Đại Phật Đỉnh Quảng Tụ Đà La Ni Kinh quyển 2

VOLUME TWO

The Great Buddha-Crown Fearlessness Vast Assembly, the Tathagata’s Buddha-Crown Vision, and the Mantra Master

Chapter Four: Universal Perfuming and the Extinguishing of Offenses

At that time, whether the Mantra Master is sitting or walking, any sentient beings who encounter him—whether egg-born, moisture-born, or transformation-born; whether crawling, flying, moving, or stirring—who hear the Mantra Master speak, see his form or shadow, touch him, or come to the place where the Mantra Master recites the mantra, will all attain non-retrogression. In the future, they will swiftly attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.

They will also become stainless and free from attachment, and their karmic hindrances will be extinguished. After the end of their lives, they will be born through transformation from lotus flowers in the Land of Ultimate Bliss and will always remember their former lives. At that time, even an image of the Mantra Master is truly difficult to hear of and difficult to describe.

Why is this? Because it is the Treasury of the Mind of twelve hundred million Tathagatas and is proclaimed within the seven-jeweled stupas of the Buddhas. The Mantra Master is himself the non-retrogressing body of the Tathagata, has realized the Ten Grounds, and has realized unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.

The body of the Mantra Master is no different from a jeweled stupa. For these reasons, it is difficult to encounter.

All the meritorious and efficacious powers of the Buddha-crown are attained through the power of upholding and reciting it. Once the Mantra Master has attained this body, even all the Vajra beings cannot compare with him. Mantra spirits, devas, nagas, yakshas, rakshasas, Vinayakas, Mara Papiyan, bhutas, pishachas, hungry ghosts, humans, nonhumans, and others cannot harm him.

Nor can water, fire, wind, hail, frost, snow, or any poisonous calamity harm him. Weapons and warfare, ghosts and demons, evil mantras, heterodox maras, the ruin of kingdoms, bondage, isolation, drought, storms, floods, crop failure, dangers in the wilderness, lions, tigers, wolves, birds and beasts, thieves, robbers, bandits, seasonal epidemics, ringworm, leprosy, or fevers lasting one day, two days, or as long as a month cannot harm him.

Neither can sorcerous arts, curses, snakes, centipedes, spiders, scorpions, or any of the poisons mentioned above. Portents of disaster, poisoned water, poisonous winds, and all kinds of illness cannot harm him. Tumors, abscesses, hemorrhoids, fistulas, swellings, fevers, chills, and poisoning by drugs will all be eliminated by reciting this mantra twenty-one times.

Therefore, it is said to be difficult to see, difficult to hear, and difficult to describe.

If a person regularly upholds and recites this dharani every day, that person will attain a lifespan of one hundred or even two hundred years and will be blessed, virtuous, handsome, and upright. Later, that person will be born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, will know all former lives from birth, will never again retrogress, will possess a lifespan equal to that of a Buddha, and will enjoy bliss in a Buddha-land.

If the Mantra Master wishes to accomplish every undertaking, he must bathe in fragrant water and put on new, clean garments. At a stupa enshrining the Buddha’s relics, he should install an image of the Buddha facing west. Beginning on the eighth day and continuing until the fifteenth day, he should complete eight thousand recitations.

The body of the Mantra Master will then emit light, and three streams of light will issue from the crown of the Buddha’s head, circle the Buddha three times, and form a canopy in empty space. Moreover, within the light from the Buddha’s crown, the form of a Great Person will appear and speak these words of praise to the Mantra Master: “Excellent! Excellent!

May you attain the Fearless Buddha-Crown Lotus-Light Assembly, the secret treasury of the minds of all Tathagatas, the Great Lion King mandala, the great mudra, patala, and so forth. May you accomplish all mantra methods.” The Buddha will then extend his left arm, touch the head of the Mantra Master, and praise him, saying: “You have now escaped all the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, and death. You are my son, capable of performing wholesome and meritorious deeds, and all great undertakings will be accomplished.” He will further ask: “What do you seek?

What undertaking do you wish to perform? What fruit do you wish to attain within the three periods of time? If you wish, in this very life, to become like the Vajra-Bearer and perfect great strength, you may do so.

If you wish to accomplish the Tathagata’s secret altar, it too will appear before you according to your will. Furthermore, if you seek matters pertaining to former lives, they will appear before you according to your will. Again, if you seek matters pertaining to former lives and wish to attain the marks of the Tathagata, light will appear.

The luminous form of a Great Person from the crown of the Tathagata will circle your body three times and then enter the crown of the Mantra Master’s head. When it has entered, he will immediately become a Lotus Treasury. From a contaminated body, he will attain an uncontaminated body, complete with the thirty-two excellent marks and eighty secondary characteristics, and his body will become pure, adorned, and majestic.

He will emit great light and abide in empty space, freely traveling back and forth throughout koti nayuta hundreds of thousands of myriads of millions of heavenly realms. The gates of the Buddhas will naturally open, allowing him to travel without obstruction throughout Buddha-lands as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, numbering koti nayuta hundreds of thousands of myriads of millions. In the realms of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, he will manifest great spiritual transformations, and among assemblies of bodhisattvas he will turn the great Dharma wheel.

This is called the Dharma of Past Vows.

Furthermore, if he wishes to enter the palaces of the asuras and other palaces, the Mantra Master should bathe in fragrant water, put on new, clean garments, hold a vajra pestle and a string of prayer beads in his hands, burn benzoin incense, and recite the Buddha-crown dharani one thousand times. He must keep the incense burning so that the smoke does not cease. Over the incense smoke, he should empower white mustard seeds with the Vajra mantra 1,080 times, cast them toward the asura palace three times, and then strike three times with the vajra pestle while mentally reciting the dharani.

The rock wall will immediately split open, and the cavern gate will open by itself. All the palaces of the spirits will also open, and every palace will quake violently. The spirits will all become terrified and lose their composure, and they will hide themselves within the Great Wheel of the Good Eye.

The Mantra Master should then take the white mustard seeds and scatter them everywhere. After scattering them, he should say: “All evil maras and evil ghosts within this palace and throughout this land must withdraw one hundred yojanas away. Regardless of the extent of the path, it shall immediately become purified.” After entering the palace, he will know everything that he should seek.

***

The Great Buddha-Crown Fearless Jeweled Vast Assembly of the Tathagata’s Buddha-Crown

Chapter Five: The Medicinal Method of the Light of All Worlds

Lotus seeds, lotus flowers, lotus stamens, lotus stalks, camphor incense, bezoar, naga flowers, turmeric incense, and lotus milk should be taken in equal amounts and finely ground into powder. On an auspicious day, mix them with yellow cow’s milk and form pills the size of wutong seeds, then dry them in the shade. Again, bathe thoroughly, put on clean garments, bring the medicine into the place of practice, and empower it by reciting the Buddha-crown mantra 1,080 times. After completing the recitations, choose another auspicious day, grind the medicine into powder, and mix it with cow’s milk. Apply the medicine to the forehead, and light will immediately issue forth like the newly risen sun, shining everywhere so that all the dark places of the hells become illuminated.

After the Mantra Master has entered the city gate, he will meet a maiden coming along the road to welcome him. This maiden has a dignified and upright appearance, is endowed with all the excellent marks, and is adorned in ways beyond description. Holding a lotus flower in her hand, she recites words of praise and welcomes the Mantra Master, saying: “Great Master, collect your mind and do not speak.” The maiden will raise precious objects in her hands and offer them, but the Mantra Master must not accept them.

She will also offer a lotus flower, but he must not accept it either. He should say, “I have no desire for that woman,” and step aside from the road. When the Mantra Master reaches the second gate, that woman will follow behind him.

He will then see five exceedingly ugly old women holding various necklaces. The Mantra Master should remain composed and must not be afraid, but he must not speak. The old women will give the necklaces and garments to that maiden and then say: “It is truly inconceivable that one can enter the great palace of the asuras.”

Upon hearing these words, the Mantra Master should proceed forward. He will see a golden gate, within which a great stream is flowing, and on the bank there is a lion. The Mantra Master should empower three medicinal pills by reciting the mantra three times and then throw them. The lion will become enraged and roar, causing the asura palace to tremble. The Mantra Master must not be afraid. He should then throw three white mustard seeds into the water, whereupon the water will immediately dry up. With his left hand, the Mantra Master should lead the maiden, and with his right hand grasp the lion’s mane and cross over. The water will then fill the stream again.

The Mantra Master must remain silent. He will then see three roads and not know where they lead. He should contemplate the three kinds of discriminating wisdom.

The maiden on his left and the lion on his right represent the evil paths, which he must not take. He should therefore choose the middle road, the Middle Way, without further doubt, and proceed onward. When the maiden wishes to bid farewell to the Mantra Master, she will emit a great sound that shakes heaven and earth.

The Mantra Master should remain serene and unafraid, say nothing, and continue walking. After a short while, he will encounter seven jeweled gates and pavilions with four entrances. Outside the gates are balustrades made of various jewels, from which bells and chimes are suspended.

Within the gates is a lotus adorned with the seven treasures. There is a pool of milk and a pool of fragrant sandalwood water, with a pool of amrita in the middle.

When the Mantra Master reaches the bank of the pool, he should leave the lion and the celestial maiden together on one side. He should immerse his hand in the pool of amrita, scoop up the water, and pour it over himself. He will then live for hundreds of thousands of great kalpas.

A conch-shaped topknot will form upon his head, and his body will become blue or golden in color. He will become lord over ninety-nine hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of Wheel-Turning Kings and sit upon a three-tiered lotus throne adorned with the seven treasures. In a single moment, he will travel hundreds of thousands of yojanas.

Through the meritorious power of the Mantra Master, that maiden will also, in a future life, become a Maiden Dharma-Wheel King and fly wherever she wishes without obstruction.

He should then bathe until clean in the pool of fragrant water, immerse himself in the pool of milk, emerge, and enter the asura palace. Within it is a cittala tree. By taking and consuming a little of the tree’s milk, he will no longer need to eat or drink and will attain the exhaustion of the outflows.

He will sit upon a lofty seven-tiered throne surrounded by devas. In the sky, seven great jeweled chariots will travel back and forth, and their jeweled wheels will descend. A great Wheel of Wholesome Roots will also come flying toward him.

When he takes hold of that wheel, all enemies will withdraw far away, all devas and benevolent spirits will come to protect him, and all celestial maidens will also come to support him. In an instant, he will arrive in the Land of Ultimate Bliss in the West, where he will dwell in peace, happiness, and abundance. The devas of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, Akanishtha, the sun and moon, and the constellations will all have freedom wherever the Mantra Master abides, and they will each return to their own dwelling places.

Furthermore, if he wishes to go to Jambudvipa, he should proceed eastward, where there is a pool containing a tree called cittaka. Beneath that tree is amrita water, sweet as honey. He should drink a little of it, close his eyes for a short while, and then continue onward. Whatever object is sprinkled with that water will turn into gold.

Furthermore, if he does not go to that pool, he should embrace the maiden, take her hand, and say, “My lady” (“my wife”). He and the maiden may then go wherever they wish.

Furthermore, after the Mantra Master has said, “My lady,” he should grasp the maiden’s two breasts and draw forth milk. He should mix the milk with the medicine and apply it to his forehead. As soon as it is applied, he will be able to fly through the sky and travel freely, and he will become a Celestial Wheel-Turning Noble King.

Furthermore, if he wishes to see all hidden treasures, regardless of how much or how little there may be, he should apply a small amount to his eyes, and he will immediately see them. If he applies it to his heart, his body will become invisible and will not appear. All the palaces of yakshas, rakshasas, and bhutas will open, and all ghosts and spirits will become his messengers and obey his commands.

If he applies it to his feet, he can travel hundreds of thousands of miles in a day without fatigue. If he applies it to his knees, all dragon palaces will open and the waters will dry up. The Dragon Kings and their retinues will all honor him, bow in homage, and ask to become his servants.

He may cause rain to fall or cease at will; wind, hail, frost, and snow will disperse immediately at his command. If he applies it to both hands and touches the gate of an evil ghost, the evil ghost will immediately flee, wailing and lamenting. If he applies it to his body, his strength will equal that of ten Great Dragon Kings.

If he applies it to his right hand and strikes the gate of a raja, the gate will immediately open, and the raja and his retinue will come, bow in homage, and ask to become his servants.

If he applies it to his head, all sentient beings will come to bow in homage and make offerings to him, and he will enjoy peace, happiness, abundance, and immeasurable wealth.

***

The Great Buddha-Crown, Fearless Vast Assembly, Tathagata Buddha-Crown

Chapter Six: The Method of the Medicine for Prolonging Life

Take cow’s milk, cow’s ghee, and Asparagus cochinchinensis, mix these medicines together, and form them into pills. Take three pills each day. After seven days, one may live for one hundred years. After taking them for a full year, one will live for a thousand kotis of years, possess strength like that of a great dragon, and become youthful again like a ten-year-old child. A blue conch-shaped topknot will form upon one’s head. One’s body will become smooth and soft like silk or cotton and will be free of illness. One’s wisdom and intelligence will be as vast as the ocean.

Furthermore, take the medicine with ghee for seven days, and one will attain great intelligence, memorizing a thousand verses each day and never forgetting them. After taking it for fourteen days, one’s voice will be like that of a kinnara, subtle and wondrous, and nothing heard by the ears will ever be forgotten. If one takes it for twenty-one days, one’s body will become no different from that of Narayana.

If one takes it for one month, one will attain invisibility. All the palaces of yakshas, rakshasas, bhutas, and every kind of ghost and spirit will open, and one may enter and roam through them freely. All hidden treasures will reveal themselves.

After taking it for one year, one’s faculties will be pure, like those of an immortal possessing the five superknowledges. One will manifest transformations freely, fly through the sky, and live for a thousand years. In the sky above Jambudvipa, one will become a Wheel-Turning Noble King and travel back and forth without obstruction.

If one’s life is nearing its end, taking it for seven days will extend one’s life by one hundred years. If a person has already died, placing the medicine in that person’s mouth will immediately restore them to life. Everything undertaken will be successfully accomplished.

***

The Great Buddha-Crown, Fearless Vast Assembly, Tathagata Buddha-Crown

Chapter Seven: Eye Medicine

At that time, the Blessed One spoke these verses in praise of the power of the eye medicine:

The supreme accomplishment of all Dharmas,

All endeavors are achieved without error.

All offenses are utterly extinguished;

All undertakings become supreme.

Devas, dragons, ghosts, spirits, and humankind

All gain the merits as described.

Through the power of the mantra and the medicine,

Their awe-inspiring virtue is complete and unsurpassed.

Take sumana, anjana, sea-water powder, bezoar, two kinds of turmeric, ox bezoar, blue lotus, saffron flower, legumes and grains, rock honey, and shishangjian in equal quantities and grind them into powder. Mix lailachi with rock honey, pound the mixture, and place it in a red copper vessel. The Mantra Master should put on clean garments, bring it before the Buddha, and recite the mantra eight thousand times; it will then be accomplished.

Before using the medicine, recite the mantra 108 times before the Buddha. Apply it to the eyes, and one will immediately attain invisibility; among all methods of invisibility, this is supreme. For twelve years, throughout three thousand yojanas, all beings and things—devas, nagas, yakshas, gandharvas, asuras, and so forth—will stand in one place and appear distinctly.

All divine palaces, hidden treasures, mountains, rivers, cities, gardens, forests, and manifestations of transformation will be within one's grasp. At night one will see as though it were daytime; one will clearly know the past, future, and present, and see all mantra kings and precious objects. Entering the ocean will be like entering a house.

Upon entering mountain caves and dark places, one will see everything as clearly as in sunlight. If this medicine is applied regularly, one will attain purified vision.

When this medicine is dropped into the eyes, the twenty-four kinds of eye disease will immediately be cured.

At that time, the Blessed One spoke these verses:

All diseases of the eyes are wholly purified;

The eyes shine brightly, broad and long like blue lotuses.

When those eyes gaze upon the various kinds of beings,

They subdue them, bring them peace, and cause them to rejoice.

Monks of pure conduct and the fourfold assembly,

Whether men or women, together with royal consorts,

All rejoice when those eyes look upon them.

All manifestations and transformations described above

Arise entirely from the Buddha-Crown and the eye medicine,

Accomplishing every merit and virtue.

***

The Great Buddha-Crown, Fearless and Vastly Gathered Tathagata Buddha-Crown

Chapter Eight: The Mantra Master's Personal Realization of the Marks of His Destiny

At that time, the Blessed One said to the Mantra Master: “If you wish to attain accomplishment, you must first bathe and cleanse yourself, put on fresh, clean clothing, and recite the mantra 8,000 times at a precious stupa containing relics. When you wish to perform the rite, dress in clean garments as before, burn white sandalwood incense, abstain from food for one day and one night, and recite it 8,000 times. The Tathagata will then emit light that shines upon you.

Your body will rise from its seat and ascend into the sky, and light will immediately stream from both your shoulders. From within the sky, the Tathagata will praise you, saying: ‘Excellent! Excellent!

I now grant you the accomplishment of the Tathagata’s Lotus Buddha-Crown Heart. You have now received this Dharma.’ The Mantra Master will rise and bow at the Tathagata’s feet. He will immediately attain the samadhi of Stainless Conduct and abide in the sky.

He will see the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions and their Buddha-realms and travel freely back and forth. He will behold the Tathagata Vairocana and see every evil ghost and spirit, as well as innumerable Vinayakas. He will become a king among the devas.

The Mantra Master’s hair will be arranged in a conch-shaped topknot, and he will live for one hundred kalpas. This is called accomplishment in the present life.

Furthermore, if one wishes to accomplish the rite of the goddess Sri Mahadevi, take fine silk and paint an image adorned with the seven treasures and various colors, without using animal-hide glue. After completing the image, the Mantra Master must bathe and cleanse himself and put on new clothing. In a pure place, he should establish a small square mandala and burn sandalwood incense before the image.

Then, for three days and three nights, the Mantra Master should abstain from food, sit cross-legged before the image, and recite the mantra 10,000 times. The image will then move and emit light. Seeing this, the Mantra Master will become joyful and elated.

The goddess will praise him, saying: ‘Excellent! Excellent! What do you seek?

What do you need? What do you wish to accomplish? I shall bestow it upon you.’ He should then reply: ‘I am now exceedingly poor and destitute.’ The Goddess of Merit will answer: ‘If you need wealth and precious things, I shall provide them without deficiency, so that you may perform meritorious deeds of generosity and make offerings to the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, Brahma kings, monks, nuns, spirits, immortals, ghosts, and all who come to beg.

Whatever is needed may be used without hindrance. I shall always remain in your home, never departing even half a step. Each day I shall bestow treasures as numerous as hundreds of thousands of sands of the Ganges, and every day I shall give a thousand kotis.

I shall continue to bestow them forever, until the end of boundless kalpas. Your wealth will increase day by day and never be exhausted.’ Having obtained his wish, the Mantra Master should reverently act in accordance with these instructions.

Furthermore, if one wishes to behold Vajra, the Mantra Master must bathe, put on clean clothing, and prepare an incense mandala fully adorned with every kind of ornament. Place an image of Vajra in its center. Scatter flowers, burn benzoin incense, and present offerings of food, drink, fruit, milk cakes, and so forth before the image.

Fill the mandala with rice blossoms, white mustard seeds, gold, silver, and copper. The Mantra Master may eat only the three kinds of white food and drink only water. Beginning on the eighth day, he should recite the mantra 1,200 times each day before the image of Vajra, during the three daily periods without interruption, until the full-moon day, thereby completing 8,000 recitations.

The image within the mandala will then move and sigh. Do not be afraid, but continue reciting the mantra. Vajra will then rise to his feet.

Do not be astonished at this either, but recite in a loud voice and offer Vajra the various foods and drinks while burning benzoin incense. Vajra will rejoice and praise the Mantra Master, saying: ‘Excellent! Excellent!

You are granted accomplishment in all the Dharmas of the Tathagata’s Buddha-Crown. Whatever you seek shall accord with your wishes, and I shall bestow it upon you. Whether you wish to fly through the sky, become invisible, journey to a Pure Land, discover hidden treasures, enter the palaces of the asuras, enter mountains, forests, places of trees and plants, subterranean palaces, secluded places, royal palaces, wondrous places, places blessed with merit, or places abundant in grain, wealth, gold, silver, lapis lazuli, coral, agate, and so forth; whether you seek medicines or mantra arts, wish to become a king, a great minister, a prime minister, or attain some other exalted station;

or whether you seek to become a yaksha, rakshasa, kumbhanda, putana, and so forth—I shall grant accomplishment in all that you seek, and wherever you go, you shall encounter no obstruction.’ Having received this, the Mantra Master should bow reverently and joyfully act in accordance with these instructions.

Furthermore, if one is afflicted by offenses arising from greed, by illnesses, bewitchment, and so forth, by hungry ghosts, wangliang spirits, or various calamities caused by demons and ghosts, the Mantra Master should prepare fragrant water, bathe, and put on clean clothing. Before a relic stupa, he should construct a water mandala, with its four corners adorned with various ornaments. Beginning on the fifteenth day, for one day and one night he should offer flowers and fruit.

Before the Buddha, he should burn three kinds of incense: sandalwood, frankincense, and benzoin. Within the mandala, he should scatter flowers and burn incense while holding a vajra pestle. He should then sit cross-legged before the mandala and recite the mantra 8,000 times.

Strike the center of the mandala with the pestle, causing it to emit light. All the ghosts that cause illness will appear before the Mantra Master, join their palms, and repent, saying: ‘From this day onward, we shall no longer cause harm or affliction. We beg leave to depart elsewhere.

May all the evil karma created in our former lives be extinguished.’ The Mantra Master should then empower fragrant water with 108 recitations of the mantra and sprinkle it upon the Buddha and the relics. If anyone suffers from illness, sprinkle that water upon them, and the illness will be dispelled and cured; all karmic hindrances will also be extinguished.

***

The Great Buddha-Crown, Fearless and Vastly Gathered Tathagata Buddha-Crown

Chapter Nine: Bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara and Manjushri Grant Wishes

At that time, the Blessed One further said to the Mantra Master: “If you wish to accomplish the Buddha-Crown practice and behold Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, the Mantra Master should hold both feet of the Bodhisattva with his hands and recite the mantra 8,000 times. Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara will then manifest his body again, and whatever is sought will accord with one’s wishes.

Furthermore, take Manjushri’s Bowl of Sovereignty and recite the mantra 8,000 times before Manjushri. The bowl will then emit light. When the Mantra Master holds this bowl, he will immediately ascend into the sky.

This is called accomplishment of the Bowl Dharma. The Mantra Master will become a wheel-turning sage king and travel to the Buddha-realms of the ten directions. All devas and spirits will come to make offerings.

Whatever he needs in his mind will emerge from the bowl: hundreds of thousands of kinds of food and drink, garments, incense, flowers, jeweled necklaces, every kind of ornament, canopies, music, beds, the seven treasures, and innumerable other objects beyond reckoning. All will emerge from the bowl and be offered universally to all the Tathagatas. Such powers arise entirely through the power of the Buddha.”

Again, construct an incense altar and place within it a bowl filled with sesame milk. The mantra master should bathe, put on new, clean garments, sit cross-legged before Manjushri, and burn incense before him without interruption. After reciting the mantra 8,000 times, the bowl will emit light. The mantra master should eat a little of its contents and will immediately ascend into the sky. He may give each sentient being a bowl of the milk from the vessel; even if they are as numerous as Mount Sumeru, it will not be exhausted for a thousand kalpas. The mantra master will then become a rishi possessing the Five Superknowledges. Manjushri will protect him day and night, grant his every aspiration, and enable him to live for two hundred years.

***

The Great Buddha-Crown Fearless Vast Assemblage Tathagata Buddha-Crown

Chapter Ten: The Rishi’s Journey

Take two taels of saffron flowers, two taels of borneol incense, two taels of tiển incense, five chỉ of sesame oil, a small quantity of various flowers, two taels of agarwood, and two taels of bezoar. Add five sheng of water and boil the foregoing medicines until approximately one sheng remains. Strain it thoroughly, then boil it again until it thickens into a paste. Place it in a copper vessel and set it by the stupa. The mantra master should put on clean garments, sit cross-legged within the altar, burn agarwood and various kinds of incense, and continuously recite the mantra 8,000 times. This is called the Purifying Precious Radiant Sun-Treasury King Oil.

When the mantra master applies this oil to his body and limbs, it will be as though he were clad in celestial armor, and his radiance will illuminate the entire world. Devas and humans will all come to make offerings. If he drinks a little of this oil, he will immediately ascend into the sky and become invisible.

If he applies the oil to the crown of his head, his hair will coil like the Buddha’s hair. If he applies it to his abdomen, all yakshas, rakshasas, Vinayakas, ghosts, and spirits will withdraw a thousand miles and dare not harm him. Upon hearing the mantra master’s name, they will all flee; the same will happen when they smell the fragrance.

If he applies it to his body, he will immediately ascend into the sky. He may enter the palaces of the asuras and the various celestial palaces, freely traveling about and enjoying himself in every palace. If he applies it to both hands and feet, he can walk upon water as though walking on land.

If he applies it to his knees, he can travel through the sky. If he applies it to his left hand and touches devas or humans, they will become fond of him and may be commanded as he wishes. If at night he carries a lamp and takes the oil with him, all hidden treasures will appear, and he may take and use them as he wishes.

If he applies it to his eyes, all devas, nagas, yakshas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans will appear. If he applies it to white mustard seeds, recites the mantra over them 8,000 times, and casts them into a river or the sea, the waters will dry up. All naga spirits dwelling in the water will manifest and come to make offerings; whatever object he seeks will be obtained according to his wishes.

He may also enter their palaces and move about freely, as though entering his own home. If he casts the mustard seeds into fire, the fire deity will immediately appear and may be commanded to perform anything he wishes. Fire will not burn him, and within the flames he will feel as though he were amid ice.

There is also a rite to be performed in a charnel-ground forest. Take the body of a person who has recently died and has not yet decomposed, and bring it to the altar. Smear the altar with ashes from cremations in the charnel ground, and draw a vajra pestle, a bladed wheel, a skull, an axe, and so forth.

Place the corpse in the center of the altar, wrap its body in white silk, and turn its head toward the east. Apply the aforementioned oil to the corpse and recite the Heart Mantra 8,000 times. The corpse will then stand up.

Recite the mantra over white mustard seeds twenty-one times and cast them at the corpse, causing it to stand still. The mantra master may then question it concerning events of the past and future. The mantra master should coat white mustard seeds with the oil and place them in its mouth.

Its tongue will protrude one foot and emit light. The mantra master should immediately cut off half of it and hold it in his hand. His hand will then emit light, and he will ascend into the sky and travel freely to and fro.

He will become a Bladed-Wheel King, live for one koti of kalpas, and have a blue conch-shaped topknot upon his head.

Furthermore, if there is a battle, the mantra master should take a sword, apply the oil to his hand, grasp the sword, and enter the battlefield. All the soldiers and horses will become terrified and flee in disorder in every direction. If the enemy forces are exceedingly numerous, the mantra master should apply the oil to white mustard seeds and scatter them in the four directions. Countless soldiers, each one zhang tall and fully equipped with armor, will immediately appear, and the enemy troops will flee and hide.

Furthermore, if no rain falls, he should go to a place on the seashore where nagas dwell, sit cross-legged holding mustard seeds in his hand, and cast one seed into the water with each recitation, doing so twenty-one times. Rain will then fall. If rain still does not fall, he should hold the mustard seeds in his hand, wrathfully recite the mantra twenty-one times, and cast them into the sea. The mustard seeds will transform into golden garuda birds. All the nagas will become terrified, and rain will immediately fall.

Furthermore, if excessive rain falls without ceasing, recite the mantra over white mustard seeds twenty-one times and cast them into the sky. The rain will immediately stop.

Furthermore, if there is hail, frost, snow, thunder, or lightning, recite the mantra over white mustard seeds twenty-one times and cast them into the sky. These will immediately cease.

Furthermore, if tree deities or ghosts and spirits inhabit caves, recite the mantra over white mustard seeds twenty-one times and cast them into a fire. All the deities will manifest and may be commanded as one wishes. All the spirits of trees and plants will also appear. Mountain spirits, ghosts, demons, and wangliang apparitions will all emit light and manifest themselves. If one recites the mantra over white mustard seeds and scatters them throughout the four directions in a charnel ground, all the corpses will dance and sing, and all the ghosts within the charnel ground will manifest themselves.

If one makes various carts and carriages, recites the mantra over white mustard seeds twenty-one times, and casts the seeds at them, all the vehicles will dance.

If one recites the mantra over white mustard seeds twenty-one times and casts them upon bricks and tiles, all the bricks and tiles will dance.

If one recites the mantra over white mustard seeds twenty-one times and casts them into a wine shop, the wine will immediately lose its flavor.

If one recites the mantra over white mustard seeds twenty-one times and casts them into a storehouse, all the grain and rice will fly away.

If one wishes to attain liberation and become a rishi possessing the Five Superknowledges, one should abstain from food for three days and three nights and recite the mantra 8,000 times each day before a stupa containing the Buddha’s relics. The mantra master should use five substances: milk, curds, ghee, urine, cow dung, and juice, taking a little each day. Each day he should also drink a little sandalwood water and make offerings.

He should place the aforementioned oil before the Buddha and offer incense, flowers, fruit, food, and drink. Each day he should recite the mantra 800- times until the third night. He should again bathe thoroughly, put on white garments, refrain from speaking, and recite the mantra 8,000 times before the stupa, completing the prescribed number over three days.

Mix the oil with rock sugar and drink a little before the Buddha; one will immediately become a rishi possessing the Five Superknowledges and fly freely through the sky. If one drinks it for a full seven days, the three poisons, six thieves, nine afflictions, five hindrances, and ten fetters will all be cast far away, and the mantra master’s body will become exceptionally soft, upright, pure, and beautiful.

There is also a rite for seeking the medicine of longevity. The mantra master should bathe thoroughly, put on new garments, and place the aforementioned oil in a copper vessel. Take four parts honey, eight parts ghee, one part celestial-tree juice, one part Sun-Treasury oil, and sixteen parts cow’s milk; mix them all together and boil them.

No woman, child, person in mourning, or animal may be allowed to see them. The mantra master must adorn the place of practice and make all the offerings in accordance with the Dharma. He should bathe thoroughly and put on new, clean garments.

Take the various medicinal ingredients: thiên môn, xá đà bố sáp bà lotus and blue lotus, bà la, mạn nõa lợi ca, càn đà phạ tư tất lợi phục ngôn, white sandalwood, haritaki, bibhitaka, amalaka, sweet flag, long pepper, hồ thúc, dried ginger, tiển incense, and costus root. Use equal quantities of hồ thúc, dried ginger, tiển incense, and costus root, and boil them without allowing them to scorch. The mantra master should hold a large sumana branch in his hand and stir the medicine while reciting the mantra.

In his right hand he should hold a vajra, and in his left hand a bell, ringing it without interruption. He should circumambulate the altar and the medicine, reciting the mantra as he walks. Establish the ritual boundary with five-colored thread so that ghosts and spirits cannot approach, and arrange banners and the five colors according to his means.

When the medicine has boiled down, place it in a newly made and unused vessel of gold, silver, or copper. Bring it before the Buddha and install the twelve kinds of pillars. Recite the mantra over the vajra and place it atop the vessel containing the medicine.

In preparing and boiling the medicine, select an auspicious day and hour, and make sincere offerings day and night before the relic stupa.

Sit in the full lotus posture and recite the Vast Assembly Tathagata Buddha-Crown 8,000 times, the heart mantra and the Heart within the Heart 8,000 times. Recite the mantra each day. When the vase emits light, if it touches the body, one immediately grows as tall as seven tala trees, becoming dignified, upright, and handsome like a sixteen-year-old, with a blue conch-shaped topknot upon the head.

One lives for ten kalpas, becomes the lord among all long-lived beings, and flies freely through empty space. If it does not emit light, touching it with the hand will also confer a lifespan of a thousand years, with the excellent marks as described above. If one drinks a little, one will no longer suffer hunger or thirst.

If one applies the medicine to the forehead, one becomes invisible and may go anywhere freely, unseen by anyone. If it is mixed with cow’s milk and drunk, one attains great intelligence and never forgets anything one hears.

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The Great Buddha-Crown Fearless Vast Assembly Tathagata Buddha-Crown

Chapter Eleven: Creating Precious Treasures

Take 100 liang of copper, 1 fen of he hui, 1 liang of longevity medicine, 1 liang each of ha-li-da-la, jian-gu-se-zha, and ma-zha-la-po, 2 liang of honey, and 1 liang of ri-zang oil, and bury them underground. Smear the copper with ri-zang oil and longevity medicine; mix the other medicines, white mustard seeds, and oil with honey. Add 1 fen of he hui, whose Sanskrit name is pu-zhi-jia hui and which is also called qi-sha-la, and combine everything together.

Then establish the ritual boundary and construct the mandala. Offer various foods and drinks, milk, butter, and fruit to the Buddha-Crown and the Fire Deity. Wearing clean robes, the mantra master recites the mantra before the mandala and guards it so that no woman, chicken, dog, or person in mourning sees it; if any should see it, the rite will not succeed.

While it is being heated, add a small amount of longevity medicine. When its color resembles the sun, remove the medicine and place it in turmeric juice; it will turn golden and become purple-polished gold. It may be used as desired and will remain unchanged for a thousand years.

The quantity of gold obtained will correspond to the amount of copper used.

Take 100 liang of silver, 300 liang of copper, 3 liang of longevity medicine, 5 liang of conch shell, 3 liang of the king of oils, 3 liang of gold ore, 20 liang of silver ore, 3 liang of he hui, 3 liang of a-jia-shi-la, 2 liang of la-sa-po-zha, and 21 liang of duo-la. Combine them as above. While heating them, observe the color; when it resembles the moon, know that the process is complete.

In a vessel, use 1 sheng of cow’s milk, 3 liang of xie-zhi-ju-zi ore, 100 liang of feng-he, 100 liang of white vaidurya, 1 liang of longevity medicine, 1 liang of the king of oils, and 1 fen of duo-la. Pound them finely, mix with honey, and form them into pellets. Mix in 1 fen of duo-la and fashion beads of whatever size is desired.

Place them in an earthenware jar and heat until dry. When they turn purple, remove them and dye them with rock honey; they will then become precious pearls, which may be used as desired.

THE GREAT BUDDHA-CROWN FEARLESS BUDDHA-CROWN SUTRA

VOLUME TWO