Toh 116Sự Hiển Bày Của Chiếc Giỏ

Summary

The Basket’s Display (Kāraṇḍavyūha) is the source of the most prevalent mantra of Tibetan
Buddhism: oṁ maṇipadme hūṁ. It marks a
significant stage in the growing importance of Avalokiteśvara within Indian
Buddhism in the early centuries of the first millennium. In a series of
narratives within narratives, the sūtra describes Avalokiteśvara’s activities in
various realms and the realms contained within the pores of his skin. It
culminates in a description of the extreme rarity of his mantra, which, on the
Buddha’s instructions, Bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin obtains from
someone in Vārāṇasī who has broken his monastic vows. This sūtra provided a
basis and source of quotations for the teachings and practices of the
eleventh-century Maṇi Kabum, which itself
served as a foundation for the rich tradition of Tibetan Avalokiteśvara
practice.

Acknowledgments

The sūtra was translated from the Tibetan and Sanskrit by Peter Alan
Roberts. Tulku Yeshi of the Sakya Monastery, Seattle, was the consulting lama
who reviewed the translation. The project manager and editor was Emily Bower,
and the proofreader was Ben Gleason. Thanks to William Tuladhar-Douglas and
Charles Manson for their assistance in obtaining Sanskrit manuscripts, and to
Richard Gombrich and Sanjukta Gupta for their elucidations.

This translation has been completed under the patronage and supervision
of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

The generous sponsorship of Tony Leung Chiu Wai and family
for work on this sūtra is gratefully acknowledged.

Introduction

The Kāraṇḍavyūha is an early
Mantrayāna sūtra that is the source of the mantra oṁ maṇipadme hūṁ. The sūtra is thus of particular importance,
as this mantra now holds a central role in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition,
especially throughout the lay population. This sūtra also records
Avalokiteśvara’s transformation into the principal figure of the Buddhist
pantheon, greater than all other buddhas, let alone bodhisattvas. In this
sūtra, Avalokiteśvara is a resident of Sukhavātī and acts as a messenger and
gift bearer for Amitābha, even though he is also described as superior to
all buddhas and therefore paradoxically has both a subservient and dominant
status.

The sūtra in India and its translations

The appearance in writing of the Kāraṇḍavyūha probably dates to around the fifth century ce. In terms of place, the text indicates
familiarity with the cesspits of Vārāṇasī, and assumes the reader’s
knowledge of Candradvīpa, the southern part of Bengal where the Ganges Delta
is situated. In the Tibetan version, the merchants who wish to sail to Laṅka
ask whether the winds are blowing toward the land of the Greeks. This
appears to locate their port of departure on the northwest coast of India.
In terms of time, the text is located within a culture where the Mahābhārata
and the Purāṇas had a dominant place in Indian culture, particularly the
Skandha Pūraṇa, probably during the Gupta period of the third to fifth
century.

The earliest surviving manuscript is comprised of fragmentary pages
from two manuscripts discovered within a Gilgit stūpa in the 1940s. It was
written in a hybrid of Middle Indic and Sanskrit, now called Buddhist Hybrid
Sanskrit, which was frequently used in sūtras. Adhelheid Mette, who has
published these fragments, suggests that it was composed in the fourth or
fifth century; the script in which it is written had fallen out of use
by the early seventh century, and the fragments show variations between the
two manuscripts that are the result of the texts having gone through
generations of copying. Other existing Sanskrit manuscripts (see below) date
from a century or more later than the ninth century Tibetan translation.

According to Lokesh Chandra, in 270 ce Dharmarakṣa of Dunhuang translated the Kāraṇḍavyūha into Chinese. Then, between 435
and 443 ce, Guṇabhadra translated it into Chinese
again. However, this is a case of misidentification. The sūtra they
translated was the Ratnakaraṇḍavyūha. The
Kāraṇḍavyūha itself was not translated
into Chinese until 983 ce, considerably later
than the Tibetan translation; the translator was T’ien Hsi-tsai.

The sūtra also exists in a later, longer, and more polished form,
entirely in verse and incorporating passages from such texts as Śantideva’s
Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra, which has
great importance within Nepalese Buddhism. Dating to the fifteenth century,
it is one of the last Sanskrit Buddhist sūtras. It has not been translated
into Tibetan.

Avalokiteśvara

Avalokiteśvara is noticeable by his absence in early sūtras where
Mañjuśrī figures prominently. In the Sukhāvatīvyūha or The Display of the Pure
Land of Sukhāvatī, which describes
the realm of Amitāyus, the buddha who later became known by the name
Amitābha, Avalokiteśvara has yet to appear. He makes his first prominent
appearance in the longer Sukhāvatīvyūha
in
which he stands beside Amitāyus as one of his two principal bodhisattva
attendants. The other bodhisattva is Mahāsthāmaprāpta, and in a number of
subsequent sūtras they are included as a pair in the introductory
description of the assembly of those who are listening to the teaching. In
one of the Kāraṇḍavyūha’s internal
contradictions, both Mahāsthāmaprāpta and Avalokiteśvara are listed as being
in the audience awaiting Avalokiteśvara’s appearance.

Each bodhisattva later had a chapter dedicated to him in the White Lotus of Compassion Sūtra,
but while Avalokiteśvara reached preeminence over all buddhas in the Kāraṇḍavyūha, Mahāsthāmaprāpta declined in
importance. In the Tibetan tradition, even in the Sukhāvatīvyūha, he has become conflated with Vajrapāṇi. At the
time of the composition of the Kāraṇḍavyūha, Vajrapāṇi, who in earlier Buddhism was a powerful
yakṣa, appears as one of the gathered bodhisattvas, which is indicative of
sūtras that contain mantras. However, this is a recent development, as one
of Avalokiteśvara’s qualities given in the sūtra is that he terrifies
Vajrapāṇi! Vajrapāṇi would soon join Mañjuśrī and Avalokiteśvara to form the
principal trinity of bodhisattvas in the early tantra tradition.

The Kāraṇḍavyūha does not mention
Avalokiteśvara’s abode in this world on the Potalaka Mountain, which was a
later feature that first appeared in South Indian Buddhism. The origin of
the popular four-armed version of Avalokiteśvara appears within the sūtra as
the goddess who is the embodiment of the six-syllable mantra, referred to
throughout as a vidyā
(which is a feminine noun) or often as the queen of
mahāvidyās. Many forms of Avalokiteśvara appeared in India,
such as the thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara included in fasting practice, and
in the eleventh century there appeared the higher tantra form named
Jinasāgara, a red, four-armed Avalokiteśvara in union with a consort. This
practice was introduced into Tibet in the beginning of the twelfth
century.

Eventually Avalokiteśvara practices spread throughout the Buddhist
world. There are still ancient Avalokiteśvara statues even in Śrī Laṅka,
though the figure is identified as Śiva in Tamil areas and as Maitreya in
Buddhist temples. Avalokiteśvara was prominent in China for centuries before
the Kāraṇḍavyūha was translated into
Chinese. In particular Avalokiteśvara became a dominant figure in Chinese
Buddhism as Kuan Yin (or Guanyin in Pinyin), transforming into a female
bodhisattva, a process described by Chün-Fang Yü in Kuan-yin: The Chinese Transformation of Avalokiteśvara, as the
result of focusing on his incarnation as the Princess Miao-chan.

The Kāraṇḍavyūha in Tibetan Buddhism

The Pillar Testament (Tib. bka’ chems ka khol ma) from the eleventh or
twelfth century states that the Kāraṇḍavyūha was one of the texts that descended from the sky
in a casket onto the palace roof of the fifth-century ruler of the Yarlung
Valley, Lhathothori Nyentsen (Tib. lha tho tho ri gnyan btsan), and that during the reign of his
descendant Songtsen Gampo (Tib. srong
btsan sgam po), who became the king of most of the Tibetan
plateau and introduced Buddhism to Tibet, it was translated by Thönmi
Sambhota, the inventor of the Tibetan alphabet.
In the thirteenth century Nelpa Paṇḍita, rejecting this legend, stated that
the casket was brought by a paṇḍita on his way to China. However, he only
records the maṇi mantra as being within
the casket, which happens to be called a za ma tog or “a solid and precious casket”
(rinchen za ma tog) and
not a reed basket. Nevertheless, this is probably why this sūtra became
associated with the legend.

The earliest and only translation of the sūtra appears to be the one
presently in the canon. All of the versions of the Kangyur except one have a
colophon ascribing the translation of the Kāraṇḍavyūha to Yeshé Dé and the Indian upādhyāyas Dānaśīla and
Jinamitra, who collaborated with each other on the majority of their
translations. The Narthang Kangyur (snar thang bka’
’gyur) is alone in attributing the translation to Śākyaprabha
and Ratnarakṣita.

Nanam Yeshé Dé (sna nam ye
shes sde) was a Tibetan who became the principal translator in
the translation program set up under the royal auspices of King Trisong
Detsen (khri srong lde
btsan, r. 742–798 ce). The
translation work took place in a building dedicated to the translation
program. It was situated within the circular compound of Samye (bsam yas) Monastery. Yeshé Dé’s
name is in the colophon of no fewer than 347 texts in the Kangyur and
Tengyur, three of which are his own original works in Tibetan. Jinamitra was
invited to Tibet during the reign of Trisong Detsen, and 234 texts name him
as Yeshé Dé’s co-translator. Dānaśīla, also known as Mālava, was invited to
Tibet from Kashmir during the reign of Ralpachen (ral pa can, r. 815–838 ce) and was involved with the translation of around 165 texts. He
was also the author of seven texts, five of which he helped translate. He
was still active in Tibet during the reign of King Langdarma (glang dar ma, r. 838–841 ce).

Jinamitra and Dānaśīla were also two of the four or five Indian
paṇḍitas who played principal roles in the completion of the Mahāvyuttpati, the Sanskrit-Tibetan
concordance that was intended to regulate the translation of Sanskrit texts
into Tibetan. Work on this dictionary began during the reigns of Trisong
Detsen and Senaleg (sad na
legs, r. 800–815 ce), but it was
completed in the reign of Ralpachen. The catalog for the Tangtong Denkar
Palace (pho brang thang stong ldan
dkar) collection, which was compiled in 824 ce, lists the Kāraṇḍavyūha.

There is at least one instance in the Kāraṇḍavyūha where the translation does not accord with the
Mahāvyuttpati. In describing the twenty
peaks of the mountain that is the belief in the existence of an individual
self in relation to the
skandhas (“aggregates”), the peaks are described as samudgata, which the Mahāvyuttpati translates as “high” (Tib.
mtho ba). In the Kāraṇḍavyūha, however, it is translated as
“arisen” (Tib. byung ba).
Unless the translators changed their minds, this would appear to identify
the translation as having taken place before the Mahāvyuttpati was completed. Therefore we can say that the
translation was certainly made during the decade between 815 and 824 ce, and presumably in the earlier part of that
decade, around 820 ce or earlier. Neither Yeshé
Dé nor Jinamitra are specified to have lived beyond the end of Ralpachen’s
reign in 824 ce. Yeshé Dé’s remains are said to
be interred within a stūpa on Hepori Hill next to Samye Monastery, where he
worked on so many translations.

A later translation or revision of the Tibetan version was never
made. However, the Kāraṇḍavyūha served as
the basis for the eleventh-century Maṇi
Kabum (A Hundred Thousand Teachings on the
Maṇi Mantra; Tib. ma Ni bka’
’bum), which was attributed to Songtsen Gampo, although the
extracts from the sūtra that it includes are clearly derived from the early
ninth-century translation. The Maṇi Kabum was a highly influential work in propagating the
practice of Avalokiteśvara, known in Tibetan as Chenrezi (spyan ras gzigs), the repetition
of the maṇi mantra, and the identification of Songtsen Gampo as an emanation
of Avalokiteśvara; it has had a much greater impact on Tibetan culture than
the sūtra upon which it is based.

Translation of the title

The title of the sūtra is somewhat ambiguous. A karaṇḍa is usually a basket made of reeds.
The karaṇḍa is frequently
portrayed in the background of portraits of Indian siddhas as a large pot-bellied basket with a
lid, containing collections of scriptures. These siddhas are also portrayed making the hand
gesture representing the basket, the karaṇḍamudrā (“basket gesture”). There is even a layperson’s
hairstyle named karaṇḍamakuṭa
(“basket crest”), where the hair is arranged on top of the head in
the shape of a tall, rounded basket with a lid.

Another word for basket is piṭaka, which forms the basis of the most common metaphor for
the Buddha’s teachings, “the three baskets” or tripiṭaka, which contain the Vinaya, Sūtra,
and the Abhidharma or its predecessor the Mātṛkā. However, there are many
instances in Tibetan literature where za ma tog, the translation of karaṇḍa, means something more solid and
smaller than a pot-bellied reed basket, as in the precious casket (rin chen za ma tog) in the
legend of the Kāraṇḍavyūha’s appearance to
King Lhathothori. The name of the earlier Ratnakaraṇḍasūtra could at first seem to mean “precious
casket,” but the contents of that sūtra validate the Tibetan translation as
The Basket of the [Three] Jewels (dkon mchog gi za ma tog). There are also instances
in the Sanskrit where the word karaṇḍa is apparently used for something more solid than a
reed basket. There is a dhāraṇī in the tantra section of the Kangyur that
has in its title the phrase dhātukaraṇḍa (Tib. ring bsrel gyi za ma tog), which means “the casket of
relics,” or “reliquary.”

The Kāraṇḍavyūha is spelled with a
long initial a in all existing Sanskrit manuscripts, while
every Tibetan edition has a short initial vowel. The long vowel is more
likely to be lost than added, as errors generally replace the uncommon with
the common. The enhanced vowel is used in Sanskrit to denote affiliation,
origin, and ancestry. In the case of kāraṇḍa, the word usually means “ducks”; they live among the
river reeds that are used to make baskets. Here kāraṇḍa may be signifying that this sūtra
has its origin in the basket that contains the description of
Avalokiteśvara’s qualities. A basket or casket is normally spelled without
the long vowel: karaṇḍa.

There are also titles in the Tengyur that contain the word ratnakaraṇḍa (without the long
vowel) where it means “a casket that is made of a precious material,” even
though that meaning is not necessarily evident in Tibetan because of the
syntax of the titles in question.

Therefore, after hesitating between “basket” and “casket” and
wishing there was one word for both (or at least a word for a lidded,
pot-bellied reed basket), we chose “basket” as the better translation,
primarily because of the way karaṇḍa is used in the sūtra itself. This term occurs only
within the description of the Avīci hell. The Vaidya edition has visphurad ratnakaraṇḍavat, which
means “raging [flame] like a precious casket,” but this appears to be a
corruption, with the Cambridge manuscript having visphurantaṃ karaṇḍavat, and the Tibetan not
having the equivalent of ratna
(“precious”). If karaṇḍa is being used here to describe the shape of the
flame, then it is referring to the distinctive shape of the reed basket,
wider at its middle. This shape is still associated with za ma tog in contemporary
Tibetan, and it is also compared with the shape of an egg.

Vyūha has a wide range of
meanings, but is based on the idea of things being set out or displayed, and
was therefore translated into Tibetan as bkod pa. The word can also mean
“description” or “explanation” and even “chapter.” The sūtra is therefore a
display from a basket, or the presentation of its contents.

The later Nepalese version of the sūtra has a longer title, Guṇakāraṇḍavyūha, which could be translated
as A Display from the Basket of Qualities, the
“qualities” being those of Avalokiteśvara. Both versions of the sūtra are
dedicated primarily to a description of Avalokiteśvara’s qualities, which
are stated to be greater than that of any buddha. The use of vyūha in the title is also
evocative of the earlier Gaṇḍavyūha, which
forms the last chapter of the Avataṃsaka,
where gaṇḍa means
“supreme” or “best.” The influence of the contents of that chapter is also
discernible in this sūtra.

Oṁ maṇipadme hūṁ

The Kāraṇḍavyūha’s principal
content is the introduction of the oṁ maṇipadme
hūṁ mantra and the descriptions of its inconceivable benefits.
These are also the most quoted sections of the sūtra. However, it contains
no instructions on the qualities and benefits of each syllable, of the kind
that subsequently became widespread in Tibetan Buddhism. It also gives no
explanation of the meaning of the mantra as a whole, a meaning that has been
understood in various ways. Donald Lopez has given an account of various
interpretations of the mantra in the West in his Prisoners of Shangri-la.

Alexander Studholme, in his The Origins of Oṁ
Maṇipadme Hūṃ, describes how the sūtra was composed within the
context of familiarity with, and under the influence of, Purāṇic literature,
in particular the Skandapurāṇa. In this
sūtra, Avalokiteśvara has taken on various attributes and characteristics of
Śiva, to the extent that one passage could be misread as describing
Avalokiteśvara to be the creator of the universe. Even so, he is still being
described as the creator of its deities, including Śiva and Viṣṇu. In
particular, Avalokiteśvara’s mantra is evidence of the influence of Śiva’s
five-syllable mantra, oṁ namaḥ śivāya
(“
Oṁ—Homage to Śiva!”),
which is found in the Skandapurāṇa together
with a description of the benefits of its recitation.

In classical Sanskrit grammar, padme would be the locative case, which has
led to the interpretation of oṁ maṇipadme
hūṁ as “jewel in the lotus.” However, mantras are typically
given in the vocative or dative case, usually with the name of a deity being
invoked. Padme is in fact
the vocative for padma,
this being Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit. In classical Sanskrit, the
e-ending vocative form is only used for feminine
nouns. P.C. Verhagen has translated one of the few native Tibetan
texts to be found in the Tengyur, a grammar text that uses this very mantra
to explain the e-ending vocative form for masculine nouns. This vocative form of masculine nouns is a
characteristic of the Magadhi, or northeastern Middle Indic, dialect.
However, this form appears to have been much more widespread, extending as
far as Sanskrit loan words in the Tocharian language of Central Asia.
Maṇipadma is therefore a
compound and is a name for Avalokiteśvara meaning “Jewel Lotus.”

Difficulties inherent in the sūtra

The sūtra itself is rarely read in Tibet, other than in the annual
ritual chanting of the Kangyur, and as mentioned above it has been eclipsed
by the eleventh-century Maṇi Kabum. There
is no evidence of it having had any significant impact on religious life in
Tibet in the preceding centuries. In spite of the eventual importance of the
oṁ maṇipadme hūṁ mantra, the sūtra is
still primarily known only through select quotations. One reason for this is
that very little of the teaching and meditation practice of the Maṇi Kabum is to be found in the sūtra.

Another reason is the difficulty involved in reading the sūtra due
to its structure of narratives within narratives. After a buddha is
initially introduced, he is subsequently only referred to as “Bhagavat,” and
it is easy for readers to lose track of which level of the narrative they
are reading. Although the speakers’ names were not repeated in the original,
we have added them in here for clarity. We have not marked these insertions
with square brackets, again for the sake of readability.

Another problem with the sūtra is that although it is a compilation
of narratives, the sūtra does not always use its source material in a
skillful manner. The Sanskrit original itself does not compare well with the
clarity and style of writing found in other sūtras. There are abrupt
transitions, inconsistency in the use of pronouns, and the contents of one
part of the narrative appear to be in contradiction with those of another.
For example, the Buddha tells the tale of the merchants being rescued from
the land of the rākṣasīs in the first person, but there are sporadic lapses
into what must have been the original third person of the narrative. The
asura king Bali’s account of his downfall likewise transitions from a first-
to a third-person account. In common with many other Mahāyāna sūtras but
perhaps more frequently than most of them, the Kāraṇḍavyūha refers to itself within its own narrative as a
sūtra that is being taught, requested, or longed for, but appears to
describe itself as being comprised of verses, almost as if the Kāraṇḍavyūha is a different sūtra that is
simply being referred to in this sūtra.

The sūtra assumes that the reader is familiar with the Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyaṇa, the two great epics of Indian literature, and the
story of Viṣṇu’s avatar as a dwarf deceiving Bali, the lord of the asuras.
Tibetan readers, however, would be unfamiliar with personages referred to in
passing in the text, such as Śukra, who is both the deity of the planet
Venus and counselor for the king of the asuras. Viṣṇu is usually referred to
as Nārāyaṇa in the sūtra, but in the passage where he rescues the Pāṇḍavas
and other kṣatriyas of Mahābhārata fame, he
is referred to as Daśarathaputra (“son of Daśaratha”), which is actually the
name of Rāma, another of Viṣṇu’s avatars. This may be because the story of
the dwarf avatar also appears in the Rāmāyaṇa when it is told to Rāma, that is, Daśarathaputra.

The sūtra also includes a variation of a well-known jātaka tale in which the Buddha
as a horse saves merchants from the island of the rākṣasīs, which has been retold with variations many
times in Buddhist literature. Here it is retold with Avalokiteśvara as the
horse and the Buddha as the head merchant who is being rescued. However,
this too implies an unexplained internal contradiction: the sūtra had
earlier narrated how Avalokiteśvara, in the form of a handsome man, had
converted all the rākṣasīs from their cannibalistic ways to become devotees
of Buddhism.

Problems arising from the Tibetan

translation

The Tibetan translation occasionally transliterates the Sanskrit
rather than attempting to find a Tibetan equivalent, particularly when it
comes to fauna and flora—even the Sanskrit word for “wolf” is simply
transliterated as tarakṣa.
There are also instances of obscure translations of words that do not agree
with the Mahāvyuttpati.

In some passages, we relied more on the Sanskrit than we had
originally anticipated because there is evidence that the manuscript from
which the Tibetan translation was made had suffered from scribal corruption,
as revealed by the surviving Sanskrit and confirmed by the English
translation of the Chinese. For example, when describing the maṇḍala as adṛṣṭa (“not seen”), this was
corrupted to aṣṭa
(“eight”); a mountain made of padmarāga
(“ruby”) was corrupted to padmarakta, which was translated as “red lotuses” (pad ma dmar po); and in the
middle of the Buddha’s describing Avalokiteśvara’s qualities, ayaṃ (“this”) was corrupted to
ahaṃ (“me”) so that the
Buddha seems to be describing himself.

There are also omissions of sentences in the Tibetan (whether as the
result of omission in the original Sanskrit manuscript or later copies of
the Tibetan) that affect the narrative or meaning. The omissions are
particularly evident when there are lists of qualities or meditations that
are more easily left out in the process of copying manuscripts. On the other
hand, there are also instances of members of lists that are preserved in the
Tibetan but omitted in the available Sanskrit texts.

The most egregious flaw in both the Tibetan and Chinese
translations, and one which has already attracted scholarly attention,
occurred on rendering the obscure term ratikara, which literally means “that which
creates joy,” and is also the name of one of the apsarases that are in the
audience for this sūtra. The later Nepalese version used instead dvīpa, the common word for
“lamp,” but both the Chinese and Tibetan translators, even with the
assistance of Sanskrit scholars, were understandably stumped by this odd
word, particularly as the ratikara laughs and speaks. Both Yeshé Dé and T’ien Hsi-tsai
chose to make it refer to the rākṣasī wife speaking in her sleep, as she is
the only other person in the room and is the merchant’s paramour. This
entailed interpolating the word “sleeping” into the translation. However,
the result makes little narrative sense, whereas the unlikely meaning of
lamp, which we therefore preferred (see

), does make narrative sense.

The translation into English

Our aim was to make the most readable, accurate, and coherent
version of the sūtra as it is preserved in the Tibetan translation. The Degé
edition and the version in the critical edition of the Kangyur were
therefore our principal sources.

Sanskrit manuscripts do not necessarily reflect the original form of
a text, even though they are in the original language, because they may have
their own accretion of omissions and additions that have occurred in the
centuries following the time a Tibetan or Chinese translation was made.
There has not yet been a critical edition from all available Sanskrit
manuscripts, but we consulted three Sanskrit editions, the most important
being a palm-leaf manuscript from the Cambridge University Library, which
was written in the beginning of the second millennium before the development
of the Devanāgarī script. It is notable for being closer to the Tibetan. Of
easier access but less representative of the original text are the Sāmaśrami
edition of 1872 and the 1962 Vaidya edition that is based closely on
Sāmaśrami. The Sāmaśrami is available on the Online Sanskrit Texts Project
of the Theosophical Network, and the Vaidya is openly available on the
internet. To complete the translation of some difficult passages, we also
referred to the Gilgit manuscript fragments, though they were not readily
accessible. Silfung Chen’s online English translation from the Chinese
proved interesting in its correspondences with these editions.

Nevertheless, as noted above, there were a number of points where we
relied on the Sanskrit to fill in missing elements, words, members of a
list, and sometimes whole sentences, although it is possible that some of
the latter may have been later additions to improve the flow and clarity of
the sūtra’s sometimes clumsy narrative. Where our translation favors the
Sanskrit over the Tibetan, annotations indicate that this is the case.

An important objective was readability, so the syntax does not
necessarily reflect that of the Tibetan or Sanskrit versions. For example,
an active construction may be used instead of a passive construction found
in the original. The inconsistencies of first and third person have been
resolved, and, as noted above, names are repeated when otherwise the reader
might lose track of who is speaking or to whom the text is referring.
Hopefully this will make reading the sūtra in English far less challenging
than attempting to do so in Tibetan or Sanskrit. Readers will find the
variant readings in Tibetan and Sanskrit in the notes if they wish.

Summary of the text

Buddha Śākyamuni is at Jetavana Monastery with many disciples.
Lights shine upon the monastery and miraculously transform it. The
bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asks the Buddha where the lights came
from. The Buddha explains that they came from Avalokiteśvara, who had just
visited the Avīci hell and the city of the pretas, and then describes those
visits.

Then Buddha Śākyamuni recounts being a merchant at the time of
Buddha Vipaśyin and how he heard him describe how various deities, including
Śiva and Viṣṇu, were created from Avalokiteśvara’s body.

Buddha Śākyamuni then recounts being Bodhisattva Dānaśūra at the
time of Buddha Śikhin and how light rays shone from Buddha Śikhin. In
response to questioning by Bodhisattva Ratnapāṇi, Śikhin says that the
lights and other omens are a sign of the approach of Avalokiteśvara, who
then arrives from Sukhāvatī with an offering of lotuses from Buddha
Amitābha.

After Avalokiteśvara’s departure, Śikhin describes to Ratnapāṇi how
Avalokiteśvara’s accumulation of merit is inconceivable by using a series of
analogies. Then he describes how Avalokiteśvara teaches this very sūtra to
the asuras in the form of an asura.

Buddha Śākyamuni then states that he was a rishi (ṛṣi) at the time of Buddha
Viśvabhū. Before repeating what Viśvabhū taught, Śākyamuni relates how
Avalokiteśvara taught upside-down beings in the realm of gold and
four-legged beings in the land of silver. There then follows a long
description of Avalokiteśvara’s visit to the asuras in the land of iron.
Avalokiteśvara teaches the asuras the inconceivable merit that comes from
making offerings to a buddha. Bali, the king of the asuras, tells
Avalokiteśvara that he had in the past made an offering to the wrong
recipient. He had imprisoned all the kṣatriyas, but Viṣṇu secretly freed
them and came to him in the form of a dwarf asking for two steps of land.
Bali offered him three, but Viṣṇu took on his divine form and covered the
whole world in two steps. He then banished Bali to the underworld where he
now dwells for having failed to fulfill his promise.

Avalokiteśvara then describes to him the suffering in hells that
awaits those who have not made offerings to the Buddha.

Avalokiteśvara then radiates light rays to where Viśvabhū and his
pupils are residing in Jetavana Monastery. Bodhisattva Gaganagañja asks
Viśvabhū where the lights came from. Viśvabhū states that the lights are a
sign that Avalokiteśvara is coming. However, Avalokiteśvara first goes to a
land of darkness to teach the yakṣas and rākṣasas about the merit that comes
from this sūtra.

Avalokiteśvara then goes to the Śuddhāvāsa realms, where in the form
of a brahmin he begs from a poor deva. The deva goes into his empty palace
to give him whatever he has, but finds it full of jewels and food that he
then offers to the brahmin. Avalokiteśvara in the form of the brahmin tells
the deva that he is a bodhisattva from Jetavana Monastery.

Avalokiteśvara then descends to Siṃhala Island, the land of the
rākṣasīs, in the form of a handsome man. He agrees to be their husband if
they follow his instructions, which they do, giving up killing.

Avalokiteśvara then travels to Vārāṇasī, where in the form of a bee
he buzzes the prayer of homage to the Three Jewels to the insects in a large
cesspit, liberating them.

Avalokiteśvara then goes to Magadhā, where starving beings have been
eating each other for twenty years, and he causes a rain of food to fall.
One of the people, a man who is hundreds of thousands of years old, realizes
that only Avalokiteśvara could have caused this miracle, and tells the
others of the benefits of making offerings to him.

Avalokiteśvara then goes to Buddha Viśvabhū. Bodhisattva Gaganagañja
meets him, Viśvabhū teaches the six perfections, and the audience disperses.
This is the end of part one.

Part two begins with Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asking for teachings
from Buddha Śākyamuni, who lists the samādhis that Avalokiteśvara
possesses.

Then Buddha Śākyamuni recounts being a head merchant who became
stranded on Siṃhala Island with other merchants. Each of them goes to live
with a rākṣasī. One night, a talking lamp warns the head merchant that the
women are all rākṣasīs. As proof, the lamp directs him to an iron fortress
where other merchants are being kept prisoner and then eaten. Then the lamp
tells him of Bālāha, a miraculous horse on which the merchants can escape. As
they flee upon the horse, all the other merchants look back, fall off the
horse, and are eaten by the rākṣasīs, while the head merchant reaches home
safely. Buddha Śākyamuni states that Avalokiteśvara was the horse.

Buddha Śākyamuni then begins a description of two pores on
Avalokiteśvara’s body and their inhabitants.

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, to the Buddha’s approval, describes the
benefits that come from this sūtra.

Buddha Śākyamuni describes another pore and explains to
Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin that the pores are immaterial and cannot be seen
even by buddhas.

Buddha Śākyamuni describes two more pores, saying that those who
remember Avalokiteśvara’s name, meaning the six-syllable mahāvidyā, will be
reborn in them, but that no one, not even the buddhas, know this mantra.

After Buddha Śākyamuni describes more benefits that come from the
mantra, Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin declares his intention to obtain it.

Buddha Śākyamuni recounts his own fruitless search for it until,
after meeting trillions of buddhas, he finally met Buddha Ratnottama who
directed him to Buddha Padmottama. Padmottama describes the incalculable
benefits that come from saying the mantra once and then describes his own
long fruitless search for the mantra until he came to Buddha Amitābha, who
instructed Avalokiteśvara to give the mantra to Padmottama. Avalokiteśvara
does so through a maṇḍala made of precious stones and gives the instructions
on how to make the maṇḍala.

Buddha Śākyamuni follows this narrative with a description of how
incalculable the benefits are from even one syllable of the mantra.

He then tells Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin that he can only obtain it
from an unnamed dharmabhāṇaka who has lost his monastic vows and lives in
Vārāṇasī. Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin goes to him in a huge procession of
people and offerings.

The dharmabhāṇaka describes the benefits of the mantra and, at the
urging of Avalokiteśvara, who appears in the sky, gives the mantra to
Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, who returns to Buddha Śākyamuni. Seventy million
buddhas recite the mantra of the goddess known as both Cundi and Cundā.

Buddha Śākyamuni then describes five more of Avalokiteśvara’s pores.

Buddha Śākyamuni then describes the oceans that come from
Avalokiteśvara’s big toe, and says there are no more pores but those ten.
Then omens of Avalokiteśvara’s arrival appear. He leaves Sukhāvatī and comes
to Buddha Śākyamuni and offers him lotuses from Buddha Amitābha.

Buddha Śākyamuni then directs Maheśvara and Umādevī to receive the
prophecies of their future buddhahood from Avalokiteśvara.

Buddha Śākyamuni then gives a teaching on the incalculability of
Avalokiteśvara’s merit and listing the samādhis he has.

Then Buddha Śākyamuni recounts when he was with Buddha Krakucchanda
and saw Samantabhadra and Avalokiteśvara both practicing various samādhis.
Krakucchanda declares that not even the buddhas have Avalokiteśvara’s
samādhis.

Buddha Śākyamuni then describes the benefits that come from this
sūtra, and Avalokiteśvara departs.

Then Ānanda requests teachings on monastic conduct. Buddha Śākyamuni
prophesies how there will be monks who do not maintain their conduct in the
future and who should be expelled. He describes the tortures in hell and
other rebirths that await laypeople who misuse the property of the
saṅgha.

Ānanda departs and the sūtra concludes.

Outline of the sūtra

This outline is intended as a guide to the complicated narrative
levels of the sūtra.

I. Sūtra narrative: Buddha Śākyamuni is in the Jetavana
Monastery when lights appear, transforming the monastery’s
appearance. Bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin questions Buddha
Śākyamuni about this, and the Buddha states that the cause of the
lights is Avalokiteśvara visiting Avīci hell and then the city of
the pretas.

1. Buddha Śākyamuni’s narrative: Avalokiteśvara
appears in the Avīci hell and liberates beings. As a result,
Yama’s creatures go to Yama and describe Avalokiteśvara’s
arrival. Yama goes to Avalokiteśvara and praises him.

II. Sūtra narrative: Buddha Śākyamuni responds to a
question from Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin about whether Avalokiteśvara
has left the hell.

1. Buddha Śākyamuni’s narrative: Avalokiteśvara
leaves the hells, visits the city of the pretas, and
liberates them from their suffering. This very sūtra sounds
in their realm.

III. Sūtra narrative: Buddha Śākyamuni says that he
remembers being a merchant listening to Buddha Vipaśyin.

1. Buddha Śākyamuni’s narrative: Buddha Vipaśyin
describes the activities of Avalokiteśvara in the past.

A. Buddha Vipaśyin’s narrative:
Avalokiteśvara emanates such deities as Maheśvara
(Śiva), and Avalokiteśvara gives a prophecy to Śiva
about the future rise of Śaivism, and how this will
not bring liberation.

IV. Sūtra narrative: Buddha Śākyamuni tells
Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin about his memories of being a bodhisattva
named Dānaśūra when Buddha Śikhin taught about Avalokiteśvara.

1. Buddha Śākyamuni’s narrative: Lights radiate
from Buddha Śikhin, prompting Bodhisattva Ratnapāṇi to
question Buddha Śikhin. Signs appear as omens of the coming
of Avalokiteśvara from Sukhāvatī. Avalokiteśvara arrives and
tells Buddha Śikhin he has been liberating hell beings and
pretas, and then Avalokiteśvara departs. In response to a
question from bodhisattva Ratnapāṇi, Buddha Śikhin describes
Avalokiteśvara’s qualities.

A. Buddha Śikhin’s narrative: Buddha Śikhin
gives analogies for the inconceivability of
Avalokiteśvara’s accumulation of merit. He describes
his various manifestations as a guide for beings and
his visit to the asuras where he teaches them the
benefit of this very sūtra (even though the sūtra is
itself the description of these events).

V. Sūtra narrative: The story of Buddha Śikhin teaching
Ratnapāṇi ends abruptly. Buddha Śākyamuni then describes his memory
of being a rishi with Buddha Viśvabhū when he taught on
Avalokiteśvara.

1. Buddha Śākyamuni’s narrative: Buddha Viśvabhū
begins a description of what Avalokiteśvara has been doing.

B. Buddha Viśvabhū’s narrative:
Avalokiteśvara teaches Bali and the asuras,
primarily describing the tortures by Yama’s
guardians in hell. Then he takes his leave, saying
he has to go to Jetavana Monastery. (Although this
is the time of Viśvabhū, not Śākyamuni, here
Viśvabhū’s own reported narrative transforms with no
clear dividing line into Śākyamuni’s narrative about
Viśvabhū.)

2. Buddha Śākyamuni’s narrative: Avalokiteśvara
radiates light rays to Viśvabhū in Jetavana Monastery. The
appearance of the light rays prompts the bodhisattva
Gaganagañja to ask Viśvabhū a question as to their
source.

A. Buddha Viśvabhū’s narrative resumed:

Avalokiteśvara leaves the realm of the
asuras. (Although he had previously said
Avalokiteśvara was leaving for Jetavana, Viśvabhū
now says that he is going to Tamondhakāra, a realm
of darkness inhabited by yakṣas and rākṣasas, where
he teaches them analogies concerning the merit of
knowing this very sūtra.)

Avalokiteśvara leaves that realm for the
Śuddhāvāsa realms, where he appears in the form of a
brahmin who begs from an impoverished deity. The
poor deity goes into his empty palace to look for
something to give the brahmin and discovers his pots
miraculously filled with jewels.

Avalokiteśvara then goes to the island of
Siṃhala, which is inhabited by rākṣasīs, where he
appears as a handsome man. They all become his
wives, follow the Dharma, and attain liberation.

Avalokiteśvara goes to Vārāṇasī, where he
takes on the form of a bee and flies over a huge
cesspool in the city. His buzzing is actually the
sound of the Namo buddhāya prayer, and it liberates
all the insects living in the cesspool.

Avalokiteśvara then goes to Magadhā, where
people in the wilderness are eating each other for
lack of food. He causes a miraculous rain of food
and drink to fall. An old man among them describes
the source of this miracle.

3. Buddha Śākyamuni’s narrative:

(Here Viśvabhū’s own narrative transforms, with no
clear dividing line, into Śākyamuni’s narrative
about Viśvabhū.) Avalokiteśvara goes into
the sky and thinks that it has been a long time since he has
been to see Buddha Viśvabhū, so he decides to go to
Jetavana.

Avalokiteśvara arrives in Jetavana to see Buddha
Viśvabhū. There is a brief mention of Viśvabhū teaching the
six perfections and then everyone leaves, concluding part
one of the sūtra.

VI. Sūtra narrative: Buddha Śākyamuni responds to
Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin’s request for teachings on Avalokiteśvara
by first giving a list of Avalokiteśvara’s samādhis.

1. Buddha Śākyamuni’s narrative: An account of when
Śākyamuni was the leader of five hundred merchants who
became stranded on the island of the rākṣasīs, and how he
alone escaped on Avalokiteśvara in the form of a horse.

VII. Sūtra narrative: Śākyamuni says he will describe
Avalokiteśvara’s ten pores and their inhabitants and landscapes.

(1) The pore Suvarṇa, where gandharvas
dedicated to the Dharma live.

(2) The pore Kṛṣṇa, where rishis and
gandharvas live who play music that teaches birds
and animals, who then remember the name of this very
sūtra.

VIII. Sūtra narrative: Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin describes
the benefits of possessing and writing the sūtra to Buddha
Śākyamuni’s approval.

1. Buddha Śākyamuni’s narrative: Buddha Śākyamuni
describes the third of Avalokiteśvara’s pores:

IX. Sūtra narrative: Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin wishes to go
to the pores but Buddha Śākyamuni describes how Samantabhadra failed
to find the pores in twelve years of searching. Buddha Śākyamuni
describes how Avalokiteśvara has a subtle form that even he cannot
perceive, and that Avalokiteśvara has eleven heads, a hundred
thousand arms, and a trillion eyes. Buddha Śākyamuni laughs and
tells Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin that it is not yet time for
Avalokiteśvara to come, and then returns to the description of the
ten pores.

1. Buddha Śākyamuni’s narrative: He describes the
fourth and fifth of Avalokiteśvara’s pores:

X. Sūtra narrative: Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asks where he
can find the six-syllable mahāvidyā. Buddha Śākyamuni tells him that
the buddhas have spent sixteen eons looking for the mahāvidyā but
failed to find it. He gives a description of the benefits gained by
those who do possess, repeat, and wear it. Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin
says he will use his own skin, bone, and blood to write it down if
he can obtain it.

1. Buddha Śākyamuni’s narrative: Śākyamuni
describes how in a previous life he searched through many
realms and met trillions of buddhas but failed to find the
mahāvidyā. Then Buddha Ratnottama sends him to see Buddha
Padmottama, and Śākyamuni tells of his search.

A. Buddha Padmottama’s narrative: This is a
description of the merit gained by repeating the
mahāvidyā and a story of how, in the past,
Padmottama searched for the mantra through many
realms and met many buddhas but did not find it.
Padmottama comes to Amitābha and tells him of his
search. Amitābha tells Avalokiteśvara to give the
mahāvidyā to Padmottama. Avalokiteśvara describes to
Padmottama how to make the maṇḍala of the mahāvidyā
so that he may in the future give the mahāvidyā to
others.

Avalokiteśvara gives the mahāvidyā to
Padmottama, who returns to his realm.

XI. Sūtra narrative: The sūtra does not state specifically
that Padmottama gives the mahāvidyā to Buddha Śākyamuni, and
Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin does not ask the Buddha for it but asks
where he can go to find it. Buddha Śākyamuni describes the
dharmabhāṇaka in Vārāṇasī who possesses the mahāvidyā.

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin goes to Vārāṇasī with a great
procession of people and offerings, praises the dharmabhāṇaka, and
asks for the mahāvidyā. The dharmabhāṇaka describes the qualities of
the mahāvidyā, wrong paths, and the devotion of even Prajñāpāramitā
to the mahāvidyā.

The dharmabhāṇaka does not create a maṇḍala, as was
described by Avalokiteśvara, but simply recites the mahāvidyā to
Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin. Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin returns to the
Jetavana grove and tells Buddha Śākyamuni that he has received the
mahāvidyā.

Trillions of buddhas recite the dhāraṇī of the goddess
Cundi: oṁ cale cule cunde
svāhā. No explanation for this dhāraṇī is given, so the
reader is assumed to be familiar with it.

1. Buddha Śākyamuni’s narrative: Abruptly, without
any transition, the description of the last five of
Avalokiteśvara’s pores continues from where it had
previously been left off.

(7) The pore Indrarāja, where irreversible
bodhisattvas live.

(9) The pore Cittarāja, where
pratyekabuddhas live.

XII. Sūtra narrative: Buddha Śākyamuni, in response to
Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin’s question, says there are no more pores
than those ten, but that beyond the last pore, the four oceans come
from Avalokiteśvara’s big toe.

He states that Avalokiteśvara is coming to give prophecies
to Śiva (Maheśvara) and Umādevī about their eventual buddhahood.
Avalokiteśvara arrives with a gift of lotus flowers from Amitābha.
Maheśvara asks the Buddha for a prophecy, and he is sent to
Avalokiteśvara who prophesies his buddhahood and then does the same
for Umādevī. Buddha Śākyamuni, in response to
Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin’s question, describes the qualities of
Avalokiteśvara.

1. Buddha Śākyamuni’s narrative: He gives a
description of the inconceivability of Avalokiteśvara’s
merit and a list of Avalokiteśvara’s samādhis, which differs
from that given earlier.Śākyamuni describes his memory
of being Bodhisattva Dānaśūra at the time of Buddha
Krakucchanda. He sees Samantabhadra with Avalokiteśvara.
They each enter different states of samādhis, and Buddha
Krakucchanda emphasizes Avalokiteśvara’s superiority.

XIII. Sūtra narrative: Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asks for
this very sūtra to be taught (although it is near its conclusion),
and the Buddha describes the benefits of the sūtra.
Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin sits silently.

Avalokiteśvara and all the other various kinds of beings
assembled leave.

In an abrupt change of content, Ānanda asks Śākyamuni Buddha
about monastic training. Śākyamuni condemns bhikṣus with incorrect
conduct, saying they should be banished from the community. He
prophesies how in three hundred years people will use the property
and possessions of the saṅgha or monastery, and describes the
sufferings they will endure, such as in the hells.

Ānanda leaves, and again the various classes of beings are
said to leave (though they had already done so earlier), and the
entire world rejoices in the Buddha’s words.

The Translation

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra

The Basket’s Display

Part One

Thus did I hear at one time. The
Bhagavat was staying, with a great saṅgha of 1,250 bhikṣus and a multitude
of bodhisattvas, in Śrāvastī, in Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s
Park.

Eight hundred million bodhisattva mahāsattvas had
gathered there, such as Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Vajramati, Bodhisattva
Mahāsattva Jñānadarśana, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Vajrasena, Bodhisattva
Mahāsattva Guhyagupta, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Ākaśagarbha, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Sūryagarbha, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Anikṣiptadhura, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Ratnapāṇi, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Samantabhadra, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Mahāsthāmaprāpta, Bodhisattva
Mahāsattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Sarvaśūra, Bodhisattva
Mahāsattva Bhaiṣajyasena, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara, Bodhisattva
Mahāsattva Vajrapāṇi, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Sāgaramati, Bodhisattva
Mahāsattva Dharmadhara, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Pṛthivīvaralocana,
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Āśvāsahasta, and Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Maitreya.

The thirty-two classes of devas had also gathered there, the
principal ones being Maheśvara and Nārāyaṇa. Śakra, who is the lord of the
devas, Brahmā, who is the lord of the Sahā universe, Candra, Āditya, Vāyu,
Varuṇa, and other deities were also assembled there.

Many hundreds of thousands of nāga kings had also gathered there in
that retinue. Nāga King Utpala, Nāga King Elapatra, Nāga King Timiṃgira,
Nāga King Gavāṃpati, Nāga King Śataśīrṣa, Nāga King Hullura, Nāga King Vahūdaka, Nāga King Takṣaka, Nāga King Gośīrṣa,
Nāga King Mṛgaśīrṣa, Nāga Kings Nanda and Upananda, Nāga King Vātsīputra,
Nāga King Sāgara, Nāga King Anavatapta, and many hundreds of thousands of
other nāga kings were gathered there.

Many hundreds of thousands of gandharva kings had also assembled
there. Gandharva King Dundubhisvara, Gandharva King Manojñasvara, Gandharva
King Sahasrabhuja, Gandharva King Sahāpati, Gandharva King
Śarīraprahlādana, Gandharva King Nirnāditabhūrya, Gandharva King
Alaṃkārabhūṣita, Gandharva King Kumāradarśana, Gandharva King Subāhuyukta,
Gandharva King Dharmapriya, and many hundreds of thousands of gandharva
kings were gathered there in that retinue.

Also gathered in that retinue were many hundreds of thousands of
kinnara kings. Kinnara King Sumukha, Kinnara King Ratnakirītī, Kinnara King
Svārimukha, Kinnara King Prahasita, Kinnara King Cakravyūha, Kinnara King
Puṣpāvakīrṇa, Kinnara King Maṇi, Kinnara King Pralambodara, Kinnara King
Dṛdhavīrya, Kinnara King Suyodhana, Kinnara King Śatamukha, Kinnara King
Druma, and
many hundreds of thousands of other kinnara kings were gathered there.

Many hundreds of thousands of apsarases had gathered there. The
apsaras named Tilottamā, the apsaras named Suvyūhā, the apsaras named
Suvarṇamekhalā, the apsaras named Vibhūṣutā, the apsaras named Karṇadhārā,
the apsaras named Amṛtabindu, the apsaras named
Pariśobhitakāyā, the apsaras named Maṇiprasthanā, the apsaras named Cuḍakā,
the apsaras named Mṛdukā, the apsaras named Pañcabhūryābhimukhā, the apsaras
named Ratikarā, the apsaras named Kañcanamālā, the apsaras named Nīlotpalā,
the apsaras named Dharmābhimukhā, the apsaras named Sakrīḍā, the apsaras
named Kṛtsnākarā, the apsaras named Suvyūhamati, the apsaras named
Keyūradharā, the apsaras named Dānaṃdadā, the apsaras named Śaśī, and many
hundreds of thousands of
other apsarases were gathered there.

Many hundreds of thousands of female nāgas were gathered there. The female
nāga named Vibhūṣaṇadharā, the female nāga named Acilillanā, the female nāga named Trijaṭā, the female
nāga named Svātimukhā,
the female nāga named Jayaśrī, the female nāga named Vijayaśrī, the female
nāga named Mucilindā,
the female nāga named Vidyullocanā, the female nāga named Vidyutprabhā, the female nāga
named Svātigiri, the female nāga named Śataparivārā, the female nāga named
Mahauṣadhi, the female nāga named Jalabindu, the
female nāga named Ekaśīrṣā, the female nāga named Śatavāhāna, the
female nāga named Śatabāhu, the female nāga named Grasatī, the female nāga
named Anākṛtsnagatā, the female nāga named Subhūṣaṇā, the female nāga named
Pāṇḍarameghā, the
female nāga named Rathābhiruḍhā, the female nāga named Tyāgānugatā, the female nāga named
Anāgatā, the female nāga
named Abhinnaparivārā, the female nāga named Pulindā, the female nāga named Sāgarakukṣi, the
female nāga named Chatramukhā, the female nāga named Dharmapīṭhā, the female
nāga named Mukhakarā, the female nāga named Vīryā, the
female nāga named Sāgaragambhīrā, the female nāga named Meruśrī, and many
hundreds of thousands of other female nāgas were gathered there.

Many hundreds of thousands of female gandharvas had also gathered
there. The female gandharva named Priyamukhā, the female gandharva named
Priyaṃdadā,
the female gandharva named Anādarśakā, the female gandharva named Vajraśrī,
the female gandharva named Vajramālā, the female gandharva named Sumālinī,
the female gandharva named Vanaspati, the female gandharva named Śatapuṣpā,
the female gandharva named Mukulitā, the female gandharva named Ratnamālā,
the female gandharva named Muditapuṣpā, the female gandharva named Sukukṣi, the
female gandharva named Rājaśrī, the female gandharva named Dundubhi, the
female gandharva named Śubhamālā, the female gandharva named
Vibhūṣitālaṃkārā, the female gandharva named Abhinamitā, the female
gandharva named Dharmakāṅkṣiṇī, the female gandharva named Dharmaṃdadā, the female
gandharva named Audumbarā, the female gandharva named Śatākārā, the
female gandharva named Padmaśriyā, the female gandharva named
Padmāvatī,
the female gandharva named Padmālaṃkārā, the female gandharva named Pariśobhitakāyā, the female gandharva
named Vilāsendragāminī, the
female gandharva named Pṛthivīṃdadā, the female gandharva named
Phalaṃdadā, the female gandharva named Siṃhagāminī, the female
gandharva named Kumudapuṣpā, the female gandharva named Manoramā, the female
gandharva named Dānaṃdadā, the female gandharva named Devavacanā, the female gandharva named Kṣāntipriyā, the female gandharva named
Nirvāṇapriyā, the female gandharva named Ratnāṅkurā, the female gandharva
named Indraśrī, the female gandharva named Indramaghaśrī, the female
gandharva named Prajāpatinivāsinī, the female gandharva named Mṛgarājinī,
the female gandharva named Sphurantaśrī, the female gandharva named
Jvalantaśikharā, the female gandharva named Rāgaparimuktā, the female
gandharva named Dveṣaparimuktā, the female gandharva named Mohaparimuktā,
the female gandharva named Sujanaparivārā, the female gandharva named
Ratnapīṭhā, the female gandharva named Āgamanagamanā, the female gandharva
named Agniprabhā, the female gandharva named Candrabimbaprabhā, the female
gandharva named Sūryalocanā, the female gandharva named Suvarṇāvabhāsā, and many hundreds of thousands of other female gandharvas.

Many hundreds of thousands of female kinnaras had gathered there. The
female kinnara named Manasā, the female kinnara named Mānasī, the female
kinnara named Vāyuvegā, the female kinnara named Varuṇavegā, the female
kinnara named Ākāśaplavā, the female kinnara named Vegajavā, the female
kinnara named Lakṣmīṃdadā, the female kinnara named Sudaṃṣṭrā, the female
kinnara named Acalaśriyā, the female kinnara named Dhātupriyā, the female kinnara named
Jvalantapriyā, the female kinnara named Suśriyā, the female kinnara
named Ratnakāraṇḍakā, the female kinnara named Avalokitalakṣmī, the female
kinnara named Kuṭilā, the female kinnara named Vajramuṣṭi, the female
kinnara named Kapilā, the female kinnara named Subhūṣaṇabhūṣitā, the female
kinnara named Vistīrṇalalāṭā, the female kinnara named Sujanaparisevitā, the
female kinnara named Sahāpatī,
the female
kinnara named Ākāśarakṣitā, the female kinnara named Vyūharājendrā, the
female kinnara named Maṇicūḍā, the female kinnara named Maṇidhāriṇī, the
female kinnara named Maṇirocanī, the female kinnara named
Vidvajjanaparisevitā, the female kinnara named Śatākārā, the female kinnara named Āyurdadā, the female kinnara
named Tathāgatakośaparipālitā, the female kinnara named
Dharmadhātuparirakṣiṇī, the female kinnara named
Satataparigrahadharmakāṅkṣiṇī, the female kinnara named Sadānukāladarśinī,
the female kinnara named Nūpurottamā, the female kinnara named
Lakṣaṇottamā, the female kinnara named Āśvāsanī, the female kinnara named
Vimokṣakarā, the female kinnara named Sadānuvṛtti, the female kinnara named
Saṃvegadhāriṇī, the female kinnara named Khaṅgajvalanā, the female kinnara
named Pṛthivyupasaṃkramaṇā, the female kinnara named Surendramālā, the
female kinnara named Surendrā, the female kinnara named Asurendrā, the
female kinnara named Munīndrā, the female kinnara named Gotrakṣānti, the
female kinnara named Tyāgānugatā, the female kinnara named Bahvāśrayā, the female kinnara named
Śatāyudhā, the female kinnara named Vibhūṣitālaṃkārā, the female kinnara
named Manoharā, and many hundreds of thousands of other female kinnaras were gathered
there.

Many hundreds of thousands of upāsakas and upāsikās had gathered there.

Many hundreds of thousands of tīrthika mendicant renunciants had also gathered there.

At the time of this great gathering, light rays shone in the great
Avīci hell. Having shone there, they came to the Jetavana Monastery, where
they became adornments for the monastery: pillars adorned with divine,
precious jewels; multistoried buildings that were covered with gold;
buildings with doors made of gold and silver; buildings with steps made of
gold and silver; and upper stories made of gold and silver, the silver upper
stories having gold pillars adorned with divine jewels and the gold upper
stories having silver pillars adorned with divine jewels.

In the gardens around Jetavana, there appeared various kinds of
wish-fulfilling trees. They had trunks of gold and leaves of silver and were
bedecked with a variety of adornments, with beautiful monastic robes, with Kaśika cloth, with hundreds of thousands of
pearl necklaces, and with hundreds of thousands of crowns, earrings, braided
ribbons, armlets, and anklets.

Outside the monastery there appeared hundreds of trees, which, like
the wish-fulfilling trees, were made from precious metals and were bedecked
with precious bracelets.

Within the Jetavana Monastery, there appeared stairs made from
diamonds and entrance chambers hung with pearls and silks.

Many bathing pools also appeared. Some were completely filled with
water that had the eight qualities. Some were completely
filled with a variety of flowers: they were completely filled with blue
lotuses, red lotuses, night lotuses, white lotuses, tiger claw flowers and great tiger claw
flowers, and
udumbara flowers.

Moreover, there were a variety of tree blossoms: magnolia, ashoka,
oleander, trumpet flower, mountain ebony, jasmine, and other beautiful tree
blossoms.

The Jetavana Monastery appeared completely beautified.

From within that assembly Bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin
arose from his seat, bared one shoulder, and kneeling on his right knee and
facing the Bhagavat, placed his palms together and inquired of the Bhagavat,
“Bhagavat, I have perceived a great, wonderful marvel. Bhagavat, where did
these great light rays come from? Who has this power?”

The Bhagavat replied, “Noble son, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara entered the great
Avīci hell. When he had completely liberated the beings there, he went to
the city of the pretas. It was he who emanated these light rays.”

Then Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asked the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, as
the great Avīci hell is without respite, how did Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara enter it? In the great Avīci hell a wall encloses a ground
made of burning iron, which has become one raging flame in the shape of a
reed basket. Within this Avīci hell there is a pot from which comes the
sound of wailing. Many hundreds of thousands of tens of millions of hundreds
of millions of beings have been thrown into that pot. Just as green or black
mung beans are massed together in a water-filled vessel, rising and sinking
as they are cooked, that is how the beings in the great
Avīci hell undergo physical suffering. Bhagavat, how did Bodhisattva
Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara enter the great Avīci hell?”

The Bhagavat answered him, “Noble son, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara entered the great Avīci hell just as a cakravartin king
enters a grove made of divine jewels. Noble son, it had no effect upon his
body. As he approached the Avīci hell, it cooled. The beings that were
Yama’s guards were in a state of agitation and extremely terrified. They
wondered, ‘Why has an inauspicious sign appeared in this Avīci
hell?’ When the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara entered the Avīci hell, lotus
flowers the size of cartwheels appeared, the pot burst open, and the inferno
of fire transformed into a pool. On seeing these inauspicious signs appear
in Avīci hell, Yama’s guardians became dismayed.

“Then Yama’s guardians gathered their swords, clubs, short spears, long
spears, maces, discuses, tridents, and so on, and, taking all their Avīci
utensils,
went to the Dharmarāja Yamarāja. When they arrived, they told him, ‘Divine
One, know first that our place of work is completely destroyed.’

“Dharmarāja Yamarāja asked them, ‘Why is your place of work
completely destroyed?’

“Yama’s guardians answered, ‘Divine One, know first
that an inauspicious omen appeared in this Avīci hell, all of which became
peaceful and
cool. There entered a handsome being, with his hair in a topknot, his body
beautified by divine adornments, with an extremely loving mind, and
resembling a golden statue.
That is the
kind of being that arrived. The moment he arrived, lotus flowers the size of
cartwheels appeared, the pot burst open, and the inferno of fire was
transformed into a pool.’

“Yamarāja wondered, ‘What deity has manifested this power? Is this
a special result that has occurred through the blessing of the deity
Maheśvara, Nārāyaṇa, or some other deity? Have they descended to this level?
Or has a powerful rākṣasa been born who rivals great Rāvaṇa?’

“He looked with his divine sight into the heavens, wondering whose
blessing this could be. Then he looked back into the Avīci hell and saw
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara there.

“Yamarāja went to Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara, bowed down
his head to his feet, and made this special praise:

“ ‘I pay homage to Avalokiteśvara, Maheśvara, lover of lotuses,
giver of the supreme boon, who has power; who illuminates the world; who brings relief; who has a hundred thousand arms; who
has a hundred thousand times ten million eyes; who has eleven heads; who
reaches Vaḍavāmukha; who delights in the Dharma; who completely frees all
beings; who brings relief to turtles, crocodiles, and fish; who creates the
greatest mass of wisdom; who brings joy; who is a splendor of jewels; who is
sublime; who extinguishes Avīci; who is adorned by the splendor of wisdom;
who delights in wisdom; who is the one to whom all devas make offerings, pay
homage, and show reverence; who brings freedom from fear; who teaches the
six perfections; who illuminates like the sun;
who creates
the lamp of Dharma; whose perfectly supreme form is whatever form is
pleasing; who has the form of a gandharva; who has a form like a mountain of
gold; who is deep like the vast ocean; who has attained the ultimate yoga;
who shows his own face; who has many hundreds of thousands of samādhis; who
brings true pleasure; who has a beautified body; who manifests as the
supreme rishi; who brings freedom from the terrors of bondage in stocks
and manacles; who is free from all existences; who has many retinues; who
creates abundance; who
is a precious wish-fulfilling jewel; who teaches the path to nirvāṇa; who
brings the city of the pretas to an end; who is a parasol for beings; who
liberates beings from illness; who has a sacred thread made of the nāga
kings Nanda and Upananda; who reveals the beneficial lasso; who has hundreds
of mantras; who terrifies Vajrapāṇi; who terrifies the three worlds; who
frightens yakṣas, rākṣasas, bhūtas, pretas, and piśācas, vetālas, ḍākinīs,
kūṣmāṇḍas, and apasmāras; who has eyes like blue lotuses; who has profound
wisdom; who is the
lord of knowledge; who brings freedom from all afflictions; who accumulates
various paths to enlightenment; who has entered sacred liberation; who has
paths to enlightenment accumulated within his body; who completely liberates
pretas; and who has hundreds of thousands of samādhis as numerous as
atoms.’

“In that way, Yamarāja praised Avalokiteśvara with a particularly
sacred praise. Then Yamarāja circumambulated him three times and departed.”

Bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asked the Bhagavat,
“Bhagavat, did Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara leave?”

The Bhagavat replied, “Noble son, he left the Avīci hell and went
to the city of the pretas. Many hundreds of thousands of pretas came running
toward him. They were like burned tree trunks; they were like standing
skeletons; they were covered with hair; they had stomachs the size of
mountains and mouths the size of a needle’s eye.

“As Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara arrived at the city of
the pretas, it cooled and the vajra hail ceased. The staff-wielding guard at
the gates, who had thick calves and red eyes, became kind and said, ‘I
should not be performing this duty.’

“Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara’s mind was filled with
compassion on seeing these beings, and he emitted ten rivers from his ten
fingers; he emitted ten rivers from his ten toes; and he emitted great
rivers from all his pores. When the pretas tasted the water, their throats
widened, their bodies became whole, and they were completely satisfied by
the supreme flavor of divine food.

“Then they contemplated human existence. They thought
about saṃsāric existence in this way: ‘Oh! The humans in Jambudvīpa are
happy. They can perfectly enjoy cool shade. Happy are those humans in
Jambudvīpa who are always supporting their parents and honoring them. Happy are
those good humans who always rely on a kalyāṇamitra. Those who continuously
learn the Mahāyāna are good contemplative beings. Those who follow the
eightfold path are good beings. Those who beat the dharmagaṇḍī are good beings. Those who
repair dilapidated and ruined monasteries are good beings. Those who repair
dilapidated, ruined, ancient stūpas are good beings. Those who are dedicated
to the sacred representations and the dharmabhāṇakas are good beings. Those
who have seen the activities of a tathāgata are good beings; those who have
seen the activities of a pratyekabuddha are good beings; those who have seen
the activities of a bodhisattva are good beings.’

“At that time there appeared the sound of the precious king of the
Mahāyāna sūtras, The Sūtra of the Basket’s
Display; wisdom, like a thunderbolt, destroyed the view of the
aggregates as a self, which is like a
mountain with twenty peaks; and the pretas were all reborn in the realm of
Sukhāvatī as bodhisattvas named Ākāṅkṣitamukha.

“Avalokiteśvara, having completely liberated those beings, departed
from the city of the pretas.”

Then Bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asked the Bhagavat,
“Bhagavat, did Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara leave?”

The Bhagavat replied, “Noble son, each day he completely ripens a
million trillion beings. Noble son, not even the tathāgatas have Bodhisattva
Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara’s prowess.”

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asked him, “Bhagavat, how is that so?”

The Bhagavat answered, “Noble son, there appeared in this world the
Tathāgata, the arhat, the samyaksaṃbuddha, perfect in wisdom and conduct,
the sugata, the knower of the world, the unsurpassable guide who tamed
beings, the teacher of gods and humans, the buddha, the Bhagavat Vipaśyin.

“At that time, Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, I was a merchant named
Sugandhamukha, and I heard Tathāgata Vipaśyin describe the qualities of
Avalokiteśvara.”

Bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asked the Bhagavat, “What
were the qualities of Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara that you heard
the tathāgata describe?”

The Bhagavat said, “Āditya and Candra came from his eyes, Maheśvara
came from his forehead, Brahmā came from his shoulders, Nārāyaṇa came from
his heart, Devi Sarasvatī came from his canines, Vāyu came from his mouth,
Dharaṇī came from his feet, and Varuṇa came from his stomach.

“When those deities had come from Avalokiteśvara’s body, that
bhagavat told the deity Maheśvara, ‘Maheśvara, in the kaliyuga, when beings
have bad natures, you will be declared to be the primal deity who is the
creator, the maker. All those beings will be excluded from the path to
enlightenment. They will say to ordinary beings:

“ ‘It is said: the sky is his liṅga,

The earth is his seat.

He is the foundation of all beings.

The liṅga is so called because they dissolve into it.’

“Noble son, those are the words I heard Tathāgata Vipaśyin say.

“In a later time, there appeared in this world the Tathāgata, the
arhat, the samyaksaṃbuddha, the one with wisdom and conduct, the sugata, the
knower of the world, the unsurpassable guide who tamed beings, the teacher
of gods and humans, the buddha, the Bhagavat Śikhin.

“At that time, Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, I was Bodhisattva
Dānaśūra, and I heard from him the description of the qualities of
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara.”

Bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asked the Bhagavat, “What
were the qualities of Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara that you heard
the tathāgata describe?”

The Bhagavat said, “When all the devas, nāgas, yakṣas, rākṣasas,
gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, and humans had gathered
together, the bhagavat Śikhin looked at the great gathering and began to
speak of the Dharma within that assembly. At that time, light rays of
various colors emanated from the mouth of Bhagavat Śikhin. They were blue,
yellow, red, white, orange, and the color of crystal and of silver. They
shone on all worlds in the ten directions, then returned and entered the
mouth of the bhagavat.

“From within that assembly Bodhisattva Ratnapāṇi arose from his
seat, bared one shoulder, and kneeling on his right knee and facing Bhagavat
Śikhin, placed his palms together and addressed these words to him: ‘Bhagavat,
why did this sign appear?’

“Bhagavat Śikhin replied, ‘Noble son, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara is coming from the realm of Sukhāvatī. I manifest this kind
of sign when he is coming. When Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara comes,
a profusion of wish-granting trees appears, a profusion of mango trees
appears, star jasmine flowers and magnolia trees appear, ponds covered with
flowers appear, and precious trees appear. There is a rain of various
flowers, a rain of precious
stones—jewels, pearls, diamonds, beryl, conch, crystal, and coral—and there
is a rain of divine cloth. In the vicinity of the monastery the seven jewels
of a cakravartin appear—the precious wheel, the precious horse, the precious
elephant, the precious jewel, the precious
wife, the precious householder, and the precious counselor—and the ground
appears to be made of gold. When Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara comes
from the realm of Sukhāvatī, the entire world shakes six times.’

“Then Bodhisattva Ratnapāṇi asked Bhagavat Śikhin, ‘Bhagavat, what
are these omens of?’

“Bhagavat Śikhin answered, ‘Noble son, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara is arriving, and that is why these omens appear.’

“As the earth shook and it rained beautiful lotuses, Bodhisattva
Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara came to Bhagavat Śikhin. He was holding lotus
flowers, each with a thousand petals and a golden stem. He bowed down his
head to the bhagavat’s feet and offered the lotuses to him. He said,
‘Tathāgata Amitābha sends these flowers to you. The Tathagāta asks if you
are in health, if you are at ease, and if all is well.’

“Bhagavat Śikhin took the lotuses and placed them on his left. He
then spoke of the qualities of Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara. ‘How
did you, Avalokiteśvara, accomplish your task among the pretas, the beings
in the Avīci hell, the beings in Kālasūtra and Raurava, the beings in
Hāhava, Tāpana, the great hell Pretāyana, the great hell Agnighaṭa, the
great hell Śālmali, the great hell
Śītodaka, and others?’

“Avalokiteśvara replied, ‘The beings in those great hells are my
task. I will completely ripen those beings, and then I will bring them to
the highest complete enlightenment.’

“Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara, having given this answer,
bowed his head to the bhagavat’s feet, departed alone, and disappeared into the sky as a
blazing mass of fire.

“Then Bodhisattva Ratnapāṇi asked Bhagavat Śikhin, ‘Bhagavat, if I
may ask for an answer to a question, how much merit has Bodhisattva
Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara accumulated?’

“Bhagavat Śikhin replied, ‘If someone were for a deva’s eon to
serve tathāgatas, arhats, and samyaksaṃbuddhas as numerous as the grains of
sand in the Ganges with robes, food, bowls, bedding, seats, necessary medicine, and utensils, the merit that would
be produced through those tathāgatas would be the same as that of the tip of
one hair on the body of Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, if it were to rain
day and night on the four great continents for a twelve-month year, I could
count each drop, but, noble son, I cannot calculate Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara’s accumulation of merit.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, the ocean is 84,000
yojanas deep and has an immeasurable expanse, but I can count each drop all
the way down to Vaḍavāmukha. However, noble son, I cannot calculate
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara’s accumulation of merit.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, I can count every
hair on all the four-legged creatures in the four great continents, such as
lions, tigers, bears, hyenas, deer, camels, jackals, and so on, and oxen,
donkeys, cattle, elephants, horses, buffalo, and cats, but, noble son, I
cannot calculate Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara’s accumulation of
merit.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, if stūpas for tathāgatas, arhats, and
samyaksaṃbuddhas as numerous as atoms were made in divine gold and precious
stones, and
in one day the relics were placed in them all, I can calculate the
accumulation of that merit, but I cannot calculate Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara’s accumulation of merit.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, I can count the
number of leaves in a forest of agarwood trees, but I cannot calculate
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara’s accumulation of merit.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, if all the women,
men, boys, and girls in the four great continents were to gain the result of
becoming stream entrants, once-returners, non-returners, arhats, and
pratyekabuddhas, their merit would only be, as said before, equal to the
merit of the tip of one hair on the body of Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara.’

“Then Bodhisattva Ratnapāṇi asked Bhagavat Śikhin, ‘Bhagavat, I
have never seen nor heard of tathāgatas having the kind of accumulation of
merit that Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara has, let alone
bodhisattvas.’

“Bhagavat Śikhin said, ‘Noble son, even if all who are tathāgatas,
arhats, and samyaksaṃbuddhas like me were gathered in one place and provided
for an eon with robes, food, bowls, bedding, seats, necessary medicine, and
utensils, those tathāgatas, arhats, and samyaksaṃbuddhas would still not be able to
calculate Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara’s accumulation of merit. So,
noble son, it is needless to say that I cannot do so all by myself in this
world.

“‘Those who remember Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara’s name
will have happiness in this world. They will be completely freed from the
sufferings of aging, death, and illness. They will be freed from the
unavoidable sufferings of saṃsāra. Like white and pale yellow birds, like
kings of geese moving with the speed of the wind, they will go to the realm
of Sukhāvatī. They will hear the Dharma by listening to Tathāgata Amitābha
teach. The sufferings of saṃsāra will not afflict their bodies. They will
not become old or die. They will have no desire, anger, or stupidity. Their
bodies will feel no hunger or thirst. They will not know the suffering of
being inside a womb. Completely inspired by the taste of the Dharma, they
will be reborn within a lotus and will remain in that realm until
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara’s powerful commitment is fulfilled and
all beings have been brought to liberation.’

“Then Bodhisattva Ratnapāṇi asked Bhagavat Śikhin, ‘Bhagavat, when
will that powerful commitment be fulfilled?’

“Bhagavat Śikhin replied, ‘He completely ripens the many beings who
circle in saṃsāra, teaches them the path to enlightenment, and teaches the
Dharma in whatever form a being can be taught through. He teaches the Dharma
in the form of a tathāgata to beings who are to be taught by a tathāgata.
He
teaches the Dharma in the form of a pratyekabuddha to beings who are to be
taught by a pratyekabuddha. He teaches the Dharma in the form of an arhat to
beings who are to be taught by an arhat. He teaches the Dharma in the form
of a bodhisattva to beings who are to be taught by a bodhisattva. He teaches
the Dharma in the form of Maheśvara to beings who are to be taught by
Maheśvara. He teaches the Dharma in the form of Nārāyaṇa to beings who are
to be taught by Nārāyaṇa. He teaches the Dharma in the form of Brahmā to
beings who are to be taught by Brahmā. He teaches the Dharma in the form of
Śakra to beings who are to be taught by Śakra. He teaches the Dharma in the
form of Āditya to beings who are to be taught by Āditya. He teaches the
Dharma in the form of Candra to beings who are to be taught by Candra. He
teaches the Dharma in the form of Agni to beings who are to be taught by
Agni. He teaches the Dharma in the form of Varuṇa to beings who are to be
taught by Varuṇa. He teaches the Dharma in the form of Vāyu to beings who
are to be taught by Vāyu. He teaches the Dharma in the form of a nāga to
beings who are to be taught by a nāga. He teaches the Dharma in the form of
Vighnapati to beings who are to be taught by Vighnapati. He teaches the
Dharma in the form of a yakṣa to beings who are to be taught by a yakṣa. He
teaches the Dharma in the form of Vaiśravaṇa to beings who are to be taught
by Vaiśravaṇa. He
teaches the Dharma in the form of a king to beings who are to be taught by a
king. He teaches the Dharma in the form of a paṇḍita to beings who are to be
taught by a paṇḍita. He teaches the Dharma in the form of a king’s soldier
to beings who are to be taught by a king’s soldier. He teaches the Dharma in
the form of parents to beings who are to be taught by their parents. He
teaches the Dharma in whatever particular form a being should be taught
through. That, noble son, is how Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara
completely ripens beings and teaches them the Dharma of nirvāṇa.’

“Then Bodhisattva Ratnapāṇi said to Bhagavat Śikhin, ‘Bhagavat,
this is extraordinarily marvelous. I have never seen nor heard of such a
thing before. Not even the tathāgatas have what Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara has.’

“Bhagavat Śikhin said, ‘Noble son, in this Jambudvīpa there is a
cave named Vajrakukṣi in which a hundred thousand million times ten million
asuras live. Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara teaches the asuras there
in the form of an asura. He teaches them the precious king of the Mahāyāna
sūtras, The Sūtra of the Basket’s Display. He
says to the listening asuras, “You must listen.”

“ ‘Then all other asuras, with loving minds and peaceful minds,
with palms placed together, come to listen to this Dharma teaching from
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara:

“ ‘ “Those who turn their minds to this king of the sūtras will
have happiness in this world. Hearing it will purify them of the five
actions with immediate results on death. At the time of death, twelve
tathāgatas will come and reassure them, saying, ‘Noble son, do not be
afraid. You have heard the precious king of the Mahāyāna sūtras, The Sūtra of the Basket’s Display. You have
prepared various paths for going to Sukhāvatī. You have prepared various
parasols, various crowns, various earrings, and various necklaces.’ When
that kind of omen appears, at death they will go without impediment to
Sukhāvatī.”

“ ‘Ratnapāṇi, in that way, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara
teaches the Dharma of nirvāṇa to the asuras and shows them the entranceway
to nirvāṇa.’

“Then Bodhisattva Ratnapāṇi bowed his head to Bhagavat Śikhin’s
feet and departed.”

At this point, Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin said to the Bhagavat, “It
is very difficult, Bhagavat, to hear the manifold description of
Avalokiteśvara’s qualities.”

The Bhagavat told him, “Noble son, there will be a description of
Avalokiteśvara’s qualities after he has left Vajrakukṣi and come to the land
of iron. Listen to it at that time. Before that there is this teaching:

“In a later time, there was the Tathāgata, the arhat, the
samyaksaṃbuddha, perfect in wisdom and conduct, the sugata, the knower of
the world, the unsurpassable guide who tamed beings, the teacher of devas
and humans, the buddha, the Bhagavat Viśvabhū.

“At that time, Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, I was a rishi who taught
patience and lived in a cliff among the mountains where people did not go.
At that time, I heard Tathāgata Viśvabhū describe the qualities of
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara.

“Avalokiteśvara had gone to the land of gold and taught the
eightfold noble path, the Dharma that teaches nirvāṇa, to the upside-down
beings who lived there.

“He then left the land of gold and went to the land of silver.
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara said to the four-legged beings who
lived there, ‘You must listen with perfect, pure thought to this Dharma
teaching on contemplating nirvāṇa, on turning the mind to nirvāṇa.’ Then
Avalokiteśvara taught them the Dharma.

“Those beings sat before Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara and
requested him, ‘Show the path to blind beings! Be a
protector and refuge to beings who have no protector! Be a father and mother
to those who do not have a father and mother! Be a lamp for the darkness of
the three lower existences! Be aware of us and show us, with great
compassion, the path to liberation. The beings who have obtained and always remember your
name are happy; they are free from this kind of suffering that we
experience.’

“At this, the precious king of the Mahāyāna sūtras, The Sūtra of the Basket’s Display, issued forth
into the ears of those beings. When they heard it, they reached an
irreversible level and were established in the highest happiness.

“Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara then left for another land,
which was made of iron, where he approached the asura king Bali.

“When the asura king Bali saw Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara
approaching from the distance, he went toward Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara, accompanied by his queens, his retinue, and many asuras such
as Kubja and Vāmanaka with their retinues. Bali bowed down at
his feet and said these words:

“ ‘On this day, my life has borne fruit.

On this day, my wishes have been fulfilled.

On this day, my wishes have been fulfilled,

For actually seeing you has brought me happiness for all my
lifetimes.’

“Bali offered a bejeweled throne to Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara and implored him, ‘Bhagavat, look with compassion upon those
who like to perform bad actions, who lust after the wives of others, who are
dedicated to killing, who kill others, and who are old and dying. Be a
refuge to those who are weary of saṃsāra. You, lord, be our father and
mother and show the path to we who are bound in bondage.’

“Avalokiteśvara said, ‘Noble son, it is like this: I will explain
how much merit is acquired by those who give alms to a tathāgata, an arhat,
a samyaksaṃbuddha.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, were there to be as
many bodhisattvas like myself as there are grains of sand in twelve Ganges
Rivers, and were they to be in one place with every facility for a deva’s
eon, they would still be unable to calculate that aggregation of merit. So
it is needless to say that I cannot do so all by myself in the realm of the
asuras.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, I can count how
many atoms there are, but, noble son, I cannot calculate the accumulation of
merit through that alms giving.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, I can count each
drop in the vast extent of the ocean, but, noble son, I cannot calculate the
accumulation of merit through that alms giving.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, if all the men,
women, boys, and girls in the four continents were to apply themselves to
work, and those people in the four continents were to do no other work than
growing mustard, and from time to time the king of the nāgas would send down
rain, and the mustard would grow perfectly for one harvest; and then if the
men, women, boys, and girls were to load that mustard into carts, bags, and
baskets, onto camels, donkeys, and cattle, and collect the great harvest
together; and then if the donkeys and cattle threshed it to make a vast heap
of mustard seeds, noble son, I could count each one of
those grains, but, noble son, I cannot calculate the accumulation of merit
through that alms giving.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, the lower half of
the supreme mountain Sumeru extends downward for 84,000 yojanas and the
upper half extends upward for 84,000 yojanas. Noble son, if Sumeru were to
become a mass of birch bark; if the vast ocean was to become an inkwell; and
if all the men, women, boys, and girls who live in the four continents were
to become scribes; and if they were to write on the limitless, endless
extent of Mount Sumeru as birch bark, I would be able to count each letter,
but, noble son, I cannot calculate the accumulation of merit through that
alms giving.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, if all those
scribes were to become bodhisattvas on the tenth bhūmi, then the
accumulation of merit of all those bodhisattvas on the tenth bhūmi would
then equal the accumulation of merit through that alms giving.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, I can count each
grain of sand in the ocean, but, noble son, I cannot calculate the
accumulation of merit through that alms giving.’

“Then the asura king Bali, with tears, a darkened face,
choking, with stuttering words and sighs, told Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara his story:

“ ‘What kind of gift did I, Bali, make, with my queens and retinue,
that brought me bondage in this lifetime? I made an offering to a bad
recipient, and I am now experiencing the result of that action. Even a
handful of dust thrown toward an omniscient one transforms into amṛta, but I
made my offerings not knowing that, and made an offering to a petitioner who
came to me in the form of a dwarf.

“ ‘I had prepared offerings of elephant- and horse-drawn carts
carrying diadems, earrings, and necklaces, hung with precious yak-tail
whisks, and covered with strings of pearls, a net of pearls as a rear
adornment, and jingling golden bells hanging from silver cords.

“ ‘I had also prepared offerings of a thousand tawny cows with
silver hooves, golden horns, and covered with nets of pearls.

“ ‘I had also prepared an offering of a thousand young women with
excellent complexions, who were full-bodied, very beautiful, similar to and
rivaling divine maidens; adorned with divine jewelry; wearing diadems,
earrings, and necklaces; adorned with armlets, bracelets, anklets, and
girdles; and wearing rings, sash necklaces, and gold rings on the big toes
of their left feet. They jingled as they
moved, and wore clothing of silks in a variety of colors.

“ ‘I had also prepared a hundred thousand precious seats, numerous
heaps of gold, heaps of silver, and heaps of jewels.

“ ‘I had prepared numerous heaps of clothing and jewelry.

“ ‘I had prepared many hundreds of thousands of herds of cows along
with herders.

“ ‘I had prepared numerous kinds of food and drink. I had prepared
divine food with supreme flavors.

“ ‘I had continuously prepared bejeweled bells of gold and silver,
many bejeweled lion thrones of silver and gold, many thousands of divine
yak-tail whisks, parasols, shoes adorned with gold, and bejeweled gold
diadems.

“ ‘At that time, I had invited a thousand kings, a hundred thousand
brahmins, and many hundreds of thousands of kṣatriyas, and I became arrogant
on seeing
that I was their sole ruler.

“ ‘I now confess my first bad action. I tore out the hearts of the
kṣatriya wives, slaughtered the boys and girls, bound all the great
kṣatriyas in stocks and
shackles, and took them to a copper cave. I imprisoned many hundreds of
thousands of kṣatriyas in that copper cave. I fastened the legs and arms of
those kṣatriyas, such as the Khasas and Pāṇḍavas, with iron chains and iron
pegs to keep them in that cave.

“ ‘I made doors for the cave: the first door was made of wood, the
second door was made of acacia, the third door was made of bronze, the
fourth door was made of copper, the fifth door was made of iron, the sixth
door was made of silver, and the seventh door was made of gold. Then I
heaped seven mountains, one on top of the other, in front of the golden
door.

“ ‘Then I went in search of Daśarathaputra, one day in the
form of a beggar, one day in the form of a bee, one day in the form of a
pig, and one day in the form of a man, transforming into a different form
each day, but I did not see him.

“ ‘Then, after contemplating, I began to make my offerings.
Daśarathaputra, seizing the opportunity, quickly removed the seven
mountains, throwing them to another place. He then shouted loudly to the
kṣatriyas. Yudhiṣṭhira, Nakula, Sahadeva, Bhīmasena, Arjuna, the Kauravas,
and the other kings heard him and were relieved and comforted.

“ ‘Daśarathaputra asked, “Are you alive or dead?”

“ ‘They replied, “We are alive, Bhagavat.”

“ ‘Then the great hero destroyed all the doors and looked inside
the copper cave. All the bound kings saw Nārāyaṇa. They discussed among each
other, saying, “Either the time has come for the asura king Bali to die,
or the
time has come for us to be slain.” They said to each other, “It is good if
we die in battle, but it’s not good to die in chains. If we die in chains,
the way of the kṣatriyas will come to an end, but if we die on the
battlefield, we will be reborn in the higher realms.”

“ ‘Then all the great kings returned to their own cities and made
preparations with many horse-drawn chariots.

“ ‘While they prepared their very precious chariots and weapons,
Daśarathaputra transformed himself into a dwarf who wore a deerskin as a
sash, held a bamboo staff, and carried a stool. He came to where I was and
arrived at my door.

“ ‘The guard stationed there said, “Brahmin dwarf, you can’t
enter.”

“ ‘He said, “I have come a long way.”

“ ‘Then the guard asked, “Brahmin, where do you come from?”

“ ‘He answered, “I have come to the rishi king from
Candradvīpa.”

“ ‘Then the guard came to me and said, “Your Majesty, a brahmin dwarf has
arrived here.”

“ ‘I, the lord of the asuras, asked, “What is it that he
requires?”

“ ‘The guard said, “Your Majesty, I don’t know.”

“ ‘Then I said, “Go and bring the brahmin to me.”

“ ‘The guard summoned him, saying, “Come in, great brahmin.”

“ ‘Then he came inside and was placed on a precious seat.

“ ‘Śukra, who was renowned as my upādhyāya, was also present at
this time and said to me, “This is a person who brings doom.
He will certainly cause you an obstacle.”

“ ‘I asked him, “Bhagavat, how do you know that?”

“ ‘Śukra answered, “I know by seeing his signs and omens.”

“ ‘I asked, “What can we do?”

“ ‘Nārāyaṇa thought, “If he thinks about this, he will definitely
decide against making a gift, so I will put divinely inspired speech into
his mouth.”

“ ‘So I said, “Come here, brahmin. What is your wish?”

“ ‘The brahmin answered, “I ask for two steps of ground.”

“ ‘I said, “Great brahmin, if you are asking for two steps, I will
give you three.”

“ ‘The dwarf accepted this gift, saying, “This is auspicious.” He
accepted it along with a gift of water, sesame, and gold, and then
vanished.

“ ‘Śukra said to me, “Rishi King, I said that this was a man of
doom who had come, but you did not pay heed to what I said. So may you
experience the result of your actions!”

“ ‘Then Nārāyaṇa appeared in his own form. He was vast, with the
sun and moon on his shoulders, and holding a sword, a bow, a wheel, a long
spear, and a short spear in his hands. I, lord of the asuras,
became faint, grew dizzy, fell headlong, and said, “What have I done? I have
taken poison with my own hand!”

“ ‘Nārāyaṇa took two steps and said, “Give me my third step!”

“ ‘I said, “There can be no third. You have taken all the ground
that can be taken. What can I do?”

“ ‘Nārāyaṇa said, “Wherever I place you, there shall you stay.”

“ ‘Then I, lord of the asuras, said to him, “Whatever you command,
that I will do.”

“ ‘Nārāyaṇa asked, “Is this true? Is this true?”

“ ‘I answered, “It’s the truth, it’s the truth.”

“ ‘Thus Nārāyaṇa caught me in the noose of truth. The offering site
was destroyed and the offering bowls discarded. The Pāṇḍavas and Kauravas
took away the maidens. The Kauravas, Pāṇḍavas, and the others took away the golden lion
thrones, the divine parasols, the bejeweled shoes, the clothing, the
jewelry, the bejeweled golden armlets, and the tawny cows, destroying the
offering site.

“ ‘I, lord of the asuras, having been expelled from the offering
site, contemplated my situation and said, “I was about to make
an excellent offering, but I made an unfortunate offering that has resulted
in this bondage. Homage to you, lord. Do what is to be done. It will be as
you do.”

“ ‘Then Nārāyaṇa took me, my queens, and my retinue and placed us
in the underworld.

“ ‘I have this to say to the bhagavat: In the past I
made that gift to a bad recipient, and now I am experiencing the result of
that action.

“ ‘Be my refuge, holder of beautiful lotuses.

“ ‘I make this praise to the one who wears a matted topknot; to the
one who has an omniscient buddha upon his head; to the one who brings relief to many
beings; to the one who has compassion for the inferior and desolate; to the
one who has beautiful eyes like parasols; to the one who has illuminated the
world; to the
one who is a supreme king of healing; to the one who is a perfectly pure
being; to the one who has the supreme attainment of yoga; to the one who has
perfect liberation; to the one who is a lover of liberation; to the one who
is like a wish-fulfilling jewel; to the one who protects the treasure of the
Dharma; to the one who is a teacher of the six perfections; and to the one
whose thoughts are good.

“ ‘The beings who remember your name, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara, will have happiness. When those who have been born in
Kālasūtra, Raurava, Avīci, and in the
city of the pretas remember your name, they will be freed from the great
suffering of the lower existences. The beings who remember your name will
have good thoughts. They will go to the realm of Sukhāvatī, and listen to
the Dharma from Tathāgata Amitābha.’

“Then Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara made the following
prophecy to Bali, the lord of the asuras: ‘You, lord of the asuras, will become
the Tathāgata, the arhat, the samyaksaṃbuddha, perfect in wisdom and
conduct, the sugata, the knower of the world, the unsurpassable guide who
tamed beings, the teacher of devas and humans, the buddha, the Bhagavat Śrī.
You will guide all the asuras. In your buddha realm there will not be the
word desire, there will not be the word anger,
there will not be the word ignorance, and you will come into
possession of the six-syllable mahāvidyā.’

“As a gift with which to request the Dharma, Bali presented
Avalokiteśvara with strings of pearls worth a hundred thousand silver
coins and diadems adorned with various jewels.

“Then Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara began to teach the
Dharma.

“ ‘Listen, great king. Human beings are continually thinking about
transitory things, about acquisitions, about great pleasures, about male and female slaves,
servants, and hired workers, about costly clothes, beds, and seats, about
valuable treasures, riches, stores of grain, and storerooms, about sons and
daughters, and about wives and parents. They are ignorant. Those things that
they are attached to appear as dreams do.

“ ‘At the time of death, there will be no one to protect them. When
they are separated from their lives they will look back at Jambudvīpa. They
will see the great river filled with pus and blood. They will see the great
trees that blaze with fire, blaze strongly, and blaze fiercely. When they
see them they will be terrified. Yama’s guards will bind them with nooses and drag them away.
When their feet are cut through on the great road of razors, as they lift
that foot another foot will replace it. Numerous ravens, vultures, eagles, and
dogs will devour them. They will experience the sensation of great suffering
in the hells. When they step off the great road of razors, five hundred
thorns, each with sixteen spikes, will pierce each foot. They will cry out,
“What have I, who delighted in bad actions, done?”

“ ‘Yama’s servants will reply, “Friend, you did not offer alms to
the Tathāgata. You did not hear the gaṇḍī being beaten. You did not circumambulate a stūpa
anywhere.”

“ ‘To that they will reply, “We were without faith, delighted in
bad actions, rejected the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, and are experiencing
the result of those actions.”

“ ‘Yama’s guardians will then take them to King Yama, bring them
before him, and present them to him.

“ ‘King Yama will say to the guardians, “Show them today your place
of work!”

“ ‘So Yama’s guardians will bring them to the great Kālasūtra hell
and put them into it. Inside there, though a hundred spears strike them,
they will not die. Though a hundred spears strike them a second time, they
will not die. Though a hundred spears strike them a third time, they still
will not die. Because they will not die, they are thrown into a furnace, but
there they still will not die.

“ ‘A red hot metal ball will be inserted into their mouths,
incinerating their lips, destroying their teeth, splitting their palate, and
loudly burning up their throat, gullet, heart, anus, and whole body.

“ ‘It is like this, great king. There will be no one to protect
them in that other world. Therefore, great king, you must diligently create
merit in this life.’

“In that way Avalokiteśvara gave Bali the appropriate Dharma
teaching.
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara then told that great king, ‘I must
leave, for today many are gathering in the Jetavana Monastery.’

“Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara now radiated many blue,
yellow, red, white, crystal, and silver light rays that reached Tathāgata
Viśvabhū, before whom devas, nāgas, yakṣas, mahoragas, and humans had
gathered.

“From within that assembly of bodhisattvas the bodhisattva named
Gaganagañja arose from his seat, bared one shoulder, and kneeling on his
right knee and facing Bhagavat Viśvabhū, placed his palms together and
addressed these words to him: ‘Bhagavat, where did these light rays come
from?’

“Bhagavat Viśvabhū said, ‘Noble son, the light rays came from
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara, who is in the palace of Bali, the
lord of the asuras.’

“Bodhisattva Gaganagañja then asked Bhagavat Viśvabhū, ‘Is there a
way for me to see Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara?’

“Bhagavat Viśvabhū answered, ‘Noble son, he is coming here.’

“When Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara left the palace of
Bali, lord of the asuras, divine flowers fell on Jetavana Monastery, and
extremely beautiful wish-granting trees appeared there. They were hung with
hundreds of thousands of adornments, with many hundreds of thousands of
strings of pearls, with silk, with monastic robes, and with clusters of garlands. Their trunks were red, and
their leaves were made of gold and silver. There were also many trees made
of coral, many blossom-covered trees, and pools that were completely filled
with flowers.

“Then Bodhisattva Gaganagañja asked Bhagavat Viśvabhū, ‘Bhagavat,
is Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara not coming?’

“Bhagavat Viśvabhū answered, ‘Noble son, he has left the palace of
Bali, lord of the asuras, and is going to an extremely dreadful land named Tamondhakāra where
there are no humans. There, noble son, the sun and moon do not shine. A
wish-fulfilling jewel named Varada provides light in that place.

“Many hundreds of thousands of yakṣas and rākṣasas live in that
continent. They become happy as Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara
arrives there, and with joy in their hearts they run to him. When they come
to Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara, they pay homage at his feet and
ask, ‘You are not tired? You are not exhausted? It has been a long time
since you were here in Tamondhakāra.’

“He answers, ‘I have been doing much. I have not been ripening my
own mind for the sake of one being, but have been, with the motivation of
great compassion, ripening many beings.’

“The yakṣas and rākṣasas lead him to a lion throne of divine gold
and jewels, upon which he sits. Seated, he teaches the Dharma to the yakṣas and
rākṣasas:

“ ‘Listen! Those who hear and then possess, study, promulgate, and have their minds completely
focused on even one four-line verse of the
precious king of the Mahāyāna sūtras, The Sūtra of the
Basket’s Display, will be inspired to accumulate merit.

“ ‘Noble sons, it is like this: For example, I know the number of
atoms that exist, but, noble sons, I cannot calculate the accumulation of
merit that comes from the precious king of the Mahāyāna sūtras, The Sūtra of the Basket’s Display.

“ ‘Noble sons, it is like this: For example, I can count the drops
in the vast ocean, but, noble sons, I cannot calculate the accumulation of
merit that comes from even one four-line verse of the precious king of the Mahāyāna sūtras, The Sūtra of the Basket’s Display.

“ ‘Noble sons, if tathāgatas, arhats, and samyaksaṃbuddhas as
numerous as the grains of sand in twelve Ganges Rivers were gathered
together in one place and for twelve eons were provided with robes, food,
bowls, bedding, seats, necessary medicine, and
utensils, they would still not be able to calculate the merit that comes
from even one four-line verse of the precious king
of the Mahāyāna sūtras, The Sūtra of the Basket’s
Display. So it is needless to say that I cannot do so all by
myself in Tamondhakāra.

“ ‘Noble sons, it is like this: For example, even if all the
households in the four continents built monasteries of gold and jewels and
built a thousand stūpas inside each of those monasteries, and in one day
inserted relics in them all, the accumulation of merit from one four-line
verse of the precious king of the
Mahāyāna sūtras, The Sūtra of the Basket’s
Display, would be far greater than the merit from inserting the
relics.

“ ‘Noble sons, it is like this: For example, just as the five great
rivers flow into the great ocean, noble sons, in that same way merit
accumulates from one four-line verse of the precious king of the Mahāyāna sūtras, The Sūtra of the Basket’s Display.’

“Then the yakṣas and rākṣasas asked Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara, ‘What kind of accumulation of merit is obtained by those
beings who write out this precious king of the Mahāyāna sūtras, The Sūtra of the Basket’s Display?’

“ ‘Noble sons, their accumulation of merit is immeasurable. Those
who engage in writing out the precious king of the Mahāyāna sūtras, The Sūtra of the Basket’s Display, are engaged in
writing the eighty-four thousand compilations of the Dharma. They will
become kings; they will become cakravartins who rule the four continents;
they will give birth to thousands of brave heroic sons with perfect bodies
and who defeat their adversaries.

“ ‘Those who always possess and remember the name of the precious
king of the Mahāyāna sūtras, The Sūtra of the Basket’s
Display, will be completely liberated from the
suffering of saṃsāra and be completely liberated from birth, aging,
sickness, death, misery, lamentation, suffering, unhappiness, and conflict.
Wherever they are reborn, in every life they will remember their previous
lives. Their bodies will have an aroma like gośīrṣa sandalwood. From their
mouths will come the scent of the blue lotus. Their bodies will be
completely perfect, and they will have immense, powerful strength.’

“In that way Avalokiteśvara taught them an appropriate Dharma. Some
of the yakṣas and rākṣasas attained the result of becoming a once-returner.
The others attained the result of becoming a non-returner.

The yakṣas and rākṣasas then said, ‘Stay here. Do not go anywhere else. We will build a
stūpa of divine gold in Tamondhakāra. We will create a circumambulatory
walkway of gold.’

“But Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara said to them, ‘I have to
bring many beings onto the path to enlightenment.’

“The yakṣas and rākṣasas, resting cheeks on hands, brooded and said
to each other, ‘Our Avalokiteśvara is going to leave us, and we will not be
able to talk about the Dharma with him.’

“As Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara was leaving, the yakṣas
and rākṣasas followed him.

“Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara said to them, ‘It is too far
for you to come, so you should go back.’

“The yakṣas and rākṣasas bowed down at the feet of Bodhisattva
Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara and returned.

“Then Avalokiteśvara vanished into the sky as a mass of flames.”

“Avalokiteśvara then manifested in the form of a brahmin and went
among the devas in the Śuddhāvāsa realms. Among those devas there was a deva named
Sukuṇḍala who was poor and suffering.

“Avalokiteśvara came to that deva in the form of the brahmin and
said to him, ‘I’m hungry and thirsty.’

“The deva said to the brahmin, ‘Great brahmin, I have nothing at
all.’

“The brahmin said, ‘You should give me what little you have.’

“So Sukuṇḍala entered his divine palace and looked inside his pots.
He saw that some pots had become completely filled with priceless precious
jewels, other pots had become completely filled with food that had the
supreme flavors, and the left side of the divine palace had become
completely filled with divine clothing.

“Sukuṇḍala thought, ‘Without a doubt the one at my door is an
excellent recipient for offerings, and he has brought me this attainment of
splendor.’

“Sukuṇḍala invited the brahmin into his divine palace. The brahmin
entered, and Sukuṇḍala offered him the divine jewels, served him the food
with divine perfect flavors, and gave him the divine clothing. The brahmin ate
and recited a benediction.

“The deva Sukuṇḍala then asked him, ‘Great brahmin, where do you
come from?’

“He replied, ‘I come from the monastery named Jetavana.’

“Sukuṇḍala asked him, ‘What is that place like?’

“The brahmin answered, ‘It is a place that is delightful, filled
with divine jewels, and completely beautified by divine wish-granting trees.
There are beautiful flowers, many kinds of bathing pools, many who have the
qualities of right conduct and are worthy recipients for offerings, and
there are the miracles of Tathāgata Viśvabhū. Son of a deva, that is how
pleasant that place is.’

“The deva then said, ‘Brahmin, you definitely speak the truth. Who
are you? Are you a deva or a human? If you are a human you don’t seem to be
one.’

“The brahmin replied, ‘I am not a deva and I am not a human. I am
one who has compassion for the poor and the wretched. I am one who shows
them the path to enlightenment. I am a bodhisattva.’

“Deva Sukuṇḍala then offered his diadem and earrings to the brahmin
and recited:

“ ‘Oh, the one who is comprised of qualities

Is devoid of all evil.

On this day the seed has been planted,

And on this day the fruit has been produced.’

“After the deva had recited this verse, the brahmin departed.

“The great brahmin descended from the deva realms to the island of
Siṃhala. Arriving there, he transformed himself into a handsome form and
approached the rākṣasīs. When they saw his handsome body they desired him.
Desiring him, they came to him and said, ‘Sir, take us young women. We have
no husband. For we who have no husband, be a husband. For we who have no
protector, be a protector. For we who have no support, be a support. These
are your homes with food; homes with drink; and homes with clothes and a
variety of multicolored beds, beautiful gardens, and beautiful
pools.’

“He said, ‘Only if you do as I command.’

“They answered, ‘We will!’

“He then taught them the noble eightfold path. He made them recite
the fourfold scriptures. Some of them attained the result of becoming a
once-returner, and some attained the result of becoming a non-returner. The rākṣasīs were no longer
afflicted by the suffering of desire, there was no anger in their minds,
they did not wish to cause anyone’s death, they continually delighted in the
Dharma, and they took vows. They promised, ‘We shall kill no more. We will
nourish ourselves in the same way that humans do in Jambudvīpa: with food
and drink. From now on we will not act like rākṣasīs, and we will keep the
upāsikā vows.’ In this way the
rākṣasīs took vows.

“Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara then left the island of
Siṃhala and
went to a place where many hundreds of thousands of different kinds of
insects lived within a cesspit in the great city of Vārāṇasī. When
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara arrived there, he transformed himself
into the form of a bee that made a buzzing sound that was heard by the
insects as the words, ‘Namo buddhāya,
namo dharmāya, namaḥ saṃghāya.’ The insects remembered the words namo buddhāya, namo dharmāya, namaḥ
saṃghāya, and the thunderbolt of
wisdom destroyed the mountain, which has twenty peaks, that is the view of
the aggregates as a self, and they were then all
reborn in the realm of Sukhāvatī as bodhisattvas named Sugandhamukha.

“After Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara had ripened those
beings, he left the great city of Vārāṇasī.

“Next he went to Magadha. When he arrived in the land of Magadha,
he saw beings that had lived for twenty years in the wilderness eating each
other’s flesh. Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara wondered, ‘By what
method can I bring contentment to these beings?’

“Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara then caused divine rains to
fall. First there was a rain of water, and the water brought them
satisfaction. Then there came a rain of divine food with supreme flavors,
and they were completely filled. When they were completely satisfied by
eating the food, a rain of grain fell. Then there fell sesame, rice,
jujubes, and wild rice. Whatever those beings wished for, their wishes were
fulfilled each time.

“Among them there was one being who was many hundreds of thousands
of years old. He was aged, old, feeble, hunchbacked, and bent like a cow’s
ear. He said to them, ‘Only Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara has this
kind of power , no other deity.’

“Those gathered there asked him, ‘What are the qualities of
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara?’

“The man began to describe Avalokiteśvara’s qualities to them:

“ ‘He is a lamp for those in darkness. He is a parasol for those
burned and pained by the sun. He is a river for those afflicted with thirst.
He gives freedom from fear to those who are terrified and afraid. He is
medicine for those afflicted with sickness. He is a father and mother for
beings who suffer. He is a teacher of nirvāṇa to those reborn in Avīci.
Those are his special qualities.

“ ‘Those who remember his name will have happiness in this world
and will completely leave behind every suffering in saṃsāra.

“ ‘Those who continually gather and offer flowers and incense to
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara will become cakravartin kings who
possess the seven jewels. The seven jewels are: the precious wheel, the
precious horse, the precious elephant, the precious jewel, the precious
wife, the precious householder, and the precious counselor.

“ ‘Those who offer flowers to Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara
will have aromatic bodies, and wherever they are reborn, their bodies will
be perfect.’

“The old man taught Avalokiteśvara’s special qualities in that way.
Then those gathered there returned to their homes, and the aged man, having
taught them an appropriate Dharma, returned to his home, and Bodhisattva
Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara vanished into the sky.

“While Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara was in the sky he
thought, ‘It has been a long time since I’ve seen Tathāgata Viśvabhū,’ and
so he next went to Jetavana Monastery. Bhagavat Viśvabhū saw him coming.

“As Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara approached the Jetavana
monastery, he saw devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas,
kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans, and a gathering of many hundreds
of bodhisattvas.

“Bodhisattva Gaganagañja asked Bhagavat Viśvabhū, ‘Bhagavat, which
bodhisattva is arriving?’

“Bhagavat Viśvabhū said, ‘This is Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara who is arriving.’

“Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara bowed his head to Bhagavat
Viśvabhū’s feet, circumambulated him three times, and sat on his left.

“Bhagavat Viśvabhū asked him, ‘Are you tired? Are you weary? Noble
son, what work have you been doing?’

“Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara told Viśvabhū what had
occurred. Bodhisattva Gaganagañja was extremely amazed and said, ‘I have
never seen such a field of activity as that of this bodhisattva. There is no
such field of activity among the tathāgatas, let alone among the
bodhisattvas.’

“Bodhisattva Gaganagañja now came to Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara and sat before him. Seated, he asked Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara, ‘Are you
tired? Are you weary?’

“He replied, ‘I am not tired and I am not weary.’

“They talked with each other and then became silent.

“Bhagavat Viśvabhū then began to teach upon the six
perfections:

“ ‘Noble sons, listen. Having become a bodhisattva, you must
complete the perfection of generosity. Similarly, you must complete the
perfection of conduct, the perfection of patience, the perfection of
diligence, the perfection of meditation, and the perfection of wisdom.’

“Having taught that Dharma he became silent.

“The assembled beings each returned to their own dwelling places,
and the bodhisattvas returned to their own buddha realms.”

Part Two

Bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin then said to the Bhagavat,
“Bhagavat, I request that you teach what samādhis Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara has previously remained in.”

The Bhagavat said, “Noble son, they are as follows: the samādhi
named Creation, the samādhi named Illumination, the samādhi named Sublime
Vajra, the samādhi named Sunlight, the samādhi named Dispersal, the samādhi
named Armlet, the samādhi named Supreme Vajra Victory Banner, the samādhi
named Ornament, the samādhi named King of Arrays, the samādhi named Seeing
the Ten Directions, the samādhi named The Supreme Illumination of the
Wish-fulfilling Jewel, the samādhi named Dharma Holder, the samādhi named Descending into the
Ocean, the samādhi named Totally Stable, the samādhi named Giving Joy, the samādhi named
Vajra Victory Banner, the
samādhi named Viewing All Worlds,
the samādhi named Completely Present,
the samādhi
named Truly Bowing Down, the samādhi named Coiled at the Crown, the samādhi
named Supreme Illumination by the Moon, the samādhi named Many
Attendants, the samādhi named Divine Bright Earrings, the samādhi named Lamp
of the Eon, the samādhi named
Manifesting Miracles, the samādhi named Supreme Lotus, the samādhi named
King’s Power, the samādhi named Extinguishing
Avīci, the samādhi named Blazing, the samādhi named Divine Circle, the samādhi named Drop of Amṛta,
the samādhi named Circle of Light, the samādhi named Immersion in the Ocean,
the samādhi named Door of the Celestial Palace, the samādhi named Cuckoo’s
Song, the samādhi named Scent of the Blue Lotus, the samādhi named Mounted,
the samādhi named Vajra Armor, the samādhi named Elephant’s Delight, the
samādhi named Lion’s Play, the samādhi named Unsurpassable, the samādhi
named Subduing, the samādhi named Moon on High, the samādhi named Shining,
the samādhi named Hundred Light Rays, the samādhi named Sprinkling, the
samādhi named Brightening, the samādhi named Beautiful Appearance, the
samādhi named Summoning the Asuras, the samādhi named Meditation, the
samādhi named Summoning Nirvāṇa, the samādhi named Great Lamp, the samādhi named Liberation of
Sensation, the samādhi named King of
Lamps, the samādhi named Creating the
Supreme State, the samādhi named Creating
Indestructibility, the samādhi
named Facing the Deities, the samādhi
named Creating Union, the samādhi named Teaching Ultimate Truth, the samādhi
named Lightning, the samādhi named Array of Names, the samādhi named
Gaping Lion, the samādhi named Face of Arcturus,
the samādhi
named Approaching, the samādhi named Flash of Intelligence, the samādhi named Increasing Power of Mindfulness, the
samādhi named Aspiration, the samādhi named Carriage of Victory, and the
samādhi named Teaching the Path.

“Noble son, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara has those
samādhis. In each of his pores there are a hundred thousand samādhis. Noble
son, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara thus has an incalculable
accumulation of merit. Even the tathāgatas do not have that kind of
accumulation of merit, let alone a bodhisattva.

“Noble son, in the past, when I was a bodhisattva named
Siṃhalarāja, I was going
to the island of Siṃhala with five hundred merchants. We were going to
Siṃhala Island bringing much merchandise in chariots, in bags, baskets, and
pots, carried by camels, oxen, donkeys, and so on, so as to go to villages,
towns, suburbs, cities, and markets.

“I found an excellent ship that had been to Siṃhala Island many
times. I asked the pilot, ‘Toward what lands are the winds blowing? Are the
winds blowing toward Ratnadvīpa, or
are the winds blowing toward Yavanadvīpa, or are the winds blowing toward the island of the
rākṣasīs?’

“The pilot answered, ‘Know this, lord: the breeze is blowing toward
Siṃhala Island.’

“So we set sail in the great ship in the direction of Siṃhala
Island, but the rākṣasīs who lived on Siṃhala Island sent untimely winds
that broke the great ship into pieces. We fell into the
water and swam to the shore.

“Five hundred rākṣasīs took on the form of maidens, and with a
great cry came down to the shore. They gave us cotton robes. We put them on,
wrung our clothes dry, and went to sit under a large magnolia
tree. Seated, we talked among ourselves, asking each other what we should
do, but we agreed that there was nothing we could do, and we became
silent.

“The rākṣasīs came to us and said, ‘You who are not masters of a
house, become masters. You who have no refuge, obtain a refuge. You who have
no home, obtain a home. These will be your homes supplied with food. These
will be your homes supplied with drink. These will be your gardens for you
to enjoy. These will be your bathing pools for you to enjoy.’

“After the rākṣasīs had spoken to us thus, each one took a merchant
home to be the master of her house. The senior rākṣasī took me
home to be the master of her house. She satisfied me with food that had
perfect, divine flavors. Having satisfied me with food, she frolicked with
me, and in this way I was perfectly satisfied with human pleasures. Two or
three weeks
passed in that manner.

“One night as I was lying in bed, I was astonished to see that the
lamp was laughing. I had never seen or heard before of a burning, laughing
lamp. I asked it, ‘Why are you
laughing?’

“It answered, ‘This is one of the rākṣasīs who live on Siṃhala
Island. She is going to kill you.’

“I asked it, ‘How do you know she is a rākṣasī?’

“It answered, ‘If you don’t believe me, take the road south and follow it. You
will come to a high fortress
without windows or doorways. Many hundreds of merchants have been thrown in
there. Some are alive. Some are dead. If you don’t believe me, follow that
road. Follow that road and observe. Then you will believe me.’

“So I made the rākṣasī enter the sleep named Ignorance’s Net,
and I went out at night, armed with a sword
that glowed like moonlight. I took the road that led south, and
followed it until eventually I came to an iron fortress. I walked around it,
but could not find a door. However, there was a magnolia tree beside the
iron fortress, and so I climbed up
it. I made the sound of spitting, and the merchants inside heard me,

“They said, ‘Great head merchant, know this! We have been thrown
into this iron fortress. Each day a hundred men are taken and eaten. When
they have been eaten, their bones are scattered around the iron fortress.’

“That is how they described what had happened to them. I climbed
down the magnolia tree and went quickly back up the southern road.

“When I returned to the house, the lamp asked me, ‘Head merchant,
did you see?’

“I answered, ‘I saw,’ and then asked it, ‘What can I do?’

“The lamp said, ‘Lord, I have a way by which you can comfortably
and happily leave Siṃhala Island and see Jambudvīpa once more.’

“It said, ‘There is a divine king of horses named Bālāha who has
compassion for the desolate and destitute. Bālāha, the king of horses, eats
the herb named sarvaśetāna, rolls back
and forth on the golden sand, shakes his body, and then asks, “Who is going
to cross over to the far shore?” You should then say, “Lord, I am going to
cross over to the far shore.” ’

“Once the lamp had told me this, I went to lie down next to the
rākṣasī. She awoke and asked me, ‘Noble son, why is your body cold?’

“I answered, ‘I went outside the town to defecate and urinate. That’s why
my body has become cold.’ And so she went back to sleep.

“At sunrise I got up and said to all the merchants, ‘Come with me.
We are going outside the town.’

“Then we all left the town. When we were outside the town and had
sat down, I asked
them, ‘How affectionate are your wives toward you?’

“Some said, ‘She is very loving toward me.’

“Some said, ‘She takes care of me with food that has perfect,
divine flavors.’

“Some said, ‘She provides me with all kinds of clothes.’

“Some said, ‘She gives me diadems, earrings, and necklaces.’

“Some said, ‘I don’t have to do any physical work.’

“Some said, ‘She cares for me with sandalwood, musk, and
camphor.’

“After the merchants told me these things, I said to them, ‘It is
not right for us to be attached to rākṣasīs in this way.’

“They were disturbed by my words, and asked, ‘Great head merchant,
is it true that they are the rākṣasīs who live on Siṃhala Island?’

“I answered, ‘It is true, indeed it is true. By the Buddha, Dharma,
and Saṅgha, they are not humans. They are rākṣasīs.’

“The merchants asked me, ‘What can we do? Do you have a plan for
us?’

“I told them, ‘On Siṃhala Island there is Bālāha, the king of
horses, who has compassion for the desolate and destitute. He eats the herb
called sarvaśetāna, rolls back and
forth on the golden sand, shakes his body, and then asks three times, “Who
is going to cross over to the far shore? Who is going to cross over to the
far shore? Who is going to cross over to the far shore?” We should go to him.’

“The merchants asked me, ‘On what day should we go?’

“I answered, ‘We should definitely leave in three days’ time. Each
person should prepare provisions for the journey.’

“They promised they would and returned to town, each to their own
home.

“The rākṣasī asked me, ‘Are you tired? Are you weary? Have you seen the
delightful gardens and the delightful bathing pools?’

“I answered, ‘I haven’t seen any.’

“The rākṣasī then said, ‘Noble son, in this Siṃhala Island there
are pleasing gardens of all kinds that are completely filled with flowers,
and there are many hundreds of bathing pools.’

“I said, ‘I will go to those gardens and the various flower-filled
pools in three days’ time. I will gather beautiful flowers there and then
return. Therefore you should prepare good traveling provisions for me.’

“She said, ‘Noble son, I will do so.’

“I contemplated my predicament, thinking, ‘These rākṣasīs will kill
us if they find out.’ I remained silent, contemplating this predicament. The
rākṣasī served me good food, and as I ate it, I sighed.

“The rākṣasī asked me, ‘Noble son, why did you sigh?’

“I said to her, ‘The people of Jambudvīpa and my homeland are so
pleasant.’

“The rākṣasī said, ‘Noble son, what would you do in your homeland?
In this Siṃhala Island you have a home with food, a home with drink, a home
with clothes, a variety of delightful gardens, and a variety of delightful
bathing pools. Enjoy these divine pleasures. Why be sorrowful in
Jambudvīpa?’ I said nothing in reply.

“That day passed, and on the second day, my provisions of good food
were quickly prepared. Everyone had made his preparations, and at dawn on
the third day we all left the city, coming out through its gate. When we
were outside, we agreed that not one of us would turn to look back at
Siṃhala Island. After we had made that agreement, we hurried as quickly as
we could, and eventually reached the location of Bālāha, the king of horses.

“Bālāha, the king of horses, was enjoying the sarvaśetāna herb.
When he had finished enjoying it, he rolled back and forth on the golden
sand and shook his body. When he shook his body, the island of Siṃhala
shook.

“He asked three times, ‘Who is going to cross over to the far
shore? Who is going to cross over to the far shore? Who is going to cross
over to the far shore?’

“The merchants said, ‘We are going to cross over to the far
shore.’

“Bālāha, the king of horses, said to us, ‘None of you must look
back at Siṃhala Island. None of you must turn your eyes toward Siṃhala
Island.’

“We agreed to do as he said. Then first I alone mounted him, and
then the five hundred merchants mounted him. When we were all mounted, the
rākṣasīs who lived on Siṃhala Island came running after us, making a great
clamor, weeping and wailing pitifully. Hearing the noise, the merchants
turned round and looked back at them, and when they did so they fell
headlong into the water. When they had fallen into the water, the rākṣasīs
pulled them out and ate them.

“I arrived in Jambudvīpa alone. When we reached the shore, I
circumambulated Bālāha, the king of horses, three times, bowed to him, and
departed. I journeyed toward my home and eventually arrived there. My father
and mother embraced me and wept, and their tears dissolved their cataracts
so they regained their sight.

“Then I sat with my parents and told them everything that had
happened. My parents said, ‘Son, we have got you back alive. We do not need
wealth. We only need a walking stick for when we are old, someone to guide
us on the path when we are blind, someone to make food offerings to us when
we have died, and someone to be our protector when we are dead. Son, you
have brought us delight like a cooling breeze.’ That is what my parents said
to me.

“Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, those are the sufferings I experienced
when I was a head merchant. Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, it was like
this: Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara was Bālāha, the king of horses,
and he rescued me from the fear of death.

“Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, it is like this: I cannot calculate
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara’s accumulation of merit, but I can say
just a little about his pores.

“Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, it is like this: A trillion gandharvas
dwell in a pore named Suvarṇa. They do not experience the sufferings of
saṃsāra and are satisfied by perfect happiness. They perceive divine objects
but are free from attachment. They have no aversion, they do not become
angry, and they never have malice. They all dwell on the noble eightfold
path and always aspire to the Dharma. Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, it is like
this: in this pore named Suvarṇa there is a wish-fulfilling jewel named
Avabhāsa. Whenever the gandharvas wish for something, their wishes are
fulfilled.

“Beyond the pore named Suvarṇa, there is a pore named Kṛṣṇa, within
which a trillion rishis dwell. Some have one clairvoyance; some have two
clairvoyances; some have three clairvoyances; some have four clairvoyances;
some have five clairvoyances; and some have the six clairvoyances.

“Within that pore the ground is silver and the mountains are gold
with silver peaks adorned by rubies.
There are seventy-seven such mountains, and on each of those mountains live
eighty thousand rishis. Those rishis have leaf huts where there are wish-fulfilling trees with red
trunks and gold and silver leaves that shine like jewels. There are
four pools near each wish-fulfilling tree. Some are filled with water that
has the eight qualities, and some are completely filled with divine flowers.
The area around them is completely adorned by wish-fulfilling trees that are
divine coral trees hung with divine adornments; hung with diadems and
earrings; hung with one hundred and eight-string necklaces and
sixty-four-string necklaces; and hung with bracelets; and their leaves are
made of jewels and gold.

“In each of those wish-fulfilling trees there live a hundred
gandharvas. When they play music, deer, birds, and so on contemplate deeply.
They see the suffering and happiness of beings in saṃsāra and the
way in which suffering is experienced in Jambudvīpa. They see birth, aging,
and death. They see separation from the desired and beloved, and encounters
with the disliked. They see human beings undergoing many kinds of suffering.
The deer and birds contemplate deeply in that way. When
they remember the name the precious king of the Mahāyāna sūtras, The Sūtra of the Basket’s Display, food with
supreme divine flavors appears, divine aromatic substances appear, and
divine clothing appears. Whenever they wish for something, their wishes are
fulfilled.”

Bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin said to the Bhagavat,
“Bhagavat, I am utterly astonished.”

The Bhagavat said, “Noble son, why are you astonished?”

Bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin said to the Bhagavat,
“Bhagavat, if those kinds of things appear just because someone thinks of
the name of the precious king of the Mahāyāna sūtras, The Sūtra of the Basket’s Display, then those who listen to,
cause to be written out, possess, recite, study, and have their minds completely
focused on the precious king of the Mahāyāna sūtras, The Sūtra of the Basket’s Display, will have happiness.

“Those who write a single letter from the precious king of the
Mahāyāna sūtras, The Sūtra of the Basket’s
Display, will have happiness and will not see these sufferings
of saṃsāra. They will not be reborn as an untouchable or of mixed caste; they will not be reborn as
someone with defective senses; they will not be reborn as lame, hunchbacked,
with a deformed nose, a goiter, or a cleft lip, nor with leprosy. Their bodies will not be afflicted by illness.
They will have health, great strength, and clear faculties.”

The Bhagavat gave his approval, saying, “That is excellent,
Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin. Your eloquence and your teaching of this kind of
Dharma to a gathering of devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas,
kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, nonhumans, upāsakas, and upāsikās is excellent!
Excellent!”

Then Bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin said to the Bhagavat,
“Bhagavat, when you teach what I request, the devas gain unwavering faith.”

The Bhagavat gave his approval, saying, “Excellent, noble son. That
you repeatedly make these requests is excellent, excellent.

“Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, it is like this: Beyond the Kṛṣṇa pore
there is a pore named Ratnakuṇḍala. Many trillions of female gandharvas live
within it. Those female gandharvas have excellent figures; are beautiful and
attractive; have magnificent, fair complexions; their bodies are adorned
with divine jewelry; and they rival the apsarases. Even though they have this
beauty, they are not afflicted by the suffering of desire, they are not
afflicted by the suffering of anger, and they are not afflicted by the
suffering of stupidity. Their bodies do not experience the sufferings that
humans do.

“Those gandharva maidens remember the name of Bodhisattva
Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara. Whenever in the three periods they remember it,
all valuable things appear for them.”

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, I will
go to those pores because I want to see them.”

The Bhagavat said, “Noble son, those pores cannot be perceived,
just as the element of space cannot be perceived. Noble son, those pores
cannot be perceived, and they cannot be touched.

“Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Samantabhadra spent twelve years wandering
in search of those pores, but he never saw them. He did not even see the
hundred buddhas who live in each of those pores, let alone any
bodhisattvas.”

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asked the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, if
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Samantabhadra did not see them in twelve years of
wandering, if he did not see those pores and did not even see the hundred
buddhas who are in each of those pores, why should I
go?”

The Bhagavat answered, “Noble son, I also searched and looked for
one of his pores but did not see one.

“Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, noble son, this bodhisattva is taught
to be illusory, unattainable, and subtle. This
bodhisattva is described as being unstained; as being with form, a vast form, a hundred thousand arms, a trillion
eyes, and eleven heads; as being a great yogin, a sublime yogin; as residing
on the level of nirvāṇa; as having an excellent mind; as having great wisdom; as liberated from
existence; as being from the good family; as being imperceptible; and as being wise; and
therefore he casts no shadow in the midst of all phenomena.

“Noble son, this bodhisattva mahāsattva is inconceivable. He
manifests inconceivable
miracles. He has completely ripened many trillions of beings. He has led
those beings onto the path to enlightenment. Having entered that path, they
have gone to the realm of Sukhāvatī where they hear the Dharma from
Tathāgata Amitābha.”

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asked the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, how can I
see Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara?”

The Bhagavat replied, “Noble son, you will see him if he comes
here, to the Sahā universe, to look at me, bow down to me, and honor
me.”

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin said to the Bhagavat, “I request it,
Bhagavat, that Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara may come.”

The Bhagavat answered, “Noble son, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara first comes when a being is ripened.”

Then Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin rested his
cheek on his hand and said, “What point is there in my
having a long life that is devoted to bad actions, deprived of the sight of
Avalokiteśvara, blind, and following a path of darkness?”

Then Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asked the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, when
is Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara coming?”

The Bhagavat laughed and said, “Noble son, it is not yet time for
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara to come.

“Noble son, it is like this: Beyond that pore, there is a pore
named Amṛtabindu. In that pore a million trillion devas live.
Some are on the first bhūmi; some are on the second bhūmi; some are on the
third bhūmi; some are on the fourth bhūmi; some are on the fifth bhūmi; some
are on the sixth bhūmi; some are on the seventh bhūmi; some are on the
eighth bhūmi; some are on the ninth bhūmi; and some are on the tenth
bodhisattva bhūmi.

“Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, it is like this: Within that pore named
Amṛtabindu there are sixty mountains of gold and silver. Each one is sixty
thousand yojanas high, and each one has ninety thousand peaks adorned by
gold. Bodhisattvas who have developed one-pointed minds dwell on their slopes. On those kings of mountains,
there dwell many millions of trillions of gandharvas, who are continuously
playing music.

“Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, it is like this: Within that pore named
Amṛtabindu there are many millions of trillions of extremely beautiful
celestial palaces completely adorned with divine jewels, having many kinds
of visual delights, and adorned by a hundred thousand strings of pearls.

“Bodhisattvas relax in those celestial palaces and discuss the
Dharma. Then they leave the celestial palaces and go each to their own
walkways, each of which has seventy bathing pools. Some are filled with
water that has the eight qualities, some are completely filled with flowers,
and some are completely filled with blue lotuses, red lotuses, night
lotuses, white lotuses, fragrant water lilies, tiger claw flowers, and great
tiger claw flowers. Along these walkways there
are beautiful wish-fulfilling trees that have red trunks and leaves made of
silver and gold; are adorned with divine adornments; are hung with diadems,
earrings, garlands, one hundred and eight-string and sixty-four-string
necklaces; and are perfectly hung with armlets and a variety of other
adornments.

“The bodhisattvas walk each evening along these walkways while
thinking about various aspects of the Mahāyāna. They think of nirvāṇa, they
contemplate all the sufferings of saṃsāra, and after contemplating suffering
they meditate on love. Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, such are the bodhisattvas
within that pore.

“Beyond that pore, there is a pore named Vajramukha. Within it live many hundreds of thousands of
kinnaras beautified by necklaces, earrings, garlands, various jewelry, and
ointments.

“They have continuous faith in the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha. They
are focused one-pointedly on the Dharma, remain in loving kindness, meditate
on patience, contemplate nirvāṇa, and are saddened for humans. Noble son,
such are the kinnaras that live there.

“There are many hundreds of mountains within that pore. Some are
made of diamonds, some of silver, some of gold, some of crystal, some of
rubies, some of sapphires, and some of the seven jewels. Noble son, such are
the signs seen within that pore.

“Noble son, within that pore there are many wish-fulfilling trees,
coral trees, sandalwood trees, and aromatic trees. There are many hundreds
of thousands of bathing pools. There are extremely beautiful and delightful
divine celestial palaces of crystal and silver. Such are the celestial
palaces that appear there.

“The kinnaras relax in those celestial palaces and discuss the
Dharma. Seated, they talk about
the Dharma. They talk about the perfection of generosity, they talk
about the perfection of conduct, they talk about the perfection of patience,
they talk about the perfection of diligence, they talk about the perfection
of meditation, and they talk about the perfection of wisdom.

“When they have talked about the six perfections, they leave the
celestial palaces and they each go to walk in their own walkways. Some of
the walkways are made of gold. Some of the walkways are made of silver. All
around the walkways there are wish-fulfilling trees that have red trunks and
leaves made of silver and gold, and that are hung with divine ornaments;
hung with diadems, earrings, and garlands; hung with armlets; hung with
anklets; hung with one hundred and eight-string and sixty-four-string
necklaces; and hung with strings of jewels. These wish-fulfilling trees
around the walkways are like many-storied mansions.

“The kinnaras take walks along these walkways. While they are
walking, they contemplate with sadness the sufferings of saṃsāra: ‘Oh, the
suffering! Oh, the suffering! Death is suffering! Oh, the suffering! Poverty
is also suffering! Oh, the suffering! Separation from the desired and
beloved and encountering the undesired and the disliked is extremely
unendurable suffering! There are those who are born in Kālasūtra, born in
Raurava, born in the great hell of Hāhava, born in Agnighaṭa, born in
Vajraśaila, and born in the city of the pretas. Those beings have the greatest suffering.’

“The kinnaras contemplate in that way, and following that
contemplation they contemplate the essence of nirvāṇa.

“Noble son, the kinnaras who rejoice in the Dharma in that way
continually remember the name of Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara.
Remembering his name, they receive all kinds of things.

“Thus, noble son, it is difficult to find Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara, who is the father and mother of all
beings, who brings freedom from fear to all beings, who reveals the path to
all beings, who is a kalyāṇamitra for all beings. Noble son, this is what
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara is like.

“Noble son, it is difficult to obtain his name. Those who remember
the name that is the six-syllable vidyāmantra will be reborn in those pores.
They will no longer continue to be in saṃsāra. They will go from one pore to
another, living within those pores until they reach the level of
nirvāṇa.”

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asked the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, where can
the six-syllable mahāvidyā be obtained?”

The Bhagavat replied, “Noble son, even the tathāgatas do not know
the six-syllable mahāvidyā, let alone the bodhisattvas.”

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asked the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, do the
tathāgatas, arhats, and samyaksaṃbuddhas not know it?”

The Bhagavat replied, “Noble son, the six-syllable mahāvidyā is the
supreme essence of Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara. Those who know
that supreme essence know liberation.”

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asked the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, are there
any beings who know the six-syllable vidyāmantra?”

The Bhagavat answered him, “Noble son, no one knows the
six-syllable mahāvidyā. It is an inconceivable yoga and therefore difficult
to obtain. Even the tathāgatas do not know it, let alone the bodhisattvas.

“Noble son, all the tathāgatas have spent sixteen eons wandering in
search of this six-syllable mahāvidyā, so therefore how could bodhisattvas
know it? It is the supreme essence of Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara.

“If someone traveled throughout this realm of beings, there would
be found a few who
know the six-syllable mahāvidyā. Those beings who continually possess the
six-syllable mahāvidyā and are dedicated to repeating it are meritorious.
When they repeat it, bhagavats and buddhas to the number of sand grains in
ninety-nine Ganges Rivers gather around them, bodhisattvas to the number of
atoms gather around them, and they reach the entranceway to the six
perfections.

“The devas of the Trāyastriṃśa paradise also gather there. The four
mahārājas guard the four directions. Many millions of trillions of nāgas
such as Nāga King Sāgara, Nāga King Anavatapta, Nāga King Takṣaka, and Nāga
King Vāsuki guard the ground. Also, the yakṣas from above the earth guard
the open space above them.

“Ten million tathāgatas reside in each pore of that noble son.
Residing there they give their approval, saying, ‘Excellent, excellent,
noble son! You have acquired such a wish-fulfilling jewel as this. Seven
generations of your descendants will attain liberation. Noble son, even all
the beings who live in your stomach will become irreversible bodhisattvas.

“ ‘Noble son, those who wear this six-syllable mahāvidyā on their
body or on their throat will be known to have a body that is a vajra body, will
be known to be a stūpa containing relics, and will be known to be the wisdom
of ten million tathāgatas.’

“A noble son or noble daughter who repeats the six-syllable
mahāvidyā will have indestructible mental brilliance. He or she will become
a pure mass of wisdom. That person will have great love and great
compassion. That person will complete the six perfections each day. That
person will receive the consecration of a vidyādhara cakravartin.

“Those who inhale that person’s breath, whether in love or in
anger, will become irreversible bodhisattvas. They will quickly attain the
highest complete enlightenment and be samyaksaṃbuddhas.

“All those who just touch that person with their clothing will become bodhisattvas in their
last existence.

“Women, men, boys, and girls who just see that person, and even the
deer, birds, oxen, donkeys, and so on, who see that person, will all become
bodhisattvas in their last existence. They will not experience the suffering
of birth, aging, sickness, death, and separation from the beloved. They will
become inconceivable yogins.”

In that way the Bhagavat encouraged the repetition of the
six-syllable mahāvidyā.

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, I wish
to hear the six-syllable mahāvidyā, which is the inconceivable yoga and the
immeasurable and highest dhyāna; which shows the way to the nirvāṇa of
supreme enlightenment; which is the entranceway into liberation; which
pacifies desire and hatred; which fills the treasury of the Dharma; which uproots
saṃsāra and the five existences; which brings the hells and afflictions to
an end; which takes those who have become animals to a higher existence;
which
completes the taste of the Dharma; and which is the imperishable teaching of omniscience.

“Bhagavat, how can I obtain it? I would offer the four continents
filled with the seven precious materials to anyone who bestows upon me the
six-syllable mahāvidyā.

“Bhagavat, if I cannot find a birch bark page to write it on, nor
ink, nor a reed pen, I will make ink from my blood, I will slice off my skin
to make a page, and I will break one of my bones to make a pen. Bhagavat, I
have no concern for my body. The one who bestows it upon me will be my
parents, my guru of gurus.”

The Bhagavat told Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, “Noble son, I remember
going to as many worlds as there are atoms in the world for the sake of
obtaining this six-syllable mahāvidyā. I honored many millions of trillions
of tathāgatas, but I did not obtain it, and I did not hear it from those
tathāgatas.

“At that time I went, weeping, to the Tathāgata, the arhat, the
samyaksaṃbuddha, the one with wisdom and conduct, the sugata, the knower of
the world, the unsurpassable guide who tames beings, the teacher of gods and
humans, the buddha, the Bhagavat Ratnottama.

“The Tathāgata, the arhat, the Samyaksaṃbuddha Ratnottama said,
‘Noble son, don’t weep so pitifully. Noble son, go to the Tathāgata, the
arhat, the Samyaksaṃbuddha Padmottama. He knows
this six-syllable mahāvidyā.’

“Noble son, I went to Tathāgata Padmottama. I approached the realm
of Tathāgata Padmottama, arrived there , and bowed my head to the feet of
Tathāgata Padmottama. I placed my palms together before him and said,
‘Bhagavat Padmottama, I must obtain this six-syllable mahāvidyā, which
purifies all bad karma merely by the remembrance of its name. I seek to
obtain that which is difficult for a bodhisattva to obtain. For that purpose
I have been to many worlds, in distress. I have arrived here, exhausted and
without any result.’

“Then Tathāgata Padmottama praised the qualities of this
six-syllable mahāvidyā:

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, I can know the
number of atoms, but, noble son, I cannot calculate the accumulation of
merit from repeating the six-syllable mahāvidyā once.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, I can count the
grains of sand in the ocean, but, noble son, I cannot calculate the
accumulation of merit from repeating the six-syllable mahāvidyā once.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, a person builds a
building that is a hundred yojanas high and five hundred yojanas wide, and
completely fills it with sesame seeds. There isn’t even a needle-sized hole
in this building. At its door there is an immortal man who never ages. If
every hundred eons that man takes out one sesame seed, I can calculate the time when such a building
would be emptied down to the floor, but, noble son, I cannot calculate the
accumulation of merit that comes from repeating the six-syllable mahāvidyā
once.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, if the people in
the four continents were all to work at various kinds of agriculture, such
as barley, wheat, rice, green or black mung beans, and so on; and jujubes,
horse gram, and so on; and the nāga kings sent rain at the appropriate
times; and those grains grew, ripened, and were harvested; if Jambudvīpa
were made into one threshing floor, and the grain was brought in carts, in
animal loads, in bundles and baskets, and put on that threshing floor,
trodden by oxen and donkeys, and made into one big heap; then, noble son, I could
count every single grain, but, noble son, I cannot calculate the
accumulation of merit that comes from repeating the six-syllable mahāvidyā
once.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, in Jambudvīpa there
are great rivers that flow day and night. They are the Sītā, the Ganges, the Yamuna, the Indus, the Pakṣu, the Sutlej, the Chenab, the Ravi, the Sumāgandha, the Himavatī, and the
Godavari. Each of these rivers has five
hundred tributaries. Day and night they flow into the ocean. Noble son, this
is how the accumulation of merit increases as the result of a single
repetition of the six-syllable mahāvidyā: I can count each drop in those
great rivers, but, noble son, I cannot calculate the accumulation of merit
that comes from repeating the six-syllable mahāvidyā once.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, I can count each
hair on all four-legged beings such as herds of oxen, donkeys, buffaloes,
horses, and elephants; dogs, jackals, goats, and similarly lions, tigers, wolves, deer, monkeys,
hares, pigs, and so on; and rats and cats, and so on; but, noble son, I
cannot calculate the accumulation of merit from repeating the six-syllable
mahāvidyā once.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, the king of
mountains, named Vajrāṅkuśa, is 99,000 yojanas high and extends downward
into the sea for 84,000 yojanas. Vajrāṅkuśa, the king of mountains, is
84,000 yojanas wide on each side. On the side of that king of mountains
there is an ageless, immortal man, who once every eon wipes the mountain one
time with a Kaśika cloth. Even this alone will eventually cause the mountain
to be worn down and vanish. I can count the number of years, months, days,
hours, and minutes of time that would take, but, noble son, I cannot calculate the
accumulation of merit that comes from repeating the six-syllable mahāvidyā
once.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, the ocean is 84,000
yojanas deep, and it has an immeasurable expanse, extending as far as
Vaḍavāmukha. I can count all its drops of water, which are the size of the
tip of a hair, but, noble son, I cannot calculate the accumulation of merit
that comes from repeating the six-syllable mahāvidyā once.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, I can count the
number of leaves in a forest of agarwood trees, but, noble son, I cannot
calculate the accumulation of merit that comes from repeating the
six-syllable mahāvidyā once.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, even if all the
men, women, boys, and girls who live in the four continents were to be on
the seventh bodhisattva bhūmi, the accumulation of merit that comes from repeating the
six-syllable mahāvidyā once would be far greater than the accumulation of
merit of those bodhisattvas.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this. As a comparison, if for a year of
twelve months, or with a leap-month to make a year of thirteen months, it were to rain day and night, noble son, I could count
each drop of rain, but, noble son, I cannot calculate the accumulation of
merit that comes from repeating the six-syllable mahāvidyā once.

“ ‘Noble son, it is like this: There is no need to say much, but
if, for example, a million tathāgatas like me were to be in one place for an
eon, provided with all requirements, with robes, food, bowls, bedding, seats, necessary medicine, and utensils, still those tathāgatas
would not be able to calculate the accumulation of merit from the
six-syllable mahāvidyā, so it is needless to say that I cannot do so all by
myself in this world.

“ ‘Noble son, I have entered the yoga of meditation through an
inconceivable dhyāna. This is a subtle Dharma, an imperceptible Dharma, an
unknown Dharma; it is the attainment of the ultimate essence. It has been
established through the qualities of Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara’s
skillfulness in methods. In that way, noble son, I too obtained skillfulness
in methods through the six-syllable mahāvidyā.

“ ‘Noble son, I also wandered through many hundreds of thousands of
millions of tens of millions of worlds, and then in front of Tathāgata
Amitābha, with palms placed together, I wept because of my emotion for the
Dharma.

“ ‘At that time, Tathāgata Amitābha, who knew the present and the
future, said, “Noble son who is united with the yoga of meditation, do you
desire the six-syllable queen of mahāvidyās?”

“ ‘I replied, “I do desire it, Bhagavat; I do
desire it, Sugata. I have gone to many worlds in search of the six-syllable
mahāvidyā, Bhagavat, just like a thirsty person seeks water. I have attended
to many millions of trillions of tathāgatas, but I have not obtained the
six-syllable queen of mahāvidyās. Bhagavat, be my protector, refuge, and
support. Be the eyes for those whose faculties are poor. Be the path for
those who have lost the path. Be a parasol for those burned by the sun. Be
like a great sal tree for a great crossroad. Be infinite teachings for those
thirsty for the Dharma. Be armor for the complete stability of the
mind.”

“ ‘Then the Tathāgata, the arhat, the Samyaksaṃbuddha Amitābha said
to Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara with a voice as beautiful as a
cuckoo’s song, “Noble son, look! The Tathāgata, the arhat, the
Samyaksaṃbuddha Padmottama has been to many millions of trillions of worlds
for the six-syllable mahāvidyā. The Tathāgata has traveled like this, noble
son, so therefore give him the six-syllable queen of mahāvidyās.”

‘Then Bhagavat Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara said, “It should not be given to
one who has not seen the maṇḍala. How would one
apprehend the Bhagavat’s lotus-hook hand gesture? How would one know the Maṇidhara hand gesture? How would one
know the lord-of-all-kings hand gesture? How would one know the
correct maṇḍala?

“ ‘ “These are the features of the maṇḍala: It should be square
with a circumference of five cubits.

“ ‘ “Draw Amitābha in the center of the maṇḍala. To create the body
of Tathāgata Amitābha, sprinkle powder made from precious sapphire powder,
emerald powder, ruby powder, crystal powder, and powdered silver and gold.

“ ‘ “On his right create Bodhisattva Mahāmaṇidhara. On his left
draw Ṣaḍakṣarī Mahāvidyā, who has four arms and is white like the autumn
moon. She is adorned with various adornments and holds a lotus in her left
hand. Draw a jewel upon that lotus. Draw a jewel rosary in her right hand.
Portray the palms of two hands being placed together in the gesture named
the lord-of-all-kings.

“ ‘ “Draw a vidyādhara beneath the legs of Ṣaḍakṣarī Mahāvidyā.
Draw him holding a smoking stick of incense in his right hand and a basket
filled with various adornments in his left hand.

“ ‘ “Draw the four mahārājas at the four doors of the maṇḍala. Draw them holding their
individual offerings.

“ ‘ “Place vases filled with various precious jewels at the four
corners of the maṇḍala.

“ ‘ “A noble son or noble daughter who wishes to enter that maṇḍala
should write the names of the entire lineage of his or her family and first
of all cast those names into the maṇḍala. They will then all be freed from
every human suffering and will become bodhisattvas in their
last life. They will also quickly attain the highest complete enlightenment,
which is complete buddhahood.

“ ‘ “The ācārya
should not give it to those who are inappropriate. It should be bestowed
upon those who aspire for it with faith, or bestowed upon those who aspire
for it with faith in the Mahāyāna. It should not be given to tīrthikas.”

“ ‘Then the Tathāgata, the arhat, the Samyaksaṃbuddha Amitābha said
to Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara, “Noble son, what if the noble son
or noble daughter is poor and cannot use precious sapphire jewel powder,
emerald powder, or gold or silver powder?”

“ ‘ “Bhagavat, he should use powder dyed with various colors and
use various flowers and various incenses.”

“ ‘ “Noble son, what if, because he has gone to another land and
lacks the facilities, he cannot even obtain those?”

“ ‘ “Then the ācārya should imagine the maṇḍala in his mind, and
the ācārya should teach the nature of the mantras and gestures.” ’

“Then the Tathāgata, the arhat, the Samyaksaṃbuddha Padmottama said to Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara, ‘Noble son, give the six-syllable queen of mahāvidyās to me.
I will liberate many millions of trillions of beings from saṃsāra so that
they will quickly attain complete buddhahood with the highest complete
enlightenment.’

“Oṁ maṇipadme hūṁ.

“When Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara gave the six-syllable
queen of mahāvidyās to the tathāgata, the arhat, the Samyaksaṃbuddha
Padmottama, everywhere from the four continents to the deva realms shook
like plantain leaves. The four great oceans shook. All vighnas and
vināyakas, yakṣas and rākṣasas, together with the companies of mahākālas,
and mātṛs, fled.

“Tathāgata Padmottama extended his arm like an elephant extending
its trunk and offered a hundred thousand precious strings of pearls to
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara, who accepted them and offered them to
the Tathāgata, the arhat, the Samyaksaṃbuddha Amitābha, who then offered
them back to the Tathāgata, the arhat, the Samyaksaṃbuddha Padmottama.

“Then the Tathāgata, the arhat, the Samyaksaṃbuddha Padmottama,
having received the six-syllable queen of mahāvidyās, went to the realm
named Padmottama.

“Noble son, in the past, that is what I heard from the Tathāgata,
the arhat, the Samyaksaṃbuddha Padmottama.”

Bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asked the Bhagavat,
“Bhagavat, how can I obtain the six-syllable mahāvidyā of perfect yoga?
Bhagavat, just like those who are not satisfied by just a taste of amṛta,
Bhagavat, I am not satisfied by simply hearing about the six-syllable
mahāvidyā. Meritorious are those beings who, with higher motivation, possess
this six-syllable mahāvidyā and repeat, listen to, and contemplate it.”

The Bhagavat answered him, “Noble son, those who write out this
six-syllable mahāvidyā are writing out the collection of eighty-four
thousand Dharmas. If stūpas were made from precious divine gold for tathāgatas,
arhats, and samyaksaṃbuddhas equal in number to atoms, and if in one day
they were all filled with their relics, the result ripening from that would
only equal the result that ripens from one syllable of the six-syllable
mahāvidyā, which has inconceivable qualities and brings liberation.

“The noble son or noble daughter who repeats this six-syllable
mahāvidyā will attain these samādhis: the samādhi named Jewel Holder, the
samādhi named Purification of Hells and Animals, the samādhi named Vajra
Armor, the samādhi named Stable Conduct, the samādhi named Skillfulness in
All Methods, the samādhi named Scattering, the samādhi named Revealing All
Buddha Realms, the
samādhi named Entering All Dharmas, the samādhi named Adornment of Dhyāna,
the samādhi named Entering the Chariot of the Dharma, the samādhi named
Complete Liberation from Desire and Anger, the samādhi named Eternal Calf,
the samādhi named Teaching the Six Perfections, the samādhi named Holding
Great Meru, the samādhi named Rescuing from All Existences, the samādhi
named Seeing All the Tathāgatas, and the samādhi named Complete
Stability.

“Noble son, it is like this: those who possess the six-syllable
queen of mahāvidyās will attain one hundred and eight samādhis.”

Bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asked the Bhagavat,
“Bhagavat, where can I go to obtain this mahāvidyā?”

“Noble son, in the great city of Vārāṇasī there is a dharmabhāṇaka
who possesses, recites, and is completely focused on the six-syllable
mahāvidyā.”

“Bhagavat, I will go to the great city of Vārāṇasī in order to see
that dharmabhāṇaka, to bow down to him, and to honor him.”

“Excellent! Excellent! Do so, noble son! A dharmabhāṇaka who
possesses, recites, and is completely focused on the six-syllable
mahāvidyā is rare. He should be seen as being equal to the tathāgatas; seen
as being the life of the world; seen as a
mass of merit; seen as being like the Ganges and all sacred
places; seen as one who speaks that which is not
false; seen as one who speaks the truth; seen as a heap of jewels; seen as a wish-fulfilling jewel;
seen as a Dharma king;
and seen as a savior of beings.

“Noble son, you should have no doubts when you see this
dharmabhāṇaka. Noble son, do not fall from a bodhisattva bhūmi to be reborn
in the lower existences. This dharmabhāṇaka’s conduct is poor, and his
behavior is poor. He is surrounded by his wife, sons, and daughters. His
orange robes are filled with feces and urine; he has not followed the noble
path.”

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin said to the Bhagavat, “I will do as the
Bhagavat has instructed.”

So Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin set forth
accompanied by many hundreds of thousands of lay bodhisattvas, monastics,
boys, and girls. In order to make offerings to the dharmabhāṇaka, they
brought divine parasols, divine shoes, diadems, earrings, garlands, armlets,
one
hundred and eight-string and sixty-four-string necklaces for covering the
shoulders, ear adornments, and finger rings; and also various kinds of
clothing: monastic robes, clothing commanded by the vidyādharas, and
Kaśika cloth; and also various flowers: blue lotuses, red lotuses, night
lotuses, white lotuses, tiger claw flowers and great tiger claw
flowers,
mañjuṣukas and mahāmañjuṣukas, udumbaras, various kinds of
turmeric flowers, magnolias, oleanders, trumpet flowers, mountain ebony,
gardenia, star jasmine, night-flowering
jasmine, and so on; beautiful peacocks, brahminy
ducks, and delightful mynas; the colors blue, yellow, red, white, and crystal; and also various
fruits and flowers.

He went to the great city of Vārāṇasī and eventually arrived there.
He went to where the dharmabhāṇaka was and bowed his head to his feet.

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin saw someone whose conduct was poor, whose
behavior was poor, and whose path was imperfect.

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin gave him a great offering of parasols,
shoes, cloth, adornments, scents, and ointments, and placing his palms
together in front of the dharmabhāṇaka, he said:

“O you who are the treasurer of the Dharma, you are like an
unfathomable ocean that is an accumulation of the treasure of amṛta. You are
a repository within the human realm. The devas, nāgas, yakṣas, asuras,
garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans gather to listen to the
Dharma from you.

“You teach a Dharma that is like a great vajra. You liberate many beings
who are bound in the bondage of saṃsāra. Meritorious are those beings who
live in Vārāṇasī, can see you, and always gather around you. The instant
they see you, you burn up all their bad karma. You burn up all bad karma
like a fire burns a forest, just through being seen. The tathāgatas, arhats,
and samyaksaṃbuddhas know of you. Many millions of trillions of bodhisattvas
come to make offerings to you, as do Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara, Āditya,
Candra, Vāyu, Varuṇa, Agni, Dharmarāja Yama, and the four mahārājas.”

The dharmabhāṇaka said to him, “Noble son, do not create a cause
for remorse. Those who indulge in the afflictions create the realms of
beings and have the characteristics of saṃsāra.

“Those who know the six-syllable mahāvidyā will not be polluted by
desire, anger, or stupidity. Noble son, just as the gold in the Jambu River
does not become stained, someone who wears the six-syllable queen of
mahāvidyās on his body will have a body that is not polluted by desire,
anger, or stupidity.”

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin grasped the dharmabhāṇaka’s feet tightly
and said, “My senses are impaired, so be my eyes! I have lost the path, so
show me the path! I am thirsty for the Dharma, so quench my thirst with the
taste of the Dharma! I lack the highest complete enlightenment, so
give me the seed for enlightenment! Give me the opportunity of the Dharma!
Give me the pure body of perfectly established forms!
Give me a
good reputation so that all beings say, ‘He has gained unwavering goodness!’
Thus, guru, give me the six-syllable queen of mahāvidyās, through which I
will quickly achieve the highest complete enlightenment and be a
samyaksaṃbuddha! Turn the twelve wheels of the Dharma! Free all beings from
the suffering of saṃsāra! Give me the six-syllable queen of mahāvidyās that
I have not obtained! Give me the six-syllable queen of mahāvidyās! Be my
protector, refuge, and support. Be a home for the homeless.”

The dharmabhāṇaka answered, “The six-syllable queen of mahāvidyās
is a recitation that is hard to find. It is an unequalled vajra recitation. It is an unbreakable vajra
recitation. It is a recitation of the highest wisdom. It is a recitation of
unceasing wisdom. It is an unsurpassable recitation. It is a recitation that
brings liberation. It is a recitation of the pure wisdom of the tathāgatas.
It is a recitation that eliminates desire, anger, stupidity, and the
sufferings of saṃsāra. It is a recitation of skill in all methods. It is a
recitation of dhyāna, liberation, samādhi, and samāpatti. It is a recitation
of entry into all Dharmas. It is a recitation continuously yearned for by
the devas.

“Noble son, people are ordained in various orders and are ordained
in the various garments of those seeking liberation, which are
rainbow-colored garments, white garments, and pure white garments. They are ordained into those
who stare at the sun, the followers of
Maheśvara, the followers of Viṣṇu and Garuḍa, and naked
ascetics. They take
ordination in those orders, but those deities do not bring liberation; they are not
protectors, nor is theirs the conduct that is to be followed. All the hosts
of deities—Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara, Śakra, who is the lord of devas,
Āditya, Candra, Vāyu, Varuṇa, Agni, Dharmarāja Yama, and the four
mahārājas—constantly request the six-syllable queen of mahāvidyās.”

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asked him, “Bhagavat, how can we obtain
the six-syllable queen of mahāvidyās, so that we can dedicate ourselves to
liberation?”

The dharmabhāṇaka replied, “Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, it is like
this: Prajñāpāramitā is known to be the one who gave birth to all the
tathāgatas. Even she places her palms together and pays homage to the
six-syllable queen of mahāvidyās, let alone the tathāgatas, arhats,
samyaksaṃbuddhas, and the hosts of bodhisattvas.

“Noble son, this is an essence, like rice. Noble son, through this
you can obtain anything from within the Mahāyāna: many Mahāyāna sūtras, the
geyas, the vyākaraṇas, the gāthās, the udānas, the nidānas, the avadānas,
the itivṛttakas, the jātakas, the vaipulyas, the adbhutadharmas, and the
upadeśas. Simply repeating it
will bring peace and liberation. Why say more about its other virtues?

“What does it mean that it is conceived of as a central essence? It
can be conceived of as being like the essence of rice. We take it home and
fill our pots with rice and keep it in there. And then, in accord with the
sun, we dry it in the sun’s heat. When it is dried, we pound it with a
pestle to remove the chaff. What is the essence? The essence is the rice. In that
way, all
other yogas are like husks, and from among all yogas, the six-syllable queen
of mahāvidyās is like the rice.

“Noble son, the bodhisattvas produce merit in order to possess the
six-syllable queen of mahāvidyās, so as to have the perfection of
generosity, the perfection of conduct, the perfection of patience, the
perfection of diligence, the perfection of meditation, and the perfection of
wisdom. Noble son, one repetition of the mahāvidyā completes the six
perfections. Those who just touch it with their clothes will attain the level of irreversibility.
Noble son, that is what the six-syllable queen of mahāvidyās is like. Those
who recite that name are rare. Possessing its name just once will make them
equal to someone who has provided all the tathāgatas with all requisites:
with robes, food, bowls, bedding, seats, necessary medicine, and utensils.”

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin then said to the dharmabhāṇaka, “Give me
the six-syllable queen of mahāvidyās.”

The dharmabhāṇaka wondered where this voice had come from. Again
there came the voice from the sky, saying, “This bodhisattva has undergone
many hardships. Give him the six-syllable queen of mahāvidyās!”

The dharmabhāṇaka looked up into the sky and saw someone who had a
body white as the autumn moon, a crown of coiled hair, an omniscient
buddha upon his head, and a beautiful lotus in his hand,
and was adorned with the splendor of lotuses.

Then the dharmabhāṇaka said to Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, “Noble son,
the Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara has given permission for the
six-syllable queen of mahāvidyās to be given to you.”

Then Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin reverently placed his palms together
to receive it.

Oṁ maṇipadme hūṁ.

As soon as this was given, the earth shook in six ways.

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin attained these samādhis: the samādhi
named Unceasing True Nature, the samādhi named Love, Compassion, and
Rejoicing, the samādhi named Practicing Yoga, the samādhi named Established
in the Entry to Liberation, the samādhi named Illuminating Everywhere, the
samādhi named The King of Arrays, and the samādhi named Holding the Dharma.
Those are the samādhis he attained.

As soon as Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin had
obtained the six-syllable queen of mahāvidyās, he offered the four
continents, completely filled with the seven jewels, as payment to that
upādhyāya.

The dharmabhāṇaka said, “There is no payment required for even one
of the syllables, let alone the six syllables of the mahāvidyā, nor will I
take anything from you, noble son. You are a bodhisattva, a noble being,
with no one higher, and you are my pupil, noble son.”

The dharmabhāṇaka presented him with a string of pearls to the
value of a hundred thousand silver coins and said, “Noble son, in accord
with my instruction, present this to the Tathāgata, the arhat, the
samyaksaṃbuddha Śākyamuni.”

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin bowed his head to the feet of the
dharmabhāṇaka and departed, having obtained what he sought and with his
wishes fulfilled. He went to the Jetavana Monastery, arrived there, bowed
down to the feet of Bhagavat Śākyamuni, and sat to one side.

Then the Bhagavat, the tathāgata, the arhat, the Samyaksaṃbuddha
Śākyamuni asked, “Noble son, did you find what you sought?”

“Bhagavat, it happened, as the Bhagavat knows.”

Namaḥ saptanām
saṃyaksaṃbuddhakoṭinām tadyathā Oṁ cale cule cunde svāhā.

That was the dhāraṇī recited by seventy-seven times ten million
samyaksaṃbuddhas.

“Beyond that pore there is the pore named
Sūryaprabha, in which many millions of trillions of bodhisattvas dwell.
Within that pore named Sūryaprabha there are ten thousand mountains of gold.
Each mountain has 22,000 peaks. Rubies adorn the sides of each mountain. On
the sides there are extremely beautiful gardens with divine precious jewels
and adorned with many very beautiful and delightful walkways and bathing
pools. There are many hundreds of thousands of many-storied palaces made of
divine gold and jewels. They are decorated with braided lengths of strings
of pearls and silk, and they are hung with hundreds of strings of pearls.

“Within each of the many-storied palaces there is a precious
wish-granting jewel named Śārada, that provides each
bodhisattva with everything he needs.

“When those bodhisattvas have entered their many-storied palaces,
they remember the six-syllable mahāvidyā. When they remember it, they
realize nirvāṇa. They see the seven tathāgatas that are at the level of
nirvāṇa. They also see Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara. When they
see him, faith arises in their minds. After that has occurred, the
bodhisattvas leave the many-storied palaces. Then some go to their walkways;
some go to the gardens of precious wish-granting jewels; some go to the
bathing pools; and some go to the sides of the mountains, which are made of
precious ruby jewels.

“When they arrive there, they sit cross-legged, sitting up
straight, and establish themselves in focused mindfulness. Noble son, such
are the bodhisattvas who live in that pore.

“Beyond that there is the pore named Indrarāja, in which many
millions of trillions of irreversible bodhisattvas dwell. Within that pore
named Indrarāja there are eighty thousand mountains made of divine gold and
jewels. In the middle of those
mountains there is a precious jewel named Padmāvabhāsa. It fulfills whatever
wishes the bodhisattvas make.

“In that way those bodhisattvas live on these kings of mountains
without thinking about food or drink. They have none of the sufferings of
saṃsāra. They are not stained by the afflictions of saṃsāra. They remain at
all times in contemplation of nirvāṇa. They have no other thought concerning
their bodies.

“Noble son, beyond that there is the pore named Mahoṣadhī in which
many millions of trillions of
bodhisattvas live who have first developed bodhicitta.

“Noble son, there are 99,000 mountains in that pore. Some are made of
diamonds, some are made of silver, some are made of gold, some are made of
precious sapphire jewels, some are made of rubies, some are made of
emeralds, and some are made of crystal. Those kings of mountains are like
that. Each one has eighty thousand peaks, is adorned with various jewels,
and is
extremely beautified by various delightful features.

“On the peaks there live gandharvas who continually play music,
which emanates from that pore.

“Those bodhisattvas who have first developed bodhicitta contemplate
emptiness and featurelessness. They contemplate sadness concerning the body,
thinking, ‘Alas, there is suffering: the suffering of birth, aging,
sickness, and death; the suffering of being separated from the beloved and
pleasant; the suffering of encountering the disliked and unpleasant; the
suffering of being born in Avīci; the suffering of being born in Kālasūtra;
and the suffering of being born in the city of the pretas.’ At that time
they are sitting cross-legged, their bodies straight, establishing
themselves in focused mindfulness, dwelling in the mountains.

“Noble son, beyond that there is the pore named Cittarāja, in which live many millions of trillions of pratyekabuddhas. They
perform miracles of fire, heat, rain, and lightning.

“Noble son, there are a hundred thousand mountains in that pore.
All those kings of mountains are made of the seven jewels. There are a variety
of wish-granting trees on those kings of mountains. Their trunks are gold,
and their leaves are silver. They are studded with
a variety of jewels and hung with a variety of adornments. They are hung
with diadems, earrings, garlands, armlets, and one hundred and eight-string
and sixty-four-string pearl necklaces. They are hung with Kaśika cloth. They
have the jingling sounds of silver and gold bells.

“Pratyekabuddhas live on these kings of mountains. They talk
with each other about the sūtras, the geyas, the vyākaraṇas, the gāthās, the
udānas, the nidānas, the avadānas, the itivṛttakas, the jātakas, the
vaipulyas, the adbhutadharmas, and the upadeśas.

“Then, Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, beyond that pore, last of all,
there is the pore named Dhvajarāja. That pore is 84,000 yojanas wide. Within that pore there are 84,000
mountains, beautifully adorned with a variety of jewels.

“On those kings of mountains, there are many hundreds of thousands
of wish-fulfilling trees. There are many hundreds of thousands of sandalwood
trees. There are hundreds of thousands of agarwood trees.

“Within that pore the ground is made of diamonds. Within that pore
there are many hundreds of thousands of ninety-nine-story palaces made of
divine gold and jewels, decorated with pearls, cloth, and
garlands, hung with strings of bells, and shining with moonstone gems.

“In those many-storied palaces, there are golden stairs beautified
by delightful jewels of various kinds.

“In those many-storied palaces, there are seated tathāgatas who
teach the Dharma to the humans in Jambudvīpa. They teach the six
perfections: they teach the perfection of generosity, they teach the
perfection of conduct, they teach the perfection of patience, they teach the
perfection of diligence, they teach the perfection of meditation, and they
teach the perfection of wisdom. They teach various kinds of Dharma,
continually teaching the humans who live in Jambudvīpa.

“Thus, noble son, they see the pores of Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara. They also see deities such as devas, nāgas, yakṣas, asuras,
garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans,
nonhumans, Maheśvara, and Nārāyaṇa assembled in Jetavana Monastery, and many
millions of trillions of bodhisattvas assembled there.”

Bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asked the Bhagavat,
“Bhagavat, are there no other pores?”

The Bhagavat replied, “Noble son, beyond that pore are the four
great oceans that come from the big toe of Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara’s right foot. Their depth is immeasurable. When water comes
from the right big toe, it falls on Vaḍavāmukha, transforming it into a heap
of ash. Noble son, that is the kind of blessing that Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara has.”

But again, Bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asked the
Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, is there yet another pore?”

The Bhagavat answered, “There are no more, noble son.”

Bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asked the Bhagavat,
“Bhagavat, is Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara coming?”

The Bhagavat said, “Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara will come to
this great monastery of Jetavana in order to see me, to bow down to me, to
honor me, and to give a prophecy concerning the deity Maheśvara in a realm
within this universe.”

The noble Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara radiated blue,
yellow, red, white, crystal, and silver light rays, and those light rays
went to Jetavana. When they came there, they circled the Bhagavat three
times. Then they left Jetavana Monastery and went to the great Avīci hell.
When they arrived there, they cooled the great Avīci hell.

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asked the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, from where
did those light rays come, and where did they go?”

The Bhagavat answered, “Noble son, Avalokiteśvara radiated those
various light rays. They came to this Jetavana Monastery. When they arrived
they circled me three times and then went to the great Avīci hell.”

At that time, good omens manifested in Jetavana Monastery. Divine
magnolia trees appeared and divine lotus pools appeared. At that time, Jetavana Monastery appeared to shine
like divine gold. That is what Jetavana Monastery looked like.

Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara then left the realm of
Sukhāvatī and went to Jetavana Monastery, and eventually arrived there. He
went inside Jetavana Monastery, bowed his head to the Bhagavat’s feet, and
sat to one side.

The Bhagavat, with the voice of the cuckoo, asked, “Noble son, are
you tired? Are you weary? Have you completely ripened beings?”

Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara said to the Bhagavat, “I have
done as the Bhagavat instructed. I have accomplished the task.”

The Bhagavat gave his approval, saying, “Noble son, it is excellent
that you have accomplished the task. Excellent.”

Then Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara offered lotus flowers to
the Bhagavat and said, “Bhagavat, the tathāgata Amitābha presents you with these lotus
flowers and hopes you are not unwell, not fatigued, that you are in good
health, and that life is pleasant.”

The Bhagavat accepted the lotuses and placed them on his left.

Then the deva Maheśvara came to the Bhagavat, bowed his head to the
Bhagavat’s feet, and said, “Bhagavat, I pray that you give me a
prophecy.”

The Bhagavat said, “Go, noble son, to Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara, who will give you the prophecy.”

So the deva Maheśvara went and bowed down to the feet of
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara and said, “I pay homage to
Avalokiteśvara, great lord, who holds a lotus, who has a lotus face, who loves the
lotus, who has a beautiful lotus in his hand, who has the splendor of
lotuses, who travels around, who brings relief to beings, who completely
illuminates the world, and who brings comfort.”

The deva Maheśvara praised Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara in
that way and then sat silently.

Then Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara asked the deva
Maheśvara, “Noble son, why are you silent?”

The deva Maheśvara answered, “I request the prophecy of my
unsurpassable true enlightenment.”

Avalokiteśvara said, “Noble son, in the world named Vivṛta, you will be
the Tathāgata, the arhat, the samyaksaṃbuddha, perfect in wisdom and
conduct, the sugata, the knower of the world, the unsurpassable guide who
tames beings, the teacher of gods and humans, the buddha, the Bhagavat
Bhasmeśvara.”

Then Umādevī came and bowed her head to Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara’s feet and praised him, saying, “I pay homage to
Avalokiteśvara, great lord, who gives life, who completely illuminates the
world, who has a beautiful lotus in his hand, who
has the splendor of beautiful lotuses, who travels around, who brings beings
to nirvāṇa, who creates excellent minds, and who holds the Dharma.”

Umādevī praised Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara in that way
and then said, “I pray that you free me from this inferior female body of a
woman. I pray that you free me from the suffering of the dark impurities in
the womb, and from always being owned.”

Then Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara said to her, “Sister,
your realm will be on the southern slope of
Himavat, the king of mountains.” You will be the
Tathāgata, the arhat, the samyaksaṃbuddha, perfect in wisdom and conduct,
the sugata, the knower of the world, the unsurpassable guide who tames
beings, the teacher of gods and humans, the buddha, the Bhagavat Umeśvara.”

That was the prophecy that Umādevī received.

The Bhagavat said, “Look, Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, Bodhisattva
Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara has given them prophecies of the highest complete
enlightenment. This, noble son, is entitled ‘the Maheśvara episode.’ ”

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat,
Avalokiteśvara has come. I who was blind can now see. Today my life has
borne fruit. Today my wishes have come true. Today my wishes have been
fulfilled. Today my path to enlightenment has been cleansed. I have been taught
correct thought, the dharmakāya, and nirvāṇa.”

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin then said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, I
pray that you teach today the special qualities of Avalokiteśvara.”

The Bhagavat said, “Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, it like this: there
are the kings of mountains Mount Cakravāla and Mount Mahācakravāla, the kings of mountains
Mount Mucilinda and Mount Mahāmucilinda, the kings of mountains Mount Kāla and
Mount Mahākāla, the kings of mountains Mount Saṃsṛṣṭa and Mount
Mahāsaṃsṛṣṭa, the king of
mountains Mount Pralambodara,
the king of mountains Mount Anādarśaka, the king of mountains Mount
Kṛtsrāgata, the king of mountains Mount Jālinīmukha, the king of mountains
Mount Śataśṛṅga, the king of mountains Mount Bhavana, the king of mountains
Mount Mahāmaṇiratna, the king of mountains Mount Sudarśana, and the king of
mountains Mount Akāladarśana.

“I can calculate, noble son, the number, parts, and groups of how
many palas
are in those mountains, how many hundreds of palas, or thousands of palas,
or millions of trillions of palas, but, noble son, I cannot calculate
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara’s accumulation of merit.

“Noble son, it is like this: I can count each drop in the vast
ocean, but, noble son, I cannot calculate Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara’s accumulation of merit.

“Noble son, it is like this: I can count each leaf in a forest of
agarwood trees, but, noble son, I cannot calculate Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara’s accumulation of merit.

“Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, it is like this: If the king of
mountains Sumeru were to become birch bark, and if the vast ocean were to
become an inkwell, and if all the men,
women, boys, and girls who live in the four continents were to become
scribes, and if they were to write on the limitless, endless extent of Mount Sumeru as birch
bark, I would be able to count every single letter, but, noble son, I cannot
calculate Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara’s accumulation of merit.

“Noble son, it is like this: If someone were to provide tathāgatas,
arhats, and samyaksaṃbuddhas as numerous as the grains of sand in twelve
Ganges Rivers with robes, food, bowls, bedding, seats, necessary medicine,
and utensils for an eon, the accumulation of merit that would come from
serving those tathāgatas would only equal the merit of the tip of one hair
on the body of Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara.

“Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, it is like this: Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara has many hundreds of thousands of
samādhis: the samādhi named Completely Defeating, the samādhi named
Adorning, the samādhi named Unadorning, the samādhi named Lightning’s
Illumination, the
samādhi named Being Patient, the samādhi named Great Brilliance, the samādhi
named Manifesting, the samādhi named Vajra Garland, the samādhi named
Sublime Gift, the samādhi named Hundred Strengths, the samādhi named Endless
Array, the samādhi named Summit of Mental Brilliance, the samādhi named King’s Powers, the samādhi named Vajra Wall, the samādhi named
Vajra Doorway, the samādhi named Continuous Sublime Gift, the samādhi named
Liberation from the Senses, the samādhi named
Liberation from Anger, the samādhi named the Senses’ Sublime
Illumination,
the samādhi named Day-Maker’s Sublime
Illumination,
the samādhi named Facing the Dharma, the samādhi named Vajra Womb, the
samādhi named Well Taught, the samādhi named Creating Nirvāṇa, the samādhi
named Creating Infinite Light Rays, the samādhi named Creating Yoga, the
samādhi named Scattering, the samādhi named Complete Illumination of the
World, the samādhi named Illumination of the Buddha Realms, the
samādhi named Facing Love, the samādhi named Wisdom’s Light, the samādhi named Well Tamed, the samādhi named Abode of Beings, the samādhi named Creating Inexhaustibility, the samādhi
named Extinguishing Avīci, the samādhi named Ocean Deep, the samādhi named
Hundred Retinues, and the samādhi named Teaching the
Path. Noble son, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Avalokiteśvara has those samādhis.

“Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, it is like this: When the Tathāgata,
the arhat, the samyaksaṃbuddha, perfect in wisdom and conduct, the sugata,
the knower of the world, the unsurpassable guide who tames beings, the
teacher of gods and humans, the buddha, the Bhagavat Krakucchanda, appeared
in this world, at that time I was a bodhisattva named Dānaśūra.

“When I was in the presence of that tathāgata, I heard that
description of the qualities of Avalokiteśvara, and I saw
these different samādhis of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra and others.

“When Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Samantabhadra was in the samādhi named
Ascending Vajra, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara was in the samādhi
named Scattering. When Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Samantabhadra was in the samādhi named
Moon’s Sublime Illumination, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara was in the
samādhi named Sun’s Sublime Illumination. When Bodhisattva
Mahāsattva Samantabhadra was in the samādhi named Sprinkling, Bodhisattva
Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara was in the samādhi named Treasury of Space.

“When Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Samantabhadra was in the samādhi named
Plenitude, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara was in the samādhi named
Indra’s Intelligence.

“When Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Samantabhadra was in the samādhi named
Creating Indra, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara was in the samādhi
named Indra’s Intelligence.

“When Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Samantabhadra was in the samādhi named
Indra’s Way,
Bodhisattva
Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara was in the samādhi named Ocean Deep.

“When Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Samantabhadra was in the samādhi named
Intimidating Lion, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara was in the samādhi
named Play of the Lion.

“When Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Samantabhadra was in the samādhi named
Sublime Gift, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara was in the samādhi named
Drying Up Avīci.

“When Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Samantabhadra opened up his pores,
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara opened all his pores.

“At that time, Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Samantabhadra said to
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara, ‘Avalokiteśvara, it is excellent that
you have this capability. Excellent.’

“Then Tathāgata Krakucchanda said to Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Samantabhadra, ‘Noble son, you have seen only a little of Bodhisattva
Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara’s prowess. Even the tathāgatas do not have
Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara’s prowess.’

“That is what I heard Krakucchanda say.”

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, I pray
that you teach the precious king of the Mahāyāna sūtras, The Sūtra of the Basket’s Display, so that we will enjoy and
be satisfied by the taste of the Dharma.”

The Bhagavat replied, “Noble son, those who hear the precious king
of the Mahāyāna sūtras, The Sūtra of the Basket’s
Display, will not have the obscuration of previous karma. Those
who, enamored of another’s wife, have sexual intercourse with her; those who
have killed their parents; those who have killed an arhat; those who have
destroyed stūpas; those who have maliciously caused a tathāgata to bleed;
and those who delight in such bad actions will be freed from bad karma by
the precious king of the Mahāyāna sūtras, The Sūtra of
the Basket’s Display.”

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin asked the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, how can I
know the precious king of the Mahāyāna sūtras, The
Sūtra of the Basket’s Display, which brings freedom from all bad
karma?”

The Bhagavat said, “Noble son, on the southern side of Sumeru, the king of mountains, the seven samyaksaṃbuddhas examine the extent of stains and
stainlessness. I also am presently examining them.

“A white cloth becomes black, and a black cloth becomes white. When the
white cloth becomes black, that is like an accumulation of bad karma. When a
black cloth becomes white, that is like the accumulation of the Dharma.

“Noble son, in that way, the precious king of the Mahāyāna sūtras,
The Sūtra of the Basket’s Display, burns up
all bad karma. It makes it white. It eliminates all obscurations. It is like
this: For example, during the summer, plants and forests become very green.
Then the nāga king Śatamukha comes from his residence and burns the grass,
the bushes, the herbs, and the forests.

“Noble son, in that same way, this precious king of the Mahāyāna
sūtras, The Sūtra of the Basket’s Display,
burns up all bad karma. Those who hear the precious king of the Mahāyāna
sūtras, The Sūtra of the Basket’s Display, will
have happiness. Noble son, they should not be known as ordinary beings. They should
be seen as irreversible bodhisattvas. When they die, twelve tathāgatas will
come and reassure them, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, noble son, do not be
afraid. You have heard the precious king of the Mahāyāna sūtras, The Sūtra of the Basket’s Display. You will no
longer continue in saṃsāra. You will never again see birth, aging, sickness,
and death. You will not be separated from that which is beloved and
pleasant, and will not encounter that which is disliked. You will go, noble
son, to the realm of Sukhāvatī. You will hear the Dharma from Tathāgata
Amitābha.’ In that way, noble son, those beings will have happiness.”