have assembled like clouds. The virtuous Gautama may know magical spells, so we must raise the fourfold army.”

Using the Mara King’s jewel, he conjured the four divisions of troops: elephants, cavalry, chariots, and infantry. Their weapons stood arrayed as densely as a forest and were exceedingly terrifying. They descended directly through the air to the side of the Bodhi tree.

Mara then thought, “Even an army such as this may be unable to launch a surprise attack and subdue Gautama.” Mara then removed his jeweled crown and placed it upon the ground. The crown’s radiance traveled straight downward and, above King Yama’s palace, transformed into a man who cried out loudly and commanded the ghosts:

“You jailers and King Yama! Raise up all the wheels of blades, swords, halberds, fiery chariots, charcoal furnaces, and every other instrument of Avici Hell, and direct them toward Jambudvipa! I intend to destroy Gautama and cast him into that place.

“Avici Hell is eighty thousand yojanas in both length and breadth and has seven walls of iron. Beneath it are eighteen levels, and on its four sides stand eighteen rows of sword-forests. To the east, it is further surrounded by eighteen minor hells. To the south, it is surrounded by eighteen levels; to the west, by eighteen levels; and to the north, by eighteen levels.

“From beneath the ground, fire naturally blazes upward, burning the iron walls and iron nets. All the scorching flames whirl and circle throughout the hell, descending through its eighteen levels. If sentient beings have committed the five heinous offenses, their bodies are confined within that hell, where they undergo such suffering day and night without interruption and without any respite.

“When the kalpa is about to end, the four gates open of themselves. All the offenders see the sword-forest outside the eastern gate as though it were a cool and refreshing grove. They rise from the lowest level to the second, from the second to the third, and so on until they reach the highest level, and then they run toward the eastern gate.

“The rakshasa jailers thrust red-hot iron tridents—hot iron implements whose heads branch into many sharp points—backward into their eyes. Their vital fluids pour onto the ground like molten copper, and they immediately tumble back down throughout all eighteen levels. Their minds remain delirious for an entire minor kalpa.

“Only then do they rise again and turn toward the southern gate.... In this manner, the same occurs in all four directions, without any difference from before. They suffer day and night throughout one great kalpa. When that kalpa ends, they are reborn in other minor hells. As for those other hells, their forms are large or small, the retributions endured are light or heavy, and their shapes are fair or hideous...”

All the various karmic retributions I shall explain extensively again in the Samadhi of Loving-Kindness.

As for the wardens of hell, there were eight thousand to the east of the city, and likewise in each of the other three directions. From the hair on the head of each warden arose wheels of knives, swords, and halberds. Their ears resembled those of donkeys and assumed hundreds of thousands of forms.

From each ear, smoke and flames arose. Their lips, mouths, teeth, and fangs were hundreds of thousands of myriads of times more fearsome than those of rakshasas. Their horns resembled those of oxen, and swords sprang from their tips, presenting different appearances when viewed from the five directions.

Their bodies were red and black, like dogs afflicted with festering mange. Each had four hundred tails, from whose tips flowed thick blood and boiling excrement. Iron-beaked worms coiled around their bodies.

They held iron pitchforks in their hands and trampled wheels beneath their feet. The blades on the wheels pierced straight through their hearts and marrow as they sped like the wind. They all thrust their iron pitchforks across the backs of the sinners, raised them upright, and ran.

Avici Hell followed the sinners as a shadow follows its form, and in an instant they arrived beside the Bodhi tree.

They gathered all at once, intending to commit wicked and rebellious acts. At that time, the bodhisattva remained solemnly unmoving and entered the Samadhi of Supreme Loving-Kindness. The deceitful Mara became enraged and roared loudly, commanding his assembled troops: “Quickly afflict Gautama!”

Above, thunder shook the heavens, and heated iron pellets rained down. Wheels of knives and weapons piled one upon another, filling the sky in disarray. On all four sides, the demons simultaneously kindled fires. Yet none of those flaming arrows could approach the bodhisattva.

The bodhisattva then slowly raised his right arm and extended the white hair between his eyebrows downward as far as Avici Hell. He caused the sinners to see water pouring forth from the white hair, raining down in drops as large as cartwheels and drenching the great fire. The great fire gradually died away until only smoke remained. The minds of those undergoing punishment awakened, and they each recalled the sins they had committed throughout hundreds, thousands, and hundreds of thousands of myriads of lives in the past.

The wardens of hell all grasped their great iron pitchforks and tried to lift the sinners, but even with all their strength they could not move them. Suddenly, they saw upon the tips of the great iron pitchforks what appeared to be a white silver mountain containing thousands of myriads of shrines and dwellings. There was a white lion whose coiled body formed a seat. Upon that seat arose a white lotus, on which sat a wondrous bodhisattva absorbed in the Samadhi of Supremely Wondrous Loving-Kindness. Thus adorned, he resembled Mount Sumeru.

The wardens released their iron pitchforks and cast them upon the ground, where seven-jeweled flowers sprang from beneath their bases. White light illuminated all the hells and the bodies of the wardens, causing King Yama and all the wardens to appear as white silver mountains, visible briefly like a flash of lightning.

The six sense faculties and all the organs of the sinners were ablaze with fierce flames that burned their bones; fire blazed from their heads, and their sinews and vessels had become nails. Yet for a moment they were all able to rise, join their palms, and fold their hands toward the Mark of the White Hair. Their minds were immediately opened and freed. Within the white hair, they saw people no different from themselves, seated in a forest of lotus flowers and pouring water upon the crowns of the sinners’ heads, so that for a time the tormenting heat in their minds was cooled.

They then all proclaimed in unison: “Namo Buddha.” Through these causes and conditions, after completing their punishment, they were born directly among human beings with all their faculties intact. Possessing right view, they left the household life. Having gone forth, they shattered two billion caverns of the binding afflictions and attained the fruit of stream-entry.

When Mara saw these signs, he became haggard and grief-stricken, withdrew, and lay upon his bed. Mara had three daughters. The eldest was named Delight in Him, the middle daughter Joyful Heart, and the youngest Great Enchantment. Mara’s three daughters came before their royal father, knelt upright with folded hands, paid homage to him, and said: “Royal Father, why are you so sorrowful and haggard today?”

Their father replied: “The ascetic Gautama has made a profound and weighty vow. He now sits beneath the Bodhi tree, intent upon harming my subjects. Therefore, I am distressed.”

His daughters said to their father: “We can go and disturb him. Father, please do not grieve!”

They immediately adorned themselves, placing crowns of assorted jewels upon their heads. Their forms were so alluring and their beauty so extraordinary that they surpassed the queen of the Mara king by hundreds of thousands of myriads of times. Casting amorous glances and displaying radiant beauty, their dazzling jeweled necklaces illuminated the six heavens. They rode in carts covered with precious feathers and enclosed by jeweled canopies, from which celestial flowers gracefully hung. At the tips of the flower tassels were magically manifested celestial maidens holding musical instruments and performing music and songs. Their myriad sounds brought delight to people in the world.

Each celestial maiden was accompanied by five hundred maidens serving as attendants, bearing parasols, standards, and banners of five-colored silk, brilliant as clouds, as they descended. From the pores of their bodies issued clouds of intensely fragrant incense. Hundreds of thousands of colors made heaven and earth shine brilliantly, greatly pleasing to the eye.

The daughters of Mara proceeded serenely and slowly toward the bodhisattva. They descended from their carts, joined their palms, bowed reverently to the bodhisattva, circumambulated him seven times, and then said: “When the prince was born, myriad spirits attended him and the seven treasures arrived in due course. Why have you abandoned your celestial station to come beneath this tree?

We are celestial maidens, beautiful beyond compare! Our countenances shine radiantly, without equal throughout the six heavens! We now offer our humble bodies to the prince!

Accept us to attend at either side, to hold your towel and arrange your pouch. We are skilled in tending and caressing the body! We now wish to draw close to you; we beseech you graciously to favor us with your affection.

The prince has sat beneath this tree until his body is weary. You should lie down to rest and partake of ambrosial food and drink!”

They then used precious vessels to offer a hundred kinds of celestial food. The prince remained silent, his body and mind unmoved. By means of meditative contemplation through the white hair, he caused the three daughters of the celestial Mara to see within their own bodies sacs of filth, tears, mucus, the nine apertures, sinews and vessels, all the bodily organs, the large and small intestines, the undigested and digested viscera, and so forth.

Within these spaces, worms were secretly and continuously born, writhing about. So many worms filled their bodies that there were as many as eight thousand compartments, each containing nine hundred million tiny worms. When the tiny worms roamed and played, they entered the small intestine. Each had four mouths, which they opened upward. The large worms roamed and played within the large intestine. Emerging from the large intestine, they entered the stomach. When an illness of cold arose, the opening of the stomach became obstructed and the worms could not enter, causing food to remain undigested.

In the spleen, kidneys, liver, lungs, heart, gallbladder, throat, and elsewhere—the flaccid lungs, the wrinkled liver, and the spaces between—four further kinds of worms were born. They resembled four snakes joined together and simultaneously devoured the viscera from above and below. From the residue, fluids arose: entering the eyes, they became tears; entering the nose, they became mucus; gathering in the mouth, they became saliva; and when the mouth opened, spittle flowed out. In the thick skin, thin skin, sinews, marrow, and all the vessels were born tiny worms as fine as autumn hairs, so numerous that they could not be fully described.

When the daughters saw these things, they immediately vomited incessantly without end. They then saw that on the left side of each of their bodies a snake’s head appeared, on the right side a fox’s head appeared, and in the middle a dog’s head appeared. Upon their heads appeared corpses in nine stages, corresponding to the nine contemplations. The nine contemplations are:

– First is the contemplation of a newly dead corpse. One sees the corpse of a person who has just died, its body rigid and utterly without awareness. One then reflects that one’s own body will likewise become so, no different from this person’s. Therefore, it is called the contemplation of a newly dead corpse.

– Second is the contemplation of livid putrefaction. One sees a corpse from one to seven days after death, its body swollen, blue-green, and dark with putrefaction. One reflects that this cherished body of one’s own will likewise become so, no different from this dead person’s. Therefore, it is called the contemplation of livid putrefaction.

– Third is the aspect of blood and pus. It is like seeing a dead person whose body has already decayed and putrefied, with blood flowing everywhere—truly repulsive and unbearable to behold. This cherished body of mine will likewise become so; therefore, it is called the aspect of blood and pus.

– Fourth is the aspect of reddish fluid. One may see a dead person whose body lies sprawled in all directions, with yellow fluid flowing out like reddish water. This cherished body of mine will likewise become so; therefore, it is called the aspect of reddish fluid (clinging to rosy coloration).

– Fifth is the aspect of being eaten but not consumed. One may see a dead person pecked at and eaten by crows and birds, chewed and devoured by worms and wolves, while flies lay eggs and produce maggots that bore into the corpse.... The flesh may be nearly gone, or only half the body may remain. This cherished body of mine will likewise become so; therefore, it is called the aspect of being eaten but not consumed.

– Sixth is the aspect of sinews binding a bundle of firewood. One may see a dead person whose skin and flesh are gone, leaving only sinews and bones joined together like a bundle of firewood. Held together by them, the bones do not scatter apart. This cherished body of mine will likewise become so; therefore, it is called the aspect of sinews binding a bundle of firewood.

– Seventh is the aspect of bones and joints scattered apart. One may see a dead person whose sinews have already decomposed, with bones and joints strewn about and no longer gathered in one place. This cherished body of mine will likewise become so; therefore, it is called the aspect of bones and joints scattered apart.

– Eighth is the aspect of repulsive burning. One may see a dead person burned by a house fire or scorched by a fire in the open fields, lying blackened upon the ground—utterly repulsive and unbearable to behold. This cherished body of mine will likewise become so; therefore, it is called the aspect of repulsive burning.

– Ninth is the aspect of dry bones. One may see dry bones that have lain for a long time—for fifty years... up to one hundred years, two hundred years, three hundred years.... The bones become white again, exposed beneath the sunlight. Fire rises steadily from the bones. After the fire has burned the bones, the wind blows them into the earth, and the bones return once more to the earth.

This is called a brief exposition of the nine signs. This was the bodhisattva beneath the tree, first opening the gateway to the contemplation of impurity. At that time, the three daughters of Mara each saw herself carrying her parents upon her back.

Their hair was white, their faces wrinkled, their lips and mouths distorted, their limbs crooked, and their complexions dark, like rigid corpses. Before her breast, each also held a dead infant, from whose six orifices pus flowed; within the pus arose worms resembling intestinal worms. When the daughters saw these things, they were astonished and terrified.

Wailing aloud, they retreated backward. Lowering their heads, they saw six dragons emerging across their navels. The dragons spewed water and fire, wind issued from their ears, and their bodies were as hard as iron.

They saw their female forms become so ugly, base, and filthy. In those base places were tiny worms, each with four heads, two above and two below, which devoured the women’s bodies and spewed five poisons from their mouths. Each poison had five channels that rose to the heart and descended as far as the throat.

From within the six faculties arose channels belonging to those faculties, as many as ninety-nine channels descending directly and pouring into the worms at the crown of the head; together they coursed through to the worms in the heart. Throughout countless lifetimes, these women had committed deviant acts. Because of the causes and conditions of their evil karma, they had to undergo bodies so ugly and impure.

There were also worms shaped like armlets, perfectly round and possessing many mouths. From their mouths issued five poisons, and they gnawed upon the female organs. Because these women had practiced sexual misconduct in previous lives, they received ugly bodies yet regarded them as adornments. When the women saw this, their hearts were filled with bitter anguish, as though pierced by arrows. Thus, as they withdrew, they crawled away on their hands and knees. They moved like feeble camels; whenever they first raised a foot, every joint and bone seemed to burst into flame. Their hair was yellowish-black, like a forest of sharp thorns. Binding their own bodies, they cried and lamented as they went before Mara, the king.

The Mara king became enraged, brandished his sword, and changed countenance, intending immediately to go straight to where the Buddha was. Mara’s sons remonstrated with him, saying: “Royal Father, though blameless, you are bringing an ulcer upon yourself! The bodhisattva’s pure practice is as difficult to shake as the earth; how could it possibly be destroyed?”

As they spoke these words of remonstrance, the bodhisattva again directed the light of his white hair-mark toward Mara, causing Mara’s retinue to experience physical and mental bliss, like bhiksus entering the third dhyana. The hungry ghosts saw the white hair, and upon its tip were hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of great bodhisattvas. Those bodhisattvas also entered the Samadhi of Supreme Resolve and Loving-Kindness.

Each stroked the fingertips of his left hand with his right hand. From the tips of those fingernails milk emerged and poured downward, extinguishing the raging flames. Once the raging flames were extinguished, the ghosts immediately became cool and refreshed.

They were naturally satiated, their bodies and minds became joyful and delighted, and they aroused the aspiration for bodhi. Because they attained this aspiration, they cast off the suffering of hungry ghosts.

Those ghosts all saw their own bodies as resembling white jade, a vaidurya mountain, a crystal mountain, a golden mountain, or an agate mountain. The pores of their bodies resembled strings of pearls. Their eyes shone like moon-bright jewels. The smoke and flames around their bodies resembled clouds of assorted jewels. The knives and clubs they held resembled platforms of the seven treasures. Within each seven-jeweled platform were layers of soft cushions with red pillows arranged upon them, while to the right and left, transformed Brahma kings appeared spontaneously. Those ghosts saw transformed bodhisattvas seated upon transformed platforms, each of whom said to the offenders: “Because in your former lives you committed evil karma, you have received such repulsive bodily forms.”

When the bodhisattvas spoke these words, some among these ghosts and spirits aroused the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi; some planted the causes and conditions for becoming sravakas or pratyekabuddhas; and some would, in future lives, be reborn in the supreme and blissful abodes of humans and devas.

At that time, the Mara king suddenly returned to his palace, while the white hair followed him directly through the six heavens. Throughout the space between, countless heavenly princes and heavenly maidens saw that the interior of the pore of the white hair was entirely open, empty, perfectly round, and lovely, like the banner of a Brahma king. Within that space were hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of jeweled lotus flowers, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges and particles of dust.

Each lotus flower had a dais adorned with immeasurable and boundless wondrous shades of white. Upon each dais was a transformed bodhisattva emitting the light of the white hair-mark, the mark of a Great Person, in the same manner. Atop the heads of those bodhisattvas were wondrous golden lotus flowers.

Upon those flowers were the seven Buddhas of the past. Those transformed Buddhas each proclaimed names and scriptures identical and without discrepancy.

There were also devas who, through wholesome roots from previous lives, saw a bodhisattva emerge from every pore of each transformed bodhisattva. Atop the heads of those bodhisattvas were transformed Buddhas, no different from those described before. From between the brows of those transformed Buddhas arose flowers adorned with a hundred treasures, unsurpassed by anything of form or color among devas or in the human world.

Upon each flower was a transformed platform of light, and upon each platform was a transformed Buddha, no different from those described before. Within the pores of the transformed bodhisattvas’ bodies appeared every rare and extraordinary phenomenon for the sake of sentient beings throughout the ten directions. Beneath the feet of the transformed beings were transformed platforms of light, from which arose heavenly palaces surpassing the palaces of Mara in the six heavens of the Desire Realm, and also surpassing the body-adorned palace of Great Brahma.

The marks of Brahma’s crown emerged from the circles beneath the feet of the transformed bodhisattvas.

In this way, the white hair reached as far as the Formless Realm, illuminating all the immeasurable and boundless worlds of the devas, which appeared like bright mirrors of precious white crystal. After the devas saw this supremely wondrous auspicious sign, they no longer delighted in heavenly pleasures but aroused the aspiration for bodhi. Eighty-four thousand heavenly maidens of the Mara king saw that Papiyan’s body looked like a dead dog and also like a burned tree.

They gazed only upon the light of the bodhisattva’s white hair-mark, and the joy in their minds was beyond all comparison. They grew angry at what Papiyan had previously done, saying: “He schemed to destroy another but instead brought about the loss of his own armies.” When they gave rise to these words, hundreds of thousands of countless heavenly princes and heavenly maidens again aroused the resolve for the path to unsurpassed bodhi.

The Buddha said to the Great King: “All these various manifestations of supreme marks arose solely from the white hair between the bodhisattva’s brows; they did not require the power of any other merit belonging to the bodhisattva’s body. After the Buddha’s nirvana, if members of the fourfold assembly can even briefly abandon distraction, collect their minds, and correctly contemplate the bodhisattva’s white hair-mark as he subdues Mara, they will extinguish countless dark and harmful karmic obstructions and also eliminate the afflictive obstructions arising from the ten evil deeds. In this very life, they will be able to see the Buddha’s image clearly and distinctly. The various states encountered in contemplating this mark cannot be fully described.

“After my nirvana, those who wish to contemplate the Tathagata’s white hair-mark when he subdued Mara should contemplate it in this manner. Contemplation in this manner is called correct contemplation; contemplation otherwise is called wrong contemplation.”

What are the marks of a Great Person, the marks of an Awakened One, the marks of an Immovable One, the marks of a Liberated One, the marks of a Radiant One, the marks of one replete with wisdom, the marks of one who has perfected all the paramitas, and the Surangama marks equal to the oceans of samadhis, at the time when the Tathagata attained Buddhahood?

– The great bodhisattva arose from the Samadhi of Supreme Benevolent Intention and again entered the Concentration of Cessation of Intention. Arising from the Concentration of Cessation of Intention, he returned to the Shurangama Samadhi. Arising from the Shurangama Samadhi, he again entered the Samadhi of the Torch of Wisdom. Arising from the Samadhi of the Torch of Wisdom, he again entered the Samadhi of the Characteristics of All Dharmas. Arising from the Samadhi of the Characteristics of All Dharmas, he again entered the Samadhi of the Characteristic of Radiance. Arising from the Samadhi of the Characteristic of Radiance, he again entered the Samadhi of the Lion’s Voice. Arising from the Samadhi of the Lion’s Voice, he again entered the Samadhi of the Lion’s Vigorous Advance. Arising from the Samadhi of the Lion’s Vigorous Advance, he again entered the Samadhi of Oceanic Intention. Arising from the Samadhi of Oceanic Intention, he again entered the Samadhi of Universal Wisdom. Arising from the Samadhi of Universal Wisdom, he again entered the Samadhi of the Seal and Characteristics of Dharani. Arising from the Samadhi of the Seal and Characteristics of Dharani, he again entered the Samadhi of Universally Manifesting Form-Bodies. Arising from the Samadhi of Universally Manifesting Form-Bodies, he again entered the Samadhi of the Nature of the Dharma Realm. Arising from the Samadhi of the Nature of the Dharma Realm, he again entered the Samadhi of the King of the Power of the Lion’s Roar. Arising from the Samadhi of the King of the Power of the Lion’s Roar, he again entered the Samadhi of Extinguishing All Manifestations of Mara. Arising from the Samadhi of Extinguishing All Manifestations of Mara, he again entered the Samadhi of the Wisdom of Emptiness. Arising from the Samadhi of the Wisdom of Emptiness, he again entered the Samadhi of Understanding the Characteristic of Emptiness. Arising from the Samadhi of Understanding the Characteristic of Emptiness, he again entered the Samadhi of the Wisdom of Great Emptiness. Arising from the Samadhi of the Wisdom of Great Emptiness, he again entered the Samadhi of Form-Bodies Pervading All Places. Arising from the Samadhi of Form-Bodies Pervading All Places, he again entered the Samadhi of the Characteristic of the Quiescent Mind. Arising from the Samadhi of the Characteristic of the Quiescent Mind, he again entered the Samadhi of the Vajra Characteristic of a Bodhisattva Mahasattva. Arising from the Samadhi of the Vajra Characteristic, he again entered the Samadhi of the Vajra Crown. Arising from the Samadhi of the Vajra Crown, he again entered the Ocean of All Samadhis. Arising from the Ocean of All Samadhis, he again entered the Samadhi of the Dharani Ocean of All. Arising from the Samadhi of the Dharani Ocean of All, he again entered the Samadhi of the Ocean of All Realms of the Buddhas. Arising from the Samadhi of the Ocean of All Realms of the Buddhas, he again entered the Samadhi of the Ocean of Liberation and the Knowledge and Vision of Liberation of all Buddhas. Arising from the Samadhi of the Ocean of Liberation and the Knowledge and Vision of Liberation of all Buddhas, only then did he enter gateways to oceans of samadhis as numerous as immeasurable motes of dust. Arising from the gateways to those oceans of samadhis, he again entered the Samadhi of Quiescence of Intention and Cessation of Intention. Arising from the Samadhi of Quiescence of Intention and Cessation of Intention, he again entered the gateway to the characteristic of the Samadhi of Vajra Giving, Concentration, and Great Liberation.

At that time, the ground of the place of enlightenment became like vajra, extending eighty li and wholly pure white, so vast that it could not be fully seen. When this sign appeared, the light of the bodhisattva’s urna between the eyebrows was pure, upright, and straight, extending directly toward the east for one zhang and five chi. Within its ten facets appeared the maiden Mika and five maidens of the same kind.

Countless myriads of kotis of devas, dragons, ghosts, and spirits; Maitreya and the other bodhisattvas of the Bhadrakalpa; Bhadrapala and the others; and measureless, boundless asamkhyeyas of bodhisattvas, as numerous as particles of dust, also saw this sign. When this sign was manifested, beneath the roots of the Buddha’s Bodhi tree, through the power of the white hair, precious flowers spontaneously appeared, measuring forty yojanas both lengthwise and crosswise.

The calyxes of those flowers were made of vajra. The light from between the Buddha’s eyebrows illuminated these flower calyxes. That light descended directly to the vajra boundary.

At the vajra boundary, two vajra seats spontaneously appeared. They struck against each other, and the sound shook the great trichiliocosm, causing this great earth to quake in six ways. Upon those vajra seats was a passage extending from the lotus flower to its root.

The root of that lotus was also vajra. The three vajra structures struck against one another, descended straight downward, and then returned. They passed to the vajra boundary, going and returning ten times.

The light of the urna encircled them in ten rings, causing the vajra seat to remain firm and unmoving. Seated upon this seat, the Buddha eliminated the three obstructions and attained bodhi. The realm of the Buddha’s mind cannot be fully described.

Even if it were explained extensively, all sentient beings, including bodhisattvas of the Tenth Ground, would be unable to know it, nor would it lie within their comprehension. Therefore it is concealed within this sign of the urna and is not explained.

Thus, the power of the white hair’s light caused the trunk of the Bodhi tree to become vajra, its roots also to become vajra, and the stamens of its flowers to become the seven treasures. Light arose from the flower stamens, each ray forming seven rings around the Buddha’s body and transforming into a precious canopy. The leaves of the tree were golden, and its flowers were the color of white jewels.

Upon the flowers shone light in the colors of hundreds of thousands of precious substances, with which even the precious radiance of the devas could not be compared. The fruit of the tree was the color of white jewels, beyond comparison even with the wondrous white jewels of the Yama Heaven. The light of the fruit transformed into a mani net that spread over the tree.

Around that net were strands resembling white silk, which curved gracefully downward and transformed into precious bells. At each of the four corners of the bells was a great jeweled terrace. Those terraces rose conspicuously above measureless worlds in the upper direction.

After passing beyond those worlds, they again transformed into other great jeweled terraces. The sublime height of those terraces could not be fully described. Their brilliant and supremely wondrous splendor was like that of hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of Mount Sumerus combined together.

Upon those terraces were great canopies made entirely of vajra, adorned with intermingled colors and wondrous light. The descending light transformed into banners and curtains. From within the banners and curtains rained clouds of precious canopies.

From within the clouds of precious canopies rained clouds of standards and banners. From within the clouds of standards and banners rained clouds of music. From within the clouds of music rained clouds of precious light.

From within the clouds of precious light rained clouds of various fragrances. From within the clouds of fragrances rained clouds of lion seats. From within the clouds of lion seats rained clouds of flower garlands.

From within the clouds of flower garlands rained clouds of wondrous sounds. From within the clouds of wondrous sounds rained clouds of verses. From within the clouds of verses rained clouds of precious objects offered in worship.

All such various offerings arose from the light of the urna at the Bodhi tree.

When the light of the white hair descended and illuminated the ground, it caused seven pools to appear upon the vajra ground beside the place of enlightenment. The pools produced water of merit and virtue. The water had seven colors, each color distinctly visible.

Each color emitted ten rays of light that shone upward upon the King of Trees. The four banks of those pools were formed from various precious substances. Each bank was a composite of a hundred kinds of jewels, and each jewel emitted hundreds of kotis of rays of light.

The bottoms of the pools were entirely vajra, with mani jewels serving as sand. The water of the pools produced flowers whose petals were entirely of gold. Upon the petals, thousands of rays transformed into halos of light.

Each pool had seven channels from which the water welled forth by itself. Flowers grew at the mouths of the pools, their petals following one after another. From the stamens of the lotuses flowed water like crystal-clear lapis lazuli, brilliant and distinct.

Along both banks of the channels were arrayed flowers adorned with eighty-four thousand kinds of jewels. The water within these channels poured into one another, and as it flowed, the light also moved with it, illuminating the Bodhi tree.

Within the light of this tree, a precious lotus arose upon every leaf. These flowers spread throughout all worlds. Upon those flowers appeared white jeweled terraces extending throughout measureless worlds in the ten directions.

From between the Buddha’s eyebrows, the light of the urna emitted precious lotus flowers, each perfectly round and full and measuring one yojana across. They followed one another through measureless and boundless worlds in the upper direction, worlds as numerous as particles of dust and beyond calculation. Flower after flower followed in succession, and upon each flower sat a Buddha.

Each Buddha’s body was golden, one zhang and six chi tall, and seated cross-legged upon a lotus calyx. The vajra seat, the Bodhi tree, and the other adornments were exactly as described above, equal in every respect and without difference. The seats and trees throughout the ten directions were likewise the same.

Within the urna there again arose precious flowers a hundred kotis of myriads of times more excellent than the preceding precious flowers. Upon each flower was a Buddha identical to Shakyamuni. At the tip of every flower stamen there was also a Buddha whose body was one zhang and six chi tall, deeply absorbed in meditative concentration, his mind unwavering. Thus, the light of the urna illuminated measureless and innumerable hundreds of thousands of worlds in the east, causing all those worlds to become golden. The sentient beings of those worlds saw the pores of the transformation Buddhas open and manifest light in the same manner, emitting measureless hundreds of thousands of precious rays. Within each ray were measureless hundreds of kotis of transformation Buddhas.

At that time, the devas, dragons, ghosts, spirits, yakshas, gandharvas, and others saw this light encircle the Buddha a thousand times and illuminate the lands of the ten directions. The elevations and depressions, the great and small features, of the lands in the ten directions were clearly and distinctly visible, as though one were holding a bright mirror and looking at one’s own face. Those within the great assembly—the retinue of Mara Papiyan, numbering eighty thousand kotis, together with the ghosts, spirits, devas, dragons, yakshas, and others—all saw the straight white hair, one zhang and five chi long, emitting light throughout the ten directions and dazzling everyone’s eyes as though there were myriads of kotis of suns.

They could not see it completely; they saw only that within the light were measureless and innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of transformation Shakyamunis, each with a white hair between the eyebrows one zhang and five chi long. From every hair issued measureless rays of light. Within every ray were measureless transformation Buddhas.

The regions between the eyebrows of those transformation Buddhas were likewise the same.

From within the surrounding halo of the urna, light poured forth and rose to the Buddha’s forehead, revealing the sign of his broad and level brow. All the hairs upon his forehead swept upward. Beneath the roots of those hairs was the color of mani jewels from the Brahma Heaven, bringing satisfaction to sentient beings. From the tips of the hairs streamed light, radiant like purple-gold. This luminous sign swept upward to the edge of the hairline, then curved gracefully downward to the rims of the ears. Afterward it spread over the region of the hair, encircling the ushnisha hundreds of thousands of times and emerging from the crown of the skull like the petals of a golden lotus blossoming beneath the sunlight.

The area of the lotus petals and lotus filaments, like a painting by Shakra, is clear and distinct, with every hue appearing differently. Within that region of color are innumerable transformation Buddhas. Each transformation Buddha has seven bodhisattvas and devas as attendants, holding in their hands the purest white jeweled flowers.

The flowers have five distinct rays of five colors. They follow the transformation Buddhas and never leave them. This is called the light of the White Urna Mark when the Tathagata first attained Buddhahood.

Because the light of the White Urna and the light from the crown had newly arisen, when he was born in the royal palace, this light was like the sun and could not be seen clearly. As for the distinct halo, one fathom in circumference, I shall explain it separately.

The eight classes of beings do not see the light of the White Urna in the same way: some see the white hair resembling the Buddhas; some see it resembling the bodhisattvas; some see it resembling their own parents.... Whatever is worthy of reverence throughout all worlds appears clearly at the tip of the hair. Having seen it, they rejoice. Some arouse the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi; some arouse the aspiration for the shravaka or pratyekabuddha paths. Likewise, when ghosts see the white hair, loving-kindness naturally arises in them, and they harbor no evil intent.

The Buddha said to his royal father:

“The white hair of the Tathagata—from the time of his birth until his attainment of Buddhahood—may be observed in its minute and subtle details throughout that interval. But after he attained Buddhahood, the complete characteristics of the light of the White Urna were extensively explained by the Buddha in the sutras. Only bodhisattvas of the Ten Grounds can perceive the ultimate extent of the light of the White Urna Mark. First, I shall explain this within a limited scope so that it may easily be seen and be appropriate for beings of the various worlds.”

The Buddha said to his royal father and instructed Ananda:

“Listen attentively! Listen attentively! Consider this matter well! You must transmit my words so that all disciples of future generations may know them. If, after my nirvana, bhikshus and others ask, ‘What practices did the bodhisattva cultivate in the distant past to acquire this White Urna Mark?’ you must answer:

“‘The Buddha’s White Urna Mark was acquired over immeasurable kalpas by relinquishing things without miserliness, not perceiving the marks of previous lives, not dwelling upon possessions, and giving without greed or attachment; by using the Dharma of body and mind to regulate bodily deportment; and by guarding the precepts as dearly as one cherishes one’s own eyes. Yet inwardly his mind was penetrating, empty, and quiescent. He did not perceive the arising of transgression, and he abandoned the dharmas that lead to downfall. His mind was as steady and unmoving as the earth.

“‘Even if someone were to dissect his body with hundreds of thousands of blades, or if someone were to beat his body with whips covered in sharp thorns, the bodhisattva would not give rise to a single thought of anger. Even if someone had a thousand tongues upon his head, each uttering a thousand statements filled with every kind of insulting language, the bodhisattva’s countenance would not change. Like a pure lotus flower, his mind remained unattached. His body and mind were never indolent or weary. His resolve was like that of one seeking to extinguish a fire burning upon his head, or like one whose bodily pores had erupted in na-li sores and who diligently sought a skilled physician day and night. His mind was undefiled, like a beryl jewel displaying its purity.

“‘He restrained his body, gathered in his thoughts, closed his eyes, folded his hands, sat upright, and entered right concentration. His mind was as radiant as the ocean, as unmoving as Vajra Mountain, incapable of being obstructed or destroyed. Although he formed this resolve, he did not follow the arising of meditative states. The activities of the mind were like extinguished ashes, and discriminative knowledge had ceased. There was nothing he liked or disliked. He was without initial and sustained thought, yet it was not that he did not contemplate the Dharma. His wisdom was powerful and keen, embracing all skillful means, yet he perceived no dharma—great or small—possessing even the subtlest mark.

“‘Thus, what many call the paramitas, together with the thirty-seven factors conducive to bodhi, the ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, great loving-kindness, great compassion, the three foundations of mindfulness, and all wondrous virtues—through these was this White Urna Mark acquired.

“‘After my nirvana, disciples of the Buddha should abandon all evils, eliminate the marks of turmoil and clamor, delight in the practice of speaking little, and take no pleasure in numerous affairs. During the six periods of day and night, they may divide one period into a small portion, and within that small portion spend but a moment recollecting the White Urna Mark. They should make the mind lucid, free of confused and disorderly thoughts, clearly abiding in what is right, and continuously direct their attention to the White Urna Mark. They may or may not behold the auspicious mark. Such persons will eliminate the offenses that would otherwise cause them to undergo birth and death for as many kalpas as there are particles of dust in ninety-six kotis of nayutas of Ganges Rivers.

“‘Suppose again that a person merely hears of the White Urna Mark and, without fear or doubt, joyfully accepts it with faith. That person will also eliminate the offenses of birth and death accumulated over eight billion kalpas.

“‘If bhikshus, bhikshunis, upasakas, or upasikas have committed the four root offenses, improper and related offenses, or the five heinous offenses—with the exception of the offense of slandering the Vaipulya sutras—and wish to repent, they must not be indolent in body or mind throughout the six periods of day and night. They should be like a person who has entered deep into a region of dry grass where fire is blazing on all sides and a fierce wind blows toward him, threatening to consume his body.

That person thinks, “If the fire burns me, my limbs will disintegrate before I die. How can I extinguish this fire? If I devise no plan, my life certainly cannot be saved.

Who is wise and possesses many skillful means capable of saving my life? Even if that person safely preserves my life, I shall begrudge him nothing.”

“‘Having reflected thus, they should cast their five limbs to the ground like a collapsing mountain, wail and weep with tears like rain, join their palms toward the Buddha, and praise the Tathagata’s virtues in every way. Having offered these praises, they should recite the Dharma of repentance, bind their attention before them, and contemplate the light of the White Urna Mark between the Buddha’s eyebrows. If they do so from one day through seven days, the first four kinds of offenses may be alleviated. After twenty-one days, the marks of the offenses will gradually disappear. After forty-nine days, they may then perform the karman procedure. This matter is explained in another sutra.

“‘If a bhikshu has committed an improper offense and, when contemplating the light of the White Urna, finds it dark and invisible, he should enter a stupa and visualize the space between the eyebrows of a Buddha image. From one day through three days, he should join his palms, cry aloud, and observe it carefully with one-pointed attention. He should then enter the Sangha and declare his previous offense. This is called the eradication of an offense. As for the preceding five kinds of offenses, one must recollect the light of the White Urna Mark for eight hundred days, after which there is another karman procedure.’”

The Buddha said to his royal father:

“The Tathagata possesses immeasurable auspicious marks. Within each mark are eighty-four thousand subtle auspicious characteristics. Yet all such auspicious characteristics do not equal even a small fraction of the merit of the White Urna. Therefore, today, for the sake of evil beings in future ages, I teach the contemplation called the White Urna Mark’s Great Wisdom-Light That Extinguishes Evil.

“It is impossible for a person of extremely grave evil and wrong views to hear the full characteristics of this contemplative method and give rise to anger. Even supposing anger did arise, the light of the White Urna Mark would still shield and protect that person. Merely hearing these words eliminates the offenses of three kalpas, and in the person’s next embodiment he will be born in an age when a Buddha is present.

“In this manner, hundreds of thousands of kotis of different kinds of subtle and wondrous realms of light, arising naturally when one recollects the White Urna, cannot all be described. To contemplate in this way is called right contemplation; to contemplate otherwise is called wrong contemplation.

“What is meant by contemplating the broad and level forehead?”

– The broad, level forehead has two circles of light. Dividing these circles of light are a thousand spokes, hubs, and rims fashioned of mani jewels, resembling a painting by the celestial Vishvakarman. From within this painting streams forth a supremely wondrous golden light, which enters the White Urna and circles it seven times. Above, it enters the pores of the forehead and extends to the variously colored marks along the hairline; it then gently descends to the rims of the ears. Above, it merges into the hair and circles the hair seven times. From the skull arises the mark of a lotus flower, encircling the front in perfect roundness, with seven circles and seven patterns distinctly visible. The painting has seven colors; each color produces seven flowers, and upon each flower is a Buddha attended by seven bodhisattvas, who reverently surround him and move clockwise. Thus, the three marks of the broad, level forehead are: the mark of the hairline, the mark of the pores on the head, and the mark within the brain. Within the brain there are also fourteen lights appearing inside the vessels, so that both within and without are completely translucent, luminous, distinct, and pleasing. They stream forth white light intermingled with crimson-purple. These subtle colors issue from the skull and likewise circle the front three times. In each painting sits a Buddha attended by two bodhisattvas, appearing many times more luminous and distinct than before.

What is meant by contemplating the mark of the Tathagata’s eyebrows?

– The two eyebrows, right and left, are shaped like crescent moons. From their curves grow hairs, their number varying according to the shape of the crescents. The color of these hairs is a beautiful deep blue. Their tips are blue-green, with a wondrous radiance that even lapis lazuli cannot equal. The light from the two eyebrows glides forth and merges into the hairs of the head. Having entered the hair, it rises to the tips of the hairs. When the light arises, its color is such that neither blue bees nor peacocks can compare with it. It resembles a mark of black ink set against the radiance of lapis lazuli. That light then descends along the skull and issues forth, turning clockwise, gently shining and circling four times. Within each circle appears a transformation Buddha, attended on the right and left by two bodhisattvas and two bhikshus. They all stand upon the filaments of lotus flowers, appearing many times more radiant and pleasing than before. The three lines beneath the eyebrows and within the rims of the eyes further produce four streams of blue, yellow, red, and white light. They rise upward, enter the skull, and emerge from the tips of the eyebrows, just as described previously. These colored lights then issue from the skull and circle four times, shining with their four colors clearly distinct. In the yellow light is a transformation Buddha whose body is the color of yellow gold. In the white light is a transformation Buddha whose body is the color of white silver. In the blue light is a transformation Buddha whose body is the color of pure gold. In the red light is a transformation Buddha whose body is the color of mother-of-pearl. Circling clockwise in this way, they become many times more radiant than before.

What is meant by the mark of the Tathagata’s eyelashes?

– From both the upper and lower eyelids of the Tathagata grow five hundred soft hairs, lovely like the filaments of an utpala flower. From the tips of these hairs streams forth a ray of light the color of crystal, which enters all the previously described marks. Within this light, it circles the head once, then issues from the skull, surrounds the preceding light, and produces only wondrous blue lotus flowers. Above the lotus platforms are blue jeweled canopies, each held in the hand of a Brahma Heaven King. When this mark appears, the Buddha’s eyes are white and blue: their white is a hundred billion myriad times whiter than any white jewel, while their blue is a hundred billion myriad times bluer than blue lotus flowers and deep-blue lapis lazuli. Both above and below they are fully visible, like the eyes of the Bull King. From the outer corners of both eyes issue two exceedingly subtle rays of light, like blue lotus flowers. They circle the hair once and then issue forth along the skull, illuminating the flowers and causing them to bloom fully, while the light becomes still more manifest. Such immeasurable marks of supreme merit are called the eyes of the Tathagata. If anyone wishes to contemplate the eyes of the Tathagata, that person should contemplate them according to this method. One who contemplates according to this method and thereby eradicates all evil should close the eyes, sit upright, and correctly contemplate the Buddha’s eyes for a period of one to seven days. In future lives, that person will constantly see Buddhas, will certainly never be blind, and will never be born in a borderland of wrong views where there is no Buddha-Dharma. That person’s wisdom-eye will always remain open, and delusion will not arise.

The Buddha said to his royal father:

– Therefore, those who are wise and wish to dispel blindness should contemplate the Buddha’s eyes. The Buddha possesses five eyes. In this method of contemplation, the pure and luminous radiance of the physical eye is taught first. The benefits arising from contemplating the Buddha’s eyes constitute a realm that cannot be fully described. One who carefully observes the Buddha’s eyes even for a short while and contemplates the eyes of a Buddha image will, throughout five future births, always have clear and pure eyes, the eye faculty free from illness, and will eliminate the offenses of birth and death accumulated over seven kalpas.

The Buddha told Ananda and instructed the fourfold assembly:

– Diligently contemplate the Buddha’s eyes! Take care never to cease or abandon this practice! One who contemplates the Buddha’s eyes will surely obtain immeasurable and wondrous merit. The broad forehead and its hairline, the patterned curls of hair, the rims of the eyes, eyelids, eyelashes, lines of the eyes, and all such luminous marks—if a person beholds them even briefly, that person will eliminate the offenses of birth and death accumulated over sixty kalpas. Wherever that person is born in future lives, that person will certainly see the Buddha Maitreya, will be protected by the majestic radiance of the thousand Buddhas of the Bhadrakalpa, and will have a mind like a lotus flower, free from attachment. That person will certainly not fall into the three evil paths or encounter the eight difficulties. If, while seated in contemplation, one does not see these marks, one should enter a stupa and contemplate them there. When entering a stupa to contemplate, one should likewise contemplate these lights. One should single-mindedly join one’s palms, kneel, and observe them carefully for a period of one to three days. If one’s mind is not confused or distracted, then after death one will be born in the Tushita Heaven and behold the bodhisattva Maitreya, whose physical form is dignified and adorned, and one will receive his responsive transformation and guidance. Having seen him, one’s body and mind will rejoice, and one will enter the Stage of the True Dharma.

The Buddha said to his royal father:

– Contemplation performed in this way is called correct contemplation; contemplation performed otherwise is called erroneous contemplation.

– End of the Second Fascicle -