Toh 127The King of Samādhis Sūtra

Summary

This sūtra, much quoted in later Buddhist writings for its profound
statements especially on the nature of emptiness, relates a long teaching given
by the Buddha mainly in response to questions put by a young layman,
Candraprabha. The samādhi that is the subject of the sūtra, in spite of its
name, primarily consists of various aspects of conduct, motivation, and the
understanding of emptiness; it is also a way of referring to the sūtra itself.
The teaching given in the sūtra is the instruction to be dedicated to the
possession and promulgation of the samādhi, and to the necessary conduct of a
bodhisattva, which is exemplified by a number of accounts from the Buddha’s
previous lives. Most of the teaching takes place on Vulture Peak Mountain, with
an interlude recounting the Buddha’s invitation and visit to Candraprabha’s home
in Rājagṛha, where he continues to teach Candraprabha before returning to
Vulture Peak Mountain. In one subsequent chapter the Buddha responds to a
request by Ānanda, and the text concludes with a commitment by Ānanda to
maintain this teaching in the future.

《三摩地王經》是一部非常重要的大乘經典，經常被引用於印度和西藏的論典當中。「三摩地」一詞在整部經典中具有非常廣泛的含義；包括空性的體驗，各種菩薩修持的方法，以及作為經文本身引用的觀點。本經的主題，除了說明通過體認一切現象空性與幻化的本質所證得的覺醒，以及其展現的功德與能力，更進一步介紹六波羅蜜、戒律、行為準則、佛身、佛陀功德的示現、其他三摩地，以及大量描述三摩地功德與能力的名相和定義。《三摩地王經》也許是在印度和西藏的論典中，被引用最多的經典之一。本經對空性的闡釋，在中觀哲學傳統上被認為是權威著作，經常為月稱菩薩(Candrakīrti)、寂天菩薩(Śāntideva)
、寂護菩薩(Śāntarakṣita)、蓮華戒大師(Kamalaśīla) ， 和智作慧(Prajñākaramati)等人廣泛引用。

頁數: 339 頁

Acknowledgements

Translated from the Tibetan, with reference to Sanskrit editions, by
Peter Alan Roberts. The Chinese consultant was Ling-Lung Chen. Edited by Emily
Bower and Ben Gleason.

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

The generous donation of an anonymous donor, which
helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully
acknowledged.

Introduction

The Samādhirājasūtra, or King of Samādhis Sūtra, is one of the earlier
Mahāyāna sūtras to appear in India. It contains teachings on emptiness,
bodhisattva conduct, and mendicancy, as well as tales of previous lifetimes
and prophecies for the future. Its teaching on emptiness is much quoted by
such Mādhyamaka masters as Candrakīrti and Śāntideva, as well as in later
Buddhist literature.

The samādhi of the
title does not simply refer to meditation, but is used to designate both the
sūtra itself and an entire range of Buddhist practices for conduct,
meditation, motivation, and realization. The sūtra enumerates over three
hundred of the samādhi’s qualities. One of the samādhi’s main descriptive
epithets is given in the long form of the title itself as “the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena.”
However, far from being a systematic textbook on the features of any one
practice or doctrine, the sūtra has a complex, convoluted structure and
includes long narrative passages. These not only relate the Buddha’s
interactions with Candraprabha, the main interlocutor, but also tell lengthy
stories in mixed prose and verse from the Buddha’s past lives—in his own
words—exemplifying the points he teaches. Interspersed in these narratives,
often in the form of verse teachings given by past tathāgatas, are some of
the profound statements on the nature of phenomena, and on the essential
points of the path, for which the sūtra is justly celebrated.

History of the Sūtra

As is the case for most sūtras, it is impossible to be sure when this
work first appeared in writing; indeed, the sūtra is very likely a
compilation of earlier shorter works. None of the complete extant Sanskrit
manuscripts can be dated to earlier than the sixth century. There is,
however, a reference to it in the Sūtrasamuccaya, a work attributed to Nāgārjuna (second or third
century) although the attribution is not universally accepted. There is even
a claim that the King of Samādhis Sūtra was
translated into Chinese in 148 ce, but this, too,
is disputed. The mention of a Samādhirāja
in Asaṅga’s fourth century Mahāyānasaṃgraha may be a reference to the sūtra.

At least two shorter independent works that may have existed earlier
appear to have been incorporated into the King of
Samādhis Sūtra. One is a text entitled Mahāprajñāsamādhisūtra (The Sūtra of
the Samādhi of Great Wisdom) or Mañjuśrībodhisattvacāryā (The
Bodhisattva Conduct of Mañjuśrī). It is a teaching on the six
perfections that must have existed as early as the fifth century, as it was
translated into Chinese by Shih Sien-kung (420–479). It corresponds to
chapters 27–29 of the King of Samādhis Sūtra in
the Tibetan version, except that the Mahāprajñāsamādhisūtra has Mañjuśrī as the recipient of the
teaching instead of Candraprabha (both bodhisattvas have the title
Kumārabhūta).

The other is chapter 36 of the Tibetan version of the King of Samādhis Sūtra, which also appears to have
originally been an independent text; its interlocutor is Ānanda, whose name
in this case was not changed to that of Candraprabha.

Candraprabha, the principal interlocutor in the sūtra, appears in a
number of other sūtras, but particularly in the Raśmisamantamuktanirdeśasūtra, Toh 55 in the Heap of Jewels
(Ratnakūṭa) section of the Kangyur, in
which, as in the King of Samādhis Sūtra, he is
depicted as inviting the Buddha to his home and making elaborate
preparations for the visit. Most of the
qualities of the samādhi described in the King of
Samādhis Sūtra also appear within the list of the qualities of a
samādhi in The Sūtra of the Samādhi of the Miraculous
Ascertainment of Peace.

The entire sūtra was translated into Chinese by Narendrayaśas in 557.
Narendrayaśas (517–589) was a much-traveled Indian monk from Orissa who
arrived in China in 556. This Chinese version is widely known under an
alternative title, Candrapradīpasamādhisūtra (The Sūtra of
the Samādhi of the Lamp of the Moon, Taishō 639); this title is
closely related to the alternative title used in some Indian commentaries
(see below). There are fragments of three Sanskrit manuscripts from central
Asia, dated to the fifth or sixth centuries, that correspond to this
version, but no complete manuscript has survived.

The ninth century Tibetan translation of the sūtra in the Kangyur
was made from a Sanskrit version no longer extant, but longer than the one
translated into Chinese. The Tibetan was translated during the reign of King
Ralpachen (815–838) by Śīlendrabodhi and Chönyi Tsultrim (who used the
Sanskrit version of his name, Dharmatāśīla).

The earliest complete Indian manuscript to have survived is the one
discovered in 1938 in the ruins of a library near Gilgit. It is dated, from
the calligraphy of its Gupta script, to the sixth century. It has some
additional verses that do not appear in the Chinese version, but is
significantly shorter than the Tibetan translation, with fewer verses and
prose passages. Much closer to the Tibetan is a group of twelve later
Sanskrit manuscripts found in Nepal, including the one referred to here as
the Hodgson manuscript; another group of Nepalese manuscripts contain
additional material usually not found in the Tibetan, and includes the one
referred to here as the Shastri manuscript.

In the Sanskrit versions, much of the sūtra is composed of verse in
a highly distinctive Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit (BHS). The prose is in what
appears to be classical Sanskrit in terms of spelling and case endings, but
the vocabulary includes words that are only found in BHS, or words that
exist in classical Sanskrit but have a different meaning in BHS.

The number of chapters, as well as where the chapter breaks occur,
varies in these different versions and manuscripts. The Chinese text is
divided into only ten chapters. The Tibetan version is often referred to as
having thirty-eight chapters, but a closer look reveals that there are two
additional untitled final chapters. The Tibetan, unlike the Sanskrit
versions, does not make a final chapter from the conclusion, and does not
divide its chapter 39 on the restraint of the body, speech, and mind into
three chapters, but it does make a short chapter 22 from what, in the
Sanskrit, constitutes the end of chapter 21.

The sūtra is quoted in a number of Indian treatises as well as many
Tibetan works. Indian authors such as Candrakīrti and Śāntideva referred to
it by the title Candrapradīpasūtra
(zla ba sgron ma’i mdo); other authors
used the title Samādhirāja. The earliest
known quotations from the sūtra were made by Candrakīrti in the seventh
century; he quoted from it twenty times in his Prasannapadā (Clear Words), and
also in his Madhyamakāvatāra (Entering the Middle Way). He also quoted verses
that appear only in the longer version of the sūtra, and not in the
manuscript that was translated into Tibetan in the early ninth century. It
would therefore seem that variants of the sūtra already coexisted in India
in the seventh century.

Candrakīrti is followed by Śāntideva in the late seventh to early
eighth century, who quotes it twenty times in his Śikṣasamuccaya (Compendium of
Training).

The sūtra, particularly its verses on emptiness, is quoted by other
prominent Indian authors such as Prajñākaramati in his Bodhisattvacaryāvatārapañjikā (Commentary on Difficult Points in “Entering the Conduct of
the Bodhisattvas”), which is a commentary on Śāntideva’s Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra (Entering the Conduct of the Bodhisattvas) and Kamalaśīla’s
Bhāvanākrama (Stages of Meditation).

A passage from chapter 3 in which the Buddha summarizes for
Candraprabha the qualities of a tathāgata (

) seems to have been the source
for the short Kangyur sūtra Remembering the
Buddha (Buddhānusmṛti, sangs rgyas rjes su dran pa, Toh 279), which
reproduces verbatim the Tibetan translation of the passage and is therefore
unlikely to be a parallel translation from an independent Sanskrit original
(although that is not impossible). This widely known and much recited text
is part of a set of three such works (Toh 279–281), one for each of the
Three Jewels, and often reproduced as a single work with the title Remembering the Three Jewels. However, the
passages on the Dharma and Saṅgha are not drawn from the King of Samādhis.

The King of Samādhis is also quoted in
many treatises on tantras, and its recitation is prescribed in maṇḍala
ritual texts. For example, the Maṇḍala Rite of
Cakrasamvara says that four sūtras should be recited, one in
each of the four main directions around the maṇḍala. The sūtras are the
Prajñāparāmitā (Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Verses); Gaṇḍavyūha (Array of
Trees), which is the last chapter of the Avataṃsaka; Laṅkāvātara (Entry into Laṅka);
and Samādhirāja (King
of Samādhis).

These four sūtras are among the nine principal works that came to be
considered the most important in Nepalese Buddhism; they are frequently
recited, and offerings are made to them. The other five sūtras in this group
are the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka (The White Lotus of the Good Dharma), Lalitavistara (The Play
in Full), Tathāgataguhyaka
(The Secret of the Tathāgatas), Suvarṇaprabha (The Golden
Light), and Daśabhūmika (The Ten Bhūmis).

In Tibet, although its existence was well known through its use as a
source of quotations, the sūtra itself was not particularly studied, nor
were its admonitions to dedicate oneself to its recitation and follow a life
of extreme mendicancy followed. Nevertheless, more than two hundred years
after it had been translated into Tibetan, the King of
Samādhis Sūtra did gain a certain importance within the circle
of students who followed Atiśa Dipaṃkaraśrījñāna (980–1054) and became the
founders of the Kadampa tradition, which emphasized the bodhisattva path of
the Mahāyāna sūtras. Atiśa’s translator and guide Nagtsho Lotsawa translated
a commentary on the King of Samādhis Sūtra by
the Indian master Mañjuśrīkīrti entitled Kīrtimālā (The Garland of Fame).
Mañjuśrīkīrti may be the same person as the student of Candrakīrti with that
name, although that would seem unlikely given the definite influence of the
Yogacāra tradition in his work.
Moreover, Nagtsho’s Tibetan translation of the commentary incorporates the
earlier Tibetan translation of the sūtra itself—another indication that
Mañjuśrīkīrti’s original commentary was written for the same version of the
sūtra in Sanskrit that had been translated into Tibetan, and not the longer
version that Candrakīrti quoted from.

Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelugpa tradition, which was based on
the Kadampa tradition, quotes from the sūtra thirteen times in his Lamrim Chenmo (Great
Graduated Path), and his student Khedrup Jé also relied upon it
as a major source of quotations. The sūtra is also much quoted in the best
known commentarial works of the great scholars of all traditions, including
several of the early Sakya masters, Longchenpa, Minling Terchen, and Drikung
Chökyi Trakpa, as well as those of later authors like Jamgön Kongtrul,
Mipham, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, and Jigme Tenpai Nyima.

Some of the quotations from the sūtra in the Tibetan commentarial
literature are ascribed to it erroneously, such as the one-line quotation on
buddha nature (an idea barely even mentioned in the sūtra), in the first few
lines of Gampopa’s text on the graduated path, An
Adornment for the Precious Path to Liberation. Similarly, an
eight-line prophecy concerning the Karmapa incarnations is frequently
ascribed to the sūtra even though it is not to be found in any extant
version, even as a paraphrase. Among the other
reasons why the sūtra is revered in the Kagyu tradition, the monastic
lineage of which was founded by Gampopa, is perhaps that Gampopa’s Kadampa
teacher Potowa is said to have identified him as the rebirth of
Candraprabha, the interlocutor of the King of
Samādhis. Gampopa used the name Da-ö Shönnu (zla ’od gzhon nu, the Tibetan for
Candraprabha Kumāra) in his colophons, and later teachers sometimes referred
to him by that name. Since Gampopa himself is nevertheless not known to have
been a promulgator of the sūtra, in order to conform to the prophecy it has
been claimed that it represents a sūtra version of Gampopa’s Mahāmudrā
teaching—but not explicitly so, and indeed the reader will not find any such
doctrinal elements that set its viewpoint particularly apart from that of
the Perfection of Wisdom sūtras.

The Contents

The sūtra portrays a form of Buddhism that emphasized mendicancy,
living at the foot of trees in forests, and so on, in opposition to less
austere Buddhist ways of life. It considers nirvāṇa impossible to attain for
householders, and likens nirvāṇa to a flame being extinguished, bringing any
activity to an end. In it, the Buddha emphasizes again and again the vast
number of eons during which he and other tathāgatas practiced before
attaining enlightenment.

It contains prophecies describing the very time when the sūtra
itself is being disseminated in India, saying it will be rejected and
denounced by other monks. As well as its strong promotion of mendicancy,
insisting that a bhikṣu should remain in the forest and have no possessions,
it condemns the corruption of bhikṣus who accumulate possessions and visit
laypeople’s homes to teach them there. Its strict adherence to the forest
lifestyle, and its condemnation of bhikṣus who do not follow it, would not
have found wide favor in some of the Buddhist establishments of that time.
The sūtra also addresses the known problem of that time of destitute people
who joined the ranks of Buddhist monks in order to receive material support
for themselves, without having any genuine dedication to or understanding of
the teaching.

This is one example of how the sūtra shows evidence of the
conditions prevailing at the time and place it was promulgated. Another—one
of its less appealing aspects for our present age, but one that is typical
of many early Mahāyāna sūtras—is its attitude toward women: the bodhisattva
is always male, as is explicit in the Sanskrit (although in this translation
frequent use has been made of the plural to render bodhisattvas’ male gender
less obvious). Women often appear as property that is given away, and the
noble kings have harems as well as slaves, though the Tibetan did not have
the term to translate antapuraḥ (harem) and used the more palatable “retinue of
queens.” However, women are still seen as capable of being devotees of the
path of the sūtra, and in particular there is the tale of Princess
Jñānāvatī, who cuts off the flesh from her thigh so as to heal her sick
bhikṣu teacher. But in every such case this means that the woman will gain a
male rebirth so that she may be able to continue on the path to
enlightenment.

The sūtra also mentions the sacrificial offering of burning a hand
(which is, however, then miraculously reconstituted). This passage, along
with similar accounts in other sūtras, has inspired the Tibetan tradition of
burning a finger as an offering.

The sūtra has several references linking it with South India. It
contains references to South Indian music, and the nominative -u ending is a characteristic of South India.
More significantly, in the post-Gilgit additional verses there is a special
emphasis given to Rishi Ananta, who was highly revered in the south.

There are several doctrinal indicators to the period in which it
appeared. This being an early Mahāyāna sūtra, there is no mention in the
King of Samādhis of the saṃbhogakāya or
nirmāṇakāya, but only dharmakāya and rūpakāya; the doctrine of three kāyas
came to prominence later. Nor is there any real mention of the
tathāgatagarbha, or buddha nature, another notion developed in later
works.

Although there is mention in both the Gilgit and Chinese versions of
Buddha Amitābha and his realm Sukhāvatī, Amitābha’s accompanying
bodhisattvas Avalokiteśvara and Mahāstāmaprapta are noticeable by their
absence, indicating that the sūtra dates back to a time before their rise to
prominence, and possibly to a time even before the appearance of the longer
Sukhāvatīsūtra. However, as might be
expected, both bodhisattvas do appear in the additional verses of the later
Sanskrit versions, and therefore the Tibetan, too. As a pair, however, they
still have equal status, as they frequently do in Mahāyāna sūtras before the
rise of Avalokiteśvara to preeminence by the fourth or fifth century.

Some of the later additional verses, too, include references to the
ten bodhisattva bhūmis that are unlikely to have been in the earliest
version, as the Perfection of Wisdom tradition, as well as the early
Yogacāra of Asaṅga, mention only seven bhūmis.

A particular feature that the sūtra shares with quite a large number
of other Mahāyāna sūtras, such as the White Lotus of
the Good Dharma Sūtra, is that it promotes itself as the core
focus of a bodhisattva’s practice, stating that the bodhisattva should
recite it, promulgate it, and so on.

The Translation

Given the significant differences between the versions of this sūtra
in Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan, an English translation could never
represent all versions equally, and necessarily involves a selective
approach based on stated principles. In this translation of the King of Samādhis, we have chosen to stay as close
as possible to the Tibetan of the Kangyur, which has more content than both
the Chinese translation and the Gilgit manuscript. However, we have compared
the Tibetan closely to the Chinese and Gilgit versions, along with the two
longer Nepalese Sanskrit manuscripts identified in this translation as
Shastri and Hodgson (see above). Discrepancies between the versions are
recorded in the notes.

Where there are significant discrepancies, the Tibetan has been
favored in the translation wherever possible, as it probably represents a
particular Sanskrit version that has not survived. In some instances,
however, adhering to the Tibetan would have caused problems regarding the
meaning of the text, and here the Sanskrit reading has been preferred.
Consulting the other versions has also been indispensable in clearing up
ambiguities, variations in the Tibetan between the different Kangyurs, and
the occasional error in the Tibetan, the results of scribal corruption or
adopting the wrong meaning of a word, such as the classical Sanskrit meaning
instead of the BHS meaning. Also of great help has been clarification from
the Chinese translation that Ling-Lung Chen has been able to provide. In one
case, the Chinese preserves an uncorrupted version of a passage in which
“nature” was later replaced by “past,” resulting in a peculiar set of verses
with a peculiar meaning.

A particular difficulty was the list of qualities of the samādhi
given in chapter 1. They are defined in order in chapter 40, and also in
Mañjuśrīkīrti’s commentary on the sūtra, which itself was useful in
ascertaining the intended meaning of these words. However, there are
discrepancies between these three versions in Tibetan, as well as with the
qualities as listed in the Sanskrit versions of the sūtra.

Much invaluable work has already been done on this sūtra by
present-day Western scholars. Konstanty (also Constantin) Régamey planned an
erudite translation of the entire sūtra based on Tibetan, Sanskrit, and
Chinese, which was interrupted by the effects of World War II in Poland.
However, we are fortunate that copies of his translation of chapters 8, 19,
and 22 survived the destruction of his work.

Nalinaksha Dutt published an edition of the Gilgit manuscripts with
comparison to two later Nepalese manuscripts in the 1940s and ’50s. Luis
Gómez and Jonathan Silk published a translation of the first four chapters
in 1989. John Rockwell translated chapters 4, 5, 7, and 9 in 1980. Christoph
Cüppers translated the ninth chapter in 1990, and Mark Tatz translated the
eleventh chapter in 1972. Finally, Andrew Skilton’s research into the
various versions of the Samādhirāja Sūtra,
in several publications from 1999 onwards, has been very illuminating and
has been particularly useful for this introduction.

Outline

Chapter 1: The Introduction

The Buddha Śākyamuni is on Vulture Peak Mountain outside
Rājagṛha with a great gathering of bhikṣus and bodhisattvas.
Candraprabha asks him for instruction. The Buddha states that
evenness of mind is the one quality that will bring enlightenment
and the attainment of the samādhi called the
revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena, which
is described as having an array of qualities that covers all the
various aspects of the path. On hearing this, a multitude of beings
attain various stages of realization; the earth shakes, and a
radiance illuminates the universe.

Chapter 2: Śālendrarāja

The Buddha tells Candraprabha in both prose and verse how in
a past life he was a cakravartin named Bhīṣmottara who for
quintillions of eons honored successive buddhas on Vulture Peak
Mountain and received the teaching of this sūtra from all of them.
The last of those buddhas was Śālendrarāja. The Buddha says that
serving the buddhas in this way is necessary for the attainment of
buddhahood. He says that those who uphold this sūtra in the future
will be reborn in Sukhāvatī.

Chapter 3: Praise of the Buddha’s Qualities

The Buddha tells Candraprabha about the qualities of a
tathāgata, and explains that they can be attained through this
sūtra. Then, in verse, he describes his acts of generosity in past
lives and his search for this sūtra. He describes the benefits of
the sūtra and condemns those in the future who teach but do not
practice. Candraprabha vows to uphold this teaching in the
future.

Chapter 4: Samādhi

Candraprabha asks what is meant by samādhi. The Buddha
explains that it means the attainment of realization, the
elimination of the kleśas, correct conduct, renunciation, and other
such qualities. Then the Buddha describes in verse the nature and
result of practicing this samādhi.

Chapter 5: Ghoṣadatta

The Buddha tells Candraprabha that the practitioner should
abandon all worldly ties and his home. He then describes how in the
past there was a buddha named Ghoṣadatta. A king named Mahābala and
his subjects make extensive offerings to him. However, the king
realizes that his subjects have made the offerings with the hope for
material benefits in future lives. Buddha Ghoṣadatta recites verses
on how it is necessary to abandon one’s home and all material
possessions. King Mahābala becomes a bhikṣu, and in subsequent
lifetimes serves two hundred million buddhas and hears the teaching
of this sūtra from them all. He eventually becomes a buddha named
Jñānaśūra. Mahābala’s subjects, who also became bhikṣus, all become
buddhas named Dṛḍhaśūra.

Chapter 6: Cultivating the Samādhi

The Buddha tells Candraprabha that many offerings should be
made to the Buddha but without the concept of a giver or recipient
and that the merit that ensues should be dedicated to attaining
enlightenment. Then, knowing that there is no birth, death, or
anyone who is a bodhisattva, they will be impervious to the attacks
or persuasions of the māras.

Chapter 7: The Attainment of Patience

The Buddha tells Candraprabha that a bodhisattva needs to
attain three kinds of patience. The first patience is to maintain
the Dharma by not arguing, and so on; to know that everything is an
illusion; to know the sūtras; to have no doubt; to have no anger
toward tīrthikas; to speak truthfully; never to abandon the path to
buddhahood; and to master worldly skills. The second patience is
having undisturbed śamatha and vipaśyanā, being in meditation during
all activity, attaining the five higher cognitions, having
miraculous powers, and remembering every word that is taught. With
the third patience the bodhisattva can see all other worlds, has a
golden body, teaches millions of beings, receives the prophecy of
his buddhahood, and being aware of emptiness he remains unaffected
by praise or blame, loss or gain.

Chapter 8: Buddha Abhāvasamudgata

The Buddha tells Candraprabha that the bodhisattva has to
attain the wisdom of the nonexistence of phenomena so that he will
have no desire. He adds that in the past there was a buddha named
Abhāvasamudgata, who at birth levitated and declared the
nonexistence of all phenomena, following which all the sounds in the
world made the same declaration. Later, a prince named
Mahākaruṇācintin became one of his bhikṣus, received the teaching
of this sūtra, and thereby after twenty eons became a buddha named
Suvicintitārtha.

Chapter 9: The Patience of the Profound Dharma

The Buddha tells Candraprabha that all the buddhas have
attained buddhahood as a result of practicing the teaching of this
sūtra. He says that the patience of the Dharma is attained through
realizing that everything is like a dream or an illusion, so that
there is no desire, anger, or ignorance. He teaches that one should
avoid association with fools, and with those who have become bhikṣus
as a source of livelihood. He teaches that one should not only give
the teachings but also practice and realize them.

Chapter 10: The Entry into the City

Candraprabha praises the teaching and aspires to it. The
Buddha places his hand on Candraprabha’s head and Candraprabha
instantly realizes quintillions of samādhis. Candraprabha praises
the Buddha and invites him to come for his midday meal at his home.
The Buddha assents by remaining silent. Candraprabha then has the
road to his home cleaned and divinely adorned. Throughout the night,
he prepares a sumptuous meal. He then adorns the city and his own
home. Accompanied by bodhisattvas and citizens he goes to Vulture
Peak Mountain to invite the Buddha to his home. The Buddha proceeds
there accompanied by a multitude of deities. The ground shakes as he
takes his first step into the city. Everyone in the world becomes
happy and deities make vast offerings.

Chapter 11: Becoming a Keeper of the Sūtra

The Buddha and his saṅgha are served food at Candraprabha’s
home. When the Buddha has finished eating, Candraprabha praises him,
aspires to become a buddha, and requests teaching that will enable
him to accomplish that. The Buddha states that only one quality is
necessary, which is the knowledge of the insubstantial nature of
phenomena. He also describes the vast merit and good results that
come from knowing even one verse of this sūtra. Candraprabha aspires
to be a keeper of this sūtra in the future. The Buddha prophesies to
many millions of beings who are present that they will attain
buddhahood after more than four million eons have passed.

Chapter 12: The Training According to the

Samādhi

The Buddha teaches Candraprabha that the mind has no nature
of its own, and that the nature of the mind is the nature of the
buddhas. The bodhisattva who knows that teaching is free from all
bondage and masters all the skills of words and teaching.

Chapter 13: The Teaching of the Samādhi

The Buddha teaches that a bodhisattva should be skilled in
teaching this samādhi, which is nonconceptual. The bodhisattva
should be free of illusion and have great compassion.

Chapter 14: The Buddha’s Smile

Candraprabha, inspired by the teaching, recites verses
praising how the Buddha has practiced, how true and supreme his
words are, and how many different kinds of beings have gathered to
listen to him. The Buddha smiles and Maitreya asks him the reason
why.

Chapter 15: The Elucidation of the Buddha’s

Smile

The Buddha explains to Maitreya that Candraprabha has in
previous lives seen ten thousand million buddhas in this very city
of Rājagṛha, and has received this same teaching on samādhi. He will
also teach this samādhi in the future. He will see many buddhas and
will eventually become a buddha named Vimalaprabha. Candraprabha on
hearing this levitates with joy and praises the Buddha and rejoices
in his good fortune.

Chapter 16: The Past

The Buddha tells Candraprabha that the samādhi of this sūtra
frees beings from all illness and lower rebirths. The Buddha adds in
verse that in a past life he was a prince named Mati who had an
incurable illness. A bhikṣu named Brahmadatta, who was a previous
life of Buddha Dīpaṃkara, taught him the samādhi and he was cured.
Then the Buddha prophesies that in the future there will be bhikṣus
with worldly desires and conduct, and when they die they will be
reborn in the lower existences.

Chapter 17: The Entranceway to the Samādhi That Is

Taught by Many Buddhas

The bodhisattva Maitreya tells the Buddha he is going to
Vulture Peak Mountain in order to prepare offerings to the Buddha.
When he arrives there he transforms it into a flat, divinely adorned
ground with a throne in its center. Then he returns to
Candraprabha’s home and describes what he has created. The Buddha
returns to the mountain and sits on the throne. Candraprabha and
millions of others also come to the mountain and Candraprabha
requests a teaching. The Buddha describes four qualities necessary
for attaining the samādhi of this sūtra: the first is calmness and
self-restraint, the second is correct conduct, the third is fear of
the three realms, and the fourth is devotion to the Dharma and
benefiting others. Then in verse the Buddha describes a succession
of buddhas within two eons of the distant past. He states that
whoever hears their names will quickly attain this samādhi. Then he
recounts that they were followed by a buddha named Narendraghoṣa. At
that time the Buddha was a king named Śirībala, who with five
hundred sons received this samādhi teaching from Narendraghoṣa. He
and his sons all became bhikṣus. Śirībala was then reborn as the son
of King Dṛḍhabala. The prince, remembering millions of previous
lives, asks if the Buddha Narendraghoṣa is still alive, and
describes and praises his teaching of this samādhi. King Dṛḍhabala
brings his son, along with millions of other people, to that buddha,
hears the teaching, and becomes a bhikṣu. Sixty eons later King
Dṛḍhabala becomes Buddha Padmottara, and all his subjects who became
bhikṣus all eventually become buddhas who all have the same name:
Anantajñānanottara. The five hundred sons became the five hundred
students of Śākyamuni who would in future times teach this sūtra.
King Dṛḍhabala and his queen also became the Buddha’s parents:
Śuddhodana and Māyādevī.

Chapter 18: The Entrustment of the Samādhi

The Buddha tells Candraprabha that a bodhisattva who
possesses this samādhi has four qualities: unsurpassable merit,
being invincible to adversaries, unlimited wisdom, and an unending
eloquence. Candraprabha asks the Buddha who will listen to this
samādhi in the future. The Buddha says that only bhikṣus with pure
mendicancy will have faith in it. Those who reject it will have
incalculable bad karma. Candraprabha vows to promulgate the sūtra in
a future life and endure the abuse of those with no faith in it.
Eight hundred others also vow to uphold the sūtra and eight hundred
million deities vow to protect them. The Buddha gives his blessing,
the world shakes, and the Buddha prophesies the buddhahood of the
millions of beings who have listened to the sūtra.

Chapter 19: The Teaching of the Inconceivable Dharma

of the Buddha

The Buddha teaches Candraprabha that it is through this
samādhi that the inconceivable Dharma is attained. Candraprabha,
listening to the teaching, attains that samādhi. A thousand million
worlds shake as a result. A multitude of devas rejoice that they
have also heard this teaching. The gandharva Pañcaśikha with five
hundred other gandharvas fly down to Vulture Peak Mountain and play
music as an offering. The Buddha causes the teaching of the
inconceivable Dharma to come from the sound of their music. The
teaching describes the unreality of existence and the benefits of
nonattachment and equanimity.

Chapter 20: Indraketudhvajarāja

In this short chapter the Buddha instructs Candraprabha on
gaining great compassion and depending on a spiritual guide. There
are also eleven verses on the teaching of emptiness by a buddha in
the past named Indraketudhvajarāja.

Chapter 21: The Past

In the prose introduction, the Buddha instructs Candraprabha
on accumulating merit and avoiding the influence of bad companions.
The verses describe how in the distant past, a king came across two
renunciants in the forest and was inspired by them. However, bhikṣus
who disliked their ascetic lifestyle and views urged the king to
kill or banish them. A goddess who looked after the king’s benefit
countered their influence. They succeeded in influencing the king’s
brother and he led an army to the forest. The deities of the forest
massacred them and all involved in the plot were reborn in hell. The
Buddha explains that the two monks were Buddha Dīpaṃkara and
himself, the king was Maitreya, and Candraprabha was the
goddess.

Chapter 22: The Teaching on the Body

In this very brief chapter, the Buddha instructs
Candraprabha not to have attachment to body or life. Those who avoid
such attachment will attain buddhahood. Those who do have these
attachments will commit bad actions and go to hell after death.

Chapter 23: The Teaching on the Tathāgata’s

Body

The Buddha teaches Candraprabha that a buddha should not be
identified as his rūpakāya or form body, but as the dharmakāya, the
“Dharma body,” which is indescribable and unquantifiable. Even
though someone sees the physical presence of a buddha, that is a
manifestation of the dharmakāya, and it is the dharmakāya that is
the Buddha’s true body, which cannot be perceived as having any
features or actions.

Chapter 24: The Inconceivable Tathāgata

The Buddha teaches Candraprabha that through this sūtra a
bodhisattva can gain four kinds of discernment: discernment of
phenomena, of meaning, of definitions, and of confident speech. He
then gives a long explanation of the discernment of phenomena, in
which successive qualities are explained in relation to four
aspects: the composite teaching, the composite, the kleśas, and
purification. For each of these there is an inconceivable number of
each quality. The second, third, and fourth discernments are
explained in single brief sentences. The concluding verses state
that the Buddha has innumerable qualities, and exhort the teaching
of this sūtra.

Chapter 25: Engaging in Discernment

The Buddha teaches Candraprabha in greater depth on the
discernment of phenomena, emphasizing that there is no difference
between the nature of phenomena and enlightenment, and specifying
that there is no difference between the nature of the skandhas and
enlightenment. Then in verse he teaches the emptiness of phenomena
and nirvāṇa, and that his true body is not his “form body,” the
rūpakāya, but his dharmakāya, and therefore the only one who has
truly seen a buddha is one who has seen the dharmakāya, who has seen
emptiness. There follows a condemnation of bhikṣus of the future who
will be concerned with gain and honors, and will teach and become
involved with laypeople, and are destined for the hells. However,
there should be no anger toward them; they should be treated with
respect. There is also advice on humility and circumspection in
giving teachings, as to who should be taught and what kind of
teaching should be given. There is also an exhortation to make
offerings, but also that the merit gained from this sūtra is far
more vast than the most extensive offerings.

Chapter 26: Rejoicing

The Buddha teaches Candraprabha that a bodhisattva must be
skillful in methods, which he defines as rejoicing in the merit of
beings. Then in verse he describes rejoicing in various kinds of
good actions and the benefits of mendicancy, and concludes by saying
that being careful is the root of all of these.

Chapter 27: The Benefits of Generosity

In this brief chapter, the Buddha teaches Candraprabha that
a careful bodhisattva practices the six perfections. Then he teaches
the ten benefits that come from practicing the first of these:
generosity.

Chapter 28: The Benefits of Correct Conduct

In this very brief chapter, the Buddha teaches ten benefits
that come from practicing the second of the six perfections: correct
conduct.

Chapter 29: Ten Benefits

The Buddha teaches the benefits that come from the remaining
four perfections: patience, diligence, meditation, and wisdom. They
are followed by the benefits of becoming very learned in the Dharma,
giving the Dharma to others, maintaining the knowledge of emptiness,
maintaining detachment in meditation, remaining in solitude, and
following a mendicant lifestyle and begging for alms. The Buddha
concludes by stating that such a bodhisattva will obtain, through
the supernatural higher cognitions, the treasure of the buddhas
because he will be able to see them all. And he will attain the
treasure of the Dharma because he can hear the buddhas teaching. He
will attain the treasure of wisdom because he remembers the teaching
and knows how to give it to others. Finally, he will attain the
treasure of knowing the past, present, and future of beings.

Chapter 30: Tejaguṇarāja

The Buddha tells Candraprabha that he should be dedicated to
this sūtra and live alone in the forest. In the verse he tells how,
in the distant past, there was a buddha named Tejaguṇarāja and at
that time Buddha Śākyamuni was a world ruler named Dṛdhadatta. When
he heard the teaching of the King of Samādhis
Sūtra, he and the entire population of the world became
bhikṣus and bhikṣuṇīs who were supported by the devas. The Buddha
describes the nature of degenerate Dharma teachers in future times,
who do not practice mendicancy. He prescribes making images of the
Buddha, making offerings to him, and aspiring to the teaching of
this sūtra. The Buddha then describes the various great qualities
that those who possess this sūtra will have.

Chapter 31: Benefits

In this brief chapter, the Buddha teaches that the one who
wishes to teach all beings in their various languages should be
dedicated to this sūtra. In eleven verses, he describes various
benefits, and particularly the qualities of speech, that will be
gained.

Chapter 32: The Teaching on the Nature of All

Phenomena

The Buddha teaches that a bodhisattva who wishes to know the
nature of phenomena should be dedicated to this sūtra. He describes
in verse the compassion, patience, ability to remember and teach,
generosity, and diligence that is the nature of the bodhisattva who
realizes the nature of phenomena, which is peace and emptiness. He
states that this is the path he followed, and encourages all to
follow his example. He states that those who reject the path to
enlightenment spend eons in the hells, but those who teach and
protect this sūtra in future times will quickly attain
enlightenment.

Chapter 33: The Benefits of Possessing the

Sūtra

The Buddha teaches that dedication to this sūtra will bring
the higher cognitions of all phenomena. This is then explained
through almost three hundred verses in the Tibetan version. He
teaches that the higher cognitions are gained by having no
attachment, either to samādhi or worldly things, and by having no
pride. The higher cognitions are the realization that there is no
substance to anything, even the Buddha’s words. This realization of
emptiness brings buddhahood, which does not exist on the level of words. Buddhahood has no form; it
is the dharmakāya. It transcends every kind of conceptual
identification. Those without this understanding believe they have
made spiritual progress but still have desire, particularly for
women.

Those who have the realization manifest pure realms. While
communicating with words, they transcend thought and concepts, have
miraculous powers, and do not age. Ordinary humans who delight in
this sūtra will proceed to enlightenment and will meet Buddha
Maitreya. Maintaining this sūtra in the degenerate age is the
greatest offering to the buddhas. Women who have faith in a single
verse from it will never be reborn as women. The bodhisattvas who
realize this samādhi will have inconceivable qualities and attain
buddhahood at Bodhgaya.

Other bodhisattvas will come to hear them teaching and those
bodhisattvas will adorn the world, transforming it into a pure
realm. Lotuses and birds throughout countless realms will emit the
words of the Dharma. The bodhisattva who practices this sūtra has
immaculate conduct and at death will go to Sukhāvatī, and in the
degenerate age will be the protector of the Dharma.

Chapter 34: Kṣemadatta

The Buddha teaches that the bodhisattva who wishes to attain
this sūtra’s samādhi and enlightenment should make extensive
offerings to a living buddha or to a stūpa containing his relics,
and relates a story as an example. The story is about a king named
Śrīghoṣa who made extensive offerings to millions of stūpas
containing the relics of Buddha Ghoṣadatta—presumably the same
buddha who appears in chapter 5. One night he offers millions of
lamps to the stūpas. On seeing this, a young bodhisattva named
Kṣemadatta makes a lamp out of his hand by wrapping it in cloth and
dousing it in sesame oil. The light from this lamp eclipses all the
other light offerings, and the hand is burned away. The king and his
queens leap from their high palace roof to go and see this, but are
not hurt thanks to intervention by deities. The king approaches
Kṣemadatta, admires him, and expresses sorrow for the loss of his
hand. Kṣemadatta recites a verse on emptiness, and because of the
truth of his words, his hand grows back and there are other
miracles. The Buddha then states that he was Kṣemadatta and that
Maitreya was King Śrīghoṣa.

Chapter 35: Jñānāvatī

The Buddha instructs Candraprabha on four kinds of
dedication of merit from acts of generosity. He then states that a
bodhisattva should give even his own flesh to heal a teacher of the
Dharma from illness. He then tells the story of how, eons ago,
Princess Jñānāvatī followed the instructions given to her in a
dream, which were to use her own flesh and blood to treat her sick
Dharma teacher. He was miraculously cured, and she was miraculously
unharmed, despite having cut off her own flesh. The Buddha states
that he was that princess in a previous lifetime, her father the
king was Maitreya, and the Dharma teacher became Buddha
Dīpaṃkara.

Chapter 36: Supuṣpacandra

In this chapter, one of the longest in the sūtra, there is
no mention of Candraprabha. Instead, Ānanda requests teaching from
the Buddha, and the Buddha states that a bodhisattva must have
equanimity and not cease in his progress to enlightenment, no matter
what suffering he endures. The Buddha gives the example of
Supuṣpacandra. In an eon long ago, Buddha
Ratnapadmacandraviśuddhābhyudgatarāja attained enlightenment,
liberated countless beings, and passed into nirvāṇa all in one day.
During the last five hundred years of his teaching, all bodhisattvas
had been exiled to Samantabhadra Forest. Supuṣpacandra was with them
as their teacher, but saw that the time had come to teach other
beings, even if it cost him his life. In the story, he leaves alone
and eventually reaches the capital, where, in the course of a week,
he establishes countless beings on the path to enlightenment,
including King Śūradatta’s harem of eighty thousand queens, and all
his thousand sons. On the seventh day, when the king is in a large
procession heading to a park, he witnesses the devotion of the
populace, and his own family, to a bhikṣu who is standing by the
road. Consumed with jealousy, he orders his executioner to slay the
bhikṣu. The executioner cuts him up into eight pieces. When the king
is returning to his capital after a week he sees that the body parts
have not decayed. Also the townspeople and the bodhisattvas of the
forest have come and discovered the death. Filled with remorse, the
king arranges a cremation and the building of a stūpa for the
relics, and for thousands of years makes offerings, confesses his
crime, and keeps perfect discipline. Nevertheless, he is reborn in
hell and for millions of eons experiences various mutilations and
sufferings as a result of his action. The Buddha then states that
King Śūradatta was one of his own previous lives, and Supuṣpacandra
subsequently became Buddha Padmottara.

Chapter 37: Teaching the Aggregate of Correct

Conduct

The Buddha says to Candraprabha that a bodhisattva should
also have correct conduct, and then recites verses, stating that
possessing and reciting this sūtra, even one verse of it, has
greater merit than eons of generosity, and that it contains an
incalculable number of teachings. Then the qualities are described
of the bhikṣu bodhisattva who has this sūtra, concluding by saying
that many eons would not suffice to describe them all.

Chapter 38: Yaśaḥprabha

The Buddha says to Candraprabha that a bodhisattva should
dedicate himself to ending the kleśas, gaining merit, and generating
roots of goodness out of an aspiration for buddhahood. Then in verse
he tells the story of how, many eons ago, there was a buddha named
Gaṇeśvara. The king Varapuṣpasa listened to his teachings on
emptiness and with his five hundred sons became ordained. In a later
time, after Gaṇeśvara’s nirvāṇa, there was a prince named Puṇyamatin
who was a student of a bhikṣu named Yaśaḥprabha, who had a great
following. Other bhikṣus, who were jealous of him, tried to kill
him. But because of the power of the truth of his teachings, their
weapons changed to flowers. The Buddha explains that at that time,
he was Yaśaḥprabha, Maitreya was Puṇyamatin, and King Varapuṣpasa
later became Buddha Padmottara. The Buddha subsequently extols the
virtues of patience. Then Śākyamuni gives teachings on how to
practice the path to buddhahood.

Chapter 39: Restraint of the Body, Speech, and

Mind

The Buddha teaches to Candraprabha all the various
qualities, manners, and results of restraining the body. He tells
the story of how, many eons ago, at the time of Buddha
Jñānaprabhāsa, there lived King Viveśacintin, who received from him
this teaching on physical restraint, given in verse form. The king
became a bhikṣu, and the Buddha states that the king was one of his
own previous lives. The Buddha then gives a description of the
restraint of the speech and the mind—its conduct, wisdom, and
results.

Chapter 40: [Untitled]

The Buddha gives definitions for all the qualities of the
samādhi that were given in chapter 1. There are some variances,
particularly of omission, but the qualities are said by the Buddha
to number three hundred.

Then miraculous events mark the conclusion of the sūtra, and
Ānanda asks for its name and promises to preserve it. The whole
world including the devas in the form realm rejoice.

The Translation

The Mahāyāna Sūtra

The King of Samādhis, the Revealed Equality of the

Nature of All Phenomena

Chapter 1

The Introduction

I pay homage to all the buddhas and
bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time: The Bhagavān was residing at Vulture
Peak Mountain in Rājagṛha together with a great bhikṣu saṅgha of a full
hundred thousand bhikṣus, and together with eighty quintillion
bodhisattvas, all of
whom had one rebirth remaining, were renowned for their higher
cognitions, and had gathered
there from the worlds in the ten directions; they had complete mastery of the dhāraṇīs and
sūtras; they satisfied all beings with the gift of the Dharma; they were
skilled in speaking of the wisdom of the higher cognitions; they had
attained the highest perfection of all the highest perfections; they were
skilled in the knowledge of remaining in all bodhisattva samādhis and
samāpattis; they had been praised, extolled, and lauded by all the
buddhas; they
were skilled in miraculously going to all buddha realms; they were skilled
in the knowledge of terrifying all māras; they
were skilled in the correct knowledge of the nature of all phenomena; they
were skilled in the knowledge of the higher and lower capabilities of all
beings; they were skilled in the knowledge of accomplishing the activity of
offering to all the buddhas; they were unstained by any of the worldly
concerns; they had perfectly adorned bodies, speech, and minds; they wore the
armor of great love and great compassion; they had great undiminishing
diligence throughout countless eons; they roared the great lion’s roar; they
could not be defeated by any opponent; they were sealed with nonregression; and
they had received the consecration of the Dharma from all buddhas. They were the
bodhisattva mahāsattvas Meru, Sumeru,
Mahāmeru, Meruśikharadhara,
Merupradīparāja, Merukūṭa, Merudhvaja, Merurāja, Meruśikharasaṁghaṭṭanarāja, Merusvara, Megharāja,
Dundubhisvara, Ratnapāṇi, Ratnākara,
Ratnaketu, Ratnaśikhara, Ratnasaṁbhava, Ratnaprabhāsa, Ratnayaṣṭi,
Ratnamudrāhasta, Ratnavyūha, Ratnajāli, Ratnaprabha, Ratnadvīpa, Ratiṁkara,
Dharmavyūha, Vyūharāja, Lakṣaṇasamalaṁkṛta, Svaravyūha,
Svaraviśuddhiprabha, Ratnakūṭa, Ratnacūḍa, Daśaśataraśmihutārci, Jyotirasa, Candrabhānu,
Sahacittotpādadharmacakrapravartin, and Śubhakanakaviśuddhiprabha,
the bodhisatta mahāsattva Satatamabhayaṁdad, and
all the bodhisattva mahāsattvas of the Good Eon, such as the bodhisattva
mahāsattva Ajita, and the sixty with incomparable minds, such as Mañjuśrī, and the
sixteen good beings, such as Bhadrapāla, and the Four Mahārājas
and the other Cāturmahārājakāyika devas, and so on up
until Brahmā and the other Brahmakāyika devas. In addition there were also
devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas,
humans, and nonhumans, who were all illustrious and renowned as being very
powerful.

Then the Bhagavān, encircled and esteemed by that assembly of many
hundred thousands, taught the Dharma. He taught perfectly the spiritual
conduct that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the
end, that has a good meaning, that has good words, and is unalloyed,
complete, pure, and wholesome.

At that time, within that gathered assembly there was a youth
named Candraprabha, who had honored the jinas in the past, had planted roots
of merit, could remember his previous lives, had the confidence of speech,
had correctly followed the Mahāyāna, and who was dedicated to great
compassion.

The youth Candraprabha rose from his seat, removed his robe from one
shoulder,
and, kneeling on his right knee, with palms placed together bowed toward the
Bhagavān and made this request: “If the Bhagavān will give me an opportunity
to seek answers to them, I have a few questions for the Bhagavān, the
tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha.”

The Bhagavān addressed the youth Candraprabha, saying, “Young man,
ask whatever question you wish of the Tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly
enlightened Buddha, and I shall gratify you with answers to each and every
question you have asked.

“Young man, I am omniscient. I am all-seeing. I
have attained preeminence because of my strengths and fearlessness
concerning all Dharmas. I possess the unobscured wisdom of liberation.

“Young man, there is nothing in the endless, infinite worlds that the Tathāgata does not know, has
not seen, has not heard, has not understood, has not directly perceived, and
about which he has not become completely enlightened.

“Young man, may you always have the opportunity to ask questions of
the Tathāgata, and I will gratify you with answers for each of the questions
you ask.”

“Lord of the World, Buddha,

Illuminator, bringer of benefit,

Elucidate what kind of practice

Will bring the attainment of inconceivable wisdom. {1}

“Lord of humans, speaker of the truth, preeminent among humans,

To whom humans and devas make offerings, how should one practice

In order to attain the unfathomable, supreme, highest yāna?

Lord who has supreme speech, answer this question. {2}

“I ask my question with a pure motivation.

There is no guile to be seen within me.

I have no witness to that

Other than you, sublime being. {3}

“My prayer and my aspiration are vast.

Śākya lion, you know my conduct.

I will not be one who prizes words.

Lord of humans, quickly teach me the practice. {4}

“Which of the Dharmas included

In the vehicle of enlightenment are to be cherished?

Elucidate for me, great hero,

The summit of all Dharmas. {5}

“Teach to me, Lord, a beneficial Dharma,

Through the practice of which a person will have sharp wisdom,

Will become free of terrible fears, will be fearless,

Will never abandon the aggregate of correct conduct, {6}

“Will be without arrogance, desire, anger, and ignorance,

And will practice a conduct in which all faults have ceased. {6b}

“How does one not abandon correct conduct?

How does one not depart from dhyāna?

How does one stay in a solitary place?

How does wisdom increase? {7}

“How does one find joy in maintaining correct conduct

Within the vast teaching of the one with ten strengths?

How can the aggregate of correct conduct be flawless?

How does one examine the nature of the composite? {8}

“How can the wise be pure

In body and in speech,

And with an unafflicted mind

Seek the Buddha’s wisdom? {9}

“How can they have pure actions of the body?

How can they avoid faults in speech?

How can they have an unafflicted mind?

Best of men, give your answer to my questions.” {10}

The Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man,
bodhisattva mahāsattvas will attain all those qualities and quickly attain
the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood if they have one
quality. What is that one quality? Young man, it is
the bodhisattva mahāsattvas’ evenness of mind toward all beings. They wish
to benefit them, have no anger, and have no partiality. Young man, if
bodhisattva mahāsattvas have that one quality they will attain all those qualities and
quickly attain the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect
buddhahood.”

The Bhagavān then recited these verses to the youth
Candraprabha:

“Having obtained one quality,

Those bodhisattvas, whoever they are,

Will attain these qualities

And quickly attain enlightenment. {11}

“Anger toward anyone does not arise in the mind

Of the bodhisattva who has a mind without anger.

Those who are not hardhearted or wicked

Will attain exactly what has been described. {12}

“As they remain in evenness of mind,

There will be an evenness of ripening results:

The soles of their feet will be even

And their range of conduct will be even. {13}

“They meditate with even minds that are without unevenness.

Without the fault of hardheartedness and devoid of craving

They have even soles and palms.

They are supremely bright and are seen as pure. {14}

“The bodhisattvas illuminate the ten directions,

Spreading splendor and light through a buddha realm.

When they attain the level of peace,

They establish many beings in buddha wisdom. {15}

“Young man, in that way the bodhisattva mahāsattva who has evenness
of mind toward all beings, wishes to benefit them, and has no anger or
partiality will attain the samādhi known as the
revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena.

“Young man, what is the samādhi called the
revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena?

“It is restraint of the body. It is restraint of the speech. It is restraint of the
mind. It is purity of action. It is the transcendence of the mind’s
perceptions. It is knowledge of the skandhas. It is
the equality of the dhātus. It is the elimination of the āyatanas.

“It is the renunciation of craving. It is having the direct
perception of birthlessness. It is engagement in activity. It is the illumination of
causes. It is the non-dissipation of the results
of karma. It is insight into phenomena. It is the meditation of the path. It
is meeting the tathāgatas.

“It is sharp wisdom. It is penetrating into beings. It is knowledge of phenomena.
It is the
knowledge of engaging in discernment. It is the knowledge of the different
kinds of letters and words. It is the transcendence of matter. It is the
understanding of sounds. It is the attainment of joy. It is experiencing the
joy of the Dharma. It is sincerity. It is tolerance. It
is to be without deception.

“It is to be without frowns. It is to be pleasant. It is
to have correct conduct. It is to be friendly. It is to be gentle. It is
having a smiling face. It is being courteous. It is to be welcoming.

“It is the knowledge of successive levels. It is always maintaining
mindfulness. It is being wise concerning the skandhas. It is being wise
concerning the dhātus. It is being wise concerning the āyatanas. It is
making one’s higher cognitions manifest to others.

“It is the elimination of kleśas. It is ceasing engagement with
propensities. It is having specific
attainments. It is the natural result of meditation.

“It is skillfulness in eliminating transgressions. It is the prevention of the
arising of bad actions. It is the elimination of attachment.

“It is transcending the existences. It is the memory of previous
rebirths. It is being free from doubt concerning the ripening of karma.

“It is the contemplation of phenomena. It is seeking to hear the
Dharma. It is having sharp knowledge. It is craving for wisdom. It is the
realization of wisdom.

“It is the level of a noble being. It is having a mind
like a mountain. It is being unshakable. It is being immovable. It is the
knowledge of the nature of the level of irreversibility.

“It is having the natural result of good qualities. It is the
abhorrence of bad qualities. It is being free of behavior caused by the
kleśas. It is never abandoning the training.

“It is being established in samādhi. It is the knowledge of the
thoughts of beings. It is the knowledge of the various rebirths of beings.
It is knowledge of the infinite. It is the knowledge of the intended meaning of
words.

“It is the rejection of living in a home. It is finding no joy in
the three realms. It is having a motivation that is not discouraged. It is
having no attachment to phenomena.

“It is having possession of the sacred Dharma. It is protecting the
Dharma. It is conviction in the ripening of karma. It is skill in the
vinaya.

“It is the pacification of disputes. It is the absence of discord
and the absence of quarrels. It is having reached the level of patience. It
is maintaining patience.

“It is the equality of the different kinds of beings. It is skill in examining phenomena. It is skill in gaining
certainty concerning phenomena.

“It is the knowledge of distinguishing between the words for
phenomena. It is skill in the presentation of the
words for phenomena. It is the knowledge of the skill of presenting the
distinction between words that have meaning and those that do not have
meaning.

“It is knowledge of the past. It is knowledge of the future. It is
knowledge of the present. It is the knowledge
of the equality of the three times. It is the knowledge of the purity of the
three aspects of actions.

“It is the knowledge of skill in what is beneficial and what is not
beneficial. It
is rational speech. It is knowledge of the world.

“It is unrestrained generosity. It is being openhanded. It is having a nongrasping mind.

“It is having a sense of modesty and self-respect. It is an
abhorrence of negative aspirations. It is not forsaking the qualities of
purification. It is maintaining correct conduct. It is joyful conduct.

“It is standing up to welcome gurus and presenting them with a
seat. It is the elimination of pride. It is controlling the mind. It is the
knowledge of generating enthusiasm.

“It is the knowledge of discernment. It is the realization of
wisdom. It is being without ignorance. It is knowledge of the processes of
the mind. It is the knowledge that realizes the nature of the mind.

“It is abandoning that which is harmful. It is attending upon
excellent beings. It is being
together with excellent beings. It is avoiding bad beings.

“It is the accomplishment of dhyāna. It is not savoring dhyāna.

“It is the utilization of the higher cognitions. It is the knowledge
that comprehends the nature of assigned names and designations. It is
overcoming designations. It is disillusionment with saṃsāra.

“It is the absence of yearning for respect. It is indifference to
lack of respect. It is not being motivated by material gain. It is not
being disheartened when there is no gain. It is the absence of interest in
honor. It is the absence of anger at dishonor. It is the absence of
attachment to praise. It is the absence of displeasure in response to
criticism. It is the absence of attachment to happiness. It is the absence
of aversion to suffering. It is not being acquisitive of composite things.
It is having no attachment to renown. It is accepting the lack of
renown.

“It is not associating with householders and mendicants. It is avoiding that which is
outside the scope of correct conduct. It is acting within the scope of
correct conduct. It is a perfection of correct conduct. It is rejecting
incorrect conduct. It is not dishonoring
your family.

“It is preserving the teaching. It is speaking little. It is
speaking softly. It is speaking slowly. It is
skillfulness in answers. It is defeating opposition. It is arriving at the
right time. It is not relying on ordinary people.

“It is not having contempt for those in suffering. It is giving
them charity. It is not rebuking the poor. It is having compassion for
those with wrong conduct. It is having that which will bring benefit to
others. It is having a
compassionate mind. It is benefiting others through the Dharma. It is giving
away material things. It is the absence of hoarding.

“It is praising correct conduct. It is condemning incorrect
conduct. It is unwaveringly attending upon those who have correct
conduct. It is giving up all possessions. It is welcoming others with a higher motivation. It is doing exactly what one
has said one will do. It is perpetual application. It is experiencing joy
through veneration.

“It is the knowledge of using examples. It is being skilled in
terms of past lifetimes. It is putting roots of merit first. It is skill in
methods.

“It is the negation of attributes. It is rejecting identification.
It is knowledge of the characteristics of things.

“It is the accomplishment of the sūtras. It is skill in the
vinaya. It
is certainty in the truth. It is the direct experience of liberation. It is
the single teaching. It is not abandoning correct knowing and seeing. It is speech
free of doubt.

“It is remaining in emptiness. It is remaining in the
absence of attributes. It is understanding the nature of the absence of
aspiration. It is the attainment of fearlessness.

“It is illumination by wisdom. It is excellent correct conduct. It is entering into
samāpatti. It is the attainment of wisdom.

“It is the absence of pollution in the mind. It is rejecting
incorrect views. It is the attainment of mental retention.

“It is the entrance into knowledge. It is the knowledge
of the basis, the ground, the foundation, and the practice.

“It is appropriate patience. It is the level
of patience. It is being free of impatience. It is the level of
knowledge. It is the elimination of ignorance. It is being established in
knowledge.

“It is the level of spiritual practice. It is the scope of practice of the
bodhisattvas.

“It is attending upon wise beings. It is rejecting those who are
not wise beings. It is the knowledge that analyzes and realizes the nature
of all phenomena.

“It is the level of buddhahood taught by the tathāgatas. The wise rejoice in it. The foolish reject
it. It is difficult for the śrāvakas to know. The pratyekabuddhas do not
know it. It is not the level of the tīrthikas. The bodhisattvas possess it.
It is realized by those who have the ten strengths. The devas make offerings
to it. Brahmā praises it. The Śakras
value it above all else. The nāgas pay homage to it. The yakṣas rejoice in it.
The kinnaras praise it in song. The mahoragas laud it. The bodhisattvas
meditate on it. The wise comprehend it.

“It is the highest wealth. It is immaterial generosity. It is a
medicine for the sick. It is a treasure of wisdom. It is unceasing
eloquence.

“It is the way of the sūtras. It is the domain of heroes. It is the
comprehension of the entire three realms. It is a raft for
crossing to the other shore. It is like a boat for those in the middle of a
river.

“It is fame for those who wish for renown. The buddhas praise it.
The
tathāgatas laud it. Those who have the ten strengths praise it.

“It is the quality of the bodhisattvas. It is the equanimity of
those with compassion. It is the love that brings anger to an end.

“It is the delight of those with peaceful minds. It provides relief for those who follow the Mahāyāna.

“It is the diligent practice of those with a lion’s roar. It is the
path of the wisdom of the buddhas.

“It is the seal upon all phenomena. It is the accomplishment of
omniscient wisdom.

“It is the pleasure grove of bodhisattvas. It is that which
terrifies the māras.

“It is the knowledge of those who have reached happiness. It is the
benefit of those who accomplish benefit.

“It is the refuge for those among enemies. It is the subjugation of
adversaries by those who have the Dharma.

“It is the expression of truth for those who have fearlessness. It
is the correct search for the strengths. It is the omen for the eighteen
unique qualities of a buddha. It is the adornment of the Dharma body. It is the natural result of bodhisattva
conduct. It is the
adornment of the bodhisattvas. It is the delight of those who desire liberation. It is
the joy of the eldest sons.

“It is the completion of buddha wisdom. It is not the level of
śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas.

“It is the purity of the mind. It is the purity of the body. It is
the completion of the doorways to liberation.

“It is the wisdom of buddhahood’s freedom from the kleśas.
It is the nonarising of desire. It is devoid of anger.

“It is not the level of ignorance. It is the arising of wisdom. It
is the birth of knowledge. It is the elimination of ignorance.

“It is the contentment of those dedicated to liberation. It is the
satisfaction of those dedicated to samādhi. It is eyes for those who wish
for the view. It is higher knowledge for those who wish to perform miracles.
It is miraculous power for those who wish for accomplishment. It is
retentive memory for those dedicated to listening to the Dharma.

“It is subtle and difficult to know for those without
dedication. Those who are not
liberated cannot know it. It is beyond words and
difficult to know through speech.

“It is known by wise beings. It is the knowledge of gentle
beings. Those with few desires
realize it. Those who have unceasing diligence possess it. Those who are
mindful maintain it.

“It is the cessation of suffering. It is the birthlessness of all
phenomena. It is the single teaching on all existing beings and
lifetimes.

“Young man, this is the samādhi called the
revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena.”

When the Bhagavān gave this teaching of the samādhi, the revealed equality of the nature of all
phenomena, in the past, eighty times a hundred thousand
million devas and humans,
who had previously generated the necessary karma, attained the patience of
the birthlessness of phenomena, ninety-six times a hundred thousand million
attained the corresponding patience, ninety-three times a hundred thousand
million obtained the transmission of the teaching of that patience, and the
entirety of the hundred thousand bhikṣus attained liberation of mind
through the defilements not arising. Sixty times a hundred thousand devas
and human beings became free of desire, without stains, and gained the pure
Dharma sight of the Dharmas. Eighty thousand bhikṣuṇīs
attained liberation of mind through the nonarising of defilements. Five
hundred upāsakas attained the result of nonreturners. Six thousand upāsikās
attained the result of once-returners. This universe of a thousand million
worlds shook in six ways: it trembled, it trembled strongly, and it trembled
intensely; it quivered, it quivered strongly, and it quivered intensely; it
shook, it shook strongly, and it shook intensely; it shuddered, it shuddered
strongly, and it shuddered intensely; it quaked, it quaked strongly, and it
quaked intensely. The east sank and the west rose, the west sank and the east
rose, the north sank and the south rose, the south sank and the north rose,
the perimeter sank and the center rose, and the center sank and the
perimeter rose. An immeasurable radiance shone in the universe so that
whatever darkness there was between the worlds was illuminated by it. The
beings who were born there could see each other and they cried, “Ah! Other
beings have been born here too!” This occurred even as far down as the great
Avīci hell.

Conclusion of the first chapter: “The
Introduction.”

Chapter 2

Śālendrarāja

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, I
remember that in the past, when I was practicing the conduct of a
bodhisattva, I became a cakravartin. I desired this samādhi and I desired to
attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood.
For many hundred thousand quintillions of eons on this
Vulture Peak Mountain I served, venerated, revered, honored, worshiped, and
made offerings to many countless, innumerable tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly
enlightened buddhas with the presentation of many hundred thousand
quintillions of every kind of jewel, and various kinds of beautiful flowers,
incense, perfume, garlands, ointments, powders, parasols, banners, flags,
music, musical instruments, flags of victory, and precious monasteries.

“Young man, I heard from those tathāgatas extensively the samādhi,
the revealed equality of the nature of all
phenomena. I obtained it, asked questions about it, preserved
it, recited it to others, promoted it, meditated on it with an unadulterated
meditation, promulgated it, and made it widely known to others.

“Young man, the last of all those tathāgatas was the Tathāgata, the
arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha Śālendrarāja. Young man, that Tathāgata
Śālendrarāja had a saṅgha of a thousand trillion śrāvakas and bodhisattvas. Their
lifespans were seven million, six hundred thousand years. I served and made offerings to the Tathāgata,
the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha Śālendrarāja for a hundred and
eighty thousand million years and I built
ten million monasteries made of sandalwood and precious materials. The
Tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha Śālendrarāja’s
lifespan was seven hundred and sixty thousand million years. I entered homelessness in the presence of
the Tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha Śālendrarāja and
for a hundred and forty thousand million years I listened to the samādhi, the revealed equality of the nature of all
phenomena. I obtained it, asked questions about it, preserved
it, recited it to others, promoted it, meditated on it with an unadulterated
meditation, promulgated it, and made it widely known to others.”

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, if in
that way you wish for this samādhi and wish to attain quickly the highest,
complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, then you too should dedicate
yourself to making offerings to, serving, and being an attendant to all
tathāgatas as I have done.

“Young man, why is that? The natural result of making offerings to,
serving, and being an attendant to all tathāgatas is that it will not be
difficult for the bodhisattva mahāsattvas to attain the highest, complete
enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, let alone this samādhi, as their
natural result.

“Young man, in that way you should never weary of making offerings
to, serving, and being an attendant to all tathāgatas.”

Then the Bhagavān taught extensively, as a praise in chanted
verses, this chapter on the past lives of the youth Candraprabha:

“I remember six hundred million of those
who have the ten strengths,

Dwelling on Vulture Peak Mountain in the past

Who taught me, when I was practicing bodhisattva conduct,

This supreme peace of samādhi. {1}

“The last of all of them

Was the Lord of the World, the illuminator

Named Śālendrarāja,

And I asked him questions. {2}

“I had become of royal caste.

I was the principal king, the sovereign.

I had five hundred sons,

No less indeed than that. {3}

“For that buddha I built

Ten million monasteries

Made of special sandalwood,

And some of precious materials. {4}

“I was a king named Bhīṣmottara,

Beloved and adored by many beings.

For a hundred and eighty thousand million years

I made excellent offerings to that buddha. {5}

“The lifespan of the guide Śālendrarāja,

That jina, irreproachable,

Supreme among humans,

Was seven hundred and sixty thousand million years. {6}

“The saṅgha of that supreme man

Was composed of eight trillion śrāvakas

Who had the three knowledges, the six higher cognitions, and controlled
senses,

Whose defilements had ceased, and who were in their last body. {7}

“At that time I always longed for this samādhi

In order to benefit the people of the world and the devas,

And so I made many kinds of offerings

To that jina, that supreme human. {8}

“I, with my sons and wives, entered
homelessness

In the presence of Jina Śālendrarāja

And I asked questions about this samādhi for

A hundred and forty thousand million years. {9}

“I acquired from that sugata

The single chapter of this samādhi,

Which has eight thousand trillion verses

And moreover another hundred septillion. {10}

“Because I longed for this sublime samādhi

There was nothing that I had not previously offered:

Heads, hands, legs,
wives and likewise sons,

An abundance of riches, and similarly food to eat. {11}

“I remember ten thousand million buddhas

And more, to the number of sand grains in the Ganges,

Residing on Vulture Peak Mountain

And teaching this supreme samādhi, this peace. {12}

“All of them had the name Śākyaṛṣabha.

All of their sons were named Rāhula.

All their attendants were named Ānanda.

All were mendicants from places named Kapilavastu. {13}

“Their principal two students were Kolita and Śāriputra,

The names of all the saviors were the same,

The names of their worlds were the same,

And they all appeared in a time of degeneration. {14}

“While I practiced this bodhisattva conduct,

I honored all those lords of men.

While I longed for this samādhi,

There was nothing I did not offer to the jinas. {15}

“This samādhi is attained through practicing.

Its practice has been taught in many forms.

This samādhi is not difficult to attain

For those who are established in all good qualities. {16}

“This samādhi is not difficult to attain

For those who do not grasp pleasures, who have no cravings,

Who have no attachment to family, and are without envy,

Who are continually kind, and are without anger. {17}

“This samādhi is not difficult to attain

For those who do not desire honor or gain,

Whose subsistence is pure, who have nothing,

Whose conduct is pure, and who are without fear. {18}

“This samādhi is not difficult to attain

For those who are diligent, without lassitude,

And who are inclined to solitude, established in purification,

And continually remain in the patience of selflessness. {19}

“This samādhi is not difficult to attain

For those who are not agitated, who have a well-tamed mind,

Who remain within the conduct of mendicants and bodhisattvas,

And who are predisposed toward generosity and are without miserliness.
{20}

“The primary and secondary signs, the eighteen qualities of a buddha,

The strengths, and the fearlessnesses that have been described by the
Guide

Will not be difficult to attain for one

Who maintains this samādhi of peace. {21}

“If all the beings that a buddha can see

Were simultaneously to attain buddhahood,

And the length of each of their lives

Were to be countless tens of thousands of millions of eons, {22}

“And if each of them were to have heads

As numerous as the grains of sand in the ocean,

And if within each head there were tongues

As numerous as the number of heads, {23}

“And if all their voices were to describe the benefit

Of possessing one verse from this samādhi,

They would not be able to describe even a fraction of it,

Let alone describe the benefit of studying it, or of possessing it.
{24}

“Whoever has accomplished the practice and developed qualities

Will be adored by devas, asuras, and yakṣas.

The ones who maintain the samādhi of peace, difficult to attain,

Will have kings as their attendants. {25}

“The ones who maintain the samādhi of peace that is difficult to
attain

Will be in the care of the jinas.

They will always be attended by devas and nāgas

And opponents will not be able to withstand their brilliance. {26}

“The ones who maintain the samādhi of peace

Will have infinite eloquence.

They will teach countless thousands of sūtras

Without the slightest interval. {27}

“Those in the future time of great terrors

Who hear this samādhi and keep it

Will see the guide, Buddha Amitābha,

And also the realm of Sukhāvatī. {28}

“I have revealed these benefits

And I, the self-arisen Teacher, request

That you uphold this pure samādhi

In the time after I have passed into nirvāṇa. {29}

“The buddhas who have passed into nirvāṇa,

Those who will come in the future and those who have appeared now,

All those jinas realize unstained, noncomposite enlightenment

Through the practice of this samādhi.” {30}

Conclusion of the second chapter, “Śālendrarāja.”

Chapter 3

Praise of the Buddha’s Qualities

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man,
therefore, if bodhisattva mahāsattvas wish to teach the buddha qualities as
described by the Tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha,
without any loss of meaning or words, and for all their words to come forth
as those of the Buddha, then those bodhisattva mahāsattvas, young man, should, for
the sake of all beings, obtain this samādhi, understand
it, preserve it,
recite it to others,
promote it, proclaim it, chant it, meditate on it with unadulterated meditation, promulgate it,
and make it widely known to others.

“Young man, what are the buddha qualities of a tathāgata?

“Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas, whether in solitude, at the
foot of a tree, in the open air, or in an empty building, should learn well
the following.

“The Bhagavān is thus: a tathāgata, an arhat, a fully enlightened
buddha, one with perfect wisdom and conduct, a
sugata, one who knows the world’s beings, an unsurpassable guide who tames
beings, a teacher of devas and humans, a buddha, a bhagavān.

“The Tathāgata is the natural result of merit. He is the inevitable
result of roots of merit. He is adorned by patience. He is the
manifestation of a treasure of merit. He is beautified
by the excellent primary signs of a great being. He has the blossomed flowers of the
secondary signs of a great being. He is exemplary in his conduct. His
appearance is never disagreeable. He brings joy to those motivated by faith.
He is invincible in his wisdom. He has the invulnerability of the strengths.
He is the teacher of all beings. He is the father of all bodhisattvas. He is
the king of all noble individuals. He is the caravan leader for those
beginning on their journey. He is immeasurable in his wisdom. He is
inconceivable in his
eloquence. He is pure in his voice. He is delightful in his speech. He is
lovely in his physical form. He is unequaled in body. He is unstained by the
desire realm. He is unsullied by the form realm. He is unadulterated by the
formless realm. He is free from suffering. He is liberated from the skandhas. He is
separated from the dhātus. He has restrained
the āyatanas. He has cut through the knots. He is free from
torment.
He is
released from craving. He has crossed over the great
river. He is complete in his wisdom. He is established in the wisdom of the
buddha bhagavāns of the past, future, and present. He does not remain in
nirvāṇa. He resides at the summit of existence. He is on the level of seeing
all beings. Young man, those are the buddha qualities of a tathāgata.

“If bodhisattva mahāsattvas who possess these buddha qualities and
their praise, and who have continuous
confidence of speech based upon this samādhi, teach correctly the buddha
qualities and praises of the Tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened
Buddha, there will be no loss of meaning or words and all their words will
come forth as those of the Buddha.”

Then at that time the Bhagavān, in order to make the meaning clear,
gave a detailed teaching by chanting the following extensive verses to the
youth Candraprabha.

“It would not be easy to recite all the praises of the jinas

Even if one were to speak for many thousands of eons;

And the jinas attained their qualities

Through seeking this supreme samādhi of peace. {1}

“In the past, when I sought this supreme samādhi of peace

With a mind that was indefatigable,

I gave away a maiden adorned in jewelry,

Who was perfectly beautiful and desirable. {2}

“In the past, when I sought this supreme samādhi of peace

With a mind that was indefatigable,

I gave away male and female servants, riches and grain,

And also jewels, pearls, gold, and silver. {3}

“When I sought this supreme samādhi of peace

In the past, I gave to the guides

Various kinds of precious jewels, strings of pearls,

Beautiful clothes, and necklaces of conch and gold. {4}

“In countless, endless millions of eons

I developed the highest supreme aspiration,

And gave the best of perfumes and summer flowers

To the caityas of the jinas. {5}

“Through my giving the gift of the Dharma

I developed a pleasing following;

But the thought did not arise in my mind

Of gaining renown through giving the gift of the Dharma. {6}

“I never felt any reluctance to give away

The loveliest things that gave me pleasure.

I gave the gift of Dharma numerous times,

And always my thoughts were of attaining buddha wisdom. {7}

“In the past, to attain the qualities of this training,

I remained always in excellent, quiet forests.

I had immense compassion throughout that time

And always my thoughts were of attaining buddha wisdom. {8}

“I had a distinct conduct that was gentle and sweet,

A smiling face, the memory of what I had heard, and affectionate
speech.

My very sweet words were beloved by many

And all beings never had enough of looking at me. {9}

“I did not have any stinginess for even a moment.

Throughout myriad existences I had no envy.

I was always completely satisfied by alms.

I offered everything and left no
remainder. {10}

“Those who remember just one four-line verse from this

Become very learned and remember all they have heard.

Through it the highest, perfect faith arose in me

And I always honored it. {11}

“I longed for the supreme peace of this samādhi

And made many offerings to the guides.

I gave to them an endless variety of gifts

And this maintained my correct conduct for a long time. {12}

“From remembering one verse from this samādhi

The merit will be vastly greater

Than from endlessly offering numerous, various worlds

That are all filled with precious jewels. {13}

“If those wishing for merit

Were to offer to the jinas

Whatever flowers and incense exist

For numerous, countless, endless eons, {14}

“And if those wishing for merit

Were to offer to the jinas

Every kind of music, light, food, and clothing

For numerous, countless, endless eons, {15}

“A person who develops the aspiration to enlightenment,

Wishing to become a self-arisen jina, a lord of Dharma,

Will have merit that will be vastly greater

Through remembering one verse of this meditation.
{16}

“The merit from possessing this samādhi is most vast.

One would not be able to conclude reciting

The description of its benefits even in as many eons

As there are grains of sand in the Ganges.
{17}

“Therefore, having listened to

The excellent benefits of the buddhas,

You should quickly be one who has the transmission

Of this samādhi praised by the Buddha. {18}

“In my past lives I have honored

Seven hundred and thirty million buddhas.

All of those buddhas

Promulgated this sūtra. {19}

“The name of this sūtra

Is Entering Great Compassion.

Buddha qualities will not be hard to attain

For the learned one who trains in it. {20}

“When the World’s Guide is in nirvāṇa,

In that future time there will be

Many undisciplined bhikṣus

Who have no interest in becoming learned. {21}

“They will utter praises of correct conduct

But will have no interest in correct conduct.

They will utter praises of samādhi

But will have no interest in samādhi. {22}

“They will utter praises of wisdom

But will have no interest in wisdom.

They will utter praises of liberation

But will have no interest in liberation. {23}

“It is like when someone

Speaks of the qualities of sandalwood,

Saying, ‘Sandalwood is like this,

It makes a pleasing incense.’
{24}

“Then another person asks

That man this question:

‘Do you have some of the sandalwood

That you have been praising?’ {25}

“The man answers him,

‘I speak the praises of that incense

And in that way make my living,

But I have never seen that incense.’ {26}

“In such a way, in future times

There will be those who have no correct conduct,

Yet they who do not engage in it

Will make their living by praising it. {27}

“In that way, in future times

There will be those who have no samādhi,

Yet they who do not engage in it

Will make their living by praising it. {28}

“In that way, in future times

There will be those who have no wisdom,

Yet they who do not engage in it

Will make their living by praising it. {29}

“In that way, in future times

There will be those who have no liberation,

Yet they who do not engage in it

Will make their living by praising it. {30}

“When a certain poor person,

Despised by the populace,

Later finds a treasure

And becomes rich, he is respected by the people. {31}

“In that same way, not having attained the samādhi,

A bodhisattva is not esteemed

By gods or humans, kumbhāṇḍas or
rākṣasas,

Just like the poor person who has no wealth. {32}

“Yet when the wise one attains the level

Of the unfathomable Dharma
treasure,

Gods and humans will be attracted to him,

And he will give those beings the supreme wealth. {33}

“Therefore, having heard the Jina’s description

Of the perfect attainment of those benefits,

Forsake all happiness gained through reputation

And hold the transmission of this supreme peace of samādhi. {34}

“The buddhas in all directions who have passed away,

And those of the future, and those who are present,

All attain unequaled, inconceivable enlightenment

Through having trained in this samādhi.” {35}

The youth Candraprabha was overjoyed,

And in the presence of the Buddha he said these words:

“When the best of beings has passed into nirvāṇa,

I will uphold this sūtra in that very difficult time.
{36}

“I will give up my body and my life

And whatever happiness there is in the world;

In that time of great terrors

I will hold this samādhi of supreme peace. {37}

“I will have compassion for many beings.

I will see beings suffering without a protector.

I will be endowed with love for them

And will uphold this supreme peace, this samādhi.” {38}

At that time, no less than five hundred people

Became holders of the samādhi.

The youth was their leader

In this vast holding of the supreme sūtra. {39}

Conclusion of the third chapter, “Praise of the Buddha’s
Qualities.”

Chapter 4

Samādhi

Then the youth Candraprabha rose from his seat, removed his robe
from one shoulder, and, kneeling on his right knee with palms placed
together, he bowed toward the Bhagavān and made this request: “If the
Bhagavān will give me an opportunity to seek answers to them, I have a few
questions for the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly
enlightened Buddha.”

The Bhagavān addressed the youth Candraprabha, saying, “Young man,
the Tathāgata will always give you that opportunity. Ask whatever question
you wish of the Tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha.”

As the Bhagavān had given him the opportunity, the young man
Candraprabha asked the Bhagavān, “The Bhagavān says,
‘samādhi, samādhi.’ What kind of Dharma does this word designate?”

The Bhagavān replied to Candraprabha, “Young man, when I say
‘samādhi, samādhi,’ it means the profound realization of the mind.

“^[1] It is the absence of arising. ^[2] It is the absence of continuation. ^[3] It
is the knowledge of continuation. ^[4] It
is putting down
the burden. ^[5] It is the wisdom of the tathāgatas. ^[6] It is
having the preeminence of a buddha. ^[7] It is the healing of desire, the
pacifying of anger, and the elimination of ignorance.

“^[8] It is engaging in what should be engaged in. ^[9] It is
rejecting that which should not be engaged in. ^[10] It is the aspiration to
good qualities. ^[11] It is the wish to be free from saṃsāra.

“^[12] It is practicing with a higher motivation. ^[13] It is
remaining awake. ^[14] It is not abandoning renunciation.
^[15] It is maintaining good qualities.

“^[16] It is not relying on rebirth. ^[17] It is not accumulating
karma. ^[18] It is not paying attention to the internal āyatanas. ^[19] It is not engaging with the external āyatanas.

“^[20] It is not praising oneself. ^[21] It is not criticizing
others. ^[22] It is having no attachment to family. ^[23] It is not placing
one’s trust in ordinary people.

“^[24] It is the natural result of correct conduct. ^[25] It is
that which is difficult to approach. ^[26] It is great majesty. ^[27] It is
self-knowledge.

“^[28] It is the absence of inconstancy. ^[29] It is maintaining
perfect behavior. ^[30] It is the absence of malice. ^[31] It is the absence
of aggression. ^[32] It is not harming others. ^[33] It is taking care of
companions. ^[34] It is guarding secret mantras.

“^[35] It is being nonviolent. ^[36] It is not being harmful to those with
correct conduct. ^[37] It is speaking gently.

“^[38] It is not remaining anywhere in the three realms. ^[39] It is
the patience that accords with the emptiness of all phenomena. ^[40] It is the
aspiration to omniscient wisdom.

“That, young man, is what is meant by ‘samādhi.’ Young man,
practicing those qualities and not practicing their opposite is what is
meant by ‘samādhi.’ ”

Then the Bhagavān taught the samādhi, the
revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena, and at that
time gave a detailed teaching by chanting the following extensive verses to
the youth Candraprabha.

“I have opened the door to the elixir.

I have explained what the nature of phenomena is.

I have taught what births are.

I have explained nirvāṇa and its benefits. {1}

“Always avoid sinful companions,

Be in the company of good companions,

Dwell in the forest, avoiding crowds,

And always meditate with a loving mind. {2}

“Always protect pure conduct,

Gain the prosperity of renunciation,

Be familiar with generosity and wisdom,

And this samādhi will not be difficult to attain. {3}

“This is not the level of the numerous śrāvakas.

When you have attained this level of peace,

You will have the direct perception of the Sugata’s Dharma

And you will attain the inconceivable buddha qualities. {4}

“When you see wise people who are worthy vessels,

Bring them to the aspiration for enlightenment,

Establish them in the highest knowledge,

And then this king of samādhis will not be difficult to attain. {5}

“This samādhi is not difficult to attain

For those who understand the natural results

That come to
those who become envious of wealth

And to those who seek and enjoy it. {6}

“The meditation of this king of samādhis, emptiness,

Is at the summit of pure conduct.

The continuous meditation on the nature of phenomena

Is unknown to the foolish who practice incorrectly. {7}

“Those who long for this samādhi of peace

Will never have fear arise in their mind.

Those who are on this level of peace

Will always see the supreme men. {8}

“Whoever brings to mind the image of the Tathāgata’s body,

Their senses will be at peace and their mind at peace.

Their minds, free of error, will always be at rest.

What they have heard and what they know will be like an ocean. {9}

“Remaining in this samādhi,

Wherever the bodhisattvas tread

They will see ten thousand million buddhas

And even more, as numerous as the Ganges sands. {10}

“Anyone aiming to take the measure

Of the Buddha’s Dharma will go insane.

One cannot measure that which is immeasurable;

The qualities of the guides in their entirety are inconceivable. {11}

“There is no being in the ten directions

Who can equal the Lord of the World, let alone be greater.

You should long for and attain the wisdom of the buddhas,

Who possess all the qualities of omniscience. {12}

“The Lord of the World is completely beautiful,

With a body that is the color of gold.

Bodhisattvas will rest in meditation

When their mind is focused upon that image. {13}

“The wise who understand the composite and noncomposite

Have ceased conceptualizing attributes.

They remain in that meditation of the absence of attributes

And know the emptiness of all phenomena. {14}

“Those who remain in the dharmakāya

Know that all things are nothing.

Those who have ceased conceptualizing things

Do not see the Lord of Jinas as a rūpakāya. {15}

“I proclaim to you and make it known to you

That to the extent that a person contemplates this,

To that extent their mind will be fixed upon it,

Through that contemplation that dwells upon it. {16}

“Those who remember in that way the appearance

And immeasurable wisdom of the Lord of Sages,

They will have their mind completely focused upon him

Through constant meditation on that recollection. {17}

“When walking, sitting, or standing,

They desire the wisdom of the best of beings,

And pray for enlightenment, wishing to become

A jina who is unsurpassable in this world. {18}

“They will know the buddhas and see the buddhas;

They will realize the nature of the buddhas.

Remaining in this samādhi,

They will pay homage to the buddhas who have great might. {19}

“With serene body, speech, and mind,

They constantly recite praises to the buddhas.

In that way, through the mind’s continuum of meditation,

Day and night they see the Lord of the World. {20}

“When the time comes that they are sick and unwell

And experience the suffering of dying,

They will not lose their recollection of the Buddha,

And it will not be stolen away by the experience of suffering. {21}

“Having analyzed with wisdom in that way,

They know all present, past, and future phenomena to be empty.

They remain in that nature of phenomena

And perform bodhisattva conduct without being disheartened. {22}

“Therefore, having heard these benefits,

You should long for unequaled enlightenment.

It is difficult to see the sublime Sugata,

So do not have cause for regret in the future. {23}

“I have taught this excellent Dharma

But if you do not practice it well

You will be like a sick man holding a bag
of medicine—

That alone will not cure his illness. {24}

“Therefore, the wise and the realized

Are always aspiring to this samādhi.

And if they practice correct conduct, learning, and generosity

It will not be difficult for them to attain this samādhi.” {25}

Conclusion of the fourth chapter, “Samādhi.”

Chapter 5

Ghoṣadatta

Then the Bhagavān again addressed the youth Candraprabha, saying,
“Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi,
and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect
buddhahood, should think that they are like someone whose hair and clothes
are on fire, and they should cast off father, mother, son, daughter, family,
kinsmen, relatives, kindred, wife, and so on, as if they were fire, throw
away all the pleasures of a kingdom as if they were a lump of phlegm, turn
toward solitude, and depart from home.

“Why is that? Young man, attaining the highest, complete
enlightenment of perfect buddhahood will not be difficult for a bodhisattva
mahāsattva who turns toward solitude and departs from home, let alone one
who has this samādhi.

“Therefore, young man, you should always train in having this
thought: ‘I shall cast off friends, children, family, kinsmen, relatives,
kindred, wife, and so on, as if they were fire, throw away all the pleasures
of a kingdom as if they were a lump of phlegm, turn toward solitude, and
depart from home.’

“Therefore, young man, you should understand this through the
following teaching, too:

“Young man, in the past, countless, vast, immeasurable,
inconceivable, innumerable, asaṃkhyeya eons ago, at that time and in those days, there appeared in the world the Bhagavān,
the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha Ghoṣadatta, who
was perfect in wisdom and conduct, a sugata, a knower of the world, an
unsurpassable guide who tamed beings, a teacher of devas and humans, a
buddha, and a bhagavān.

“Young man, at that time and in those days, in the first assembly
of the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha
Ghoṣadatta’s śrāvakas, there were eight hundred million who were arhats. In
the second assembly there were seven hundred million arhats. In the third
assembly of śrāvakas there were six hundred million arhats. There were
also countless bodhisattva mahāsattvas who possessed the Dharma.

“Young man, at that time and in those days, during the time of the
Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha
Ghoṣadatta, the lifespan was forty thousand years. This Jambudvīpa continent
had wealth, increase, happiness, excellent harvests, joy, and was filled
with a great multitude of human beings.

“In this Jambudvīpa there were two kings named Dṛḍhabala and
Mahābala. One ruled the half of Jambudvīpa that had wealth, increase,
happiness, excellent harvests, joy, and was filled with a great multitude of
human beings. The other ruled the other half.

“Young man, at that time, the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat,
the perfectly enlightened Buddha Ghoṣadatta appeared in the kingdom of King
Mahābala.

“Young man, for a hundred thousand years King Mahābala provided the
Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha
Ghoṣadatta, the saṅgha of bodhisattvas, and the saṅgha of bhikṣus with
faultless, proper clothing, alms, medicine if they were ill, and monastic
utensils for their use.

“Young man, at that time, the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat,
the perfectly enlightened Buddha Ghoṣadatta, the saṅgha of bodhisattvas, and
the saṅgha of bhikṣus received greatly renowned gifts and honors.

“Brahmins and householders who had faith also bestowed great gifts
and honors on the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly
enlightened Buddha Ghoṣadatta, the saṅgha of bodhisattvas, and the saṅgha of
bhikṣus.

“Those brahmins and householders did this by following the example
of King Mahābala, dedicating themselves to bestowing great
gifts and honors by making offerings of worldly material goods to the
Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha
Ghoṣadatta, the saṅgha of bodhisattvas, and the saṅgha of bhikṣus.

“Young man, the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly
enlightened Buddha Ghoṣadatta thought, ‘Alas! These beings who have adopted
correct conduct and the poṣadha vows have come before the Tathāgata, have
honored the Tathāgata, practice celibacy, have entered the homeless life,
and have become fully ordained bhikṣus—they will go into decline. They are
concerned about the happiness of their future lives.

“ ‘Why is that? It is because in their future lives their happiness
will be from these offerings of worldly material things. The realms of the
higher existences are the goal of these beings. They are concerned with this
life. They are concerned with their next life. They do not accumulate roots of merit for the final ultimate
goal.’

“Young man, what are the roots of merit for the ultimate goal? They
are pure conduct and celibacy going toward the ultimate goal and reaching
the ultimate goal.

“Bhagavān Ghoṣadatta thought, ‘I must teach those beings the Dharma
so that they will make the unsurpassable offering of the Dharma and the
practice of the Dharma as their offering to the Tathāgata.’

“Then, young man, at that time the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the
arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha Ghoṣadatta, with the intention of
creating revulsion toward saṃsāra, recited these verses
to King Mahābala, the brahmins, and the laypeople:

“ ‘The service of someone making a gift to another

Is not a cause for holding each other in high esteem.

The wise ones who are free of negative propensities,

The buddhas, they do not praise that service. {1}

“ ‘Those who teach the Dharma for the benefit of beings,

They are those who accomplish great service.

Then there will form an unbreakable bond of friendship,

Which not even ten million māras will be able to break. {2}

“ ‘The service of those who keep to worldly material things

Will all be for the benefit of the present life.

The immaterial service of the Dharma

Leads to the greatest benefit for humans. {3}

“ ‘Those who have a nonmaterialistic motivation

And teach the nonmaterial Dharma,

Those individuals who gain nonmaterial joy,

They will quickly attain buddhahood. {4}

“ ‘Those who are addicted to their desires,

Who crave for children and wives,

Who are addicted to their revolting homes,

Will not attain unsurpassable, highest enlightenment. {5}

“ ‘Supreme enlightenment will not be difficult to attain

For those who avoid desire as if it were a pit of fire,

Who abandon craving for children and wives,

And, frightened and terrified, leave their homes. {6}

“ ‘There have been no buddhas in the past,

Nor will there be any in the future or now in the present,

Who attain the highest, most supreme enlightenment

While living inside their homes. {7}

“ ‘Casting away a kingdom like a lump of phlegm,

Longing for solitude and living in the forests,

Eliminating the kleśas and defeating the māras,

They will realize stainless, noncomposite enlightenment. {8}

“ ‘People who, with a disenchanted mind,

Leave their homes, they are superior

To those who serve, for many millions of eons,

Heroic buddhas as numerous as the Ganges sands. {9}

“ ‘People who leave their homes and practice the Dharma,

Without serving the supreme humans, the jinas,

With food, drink, and Dharma robes,

With flowers, incense, and ointments— {10}

“ ‘Those who, longing for enlightenment,

Disillusioned with the composite, and for the benefit of beings,

Take seven steps in the direction of the forests—

They will have the superior merit.’ {11}

“Young man, King Mahābala heard what the Bhagavān, the tathāgata,
the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha Ghoṣadatta said about leaving
one’s home. Having heard this, he thought, ‘I have understood the Bhagavān’s
teaching to mean that he does not praise the perfection of generosity, but gives the
highest, ultimate praise to the perfection of conduct. The Bhagavān has praised perfect purity, perfect celibacy,
and perfect nirvāṇa.’

“He thought, ‘It is not easy to practice the unsurpassable Dharma
and attain its goal while living in a home. I would decline in my practice
of the unsurpassable Dharma. I shall cut off my hair and beard, wear the
orange robes, and leave home for homelessness.’

“Then, young man, King Mahābala, accompanied by eighty
thousand brahmins and laypeople,
came before the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly
enlightened Buddha Ghoṣadatta, bowed down to his feet, circumambulated the
Bhagavān three times, and sat to one side.

“Young man, the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly
enlightened Buddha, knowing the higher motivation of King Mahābala, taught
this samādhi, the revealed equality of the nature of
all phenomena.

“Young man, on hearing this, King Mahābala was pleased, delighted,
joyful, inspired, and happy. He shaved off his hair and beard, put on the
orange robes, and with faith left home for homelessness. Having entered
homelessness he learned this samādhi, and having learned it he understood
it. He dedicated himself to the practice of keeping it, reading it, and
meditating on it. Through that root of merit, he did not fall into the lower
existences for a hundred million eons. He served two hundred million buddhas
and heard this samādhi from all those tathāgatas. He learned this samādhi,
and having learned it he understood it. He dedicated himself to the practice of
keeping it, reading it, and meditating on it.

“Subsequently, through those roots of merit, after a hundred
million eons had passed, and then another hundred thousand eons, he attained
the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. He became the
Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha named
Jñānaśūra. He benefited countless beings, and
afterward he passed away into perfect nirvāṇa.

“Young man, the eighty thousand people who with King Mahābala came
into the presence of the Bhagavān, the Tathāgata Ghoṣadatta all heard this
samādhi also and were delighted, rejoicing, and joyful. Happy and joyful,
they cut off their hair and beards, wore the orange robes, and with genuine
faith they left home for homelessness. Having entered homelessness they
learned this samādhi, and having learned it they understood it. They
dedicated themselves to the practice of keeping it, reading it, and
meditating on it. Through that root of merit, they did not fall into the
lower existences for a hundred million eons. During all those eons, they
served ten million buddhas and heard this samādhi from all those tathāgatas.
They maintained this samādhi and comprehended it. They dedicated themselves
to the practice of keeping it, reading it, and meditating on it.

“Through their previous roots of merit, after two hundred million
eons had passed and a further hundred thousand eons, they attained the
highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. They all became
bhagavāns, tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas named
Dṛḍhaśūra. They benefited countless beings, and afterward they passed away
into perfect nirvāṇa.

“Therefore, young man, because of this teaching, the bodhisattva
mahāsattvas cherish in this way this samādhi. They know that it is composed
of the unsurpassable wisdom of omniscience.”

Then, at that time, the Bhagavān gave a detailed teaching by
chanting the following extensive verses to the youth Candraprabha.

“I remember, countless eons ago

In the past, a supreme human, a great sage

Who benefited beings appeared in the world,

And he was known by the name Ghoṣadatta. {12}

“The first assembly of his students

Numbered eight hundred million.

The second was seven hundred million.

The third was six hundred million arhats. {13}

“All had eliminated defilements and were without kleśas.

All had attained the perfection of miraculous powers.

The lifespan was forty thousand years

And the realm was perfectly pure and beautiful. {14}

“The bodhisattvas of that protector

Were consecrated to immeasurably benefit others.

They were well established through their powers and levels.

They were near to buddhahood beneath the sacred tree. {15}

“In this Jambudvīpa there were kings

Named Dṛḍhabala and Mahābala.

One king ruled half the world,

The other was king over the other half. {16}

“The Buddha, to whom humans and devas made offerings,

Had appeared within the domain of King Mahābala.

The king gained faith in the Sugata

And attended him for a thousand years. {17}

“Many other beings, following his example,

Also honored the Tathāgata

With worldly goods and not through the Dharma.

They gave many things to the śrāvakas also. {18}

“The highest of beings had this thought:

‘I shall teach the Dharma to these who desire the Dharma

So that they will all give up desire

And enter into homelessness in my teaching.’ {19}

“The highest of humans taught in verses

The practice of following the Dharma of the sugatas,

The endless suffering and harm of living in a home,

And that practicing the Dharma is offering to the Dharma. {20}

“When the king, the sovereign, had heard those verses,

That ruler of men contemplated entering solitude.

He thought that all who dwell at home

Are unable to make the supreme offering to the Dharma. {21}

“He cast away the kingdom like a lump of phlegm

And together with eighty thousand persons

He came into the presence of the Jina,

Bowed to his feet, and sat before him. {22}

“The Jina, knowing what they intended,

Taught this samādhi of peace that is difficult to see.

Happy, inspired, and joyful, they were satisfied.

Pleased and delighted, they entered homelessness. {23}

“Homeless, they possessed this samādhi.

They kept it, read it, and understood it.

For two hundred million eons

They did not fall into the lower existences. {24}

“Because of those roots of merit,

They all saw ten thousand million buddhas

And in the teaching of those jinas

They entered homelessness and meditated on this samādhi. {25}

“In later times they became buddhas

With infinite diligence, all named Dṛḍhaśūra.

They benefited many millions of beings

And after, like an extinguished flame, attained nirvāṇa. {26}

“The one who previously had been King Mahābala

Appeared in the world as Buddha Jñānaśūra.

He brought many billions of beings

To enlightenment, and then attained nirvāṇa. {27}

“Therefore you who, in later times, hear and possess

This sūtra that has been taught by the buddhas:

If you possess this treasure of the Dharma

You will quickly become a supreme human.” {28}

Conclusion of the fifth chapter, “Ghoṣadatta.”

Chapter 6

Cultivating the Samādhi

The Bhagavān now said to the youth Candraprabha,
“Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi,
and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect
buddhahood, should cultivate this samādhi.

“Young man, what is the cultivation of this samādhi? Young man,
bodhisattva mahāsattvas with a compassionate mind are dedicated to making
offerings to the tathāgatas, whether living or passed into nirvāṇa, of
Dharma robes, alms, seat and bedding, medicines for when ill, and of
monastic utensils, and of flowers, incense, perfume, garlands, ointments,
aromatic powders, clothing, parasols, banners, and flags, and of music and
musical instruments. They dedicate that root of merit to the attainment of
samādhi. They do not make offerings to a tathāgata with the hope for
anything at all—not with the hope for anything they desire, nor with the
hope for any enjoyment, nor with the hope for a higher existence, nor with
the hope for followers—but do so with the Dharma in mind. They do not even,
with that wish, perceive the Tathāgata as the dharmakāya, let alone
perceiving him as the rūpakāya.

“Young man, it is in that way that an offering is made to the
tathāgatas. It is done without seeing the tathāgatas, without focusing on
the self, and without any desire for the ripening of karma. Young man, if an
offering made to a tathāgata is purified of those three aspects of the
action, this samādhi will be attained and the highest, complete
enlightenment of perfect buddhahood will be quickly reached.”

At this point the Bhagavān gave a detailed teaching on the
cultivation of the samādhi by chanting the following extensive verses to the
youth Candraprabha.

“Through offering incense to infinite wisdom

Beings will have an infinite aroma.

In ten million eons they will not go to the lower realms,

And no bad smells will come from them. {1}

“For ten million eons they will practice bodhisattva conduct

And make offerings to ten thousand million buddhas.

The aroma of wisdom will arise so that they

Will become buddhas with the aroma of supreme conduct. {2}

“If any beings know that the incense they offer,

Those to whom they offer it,

And the minds that offer incense do not exist,

The ‘concordant patience’ they have is of lesser kind. {3}

“But if a person maintains a patience that is great,

Even were they cut up, for ten million eons,

Into tiny pieces as numerous as the Ganges sands,

Their mind will never regress. {4}

“Why is this termed ‘patience’?

And why is it called ‘concordant’?

For what reason is it said to be ‘nonregressive’?

And why are they called ‘bodhisattvas’? {5}

“Their patience being for the selfless nature of phenomena,

Those who perceive selflessness have no kleśas.

They know that all phenomena are like space.

That, therefore, is what is termed ‘patience.’ {6}

“They train in accord with all the jinas.

Those wise ones do not practice non-Dharma.

They do not doubt the Buddha’s Dharma.

That is the patience that is ‘concordant.’ {7}

“Even if all the māras in the world transformed

Into buddhas and said to such practitioners,

‘Enlightenment is too difficult! So become a śrāvaka!’

They would not believe those words and would not regress. {8}

“If they know of the incorrect view of beings

They say, ‘This is not the path to deathlessness!’

So that they reject the wrong path and are brought to the true path.

That is the reason why they are called bodhisattvas. {9}

“They remain upon the path of concordant patience

And are awake through the knowledge of selflessness.

Even in a dream they do not believe

In humans, persons, souls, or beings. {10}

“Even if as many millions of māras as there are Ganges sands

Came before them in the forms of buddhas,

And said to them that there is a soul within the body,

They would reply that it was not so and say, ‘You are not buddhas.’ {11}

“Through wisdom I know that the skandhas are empty.

Because I know that, I am unaccompanied by kleśas.

In my conduct I use mere words

But within this world remain within nirvāṇa, {12}

“Just as when a man has a son born to him

And gives him a name, saying, ‘This is his name!’

But that name cannot be found anywhere.

And that name did not come from anywhere. {13}

“In that way the name ‘bodhisattva’ is given,

But if one seeks for this ‘bodhisattva’

That name will not be found anywhere.

One who knows that is a bodhisattva. {14}

“The bodhisattvas do not believe in the existence of a self

Any more than that a fire can burn in the middle of the ocean.

Since they have developed the aspiration for enlightenment

They have not had the view that there is a soul within. {15}

“There is no birth and there is no death

For beings, humans, the descendants of Manu.

Phenomena have an empty nature, like illusions;

The tīrthikas are unable to know that. {16}

“Also those who crave for food,

Who desire and cling to alms bowls and robes,

Who are arrogant and are haughty,

They cannot understand the Buddha’s enlightenment. {17}

“The lazy who are overcome by sleepiness and dullness,

Who have stubborn minds, and are shameless,

Who have no faith in the Buddha,

They are unable to understand sublime enlightenment. {18}

“The ordinary beings with incorrect behavior,

Those who do not have faith in the Dharma,

Who have no respect toward celibates,

They are unable to understand enlightenment. {19}

“Those with correct behavior, who have modesty and self-respect,

Who delight in the Dharma and the buddhas,

Who show great respect to the practitioners of celibacy,

They will attain the supreme, highest enlightenment. {20}

“Those whose conduct is performed with mindfulness,

Who sit upon their cushion with joy and delight,

With dhyāna as food and samādhi for drink,

They will attain the supreme, highest enlightenment. {21}

“Those who understand selflessness all day long,

Who are mindful of emptiness as they walk,

Who bear the beautiful aromatic flowers of the aspects of
enlightenment,

Those dedicated ones will attain supreme enlightenment. {22}

“They who are skilled in bodhisattva conduct

Are not on the level of other beings,

Of śrāvakas, or of pratyekabuddhas.

Who would not aspire to that realization? {23}

“If I were to have a lifespan that continued

For as many millions of eons as there are sands in the Ganges,

I would not even be able to finish reciting the praises

Of as little of the Buddha’s wisdom as a tiny pore. {24}

“Therefore, having heard the benefits

That have been taught by the unsurpassable Jina,

You should quickly become instructed in this samādhi.

And then the attainment of supreme enlightenment will not be difficult.”
{25}

Conclusion of the sixth chapter, “Cultivation of the
Samādhi.”

Chapter 7

The Attainment of Patience

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young
man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain
quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should
become skilled in the wisdoms of the three kinds of patience. They should
know the first patience. They should know the second patience. They should
know the third patience. They should become skilled in the differences
between the three kinds of patience and skilled in the differences between
the wisdoms of the three kinds of patience.

“Why is that? Young man, when bodhisattva mahāsattvas become
skilled in the differences between the three kinds of patience and become
skilled in the differences between the wisdoms of the three kinds of
patience, then at that time, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas will quickly
attain this samādhi, and will quickly attain the highest, complete
enlightenment of perfect buddhahood.

“Therefore, young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish to attain
the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood should learn this
Dharma teaching on gaining the three kinds of patience. When they have
learned it they should teach it widely to others. That will be of benefit to
many beings, it will bring happiness to many beings, it will be a kindness
to the world, it will bring fulfillment to a multitude of beings, and bring
benefit and happiness to humans and devas.”

Then the Bhagavān taught this Dharma discourse on gaining the three
kinds of patience by chanting the following verses to the youth
Candraprabha.

“Those who do not argue

Or speak unbeneficial words

But always bring benefit and maintain the Dharma,

Such people are explained as having the first patience. {1}

“Knowing that all phenomena are like illusions,

Not having a conceptual field of experience,

And not falling from the level of increasing wisdom

Are distinctive qualities of the first patience. {2}

“Being skilled in all the paths of the sūtras,

Being wise and attracted to the Buddha’s words,

And having the infinite awareness of the sugatas’ wisdom

Are distinctive qualities of the first patience. {3}

“Whatever Dharma taught by the Buddha they hear,

They have no doubt about the Buddha’s teachings

But aspire to the Dharma of all the jinas.

These are distinctive qualities of the first patience. {4}

“They know the particular sūtra with the definitive meaning,

Such as the Sugata’s teaching on emptiness.

They know that all the Dharmas that teach

Of beings, individuals, and persons are provisional truth. {5}

“In this world there are many tīrthikas,

But they feel no anger toward them.

They are firmly established in compassion for them.

These are distinctive qualities of the first patience. {6}

“The retentions become apparent to them

And they have no doubts concerning their appearance.

What they speak is in accord with the truth.

These are distinctive qualities of the first patience. {7}

“The four elements of air and water,

Fire and earth may change into something else,

But they will never turn away from the enlightenment of buddhahood.

These are distinctive qualities of the first patience. {8}

“Whatever skills there are in the world,

The bodhisattvas learn them all,

And no one sees anyone higher than them.

These are distinctive qualities of the first patience. {9}

“They are unwavering through the power of śamatha,

And through vipaśyanā they are like a mountain.

Even all beings together would be unable to disturb them.

These are distinctive qualities of the second patience. {10}

“In meditation they stand and talk;

Remaining in meditation they walk.

In meditation they master the perfections.

These are distinctive qualities of the second patience. {11}

“In meditation they attain the five higher knowledges.

Teaching the Dharma they go to a hundred realms.

They do not lose their miraculous powers.

These are distinctive qualities of the second patience. {12}

“They remain in that kind of samādhi of peace.

They attain certainty of the mind,

And in their meditation there is no ‘being.’

These are distinctive qualities of the second patience. {13}

“With buddha wisdom they teach the Dharma

To all of the beings who are in the world,

And they are able to remember all that they have taught.

These are distinctive qualities of the second patience. {14}

“They see the lords of the worlds in all directions:

East, south, west, and north,

Above, below, and in the intermediate directions.

These are distinctive qualities of the third patience. {15}

“They have a body that is the color of gold

And emanate countless manifestations,

Teaching the Dharma to many millions of beings.

These are distinctive qualities of the third patience. {16}

“Each such bodhisattva appears throughout

This buddha realm of Jambudvīpa

And is renowned also among the devas and asuras.

These are distinctive qualities of the third patience. {17}

“The bodhisattvas train in accordance

With the field of activity of the buddhas

And the conduct of the sugatas.

These are distinctive qualities of the third patience. {18}

“If the beings that are in this world

Were to recite the praises of the bodhisattvas

And they were to take great joy in that

Then they would not be trained in the Buddha’s wisdom. {19}

“If all the beings that are in this world

Were to speak badly to the bodhisattvas,

And if they were to become angry toward them,

Then they would still not be trained in the Buddha’s wisdom. {20}

“If they gain wealth it does not make them happy;

If they do not gain wealth it does not make them unhappy.

Their minds always remain like a mountain.

These are distinctive qualities of the third patience. {21}

“These three patiences are taught to be the patience regarding what is
spoken,

The patience that is beneficial for contemplation and meditation,

And the patience, from listening to the Dharma, regarding
birthlessness.

These trainings are the path to enlightenment. {22}

“When the bodhisattvas attain

These three unsurpassable patiences,

They see the supreme humans, the sugatas,

And they give them the prophecy of their stainless enlightenment. {23}

“When they have received that prophecy

The earth shakes in six ways,

The realm is illuminated by light,

And millions of devas send down a rain of flowers. {24}

“When they have received that prophecy

Countless quintillions of beings

Develop the aspiration to enlightenment,

Thinking, ‘We also shall become jinas, worthy of offerings.’ {25}

“When the bodhisattvas attain

These three unsurpassable patiences

They are not born, they do not die,

They do not pass away, and are not reborn. {26}

“When the bodhisattvas attain

These three unsurpassable patiences

They do not see beings born or dying,

But see all phenomena as remaining in the true nature. {27}

“In this way they know that they are untrue,

That phenomena are like illusions, that they are naturally empty.

Emptiness is not born and does not die.

All these phenomena are by nature empty. {28}

“Whenever someone shows them respect,

Attending to them, honoring them, and making offerings,

They take no pleasure in it,

For they know that phenomena have an empty nature. {29}

“Toward beings who revile, threaten, or beat them,

They feel no anger, nor pride.

They only feel constant love for them,

Wishing for those beings to be liberated. {30}

“Even when beaten and cut with sticks and stones,

Those wise ones will feel no anger,

Remaining in the patience of selflessness,

And not having unyielding anger or pride. {31}

“In this way they know the lack of reality,

That phenomena are like illusions, with an empty nature.

They remain in that knowledge of phenomena

And are venerated by this world and its devas. {32}

“Even toward beings holding weapons

Who cut into pieces their body and limbs,

They would have no anger,

And their love and compassion would not diminish. {33}

“Toward such beings, while they are cutting up their body and limbs,

This is what arises in their mind:

‘Until I can bring these beings to enlightenment

I will not pass into the peace of nirvāṇa.’ {34}

“The bodhisattvas of great renown

Continuously meditate throughout millions of eons

With that kind of unsurpassable power of patience,

Resting in the equanimity of the patience of selflessness. {35}

“For even more eons, as many as Ganges sand grains,

They do not accomplish benefit through the knowledge of a buddha.

They do not reach enlightenment,

Let alone the wisdom of the tathāgatas. {36}

“Even if one were to speak for countless hundreds of eons,

It would be difficult to conclude the praises,

The endless descriptions, of the greatly renowned ones

Who are established in the patience of selflessness. {37}

“Therefore, the one who desires supreme, unsurpassable enlightenment,

The accumulated wisdom of buddhahood,

Should meditate on the patience praised by the jinas,

And then supreme enlightenment will not be difficult to attain.” {38}

Conclusion of seventh chapter, “The Attainment of
Patience.”

Chapter 8

Buddha Abhāvasamudgata

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man,
bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish for this samādhi, and wish to attain
quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should
become skilled in the wisdom of the nonexistent nature of all phenomena.

“Young man, what is being skilled in the wisdom of the nonexistent
nature of all phenomena? Bodhisattva mahāsattvas know that all phenomena
have no existence, have no essence, have no attributes, have no
characteristics, have no origin, have no cessation, have no words, are
empty, are primordial peace, and are pure by nature.

“Young man, when bodhisattva mahāsattvas know that all phenomena
have no existence, have no essence, have no attributes, have no
characteristics, have no birth, have no cessation, have no words, are empty,
are primordial peace, and are pure by nature, then at that time, young man,
those bodhisattva mahāsattvas have become skilled in the wisdom of the
nonexistent nature of all phenomena.

“Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have become skilled in the
wisdom of the nonexistent nature of all phenomena do not have desire for any
form, sound, smell, taste, or touch. They do not become angry. They are
never ignorant.

“Why is that? It is because they do not see phenomena; there is no
object to perceive. They do not see the phenomena of desire, the desire, or
the desirer; that which angers, the anger, or one who is angry; nor that of
which one is ignorant, the ignorance, or the one who is ignorant, and
therefore there is no such object to perceive.

“Because there is nothing to be seen and there is no object to
perceive, they have no attachment to anything in the three realms and they
will quickly attain this samādhi, and quickly attain the highest, complete
enlightenment of perfect buddhahood.

“On this topic, it has been said:

“All phenomena have no existence;

They are all devoid of attributes and without characteristics,

Without birth and without cessation.

That is how you should perfectly
understand phenomena.

“Everything is without existence, without words,

Empty, peaceful, and primordially stainless.

The one who knows phenomena,

Young man, that one is called a buddha.

“Therefore, the revealed nature of equality

Is that all phenomena in essence have no nature.

Whoever desires the mother of the sugatas

Will attain this mother of the jinas.

“Therefore, young man, that is what you should understand through
this Dharma teaching.

“Young man, in the past, countless, vast, immeasurable,
inconceivable, unfathomable, asaṃkhyeya eons ago, at that time, in that
time, there appeared in the world the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat,
the perfectly enlightened Buddha Abhāvasamudgata, who was perfect in wisdom
and conduct, a sugata, a knower of the world, an unsurpassable
guide who tamed beings, a teacher of devas and humans, a buddha, and a
bhagavān.

“Young man, what do you think? Why was that tathāgata named
Abhāvasamudgata?

“Young man, as soon as he was born he rose in the air up to the
height of seven palm trees, took seven steps, and said these words: ‘All
phenomena have arisen from nonexistence. From nonexistence have all
phenomena arisen.’

“Young man, the sound of those words was heard in all the worlds in
the trichiliocosm. It resounded and was heard by everyone from the devas on
the earth up to those in Brahmā’s paradise. ‘Oh, as soon as this tathāgata
was born, he rose in the air up to the height of seven palm trees, took
seven steps and said the word nonexistence. Therefore
he will be Abhāvasamudgata (Arisen from Nonexistence).’ Thus it was that
the name Abhāvasamudgata arose, and that he was given the name
Abhāvasamudgata.

“When that bhagavān attained enlightenment, the words ‘arisen from
nonexistence’ sounded from the leaves of all the trees, from all the
grass,
bushes, and forests, and from the summits of all the mountains.

“Every sound in that world was heard as the words ‘arisen from
nonexistence.’

“Young man, at the time, attending the teachings of the Bhagavān,
the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha Abhāvasamudgata,
there was a young prince by the name of Mahākaruṇācintin, who had an
excellent body and was handsome and good-looking.

“Young man, the prince went to the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the
arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha Abhāvasamudgata and bowed his head
to the Bhagavān’s feet. He circumambulated the Bhagavān three times and then
sat down.
Then the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened
Buddha Abhāvasamudgata, knowing the higher motivation of Prince
Mahākaruṇācintin, taught him this samādhi. When he had heard this he had
complete faith in it. With complete faith he shaved off his hair and beard,
put on the orange robes, and with such faith left home for homelessness.
Having entered homelessness he learned this samādhi. He learned it, kept it,
read it, understood it, and dedicated himself to the practice of meditation
on it. Through that root of merit, he did not fall into the lower existences
for two hundred million eons. He served two hundred million buddhas, and he
heard this samādhi from all those tathāgatas. Having heard it, he learned it
and understood it. He kept it, read it, propagated it, and repeatedly
meditated on it with unadulterated meditation, remaining dedicated to that
practice of meditation.

“Through those roots of merit, after twenty eons had passed he
appeared in the world as the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the
perfectly enlightened Buddha Suvicintitārtha. He ripened countless beings
and benefited countless beings, and afterward, like an extinguished flame,
he passed away into perfect nirvāṇa.

“Therefore, young man, this samādhi of that Dharma teaching should
be cherished by bodhisattva mahāsattvas. It should be known to cause the
unsurpassable perfect wisdom of buddhahood.”

Then at that time the Bhagavān gave a detailed teaching on the
preceding chapter by chanting the following extensive verses to the youth
Candraprabha:

“I remember that countless eons ago

In the past, there appeared a supreme human,

One who benefited the world, a great rishi,

And his name was Abhāvasamudgata. {1}

“As soon as he was born he rose into the air

And taught the nonexistence of all phenomena.

He was at that time given a corresponding name

And his words were heard throughout the trichiliocosm. {2}

“All the devas, they all called out,

‘He will be a jina named Abhāva!

As soon as he was born he took seven steps

And the Jina taught the nonexistence of phenomena.’ {3}

“When the sage became a buddha, a Dharma king,

Who taught the nature of all phenomena,

From plants, trees, bushes, mountains, and rocks

There came the words ‘phenomena have no existence.’ {4}

“All the sounds there were in the world

Became the words ‘all are nonexistent.’

In that way there sounded

The words of the Guide of the World. {5}

“At that time there was a prince

Whose name had always been Karuṇāvicintin.

He had an excellent form and was handsome.

He came into the presence of that jina. {6}

“He bowed to the feet of the sage, that great being,

And respectfully circumambulated him.

In order to hear the stainless, unsurpassable Dharma

He sat there with a devout mind. {7}

“The heroic Jina, knowing his
aspiration,

Gave the teaching of this samādhi.

Having listened to this stainless samādhi

He quickly entered homelessness in the supreme Jina’s teaching. {8}

“Having entered homelessness he possessed,

Read, and understood this samādhi.

For a full two hundred million eons

He did not descend to an unfortunate existence. {9}

“Through the good karma that he had made

He pleased two hundred million buddhas,

And in the presence of those jinas

He cultivated this samādhi. {10}

“He afterward became a buddha in the world

Who was always known as Sucintitārtha.

He benefited many millions of beings

And afterward attained nirvāṇa, like
an extinguished flame. {11}

Conclusion of the eighth chapter, “Buddha
Abhāvasamudgata.”

Chapter 9

The Patience of the Profound Dharma

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man,
bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish to attain quickly the highest, complete
enlightenment of perfect buddhahood and liberate all beings from the ocean
of existence should hear this king of samādhis, in which the equality of the
nature of all phenomena is revealed, which is praised by all the buddhas and
is the mother of the tathāgatas. They should obtain it, preserve it,
understand it, recite it to others, promote it, proclaim it, chant it,
meditate on it with unadulterated meditation, promulgate it, and make it
widely known to others.

“Why is that? Young man, this king of samādhis, the revealed equality of the nature of all
phenomena, has given birth to all the tathāgatas, the arhats,
the perfectly enlightened buddhas; all tathāgatas, śrāvakas, and
pratyekabuddhas have come from it.

“Therefore, young man, you also should obtain this king of
samādhis, the revealed equality of the nature of all
phenomena, which is praised by all the buddhas and is the mother
of the tathāgatas. It has been said:

“Therefore, those who wish for enlightenment and buddhahood,

And to liberate beings from the ocean of existence,

Should obtain this sūtra praised by the buddhas,

And then sublime enlightenment will not be difficult to attain.”

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man,
bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of
perfect buddhahood should become skilled in the
patience of profound Dharma.

“Young man, how do bodhisattva mahāsattvas become skilled in the
patience of profound Dharma?

“Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas should know that all phenomena
are like illusions. They should know that all phenomena are
like dreams, like mirages, like echoes, like optical illusions, like the
moon on water, like hallucinations, like
reflections, and like space.

“Young man, when bodhisattva mahāsattvas know that all phenomena
are like illusions, they are skilled in the
patience of profound Dharma. Those who have the patience of profound Dharma
have no desire for any phenomenon that causes desire, have no anger toward
any phenomenon that causes anger, and have no ignorance regarding any
phenomenon that causes ignorance. Why is that? It is because they do not see
that phenomenon; they do not perceive that phenomenon. They do not see the
phenomena and they do not perceive the phenomena of that which is desired,
the desire, or the desirer; that which angers, the anger, or one who is
angry; nor that of which one is ignorant, the ignorance, or the one who is
ignorant. Because they do not see and do not perceive those phenomena they
have no desire, they have no anger, they have no ignorance, their minds do
not regress, and they rest in meditation. They are without conceptual
elaboration. They have crossed over to the other side. They have reached dry
land. They have reached safety. They have attained freedom from fear.
They have correct conduct. They have knowledge. They have wisdom. They have
merit. They have miraculous powers. They have memory. They have intelligence. They have
realization. They have a sense of modesty. They have stability. They
have bodhisattva conduct. They have the austerity of the disciplines of
mendicancy. They are unblemished.
They have
nothing. They are arhats. Their defilements have ceased. They have no
kleśas. They have power. Their minds are liberated. Their wisdom is
liberated. They are thoroughbred stallions. They
are great elephants. They have
done what had to be done. They have accomplished what had to be
accomplished. They have put down their burden. They have reached their
goals. They have ended engagement with existence. They have liberated their
minds through true knowledge. They are mendicants who have attained all the
perfect, highest, complete powers of the mind. They are brahmins. They are snātakas. They are masters of the Vedas. They know the Vedas. They are śrotriyas. They are children of the buddhas. They are children
of the Śākya. They have crushed the thorns. They have not left the law behind. They have
left the trench barrier behind. They have crossed over the trench
barrier. They have
extracted the splinters. They have no illness. They are bhikṣus. They are free
from all bondage. They have been born as humans. They are good humans. They
are supreme humans. They are great humans. They are human lions. They are human elephants. They are
human stallions. They are human carthorses. They are human heroes. They are human strongmen. They are human flowers. They are human
lotuses.
They are human white lotuses. They are human tamers. They are human
moons. They are extraordinary humans. They are stainless
humans.”

Then the Bhagavān, in order to give this Dharma teaching on
entering the patience of profound Dharma, recited these verses:

“At one time a world appears,

And later the entire world becomes space.

As it was before, so it is afterward.

Know that all phenomena are like that. {1}

“All that there is in this world

Later dissolves into the mass of water below.

As it is below, so it is above.

Know that all phenomena are like that. {2}

“Just as in a completely cloudless sky

In an instant a mass of clouds appears—

From where did they first originate?

Know that all phenomena are like that. {3}

“If you think of a tathāgata who has passed into nirvāṇa,

His image will appear in your mind.

As he was before, so he is afterward.

Know that all phenomena are like that. {4}

“When a person sees a mass of foam

That is carried along in a river

And examines it, they see that it has no essence.

Know that all phenomena are like that. {5}

“When large drops of rain fall,

There appear separate bubbles of water.

They vanish as they appear; the bubbles have no existence.

Know that all phenomena are like that. {6}

“When a letter is sent to another town

With news of the good or bad that has been done,

A voice does not accompany the letter.

Know that all phenomena are like that. {7}

“When a man is intoxicated from alcohol,

He perceives the ground to be spinning,

But the earth is not moving or shaking.

Know that all phenomena are like that. {8}

“A woman sees her beautified face

On the surface of a mirror or a bowl of oil.

The fool feels passion for it

And runs in search for the desired. {9}

“The face was not transferred there.

The face will never be found in the reflection,

And yet fools have desire for it.

Know that all phenomena are like that. {10}

“Just like optical illusions and fata morganas,

Just like dreams and just like illusions,

When their attributes are meditated on, their nature is empty.

Know that all phenomena are like that. {11}

“When the moon is in a clear sky,

Its reflection appears on the sea,

But the moon has not moved onto the water.

Know that all phenomena are like that. {12}

“A man who is inside a canyon

Sees no one but hears the echoes

Of singing, speaking, and laughter.

Know that all phenomena are like that. {13}

“Echoes are produced

By songs, music, and weeping,

But the song that is heard does not exist.

Know that all phenomena are like that. {14}

“Although pleasures are enjoyed in a dream,

When the person awakes they are not be seen.

The fool, though, becomes attached to those pleasures.

Know that all phenomena are like that. {15}

“A magician causes forms to appear,

Creating horses, elephants, chariots, and so on.

But though they appear they do not exist at all.

Know that all phenomena are like that. {16}

“In a young woman’s dream

She gives birth to a son and then sees him die.

She is happy when he’s born and sad when he dies.

Know that all phenomena are like that. {18}

“In the night the reflection of the moon

Appears on clear, undisturbed water,

But it is empty of a moon and there is nothing to grasp.

Know that all phenomena are like that. {19}

“A thirsty person traveling

At noon during the summer

Sees a lake that is a mirage.

Know that all phenomena are like that. {20}

“The water that is a mirage cannot be found.

Foolish beings want to drink it,

But water that is not real cannot be drunk.

Know that all phenomena are like that. {21}

“When a person in search of its essence

Pulls apart the trunk of a green banana plant,

They find no essence either inside or outside.

Know that all phenomena are like that. {22}

“The eyes, the ears, and the nose are unreliable.

The tongue, the body, and the mind are unreliable.

If the senses could be relied upon,

What need would there be for the path of the noble ones? {23}

“These senses are unreliable.

Their nature is material and neutral.

Therefore those who wish for the path to nirvāṇa

Must follow the path of the noble ones. {24}

“If one examines the body back into the past,

There is no body and no conception of a body.

When there is no body and no conception of a body

This is called the lineage of the noncomposite. {25}

“There are no phenomena in the phenomena of nirvāṇa,

For if it is nonexistent there could never be an existence.

Those who conceptualize teach existence and nonexistence,

But practicing in that way will not bring an end to suffering. {26}

“ ‘Existing,’ ‘not existing,’ and both are extremes.

‘Pure’ and ‘impure’ are also extremes.

Therefore, rejecting both extremes,

The wise do not even remain in the middle. {27}

“ ‘Existing’ and ‘not existing’ are in conflict.

‘Pure’ and ‘impure’ are also in conflict.

When there is conflict, suffering cannot be ended.

When there is no conflict, suffering ceases. {28}

“When fools speak about remaining in mindfulness

They become proud, saying, ‘I have witnessed it in my body.’

But those who have witnessed it in their body have no pride;

They are those who are freed from all such pride. {29}

“When speaking of the four dhyānas,

The foolish claim they can experience dhyāna.

But those who know and realize that dhyāna

Is without kleśas or pride reject such arrogance. {30}

“When speaking of the four truths,

The foolish say that they see the truth.

But there is no pride when the truth is seen.

The Jina taught the truth that is without pride. {31}

“Do not be proud of maintaining correct conduct.

Do not become proud through listening to the Dharma.

When those with little wisdom become proud,

That is the root of increasing suffering. {32}

“The world’s guide, the omniscient one,

Taught that pride is the root of suffering.

To be puffed up with pride makes suffering grow;

To have no pride brings suffering to an end. {33}

“However much Dharma you have learned,

If you feel proud of your learning and let your proper conduct lapse,

Your misconduct will take you to the lower realms

And all that great learning will not protect you. {34}

“If you feel proud of being renowned for correct conduct

And do not dedicate yourself to listening to many teachings,

When the results of your correct conduct have been used up

You will afterward experience suffering. {35}

“If you meditate on a worldly samādhi

And do not eliminate the conception of a self,

Then the kleśas will arise once more,

As happened in the samādhi practice of Udraka. {36}

“If one examines the Dharma of selflessness,

And if after examining, one meditates,

That will be the cause resulting in the attainment of nirvāṇa.

It is impossible for peace to come from any other cause. {37}

“If a man is being attacked by bandits

And, wishing to save his life, he tries to run away

But his legs will not move and he cannot run,

He will be captured and killed by the
bandits. {38}

“In the same way, a stupid person without correct conduct

May try to escape from composite phenomena.

But without correct conduct he is not able to flee,

And will be killed by old age, illness, and death. {39}

“Just as many thousands of savages

Do you harm in various ways,

The kleśas will in many ways,

Like savages, destroy that which is good. {40}

“Those who have understood the skandhas to be without a self,

Even if insulted or beaten, will not be dismayed.

They will not fall under the power of the kleśa demons.

Those who know emptiness will never become agitated. {41}

“Many people teach the emptiness of the skandhas

But have not understood that selflessness;

When those who have not understood are contradicted by others,

They will be overpowered by anger and speak harsh words. {42}

“There was a man who was ill and
suffering physically.

For many years he could not attain freedom from his illness.

For a long time he was tormented by his illness,

And in order to be cured he went in search of a physician. {43}

“Searching and searching, again and again,

He found a skilled and wise physician

Who had compassion for him

And said, ‘Take this medicine.’ {44}

“He gave him much excellent medicine,

But the sick man didn’t take the healing medicine.

That was not the fault of the physician or the medicine;

It was the fault of the sick person. {45}

“In the same way, those who have entered homelessness in this
teaching,

Who know of the strengths, the dhyānas, and the powers

But do not dedicate themselves to meditation,

Are not endeavouring in what is correct, so how could they attain
nirvāṇa? {46}

“All phenomena are always empty by nature.

The heirs of the jinas have eliminated all things.

The entirety of existence has always been empty.

The emptiness of the tīrthikas is limited. {47}

“The wise do not argue with fools,

They politely avoid them;

Thinking, ‘They come to me with malicious intent,’

They do not engage with the Dharma of fools. {48}

“Knowing the nature and dispositions of fools,

The wise do not associate with fools.

Whenever they associate well with them

Those fools eventually turn into enemies. {49}

“The wise do not depend upon the foolish.

The wise and the foolish have different natures.

The nature of the foolish is naturally contrary,

So the wise do not have ordinary people as friends. {50}

“They may speak with words about the Dharma

But do not believe it, showing their anger and aggression.

Such is the Dharma of fools, and knowing this to be so

The wise do not rely on it. {51}

“The foolish are in accord with other fools

Like impurity with other impurities.

The wise are in accord with other wise people

Like butter is with ghee. {52}

“They do not examine the faults of saṃsāra;

They pay no attention to the ripening of karma;

They have no faith in the words of the buddhas:

Those fools will be sliced and cut into pieces. {53}

“They have obtained a human life that is difficult to obtain,

But they have not become skilled in any craft.

They have become poor without any wealth.

In order to have a livelihood they become mendicants. {54}

“Having become mendicants in this teaching of the Buddha,

They become attached to their robes and alms bowls.

They fall under the influence of bad companions,

And they do not practice the teaching of the Sugata. {55}

“They are not observant of their own conduct.

Such fools do not perceive the states of their minds.

Day and night they do not follow the discipline,

And they do not abhor the path of bad actions. {56}

“They do not restrain their body and mind.

There is nothing that they will not say.

They are always looking for faults in others,

And criticize any mistake they make. {57}

“Such fools have attachment to food.

They know no limit to their eating.

They obtain their food through the Buddha’s merit,

But these fools do not keep that in mind. {58}

“When they find food that is delicious and pleasing,

They consume it without engaging in the
discipline.

For them that food becomes poison,

Like an unclean lotus stem
for an elephant calf. {59}

“The wise, the sagacious, the realized

Also eat food that is pure and pleasing,

But they have no attachment to it.

They eat without clinging, maintaining the discipline. {60}

“The wise, sagacious, and realized

Say ‘welcome’ when the foolish come,

Bringing them closer with pleasant words,

And maintaining compassion for them; {61}

“They are kind and helpful to them.

But the foolish are happy when harm comes to the wise.

Because of such faults, the wise avoid the foolish

And live alone like deer in the forest. {62}

“The wise, knowing these kinds of defects,

Do not associate with fools.

They think, ‘If I depend on those who have no wisdom,

There will be no higher rebirth, let alone the attainment of
enlightenment.’ {63}

“The wise reach enlightenment by putting into practice

The samādhi of dwelling in love,

Of dwelling in compassion, of acting with joy,

And with constant equanimity toward all existences. {64}

“They attain the enlightenment that is peace, free of misery.

They perceive beings afflicted by illness and aging.

They have compassion toward them,

And give them the teachings of ultimate truth. {65}

“Who can know the true nature of the jinas

And the truth of the sugatas, which is beyond description?

It is they who hear this kind of Dharma

And attain the immaterial patience of the noble ones.” {66}

Conclusion of the ninth chapter, “The Patience of the
Profound Dharma.”

Chapter 10

The Entry into the City

The Bhagavān then said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young
man, you should be someone who makes practice essential, and always trains
in that way. Why is that? Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas who make
practice essential will not even find it difficult to attain the highest,
complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, not to mention attaining this
samādhi.”

Then the youth Candraprabha rose from his seat, removed his robe
from one shoulder, and, kneeling on his right knee, with palms placed together,
bowed toward the Bhagavān and exclaimed, “Bhagavān, that teaching and
instruction that the bhagavāns have taught well, presented well, and
explained well to the bodhisattva mahāsattvas, the entire bodhisattva
training that they have explained well and presented well is marvelous.

“Bhagavān, this is the scope of activity of the tathāgatas, not of
the śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas, let alone the tīrthikas.

“Bhagavān, I, too, will make practice essential, and without care
for life or body I shall train as the tathāgatas have. Why is that?
Bhagavān, I wish to train as the tathāgatas have. Bhagavān, I wish to attain
the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. Bhagavān, I wish
to eliminate the evil māras. Bhagavān, I wish to free all beings from all
fear and all suffering. I pray that the Bhagavān will place his right
hand upon my head.”

He said to the Bhagavān:

“You have an excellent body, like a clear sky.

You are the son of wisdom, who has no body or attributes.

You are a deep ocean of qualities, and have compassion.

You who are without equal, place your hand upon my head.” {i}

The Bhagavān placed upon Candraprabha’s head his right hand, which
was adorned with many characteristics that were the result of many roots of
merit, and which was of the color of divine gold.

As soon as the Bhagavān placed his right hand upon Candraprabha’s
head, in that very instant, more indescribable than indescribably many
hundred thousand quintillions of samādhi entranceways that arise from the
perfection of wisdom were revealed to Candraprabha, such as the
heroic,
the treasury of space,
the vajra-like,
the speed of the mind,
the revealing of all forms,

the ultimate absence of obscurations, the
revealing of all tathāgatas,
the consecration of all emptiness, and so on. Many
entranceways to dhāraṇīs and liberations were revealed. He attained the knowledge of
the joy and happiness that is described by the noble ones, of the countless
vast number of beings in the deva realms, and the scope of experience of the
buddhas and bodhisattvas.

It was said:

The Bhagavān placed upon the head of the youth Candraprabha

The hand that for many millions of eons had given away jewels,

Which was beautified by being webbed, and had markings of a vase and
hook,

A knot of eternity, a wheel, a victory banner, a flag, and fishes.
{ii}

Then Candraprabha, full of joy and happiness and the knowledge of
the countless, vast number of beings in the deva realms, and the scope of
experience of the buddhas and bodhisattvas, rose from his seat, removed his
robe from one shoulder, and, kneeling on his right knee, with palms placed
together, he bowed toward the Bhagavān and recited these appropriate verses
of praise:

“I pay homage to you, the unsurpassable provider of freedom from
fear.

I pay homage to you, a loving friend of beings who benefits others.

I pay homage to you, who possess the power of truth and the ten
strengths.

I pay homage to you, who are the equal of the unequaled tathāgatas.
{iii}

“I pay homage to you, the Lord who has the highest compassion.

I pay homage to you, the hero who has subjugated the four enemies.

I pay homage to you, who know the benefits of sublime diligence.

I pay homage to you, the Lord who has the supreme dharmakāya. {iv}

“I will always go for refuge to you, Lord,

The Jina who is a sun shining in the center of the vast sky of wisdom,

Dispelling darkness with the light of love and compassion,

And who is the teacher of the extremely profound Dharma of the ultimate
truth.” {v}

When the youth Candraprabha had recited these appropriate verses of
praise to the Bhagavān, he said to him, “Bhagavān, so that you may show me
your compassion I pray that you, with your saṅgha of bodhisattvas and saṅgha
of bhikṣus, will assent to eat your meal tomorrow at my home.

“I pray to the Lord of men and your sons

That you eat a pure meal at my home.

Lord of sages, in order to show me your compassion,

Chief of devas, give your assent.” {vi}

The Bhagavān, because of his compassion, by remaining silent
assented to eat a meal together with his saṅgha of bodhisattvas and saṅgha
of bhikṣus at the home of the youth Candraprabha.

The youth Candraprabha, knowing that the Bhagavān had assented by
his silence, rose from his seat, removed his robe from one shoulder, bowed
his head to the Bhagavān’s feet, circumambulated the Bhagavān three times,
and departed from the Bhagavān’s presence.

The youth Candraprabha then went down from Vulture Peak Mountain,
and at that time he perfectly adorned the entire road in between Vulture
Peak Mountain and the great city of Rājagṛha.

As an offering to the Bhagavān he cleared a great, wide roadway so
that it was free of grass, tree stumps, thorns, stones, pebbles, and gravel,
and spread pure sand over it, so that it was as soft and pleasant to the
touch as down, and made a pleasant sound. He covered it with flowers from
all seasons, such as divine blue lotuses, red lotuses, night lotuses, white
lotuses, water lilies, kachnar flowers, sambac jasmines,
magnolias, bignonias, star jasmines, sesame flowers, ironwood flowers, and
aśoka flowers. Parasols, banners, flags, flags of victory, precious
arches, and canopies were set up along the road. There were
precious censers from which flowed the smoke of black agarwood. Arranged
in different places were dancers and performers skilled in performing divine
songs, dance, and music. Beautifully adorned men, women, boys, and girls
were arranged holding paṇava drums, one-stringed lutes, lutes, flutes, mṛdaṅga drums, mukunda drums, and muraja drums. On both sides
of the road tall palm trees were adorned with various divine jewels and a
jingling network of bells made from Jambu River gold. There were many hundred thousand quintillions of
pillars made of precious materials, and different kinds of trees of various
heights and thicknesses made from the seven jewels, and on which were
arranged the leaves, flowers, and fruits of all seasons.

The road was excellently adorned in various ways.

Canopies, parasols, and flags were erected.

The sound of music was perfectly played,

And similarly there was the beautiful sound of songs. {vii}

That perfect road was excellently adorned

By many women performing dances,

Many millions of various excellent cloths,

And beautiful, excellent garlands of flowers. {viii}

“The Buddha, the moon of sages, the compassionate one

Is coming to this pure excellent city.”

On hearing that, young Candraprabha with great faith

Perfectly adorned a great, vast road. {ix}

He spread out pure, divine sand

And scattered perfect, beautiful flowers.

He also set up precious pillars

And made the road as beautiful as a divine city. {x}

Young Candraprabha, with immense joy,

Perfectly adorned the road in various ways.

Devas, asuras, and nāgas, upon seeing it

Were astonished and cried out, “Ha ha ha!” {xi}

To the left and right of the road there were placed

Tall, excellent, round palm trees made of Jambu River gold,

Decorated and beautified by a network

Of numerous jingling, precious bells. {xii}

Similarly arranged were million of precious trees

Adorned by blossomed flowers of all seasons,

Which were beautiful adornments for that vast road,

Like a blissful park in the deva realms. {xiii}

Pillars that were made from precious materials,

With beautiful strings of beads that shone like light—

An indescribable sight, huge and vast—

Were set up and arranged on the left and right of the road. {xiv}

The Buddha, the Lord of the three worlds,

Traveled on that road to the capital city.

That great road was adorned in that way

So that it was beautiful in every way. {xv}

On the right and left, precious censers were hung.

They were filled with black agarwood.

From all the censers there formed a cloud of smoke,

With divine, pleasant aromas of various kinds. {xvi}

The youth Candraprabha, for the sake of the Jina,

Arranged vast, incalculable ornaments of divine materials,

From the entrance to the water well of the city

Up to the king of mountains, Gṛdhrakūṭa. {xvii}

Young Candraprabha adorned the road with many different precious
arrangements. Then young Candraprabha descended from Vulture Peak and
went to the great city of Rājagṛha, to his tall, vast, great, divine home.
He reached there and he entered his home. He spent that night preparing a
great amount of excellent, delicious food and
drink, and creating food that had a hundred flavors. Then he sprinkled well
the ground in the great city of Rājagṛha and swept it clean, scattered
flower petals, perfumed it with incense, put up canopies, hung ribbons and
wreaths of silk, and set up parasols, banners, and flags.

In that way he made the main road of Rājagṛha up to the town free
of stones, pebbles, and gravel, scattered it with various flowers, and
sprinkled it with sandalwood powder. He adorned the windows, porticoes,
doors,
roofs, lattices, and the crescent moons, and
perfumed them with sandalwood. In that way he adorned the city of Rājagṛha
with countless displays and adorned his own house, too, with a
variety of many adornments. He hung it with many precious strings of beads.
He adorned it with the raiment of the Tuṣita deities and also beautified the
grounds. He had many kinds of garlands and wreaths put up as adornments. He
arranged a hundred thousand precious seats. In order to make offerings to
the Bhagavān he placed in their center a lion throne of divine materials
that surpassed the work of devas and humans. In the four directions he hung
censers made of various precious materials, from which flowed the smoke of
black agarwood. In that way the youth Candraprabha arranged his excellent
home so that for the enjoyment of the Bhagavān there was the sound of divine
songs, performances, and music; pure parasols and banners were erected; an
audience of a hundred thousand devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras,
garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans thronged it; and it was
filled with many various kinds of precious flowers.

Candraprabha perfectly, extensively adorned

His vast and excellent home.

In the center he placed a lion throne of divine materials

Where the lamp of the world would sit. {xviii}

He perfectly set out countless millions

Of extremely precious, beautiful seats

Where the saṅgha of the lamp of the world,

The Lord of jinas, would sit. {xix}

Censers made of all kinds of precious materials,

Completely filled with agarwood,

Were hung in all directions,

And from them a beautiful aroma spread. {xx}

Candraprabha, in order to attain the ten strengths,

Spread throughout the entire excellent grounds of the house

Various kinds of beautiful, precious flowers—

A multitude of excellent, aromatic flowers. {xxi}

The sound of dancers, singers, and of music

Filled the entire excellent house with sound.

He erected also parasols and banners

So that the house was intensely beautiful, like that of a deity.
{xxii}

The vast excellent home of the youth Candraprabha

Was adorned by a multitude of young people.

It was filled with many nāgas, yakṣas, and asuras,

And was gazed upon by many hundreds of devas. {xxiii}

The young man Candraprabha, having adorned the great city of
Rājagṛha and having perfectly beautified his own home, after the night was
over, in the early morning, departed, accompanied by the music of hundreds
of various kinds of instruments, with many millions of parasols, banners,
and flags held high, and with an encircling vanguard of a great assembly of
eight million quintillion bodhisattvas, their cupped hands filled with
divine coral tree flowers. Among them were bodhisattvas with one life
remaining, such as Avalokiteśvara, Mahāsthāmaprāpta, Gandhahasti,
Ratnaketu, Dundubhisvara,
Durabhisambhava, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, Vīrasena, Subāhu, Ratnakusuma,
Amoghadarśin, Maitreya, and others, accompanied by many adorned horses and
elephants without riders that were being led along, with an assembly of
countless people of the country, his own cupped hands filled with divine
coral tree flowers; and they were accompanied by the enchanting, beautiful,
harmonious sound of the laughter of the deities as they cried, “Oh, the
bodhisattva’s great power! The bodhisattva’s great miracles! The
bodhisattva’s great manifestations! The bodhisattva’s—a la la!”

He came out through the hot springs gateway of the great city of
Rājagṛha and went toward Vulture Peak Mountain, and to the Bhagavān.

When he arrived, he bowed his head to the Bhagavān’s feet,
circumambulated the Bhagavān three times, sprinkled the divine coral tree
flowers that filled his cupped hands over the Bhagavān, and went to sit down
to one side.

Maitreya and the other bodhisattva mahāsattvas bowed their
heads to the Bhagavān’s feet, circumambulated the Bhagavān three times,
sprinkled the divine coral tree flowers that filled their cupped hands over
the Bhagavān, and also sat down to one side.

Then the youth, who had sat to one side, rose from his seat,
removed his robe from one shoulder, and, kneeling on his right knee, with
palms placed together bowed toward the Bhagavān and said, “It is midday,
Bhagavān, the time to eat. If the Bhagavān considers the time has come, then
together with the saṅgha of bodhisattvas, the saṅgha of bhikṣus, and the
devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, rishis, garuḍas, kinnaras,
mahoragas, kumbhāṇḍas, pretas, pūtanas, humans, and nonhumans who have great
power, who are widely renowned for their great power and have great
influence, come to the great city of Rājagṛha, as the time has come to eat
the midday meal in my garden. Sugata, it is midday.

“I have adorned well the entire, excellent city,

And similarly, Lord, my garden.

I have prepared and laid out divine food with a hundred flavors.

As it is midday, I pray to the Sugata to arise. {xxiv}

“Supreme Rishi, you who hold the qualities of the ten strengths in your
hands,

Encircled by the assembly of your sons, come to the city.

I pray that you, the illuminating sun who dispels darkness, will
arise.

Bhagavān, the time has come for the midday meal in my garden. {xxv}

“I pray that you come, with your sons, to my garden.

You will benefit an assembly of many beings.

Just as Dīpaṃkara granted a prophecy to you,

Grant me likewise a direct prophecy in this world. {xxvi}

“When I have heard that prophecy in this world,

I will also develop a vast and perfect aspiration,

And all these beings will become buddhas.

There are no unworthy beings present here. {xxvii}

“Arise, arise, Lord who has the ten strengths.

Benefit me and come to my garden.

Just as you come to my garden,

In that way I will go to the supreme tree of enlightenment. {xxviii}

“When I have gone to the foot of the supreme tree of enlightenment,

I will remain there unshakable and unwavering.

I will defeat with love the māras and their claws,

And just as you attained it, I, too, will attain enlightenment.”
{xxix}

Then the Bhagavān, who had known what the youth Candraprabha would
request, addressed these lines of verse to him:

“Arise Candraprabha, son of the jinas!

Arise, you who are joyful in generosity, you supreme being!

Arise, you who have compassion and firm conduct!

After speaking these lines, the Bhagavān arose from his
seat. He put on his lower robe, picked up his Dharma robe and alms bowl, and
with the great saṅgha of a hundred thousand bhikṣus, and accompanied by a
multitude of bodhisattva mahāsattvas, he proceeded. Many hundreds of
thousands of devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, rishis, garuḍas,
kinnaras, mahoragas, kumbhāṇḍas, pretas, pūtanas, humans, and nonhumans made offerings to him
and praised him. Through his great buddha powers, his great buddha miracles,
his great buddha manifestations, and his buddha conduct he radiated many
quintillions of light rays. He emanated flocks of
melodious, soft, and beautiful birds of many different shapes and colors,
such as geese, cranes, ruddy shelducks, swans, partridges, peacocks,
rollers, parrots, mynas, cuckoos,
avadavats, and snipe, so that like devas in the sky,
each with its own song, they emitted the sound of music.

The yakṣa lords Surūpa, Indraketu, Vikaṭa, Bakula, Pāñcika,
Śākyavardhana, and many quintillions of yakṣa lords holding pestles with both hands, offered many
quintillions of huge, vast censers made of various divine precious
materials, with handles of beryl, sapphire, crystal, and white coral, filled
with uragasāra sandalwood, gośīrṣa sandalwood, vetiver, yellow sandalwood,
Malaya sandalwood, red sandalwood, agarwood, and so on, and from which smoke
flowed.

There were the superior kings of great power, renowned as having
great power, from their own regions, accompanied by many divisions of
perfectly adorned horses and elephants being led without their riders,
chariots, and infantry, in lines marching in front,
holding in their hands many streamers and precious garlands. The horses and
elephants, even though they were being led along without riders, were
proceeding magnificently and emitting beautiful cries.

The Bhagavān was accompanied on his right-hand side by Brahmā, who
was making offerings to him and attending upon him, and on his left-hand
side by Śakra, lord of the devas, and by countless devas with great power,
who were renowned for their great power, who were mighty and illustrious,
and whose bodies were adorned by excellent divine crowns, ornamented
anklets, earrings, bracelets, flowers on their ears, bejeweled necklaces,
and flower garlands. Their forms were made visible and they were holding
coral tree flowers, asters, orchids, hibiscus, amaranths, magnolias,
karnikara flowers, aśoka flowers, bignonias, kachnar flowers, blue lotuses, medlar
flowers,
sambac jasmine, star jasmine, ironwood flowers, red lotuses,
night lotuses, white lotuses, water lilies, precious garlands, precious
agarwood, and precious fruit. They were playing hundreds of thousands of
different kinds of musical instruments, waving millions of pieces of cloth,
crying out, “Ha! Ha! Ha!” and sending down a great rain of flowers. In order
to make offerings to the Bhagavān they filled the entire sky without leaving
any space
and sent down a great rain of flowers, incense, garlands, perfumes, powders,
and jewels.

The Bhagavān entered at midday the great city of Rājagṛha through
the hot springs gateway. The nature of this is described in these
verses:

The Tathāgata Buddha, knowing it was time,

That hero adorned with all qualities,

Who illuminates countless realms,

The Bhagavān, the lion of men, set forth. {xxxi}

Avalokiteśvara, Mahāsthāmaprāpta, and Amoghadarśin;

Gandhahasti, Ratnakusuma, and
Ratnabāhu;

And Ratnaketu, Durabhisambhava, Vīrasena,

And others followed in the Jina’s footsteps.
{xxxii}

On his right was Ajita, who is named Maitraka,

Who has the wealth of infinite qualities,

Who will become the following buddha

And has completed the accumulation of merit and wisdom. {xxxiii}

He is one who has cultivated love, rejoicing, and equanimity.

He is a great being of the Dharma who has developed compassion.

He understands the infinite qualities, the qualities of the Lord of
sages. {xxxiv}

He followed behind the compassionate Sugata

And was followed by those who will
be

Those with great realization in the Good Eon:

The thousand buddhas less four, {xxxv}

Who were preceded by Maitraka.

And also he who in the past, in this city of Rājagṛha,

While born in divine bodies that were like beautiful moonlight,

Made infinite offerings to jinas throughout eons, {xxxvi}

That hero Candraprabha was also present at the front.

To the left of the one with supreme compassion

Was Mañjuśrī, along with many thousands of millions

Of heroes who have sublime qualities of miraculous powers, {xxxvii}

Who traveled to endless hundreds of realms.

Following him were those in the śrāvaka saṅgha:

Śārisuta,
Maudgalyāyana, Kāla,

Kāśyapa, Subhūti, Nanda, and Kapphiṇa; {xxxviii}

Bhadrikarāja, and
similarly Kauṇḍinya;

Ānanda, and similarly Sthavira Rāhula;

And Svāgata, Kañcika, Pūrṇa,
Udāyin,

Revata, Kauṣṭhila, Upāli, and
Aniruddha. {xxxix}

A full nine thousand of those with matted hair

Followed behind the śrāvaka saṅgha.

They were all mighty ascetics who knew the Vedas and the rituals,

And had mastered curses, renunciation, and beneficial incantations. {xl}

Self-controlled rishis with peaceful minds,

With disciplined minds, bowing with palms together,

Followed behind the Buddha, the lamp of the world,

The lion of men, endowed with compassion, {xli}

The liberator of thousands of beings, as he proceeded.

Like the completely pure lord of the host of stars,

The full moon of the last month of autumn,

The Teacher who is without equal was encircled {xlii}

By many hundred thousands of Brahmās.

As he stepped on the threshold of the city’s gateway,

The earth and its thick forests shook.

The devas, asuras, and mahoragas {xliii}

Scattered excellent flowers and supreme incense. {xliv}

The moment the Bhagavān placed his right foot, adorned by a
precious wheel from the accumulation of countless roots of merit, upon the
threshold of the gate, this universe of a thousand million worlds shook in
six ways. It trembled, trembled strongly, and trembled intensely; it
quivered, quivered strongly, and quivered intensely; it shook, shook
strongly, and shook intensely; it shuddered, shuddered strongly, and
shuddered intensely; it quaked, quaked strongly, and quaked intensely; the
east sank and the west rose, the west sank and the east rose, the north sank
and the south rose, the south sank and the north rose, the perimeter sank
and the center rose, and the center sank and the perimeter rose. A great
radiance shone in the world, and countless, numberless other amazing,
wonderful, miraculous manifestations appeared.

The nature of this is described in these verses:

When the Guide came to that supreme city

And placed his supreme foot upon the gateway’s threshold,

That magnificence caused this earth to shake,

And the beings in this supreme city were overjoyed. {1}

When the Jina placed his foot on the gateway’s threshold

The people who were hungry and thirsty

At that time became free of the need to eat or drink.

They became free of hunger and thirst. {2}

When the Jina placed his foot on the gateway’s threshold

All those people who were blind,

Deaf, and had no protector and little merit

Were all able to see and hear. {3}

When the Jina placed his foot on the gateway’s threshold

All the pretas in the realm of Yama,

Suffering greatly and eating snot and spit,

Were touched by light and became happy. {4}

When the Jina placed his foot on the gateway’s threshold

The supreme trees—the sal and the karnikara—

At the summit of crags and on mountaintops,

They all bowed toward the Buddha. {5}

When the Jina placed his foot on the gateway’s threshold

The entire ground shook in six ways

Throughout the villages and towns as far as the ocean,

Without causing harm to anyone. {6}

Devas, humans, kumbhāṇḍas, and rākṣasas—

Wherever beings lived, there was happiness and joy.

They developed faith in supreme, sublime enlightenment

And held a parasol for the guide of the world. {7}

When the Jina placed his foot on the gateway’s threshold,

Thousands of musical instruments sounded without being played;

Hearing the beautiful sound of music,

All beings were filled with joy. {8}

Hundreds of thousands of trees bowed down,

And all flowers blossomed at that time.

Hundreds of thousands of devas in the sky

Made nonhuman offerings to the Jina. {9}

When the Jina placed his foot on the gateway’s threshold,

Hundreds of bulls
lowed with joy.

The kings of horses and elephants raised
their bodies;

The lions, the kings of animals, roared. {10}

The kings, the rulers, however many there were,

Came from the cardinal and intermediate directions.

When they saw the glorious majesty of the Jina,

With minds filled with joy they bowed to him. {11}

Some praised the Lord of the World;

Some scattered a rain of flowers on the Jina;

Some placed their ten fingers together in homage,

And they cried, “Oh, the Jina, compassionate one!” {12}

Some scattered excellent strings of pearls

And various ornaments that give rise to joy,

And some scattered clothing and jewels.

They developed the supreme, unequaled aspiration to enlightenment.
{13}

Some scattered excellent meshes of gold;

Some also scattered mukhaphullaka adornments.

Some scattered excellent ornaments of gold,

And some, likewise, scattered anklets. {14}

Some scattered excellent bracelets,

Some scattered armlets inset with jewels,

And some aspired to enlightenment, scattering excellent

Pieces of cloth, saying, “May we become buddhas!” {15}

When the Lord of the World stood in the gateway,

Some people scattered golden necklaces.

Some with minds filled with faith scattered excellent crest jewels;

Some scattered networks of jewels. {16}

Those beings who were in extreme suffering,

Tormented by many kinds of miseries,

All attained happiness through the majesty

Of the Guide, the supreme human. {17}

Cuckoos, mynas, and peacocks,

And similarly cranes and other water birds —

All the flocks of birds were in the sky

Emitting their beautiful, perfect songs. {18}

Desire, anger, and ignorance

Ceased in whoever heard

The sweet, beautiful songs

Of those flocks of joyous birds. {19}

The millions of beings who heard that joyful sound

All attained the patience that is concordant with the Dharma.

The Sugata gave them all this prophecy:

“You will in the future become buddhas.” {20}

At that time the kleśas did not arise,

And everyone was respectful to the Dharma king. {21}

At that time, when they saw the form of the Guide’s body,

They developed the aspiration for the supreme wisdom of buddhahood.

They wondered, “When will we attain this kind of wisdom?”

And the Jina, knowing that, gave them their prophecies. {22}

From each pore of the Sugata

There shone hundreds of thousands of light rays

And more, as many as there are sand grains in the Ganges—

It would not be possible to perceive all their attributes. {23}

At that time, the sunlight did not shine.

Nor was there light from jewels, fire, or the devas.

There was no other light at that time

When there was the splendor of the Buddha entering the city. {24}

When with that great assembly the Sugata proceeded on the path,

Wherever the feet of the one with the ten strengths trod

There appeared from the ground a hundred thousand lotuses

That were pure and had ten thousand million petals. {25}

When the Guide entered the supreme city,

At that time there was no dirt or refuse.

Throughout the entire city there arose

The lovely aroma of the most fragrant incense. {26}

The entire city and its streets were purified.

They had no stones or gravel and were sprinkled with perfume

And bestrewn with the petals of various kinds of flowers.

That is the kind of merit the one with ten strengths had. {27}

When a hundred thousand yakṣas with ferocious minds

Saw the Buddha, the Lord of men who was like gold,

They felt an immense love for the Guide

And took refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha. {28}

All of the million millions of devas

Who had come to see the Lord of men

Let fall a rain of flowers on the Sugata.

They scattered flowers while in the middle of the sky. {29}

The flowers scattered by humans for the Jina

Formed a parasol of flowers in the sky.

The flowers scattered by the devas

Were strewn on the ground as divine flowers. {30}

The devas, humans, kumbhāṇḍas, and rākṣasas

Never tired of gazing upon him.

When they saw the Lord with the ten
strengths,

They were overjoyed and felt the highest delight. {31}

When they saw the body of the supreme being,

All beings were overjoyed and delighted;

They did not even think of the divine flowers,

Which did not seem at all wonderful. {32}

Brahmā upon the right of the one with ten strengths,

Śakra, the king of the devas, on his left,

And the many millions of deities in the middle of the sky

Showed great veneration to the supreme being. {33}

Devas and asuras encircled the Jina,

Who eclipsed all the majesty of devas and humans.

With the soles of his feet making patterns on the ground,

The invited Bhagavān entered into the city. {34}

His body was beautified by excellent primary signs,

Like the firmament filled with stars.

The Buddha shone upon the king’s road

Like the full moon in the sky. {35}

Just as an excellent, pure, precious jewel

That is free of all impurities shines

So that a pure light goes in all directions,

In that way the Jina illuminated the entire world. {36}

Devas and asuras encircled the Jina.

The supreme human who entered Rājagṛha

With the soles of his feet leaving patterns on the ground,

The Buddha, came to the home of the youth Candraprabha. {37}

The supreme city was perfectly adorned,

Millions of banners had been erected,

The entire ground was anointed with the best perfumes,

And beautiful summer flowers were scattered. {38}

When the Sugata spoke to teach

With compassion for the people in the streets,

The Jina manifested emanations

That taught to them the excellent Dharma of the Buddha. {39}

[The Jina manifested emanations;

Bodies that were like gold were manifested.

The Buddha, the Jina, through his emanations,

Remained in emptiness, peace, the enlightenment of buddhahood.] {40}

When the hundreds of thousands of beings heard that,

They prayed for the supreme wisdom of the Buddha,

Wondering, “When will I attain this kind of wisdom?”

Knowing their thoughts, the Jina prophesied to them. {41}

There were those who aspired to attain

That inconceivable supreme attainment.

They had invited the Jina, the Lord of men,

And there was no limit to the offerings they made. {42}

There were those who developed an excellent aspiration,

Thinking, “I will tomorrow invite the compassionate one,

He who wishes to benefit beings,

Whom it is difficult to see in saṃsāra.” {43}

Some who were upon the roofs

Developed the sublime, supreme aspiration to enlightenment

And they scattered divine flowers on the handsome,

Beautifully adorned body of the one with the ten strengths. {44}

Some developed the supreme, highest aspiration

And scattered garlands of magnolias,

Kachnar flowers, the scents of summer,

And wreaths of silken ribbons. {45}

Some stood, holding excellent flowers,

Their bodies perfectly beautified by their raiment.

They held various flowers and wreaths of silk

That they cast in the direction of the Jina with great power. {46}

Some scattered red lotuses, night lotuses,

Blue lotuses, and excellent golden flowers.

Some scattered precious flowers,

And some scattered sandalwood powder. {47}

When the Guide entered the supreme city

The wonders that appeared were uncountable,

Unequaled, impossible to describe,

And they brought many millions of beings to buddha wisdom. {48}

Those in Avṛha, Atapa, who had seen the truth,

The devas of Sudṛśa and Sudarśana,

And those in Akaniṣṭha, who are free of desire—

They all came to see the Lord of humans. {49}

Similarly, countless Parīttaśubha devas,

Apramāṇaśubha devas, filled with
joy,

And countless millions of Śubhakṛtsna devas

Came to see the Guide, the great Rishi. {50}

Countless Apramāṇābha devas,

And similarly the Parīttābha devas,

And countless millions of Ābhāsvara devas

Came to see the Lord of the World. {51}

Many hundreds of thousands of Brahmā’s entourage,

And similarly the faithful Brahmapurohita devas

And many hundreds of Brahmakāyika devas,

All came so as to see the Guide. {52}

Also the Paranirmitavaśavartin devas,

And the pure beings who dwell in Nirmāṇaratin,

And the joyful devas of Tuṣita and Yāma

All came to pay homage to the Buddha. {53}

Śakra, king of the devas, and the Trāyastriṃśa
devas

Came with hundreds of millions of apsarases

And they sent down a rain of flowers,

Having come to see the Buddha, the Lord of sages. {54}

Also the world guardians of the four directions

Vaiśravaṇa, Dhṛtarāṣṭra the nāga king,

Virūḍhaka, and Virūpākṣa, their minds filled with joy,

All came in order to praise the Lord of men. {55}

Ailavila, the powerful king of the yakṣas,

With a delighted mind and encircled by a hundred yakṣas,

Was in the middle of the sky and joyfully

They sent down a rain of numerous various flowers. {56}

Also the Sadāmatta and Mālādhāra
devas,

Holding various kinds of incense and flowers,

With their retinues, all joyful,

Made offerings there to the supreme individual. {57}

Also numerous Karoṭapāṇi yakṣas

And adorned yakṣa maidens

Made offerings to the Buddha

With hundreds of compositions of

The beautiful, melodious music of the yakṣas. {58}

Druma, the king of the kinnaras,

With thousands of kinnara maidens skilled

In sweet and melodious songs and music,

Arrived from Gandhamādana to make offerings to the supreme Jina. {59}

Śambara, Bala, Vemacitra, and Rāhu,

Together with an entourage of thousands of asura maidens,

And together with crowds of other powerful asuras,

Came and sent down a rain of jewels. {60}

From countless trillions of rākṣasas

A thousand million rākṣasas honored him.

They respectfully scattered a multitude of various

Flower petals upon the supreme individual. {61}

The nāga king Girivalgu,

With a great entourage came before the Tathāgata,

Holding great numbers of perfect, precious flowers,

And bowed down at the Sugata’s feet. {i}

The nāga lords Padma and Mahāpadma,

And also Vāsuki, Ananta, and Phanaka,

Came before the great leader

And respectfully bowed to the Sugata. {ii}

The nāga king Maṇi, filled with joy,

Came before the feet of the great leader

Holding fragrant, perfect nāga flowers

And sat before the Sugata at no great distance. {iii}

Also the nāga king Anavatapta,

With perfectly trained nāga maidens

Playing a hundred thousand musical instruments and drums,

Came and made offerings there to the Lord of the World. {62}

The five hundred sons of Anavatapta,

Encircled by their kindred and filled with joy,

Seeking the highest, vast wisdom,

Came to make offerings to the self-arisen one. {63}

Similarly, the nāga king Apalāla,

Palms together, bowed to the supreme individual

Holding beautiful, excellent nāga pearls.

He remained in the sky, making offerings to the king of sages. {64}

Similarly, the nāga king Mucilinda,

With great happiness and filled with joy,

Holding various jewels and pearls,

Came and scattered them for the Guide. {65}

Similarly, the nāga king Kālika

Came before the Tathāgata.

Joyful and holding perfect, beautiful strings of jewels,

He made offerings to the supreme individual. {66}

He felt great
veneration as he thought

Of the qualities of the Tathāgata.

Encircled by his many nāga kindred,

He recited many praises of the Guide. {67}

Similarly, the nāga kings Nanda and Upananda—

Similarly, also, Takṣaka and Kṛṣṇagautama—

Came there gazing upon the Jina

And bowed down to the Sugata’s feet. {68}

The nāga king Elapatra

Came weeping, encircled by a hundred nāgas.

He remembered the supreme sage Jina Kāśyapa

And saw what an unfavorable rebirth he himself had obtained. {69}

“Alas! I had doubts in the past.

In the past I cut down an elapatra
bush,

And therefore I obtained this unfavorable rebirth.

It is not easy to know the Dharma of the Jina. {70}

“I forsake this rebirth into a nāgī’s womb,

And this birth in an extremely detestable body.

I will realize the Dharma, the state of peace,

That the best of men realized in the Bodhimaṇḍa.” {71}

Sāgara, the nāga cakravartin king,

Accompanied by an entourage of thirty million nāgas,

And the majestic Varuṇa, holding necklaces of jewels,

Came in order to make offerings to the Bhagavān. {72}

The yakṣa of Rājagṛha who caught

While he was in the sky