Toh 188Kinh Thọ Ký Dīpaṅkara — Dīpaṅkaravyākaraṇa

Summary

In The Prophecy of Dīpaṅkara, the Buddha narrates the famous story of how, in a former life as
a brahmin ascetic many eons ago, he first received the prophecy of his future awakening. This story of the young brahmin ascetic
Megha’s encounter with the former Buddha Dīpaṅkara is here told to illustrate for Ānanda the importance of not being complacent
about one’s roots of virtue.

Acknowledgements

Translated, introduced, and annotated by Laura Goetz, in consultation with a draft translation by Khenpo Kalsang Gyaltsen
and Chodrungma Kunga Chodron of the Sakya Pandita Translation Group.

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. George
FitzHerbert edited the translation and the introduction, and Ven. Konchog Norbu copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge
of the digital publication process.

Introduction

In the context of teaching Ānanda the importance of not being complacent about one’s roots of virtue, the Buddha
explains that although he had venerated countless buddhas in the past, it was not until he encountered the Buddha Dīpaṅkara,
during a former life as a brahmin ascetic, that he first received a prophecy of his future awakening.

There follows the account of the former Buddha Dīpaṅkara. This begins with his birth, in a far distant past, as the
son of a king called Endowed with Islands. This king had himself formerly been the royal priest of a king named Ajātaśatru,
who held him in such high esteem that he gave him half his kingdom. The account of the young prince Dīpaṅkara’s early life
loosely parallels the biography of the Buddha Śākyamuni himself in the present eon as told in accounts such as the Lalitavistara
—from his transmigration from Tuṣita Heaven into his
mother’s womb, to his first encounter with old age, sickness, and death and his decision to abandon his inheritance, to his
arrival at the seat of awakening.

In the case of Dīpaṅkara, however, according to the Tibetan version translated here, after his awakening to complete
buddhahood he remains at the seat of awakening for fifty years, during which time not a single being approaches him or pays
him homage. Dīpaṅkara, realizing that the people of the area are so happy that they have become careless, and wanting to rouse
them from their complacency, then magically emanates a city even more impressive than their own. When this does not disturb
them, he destroys it in a great blaze, leading the distressed population to finally consider their own impermanence. The
Buddha Dīpaṅkara then rises from the seat of awakening and gives his first Dharma teaching. Accepting an invitation from King
Ajātaśatru, he then travels to the palace Padmāvatī.

Meanwhile, in the remote mountains, a young brahmin ascetic named Megha, who in a future life will be the Buddha
Śākyamuni, is completing his training with the brahmin Ratna, whom he must provide with a fee of a bolt of fabric, a staff, a
water flask, and five hundred coins. Lacking the five hundred coins, Megha descends from the mountain to seek the payment for
his teacher, and in the city Gone to Bliss he encounters a large offering being made to brahmins by the wealthy Suviśākha.
When Megha defeats the brahmin elder Giver of Pieces in a contest of knowledge of the Vedas, mantras, and treatises, Suviśākha
offers Megha lavish gifts that include five hundred coins and his daughter Receiver of Goodness. Repulsed by the thought of
marriage, Megha takes the gifts but refuses the girl, and he heads back toward the mountains while the girl, firmly
considering him to be her husband, follows a few hours behind him.

On the way back, Megha’s course is diverted by one of the gods from the Śuddhāvāsa realm so that he arrives instead at
Ajātaśatru’s capital Padmāvatī, which has been cleaned and decorated in honor of Dīpaṅkara’s imminent arrival. As soon as
Megha hears of the newly awakened Dīpaṅkara, he looks for flowers with which to make an offering to the Buddha. However, since
King Ajātaśatru has decreed that all flowers are to be offered to the Buddha and that no one has permission to buy or sell
them, Megha fails to find a single flower anywhere. Meanwhile, the girl Receiver of Goodness has begged seven flowers from a
garland maker, and with them she approaches Megha.

In the conversation that follows in prose, the girl proposes that she will give her flowers to Megha in exchange for
his vow to always be her husband in lives to come, to which he eventually agrees. Here Megha reveals that the flowers are a
metaphor for roots of virtue, saying that he “will plant them in a field of merit in which they will grow as soon as they are
planted.”

The verses that follow, spoken by the Buddha Śākyamuni, retell previous events of the sūtra, giving a much more
elaborate account of the conversation between Megha and Receiver of Goodness and then continuing up to their approaching the
Buddha Dīpaṅkara and Megha’s intent to receive a prophecy. The prose then resumes with their agreement that they will both
offer the flowers and their departure to find the Buddha.

Seeing Dīpaṅkara and, through a miraculous display, all his thirty-two marks of a great being, Megha is overjoyed.
While the other people in the gathering lay out costly garments for the Buddha to walk on, Megha lays out his humble, dirty
deer skin, which is angrily tossed away by the others. Megha retreats down a side path, away from the crowds, praying that the
Buddha will think of him and place his feet on his matted hair. The Buddha then does so, and Megha is able to scatter his
flowers over the head of the Buddha, who then prophesies that he will become the Buddha Śākyamuni in a future eon.

The account of the Buddha Dīpaṅkara’s awakening and his prophecy to the young brahmin who would later become the
Buddha Śākyamuni has long been a popular tale in the Buddhist world, and accordingly we find a number of retellings, with
significant variation, in Tibetan, Sanskrit, Chinese, and Pali literature. Numerous depictions of the meeting between
Śākyamuni as a bodhisattva in a former life and the Buddha Dīpaṅkara are found in Gandhāran art from present-day Pakistan and
Afghanistan, the northwestern fringes of the Indian cultural sphere. Junko Matsumura is perhaps not exaggerating when she writes, “The story is so popular and important in
both Northern and Southern Buddhism that there is a plethora of many different versions, so that, if we were to include short
references and mentions of the motif, the number of related texts would be almost uncountable.”

Corresponding narratives extant in Sanskrit are found in the Divyāvadāna
and Kṣemendra’s (ca. 990–ca. 1070
ce) Bodhisattvāvadānakalpalatā, where the young brahmin is called Sumati. There are also lengthy accounts in the Mahāvastu
and
The Collected Teachings on the Bodhisatva (Bodhisattvapiṭaka), where, as in
this text, he is called Megha. The story told in The Collected Teachings on the Bodhisatva is
recounted by Butön Rinchen Drup (bu ston rin chen grub, 1290–1364) in his chos ’byung (History of Buddhism).

The parallel Pali story, known as the Sumedhakathā (Sumedha being the name of the
young brahmin), is found in a number of sources.
Perhaps the earliest is the Buddhavaṃsa, but the best known are the Nidānakathā, an introduction to the Pali jātakas from approximately the fifth century ce,
and Buddhaghosa’s commentary on the Dhammapada.

There are also a considerable number of Chinese parallels that shed some light on the development of the narrative
throughout its history. While we have not given much consideration to these passages here, they are listed and compared in
detail in the works of Matsumura. While
Matsumura notes that the Tibetan version translated here is “the only extant independent sūtra on the Dīpaṃkara
Prophecy,” she also cites evidence from Chinese sources indicating that several independent versions may have existed.

The Tibetan translation of The Prophecy of Dīpaṅkara is listed in both the Denkarma and
Phangthangma catalogs (under sūtras consisting of 210 ślokas), which date to the ninth century. Given that the
colophon cites the initial translators as Viśuddhasiṃha and Gepal, who are thought to have lived in the late eighth to the
early ninth century, we can safely assume that this translation dates to the same time period. The translation was revised by
Jñānagarbha and Lui Gyaltsen.

As the language in this Tibetan translation tends to be rather terse and elliptical, the narrative has been at times
clarified using other versions of the story, particularly those in the Divyāvadāna, the
Mahāvastu, and The Collected Teachings on the Bodhisatva,
and we have noted these readings in the endnotes. We have also benefited from previous translations of The Prophecy of Dīpaṅkara by Léon Feer (into French) and Matsumura (into English). While the translation is primarily based on the Degé Kangyur edition, we also consulted the Comparative
Edition (dpe bsdur ma) of the Kangyur and the Stok Palace (stog pho
brang) Kangyur.

The Translation

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra

The Prophecy of Dīpaṅkara

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in Śrāvastī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, together
with a great saṅgha of 1,250 monks. At that time, the Blessed One, surrounded and attended by a retinue of many hundreds of
thousands, was teaching the Dharma.

The Blessed One said to the venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, you must make your motivation very pure by examining each root
of virtue. If you ask why, Ānanda, though I respectfully venerated hundreds of thousands of buddhas, those blessed buddhas did
not prophesy that I would achieve unsurpassed complete and perfect awakening, but after I saw the Thus-Gone Dīpaṅkara and
offered him five utpala flowers, I developed confidence in the selflessness of phenomena and gained the acceptance that
phenomena are unarisen. That is why, Ānanda, you should not be content with your roots of virtue.

“If you ask why, Ānanda, in the past, long ago—an uncountable, exceedingly uncountable, vast, immeasurable, and
inconceivable number of eons ago—at that time, on that occasion, here in Jambudvīpa, there was a king known as Ajātaśatru, who
was shapely, handsome, pleasant to behold, and provided with a supremely rich and fine complexion.

“Ānanda, that king, Ajātaśatru, had eighty-four thousand cities, every one of them dazzling and pleasant to behold,
with magnificent gardens, magnificent ponds, magnificent flowers, magnificent fruits, delightful good harvests, and a joyful
atmosphere. They were wealthy, prosperous, and filled with a
great multitude of people.

“Ānanda, that king, Ajātaśatru, had a royal palace known as Padmāvatī, and there the king, Ajātaśatru, resided. Now,
there was a royal priest of King Ajātaśatru, the brahmin known as Endowed with Islands, who was dear to the king’s heart and
never a disagreeable sight. At that time, Ānanda, Ajātaśatru gathered all the people of the four castes and summoned the
brahmin Endowed with Islands. Having tied a crown upon his head, he then gave him half his kingdom and proclaimed, ‘Brahmin,
you must return to your country and build a royal palace, which you should also name Padmāvatī.’

“Then, Ānanda, King Endowed with Islands built a royal palace in his country, and he also named it Padmāvatī. Thus,
Ānanda, at that time, on that occasion, here in Jambudvīpa there ruled two kings. One was Ajātaśatru, and the other was
Endowed with Islands.

“Then, Ānanda, when Endowed with Islands’ principal queen was sleeping blissfully at the top of the palace, the
bodhisattva Dīpaṅkara passed away and transmigrated from Tuṣita Heaven, transforming into a white elephant calf. He emanated
light rays and entered his mother’s right side. At that time, the principal queen related this event to King Endowed with
Islands.

“Then, Ānanda, King Endowed with Islands gathered brahmins who were skilled in interpreting omens, those skilled in
divination, and those skilled in making offerings, and he related to them the events of this dream. A brahmin who was skilled
in interpreting omens said, ‘O great king, you have gained a great boon! A son of yours, a precious being, is to be born.’

“Then, Ānanda, when King Endowed with Islands heard this dream prophecy, he was transported with satisfaction and
delight, and in his great joy he was elated and cheered. King Endowed with Islands gave gifts to everyone within the bounds of
his kingdom: for those who desired food there was food, for those who desired drinks there were drinks, and for those who
desired a vehicle there was a vehicle. He gave what was
suitable and not unwholesome—incense, garlands, ointments, and bedding—and he gave anything, whatever was desired.

“Then, Ānanda, ten months passed and the son of King Endowed with Islands was born—shapely, handsome, pleasant to
behold, and provided with a supremely rich and fine complexion. As soon as he was born, there emerged from his body a light
such as this: by that light, the whole of the royal palace of King Endowed with Islands was illuminated. Then, at that time,
Śakra, the lord of the gods, vanished from his own abode and went to where the child was. There, he spoke benedictions to that
child, and he said, ‘As soon as he was born, there emerged from his body a light such as this: by that light, the whole of the
royal palace of King Endowed with Islands was illuminated. Because of that, the child should be named Dīpaṅkara.’ Then the
child was named Dīpaṅkara.

“Then, Ānanda, King Endowed with Islands was transported with satisfaction and delight, and in his great joy he was
elated and cheered. Again, he gave gifts to everyone within the bounds of his kingdom: for those who desired food there was
food, for those who desired drinks there were drinks, and for those who desired a vehicle there was a vehicle. He gave what
was suitable and not unwholesome—incense, garlands, ointments, and bedding—and he gave anything, whatever was desired.

“Later, Ānanda, King Endowed with Islands summoned Prince Dīpaṅkara. Having tied a crown upon his head, he gave him
half the kingdom and proclaimed, ‘Youth, you must go and stay among the queen’s retinue and play. Be happy and enjoy
yourself!’

“Shortly thereafter, Ānanda, Prince Dīpaṅkara went among the queen’s retinue and mounted a great carriage. Surrounded
by a host of ladies, he went to the garden. One of the gods of the Śuddhāvāsa realm displayed people like us—one old and
feeble, one struck by illness, and one who was dead—and he
also set a mendicant among them. Prince Dīpaṅkara, having seen this, asked the charioteer, ‘Hey, charioteer, what are these various sights?’

“The charioteer replied, ‘Youth, these are so-called aging, illness, and death. Youth, as long as there are
imputations placed upon the true nature, there will be the phenomena of aging, illness, and death. Youth, it is the same for
you and the rest of us, for we are merely the residents of saṃsāra.’

“The youth asked, ‘Charioteer, who is this one whose head is shaven, who has donned maroon robes, and who is pacified
and gazes the mere length of a yoke?’

“ ‘Youth, this is a monk,’ said the charioteer. ‘Having relinquished all sin and developed the sense of delight in
regard to liberation, he went forth into homelessness.’

“The boy replied, ‘Very good, charioteer! The path of this monk is to be desired,’ and then he turned around and went
home.

“Then, Ānanda, right away, Prince Dīpaṅkara went again to the garden. In the garden he saw the seat of awakening,
which had supported many hundreds of thousands of buddhas.

“Then, Ānanda, the bodhisattva Dīpaṅkara, having seen that seat of awakening, left behind the entire assembly of men
and women a short distance and proceeded in the direction of the seat of awakening. He saw the seat of awakening and
circumambulated it three times, and then at the seat of awakening he sat down with his legs crossed. As soon as the
bodhisattva Dīpaṅkara took his seat, at that moment, at the first break of dawn, he reached unsurpassed complete and perfect
awakening, the highest perfect buddhahood.

“Ānanda, as soon as the Thus-Gone Dīpaṅkara reached unsurpassed complete and perfect awakening, the highest perfect
buddhahood, there emerged from his body a light such as this:
by that light the entire trichiliocosm was illuminated. Then, at that time, Śakra, the lord of the gods, vanished from his own
abode and went to where the thus-gone, worthy, complete and perfect Buddha Dīpaṅkara was. There he bowed his head at the feet
of the Blessed One and, having made offerings to the Blessed One, he proclaimed these words: ‘Ah! The Thus-Gone Dīpaṅkara has
emerged in the world! Thus, by that light are all the world realms illuminated.’

“The Thus-Gone Dīpaṅkara remained at the seat of awakening for fifty years, and not a single being approached to see
him, pay homage to him, or serve him. If you ask why, because the residents of the royal city of King Endowed with Islands
were happy, they did not approach to see him, pay homage to him, or serve him.

“Then, Ānanda, the Thus-Gone Dīpaṅkara thought, ‘These residents of the royal city of King Endowed with Islands,
because they are happy, have become exceedingly careless. Surely I should cause them a little distress.’

“Then, at that time, the thus-gone, worthy, complete and perfect Buddha Dīpaṅkara manifested a display of miraculous
power such that through the manifestation of the display of miraculous power, among the residents of the royal city of King
Endowed with Islands, he emanated a great city made of beryl that was pleasant to behold and filled with a great multitude of
people. Those people, moreover, were more beautiful, more pleasant to behold, and adorned with all types of ornaments.
However, the residents of the royal city of King Endowed with Islands, although they were troubled by the people dwelling in
the city made of beryl, were not in the least bit
discouraged.

“The blessed, thus-gone, worthy, complete and perfect Buddha Dīpaṅkara thought, ‘Since the residents of the royal city
of King Endowed with Islands have become exceedingly careless, surely I should also generate in them a little discouragement.’

“Then the thus-gone, worthy, complete and perfect Buddha Dīpaṅkara again manifested a display of miraculous power such
that through the manifestation of the display of miraculous power he took control of that great city of beryl so that it would
blaze with a great fire. As soon as he took control of it, it caught fire. Then, at that time, those beings and that great
city were destroyed, came to an end, and disappeared. Having seen this unpleasant sight, those beings were
distressed.

“Then, Ānanda, the residents of the royal city of King Endowed with Islands, having seen the fall of the beryl city,
were frightened and discouraged such that their hair stood on end. They thought, ‘If there is a reason that that city was
destroyed, came to an end, and disappeared, it will not be long before we, too, encounter the circumstances of impermanence in
this way. Who will protect us?’

“The thus-gone, worthy, complete and perfect Buddha Dīpaṅkara then thought, ‘Since these residents of the royal city
of King Endowed with Islands have been matured, they are able to understand the Dharma taught by me, they have become worthy
of it, and they have developed the competence for it.’

“At that moment the Thus-Gone Dīpaṅkara, knowing the thoughts of those people, rose from the seat of awakening with
mindfulness and alertness. He then set out for the palace of
King Endowed with Islands, together with Śakra, the lord of the gods, as his śramaṇa attendant.

“Ānanda, as soon as the Thus-Gone Dīpaṅkara arrived, then, at that time, on the occasion of the first Dharma teaching
of the Thus-Gone Dīpaṅkara, twenty thousand beings went forth, and all their minds were liberated from defilements without
further appropriation. At the time of the second Dharma teaching, thirty thousand beings went forth, and all their minds were
liberated from defilements without further appropriation. At the time of the third Dharma teaching, forty thousand beings went
forth, and for all of them the eye of Dharma was purified so that it became stainless and free of blemishes with regard to
phenomena. At the time of the fourth Dharma teaching, fifty thousand beings went forth, and all their minds were liberated
from defilements without further appropriation.

“Ānanda, the thus-gone, worthy, complete and perfect Buddha Dīpaṅkara, surrounded and attended by a large saṅgha of
monks, taught the Dharma.

“Then, Ānanda, when King Ajātaśatru heard that a son of King Endowed with Islands was born and had reached unsurpassed
complete and perfect awakening, the highest perfect buddhahood, he sent a messenger with the words ‘I request that he come
into my presence, for I wish to make an offering.’

“When that messenger heard from King Ajātaśatru, he traveled to the royal palace of King Endowed with Islands and then
to King Endowed with Islands himself, and there, he relayed the message. King Endowed with Islands then went to the thus-gone,
worthy, complete and perfect Buddha Dīpaṅkara, and having gone there he bowed his head at the Blessed One’s feet. Having sat
to one side, he informed him of the situation.

“The Blessed One replied, ‘Be at ease, great king, and return home. I will travel to the palace Padmāvatī.’

“Then the thus-gone, worthy, complete and perfect Buddha Dīpaṅkara, surrounded by the saṅgha of monks and an assembly of bodhisattvas and by gods, nāgas,
yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans, set out together with King Endowed with
Islands, who was surrounded and attended by royal power, a large royal assembly, great royal displays, great royal
possessions, great royal wealth, and great royal pageantry.

“Thus, Ānanda, the Thus-Gone Dīpaṅkara gradually made his way to the palace Padmāvatī.

“At that time, at the king of mountains, Himālaya, there was a brahmin known as Ratna who was instructing some five
hundred young brahmin boys in the treatises, the Vedas, and all the secret mantras. Among those five hundred or so brahmin
boys, there was a brahmin boy known as Megha, who was in the prime of youth, shapely, handsome, pleasant to behold, provided
with a supremely rich and fine complexion, and skilled in all the varieties of secret mantras, treatises, and rituals.

“At that time, Ānanda, the brahmin boy Megha bowed his head at the feet of the master and said, ‘O master, I will go
to the villages, cities, provinces, countries, and royal cities.’

“The master replied, ‘O young brahmin, this is the law among us brahmins: anyone who has mastered all the treatises,
Vedas, and secret mantras must give the master five hundred coins, one bolt of fabric, a staff, and a water flask.’

“The brahmin boy Megha said, ‘Master, since I have nothing at all except a skin, a staff, and a water flask, I will
go.’

“After he requested a third time, the master said, ‘So be it!’ ”

“The brahmin boy Megha gradually descended from the king of mountains, Himālaya, and entered the villages, cities,
provinces, countries, and royal cities. At that time, in the great city Gone to Bliss, there dwelled a brahmin known as Suviśākha. He had a daughter called Receiver of Goodness, who was
shapely, beautiful, pleasant to behold, and provided with a supremely rich and fine complexion. Every day, for her sake, he
had food given to forty thousand brahmins, thinking, ‘I will give my daughter to whomever is especially exalted among them.’

“One of the gods from the Śuddhāvāsa realm showed the brahmin boy Megha the path to the great city Gone to Bliss. The
brahmin boy Megha arrived at the site of the offering, and as soon as the brahmin boy Megha reached the site of the offering,
the girl said to her parents, ‘Father, if the qualities of this one are indeed as they seem, may he become my husband.’

“The brahmin boy Megha then engaged in conversation with all the other brahmins, and among them the brahmin Megha was
superior in the treatises and secret mantras. At that time, at the site of the offering, there was a brahmin known as Giver of
Pieces, who performed offerings sitting among the elders. The brahmin boy Megha went to where the brahmin Giver of Pieces was.
There he engaged in conversation about the Vedas and mantras with the brahmin Giver of Pieces, and it turned out that Megha
was superior in the Vedas, secret mantras, and treatises.

“The brahmin boy Megha then said to the brahmin Giver of Pieces, ‘O brahmin, the law among us brahmins is that whoever
has understood and mastered the treatises should sit on the best seat.’

“Then the brahmin boy Megha again spoke to the brahmin Giver of Pieces: ‘Great brahmin, I will sit here, so get up from this seat.’

“The brahmin Giver of Pieces replied, ‘Young brahmin, do not make me get up from this seat. I will give you five
hundred coins that I have obtained.’

“ ‘I do not need them.’

“He did not stand, so Megha grabbed him by the neck and made him get up. The brahmin Giver of Pieces said to the
brahmin boy Megha, ‘Young brahmin, in making me get up from this seat, you have treated me with contempt and startled me, so I
swear that wherever you take birth, your giving will always be interrupted.’

“Then the brahmin boy Megha sat on the lion throne.

“The brahmin Suviśākha, holding his daughter Receiver of Goodness with his right hand and carrying a golden staff, a
water flask, a bolt of fabric, and five hundred coins, went to where the brahmin boy Megha was. On arriving there, he said to
the brahmin boy Megha, ‘Noble son, take these.’

“The brahmin boy Megha took the five hundred coins, the bolt of fabric, the staff, and the water flask, but he did not
accept the girl. He said, ‘What is the use of this woman? Women are like monkeys—they give rise to agitation and create
obstacles to virtue. Since I dwell in hermitages and solitary places, I have no need for this.’

“ ‘Noble son, please accept out of compassion for me.’

“He did not accept. The brahmin boy Megha left the place of offering and set out for Himālaya, the king of mountains.

“Then the brahmin Suviśākha said to the girl Receiver of Goodness, ‘Daughter, why do you not follow your husband?’

“Having heard his words, the girl set out in the direction of Himālaya, the king of mountains.

“At that time, one of the gods from the Śuddhāvāsa realm had obscured the path to Himālaya, the king of mountains, and
made the path that led to the king’s palace, Padmāvatī, clear. Wherever the brahmin boy Megha stopped for a midday meal, the
daughter Receiver of Goodness stayed overnight.

“When the brahmin boy Megha spotted the king’s palace, Padmāvatī, which was adorned with silken tassels, scattered
with flowers, and set with an arrangement of containers of incense, he asked, ‘Why is this great city so finely
decorated?’

“The residents of the royal city of the king’s palace, Padmāvatī, replied to the brahmin boy Megha, ‘Young brahmin,
have you not heard? A thus-gone, worthy, complete and perfect buddha called Dīpaṅkara has emerged in the world. King
Ajātaśatru invited him, and because he has come here, the great city has been finely decorated.’

“The brahmin boy Megha thought, ‘If among us brahmins it is rare to find one who is clear in conduct and learned in
all the treatises, why mention having such a precious being emerge in the world? I should without a doubt spend these five
hundred coins on flowers and offer them to the Thus-Gone One.’

“He searched everywhere for flowers but was unable to find them anywhere. The residents of the royal city of the
king’s palace, Padmāvatī, said, ‘Young brahmin, have you not heard? King Ajātaśatru has declared, “All flowers must be offered
to the Thus-Gone Dīpaṅkara. Thus, no one has permission to purchase flowers, or to sell them. I will punish severely anyone
who buys or sells them.” ’

“When he continued to search for flowers, the girl Receiver of Goodness sat before him and asked, ‘Young brahmin, what
are you looking for?’

“The brahmin boy Megha replied, ‘I am looking for flowers, girl.’

“The girl Receiver of Goodness then went to the house of a garland maker. When she arrived there, she requested the
garland maker, ‘Noble son, give me flowers. My husband needs them.’

“The garland maker said, ‘Girl, have you not heard? King Ajātaśatru declared thus: “All flowers must be offered to the Thus-Gone Dīpaṅkara. Thus, no one has permission to
sell flowers, or to purchase them. I will punish severely anyone who buys or sells them.” ’

“Three times the girl asked, until he said, ‘So be it!’ The girl Receiver of Goodness then took up a vase and placed in it seven utpala flowers.

“Departing for the city, she saw the brahmin boy Megha. She sat before him and asked, ‘Young brahmin, what are you
looking for?’

“He replied, ‘I am looking for flowers, girl.’

“ ‘Young brahmin, what for?’ she asked.

“He replied, ‘Girl, I will plant them.’

“The girl said, ‘I have never heard of or seen an utpala flower that, already plucked, will grow again.’

“ ‘Girl, I will plant them in a field of merit in which they will grow as soon as they are planted.’

“She replied, ‘If you promise that in all lifetimes, wherever and whenever I take birth, you will always be my
husband, I will give you these utpala flowers.’

“The brahmin boy Megha thought, ‘I am someone who dwells in hermitages and solitary places. Since women create
agitation, excitement, and obstacles to roots of virtue, what use is this woman?’

“She repeated this seven times, until he said, ‘So be it!’ ”

Then, at that time, the Blessed One spoke these verses:

“Thus did I hear. In times past

The Buddha Dīpaṅkara emerged in the world

And traveled to Padmāvatī

With a large retinue of seven thousand.

“For that reason victory banners were raised.

That is why drums, hundreds of them, were beaten.

For that purpose the whole city was cleaned,

And the four streets were decorated.

“Seeing that city adorned,

The brahmin boy asked,

‘Why have victory banners been raised?

For what reason are hundreds of drums beaten?

Why was the city cleaned

And the four streets decorated?

Someone please explain this matter!’

“ ‘Knower of Vedas, have you not heard?

The Buddha Dīpaṅkara has emerged,

And he comes to Padmāvatī

With a large retinue of seven thousand.

“ ‘For that reason were victory banners raised.

That is why hundreds of drums are beaten.

For that purpose the whole city was cleaned

And the four streets decorated.’

“Hearing mention of the Buddha,

He was impressed by the Buddha’s qualities

And traveled there swiftly without hesitation.

“From afar he saw a brahmin girl

With darting eyes like utpala flowers.

Sitting at the door holding a lotus,

She spied the brahmin boy.

“To converse with pleasant words,

With the voice of the kalaviṅka and the peacock,

With the pleasing sounds of the goose and the cuckoo,

Abandoning cacophony and with the voice of Brahmā,

The girl spoke to the brahmin boy:

“ ‘What is it, boy? When you were in the forest

Making burnt offerings and reciting mantras,

Were you harassed by the king’s army?

You are disturbed and wander the streets.’

“ ‘Girl, I have neither home nor family,

And I have no possessions.

I do not desire the pleasures of the senses,

So, girl, the king’s army does not harm me.

“ ‘I do not eat food that comes from them—

Even though I wear robes I do not accept it.

I do not knowingly tell lies,

So, girl, the king’s army does not harm me.

“ ‘I live in the forest on fruits and roots,

So, girl, the king’s army does not harm me.’

“ ‘Were you attacked by lion cubs,

Or were there no fruits or roots in the forest?

Why did you come to this settled place?’

“ ‘I was not harmed by lion cubs,

And in the forest there are fruits and roots.

Good lady, it is because I need utpala flowers

That I came here to the city.’

“ ‘Perhaps, young brahmin, my utpala flowers

Would be suitable to adorn the proud body

Of some young man.’

“ ‘I do not buy them for my own garland.

I do not desire to carry around utpala flowers.

It is for the sake of the compassionate Dīpaṅkara,

Good lady, that I beg for these utpala flowers.’

“ ‘In Gone to Bliss,

When you ate my father’s food,

You disregarded his pleading words.

How can you shamelessly beg for flowers?’

“ ‘Good lady, as payment for your utpalas,

I will give these five hundred coins.

May the noble lady grant them to me

In my search for qualities of the Buddha.

“ ‘Good lady, do not be a hindrance.

Good lady, being made to settle down

Is a hindrance for those who seek alms.’

“ ‘Forget about others, young brahmin.

If I give to one who seeks alms,

I will not be a hindrance.

My aspiration is for this and nothing else.’

“The two of them made the aspiration,

And the brahmin boy took the utpalas

And, holding the utpala flowers,

Bowed at the feet of the Victor:

“ ‘Even if my body dries up

And my bones turn white,

Until I receive a prophecy of awakening

I will not stand up today.

My aspiration is that and nothing else.’

“The girl Receiver of Goodness then held up five utpala flowers and gave them to the brahmin boy Megha. ‘Young
brahmin,’ she said, ‘take these utpalas and present them in your name. And, young brahmin, present these two utpala flowers in
my name.’

“The brahmin boy Megha, carrying those utpala flowers, went outside the city, where he saw the thus-gone, worthy,
complete and perfect Buddha Dīpaṅkara, who was handsome and bright, with his faculties tamed and his mind tamed, supremely
tamed, one who had attained the perfection of calm and peace, one who had attained the highest perfection of restraint and
peace, a great elephant who guarded and controlled his senses, and like a clear and tranquil lake in which emerges an
unsullied golden pillar, elevated, resplendent with glory, and blazing with splendor.

“When he also saw the many trillions of beings, the many hundreds of boys and girls, the many gods, asuras, nāgas,
yakṣas, gandharvas, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas, and King Ajātaśatru with his retinue of queens, all arriving together
holding flowers, flower garlands, incense, and balms in order to make offerings to the Blessed One, he thought, ‘I have heard
that the thus-gone, worthy, complete and perfect Buddha Dīpaṅkara is a thus-gone, worthy, complete and perfect buddha with the thirty-two marks of a great
being, yet only thirty marks appear on this thus-gone one. Since two marks do not appear, he is not endowed with the
thirty-two marks.’

“The thus-gone, worthy, complete and perfect Buddha Dīpaṅkara, understanding the thoughts of the brahmin boy Megha,
then manifested a display of miraculous power such that those thirty-two marks of a great being appeared—thus did he manifest
a display of miraculous power. On seeing this, the brahmin boy Megha was transported with satisfaction and delight. With the
rising of great joy and happiness, he spread out a skin, but the residents of the royal city Padmāvatī lifted up the skin, and
together they tossed it away. They said to the brahmin boy Megha, ‘Brahmin child, are you crazy? In the place where the king’s
robes should
be placed, you lay out this dirty skin!’

“The brahmin boy Megha picked up the skin and stepped aside from the road. Sitting down on a side path, he spoke
these words of truth: ‘By the truth and these words of truth, if the Thus-Gone One, who is all-knowing and all-seeing, has
compassion for the world, may he redirect his path and place his feet upon my matted hair.’

“The thus-gone, worthy, complete and perfect Buddha Dīpaṅkara looked behind him and said to the monks, ‘Monks, where
I put my two feet, there you must not stand. If you ask why, it is because that is the matted hair of one who has honored many
hundreds of sextillions of buddhas.’

“The thus-gone, worthy, complete and perfect Buddha
Dīpaṅkara then stepped away from the road and went to where the brahmin boy Megha was. Arriving there, he placed his two feet
on the matted hair. Then the brahmin boy Megha stood up from the ground and scattered the utpala flowers upon the thus-gone,
worthy, complete and perfect Buddha Dīpaṅkara. The moment he scattered them, they came to rest directly above the crown of the
Thus-Gone One as a pinnacled temple of utpala flowers built with four corners and four columns, equally proportioned and
symmetrical, delightful and attractive. In that pinnacled temple, moreover, appeared the body of the Thus-Gone One.

“Then the thus-gone, worthy, complete and perfect Buddha Dīpaṅkara said to the brahmin boy Megha, ‘Young brahmin, by
these roots of virtue, in future times, after countless eons, you will become the thus-gone, worthy, complete and perfect
buddha known as Śākyamuni, who will be endowed with knowledge and conduct, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, a
charioteer who guides beings, an unsurpassed one, a teacher of gods and humans, a blessed buddha.’

“The brahmin boy Megha, having heard his own prophecy, was transported with satisfaction—with the rising of great joy
and happiness, at that moment, he attained the acceptance of phenomena as unarisen. Having attained that acceptance, he rose
in the space of the sky above to the height of seven tala trees and manifested six thousand samādhis, and there appeared as
many tathāgatas as there are grains of sand in the river Ganges. Then the brahmin boy Megha descended from the sky. Offering
prostrations at the feet of the Blessed One, he requested the Blessed One that he might go forth and become a monk.

“Ānanda, if you are doubtful, uncertain, or suspicious, thinking that the one who was, at that time, on that
occasion, known as the brahmin boy Megha was someone else, Ānanda, you must not see it that way. If you ask why, it was I myself who was, at that time, on that occasion, the
one known as the brahmin boy Megha.

“Ānanda, if you are doubtful, uncertain, or suspicious, thinking that the one who was, at that time, on that
occasion, known as the brahmin girl Receiver of Goodness was someone else, Ānanda, you must not see it that way. If you ask
why, it was the Śākya girl Gopā who was, at that time, on that occasion, the one known as the girl Receiver of Goodness.

“Ānanda, if you are doubtful, uncertain, or suspicious, thinking that the one who was, at that time, on that
occasion, known as the brahmin Giver of Pieces, who was sitting in the row of elders making burnt offerings, was someone else,
Ānanda, you must not see it that way. If you ask why, it was the ignorant person Devadatta who was, at that time, on that
occasion, the brahmin Giver of Pieces.

“This, Ānanda, is why you must not be content with your roots of virtue.”

When the Blessed One had spoken those words, the venerable Ānanda and the assembly consisting of the entire world
with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas rejoiced and praised the words of the Blessed One.

This completes the noble Mahāyāna sūtra “The Prophecy of Dīpaṅkara.”

Colophon

Translated by the Indian preceptor Viśuddhasiṃha and the translator Bandé Gepal. The Indian preceptor Jñānagarbha and
the great translator-editor Bandé Lui Gyaltsen edited and finalized it.

Notes

Bibliography

hundreds of sextillions

took control of

utpala

Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park
rgyal bu rgyal byed kyi tshal mgon med zas sbyin gyi kun dga’ ra ba
རྒྱལ་བུ་རྒྱལ་བྱེད་ཀྱི་ཚལ་མགོན་མེད་ཟས་སྦྱིན་གྱི་ཀུན་དགའ་ར་བ།
jetavanam anāthapiṇḍadasyārāmaḥ