佛說未曾有正法經

At that time, the great bodhisattva Pratibhānakūṭa addressed the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī:

“Let us go to the Buddha and ask how a great bodhisattva should abide.”

At that moment, while still seated calmly amid the assembly, the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī withdrew his bodhisattva appearance and manifested the form of a Tathagata, complete with all the excellent marks, exactly resembling Buddha Śākyamuni.

The bodhisattva Pratibhānakūṭa did not know that this was a manifested form. Believing him to be the Tathagata, he approached the Buddha and said:

“Blessed One! How should a great bodhisattva abide?”

The manifested Buddha replied:

“A bodhisattva should abide in accordance with what I practice.”

The bodhisattva Pratibhānakūṭa asked:

“How does the Buddha, the Blessed One, abide?”

The manifested Buddha said:

“The Buddha, the Blessed One, does not cultivate the dharmas of moral discipline, patience, diligence, meditation, or wisdom; he does not cling to the desire realm, form realm, or formless realm; he performs no bodily karma, gives rise to no verbal karma, and creates no mental karma. Thus, in every domain, there is no practice whatsoever.

“Good man! This is because everything that might be practiced is like an illusory transformation.”

The bodhisattva Pratibhānakūṭa asked:

“Then is the Buddha, the Blessed One, also an illusory appearance?”

The manifested Buddha said:

“So it is, so it is. A great bodhisattva should abide in this way.”

The bodhisattva Pratibhānakūṭa again addressed the Buddha:

“Why is the Blessed One also an illusory appearance?”

The manifested Buddha said:

“Good man! Not only is this so, but all dharmas are illusory appearances.”

The bodhisattva Pratibhānakūṭa said:

“So it is, so it is! The empty nature of all dharmas is an illusory appearance, but can it be that my Buddha, the Blessed One, is also an illusion?”

The manifested Buddha said:

“Good man! It is not only this Buddha who is an illusory appearance; all Tathagatas are likewise illusory appearances.”

The bodhisattva Pratibhānakūṭa asked:

“Who, then, is capable of producing the transformation?”

The manifested Buddha said:

“It arises through pure, noble karma, yet there is no one who transforms and no one who is transformed. There is neither self nor person, neither sentient being nor living being, neither individual nor consciousness, neither pudgala nor Buddha, nor any of the characteristics of ordinary beings.”

The bodhisattva Pratibhānakūṭa addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! How should one train in order to attain bodhi?”

The manifested Buddha taught:

“There is nothing to be learned in any dharma; a bodhisattva should train in this way. There is nothing to be practiced in any dharma; a bodhisattva should train in this way. There is nothing fearful in any dharma; a bodhisattva should train in this way.

There is nothing doubtful in any dharma; a bodhisattva should train in this way. Dharmas possess nothing, take nothing as their object, are not false, do not aggregate, are not created, have no written signs, are neither born nor extinguished, and neither existed in the past, exist in the present, nor will exist in the future. They are neither illusions nor images, are not objects contemplated by wisdom, and are far removed from every conception.

A great bodhisattva should train in this way. One who trains thus is said to train correctly, neither diminishing nor increasing anything. For one who trains in this way, there is nothing to abandon, nothing to discuss, nothing in which to delight, and nothing of which to become weary; there is neither joy nor anger, neither coming nor going.

One who trains thus is said to train correctly.

“Therefore, good man, anyone who seeks unsurpassed bodhi should know that there is no samsara and no nirvana; no grasping and no relinquishing; no generosity and no miserliness; no observance of precepts and no violation of precepts; no patience and no anger; no diligence and no indolence; no concentration and no distraction; no wisdom and no ignorance; neither learning nor beyond learning; neither practice nor non-practice; nothing to attain and nothing to realize; no bodhi and no Buddhadharma; no conception of self, person, sentient being, living being, or pudgala; no conception of dharma and no conception of non-dharma; neither conception nor non-conception.

Why is this? Because dharmas are like illusory transformations: they are nondual, undifferentiated, and bear no mark of movement. In all dharmas, no characteristic can be apprehended as form.

The eye cannot perceive them because all dharmas are devoid of distinguishing characteristics, and the mind cannot know them. The nature of dharmas is empty; there is no dharma that can be practiced and no bodhi that can be realized. Therefore, good man, great bodhisattvas should practice thus and train thus.

If a good man hears this teaching without fear or doubt, he will be able to attain unsurpassed bodhi.

“Furthermore, good man, consider how empty space cannot be harmed by anything: fire cannot burn it, wind cannot move it, water cannot wet it, dust cannot soil it, and smoke, clouds, thunder, and lightning cannot adhere to it, because empty space is unobstructed. A great bodhisattva is likewise: his mind is unobstructed and is not moved by any dharma; his mind neither delights in nor rejects anything, just like empty space. His skandhas are not shaken by the māras. Such a bodhisattva will realize unsurpassed bodhi and bring boundless, inexhaustible benefit to sentient beings.”

When he had finished teaching the Dharma, the manifested Buddha suddenly disappeared, and the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī resumed his former body.

The bodhisattva Pratibhānakūṭa addressed the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī:

“From where did the Tathagata, the Blessed One, who just taught the Dharma come, and where has he now gone?”

Mañjuśrī said:

“Originally he came from nowhere, and so now he has gone nowhere.”

The bodhisattva Pratibhānakūṭa asked again:

“If he came without coming, from where did he come?”

Mañjuśrī replied:

“He came from suchness.”

The bodhisattva Pratibhānakūṭa asked:

“According to what the Buddha said, all Tathagatas are illusory appearances. Do illusory appearances therefore come from nowhere and go nowhere?”

Mañjuśrī replied:

“So it is, so it is. An illusory appearance neither comes nor goes. All dharmas and all sentient beings are likewise.”

The bodhisattva Pratibhānakūṭa asked again:

“Where do all dharmas abide?”

The bodhisattva Mañjuśrī replied:

“Dharmas have no intrinsic nature, and thus they abide.”

The bodhisattva Pratibhānakūṭa asked:

“How do all sentient beings abide?”

The bodhisattva Mañjuśrī said:

“Every sentient being has individual karmic retribution, and thus they abide.”

The bodhisattva Pratibhānakūṭa asked:

“What is the karmic retribution of all sentient beings like?”

The bodhisattva Mañjuśrī replied:

“Dharmas have no master, and therefore there is no karmic retribution. Because all dharmas are equal, they abide in this way.”

The bodhisattva Pratibhānakūṭa asked:

“If there is no karmic retribution, why was it said that each has individual karmic retribution?”

The bodhisattva Mañjuśrī replied:

“Whatever karma one creates, one experiences the corresponding result. This is karmic retribution.”

The bodhisattva Pratibhānakūṭa asked:

“The karmic retribution of sentient beings is empty by nature, as are the beings now living. How, then, can they experience retribution?”

The bodhisattva Mañjuśrī replied:

“In accordance with true Dharma, there is neither karma nor retribution, neither birth, neither existence nor nonexistence. This is karmic retribution. Yet the karmic retribution of sentient beings is never lost. The nature of their own karma is empty; this is the true meaning.”

When the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī taught this Dharma, Venerable Śāriputra, Ānanda, and the other śrāvakas in the assembly of Buddha Śākyamuni heard, through the Buddha’s awesome power, the wondrous Dharma spoken by the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī.

Śāriputra then rose and addressed the Buddha:

“How exceedingly rare, Blessed One! The bodhisattvas employ skillful means to expound the profound Dharma. Of all those who hear it, there is no one who does not arouse the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi.”

The Buddha told Śāriputra:

“A great bodhisattva cultivates all practices with an unattached mind and expounds the true Dharma with a mind free of indolence.

“Śāriputra! The bodhisattva’s deeds, the retribution he experiences, the wisdom he possesses, and the Dharma he teaches are all like this. As for you, Śāriputra, all that you practice and learn constitutes the śrāvaka practice because it bears the characteristic of attachment; the wisdom you attain is likewise.”

At that time, a bodhisattva named Prabhāvyūha rose, approached the Buddha, and asked:

“Blessed One! What is called the practice of a śrāvaka?”

The Buddha taught:

“Good man! The practice of a śrāvaka means imposing limits upon the Dharma, being unable in cultivation to leave all characteristics behind, wishing to escape birth and death and realize nirvana, becoming weary of sentient beings and refusing to rescue them, possessing limited wisdom and lacking a vast mind. Therefore, bodhisattvas regard the practice of śrāvakas as being like delusion and obscurity. A bodhisattva’s mind practices without attachment, his wisdom is unobstructed, and he can universally deliver sentient beings and bring them immeasurable benefit.”

The bodhisattva Prabhāvyūha again addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! Why have the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī and the other great beings not come to this assembly to expound the wondrous Dharma? We greatly wish to hear it. Why? Because the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī has realized the profound Dharma, entered the gateway of liberation, and uses unobstructed eloquence to elucidate the Dharma of liberation.”

Buddha Śākyamuni then used his spiritual power to summon the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī to the Dharma assembly. The bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, accompanied by twenty-five great bodhisattvas and assemblies of devas and humans, came to Buddha Śākyamuni. They all bowed with their heads at the Buddha’s feet, circumambulated him three times to the right, and withdrew to one side.

The bodhisattva Prabhāvyūha said to the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī:

“Why did the great being leave the Buddha’s presence to teach the Dharma elsewhere?”

Mañjuśrī replied:

“The teaching spoken by the Buddha is exceedingly profound, difficult to understand, and beyond all language. I am unable to comprehend it.”

The bodhisattva Prabhāvyūha asked:

“The Dharma taught by the Buddha is exceedingly profound and difficult to understand. If a great being such as you, possessing immeasurable wisdom, cannot understand it, how could we possibly understand it?”

The bodhisattva Mañjuśrī said:

“Only a Buddha together with another Buddha can fully comprehend everything. Apart from a Tathagata, no one can faithfully awaken to it. I therefore teach the Dharma according to my own ability to expound it.

I speak solely in accordance with the Dharma, while with respect to the true limit of the dharmadhatu there is neither separation nor non-separation. To speak in this way is called teaching the Dharma. With respect to language, conceptual proliferation, names and characteristics, and all arising and cessation, there is likewise neither separation nor non-separation.

This is the equality of all dharmas and is called teaching the Dharma. Dharmas have no characteristic of self, no characteristic of person, no characteristic of dharma, and no characteristic of non-dharma; no characteristic of samsara and no characteristic of nirvana. This is called teaching the Dharma.”

Buddha Śākyamuni then praised the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī:

“Excellent! Excellent! Mañjuśrī, your teaching of the Dharma is indeed the true teaching of the Dharma. Why? Because dharmas transcend language and every conception. There is neither a great dharma nor a small dharma; all discrimination is severed. They are not to be contemplated or seen by a mind in samadhi, and there is not a single dharma that increases or decreases. To teach the Dharma in this way is called understanding the Dharma, and this itself is seeing the Buddha.”

When Buddha Śākyamuni taught this Dharma, eight thousand bodhisattvas in the assembly attained the patient acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas. There were also two hundred devaputras who had previously aroused the Mahayana aspiration but soon afterward thought: “The Buddha’s Dharma is profound, difficult to understand, difficult to know, and inexhaustible. We could never comprehend its profound intent, practice the supreme practices, and attain unsurpassed bodhi. It would be better to seek the fruits of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, whereby nirvana will certainly be attained without any doubt.” Thereupon, they all retreated from the Mahayana aspiration.

Knowing the thoughts of those devaputras, the Blessed One taught them:

“Do not become indolent and lose your Mahayana aspiration. You must firmly arouse the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi and never allow it to regress.”

Wishing to deliver the devaputras, Buddha Śākyamuni transformed himself into an elder carrying an alms bowl filled with foods and beverages of many flavors and entered the Dharma assembly. On reaching the Buddha, the elder offered the food to the Blessed One, bowed with his head at the Buddha’s feet, and said:

“May the Blessed One compassionately accept this food of mine.”

To accord with the elder’s intention, the Blessed One accepted the food. The bodhisattva Mañjuśrī then rose, joined his palms respectfully, and addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! The food accepted by the Buddha is immeasurable, pervades the entire dharmadhatu without attachment, and has neither giver nor recipient. All is equal; partake of the food in accordance with Dharma.”

At that time, Śāriputra wondered: “Where did this elder who offered the food come from? Could he have been manifested by the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī to perform the work of a Buddha?” Knowing Śāriputra’s doubt, the Blessed One said to him:

“Śāriputra! Do not think in this way. Whether one comes or goes, the Buddha himself knows the proper time.”

After eating, the Blessed One cast the alms bowl onto the ground. The bowl fell down through worlds below where the Buddhas in their realms were teaching the Dharma.

The disciples of those Buddhas all asked:

“From where has this bowl come?”

The Buddhas all said:

“In the world above is a world named Sahā, where a Buddha, the Blessed One, named Śākyamuni is now teaching the Dharma. This bowl has come here from that realm in order to teach the bodhisattvas.”

The bowl descended past more than seventy-two Ganges-sands of Buddha realms until it reached a world named Radiance, where a Buddha named Radiant King Tathagata, Worthy One, Perfectly Awakened One, was teaching the Dharma. The bowl remained suspended in empty space before that Buddha.

After casting the bowl, Buddha Śākyamuni told Venerable Śāriputra:

“Śāriputra! Use your spiritual power to observe in which realm and at what place the bowl I cast now abides.”

Śāriputra then entered eighty thousand gateways of samadhi. While abiding in those concentrations, he used his own power of wisdom and the Buddha’s spiritual power to observe throughout ten thousand Buddha realms, yet nowhere did he see the bowl. After emerging from concentration, Śāriputra addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One, I have examined ten thousand Buddha realms, yet nowhere have I seen the bowl.”

The Blessed One told Venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana:

“Mahāmaudgalyāyana, use your spiritual power to observe where the bowl now abides.”

Obeying the Buddha’s sacred command, Venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana entered eight thousand gateways of samadhi. While abiding in those concentrations, the venerable one used his spiritual powers to pass through eight thousand Buddha realms in the worlds below and examined them everywhere, yet nowhere did he see the bowl. After emerging from concentration, he addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! I have used my spiritual powers to pass through eight thousand Buddha realms in the worlds below, yet nowhere have I seen that bowl.”

The Blessed One told Venerable Subhūti:

“Use your spiritual powers to observe in which realm and at what place the bowl I cast now abides.”

Obeying the Buddha’s sacred command, Venerable Subhūti entered twelve thousand gateways of samadhi. While abiding in those concentrations, he examined twelve thousand Buddha realms, yet nowhere did he see the bowl. After emerging from concentration, he addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! I have used my spiritual powers to examine twelve thousand Buddha realms, yet nowhere have I seen the bowl.”

In this way, each of the five hundred śrāvaka disciples in turn used his spiritual powers and divine eye to search, yet none saw the bowl.

Venerable Subhūti then addressed the great bodhisattva Maitreya:

“Worthy One, you have received the prediction that after one more lifetime you will succeed to Buddhahood. May you enter samadhi and observe where that bowl now abides, so that you may inform the great assembly.”

The bodhisattva Maitreya said to Subhūti:

“Venerable One! It is true that I have received the prediction that after one more lifetime I will attain unsurpassed perfect awakening. Nevertheless, I do not even know the names of all the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī’s gateways of samadhi, much less can I enter them. Only the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī can enter them all, for he fully comprehends everything that is practiced and done. Venerable Subhūti! How could I know what the Buddhas, the Tathagatas, do? My wisdom and spiritual powers therefore do not equal those of the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī. Only the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī knows where the bowl cast by the Blessed One now abides. Though we have searched everywhere, none of us has been able to know.”

Subhūti then addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! The bodhisattva Mañjuśrī possesses supreme merit, and apart from the Tathagata no one can equal him. He will know where the bowl cast by the Tathagata now abides. May the Blessed One command the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī to use his great spiritual powers to retrieve the bowl and bring it back to the assembly, displaying it before the great assembly to perform the work of a Buddha.”

The Blessed One then told the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī:

“Mañjuśrī! You are the one who knows where that bowl is and where it abides.”

After receiving the Buddha’s instruction, the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī thought: “Without leaving my seat or departing from the Buddha’s Dharma assembly, and without concealing my body, I shall retrieve that bowl and display it before the great assembly.” Having thought this, the bodhisattva entered samadhi. While abiding in that concentration, he extended his right hand through each of the Buddha realms in the worlds below. Before every Buddha, the bodhisattva’s hand emitted this voice:

“I now respectfully bow to all the Buddhas. My Buddha Śākyamuni sends his greetings and asks whether the Blessed One has little illness, dwells at ease, walks lightly, and is in good health.”

After conveying these greetings, each pore of that hand emitted hundreds of thousands of koṭis of rays of light. Each ray contained hundreds of thousands of lotus flowers, and upon each lotus sat a Tathagata. Every Tathagata praised Buddha Śākyamuni.

Every world shook in six ways, and a great radiance appeared, illuminating each Buddha realm. Banners, pennants, jeweled canopies, and every kind of adornment also appeared to perform the work of a Buddha. The same occurred in every Buddha realm.

After passing through seventy-two Ganges-sands of Buddha realms, the hand reached the presence of Buddha Radiant King. It again emitted the same exceedingly respectful words of greeting as before and radiated hundreds of thousands of rays of light. Each ray contained hundreds of thousands of lotus flowers, and upon each lotus sat a Buddha.

All those Buddhas praised Śākyamuni Tathagata. Their lights merged and penetrated immeasurable distances.

In the assembly of Buddha Radiant King was a bodhisattva named Radiant Banner, who rose and addressed Radiant King Tathagata:

“From where has this hand come, displaying such signs and emitting this light? Why do lotus flowers appear within the light, with Buddhas seated upon each lotus praising Buddha Śākyamuni? Why is this happening? May the Buddha instruct me.”

Radiant King Tathagata said to the bodhisattva Radiant Banner:

“Good man, seventy-two Ganges-sands of Buddha realms above here is a world named Sahā. There is a Buddha named Śākyamuni, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One, who is now teaching the Dharma and instructing the great assembly. In that realm is a bodhisattva named Mañjuśrī, replete with merit, clad in the inconceivable armor of diligence, and endowed with the mighty power of wisdom that has reached the other shore. While seated in Buddha Śākyamuni’s assembly, that bodhisattva extended his right hand to retrieve this alms bowl. This is why these events have occurred.”

Radiant King Tathagata then emitted a great light from between his eyebrows. It illuminated all seventy-two Ganges-sands of Buddha realms as far as the Sahā world, filling them with vast brilliance. When the sentient beings in that world were illuminated by the light, they rejoiced greatly, like a wheel-turning king. All who cultivated the bodhisattva practice and were illuminated by this light attained fruition and perfected their cultivation.

All the great bodhisattvas attained the Sunlight Samadhi gateway. All who cultivated the śrāvaka practice attained the eight gateways of liberation. Through the Tathagata’s light, the bodhisattvas in Buddha Radiant King’s realm saw Buddha Śākyamuni in the Sahā world, together with the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī and the assembly of śrāvakas surrounding him and listening to the Dharma.

When the great bodhisattva Radiant Banner saw the impure karma of the sentient beings in the Sahā world, he wept sorrowfully and said to Radiant King Tathagata:

“Blessed One! Through the Buddha’s light, I have seen the Sahā world, yet this Sahā world is filled with defilement. The great bodhisattvas born in that realm are like precious vaiḍūrya jewels submerged in mud. Why is this so?”

Radiant King Tathagata said to the bodhisattva Radiant Banner:

“Good man, do not speak in this way. Those who cultivate the bodhisattva practice in my world may cultivate meditation for ten kalpas, yet this does not equal a single thought of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity aroused by a sentient being in that Sahā world. Such a thought can produce immeasurable merit and eliminate every heavy obstruction of affliction. Why? Because the sentient beings of the Sahā world are exceptionally courageous and keen. Therefore, bodhisattvas are born in that realm. They do so to uphold the Buddhadharma; you should not weep sorrowfully.”

Illuminated by the light, the bodhisattva assemblies in Buddha Śākyamuni’s gathering addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! Through what causes and conditions has this radiant light illuminated everything, bringing us such great delight and causing sentient beings to eliminate all their afflictions?”

Buddha Śākyamuni taught the bodhisattvas:

“Good men! Seventy-two Ganges-sands of Buddha realms below here is a world named Sunlight Radiance. There is a Buddha, a Tathagata, named Radiant King, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One, who is now teaching the Dharma and instructing sentient beings. That Buddha emitted a great light from between his eyebrows, and it illuminates this entire world.”

The bodhisattvas then addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One! We wish to see Buddha Radiant King and the bodhisattvas in that realm of Radiance. May the Buddha use his spiritual power to enable us to see them.”

Buddha Śākyamuni then manifested the sign of a thousand-spoked wheel upon the sole of his foot. From the wheel he emitted a great light that shone downward through seventy-two Ganges-sands of realms and filled Buddha Radiant King’s realm with vast brilliance. Relying on the Buddha’s light, the bodhisattva assemblies all saw Buddha Radiant King and the bodhisattvas of that realm, and attained the Wondrous Lofty Lamp Samadhi gateway.

At that time, the radiance in every Buddha realm below shone brilliantly as far as this entire Sahā world, enabling those on both sides to see one another without obstruction. Thus, the worlds below, including the bodhisattva assemblies in Buddha Radiant King’s realm, and the bodhisattvas in this Sahā world all beheld and gazed upon one another. Just as sunlight dispels darkness, all sentient beings could see one another. At that time, all the great bodhisattvas aroused diligent resolve to seek the great fruition.

When the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī extended his hand before Radiant King Tathagata, suspended it in empty space, and was about to retrieve the alms bowl, innumerable hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of great bodhisattvas from the Buddha realms reverently surrounded and followed the bowl upward to the Sahā world. The beautiful manifestation of light then gradually disappeared. The bodhisattva Mañjuśrī placed the bowl in empty space before Buddha Śākyamuni. He then emerged from concentration, rose, approached the Buddha, bowed with his head at the Buddha’s feet, and said:

“Blessed One! Obeying the Buddha’s command, I have retrieved the bowl cast into the worlds below. I have now placed it in empty space before the Buddha. May the Buddha accept it.”

The Blessed One silently accepted it. The bodhisattvas from the Buddha realms in the worlds below who had followed the bowl there all approached Buddha Śākyamuni, bowed with their heads at his feet, and each announced the name of his own Buddha:

“The Buddha, the Tathagata, the Perfectly Awakened One... sends his greetings and asks whether the Blessed One has little illness, dwells at ease, walks lightly, and is in good health. Are you weary from teaching sentient beings?”

After expressing their reverence and receiving the Blessed One’s comforting words, the bodhisattvas sat to one side.

The Blessed One then told Śāriputra:

“Listen carefully. I shall tell you about the former causes and conditions and the past deeds of the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī.”

Śāriputra respectfully obeyed and listened.

The Buddha taught:

“Śāriputra! Innumerable hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of kalpas ago, a Buddha named Invincible Banner Tathagata, Worthy One, Perfectly Awakened One, appeared in the world. That Buddha’s world was named Indestructible. His assembly included eighty-four thousand śrāvakas and twelve thousand bodhisattvas. That Buddha expounded the Dharma of the three vehicles to teach sentient beings. He also dwelt in an age of the five defilements and taught the six paramitas to the bodhisattvas.

“Śāriputra! At that time, there was a bhikṣu named Wisdom King, who was exceptionally intelligent and wise and spoke eloquently about the Dharma of liberation. One morning, that bhikṣu donned his robe, took his alms bowl, and entered the royal city to beg for food in sequence.

The city was named Vast. After his bowl had been filled with food and the bhikṣu was about to leave the city, there was an elder’s son named Pure Arm, who was sitting in his mother’s lap. Seeing the bhikṣu carrying his bowl past them, the child went before him and asked for some of the food and drink in the bowl.

Seeing that the child’s wholesome roots had matured, the bhikṣu thought that he was a great vessel for the Dharma. Joyfully, he took a ball of rice from his bowl and gave it to the child. On receiving the food, the child became joyful and followed Bhikṣu Wisdom King to the presence of Invincible Banner Tathagata.

The child approached the Buddha and bowed with his head at the Buddha’s feet. Bhikṣu Wisdom King then gave the child all the food he had received through alms and said:

“‘Child, offer this food to the Blessed One and the great assembly, and you will obtain immeasurable merit.’

“Doing as the bhikṣu instructed, the child offered the food to the Blessed One. Although he repeatedly placed food into the Blessed One’s bowl, it never ran out. He then offered it in turn to the great assembly. The bodhisattvas and śrāvakas in that assembly all accepted the food, and everyone ate his fill, yet the food still remained.”

The Buddha told Śāriputra:

“The child Pure Arm made that offering with a heart full of joy.”

The child then approached the Buddha and spoke these verses:

“With inexhaustible food,

I make offerings to the Buddha and the assembly.

Now that I have completed this offering,

I shall certainly obtain merit.

The food offered is inexhaustible;

The Buddha’s merit is inexhaustible.

Now I make offerings to the Buddha,

Resolved to attain inexhaustible merit.

With inexhaustible food,

I make offerings to the Blessed One,

So that my wholesome roots may increase

Forever without end.”

The child then offered the food in the alms bowl to the Tathagata and the assemblies of śrāvakas and bodhisattvas for seven days. Through the Buddha’s awesome power, the food still remained.

Bhikṣu Wisdom King then said to the child:

“Child, you have completed your offering. Now take refuge in the Buddha, take refuge in the Dharma, and take refuge in the Sangha. Receive the Buddha’s precepts and uphold them throughout your life.”

Heeding the bhikṣu’s instruction, the child took refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. After taking refuge, he rejoiced greatly and aroused the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi. At that time, while searching for their child, the parents of Pure Intention entered the assembly of Invincible Banner Tathagata. Upon arriving, they bowed with their heads at the Buddha’s feet and stood to one side. Seeing his parents, the child Pure Intention rejoiced greatly, greeted them, and spoke these verses before them:

“Father and Mother have now come here;

Buddhas are exceedingly difficult to encounter.

I seek great bodhi

For the sake of all sentient beings.

Behold the excellent marks of the Buddha,

Whose body emits beautiful light.

Those who possess wisdom

Should seek the fruit of bodhi.

I now wish to leave the household life;

May Father and Mother permit me.

I do not delight in wealth and pleasure,

For a Buddha is difficult to encounter.”

His parents spoke these verses to their child:

“We permit you to leave the household life

And advance toward unsurpassed bodhi.

Through our conditions with you,

We too shall train in this way.”

The Buddha told Śāriputra:

“At that time, the child Pure Intention received his parents’ permission to leave the household life. His parents, who possessed deep faith and devotion, likewise left the household life and joyfully took refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha with faithful acceptance. At that time, another five hundred people simultaneously aroused the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi and requested permission to leave the household life, and the Buddha accepted them all.”

The Buddha told Śāriputra:

“You should know that Bhikṣu Wisdom King of that time was none other than the present bodhisattva Mañjuśrī. The child Pure Intention was I myself.

“Śāriputra! In the distant past, when I was the son of an elder, the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī gave me the alms bowl and caused me to arouse the aspiration for great bodhi.

“Furthermore, Śāriputra! From the time I first aroused the aspiration for great bodhi until I attained fruition, fully possessed the ten powers and fearlessnesses, perfected all merit, and acquired inexhaustible wisdom, I relied entirely upon the guidance and instruction of the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī. Why? Because the aspiration I aroused was like empty space, without boundary. Śāriputra! All the immeasurable and innumerable Buddhas throughout the ten directions who share the name Buddha Śākyamuni were, like me, caused by Mañjuśrī to open their minds to bodhi.

“Śāriputra! In the past there were Tathagata Tiṣya, Tathagata Puṣya, Tathagata Dīpaṃkara, and Tathagata Śikhin. Throughout immeasurable kalpas, I praised the names of Buddhas such as these. Like me, all those Buddhas were caused by the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī to open their minds to the path, attain perfect awakening, and turn the wondrous Dharma wheel.

“Śāriputra! All those who cultivate the bodhisattva practice first dwell in Tuṣita Heaven and manifest the sign of descending into the world. They are first born in a royal palace, afterward cultivate ascetic practices, and finally sit at the seat of awakening. All this occurs through the teaching and guidance of the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī. Śāriputra! You should know that the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī is the mother of the bodhisattvas because he gives birth to all bodhisattvas. Everything I have said is true. You should understand these former causes and conditions in this way.”

When the Buddha spoke these words, all the Buddha realms throughout the ten directions manifested various jeweled canopies and offered them to the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī. From within each canopy, a great light radiated throughout the Sahā world, and a wondrous voice issued forth:

“So it is, exactly as Buddha Śākyamuni has said. So it is, so it is. In the past, we were all caused by the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī to arouse the aspiration for bodhi.”

At that time, in Buddha Śākyamuni’s assembly, the two hundred devaputras who had previously retreated from their bodhi aspiration now saw the Buddha, the Blessed One, and the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī manifest all these inconceivable deeds and heard the Buddha recount their former causes and conditions. They all thought: “The unsurpassed great Dharma of all the Buddhas is impossible even to hear, much less is it possible to behold the merit of the Buddhas, the Tathagatas. We shall now approach the Blessed One, abandon our inferior aspiration, and arouse the aspiration for unsurpassed great bodhi. We shall certainly attain the fruit of unsurpassed great bodhi.” Having thought this, they firmly aroused the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi and became irreversible.

End of Fascicle Two.