Toh 191Lời Thọ Ký Cho Thiếu Nữ Candrottarā

Summary

In Vaiśālī, a daughter is born to the wealthy Licchavī couple Vimalakīrti and his
beautiful wife, Vimalā. All around the city, men are besotted with the idea of marrying
her. To defuse the situation, the girl promises to go out into the city after seven days
and choose a husband. Before this she takes the eight-branched purification vows,
whereupon a lotus with an emanation of a thus-gone one seated upon it miraculously appears
in her hand. The emanation tells her about the Buddha Śākyamuni, and she resolves to meet
him. When she leaves the house on the seventh day, she is mobbed by a crowd of would-be
suitors. She evades them by rising into the air, and from there delivers a teaching on the
futility of lust and desire. She then calls upon the crowd of men to join her in going to
meet the Buddha. On the way, they meet Śāriputra and other elders. The elders question her
and are impressed by the profundity and eloquence of her answers. When she arrives in the
presence of the Buddha himself, numerous bodhisattvas ask her further questions. The
Buddha is delighted by her answers, and after she makes the aspiration to seek awakening
for the benefit of all beings, he smiles. When Ānanda asks what his smile means, the
Buddha predicts her future awakening.

Acknowledgements

This text was translated by Annie Bien and revised and introduced by the 84000
editorial team. The translator wishes to thank Khyongla Rato Rinpoche for giving the oral
transmission, and Leslie Kriesel for editing the initial draft.

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.

The translation of this text has been made possible through the
generous sponsorship of Make and Wang Xiao Juan.

Introduction

The Prophecy of the Girl Candrottarā takes place
in the city of Vaiśālī, and its main protagonist is the young daughter of the wealthy
Licchavī couple Vimalakīrti and his wife Vimalā. Although this appears to refer to the
same Vimalakīrti who is the main protagonist of the well-known Great Vehicle scripture The Teaching of Vimalakīrti, no mention is made of Vimalakīrti at
this time being a follower of the Buddha.

As soon as the couple’s daughter is born, she appears to be about eight years
old, and speaks eloquently in verse about her former lives. She is so magnificently
beautiful and radiant that her light “far surpassed the radiance of the moon,” earning
her the name Candrottarā (“Exceeding the Moon”). Men of all social statuses from around
the city are besotted by the girl and obsessed with marrying her, and they pursue her
father for favor. Some follow him
around and lavish gifts on him, while others threaten him and plot her abduction. Her
father is distraught, but the girl remains undaunted and promises to go out into the
city after seven days in retreat to make her choice. On the sixth day, she takes the
eight-branched purification vows, whereupon an extraordinary jeweled lotus with an
emanation of a thus-gone one seated upon it miraculously appears in her hand. She speaks
to this apparition, which informs her that he has been sent by the Buddha, the Lion of
the Śākyas. She questions the emanation about this Buddha, and resolves to meet him. On
the seventh day, she leaves the house as planned, and is mobbed by a crowd of lustful
would-be suitors. She evades this boisterous crowd by rising into the air to the height
of a palm tree, and from there, still holding the lotus with the thus-gone one seated
upon it, she delivers a teaching on the futility of lust and desire. When the crowd has
been pacified by this, she asks them to join her in going to meet the Buddha at
Kūṭāgāraśālā in the Great Forest near Vaiśālī where he is staying.

On the way there, they meet a group of elders who are walking to the city to
collect alms. Śāriputra questions the girl, and the elders are impressed by the
profundity of her answers and the confident eloquence with which she speaks, so they
decide to accompany her back to Kūṭāgāraśālā. When she arrives in the presence of the
Buddha himself, numerous bodhisattvas ask her further questions. Śāriputra then resumes
his questioning, at which the girl extols the superiority of the complete awakening of a
bodhisattva over the limited awakening of a hearer like him.

The Buddha praises her answers, whereupon the thus-gone one seated on the
girl’s lotus rises and dissolves into the Buddha’s navel. At this, the Buddha manifests
a miraculous display in which innumerable similar jeweled lotuses, each with a thus-gone
one seated upon it, spring from every pore of his body and fill the great trichiliocosm
with the light of the Dharma. The girl is delighted by this, and throws her lotus toward
the Blessed One as an offering with the aspiration that she too may become a teacher of
the Dharma. Mid-air, the flower transforms into a huge pavilion of flowers that hovers
over the Buddha’s head. Another lotus then appears in her hand, and she throws this too,
with a further aspiration to teach the Dharma for the benefit of beings. It too
transforms into a pavilion of flowers that hovers above the first. In the same way,
further lotuses keep appearing in her hand, she keeps throwing them with further
aspirations to teach the Dharma, and they keep transforming into pavilions of flowers
that hover above the last, until the tenth flower, when she makes the aspiration to
reach complete awakening. At this point, the stacked pavilions of flowers reach all the
way up the brahmā heavens above, and great myriads of gods gather to bear witness.

Just then, the Buddha gives one of his cosmically radiant smiles. When Ānanda
asks what the smile means, the Buddha prophesies Candrottarā’s future lives and eventual
complete awakening as a buddha. When she hears this prophecy, Candrottarā is overjoyed,
and rises into the sky to the height of seven palm trees. There, she transforms her
female form into that of a boy, who, when he descends, touches the Buddha’s feet and
requests to go forth as a renunciant in the Buddha’s dispensation. After the child’s
parents give their consent for this, the sūtra concludes with the boy’s verses of praise
for the Blessed One.

The Prophecy of the Girl Candrottarā is among a
group of Great Vehicle sūtras in which daughters of powerful or wealthy laymen are presented
as highly realized and eloquent beings who receive prophecies of future awakening from
the Buddha. Several of these sūtras feature the daughters of kings. Both Aśokadattā’s Prophecy (Toh 76) and The
Questions of Vimalaprabhā (Toh
168)
center on
daughters of King Ajātaśatru. The daughters of King Prasenajit are the main protagonists
in The Questions of the Girl Vimalaśraddhā (Toh 84),  The
Questions of Vimaladattā (Toh
77),
and The Lion’s Roar of Śrīmālādevī (Toh 92). A point made in many of these discourses,
including this one, is that there is no distinction of gender in emptiness.
Nevertheless, reflecting the monastic milieu of these Great Vehicle texts, the predictions in
each case include the female protagonist transforming into a male form at some stage on
the journey to complete awakening.

There is no extant Sanskrit for the entirety of The
Prophecy of the Girl Candrottarā, though a fragment of a Sanskrit manuscript
dating from circa 500 ce does survive and is preserved as
part of the Schøyen Collection. A verse from the text is also cited by Śāntideva (fl.
eighth century ce) in his discourse on the folly of lust in
the Śikṣāsamuccaya, which is extant in both Sanskrit
and in Tibetan translation (Toh 3940). Śāntideva refers to the text
as Candrottarādārikāparipṛcchā (“The Girl
Candrottarā’s Questions”), which appears to be an alternative title of the same text.
The Sanskrit excerpts from both of these sources have been introduced, translated, and
carefully compared with the Tibetan and Chinese in Braarvig and Harrison (2002). Based
on the similarity in some respects between this sūtra and The Girl
Sumati’s Questions (Toh 74), which was translated into
Chinese as early as the third century ce, and also on the
linguistic evidence of the Sanskrit fragments that are in regular classical Sanskrit
rather than the Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit of the earliest Great Vehicle sūtras, Braarvig and
Harrison have tentatively suggested that the Candrottarādārikāparipṛcchā in its present form reflects Great Vehicle Buddhism
in its middle period, and belongs to a cluster of sūtras that appeared around the first
half of the third century.

The Chinese translation of the Candrottarādārikāvyākaraṇa/Candrottarādārikāparipṛcchā was made in 591 ce
by Jñānagupta (Ch. Shenajueduo), a prominent translator during the Sui dynasty, with the
title Yueshangnü jing
(Taishō 480). It is closely parallel to the later Tibetan
translation, though there are divergences in detail and in the idioms of expression. The
sūtra was translated into Korean as Wol sang nyeo
gyeong (K415). Sections of the Chinese version have been translated into
English by Diana Paul in her work Women in Buddhism
(1985),
and a full English translation from the Chinese has been published by Rolf Giebel
(2018).

The colophon to the Tibetan translation, as found in the various Kangyur
recensions, does not explicitly name a translator but says that it was edited and
finalized by Jinamitra and Yeshe Dé, perhaps indicating that these translators revised
an earlier translation. It is listed in both the Phangthangma and Denkarma imperial-era
catalogs of translated texts compiled in the early ninth century. Butön Rinchen Drup, in his fourteenth century History of Buddhism, attributes the translation directly to
Yeshé Dé.

This English translation is based on the Tibetan as found in the Degé Kangyur,
in consultation with the variant readings listed in the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the Stok Palace Kangyur. Where variant
readings other than the Degé have been preferred, this has been recorded in the notes.
To our knowledge, this is the first full English translation of the sūtra from Tibetan.

The Translation

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra

The Prophecy of the Girl Candrottarā

Homage to all
buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing at Kūṭāgāraśālā in
the Great Forest at Vaiśālī. He was staying there with a large saṅgha of monks, which consisted of five hundred worthy ones. All of them had thoroughbred minds, had done what they needed to do,
and had accomplished their work, put down their burdens, fulfilled their own purpose,
completely exhausted the bonds of mundane existence, thoroughly liberated their minds
through correct understanding, and reached the sublime perfection of all mental
powers.

There were also eight thousand bodhisattvas who were renowned for their knowledge, and who had
attained recollection and unhindered eloquence,
meditative absorption, and acceptance toward phenomena as nonarising. They were endowed
with the five superknowledges, had unobstructed speech,
were not hypocritical, and lacked flattery. Their intention was free of desire for
selfish profit and they taught the Dharma without regard for worldly things. They had
reached the perfection of patience toward the profound Dharma, were endowed with
fearlessness, had completely transcended the activities of Māra, had abandoned karmic
obscurations, and were without doubts concerning the nature of phenomena. With their
aspiration fully formed over countless hundreds of thousands of myriad eons, they were
skilled at speaking in melodious verse with a smiling countenance and without frowning.
Their minds were not overwhelmed, they had an uninterrupted eloquence, and they had
attained acceptance toward the equality of phenomena. They outshone the limitless
audience in attendance with their great fearlessness.

They were skilled in the wisdom that with a single word teaches for a hundred
thousand myriad eons. They had conviction that every phenomenon that arises in the past,
future, and present is like an illusion, a mirage, the moon in water, a dream, a
reflection, and an echo—that it is empty, signless, wishless, void, unfluctuating, and
ungraspable, like the nature of space. They were skilled in immeasurable insight and
wisdom, and skilled in knowing the functioning of the minds of all sentient beings. They
were skilled at teaching the Dharma in accordance with the inclinations of sentient
beings. Their unobstructed minds were free from craving for phenomena. They had
acceptance that was free from secondary afflictions. They were skilled in knowing
phenomena as they are. They were thoroughly immersed in the full range of qualities of
limitless buddha fields. They could always and continuously realize the meditative
absorption that recollects the Buddha. They were skilled in knowing the supplications to
limitless buddhas. They
were skilled in abandoning obsessions, views, afflictions, and latent impulses. By means
of every meditative stabilization and meditative absorption they had fully mastered the
one-pointed superknowledges.

Among those eight thousand bodhisattvas were the bodhisattva great beings
Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, Avalokiteśvara, Mahāsthāmaprāpta, Durabhisambhava, Gandhahastin,
Anikṣiptadhura, Sūryagarbha, Dhāraṇīśvararāja, Emitting the Light of Incense, Sound of
Thunder, King of Definite Golden Luster, Nārāyaṇa, Ratnapāṇi, Ratnamudrāhasta, Gaganagañja, Amśurāja,
Priyadarśana, Liberator of Beings, Nityodyukta, Nityaprahasitapramuditendriya,
Apāyajaha, Vanquishing Vajra State, Vanquishing the Three Worlds State, Vanquishing
Unwavering State, Amoghadarśin, Śrīgarbha, Padmaśrī, Gajagandhahastin,
Gambhīrapratibhāna, Mahāpratibhāna, Dharmodgata, Without Doubting the Nature of
Phenomena, Moves with the Strength of a Lion, Removing All Fear,
Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, Loud Roar of the Great Lion, Inexpressible, Pratibhānakūṭa, and
the bodhisattva great being Maitreya.

Then the kings and eminent persons, city and country folk, attendants,
brahmins, kṣatriyas, and householders all paid their respects to the Blessed One. They
revered him, worshiped him, and made offerings to him during his stay at Kūṭāgāraśālā in
the Great Forest at the great city of Vaiśālī.

At that time, in the great city of Vaiśālī, there lived a Licchavī known as
Vimalakīrti. He was rich and wealthy, an opulently wealthy and prosperous man, with many
treasuries and storehouses. His wife, Vimalā, was beautiful, lovely to behold, with a
full figure and good complexion. After nine months passed, she gave birth to a daughter
with a fine body, beautiful, lovely to behold, with perfect limbs, fingers, and toes. As
soon as this daughter was born, their entire home was suffused with a great light, and
the earth trembled. Outside, the gutters above the doors dripped with ghee and oil, and
those who were weak, defenseless, hungry, and impoverished were satisfied. In the great
city of Vaiśālī, large drums, clay drums, gongs, cymbals, and tambourines all resounded
without being struck, and a great rain of flowers came down. In the four corners of the
house, four large treasure chests filled with a variety of precious gems appeared and
then opened, shining light everywhere.

As soon as she was born, the girl neither wailed nor shed tears. Instead, she
placed her ten fingers and palms together and spoke these verses:

“Committing wrong deeds does not lead to

Pleasant rebirth in an immaculate body.

Committing wrong deeds does not lead to

Households like this with enjoyments and riches.

“Through generosity, discipline, restraint, heedfulness,

And respectful devotion to the guru—

Through such deeds, excellent in nature—

One is born in an eminent person’s home.

“When the guide, the Victor Kāśyapa,

Entered the city of Vaiśālī for alms,

I saw him from the top of the mansion,

And when I saw him, I remembered my devotion for him.

“Then, with utter devotion,

I thought, ‘I have no flowers, ointments,

Powdered incense, food, or drink,

So with what can I make an offering to the teacher?’

“Then I heard a voice: ‘A buddha acts

Without concern for reward, but for the sake of liberating beings.

Engendering compassion out of love for the world,

A buddha graces the world by accepting alms.

“ ‘If you wish to worship such victors,

Make the aspiration yourself for buddhahood.

There is no offering in the three worlds

Greater than the resolute development of the mind of awakening.’

“After I heard that voice from the sky,

And saw that buddha adorned with the supreme marks,

I produced an unwavering mind set on awakening,

And I jumped from the building.

“Hovering in the sky at the height of a palm tree,

I saw the buddhas who dwell in the ten directions,

With forms just like that of the Victor Kāśyapa,

Great jeweled mountains like Mount Meru.

“Through the power of that victor, in the palm of my hand

There appeared a great bowl of mandārava flowers.

I scattered them over Kāśyapa,

And the flowers hung in the sky as a canopy.

“As I gazed upon limitless buddhas in the ten directions,

Their bodies adorned with signs,

Flowers formed canopies over them,

Just as they did for Kāśyapa.

“While hovering in the sky, I spoke these words:

‘I will practice for as many eons as there are atoms of water.

I will never give up until I reach awakening.

May I become a buddha, the foremost of human beings.’

“When that lion’s roar of mine was heard,

Twelve thousand devas, humans,

Asuras, yakṣas, and rākṣasas

Entered into the Buddha’s supreme awakening.

“After that, I was born as a celestial in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three,

And because my good karma had not been exhausted,

When I died and transmigrated from there, I came here to Jambudvīpa.

So, people, make merit!

“When I dwelt in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three,

I worshiped the Victor Śākyamuni.

I had no interest in desire and physical pleasures.

But worshiped the victors again and again.

“Now, I have seen the merit ripen.

I can recall a hundred lifetimes like a single day.

If my good fortune is to be reborn here,

Then what wise person would not develop respect for the victors?”

Having spoken these verses, the girl said no more.

Due to the ripening of roots of virtue acquired during previous lives, her
body appeared as if it was dressed in precious celestial garments, and from her body
there radiated extraordinary golden-colored light that far surpassed the radiance of the
moon. For that reason, her parents named her Candrottarā.

Then at that instant, that moment, that very second, it appeared to everyone
as if the girl Candrottarā had already reached the age of eight, and wherever she stood,
or walked, or sat, or took a rest, it was as if the ground beneath her was illuminated
by a golden-colored light, a fragrance of the finest sandalwood rose from every pore of
her body, and from her mouth came the scent of the blue utpala flower.

When merchants, householders, princes, and others from important families and
high-ranking castes in the city of Vaiśālī heard about this girl Candrottarā’s physical
form and her perfect complexion, their minds were ensnared by lustful desire, and they
thought, “How good it would be if she were to become my wife.”

Whereupon a great number of men set about trying to obtain her.

Some among them made approaches to the Licchavī Vimalakīrti, staying close to
him and venerating him. Some tried to rouse his interest by making gifts of jewels,
gold, silver, diamonds, beryl, cat’s-eye, sapphire, conch, crystals, and coral, as
abundant as grains of sand. Some showed off their wealth in cattle, grain, houses, luxuries, and food. Some
showed their ferocity by killing, binding, and beating male and female slaves, workers,
and laborers. Some threatened Vimalakīrti, saying, “If you do not give us the girl
Candrottarā, then we will cause great suffering and will inflict great harm upon you.”

The Licchavī Vimalakīrti thought, “Right now, armed groups are on their way to
arrest and overthrow me. They will surely kidnap my daughter and kill me too!” At this
thought, he panicked and with his hair standing on end, was immobilized by fear. Losing
his mindfulness, and intimidated by others, he wept in distress, staring without
blinking at his daughter.

When the girl Candrottarā saw her father crying, his face covered in tears and
ashamed, she asked him, “Father, why are you weeping and staring like this?”

The Licchavī Vimalakīrti replied to his daughter Candrottarā, “Daughter, do
you not understand that you will be kidnapped, and that there will be fighting and
conflict everywhere in this city on account of you? Because of you, there are armies
approaching, and we will be destroyed. If I thought you wouldn’t be captured, I would
not weep so.”

The girl Candrottarā then spoke to her father in verse:

“Even if all the beings in the world

Were as vigorous as Nārāyaṇa

And rushed at me wielding weapons,

Still, they would not be able to harm me.

“Neither poison nor weapons can strike those with a loving heart,

Nor do vetālas and other frightful things arise.

Since a loving mind has neither harshness nor hatred,

Others can do no harm to a mind with love.

“Father, I have great love for those of the world.

Little as I am, I delight in beings.

Since I have never brought suffering on others,

Suffering does not befall me, Father.

“Without desire, there is no attraction;

By cultivating love, there is no aversion.

Since I am without attraction, aversion, and ignorance,

Others cannot assail me, Father.

“My love for all beings

Is just like the love for my father and mother.

Father, those who love worldly beings like this

Will never be harmed by others.

“It might be possible to confine the sky within a narrow gorge,

Or Mount Meru within a mustard seed,

Or the expanse of the ocean within the hoofprint of a cow,

But it is impossible to destroy me, Father.”

After speaking these verses, the girl Candrottarā then told her parents,
“Father, Mother, I request that bells be rung and that this be proclaimed on every road
and at every crossroads and intersection: ‘In seven days from now, the girl Candrottarā
will come out, and when she comes out, she will choose for herself whichever husband she
wishes. You should prepare for this: decorate the roads, crossroads, and intersections
in all directions with ornaments; sweep them and ritually cleanse them with flowers,
incense, perfumes, garlands, and ointments.’ ”

Then both parents of Candrottarā came out
from their home and announced, “Seven days from now, Candrottarā will come out, and when
she comes out, our daughter will choose whichever husband she wishes. You should prepare
for this: decorate the roads, crossroads, and intersections in all directions with
ornaments; sweep them and ritually cleanse them with flowers, incense, perfumes,
garlands, and ointments.” This they proclaimed to all.

Everyone heard it, and a great number of men in Vaiśālī then set about
decorating every road, crossroad, and intersection accordingly, but each was scheming in
his mind, “How can I, and no one else, win the girl Candrottarā?” So they competed with
one another to beautify themselves. Merchants and householders, ministers, brahmins, and
princes, all the way down to workers, washed themselves thoroughly, rubbed their bodies
well, dressed in fine clothing, and adorned themselves with various kinds of jewelry.
They told their servants, “Be attentive! If the girl Candrottarā looks like she will not
come with us of her own accord, we will have to take her by force.”

And so, seven days passed, and a large crowd of men, enthralled and amazed,
gathered to see the girl Candrottarā.

Then, on the sixth day, during the full moon, the girl Candrottarā took the
full eight-branched purification vows. That night, just as people were going to sleep,
she went to the roof of the mansion and sat down. Then, by the power of the Buddha, a
lotus appeared in the right hand of the girl Candrottarā. It was beautiful to behold and
radiated clear light. Its stalk was gold, its petals silver, its anthers beryl, its
center emerald, and it had many hundreds of thousands of petals. In the middle of this
lotus appeared the figure of a thus-gone one, the color of whose body was like gold, and
blazed with splendor. He was fully adorned with the thirty-two marks of a great being
and further by the eighty excellent marks. Seated in full lotus posture, light rays from
the thus-gone one’s body illuminated the entire house, making everything clearly
visible.

When the girl Candrottarā saw the lotus and saw the figure of the thus-gone one,
she rejoiced with great delight. Elated, joyful, and happy, she spoke the following
verses to that figure of the thus-gone one:

“You who have such splendor,

What are you? Are you a god? Or if not, a nāga?

Are you an asura? A guhyaka? A kinnara?

Who are you? Please answer the question clearly.

“Your golden-colored body radiates a light

That is impossible to describe.

One moment it is gold, then rose,

Then swiftly it resembles crystal light.

“Henceforth, with this little body of mine,

Without perceptions, my mind shall not waver.

Just to see your form, Protector,

Makes me feel expansive joy.

“Your glorious form blazes like fire,

Your beauty is as exalted as the greatest of mountains,

You are present just as you are beheld.

Where have you come from, and where will you go?”

The figure of the thus-gone one then spoke these verses to Candrottarā:

“I am neither god nor nāga;

I am neither kinnara nor yakṣa.

I have been sent to you

By the Buddha, the Lion of the Śākyas.

“I am neither god nor yakṣa;

I am neither nāga nor kinnara.

The phenomenon of my arising here today is because of you—

It was instructed for the sake of taming gods and humans.”

The girl Candrottarā replied to the figure of the thus-gone one in verse:

“That awakened one you call ‘Buddha’—

Tell me, what is his color like?

Tell me about his marks and form.

To hear this will help me understand.

“When you spoke that name ‘Buddha’ just now,

You did not mention his color, marks, or form.

What is the conduct that befits this Buddha?

Have confidence to speak here of his peerless deeds.”

Then that figure of the thus-gone one replied to the girl Candrottarā in
verse:

“The color of his body is like gold,

He has the thirty-two supreme marks,

He is a basis of worship for all sentient beings—

For these reasons, he is called ‘Buddha.’

“He understands, with his focused mind,

All deeds in which sentient beings are engaged,

Whether noble or ignoble.

For that reason, he is called ‘Buddha.’

“There is not the slightest thing he does not know

About every phenomenon in every aspect.

He has reached the perfection of wisdom.

For that reason, he is called ‘Buddha.’

“With his focused mind, though he has understood

The minds of every sentient being,

He never looks down

On the minds of others.

“The Buddha’s conduct is ennobled by generosity,

Ennobled in the highest by discipline,

Manifestly ennobled by patience and perseverance,

Perfectly ennobled by meditative stability and insight.

“Well trained in every craft,

There is nothing at all he does not know.

He has perfect love and compassion.

For these reasons, he is called ‘Buddha.’

“He turns the unsurpassed wheel,

The wheel of the Dharma.

He discerns ten million buddha fields

And gives teachings on the absence of self.

“His voice pervades

Hundreds, thousands, hundreds of billions

Of buddha fields.

For that reason, he is called ‘Buddha.’

“Its melodious sound brings understanding

To tens of billions of buddha fields

As numerous as the grains of sand of the River Ganges.

For that reason, he is called ‘Buddha.’

“In just one of his hands, the Guide can hold

Tens of millions of buddha fields,

And dwell in them for ten million eons.

For that reason, he is called ‘Buddha.’

“However many Mount Merus there are

In thousands of myriad buddha fields,

He could gather them up with a single strand of hair

And cast them into ten million buddha fields.

“He is naturally present in all dharmas.

Abiding there, he delights in the supreme state,

And in sentient beings loosening their bonds.

For that reason, he is called ‘Buddha.’

“Powerful and endowed with the ten powers,

He has taken to heart the realization that is fearless,

Without any hesitation about the qualities of buddhahood.

For that reason, he is called ‘Buddha.’

“Invisible from view is his uṣṇīṣa.

Endowed with the five pure eyes,

He is in full command of the five faculties and the five powers,

And remains on the path of the branches of awakening.

“His disposition is good, he is easy to befriend,

He is unsurpassable in peace and discipline,

He is unwavering, honest, and clear.

For these reasons, he is called ‘Buddha.’

“He is always in meditative equipoise,

Not subject to distraction.

He speaks at the right time for the needs of beings.

For that reason, he is called ‘Buddha.’

“Excellent, endowed with all good qualities,

The basis of worship for migrating beings,

He is all-knowing and all-seeing.

For that reason, he is called ‘Buddha.’

“I could speak for an eon,

Or even for a billion eons,

Of the significance of this Buddha.

For that reason, he is called ‘Buddha.’ ”

At this, the girl Candrottarā was delighted and she rejoiced. She was
delighted, ecstatic, and joyful, and the sight of the thus-gone one made her thirst for
more.

In response, she spoke these verses to the figure of the thus-gone one:

“What wise person, when they hear this Dharma,

Or about the abilities of a perfectly awakened one

With good qualities such as these,

Would be happy to stay at home, even for a few moments?

“Until I see the Well-Gone One,

I will abandon torpor and sleep.

I will seek neither food nor drink,

Nor will I remain upon this mat!

“Seeing you, I have become blissful,

Just hearing of these good qualities.

To see the eminent Buddha directly

Would bring me further incomparable joy.

“In over a billion eons it is extremely rare

To see supreme beings in this world.

Having now heard the name of the Worthy One,

I would see the Victor who has found great fortune.”

The emanation then said to her:

“The supreme being resides in the Great Forest.

His saṅgha, eight thousand strong, are courageous,

They are without vice,

And they have renounced the impure.

“Each could hold up, in just one hand,

The billionfold universe of buddha fields for many eons.

They have attained meditative absorption, the superknowledges, and eloquence.

They listen without agitation, like an ocean.

“In order to worship the victors, with magical powers

They proceed in moments to limitless buddha fields.

There, they worship myriad buddhas,

And within moments those steadfast ones return again.

“With no concept of ‘self,’ no concept of ‘buddha,’

With no concept of ‘buddha field’ and no concept of ‘sentient being,’

Not veiled by any diverse conceptual elaborations,

They work for the benefit of the great host of beings.

“If you wish to see that Subduer of Foes and bodhisattva,

And likewise his saṅgha of monastics,

If you wish to hear the supreme Dharma before the Lord of Sages,

Then go to the Great Forest where the Teacher is staying.”

Then
the girl Candrottarā, holding that very lotus with the figure of the thus-gone one
seated upon it, descended from the roof of the mansion, went before her own father and
mother, and spoke to her parents in the following verses:

“Father, look! In my right hand

Is a beautiful golden-stalked lotus, pleasing to behold.

Mother, look at the figure of this holy being.

Once seen, who would not take refuge in him?

“Mother, I see our entire home illuminated

By light the color of gold.

In an instant, the color transforms in many ways;

The measure of his image cannot be grasped!

“So, Mother, let us go before the Victor,

To the Great Forest, to see the Victor Gautama!

Let us bring flowers and the finest incense

To venerate the Thus-Gone One.”

Candrottarā’s father and mother,

On hearing such pleasing words, said, “Good!”

Taking clothing, incense, perfumes,

Flowers, garlands, and ointments too,

Carrying large drums, clay drums, flat bells,
parasols,

Conch shells, victory
banners, flutes, vīṇās,

And jeweled cymbals pleasing to hear,

They emerged from the house.

At that time, on the seventh day, many hundreds of thousands of people
gathered to see the girl Candrottarā. Among them, some had minds completely ensnared by
lust, some just wanted to look at her, and some had the idea to decorate the entire
great city of Vaiśālī with ornaments. Boys and girls also came out to watch from the
platforms, gatehouses, pediments, windows, balustrades, and roofs of the manors and
mansions.

The girl Candrottarā then emerged from her home, carrying the figure of the
thus-gone one sitting on a lotus, accompanied by her parents and surrounded and escorted
by a large retinue who carried flowers, incense, perfumes, garlands, ointments, powders,
clothing, umbrellas, victory banners, and silk flags, and played a variety of cymbals
and drums.

When the many hundreds of thousands of people saw her setting off toward the
center of the city, they came running, thinking, “I must catch her!” At that very
moment, just as a great crowd of men from the great city of Vaiśālī were rushing at her
together, laughing and shouting, “Ha, ha! Come here! Come here!” the girl
Candrottarā, at that very moment,
seeing this large crowd of people running, and still holding in her hand the figure of
the thus-gone one sitting upon the lotus, rose into the sky to the height of a palm
tree, and remained there. Sitting there, she addressed that crowd of men in verse:

“Behold this captivating body of mine,

Golden in color like flickering flame.

This beautiful body of mine, endowed with patience,

Has not arisen from a mind of lust.

“Those who do not long for the objects of the senses,

And abandon lust, which burns like live coals,

And control the six sense faculties with vows

Lead the pure celibate life.

“When they see the wives of others,

Those who form the thought, ‘They are my mothers and sisters,’

Will become beautiful and dearly loved,

And always supremely attractive.

“That this entire area is pervaded

By a scent that comes from the pores of my skin

Is not something I achieved through a lustful mind.

Rather, it is the karmic result of generosity and discipline.

“I do not experience desire,

Do not have lust for one who is without desire.

I speak the truth, never what is false.

This lord of sages before me is my witness.

“In the past, you have been my fathers,

And I too have been your fathers, your brothers,

Your sisters and mothers, over and over again—

Who would feel lustful thoughts toward their mother?

“In the past, I have killed each one of you,

And in the past, you have killed me too.

Since we have all been each other’s mortal enemies,

How can you feel lustful thoughts?

“Lust does not lead to a beautiful body;

The lustful will not be reborn in happy realms.

Those who experience desire will not pass beyond sorrow.

Therefore, you should completely abandon lust.

“The foundation of lust leads to hell;

Desire leads to rebirth as pretas or animals.

Those whose minds are ensnared by desire

Will become kumbhāṇḍas, asuras, yakṣas, or piśācas.

“Through desire, they will be reborn one-eyed, lame,

Mute, and ugly to look at.

Those who indulge in base lustful behavior

Will be receptacles for all kinds of faults.

“Anyone who attains the sovereignty of a universal monarch,

Or of Śakra, lord of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three,

Or the power of mighty Brahmā,

Has practiced celibacy well.

“Those who always long for objects of desire

Will be blind, deaf, simpletons, dogs, pigs,

Camels, donkeys, monkeys, elephants,

Tigers, cattle, horses, locusts, and flies.

“Those who practice celibacy well

Will become joyous lords of the earth,

Merchants, householders, or ministers.

They will find happiness, joy, and peace.

“They will be solitary buddhas and worthy ones,

Clearly embellished by the marks of buddhahood.

Having realized the peace of unexcelled awakening,

They will act for the benefit of the great mass of sentient beings.

“Those who are enslaved by lust are roasted,

Poisoned with smoke, and killed,

Or imprisoned, beaten, and threatened,

And their heads, nose, eyes, ears, and feet will be cut off.

“Lustful behavior does not lead to just one fault.

Unsuitable desires lead to faults that are utterly limitless.

If you seek to be liberated quickly from that state,

Come! Let’s go to meet the Victor.

“Except for the Buddha, worshiped by gods and humans,

There are no others to serve as a support and final refuge.

Since a victor rarely appears, even in one hundred eons,

Let us all go there together.”

As soon as the girl Candrottarā finished speaking these verses, at that very
moment, the great earth trembled and the devaputras, who were residing in the vault of
the sky, cried, “How wonderful!” and a great clamor of cheers and laughter erupted from
the hundreds and thousands of people there. A rain of flowers also fell, as billions
upon billions of cymbals resounded.

This greatly affected the men in the crowd, who were astonished and afraid—it
made, so to speak, their hair stand on end. Some of them were thenceforth without
desire, hatred, delusion, anger, quarrelsomeness, deceit, malice, and conflict. All of them
were freed from mental obscurations, physically refreshed, and freed from all afflictions.
The girl Candrottarā became as dear to them as a mother, a sister, or a teacher, and
they revered her, showering her with whatever flowers, incense, perfumes, garlands, and
ointments they were holding. And as they were being strewn, at that very moment, those
flowers were transformed through the power of the Buddha into a flowered canopy half a
league in size that hovered above the crown of the figure of the thus-gone one. The girl
Candrottarā then descended from the sky to hover some four finger-widths above the
earth, and walking on air without touching the ground, she left the great city of
Vaiśālī. As eighty-four thousand residents of the great city of Vaiśālī followed closely
behind the girl Candrottarā, the earth trembled with every rise and fall of their
feet.

Early the next morning, the venerable Śāradvatīputra, together with about
five hundred monks dressed in their upper and lower robes and carrying alms bowls,
entered the great city of Vaiśālī to gather alms. As they approached from afar, these
great hearers saw the girl Candrottarā surrounded by that great host of people. Seeing
her, the venerable Śāradvatīputra said to the venerable Mahākāśyāpa, “Venerable
Mahākāśyāpa, if this girl Candrottarā is to go before the Blessed One, shouldn’t we know
whether or not she has attained acceptance? We should ask her some questions.”

So the venerable Śāradvatīputra, together with those monks, approached the
girl Candrottarā and asked, “Where are you going, girl?”

“Honorable Śāradvatīputra,” replied the girl, “you ask, ‘Where are you going,
girl?’ Elder, wherever you are going, I am going too.”

“Girl, I am going to Vaiśālī, and you are coming from Vaiśālī,” said
Śāradvatīputra. “How does it make any sense for you to say, ‘Elder, wherever you are
going, I am going too’?

“Honorable Śāradvatīputra,” replied the girl, “where do you raise your feet
and where do you lower them?”

“Girl,” replied Śāradvatīputra, “I raise my feet in space and lower them in
the same space.”

The girl continued, “Honorable Śāradvatīputra, I too raise my feet in space
and lower them in space. In the element of space there is not even the slightest
difference, so for that reason, Honorable Śāradvatīputra, I say, ‘Wherever you are
going, I am going too.’ Honorable Śāradvatīputra, where are you going?”

“Girl, I am going to nirvāṇa,” replied Śāradvatīputra.

“Honorable Śāradvatīputra,” said the girl, “since all dharmas are in
nirvāṇa, I am already there.”

Śāradvatīputra then asked, “Girl, if all dharmas go to parinirvāṇa, then why are you not going to
parinirvāṇa?”

“Honorable Śāradvatiputra,” replied the girl, “that which is in parinirvāṇa
does not pass into parinirvāṇa, for that which is in parinirvāṇa has no arising and no
disintegration. So apart from that which is in parinirvāṇa, there is nothing at all that
can become in parinirvāṇa. Why is that? Because that which is in parinirvāṇa is itself
parinirvāṇa.”

Thus she spoke, and the venerable Śāradvatīputra then asked the girl
Candrottarā, “So, girl, are you a follower of the Hearer Vehicle, a follower of the
Solitary Buddha Vehicle, or a follower of the Great Vehicle?”

“Honorable Śāradvatīputra,” replied the girl, “you have asked me what vehicle
I follow. Honorable Śāradvatīputra, ask yourself! Begging your forbearance, may I
ask, Honorable Śāradvatīputra, what is
the Dharma that you realize? Are you a follower of the Hearer Vehicle? Or a follower of
the Solitary Buddha Vehicle? Or a follower of the Great Vehicle?”

“Girl, I am none,” replied Śāradvatīputra. “Why? Because in the Dharma, there
are no concepts or elaborations, and there is neither difference, nor identity, nor
diversity.”

The girl continued, “Honorable Śāradvatīputra, for that reason, with regard
to all dharmas—nonexistent conceptualizations, nonexistent elaborations, all nonexistent
phenomena that are distinguished, anything that is dwelt upon, or phenomena that are
completely beyond suffering—there is nothing to be apprehended.”

“Girl, your eloquence is a marvel,” said Śāradvatīputra. “How many thus-gone
ones have you served?”

The girl replied, “Honorable Śāradvatīputra, you have asked me how many
thus-gone ones I have served. As many as there are in suchness and the realm of
phenomena.”

“Girl, how many are there in suchness and the realm of phenomena?” asked
Śāradvatīputra.

The girl replied, “Honorable Śāradvatīputra, there are as many as there are
in ignorance and craving for existence.”

“Girl, how many are there in ignorance and craving for existence?” asked
Śāradvatīputra.

The girl replied, “As many, Honorable Śāradvatīputra, as there are in the
realms of sentient beings.”

“Girl, how many are there in the realms of sentient beings?” asked
Śāradvatīputra.

“Honorable Śāradvatīputra,” replied the girl, “they are as numerous as the
realms of blessed buddhas of the past, future, and present.”

“Girl, what are these answers you give?” asked Śāradvatīputra.

“Honorable Śāradvatīputra, I have answered whatever question the elder has
asked me!” she replied.

“Girl, what have I asked?” said Śāradvatīputra.

“Honorable Śāradvatīputra,” she replied, “the words with which you questioned
were certainly instructive.”

“Girl, words are inherently limited because they do not designate anything,
so they cannot be ‘certainly instructive,’” said Śāradvatīputra.

“Likewise, Honorable Śāradvatīputra,” replied the girl, “the one who asks
about all dharmas being unproduced, lacking cessation, and being without
characteristics, and the one who gives answers—neither is apprehended.”

“Girl,” said Śāradvatīputra, “in this way you have attained patience and have
the pure form of a bodhisattva, so it will not be long before you reach complete
buddhahood in unexcelled and perfectly complete awakening.”

The girl replied, “Honorable Śāradvatīputra, the word ‘awakening’ is a
conceptual elaboration, ‘reach complete buddhahood’ is a conceptual elaboration, and
‘near’ and ‘far’ are conceptual elaborations as well.

“Honorable Śāradvatīputra, you said, ‘It will not be long before you reach complete
buddhahood in unexcelled and perfectly complete awakening.’ Honorable Śāradvatīputra,
because awakening is unexcelled and completely perfected, it is unproduced, lacks
cessation, lacks annihilation, lacks permanence, is not a unity nor a multiplicity,
lacks coming, lacks going, is inexpressible, lacks arising, and lacks an intrinsic
nature, so any complete buddhahood is not apprehended. Why? Because awakening cannot be
defined dualistically, because awakening is not dual and is free from duality.”

Then the honorable Śāradvatīputra said to the girl Candrottarā, “Girl, you
should go before the Thus-Gone One. We are also going there to listen to the
Dharma.”

The girl Candrottarā replied to the elder Śāradvatīputra, “Honorable
Śāradvatīputra, the Thus-Gone One does not teach the Dharma to those who wish to
listen.”

“Well then, girl, to whom does the Thus-Gone One teach the Dharma?” asked
Śāradvatīputra.

“Honorable Śāradvatīputra,” replied the girl, “to those who, though they
listen, are not pleased—to those who are not really pleased.”

“Girl,” said Śāradvatīputra, “many sentient beings have gone before the
Thus-Gone One for the purpose of listening to Dharma teachings. Does the Thus-Gone One
not teach the Dharma to them?”

“Honorable Śāradvatīputra,” replied the girl, “those sentient beings who
maintain an idea of the Thus-Gone One or who believe the Dharma has an intrinsic
identity think, ‘This is the Thus-Gone One,’ ‘He teaches us the Dharma,’ and ‘This is
the Dharma that he teaches.’ But those who have understood the realm of phenomena do
not have any such thoughts of ‘the Thus-Gone One,’ ‘the Dharma,’ or ‘the teaching’ like
this.”

Then the elder Mahākāśyapa spoke, addressing his words to the elder
Śāradvatīputra: “Venerable Śāradvatīputra, since a girl with such eloquence is going
before the Thus-Gone One, there will surely be a great Dharma teaching there, so it
would be better for us to cut short our going for food and return. It would not be right
if we were absent when such a teaching is heard.”

Those great hearers then turned around and headed back.

The girl Candrottarā proceeded to Kūṭāgāraśālā in the Great Forest. She went
to where the Blessed One was, bowed her head at the feet of the Blessed One, circled the
Blessed One three times, and presented him with the flowers, incense, perfumes,
garlands, ointments, powders, clothing, parasols, banners, and flags that she had
brought, laying them out before him.

The crowd of men also presented the Blessed One with what they had brought:
flowers, incense, perfumes, garlands, and ointments. As soon as they laid them out, at
that very moment, the flowers transformed into a flower canopy about ten leagues wide.
It settled directly above the crown of the Blessed One’s head.

Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta then addressed the girl Candrottarā: “Girl, from where
did you die and transmigrate when you came here? And when you die here, where will you
go?”

The girl replied, “Mañjuśrī, what do you think? From where did this this
figure of a thus-gone one that sits on a lotus in my right hand die and transmigrate
when he came here? And
when he dies here, where do you think he will be reborn?”

“Girl, this is an emanation,” said Mañjuśrī. “As an emanation, he has no
death, transmigration, and rebirth.”

“Mañjuśrī,” continued the girl, “all phenomena are by nature just like
emanations, and even I have not seen their death, transmigration, and rebirth.”

Then the bodhisattva Amoghadarśin addressed the girl Candrottarā: “Girl,
since perfect and complete awakening to buddhahood is not possible in the body of a
woman, why do you not transform your female body?”

“Son of noble family,” replied the girl, “all phenomena are characterized by
emptiness, and in emptiness there are no changes to be made and no transformation.”

Then the bodhisattva Dharaṇīṃdhara addressed the girl Candrottarā: “Girl, do
you see the Thus-Gone One?”

“Son of noble family,” replied the girl, “just as this figure of a thus-gone
one sees, so do I see the Thus-Gone One.”

The bodhisattva Pratibhānakūṭa spoke: “Girl, have confidence to tell us about
the Dharma.”

“Son of noble family,” replied the girl, “in the realm of phenomena, there is
no narrating and no recounting, for the realm of phenomena cannot be enumerated in
words.”

The bodhisattva Asaṅgapratibhāna asked, “Girl, what Dharma teachings have you
heard in the presence of previous thus-gone ones?”

“Son of noble family,” replied the girl, “if you want to know, look up. A
thus-gone one is like the sky; the Dharma taught is just like the thus-gone one, as are
those who listen. Son of noble family, all phenomena are just like the sky.”

The bodhisattva Gaganagañja asked, “Girl, how did you make offerings to
previous thus-gone ones, and how did you dedicate the merit?”

“Son of noble family, it is like this,” replied the girl. “If, for example,
the emanation of a thus-gone one were to make offerings to a buddha, his saṅgha of
monks, and so forth, what would happen?”

“Girl, with an emanation, nothing would happen,” said Gaganagañja.

“Son of noble family, I gave offerings to previous thus-gone ones and
dedicated the merit in just that way,” said the girl.

The bodhisattva Asaṅgacitta asked, “Girl, how do you make beings suffused
with loving-kindness?”

“Son of noble family, I leave beings just as they are,” replied the girl.

“How are those beings, girl?” he asked.

“Son of noble family,” she said, “there is no past, there is no future, and
there is no present. Since the mind too has no past, no future, and no present, the
cultivation of loving-kindness cannot be captured by saying ‘it is like this.’ ”

The bodhisattva Prāmodyarāja asked, “Girl, have you obtained the Dharma
eye?”

“Son of noble family,” replied the girl, “if I have not even obtained the
physical eye, how would I obtain the Dharma eye?”

The bodhisattva Sthiramati asked, “Girl, how long have you been advancing
toward unexcelled, perfectly complete awakening?”

“Son of noble family,” replied the girl, “for as long as water advances
toward a mirage, that is how long I have been advancing toward awakening.”

Then the bodhisattva Maitreya asked the girl Candrottarā, “Girl, how long
will it be before you reach the complete buddhahood of unexcelled, perfectly complete
awakening?”

“As long as it takes the bodhisattva Maitreya to pass beyond the stage of an
ordinary being and also pass beyond the stage of a buddha,” replied the girl.

Then the venerable Śāradvatīputra addressed the Blessed One: “Blessed One,
this sister dons the great armor of a great leader and with her followers speaks with
utter fearlessness and without any inferiority—the girl’s eloquence is amazing.”

The girl Candrottarā then said to the venerable Śāradvatīputra, “Honorable
Śāradvatīputra, it is like this. Take the example of fire—no matter small it is, its
nature is to burn, so anything brought close to it will be burned. In the same way,
Honorable Śāradvatīputra, since there is not the slightest difference between the
bodhisattvas with respect to the course of all the thus-gone ones, all of them stay
close in order to burn away all the afflictions of themselves and others.”

“Girl, once you have attained awakening, what will your buddha field be
like?” asked Śāradvatīputra.

“Honorable Śāradvatīputra,” replied the girl, “in my buddha field, as in any
buddha field, Elder Śāradvatīputra, there would not be any trace whatsoever of those who
trust in lesser beings, who have weak insight, who do not look out for the benefit of
others, and who follow the Hearer Vehicle—not even their names would be heard.”

“Girl, what are you saying?” asked Śāradvatīputra “If it is said ‘the realm
of phenomena is one, suchness is one,’ then how can you see hearers as inferior, and
buddhas as superior?”

“Honorable Śāradvatīputra, it is like this,” replied the girl. “To give an
analogy, although there is not even the slightest difference between the water in a
cow’s hoofprint and the water in an ocean, nevertheless, in a hoofprint there is no room for
immeasurable numbers of sentient beings like there is in an ocean. In the same way,
Honorable Śāradvatīputra, although it is the case that both the thus-gone ones and
hearers certainly arise from the same realm of phenomena, nevertheless, hearers are
incapable of acting for the benefit of immeasurable and innumerable sentient beings like
thus-gone ones do.

“Honorable Śāradvatīputra, it is like this. To give another analogy, although
there is not even the slightest difference between the space element that fills the
inside of a mustard seed and the space element that fills all the world systems in the
ten directions, nevertheless, in the space element inside a mustard seed there is no
room for the towns, cities, kingdoms, and royal palaces that there are in the space of
the ten directions. Nor is there room for the Mount Merus and great oceans. In the same
way, Honorable Śāradvatīputra, although thus-gone ones and hearers certainly arise from
the same emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, nevertheless, hearers are incapable
of acting for the benefit of immeasurable and innumerable sentient beings like
thus-gone, worthy, perfectly complete buddhas do.”

“Girl, is not the liberation of buddhas and of hearers the same?” asked
Śāradvatīputra.

“Honorable Śāradvatīputra, what are you saying?” replied the girl. “To say
that the liberation of buddhas and of hearers is the same is a calumny.”

“Why is that, girl?” asked Śāradvatīputra.

“Honorable Śāradvatīputra, for this, ask yourself!” said the girl. “Begging
your forbearance, may I ask, Honorable Śāradvatīputra, when your mind was liberated, did the great
trichiliocosm of world systems become fully settled and smooth like the palm of your
hand?

“Did all the trees and mountains face you and bow, bow low, bow deeply?

“Were all bad transmigrations thoroughly pacified?

“Did all sentient beings become free from affliction?

“Was the great trichiliocosm of world systems from the Avīci hells below
right up to the Akaniṣṭha heavens above illuminated as if by colored light?

“Did all the gods salute you?

“Did an army of māras swarm the earth and sky for thirty leagues?

“Was there liberation through the insight of the single unique instant
of intention?

“At the very moment of your awakening, did you vanquish all māras?”

“Girl, not one of the things you have described occurred,” replied
Śāradvatīputra.

“Honorable Śāradvatīputra,” the girl continued, “these distinctive qualities,
and limitless others, occur for a bodhisattva at the sublime seat of awakening. So,
Honorable Śāradvatīputra, the liberation of a thus-gone one and the liberation of a
hearer are different.”

The Blessed One then gave his approval to the girl Candrottarā. “Excellent!”
he said. “Excellent, girl! Excellent! What you have taught is most excellent.”

Then, through the power of the Buddha, the figure of the thus-gone one seated on a lotus in
the right hand of the girl Candrottarā rose from its lotus seat. It circumambulated the
Blessed One three times, then entered into the navel of the Blessed One himself.

The very next instant, through the power of the Buddha, the great earth
shook, and a golden-colored lotus appeared from each of the Blessed One’s pores; their
stems were gold, their petals silver, and their centers were made from the śrīgarbha
gem. On each of those lotuses appeared the figure of a thus-gone one seated on a lotus
and excellently adorned with all the marks. Those figures of thus-gone ones then
departed for the endless worlds in the limitless ten directions, illuminating them all
by teaching the Dharma in those worlds that were without a buddha. Through the power of
the Buddha, those Dharma teachings were heard everywhere, even here.

On seeing such a great magical display, the girl Candrottarā rejoiced with
joy and delight. With tremendous joy, happiness, and exultation, she tossed the lotus
she had been holding in her right hand toward the Blessed One. As soon as she threw it,
the lotus transformed into a square storied pavilion of flowers supported by four
pillars, which hovered directly above the crown of the Blessed One’s head. In the
pavilion was a throne, its legs bedecked with jewels and draped in divine fabric with
many hundreds of thousands of threads. Upon the throne appeared the figure of a
thus-gone one just like the Blessed Thus-Gone Śākyamuni.

Having thrown the lotus, she said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, by this
root of virtue, may I
become a teacher of the Dharma so that beings who persist in grasping at ‘I’
and ‘mine’ may abandon grasping at ‘I’ and ‘mine.’ ”

Then again, through the power of the Buddha, a second lotus appeared in her
hand, and again she tossed it toward the Blessed One. As soon as she threw it, it too
transformed into a second pavilion of lotuses above the Blessed One. And again she
spoke:

“Blessed One, by this root of virtue, may I become a teacher of the Dharma so
that beings who hold the view of the destructible collection may abandon the view of the
destructible collection.”

Then again, through the power of the Buddha, a third lotus appeared in her
hand, and again she tossed it toward the Blessed One. As soon as she threw it, it too
transformed into a third pavilion of lotuses above the Blessed One. And again she
spoke:

“Blessed One, by this root of virtue, may I teach the Dharma to beings so
that conceptual thought, ideation, imputation, attraction, aversion, and ignorance
are abandoned.”

Then again, through the power of the Buddha, a fourth lotus appeared in her
hand, and again she tossed it toward the Blessed One. As soon as she threw it, it too
transformed into a fourth pavilion of lotuses above the Blessed One. And again she
spoke:

“Blessed One, by this root of virtue, may I teach the Dharma to beings so
that the four errors are abandoned.”

Then again, through the power of the Buddha, a fifth lotus appeared in her
hand, and again she tossed it toward the Blessed One. As soon as she threw it, it too
transformed into a fifth pavilion of lotuses above the Blessed One. And again she spoke:

“Blessed One, by this root of virtue, may I teach the Dharma so that beings
who have the five obscurations may be rid of the five obscurations.”

Then again, through the power of the Buddha, a sixth lotus appeared in her
hand, and again she tossed it toward the Blessed One. As soon as she threw it, it too
transformed into a sixth pavilion of lotuses above the Blessed One. And again she
spoke:

“Blessed One, by this root of virtue, may I teach the Dharma so that beings
who depend on the six sense fields may come to understand the six sense fields.”

Then again, through the power of the Buddha, a seventh lotus appeared in her
hand, and again she tossed it toward the Blessed One. As soon as she threw it, it too
transformed into a seventh pavilion of lotuses above the Blessed One. And again she
spoke:

“Blessed One, by this root of virtue, may I teach the Dharma so that beings
with the seven states of consciousness may come to understand the seven states of
consciousness.”

Then again, through the power of the Buddha, an eighth lotus appeared in her
hand, and again she tossed it toward the Blessed One. As soon as she threw it, it too transformed into an
eighth pavilion of lotuses above the Blessed One. And again she spoke:

“Blessed One, by this root of virtue, may I teach the Dharma so that beings
who are fixed on the eight errors may abandon the eight errors.”

Then again, through the power of the Buddha, a ninth lotus appeared in her
hand, and again she tossed it toward the Blessed One. As soon as she threw it, it too
transformed into a ninth pavilion of lotuses above the Blessed One. And again she
spoke:

“Blessed One, by this root of virtue, may I teach the Dharma so that beings
who persist in the nine causes of resentment may fully abandon the nine causes of
resentment.”

Then again, through the power of the Buddha, a tenth lotus appeared in her
hand, and again she tossed it toward the Blessed One. As soon as she threw it, it too
transformed into a tenth pavilion of lotuses directly above the crown of the Blessed
One’s head. And again she spoke:

“Blessed One, by this root of virtue, may I become a buddha endowed with the
ten powers, just like the Blessed One who right now pervades the ten directions with
light.”

The height of those storied lotus pavilions, one stacked above the other,
reached as high as the brahmā realms above. At that moment, drawn by those stacked lotus
pavilions, limitless tens of millions of gods gathered, from the gods above the earth up
to the brahmā deities. Whereupon, at that moment, the Blessed One smiled.

It being the nature of blessed buddhas when they smile, from the mouth of the
Blessed One issued light rays of many colors, in many hundreds of thousands of
hues—blue, yellow, red, white, rose, and the colors of crystal and silver—that
completely illuminated limitless, innumerable world systems, and, rising up to the
brahmā worlds, outshone the sun and moon, and then returned again and dissolved into the
crown of the Blessed One’s head.

Then the venerable Ānanda rose from his seat, draped his upper robe over one shoulder,
placed his right knee on the ground, and bowed toward the Blessed One with his palms
joined. He addressed the Blessed One in melodious verse, asking about the meaning of his
smile:

“Wise one with the eye that directly perceives all,

Who has passed beyond uncertainty about all phenomena,

Whose power is unequaled in all worlds,

Powerful Victor, for what reason have you graced us with a smile?

“Since beginningless time you have bestowed your generosity,

Your discipline is like the purest precious jewel,

Your patience, too, is as unshakeable as Mount Meru.

O Great Sage, for what reason have you graced us with a smile?

“Having attained meditative stability and the strength of perseverance,

You are without ill will and are free from illness and aging—

Your mind is as deep as an ocean.

Great Sage, for what reason have you graced us with a smile?

“Resting in love and in compassion,

Your equanimity, Sage, is joyous.

With the fears of attachment and so on removed, you are at peace.

Great Sage, for what reason have you graced us with a smile?

“The light rays from a single hair

Swiftly eclipse the suns and moons

In the limitless world systems of the ten directions,

Outshining them in splendor and conferring sight.

“Sole protector of migrators, your speech is pure,

With the six branches, pleasing and attractive.

Those who hear it cannot be sated.

You pacify all afflictions without exception.

“Knowing all the mental activities there are,

Of all sentient beings in the limitless ten directions,

You are the one who severs those doubts.

Self-Emergent One, for what reason have you graced us with a smile?

“Today, whose mind is fixed upon awakening?

Who has entered the expansive Buddha Vehicle?

Pervasive Lord, what intention has been fulfilled?

Sage, for what reason have you graced us with a smile?

“Who today has defeated the four māras—

The māra of the afflictions, the great māra lord of death,

The māra of the aggregates, and the māra of the gods?

For what reason have you graced us with a smile?

“Today, whose great purpose is so broad?

Who is it that makes the Dharma abundant,
Lion of Humans?

Whose voice is it that today spreads in all directions?

Sage, for what reason have you graced us with a smile?

“Omniscient One who has abandoned all nonvirtues,

Who loves all sentient beings equally,

Who has abandoned all agitation and conceptual thought,

Great Seer, for what reason have you graced us with a smile?

“Today, who has attained great breadth?

Whose aspirations are now so excellent?

Who now possesses the ten powers?

Subduer of Foes, for what reason have you graced us with a smile?

“Gods in the sky, and millions of nāgas,

Together with yakṣas, garuḍas, and mahoragas,

And men and women on earth with their palms joined

Look with joy upon the lord of gods and humans as the moon.

“Many perfect bodhisattvas seeking the excellent Dharma,

Who have arrived like an ocean,

Request you, Subduer of Foes, pure of heart,

To explain the meaning of your smile.”

The Blessed One then replied to the venerable Ānanda in verse:

“Ānanda, do you see this girl before us,

Who upon seeing the supreme magical display of the victors

Generated the vast mind of awakening,

And now sits with palms joined before me?

“She, in former lives,

Made proper offerings to three hundred victors,

And directly asked all those victors,

‘How do I reach supreme awakening?’

“Not even once has she had a bad rebirth,

But has always been born in the world of gods and humans.

Never has she forsaken the mind of awakening,

And even at the time of death has been mindful of the succession of lives.

“When she saw the victor called Kāśyapa,

Beautiful of body, she leapt from the top of her mansion.

She worshiped Kāśyapa with her vast mind

And thereby gained concordant acceptance.

“She supplicated the Buddha Krakucchanda,

Offering him a set of excellent clothing.

Because of that, the hue of her body is like gold,

And she is as beautiful and pure as the moon.

“She offered the teacher called Kanakamuni

The most sublime incense and perfume.

Because of that, the scents of utpala and sandalwood

Rise from her mouth and pores.

“For seven nights she observed

The best of the two-legged ones called Śikhīn.

Because of that, the color of her eyes is the darkest blue,

Which ordinary beings never tire of.

“Over five hundred lifetimes, she has abandoned desire

And conducted herself with perfect celibacy.

Because of that, when those tormented by lust see her,

They who are attached become free from lust.

“She dwelt in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, then transmigrated here.

Here, she was reborn in a wealthy Licchavī household.

Recalling her previous rebirths among all manner of beings,

She can speak in melodious verse.

“Wishing to ripen her father and mother,

And likewise wanting to benefit other sentient beings,

She generates the mind of awakening for the sake of the awakening of each.

Because of that, she has been reborn in this wealthy household.

“So as to tame ladies, men, relatives, friends,

Young men, and young women,

She ripened sixty thousand of them

In the supreme Buddha Vehicle.

“It will not be long before she transforms her female body

And goes forth as a renunciant in my teachings,

Who, after practicing extensively in excellent celibacy,

Will die and migrate to a heavenly realm.

“Again dying and migrating from the heavenly realm,

She will guard this Dharma until the end of time.

And, having again benefited all kinds of beings here,

Will go again to Tuṣita.

“At the time of Ajita, vanquisher of enemies,

She will arise as the Conch Prince.

Skilled in all arts and crafts,

He will be beautiful and have all excellent qualities.

“He will be honored by many hundreds of living beings,

And after worshiping the victor for three months,

Along with six thousand three hundred living beings,

Will leave his home and live with the Victor Ajita.

“He will become a holder of the Dharma method of transcendence.

And as such a hero,

Having died and migrated,

Will go to the world of Sukhāvatī.

“There, the intelligent one will meet and serve Amitābha,

And many millions of other buddhas

Who live in the limitless ten directions,

As numerous as the grains of sand in the River Ganges.

“Attaining absorption, the superknowledges, perseverance, and power,

He will serve those world protectors

Who strive to benefit beings in the fortunate eon,

And in whatever naturally arisen worlds come after.

“Making offerings to them for many millions of eons,

He will ripen many millions of sentient beings,

And in eight hundred billion eons will be called

The Victorious One Candrottara.

“From the ūrṇā of that best of two-legged ones, Candrottara,

Will radiate captivating golden-hued light rays,

Each one of which

Will illuminate that entire world system.

“With the world suffused by that light,

The sun, moon, fire, and gems will not appear bright.

There will be no constellations,

And no reckoning of day and night.

“At that time there will be no solitary buddhas,

Or hearers, or non-Buddhist assemblies.

The saṅgha of the peerless one will be pure.

All of them will utterly forsake women.

“All people will be golden-hued,

Possess the signs of a hundred merits, and be lovely to look upon.

They will not be dependent on desire, nor gestate in the womb,

But will be born miraculously from a lotus.

“The hosts of heirs of victors

Will be more numerous than can be calculated.

All will have the superknowledges, be gentle in conduct,

Have acceptance that phenomena do not arise, be unrivaled, and be free from
desire.

“There, there will be no māras, or those who apprehend.

There will be none who transgress their training, or take positions.

In those worlds

There will be enjoyments like those of Tuṣita—

“Decorated with gold, silver, mother of pearl,

A clean and odor-free expanse.

The lifespan of that Victorious One

Will be seven hundred and thirty billion years.

“When that teacher has passed into peace,

His holy Dharma will remain for an eon,

And while it remains, even after he has passed into nirvāṇa,

The treasure of his holy Dharma will not wane.

“If the marvels of that Victor and that buddha field

Were to be extolled for an eon,

Still it would be just a drop from the ocean;

No example whatsoever could express it.”

When the girl Candrottarā directly heard this prophecy in the presence of the
Blessed One, she was so joyful, so supremely joyful, that she rose into the sky to the
height of some seven palm trees, and as soon as she did so, the girl transformed her
female body into the actual body of a man. In the world, the earth shook, a rain of
flowers descended, the sound of many hundreds of thousands of cymbals played by gods and
humans resounded, and the entire world was suffused by bright light.

Then, as the bodhisattva Candrottara hovered in the sky, he praised the
Blessed One with these verses:

“Mount Meru may shake, the sky may fall to earth,

Divine realms may be destroyed in an instant,

Oceans may stop moving, or the moon may fall from the sky,

But the Thus-Gone One would not speak falsehood.

“The bodies of sentient beings in the ten directions may merge into one,

Fire may become water and water become fire,

But the peerless Great Sage, source of good qualities,

Would not speak false words just to appease beings.

“The narrow earth may seize the sky,

A hundred buddha fields may be squeezed inside a mustard seed,

A snare may be capable of catching the cold wind,

But you, Victor, would not speak false words.

“The Victor tells things how they truly are.

He has taught that my awakening is certain.

This is why the earth shook everywhere.

So without a doubt, sublime awakening will be attained.

“As the Self-Emergent One has foretold,

I am prophesied for the supreme Buddha Vehicle.

In keeping with my striving over a hundred eons past,

I will turn the wheel of the supreme Dharma.

“Gods, humans, asuras, yakṣas, monks,

Laypeople, and bodhisattvas—

All will be endowed with the incomparable power of the well-gone ones,

Do not doubt it!

“All these phenomena are like illusions.

The victors have taught that pleasures are like dreams.

They have taught that there is no self, no person, no human,

No being, no life force, no individual.

“From the beginning, the true nature of

All things is that they are by nature pure and without an essence.

My previous nature as a woman

Was unreal, hollow, empty, void.

“This later form is also empty and momentary,

Unreal, unmoving, hollow, void.

To be free of thought and conceptualization,

Even that thought is like a bird’s track in the sky.

“Those who will reach incomparable buddhahood

In the great trichiliocosm of world systems,

And conquer the māras so difficult to subdue,

Are those who long to turn the excellent wheel of Dharma.

“They firmly generate the mind of awakening,

And by worshiping the thus-gone ones,

Quickly realize that the source of good qualities

Is the faultless path of the Victorious Teacher.

“Reaching the stage of a man, with exalted abilities and pleasant speech,

They pay homage to the Victor, the leader and best of humans,

He who creates joy and grants delightful things.

I praise the Lord, the Sage, source of the treasure of Dharma,

“The source of happiness, who grants all kinds of wellbeing;

The Thus-Gone One, unperturbed by the thorns of Māra;

The supreme being, praised by the praiseworthy;

The Self-Emergent Lord, free of craving—I praise you.

“When I look out, in all directions,

I see hundreds of faultless buddhas, unimaginable.

Just like the Lion of the Śākyas,

The buddhas of the ten directions proclaim my prophecy.

“In reality all victors are the same—Buddha.

Likewise all phenomena are the same in suchness.

Even beings are confirmed in ultimate reality.

Those who accept this will become victorious ones.”

After speaking these verses, the bodhisattva Candrottara descended from the
sky and touched the two feet of the Blessed One. As soon as he touched them, many
hundreds of thousands of buddhas appeared. Those blessed buddhas also prophesied his
unexcelled and perfectly complete awakening. Directly seeing those blessed buddhas and
again hearing his own prophecy, he was delighted and rejoiced. With great happiness and
joy, he made the request to go forth in the presence of the Blessed One. He requested
permission to go forth in the Dharma and Vinaya that was excellently spoken by the
Blessed One himself.

The Blessed One replied, “Child, your parents must grant permission.” Then the parents
of the child, having seen the great miracle and having directly heard the prophecy,
said, “Blessed One, we give permission for this child to go forth. We also request to hear these teachings
again later.” So the Blessed One sent the child forth. The child went forth as a
renunciant, and ten thousand living beings generated the mind set on unexcelled and
perfectly complete awakening.

When this Dharma discourse was taught, seventy billion gods and humans
purified the dustless and stainless Dharma eye that looks upon phenomena. Five hundred
monks freed their minds from contaminations with no further clinging, and two hundred
nuns and twenty thousand living beings who had not previously generated the mind of
awakening, generated the mind set on unexcelled and perfectly complete awakening.

When the Blessed One had finished speaking, the bodhisattva Candrottara, the
venerable Ānanda, and the bodhisattvas, the hearers, and the entire entourage rejoiced along
with the world of gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas, and praised what the Blessed One
had said.

This concludes the noble Mahāyāna sūtra “The
Prophecy of the Girl Candrottarā.”

Colophon

Edited and finalized by the Indian preceptor Jinamitra and the great
editor-translator Bandé Yeshé Dé.

Notes

Abbreviations

C
Choné (co ne) Kangyur

D
Degé (sde dge) Kangyur

F
Phukdrak MS (phug brag) Kangyur

H
Lhasa (zhol) Kangyur

J
Lithang (’jang sa tham) Kangyur

K
Peking (pe cin) Kangxi Kangyur

N
Narthang (snar thang) Kangyur

S
Stok Palace (stog pho brang) Manuscript Kangyur

U
Urga (ur ga) Kangyur

Y
Peking Yongle (g.yung lo) Kangyur

Bibliography

Tibetan Sources

Sanskrit (fragments and excerpts)

Chinese

Other Sources

Kakusandha