觀世音菩薩授記經

Thus have I heard:

At one time, the Buddha was dwelling in the Deer Park of the Sages near the city of Varanasi, together with an assembly of 20,000 great bhiksus. There were also 12,000 bodhisattvas, whose names were:

– Lion Bodhisattva,

– Lion-Mind Bodhisattva,

– Peaceful-Mind Bodhisattva,

– Incomparable-Mind Bodhisattva,

– Earth-Sustaining Bodhisattva,

– Pradata Bodhisattva,

– Divine-Deva Bodhisattva,

– True-Action Bodhisattva,

– Gahuta Bodhisattva,

– Worthy-Power Bodhisattva,

– Radiant-Deva Bodhisattva,

– Loving-Joy Bodhisattva,

– Manjusri Bodhisattva,

– Wisdom-Practice Bodhisattva,

– Dedicated-Practice Bodhisattva,

– Manifesting-Unobstructedness Bodhisattva,

– and Maitreya Bodhisattva.

These and other bodhisattva mahasattvas were the foremost among the 12,000 bodhisattvas present.

There were also 20,000 sons of devas. Among them were Son of Devas Good Precepts, Son of Devas Well-Abiding, and others who served as their foremost leaders; all of them abided in the Mahayana.

At that time, immeasurable hundreds of thousands of attendants surrounded the Blessed One, and he expounded the Dharma to them.

Then, in the assembly, a bodhisattva named Flower-Virtue Treasury rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, knelt with his right knee upon the ground, joined his palms toward the Buddha, and spoke these words:

"Blessed One! I have a matter about which I wish to inquire. I respectfully ask the Tathagata to permit me."

The Buddha said to Flower-Virtue Treasury Bodhisattva:

"If you have a question, ask as you wish. I already know what you intend to ask. The Tathagata will explain it so as to bring you joy."

At that time, Flower-Virtue Treasury addressed the Buddha, saying:

"Blessed One! How may bodhisattva mahasattvas become irreversible from unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment and not lose the five kinds of supernormal powers? How may they attain the Illusion-Like Samadhi? For once they have attained that samadhi, through the skillful means of that samadhi they can manifest transformations in accordance with the form and kind of each sentient being, then expound the Dharma according to their wholesome roots and lead sentient beings to unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment."

The Buddha said to Flower-Virtue Treasury Bodhisattva Mahasattva:

"Excellent, excellent! Before the Tathagata, the Fully and Perfectly Enlightened One, you are able to ask so skillfully about such a principle.

Flower-Virtue Treasury! You planted wholesome roots in the presence of the Buddhas of the past, made offerings to countless hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of Buddha-Blessed Ones, and gave rise to great compassion for sentient beings.

Excellent, Flower-Virtue Treasury! Listen, listen, and reflect well upon this! I shall explain it to you."

Flower-Virtue Treasury said:

"Yes, indeed! I rejoice and wish to hear it."

The Buddha said to Flower-Virtue Treasury Bodhisattva Mahasattva:

"If anyone perfects this one dharma, that person will attain the Illusion-Like Samadhi. Once that samadhi has been attained, through the skillful means of that samadhi one can manifest transformations in accordance with the form and kind of each sentient being, then expound the Dharma according to their wholesome roots and lead sentient beings to unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment.

What is this one dharma? It is nonreliance. One does not rely upon the Three Realms, nor upon the internal, nor upon the external. When there is nowhere upon which to rely, right contemplation then arises. Once right contemplation has arisen, it leads to right cessation, with awakened knowledge never diminished. Then, from the mind that neither increases nor decreases, true wisdom arises.

Upon reaching this stage, one comprehends that all dharmas arise through conditions and exist only through falsity. All dharmas arise from causes and conditions; without causes and conditions, dharmas do not arise. Although all dharmas arise from causes and conditions, in truth there is no place from which they arise.

Whoever comprehends the non-arising of dharmas in this way will enter the true path of the bodhisattva, which is also called entering the mind of great loving-kindness and compassion. Therefore, such a person will pity all sentient beings and wish to liberate them. Once one can skillfully understand such a profound principle, one immediately knows that all dharmas are like illusions.

Dharmas are created only because of conceptualization and words. Yet the dharmas formed from conceptualization and words are ultimately empty. Only when one can skillfully comprehend the emptiness of dharmas is one said to have attained the Illusion-Like Samadhi.

Once that samadhi has been attained, through the skillful means of that samadhi one can manifest transformations in accordance with the form and kind of each sentient being, then expound the Dharma according to their wholesome roots and lead sentient beings to unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment."

At that time, Flower-Virtue Treasury Bodhisattva Mahasattva addressed the Buddha, saying:

"Blessed One! Is there any bodhisattva in this assembly who has attained that samadhi?"

The Buddha said:

"There are! In this assembly now are those adorned with inconceivable great vows, such as Maitreya Bodhisattva, Manjusri Bodhisattva, and sixty noble beings—they have attained that samadhi."

He again addressed the Buddha, saying:

"Blessed One! Is it only in this world that there are bodhisattvas who have attained that samadhi, or are there also bodhisattvas in worlds in other directions who have likewise perfected the Illusion-Like Samadhi?"

The Buddha said to Flower-Virtue Treasury:

"Westward from here, beyond a hundred thousand kotis of Buddha lands, there is a world named Peace and Bliss. In that land is a Buddha named Amitabha, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One, who is presently expounding the Dharma there. That Buddha has two bodhisattvas as attendants. The first is named Avalokitesvara. The second is named Mahasthamaprapta. Both have attained that samadhi.

Furthermore, Flower-Virtue Treasury! If any bodhisattva hears and upholds this Dharma for seven days and seven nights from those two noble beings, immediately thereafter that bodhisattva will attain the Illusion-Like Samadhi."

Flower-Virtue Treasury Bodhisattva addressed the Buddha, saying:

"Blessed One! In that land there must surely be immeasurable bodhisattvas who have attained that samadhi.

Why is this? Because all bodhisattvas born in that land will go to those two noble beings to hear and uphold this Dharma."

The Buddha said:

"So it is, so it is! It is exactly as you say. In that land, immeasurable asamkhyeyas of bodhisattva mahasattvas have attained that samadhi from those two noble beings."

Flower-Virtue Treasury Bodhisattva addressed the Buddha, saying:

"Excellent, Blessed One! I respectfully beseech the Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One, to use his spiritual power to cause those two noble beings to come to this world and also enable both great assemblies to see one another.

Why is this? Because if those two noble beings come to this world, then when wholesome men and wholesome women whose wholesome roots have matured hear them expound the Dharma, they will attain that samadhi. I also wish to see Amitabha Buddha's World of Peace and Bliss. Through this cause, the wholesome men and wholesome women here will also be led to arouse the aspiration for unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment and vow to be born in that land. Once born in that land, they will certainly never again regress from unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment."

At that time, the Blessed One accepted the request, whereupon He emitted a radiant light from the white hair-mark between His eyebrows. That light universally illuminated the trichiliocosm. All the grasses, trees, earth, and stones in this world, as well as Mount Sumeru, Mount Mucilinda, Great Mount Mucilinda, Mount Cakravada, Great Mount Cakravada, and even the darkest places in this world, all became golden in color, and there was nowhere that did not shine brilliantly.

The light of the sun and moon and the radiance of those possessing great might all ceased to appear. That light further illuminated hundreds of thousands of kotis of lands throughout the western direction, and even the Land of Peace and Bliss became golden in color. Then that great halo circled the Buddha there seven times to the right and suddenly disappeared before that Tathagata.

At that time, the bodhisattvas, shravakas, and sentient beings in that land all saw this world, together with the great assembly surrounding Buddha Śākyamuni to hear the Dharma. They saw it as clearly as one sees an amalaka fruit in the palm of one’s hand. Filled with devotion and joy, they proclaimed:

"Homage to Śākyamuni Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One!"

At that time, within the assembly here, the bhikshus, bhikshunis, upasakas, upasikas, devas, nagas, yakshas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kimnaras, mahoragas, humans and nonhumans, Shakra, Brahma, the Four Heavenly Kings, bodhisattvas, and shravakas all beheld the Land of Peace and Bliss, together with the bodhisattvas and shravaka retinues surrounding Amitābha Buddha. The light of that Buddha shone like a mountain of jewels, exceptionally brilliant and resplendent, majestic in radiance, illuminating all lands everywhere. It was as though a person with clear eyes could distinctly see every feature of another person’s face within the range of vision. The great assembly here beheld that Buddha in just this way. Having seen Him, they rejoiced exuberantly and proclaimed:

"Homage to Amitābha Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One!"

At that time, 84,000 sentient beings within this assembly all brought forth the resolve for unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment, planted roots of goodness, and vowed to be born in that land.

When the bodhisattvas and shravakas in the Land of Peace and Bliss saw this land, they rejoiced and marveled at what they had never experienced before. They then joined their palms, bowed reverently to Śākyamuni Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One, and said:

"Homage to Śākyamuni Buddha! He is able to teach such Dharma to the bodhisattvas and shravakas."

At that time, the Land of Peace and Bliss quaked in six ways: moving everywhere, moving everywhere simultaneously, surging everywhere, surging everywhere simultaneously, trembling everywhere, and trembling everywhere simultaneously.

Then Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta Bodhisattva Mahāsattvas addressed that Buddha, saying:

"How wondrous, O Blessed One! The Śākyamuni Tathagata is able to manifest such a rare event.

Why is this so? Because that Śākyamuni Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One, had merely manifested His name, yet He caused the insentient earth, devoid of perception, to quake in six ways."

At that time, Amitābha Buddha told the two bodhisattvas:

"Śākyamuni does not manifest His name only in this land; throughout the immeasurable worlds of other Buddhas, He likewise manifests His name. The universal illumination of great light and the earth’s quaking in six ways also occur in the same manner.

When immeasurable asamkhyeyas of sentient beings in those worlds hear His name and then invoke and praise it, they will accomplish roots of goodness and all attain non-retrogression from unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment."

At that time, 4,000,000,000 bodhisattvas within that great assembly, upon hearing the name of Śākyamuni Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Completely and Perfectly Enlightened One, unanimously made vows and dedicated their roots of goodness toward unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment. That Buddha immediately bestowed upon them the prediction that they would attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.

At that time, Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta Bodhisattva Mahāsattvas went before Amitābha Buddha, bowed their heads at His feet, respectfully joined their palms, stood to one side, and addressed that Buddha:

"O Blessed One! For what cause and condition did Śākyamuni Buddha emit this light?"

That Buddha then told Avalokiteśvara:

"A Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Completely and Perfectly Enlightened One, would never emit light without a cause.

Why is this so? Because today Śākyamuni Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One, is about to expound the Sutra of the Bodhisattva’s Samādhi of the Abode of Precious Jewels. Therefore, He first manifested this auspicious sign."

At that time, Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta Bodhisattva Mahāsattvas addressed that Buddha:

"O Blessed One! We wish to go to the Sahā World to bow to and make offerings to Śākyamuni Buddha and then hear Him teach the Dharma."

That Buddha said:

"Good men! You should know that now is the appropriate time."

The two bodhisattvas then said to one another:

"Today we shall certainly hear that Buddha expound the wondrous Dharma."

After the two bodhisattvas had received that Buddha’s instruction, each told his retinue of 4,000,000,000 bodhisattvas:

"Good men! Let us go together to the Sahā World to bow to and make offerings to Śākyamuni Buddha, and there listen to and uphold the True Dharma.

Why is this so? Because Śākyamuni Buddha, the Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Completely and Perfectly Enlightened One, was able to leave a pure and wondrous land to accomplish deeds difficult to accomplish. Through the power of His original vows, He aroused great compassion and attained unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment in an evil and defiled age, amid the raging fires of greed, hatred, and delusion, where sentient beings possess little virtue and scant merit; He then taught them the Dharma."

When these words had been spoken, the bodhisattvas and shravakas unanimously praised Him, saying:

"When sentient beings in that land hear the name of Śākyamuni Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One, they immediately gain wholesome benefit. How much more so when they behold Him and then give rise to joy!

O Blessed One! We wish to go together to that world to bow to and make offerings to Śākyamuni Buddha."

That Buddha said:

"Good men! You should know that now is the appropriate time."

At that time, in that world, Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta Bodhisattva Mahāsattvas were each surrounded by 4,000,000,000 bodhisattvas. Each bodhisattva then used spiritual power to conjure 4,000,000,000 magnificent jeweled terraces for his retinue.

These wondrous and stately jeweled terraces measured twelve yojanas in length and width. Upon the jeweled terraces:

– some were made of gold;

– some were made of silver;

– some were made of vaidurya;

– some were made of crystal;

– some were made of red pearls;

– some were made of giant clam shell;

– some were made of agate;

– some were made of two precious substances: gold and silver;

– some were made of three precious substances: gold, silver, and vaidurya;

– some were made of four precious substances: gold, silver, vaidurya, and crystal;

– in some places they were made of five treasures: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, and red pearls;

– in some places they were made of six treasures: yellow gold, white silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, mother-of-pearl, and red pearls;

– in some places they were made of seven treasures: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, mother-of-pearl, red pearls, and agate.

Elsewhere upon the jeweled terraces, red pearls, sandalwood, blue lotuses, red lotuses, yellow lotuses, and white lotuses were used as adornments.

From the sky there also rained down sumana flowers, magnolia flowers, parāla flowers, liberation flowers, rani flowers, kūrani flowers, māndārava flowers, mahā-māndārava flowers, pāruṣa flowers, mahā-pāruṣa flowers, mañjūṣaka flowers, mahā-mañjūṣaka flowers, locana flowers, mahā-locana flowers, jaka flowers, mahā-jaka flowers, suruci-jaka flowers, candana flowers, mahā-candana flowers, suruci-candana flowers, candanottara flowers, thāra flowers, and mahā-thāra flowers.

Upon each of these jeweled terraces were myriad brilliant colors, pure and dazzling, shining resplendently in this manner.

Upon the jeweled terraces there were also 84,000 manifested celestial maidens.

Some celestial maidens held harps, lutes, zithers, long zithers, flutes, pipa, drums, or conches. Holding immeasurable musical instruments made of various treasures, they stood there majestically and played wondrous music.

Some celestial maidens held red sandalwood incense, agalloch sandalwood incense, or black agalloch sandalwood incense and stood there majestically.

Some celestial maidens held blue lotuses, red lotuses, yellow lotuses, or white lotuses and stood there majestically.

Some celestial maidens held māndārava flowers, mahā-māndārava flowers, pāruṣa flowers, mahā-pāruṣa flowers, locana flowers, mahā-locana flowers, candana flowers, mahā-candana flowers, suruci-candana flowers, jaka flowers, mahā-jaka flowers, suruci-jaka flowers, thāra flowers, mahā-thāra flowers, or suruci-thāra flowers and stood there majestically.

Some celestial maidens held every kind of flower and fruit and stood there majestically.

Upon the jeweled terraces there were also lion thrones adorned with various treasures. Upon each throne was a manifested Buddha, whose body was adorned with the 32 excellent marks and the 80 fine characteristics.

Suspended above each jeweled terrace were 84,000 strings of pearls mingled in blue, yellow, red, and white.

Upon each jeweled terrace there were also 84,000 wondrous jeweled vessels filled with powdered incense, arranged in rows upon it.

Upon each jeweled terrace there were also 84,000 wondrous jeweled canopies covering it from above.

Upon each jeweled terrace there were also 84,000 wondrous jeweled trees flourishing upon it.

Upon each jeweled terrace there were also netted curtains adorned with 84,000 jeweled bells.

Amid the jeweled trees were ponds made of the seven treasures, filled with water possessing the eight virtues. Within the ponds were many jeweled lotuses intermingled in blue, yellow, red, and white; their colors were brilliant and luminous. When a gentle breeze stirred the rows of jeweled trees, they produced wondrous sounds. Those sounds were harmonious and pleasing, surpassing even the music of the heavens.

Upon each jeweled terrace there were also 84,000 wondrous jeweled cords connecting the jeweled trees.

Each jeweled terrace emitted light illuminating 84,000 yojanas, and there was no place it did not illumine.

At that time Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta, Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas, together with their retinue of eight billion bodhisattvas, all entered jeweled terraces adorned in the same manner. Then, as swiftly as a strong man might bend or extend his arm, they disappeared from that land and appeared in this world.

Upon arriving, surrounded by their retinue of eight billion bodhisattvas, the two bodhisattvas used their spiritual powers to make the ground of this world as level as the surface of water. Perfectly adorned with great merit, their light shone throughout the Saha World, and their extraordinary dignity and beauty were truly beyond description.

These bodhisattvas then approached Shakyamuni Buddha, bowed their heads to the ground in homage, circumambulated him seven times to the right, stood to one side, and addressed the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! Amitabha Buddha inquires whether the World-Honored One is free from illness and affliction. Is your walking and movement easy? Are your activities peaceful and joyful?”

When the bodhisattvas and shravakas of this world saw the wondrous adornments of that land, as well as the wondrously adorned jeweled terraces, they praised them as unprecedented, and each thought:

“These wondrously adorned jeweled terraces have come from the Land of Peace and Bliss into this world. Is this through the Buddha’s power, or through the spiritual powers of those two bodhisattvas?”

At that time, Bodhisattva Flower-Virtue Treasury, relying upon the Buddha’s awe-inspiring spiritual power, addressed the Buddha:

“How wondrous, World-Honored One! This is indeed unprecedented. By whose majestic power have such wondrously adorned jeweled terraces now appeared here in this Saha World?”

The Buddha said:

“This is due to the spiritual powers of Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta. Thus have such vast adornments appeared in this world.”

“How wondrous, World-Honored One! This is truly inconceivable. Through the pure practices and vows of those two good men, they are able to use spiritual power to adorn jeweled terraces and cause them to appear in this world.”

The Buddha said:

“So it is, so it is! It is exactly as you say. Those two good men purified their roots of goodness throughout incalculable billions of nayutas of hundreds of thousands of kalpas and attained the Illusion-Like Samadhi. Because they abide in that samadhi, they are able to use spiritual powers of transformation to manifest deeds such as these.

“Furthermore, Flower-Virtue Treasury! Now contemplate the worlds in the eastern direction. What do you see?”

Bodhisattva Flower-Virtue Treasury then used the full range of a bodhisattva’s divine vision to contemplate Buddha worlds in the eastern direction as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Before every Buddha, he saw Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta together with adornments such as those described above. They all reverently made offerings to those Buddhas and said:

“Amitabha Buddha inquires whether the World-Honored One is free from illness and affliction. Is your walking and movement easy? Are your activities peaceful and joyful?”

It was likewise in the western, southern, and northern directions, in the four intermediate directions, and in the directions above and below.

After Bodhisattva Flower-Virtue Treasury had seen these things, he rejoiced with great delight at this unprecedented sight and addressed the Buddha:

“How wondrous, World-Honored One! What practices did those two Great Beings cultivate that enabled them to accomplish such a samadhi?

“Why is this? Because today those two True Beings have been able to manifest such adornments throughout those Buddha lands.”

At that time, the World-Honored One used his spiritual power to enable the entire assembly to see the same things that Bodhisattva Flower-Virtue Treasury had seen. After seeing them, 32,000 people generated the aspiration for unsurpassed, complete, and perfect enlightenment.

Then Bodhisattva Flower-Virtue Treasury addressed the Buddha:

"Blessed One! These two noble beings must surely have long ago aroused the aspiration for unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment. If so, in the presence of which Buddha did they first arouse this aspiration? I respectfully beseech the Blessed One to explain, so that the bodhisattvas may likewise cultivate those practices and vows and swiftly bring them to perfect fulfillment."

The Buddha said:

"Listen attentively and reflect well! I shall explain this clearly to you."

"Excellent, Blessed One. I rejoice and wish to hear."

The Buddha said:

"Immeasurable, inconceivable asamkhya kalpas ago in the distant past, I was once a king one hundred thousand times. The first of these was near the end of the kalpa called Great King. At that time there was a world named Manifestation of the Peace and Bliss of the Immeasurable Accumulation of Virtue. In that land was a Buddha named Golden Light Lion's Play Tathagata, Worthy One, Perfectly Enlightened One, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Those to Be Tamed, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Blessed One. I shall now tell you of the adornments and purity of that Buddha's land.

What do you think? Are the adornments and purity of Amitabha Buddha's World of Peace and Bliss abundant?"

Flower Virtue Treasury replied:

"They are exceedingly abundant, Blessed One! They are truly inconceivable and impossible to enumerate."

The Buddha said to Flower Virtue Treasury:

"Suppose someone were to divide a strand of hair into one hundred parts and then use one part to touch the water of the great ocean.

What do you think? Which would be greater: the drop of water on the tip of that strand of hair or the vast quantity of water in the great ocean?"

Flower Virtue Treasury replied:

"Blessed One! The water in the ocean would be so much greater that no comparison could express it."

"So it is, Flower Virtue Treasury! You should understand this. The adornments of Amitabha Buddha's land are like the drop of water on the tip of the strand of hair, while the land of Golden Light Lion's Play Tathagata is like the vast quantity of water in the great ocean. The numbers of bodhisattvas and shravakas in those two lands are likewise not the same.

That Golden Light Lion's Play Tathagata also taught the Dharma of the Three Vehicles to sentient beings. Even if, for as many kalpas as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, I were to describe the meritorious adornments, the joys, and the bodhisattvas and shravakas in that Buddha's land, I could not exhaust them.

At that time, during the teaching dispensation of Golden Light Lion's Play Tathagata, there was a king named Majestic Virtue. He governed one thousand worlds according to the true Dharma, and therefore he was called a Dharma King. This King Majestic Virtue had a great many sons. All his princes possessed the twenty-eight marks of a great being and abided on the unsurpassed path. The king had seventy-six thousand parks and groves, where his princes often delighted in recreation."

Flower Virtue Treasury addressed the Buddha, saying:

"Blessed One! Were there women in that Buddha's land?"

The Buddha said:

"Good man! In that Buddha's land, even the designation ‘woman’ did not exist, much less actual women. The sentient beings in that land all cultivated pure brahmacarya, were born solely by transformation, and took the bliss of meditative concentration as their food. For eighty-four thousand years, King Majestic Virtue constantly attended upon that Tathagata and cultivated no other teaching. Knowing the king's utterly sincere mind, that Buddha then expounded to him the immeasurable Dharma seals.

What are the immeasurable Dharma seals? Bodhisattva Flower Virtue Treasury! Those who practice should arouse immeasurable vows.

Why is this? A bodhisattva-mahasattva constantly practices immeasurable generosity, immeasurable moral discipline, immeasurable patience, immeasurable diligence, immeasurable meditative concentration, and immeasurable wisdom. Throughout immeasurable kalpas of birth and death, they constantly practice the Six Paramitas, extend immeasurable loving-kindness toward sentient beings, adorn immeasurable pure lands, proclaim immeasurable sounds, and cultivate immeasurable eloquence.

Flower Virtue Treasury! Even a single thought of their dedication of merit is immeasurable.

What is immeasurable dedication of merit? It is the dedication of merit to all sentient beings, so that every sentient being may attain the unborn and enter the parinirvana of the Buddhas. This is called Immeasurable Dedication of Merit.

There are also immeasurable emptiness, immeasurable signlessness, and immeasurable wishlessness, as well as the immeasurability of non-action, the reality of freedom from desire, the unborn nature of the Dharma-nature, nonattachment to liberation, and nirvana.

Good man! I have now spoken only briefly of such immeasurable dharmas.

Why is this? Because all dharmas are without measure or limit.

Furthermore, Flower Virtue Treasury! On one occasion, while King Majestic Virtue was absorbed in samadhi in his garden, two lotus flowers sprang from the earth, one to his left and one to his right. They were adorned with a profusion of colors and emitted a fragrance as exquisite as heavenly sandalwood. Within each lotus, a youth had been born by transformation and sat cross-legged. The first was named Jewel Mind, and the second was named Jewel Supreme.

When King Majestic Virtue emerged from meditation, he saw the two youths seated within the lotuses and asked them in verse:

‘Are you devas or dragons,

Yakshas or kumbhandas,

Humans or nonhumans?

Please clearly state your names.’

The youth to the king's right then replied in verse:

‘All dharmas are empty;

Why do you ask our names?

Dharmas of the past have ceased,

Dharmas of the future are not yet born,

Dharmas of the present do not abide—

Whose name, kind sir, do you ask?

There is neither a self nor a nonhuman,

Neither dragon nor rakshasa;

Whether human or nonhuman,

None can ever be apprehended.’

The youth to the left spoke this verse:

‘All names are empty;

Names cannot be apprehended.

All dharmas are nameless,

Yet still you wish to ask our names.

If you seek a name that is real,

No one has ever heard one spoken.

A dharma perishes as soon as it arises;

Why, then, ask its name?

Names, words, and speech

Are all merely provisional.

My name is Jewel Mind,

And my companion is Jewel Supreme.’

Flower Virtue Treasury! After speaking these verses, the two youths accompanied King Majestic Virtue to that Buddha's place of enlightenment. Upon arriving, they bowed their heads at the Buddha's feet, circumambulated him clockwise seven times, joined their palms reverently, and stood to one side.

The two youths then asked the Buddha together in verse:

‘How should offerings be made

To the unsurpassed Honored One, Perfect in Both Wisdom and Merit?

Please explain the meaning,

So that those who hear may practice accordingly.

Incense, flowers, music, and garments,

Drink, food, beds, and medicines—

Of all such offerings,

Which is the most supreme?’

That Buddha then spoke these verses for the two youths:

‘Whoever arouses the bodhicitta

And broadly delivers all sentient beings

Thereby makes an offering to the Perfectly Enlightened One,

Adorned with the thirty-two marks.

Even if one were to take precious and wondrous objects,

As many as the sands of the Ganges,

And reverently offer them to the Tathagatas,

Who would joyfully accept them,

This would not equal a mind of loving-kindness

That dedicates merit toward bodhi.

This merit is the most supreme,

Immeasurable and boundless.

No offering surpasses it;

It transcends all calculation.

With bodhicitta such as this,

One will certainly attain complete, perfect enlightenment.’

The two youths then spoke these verses:

‘Devas, dragons, ghosts, and spirits,

Hear this lion's roar!

Now, before the Tathagata,

We vow to arouse the bodhicitta.

Throughout immeasurable kalpas of birth and death,

Whose beginning cannot be known,

For the sake of even a single sentient being,

We shall practice the path for many kalpas.

How much more, during those kalpas,

When delivering immeasurable beings,

Could we cultivate the path to bodhi

And yet give rise to weariness?

From this day forth,

If I give rise to craving,

Then I shall have deceived

All Buddhas of the ten directions.

So too with anger and delusion,

And likewise with jealousy.

Today I speak these truthful words,

Far removed from falsehood.

From this day forth,

If I give rise to the mind of a shravaka

And take no delight in cultivating bodhi,

Then I shall have deceived the World-Honored One.

Nor shall I seek the state of a pratyekabuddha

Merely to save myself alone.

Throughout myriads of kotis of kalpas,

With great compassion I shall deliver sentient beings,

Just as the Buddha delivers them today.

Pure, wondrous, and magnificently adorned,

When I attain the fruit of the Path,

My land shall surpass hundreds of thousands of myriads of others.

In that realm there shall be no shravakas,

Nor any Pratyekabuddha Vehicle;

There shall be only bodhisattvas,

Their number boundless and immeasurable.

Its sentient beings shall be pure and undefiled,

Fully endowed with the most sublime bliss,

Born from Perfect Enlightenment,

And retaining all treasuries of the Dharma.

If this vow is true,

May the entire great trichiliocosm quake.'

When he had finished speaking these verses, every place immediately quaked. Hundreds of thousands of kinds of music arose, producing harmonious sounds. Radiant and exquisitely beautiful garments spiraled down from above. In the sky, the devas also rained fragrant powder; its fragrance pervaded everywhere and filled the minds of sentient beings with joy."

The Buddha said to Flower Virtue Treasury:

"What do you think? Was the former King Awesome Virtue someone else? He was none other than I in a previous life. As for the two youths, they are now Avalokiteshvara and Mahasthamaprapta, the bodhisattva-mahasattvas.

Good man! In the presence of that Buddha, those two bodhisattvas first gave rise to the aspiration for unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment."

At that time, Flower Virtue Treasury said to the Buddha:

"How wondrous, World-Honored One! Although these two good men had never before given rise to the aspiration for bodhi, they had already accomplished such extremely profound wisdom and thoroughly understood that names and words are all ungraspable.

World-Honored One! These two great beings must surely have made offerings and cultivated merit in the presence of Buddhas of the past."

"Good man! The grains of sand in the Ganges River may still be counted. However, the number of Buddhas of the past whom these two great beings served with offerings and in whose presence they planted roots of virtue cannot possibly be reckoned. Although they had not yet given rise to the aspiration for bodhi, they were already able to perform inconceivable deeds with which to adorn themselves. Among sentient beings, they were the most valiant."

At that time, Bodhisattva Flower Virtue Treasury said to the Buddha:

"World-Honored One! Where is the former land called Manifestation of Peace and Bliss, Treasury of Immeasurable Virtues, located at present?"

The Buddha said:

"Good man! The Land of Peace and Bliss now in the west was formerly called Manifestation of Peace and Bliss, Treasury of Immeasurable Virtues."

Bodhisattva Flower Virtue Treasury said to the Buddha:

"World-Honored One! I respectfully beseech you to expound this matter so that immeasurable sentient beings may obtain great benefit. In what land will this Avalokiteshvara attain unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment? How will that world be adorned? What will his radiant name be? What will be the lifespans of the shravakas and bodhisattvas there, and what will transpire up to the time when they attain Buddhahood?

If the World-Honored One explains the practices and vows fulfilled by this bodhisattva, then when other bodhisattvas hear of those practices and vows, they will certainly cultivate them to perfection."

The Buddha said:

"Excellent! Listen attentively! I shall explain it to you."

Flower Virtue Treasury replied:

"Yes, indeed! I shall gladly listen."

The Buddha said:

"Good man! Amitabha Buddha's immeasurable lifespan extends for hundreds of thousands of kotis of kalpas, yet it will ultimately come to an end.

Good man! In the future, after an incalculably distant number of kalpas, Amitabha Buddha will enter parinirvana.

After he enters parinirvana, his True Dharma will remain in the world for a period equal to that Buddha's lifespan. The number of sentient beings delivered to liberation will likewise equal the number delivered while he was present in the world.

After that Buddha enters nirvana, there will be sentient beings who do not see the Buddha. Nevertheless, there will be bodhisattvas who attain the Samadhi of Recollection of the Buddha, and they will always see Amitabha Buddha.

Furthermore, good man! After that Buddha's passing, all precious objects, bathing pools, lotus flowers, and rows of jeweled trees will continually proclaim the sounds of the Dharma, exactly as they did while that Buddha was present in the world, without any difference.

Good man! On the night when the True Dharma of Amitabha Buddha becomes completely extinguished, immediately after midnight, as dawn is about to break, Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara will sit in the lotus posture beneath a bodhi tree made of the seven treasures and attain unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment. He will be named Tathagata Universal Light, King of the Mountain of Virtue, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened One, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Men, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, World-Honored One.

That Buddha's land will be naturally composed of the seven wondrous treasures. Even if the Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, were to describe its adornments for as many kalpas as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, they could not exhaust them.

Good man! I shall now give you an analogy so that you may understand. The land of Tathagata Golden Light, Lion's Play, possesses magnificent adornments, yet the land of Tathagata Universal Light, King of the Mountain of Virtue, will surpass it hundreds of thousands of myriads of times, kotis of times, billions of kotis of times, to an extent unknowable even through calculation or analogy.

In that Buddha's land, even the names shravaka and pratyekabuddha will not exist; it will be filled exclusively with bodhisattvas."

Bodhisattva Flower Virtue Treasury said to the Buddha:

"World-Honored One! Will that Buddha's land still be called Peace and Bliss?"

The Buddha said:

"Good man! That Buddha's land will be called Universally Adorned by the Gathering of Treasures.

Good man! Throughout the time that Tathagata Universal Light, King of the Mountain of Virtue, abides in the world, Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta will attend upon him and make offerings to him until he enters nirvana.

After that Buddha has entered nirvana, Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta will uphold the True Dharma until it becomes completely extinguished.

After the True Dharma has been extinguished, Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta will attain unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment in that land. He will be named Tathagata Well-Abiding King of Virtue and Treasure, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened One, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Men, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, World-Honored One.

That Buddha's land, radiance, lifespan, assembly of bodhisattvas, and even the duration for which his True Dharma remains in the world will be identical to those of Tathagata Universal Light, King of the Mountain of Virtue, without the slightest difference.

If any good man or good woman hears the name of Tathagata Well-Abiding King of Virtue and Treasure, they will all attain non-retrogression from unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment.

Furthermore, good man! If any woman hears the names of the past Tathagata Golden Light, Lion's Play, and the future Tathagata Well-Abiding King of Virtue and Treasure, she will eradicate the karmic offenses accumulated during four billion kalpas of birth and death and will never again receive a female body. All such women will attain non-retrogression from unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment, always see the Buddhas, hear and uphold the True Dharma, and make offerings to the Sangha. After relinquishing that body, in their next life they will be able to leave the household life, attain unobstructed eloquence, and swiftly realize the gateways of dharani."

At that time, within the Dharma assembly, six billion people in the great congregation praised in unison:

"Namo to the Buddhas of the ten directions who have entered parinirvana!"

Then, with one accord and firm resolve, they brought forth the aspiration for unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment. At that time, the Buddha immediately bestowed upon them the prediction that they would attain unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment.

There were also 84,000 nayutas of beings who became free from dust and defilement and attained the pure Dharma-eye with regard to all dharmas. Seven thousand bhiksus exhausted the outflows and attained liberation of mind.

At that time, the bodhisattvas Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta employed their spiritual powers, enabling the assembly there to behold countless Buddhas, World-Honored Ones, throughout the ten directions, all bestowing upon them the prediction of unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment. Having seen this, they all praised them, saying:

"How wondrous, World-Honored One! Those Tathagatas all likewise bestow such predictions upon these two Great Beings."

At that time, Bodhisattva Flower-Virtue Treasury addressed the Buddha, saying:

"World-Honored One! If good men or good women accept and uphold, read and recite, explain, copy, and widely propagate this profound scripture of the Tathagata, how much merit will they acquire? I only pray that the Tathagata will distinguish and explain this matter.

"Why is this? In the evil age to come, beings of meager virtue will neither believe nor uphold this profound scripture of the Tathagata. For this reason, they will undergo suffering throughout the long night and find liberation exceedingly difficult to attain.

"World-Honored One! I respectfully beseech you to have compassion and expound it for the benefit of all beings.

"Furthermore, World-Honored One! In today’s assembly are many good men and good women of keen faculties, and in the future age they will form a vast canopy of light."

The Buddha said:

"Excellent, Flower-Virtue Treasury! Listen attentively! I shall explain it for you."

Flower-Virtue Treasury said:

"May the World-Honored One instruct us! I delight in and wish to hear it."

The Buddha said:

"Suppose a good man were to bear all the beings in the great trichiliocosm upon his two shoulders throughout his entire life and make offerings to them according to their desires, such as clothing, food, medicines, and beds. Would that person’s merit be great?"

"It would be exceedingly great, World-Honored One! If, out of loving-kindness and compassion, one were to make offerings according to the wishes of even a single being, that merit would already be immeasurable, how much more so when offering to them all."

The Buddha said:

"If good men or good women accept and uphold, read and recite, explain, copy, widely propagate, and make every kind of offering to this scripture, and then bring forth the aspiration for bodhi, the merit they acquire will be hundreds of thousands of myriads of times greater than that described above. No analogy could ever fully express it."

Bodhisattva Flower-Virtue Treasury addressed the Buddha, saying:

"World-Honored One! From this day forth, I shall always accept and uphold, read and recite, explain, copy, and widely propagate this scripture taught by the Tathagata, together with the three names of the Buddhas mentioned above—one name of a Buddha of the past and two names of Buddhas of the future. I shall abandon greed, anger, and delusion and bring forth the aspiration for unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment. This vow shall certainly never be false!

"World-Honored One! When I attain Buddhahood, if any woman hears this Dharma, may she never again assume a female body in a subsequent life. After she has transformed her female body, I shall bestow upon her the prediction of unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment, with the name Tathagata Stainless, Worthy of Offerings, Completely and Perfectly Enlightened One."

When the Buddha had finished teaching this scripture, Bodhisattva Mahasattva Flower-Virtue Treasury, together with the bhiksus, bhiksunis, bodhisattvas, sravakas, devas, nagas, yaksas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kimnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans, having heard the Buddha’s teaching, all gave rise to great joy.

The Sutra of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara’s Receiving the Prediction