Toh 266The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra “Bouquet of Flowers”

Summary

Bouquet of Flowers is a Great Vehicle sūtra
in which the Buddha describes a vast array of wondrous, far-off world systems
each inhabited by buddhas who teach the Dharma there. Hearing those buddhas’
names, the Buddha teaches, brings a wide range of benefits, all of which are
ultimately directed toward attaining unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening.
In this sūtra, the Buddha’s main interlocutor is Śāriputra, but he also
interacts with Ajita and Mahākāśyapa.

Acknowledgements

This text was translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under
the supervision of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. Ana Cristina Lopes translated the text
from Tibetan into English and wrote the introduction. James Gentry checked the
translation against the Tibetan and edited the English.

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of
84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Introduction

Bouquet of Flowers is set in Rājagṛha, at
Vulture Peak Mountain, where the Buddha is dwelling together with a large
monastic assembly. Śāriputra rises from his seat and asks, “Blessed One, how
many blessed buddhas are there now, dwelling alive and well and teaching the
Dharma?” In response to this question, the Buddha describes a vast array of
wondrous, far-away world systems inhabited by countless buddhas. The
multiplicity of buddhas in the present, one of the main themes accompanying the
rise of Great Vehicle Buddhism, is thus the foremost theme of this sūtra. In
this respect, Bouquet of Flowers has a strong
affinity with sūtras connected to the Pure Land Buddhist traditions of East
Asia. Jan Nattier’s definition of Pure Land Buddhism as “the set of all ideas
and practices related to Buddhas who are presently living in the world systems
other than our own,” corroborates this association.

Contrary to the usual tendency in Buddhist Pure Land literature, however,
Bouquet of Flowers does not emphasize rebirth
in a pure land where one can swiftly progress towards unexcelled, perfect and
complete awakening. Instead, this sūtra focuses on simply hearing the names of
the buddhas that inhabit different world systems, and extols the many benefits
that derive from hearing and reciting these names and giving rise to faith in
the buddhas. The extremely long distances between our world system and those
world systems, always measured in terms of buddhafields, is not a hindrance for
those buddhas to positively influence the devout in their spiritual quests. The fruition of these
buddhas’ past aspirations, the sūtra states several times, is powerful enough to
impact beings regardless of such vast spatial divides.

This emphasis on the spiritual efficacy of faith, aspiration, and the
hearing and recitation of names is yet another feature that connects Bouquet of Flowers with Pure Land literature. In the
same way that, for instance, the aspirations Akṣobhya made while traversing the
bodhisattva path shaped his pure land Delightful in its physical
form and spiritual potencies, the aspirations of these buddhas during their
bodhisattva careers infuse their names with the power to place the devout
irreversibly on paths towards freedom from saṃsāra and, eventually, the
attainment of complete awakening. In this sense, hearing the name of these
buddhas brings something of the general framework that characterizes pure lands,
namely an environment extremely conducive to the attainment of awakening, into
the presence of the devout in this world system. As Nattier reminds us, the
significance of pure lands is related not so much to their physical attributes
as to the opportunity they bring to encounter buddhas and live in their
presence. Right at the beginning of Bouquet of
Flowers we have a sense of how this can be accomplished by hearing
the names of buddhas. We are told there that through hearing the name of the
buddha Foremost Sublime Jewel, who dwells in the world system Endowed with
Jewels, “a buddha will appear here.” We are beckoned, then, to extend this idea
to the other buddhas inhabiting countless world systems.

It is indeed this sense of the immediate presence of buddhas that hearing
their names brings to the devout. This sense of presence can be understood, in
some respects, as a reenactment of the seminal moment in a bodhisattva’s career,
namely the encounter with a buddha and the inspiration that ensues from it. We
are told by the Great Vehicle Buddhist tradition that all bodhisattvas in their
progress towards awakening have to follow the same course of action as the
Buddha Śākyamuni. Hence, it is possible to say that Bouquet
of Flowers concerns the starting point of this course—the event of
meeting a buddha—which in the case of this sūtra happens through hearing his
name. In Bouquet of Flowers, this seminal moment is
thus reenacted over and over again, expanding and enchanting as a result how the
devout understand the cosmos.

Moreover, because hearing the names of buddhas leads to a sense of their
presence powered by their past aspirations it can be seen as vital substitute
for directly meeting a buddha. In the sūtra, the Buddha seems to imply as much
when he tells Ajita, another of his interlocutors, that he himself “turned away
from saṃsāra after a hundred trillion eons based on hearing the name of that
thus-gone one [All-Conquering Vajra] from the clairvoyant thus-gone one
Dīpaṅkara.” The Buddha continues, “Ajita, had I not heard the name of that
thus-gone one from the thus-gone one Dīpaṅkara, I would not have fully and
perfectly awakened to unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening as I have.”
Hence, Bouquet of Flowers presents hearing the
names of buddhas not only as a desirable event, but as a necessary condition for
the attainment of awakening.

Another important condition for the attainment of awakening connected to
the existence of a myriad of pure lands is the opportunity to generate merit by
directly making offerings in the presence of buddhas. In Nattier’s words, “for a
bodhisattva-in-training the possibility of meeting with an endless series of
Buddhas—in the course of ‘traveling from Buddha-field to Buddha-field,’ as so
many early Great Vehicle sūtras put it—is not merely optional but required, for
there is simply no other way to attain the vast quantities of merit required in
order to become a Buddha oneself.”
Bouquet of Flowers addresses the issue of
generating merit in several instances, always extolling the superiority of
hearing the buddhas’ names even compared to making offerings to them directly.
One example early in the text describes the primacy of hearing the buddhas’
names in the characteristic exuberance of the Great Vehicle sūtras:

“Śāriputra, the heap of merit generated by completely filling the
trigalactic megagalactic world system with the seven kinds of precious
substances and offering it every day to the blessed buddhas for as many eons
as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River does not approach even a
hundredth part of the heap of merit generated by hearing the name of the
thus-gone one Sublime Jewel, giving rise to faith, and joining
palms. Neither does it permit of any calculation, reckoning in fractions,
analogy, or comparison.” (

)

In light of the two main aspects of the sūtra discussed so far—namely,
the actualization of buddhas in the present and the incalculable heap of merit
generated by hearing their names and becoming inspired—Bouquet of Flowers could also be read for the distinctive path to
awakening it delineates. Unlike the practices of visualization, or the
recollection of visual features that a number of the sūtras connected to the
Pure Land literature prescribe, the spiritual practice emphasized by Bouquet of Flowers is based on the act of hearing.
Nowhere in the sūtra do we find much by way of visual descriptions of the more
than one hundred world systems inhabited by buddhas that it names. Yet despite
its emphasis on hearing over seeing or envisioning, the path of practice it
outlines is nonetheless structurally similar to the practices of visualization.
Hearing and visualizing buddhas both involve buddhānusmṛti, a practice that Paul Harrison calls
“one of the basic features of Pure Land practice.” Harrison tells us that
“various forms of anusmṛti
(literally, ‘recollection’, ‘remembrance’, and, by extension, ‘calling to mind’,
‘keeping in mind’; cf. smṛti,
commonly translated as ‘mindfulness’) had been part of general Buddhist practice
since earliest times, and are amply attested in the Pāli Nikāyas and the Chinese translation of the
Sanskrit Āgamas.” The rise of the
Great Vehicle extended this early Buddhist practice to the “idea of many
Buddhas, not only in the past and future (Hīnayāna) but in the present as
well.”

In Bouquet of Flowers, the names of buddhas
reflect their main qualities, which in turn they have acquired through the
aspirations they made during their bodhisattva careers. These included
aspirations that beneficial, liberating outcomes ripen for all who hear their
names. Hearing these names, becoming inspired by them, and sometimes expressing
this inspiration or devotion outwardly can thus be considered a practice of
buddhānusmṛti in relation
to both the physical presence of those buddhas and their qualities. In this
respect, we can also compare the kind of practice that seems to animate this
sūtra to another kind of practice commonly associated with Pure Land Buddhism:
reciting the name of Buddha Amitābha with the aim of being reborn in his pure
land Sukhāvatī. Amitābha, also referred to as Amitāyus in the sūtra, figures
among the last few of the many buddhas mentioned in the text (

). The possibility of being reborn in his
pure land can be granted, according to the sūtra, through merely hearing his
name, experiencing great joy, and genuinely longing for his hundreds of
thousands of attributes. It should be reiterated, however, that rebirth in these
pure lands is not Bouquet of Flowers’ main concern,
but only one of the many benefits that can result from hearing the names of a
buddha; the idea of rebirth in a buddha’s pure land appears only a few times.
Another feature of this text that connects it with Sukhāvatī-related literature
is the notion that women who hear the names of buddhas are reborn as men,
“superior” physical forms with which to continue their spiritual journeys.
Although the Buddha invokes this notion several times in Bouquet of Flowers, he punctuates the lengthiest and most
misogynistic instance with a trenchant deconstruction of reifying labels of
gender and sex. He exposes both man and
woman as false constructs empty of inherent existence,
and even criticizes those who would hear the buddhas’ names in order to change
their sex as obsessive.

In terms of structure, the sūtra divides into three distinct sections
marked by changes in interlocutor, content, and form. The first of the Buddha’s
interlocutors is Śāriputra. The discourse the Buddha puts forth while addressing
him constitutes the bulk of the text (

–

). In this section, the Buddha presents a
long list of buddhas and their world systems together with the benefits of
hearing their names and giving rise to faith. He often punctuates these promises
with the horrific outcomes that await those who hear the names and do not give
rise to faith. Warnings about the risks of spending long eons in the hells due
to having no faith in these names or being critical of their efficacy point
toward a self-defensive posture, common to several Great Vehicle sūtras, that
express the ongoing dialogue in India between proponents and detractors of the
Great Vehicle.

The next and much shorter section (

–

) has Ajita, the paradigmatic
bodhisattva, as the Buddha’s interlocutor. Ajita wants to know if there is “some
quality that a bodhisattva-mahāsattva can possess to ensure that he or she makes
swift and irreversible progress toward unexcelled, perfect and complete
awakening.” This question opens up the possibility of a metadiscussion in the
sūtra, in which hearing the names of the buddhas is identified as precisely the
“single quality” that a bodhisattva-mahāsattva should possess in order to make
irreversible progress toward unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening. This is
where we see the Buddha use his own personal story to illustrate this point.

In the last section (

–

), it is Mahākāśyapa who enters the scene as
the Buddha’s interlocutor. The Buddha addresses him multiple times, but
Mahākāśyapa directly speaks to the Buddha only near the very end of the sūtra
(

). It is possible to infer from this
detail that Mahākāśyapa is mostly in some kind of absorption while interacting
with the Buddha. Indeed, this section of the text includes several allusions to
the topic of meditative absorption, with the names of specific absorptions
sometimes appearing in the names of the buddhas listed. The topic of emptiness
is addressed here for the first time. Throughout this section, the Buddha breaks
into verse, summarizing each prose passage in turn.

Translations of Bouquet of Flowers:

Past and Present

In addition to its Tibetan translation, this text was also
translated into Chinese, Korean, and Mongolian. This suggests that it
enjoyed some popularity in India, although no Sanskrit version is currently
extant. The title in Chinese is Ch’eng yang chu fo
kung te ching (稱揚諸佛功德經, Taishō
434). The Chinese translation was made by Kiṃkārya in Pei-t’ai (北臺), in the second year of Yen Hsing (延興), Northern Wei Dynasty (元魏) (472 ce). The date of this
Chinese translation does not suggest that this was a particularly early Pure
Land sūtra.

According to the colophon of its Tibetan translation, Bouquet of Flowers was edited and finalized by a
translation team consisting of the Indian preceptor Jñānasiddhi, the chief
editor-translator Dharmatāśīla, and others. Although the term
translation is conspicuously missing from the
colophon, Jñānasiddhi and Dharmatāśīla were both active in Tibet in the late
eighth and early ninth centuries and also collaborated on the translation of
the Aṣṭasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā.
In
the Denkarma (ldan/lhan dkar ma) imperial translation record,
compiled in the late eighth century, Bouquet of
Flowers is listed as entry 129 and classified in the Assorted Sūtras (mdo sde sna tshogs) section among works
numbering “ten or fewer bam po” (bam po bcu man
chad la). In the Kangyurs belonging to the so-called Tshalpa
(tshal pa) recension, the sūtra
appears among similar-themed sūtras, grouped near the end of the Great
Vehicle section of the General Sūtra (mdo
sde) section, whose main focus is the merit of knowing and
reciting the names of numerous buddhas and prostrating to them. These sūtras
include The Sūtra on Liberation (mthar mdo, Toh 264), much recited in Tibetan
Buddhism, and its extra chapter (Toh 265), as well as
Calling
Witness with a Hundred Prostrations
(Toh 267), famous
for having been one of the first Buddhist texts to appear in Tibet according
to traditional histories. The purification of negative karma is also an
important aspect of these sūtras, and some of them are used in confession
rituals. This grouping appears
to have been based on the Old Narthang catalogue, which was followed by
Butön Rinchen Drup (bu ston rin chen
grub, 1290–1364) for the arrangement of sūtras recorded in his
History of Buddhism. Moreover,
Butön also notes in his History that several
sūtras preceding Bouquet of Flowers were
likewise translated by Dharmatāśīla, suggesting that another organizing
rubric may have also been operative. In the Kangyurs belonging to the so-called Thempangma (them spangs ma) recension, such as the Stok
Palace manuscript version, along with other independent Kangyurs, such as
the Shelkar (shel dkar) version, the
Bouquet of Flowers appears with an entirely
different set of sūtras. Moreover, neither grouping represents the logic of
the imperial catalogues, where length seems to have been the organizing
rubric.

This English translation is based on the Degé version, in
consultation with the Stok Palace manuscript and the notes recorded in the
Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma). The
system of sigla used to record variant readings herein is drawn from the
University of Vienna’s Resources for Kanjur & Tanjur Studies. All personal and place names
were translated into English unless well attested in Sanskrit.

The Translation

The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra

Bouquet of Flowers

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in
Rājagṛha, at Vulture Peak Mountain, together with a large monastic assembly
of one thousand two hundred and fifty monks, when Venerable Śāriputra rose
from his seat, draped his robe over one shoulder, and knelt on his right
knee. Bowing to the Blessed One with palms joined, he asked, “Blessed One,
how many blessed buddhas are there now, dwelling alive and well and teaching
the Dharma?”

The Blessed One replied to Śāriputra, “Śāriputra, listen well and
pay attention as I explain!”

“Excellent, Blessed One!” said Venerable Śāriputra, and he listened
to the Blessed One:

“Śāriputra, a trillion world systems beyond this buddhafield to the
east, in a world system that is a buddhafield called Illuminated, dwells the
thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called Source
of Jewels.

“Śāriputra, all those who hear the name of the thus-gone one Source
of Jewels and give rise to faith will obtain the seven precious factors of
perfect awakening and will progress irreversibly toward unexcelled, perfect
and complete awakening. In sixty eons they will turn away from saṃsāra.

“Those who delight in hearing the name of the buddha Source of
Jewels, the sun among humans in the world system Illuminated, will be free
from saṃsāra in sixty eons.

“Śāriputra, led by him, there are as many blessed buddhas with
the name Source of Jewels in the east as there are grains of sand in the
Ganges River. They presently live there, alive and well, teaching the
Dharma.

“A hundred buddhafields beyond here, in the world system called
Endowed with Jewels, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Sublime Jewel. Śāriputra, the
heap of merit generated by completely filling the trigalactic megagalactic
world system with the seven kinds of precious substances and offering it
every day to the blessed buddhas for as many eons as there are grains of
sand in the Ganges River does not approach even a hundredth part of the heap
of merit generated by hearing the name of the thus-gone one Sublime
Jewel, giving rise to faith, and joining palms. Neither does it
permit of any calculation, reckoning in fractions, analogy, or comparison.

“Thus, in the world system Endowed with Jewels dwells the buddha
Foremost Sublime Jewel. Through hearing his name, a buddha will appear here.

“Six hundred buddhafields from here, in the world system called
Fragrant, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Fount of Jewels. Śāriputra, those who hear
the name of the thus-gone one Fount of Jewels will turn away from saṃsāra in
fifteen eons.

“A thousand buddhafields beyond here, in the world system called
Brilliant, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect
buddha called Shining Jewel. Śāriputra, those who hear the name of the
thus-gone one Shining Jewel and give rise to faith will not go to the three
lower realms.

“Far beyond five hundred thousand buddhafields from here, in the
world system called Victory Banner at the Peak, dwells the thus-gone one,
the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called Jewel Peak. Śāriputra,
all those who hear the name of the thus-gone one Jewel Peak and, giving rise
to faith, recollect that thus-gone one, will become like jewels.

“Well beyond two thousand buddhafields from here, in the world
system called Shining with All Qualities, dwells the thus-gone one, the
worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called Brilliant Jewel. Śāriputra,
those who hear the name of the thus-gone one Brilliant Jewel and, upon
hearing it, become wholeheartedly devout and prostrate, touching the ground
with the five parts of the body, will turn away from saṃsāra in twenty eons.

“Far beyond a thousand buddhafields from here, in the world system
called Delightful, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one,
the completely perfect buddha called Akṣobhya. Śāriputra, all those who hear
the name of the thus-gone one Akṣobhya and give rise to faith will make
irreversible progress toward unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening and
will not be disturbed
by evil māras.

“Now, Śāriputra, when I taught on proclaiming the name of the
thus-gone one Akṣobhya and his virtues, the evil Māra heard about it.
Assembling all his troops he came before me and said, ‘To proclaim the names
of the thousand blessed buddhas will be impossible, but
that’s not the case for the thus-gone one Akṣobhya’s name. Why? Because he
is not within my purview. So for those listening to the name of that
thus-gone one, I shall create obstacles.’

“The Blessed One said to the evil Māra, ‘Evil one, who are those for
whom you will create obstacles?’

“To this he replied, ‘Blessed One, it will be for those who have
embarked upon the Great Vehicle and who will hear the name of that thus-gone
one. The proclaiming of the name and virtues of that blessed one in this
world system, Blessed One, sickens and
torments me. But in order to create obstacles for
those
listening to that name, I am taking up arms. Why? So that those who hear the
name of that thus-gone one will fall under my control.’

“Then the Blessed One said to the evil Māra, ‘Evil one, do not take
up arms. You cannot create obstacles for those sublime persons. Why is that?
Because I have entrusted them to the thus-gone one Akṣobhya, and to other
thus-gone ones as well, so the thus-gone one Akṣobhya will care for them and
bless them.’ ”

Then, Venerable Śāriputra said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One,
when the evil Māra previously came before the Thus-Gone One, and with those
words you sounded the lion’s roar, who were the people hearing the name of
the thus-gone one Akṣobhya, to create obstacles for whom and bring them
under his control the evil Māra then took up arms?”

The Blessed One replied to Venerable Śāriputra, “Śāriputra, it is
like this: I saw that there are beings who have heard about proclaiming the
thus-gone one Akṣobhya and his virtues, but presently have given up doing so
and cling rigidly to a teaching that will lead them to the hells.”

Śāriputra replied, “Blessed One, please explain well: how many
beings have given it up?”

The Blessed One replied, “Śāriputra, throughout the ten directions
the name of that thus-gone one will be heard, and in other world systems
when the thus-gone ones accordingly teach the Dharma beginning with his
virtues, beings’ wisdom increases and expands, such that even when taught
about his virtues in full they will never be satiated. Śāriputra, that those
who directly perceive that thus-gone one would give up proclaiming his
virtues is impossible and will not happen.

“For those blessed buddhas to appear in the degenerate age of
afflictions is impossible. It is like this: as a comparison, during this
present age of the five degenerations in which I have appeared, even the
beings here in this Sahā world system who have such
weak intelligence can comprehend the virtues that I am explaining, and so it
goes without saying that those beings who are dwelling in the thousand-fold
world system of Akṣobhya can do so. Śāriputra, that being the case, this
Dharma discourse extolling those virtues will gradually spread in the
different directions, where all
the sublime beings who have embarked on the Great Vehicle will propagate it.

“But now, Śāriputra, listen to how those who are not sublime beings
will listen to this Dharma discourse and, having heard it, will forsake
it!”

“Very well, Blessed One!” said Venerable Śāriputra, and listened as
the Blessed One had instructed as the Blessed One continued.

“In a country called Gandhāra to the north, there are those who
will incur the karma of being in the Hell of Endless Torment for a hundred
thousand years. Along that same northern stretch, toward the region of
Kaśmīra, where this sublime teaching will grow to be extremely powerful,
there will appear fifty thousand beings who forsake it. Having forsaken it,
those sons of noble family will go to a place
where there is no end to torment. All those who gather en masse to severely
disparage this sūtra will go there. There will be eighty million and five
hundred thousand beings who will forsake this sūtra in the north. Having
forsaken it, they will fall into the Hell of Endless Torment.

“In the east, there will be a few who have faith; the majority will
incur the karma for the Hell of Endless Torment. Many hundreds of thousands
of beings there will go to the Hell of Endless Torment.

“In the south, two hundred thousand beings will forsake this Dharma
discourse. Having forsaken it, they will go to the terrible Hell of Endless
Torment.

“In the west, hundreds of thousands of beings, having forsaken this
Dharma discourse, will go to the Hell of Endless Torment.

“Śāriputra, the qualities of buddhas are not even shared with pratyekabuddhas, let alone with śrāvakas, or
ordinary beings who perpetuate saṃsāra. Śāriputra, these qualities
correspond only to themselves, for buddhas are inconceivable. The qualities
of buddhas are also inconceivable, for the qualities of buddhas are known
only by those possessing the actual nature of buddhas. One cannot know them,
and one should not forsake them without knowing them. To forsake just a
four-line verse of a sūtra like this is to incur a mass of demerit to the
same extent as was mentioned earlier.

“Śāriputra, sons or daughters of noble family should therefore not
forsake this Dharma discourse. They should delight in it.

“Those who listen to this Dharma discourse with the following
thought will acquire the melody of the buddhas’ speech: ‘By not forsaking
such a sūtra as this, I will be free from the karma of remaining for an eon,
so that I will not dwell among the hell beings who have forsaken the sublime
Dharma.’

“Ten thousand buddhafields from here, in the world system called
Immeasurable, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Bright Light. Śāriputra, all those who hear
the name of the thus-gone one Bright Light and give rise to faith will never
part from the blessed buddhas and will make irreversible progress to
unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening.

“Six thousand buddhafields from here, in the world system called
Flowered dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect
buddha called Immeasurable Melody. Śāriputra, all those who
hear the name of the thus-gone one Immeasurable Melody give
rise to faith and joyously exclaim three times ‘Homage to the thus-gone one,
the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha!’ will acquire immeasurable
melody, the melody of the buddhas’ speech.

“Four thousand buddhafields from here, in the world system called
Immaculate, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect
buddha called Ambrosia Melody. Śāriputra, all those who hear the name of the
thus-gone one Ambrosia Melody and become devout upon hearing it will turn
away from saṃsāra in twelve eons.

“Twenty thousand buddhafields beyond here, in the world system
called Impervious, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one,
the completely perfect buddha called Highly Renowned.
Śāriputra, all those who hear, proclaim, and uphold the name of the
thus-gone one Highly Renowned will be impervious to the evil
Māra.

“Twelve thousand buddhafields from here, in the world system called
Blissful, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect
buddha called Infinite Renown. Śāriputra, all those who hear the name of
Infinite Renown and, with palms joined, say the words, ‘Homage to the
thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha Infinite
Renown!’ will acquire a limitless heap of merit. The heap of merit that comes
from offering a heap of jewels equal in size to Mount Sumeru for a hundred
years does not approach even a hundredth part of the former heap of merit,
nor does it withstand analogy to it.

“Three thousand buddhafields from here, in the world system called
Crystalline, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely
perfect buddha called Bright Jewel. Śāriputra, those who uphold the name of
Bright Jewel will turn away from saṃsāra in ten eons. Furthermore, they will
make irreversible progress toward unexcelled, perfect and complete
awakening. However, those who lack faith will incur the karma of dwelling in
the Hell of Endless Torment for an eon.

“Fifteen thousand buddhafields from here, in the world system called
Luminosity, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Possessor of Great Bliss. Śāriputra, all
those who hear the name of the thus-gone one Possessor of Great Bliss will
liberate all beings into bliss. Furthermore, they will obtain a limitless
heap of merit.

“Seven thousand buddhafields from here, in the world system called
Shining Gem, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely
perfect buddha called Shining Star Lamp. Śāriputra, those who hear the name
of the thus-gone one Shining Star Lamp and have faith will acquire the
powers called the powers of a thus-gone one.

“Eight thousand buddhafields from here, in the world system called
Truthful, dwells the
thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called Melody
of Truth. Śāriputra, all those who hear the name of the thus-gone one Melody
of Truth will attain unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening.

“Two thousand buddhafields from here, in the world system called
Golden, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Infinite Purity. Śāriputra, the merit
generated by hearing the name of the thus-gone one Infinite Purity and also
giving rise to faith far exceeds the merit that comes from offering the
trigalactic megagalactic world system completely filled with the seven kinds
of precious substances. With little merit, one cannot hear the name of the
thus-gone one Infinite Purity. Those who hear the name of the thus-gone one
Infinite Purity have not produced roots of virtue with respect to just one
buddha. Nor have they produced roots of virtue with respect to just two,
three, four, five, or up to ten buddhas. Rather, those beings have produced
roots of virtue with respect to a hundred buddhas. They will turn away from
saṃsāra in fifty-eight eons.

“Nine thousand buddhafields from here, in the world system called
Melodious, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called White as the Moon. Śāriputra, the virtuous
qualities of all those who hear the name of the thus-gone one White as the
Moon will wax like the moon. They will make irreversible progress toward
unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening.

“A thousand buddhafields beyond here, in the world system called
Possessing Sun, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely
perfect buddha called Moonlight. Śāriputra, those who hear the name of the
thus-gone one Moonlight and, having heard it, kneel on their right knees and
joyously proclaim three times, ‘Homage to the thus-gone one Moonlight!’
will, upon making such a joyful proclamation, swiftly arrive at unexcelled,
perfect and complete awakening.

“Thirty thousand buddhafields from here, in the world system called
Stainless, dwells the thus-gone
one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called Stainless Light.
Śāriputra, all those who hear the name of the thus-gone one Stainless Light,
be they gods, nāgas, or humans, will make irreversible progress toward
unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening. They should not be frightened or
worried about falling into ruin.

“Two thousand five hundred buddhafields from here, in the world
system called Shining with Beryl, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one,
the completely perfect buddha called Pristine Light. Śāriputra, all those
who hear the name of the thus-gone one Pristine Light, be they gods, nāgas,
yakṣas, gandharvas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, or nonhumans, will obtain a
human existence. Their desire, hatred, and ignorance will also be
purified. Śāriputra, if those who, through
the nonvirtuous karma of not having faith or confidence in the virtuous
roots of the faithful that have heard the name of that thus-gone one, so
much as say, ‘How could such things come about?’ they will roast in the
terrible hell called Howling for sixty thousand years.

“A hundred buddhafields away from here, in the world system called
Endowed with Excellent Attainment, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one,
the completely perfect buddha called Sunlight. Śāriputra, the virtuous
qualities of all those who remember the name of the thus-gone one Sunlight
will be like the orb of the sun. They will destroy all the hordes of demons
and vanquish non-Buddhists. In thirty eons they will turn way from saṃsāra.

“Far beyond sixty thousand buddhafields from here, in the world
system called Well Adorned with the Factors Conducive to Awakening, dwells
the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called
Infinite Jewel. Śāriputra, all of those who hear the name of the thus-gone
one Infinite
Jewel will attain the factors of awakening. Furthermore, they will establish
beings in the sublime Jewels. Day and night, they will acquire immeasurable
heaps of merit.

“Five hundred buddhafields from here, in the world system called
Endowed with Lotuses, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Lotus Guru. Śāriputra, those who hear the
name of the thus-gone one Lotus Guru and give rise to faith will all be like
lotuses in the world; they will be exalted in virtuous qualities. Just as a
lotus grows from water but is not mired in it, they will turn away from
saṃsāra in fifty-five eons.

“Far beyond one trillion buddhafields from here, in the world system
called Beyond All Sorrow and Harm, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one,
the completely perfect buddha called Branch Guru. Śāriputra, all those who
hear the name of the thus-gone one Branch Guru will be ferried across the
great ocean of the waters of existence to the world
system called Liberation from All Sorrow and Harm. They will become worthy
of veneration in all worlds. All those who hear the name and give rise to
faith will become like flowers, serving as teachers in all worlds. They will
become as firm as the body of Nārāyaṇa and they will make irreversible
progress toward unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening. Moreover, any
woman who hears the name of the thus-gone one Branch Guru and, having heard
it, gives rise to faith, will thus be transformed from being a woman.
Śāriputra, for that reason, if a son or daughter of noble family were to
desire these benefits and give rise to the resolve set on unexcelled,
perfect and complete awakening in order to liberate suffering beings, then
he or she should hear the name of the thus-gone one Branch Guru.

“Two thousand buddhafields from here, in the world system called
Replete, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect
buddha called Sublime Golden Light. Śāriputra, all those who hear the name
of Thus-Gone One Sublime Golden Light and, having heard it, give rise to
faith, will obtain illumination. For they will acquire the light and power
of the buddhas. They will also obtain the varieties of fearlessness and the
beneficial qualities of the buddhas. They will cause others to have faith in
all buddhas and produce immense merit. Those whose merit is meager should
not expect all that. Hearing this name is not difficult for those who,
through this kind of teaching of the thus-gone ones, have given rise to a
vajra-like resolve and thus inspire others to give rise to the resolve for
awakening in order to have them attain awakening. In twelve eons, they will
turn away from saṃsāra.

“Eighteen buddhafields from here, in the world system called
Pristine Pearl Lattice, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Sovereign King of Brahmā. Śāriputra, all
those who hear the name of the thus-gone one Sovereign King of Brahmā and,
having heard it, acquire faith and join their palms, will never part from
that thus-gone one and will be universal monarchs in that realm. All of
them will make irreversible progress toward unexcelled, perfect and complete
awakening.

“Two thousand buddhafields from here, in the world system called
Endowed with Moon, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely
perfect buddha called Shining Like Gold. Śāriputra, all those who hear the
name of the thus-gone one Shining Like Gold will be taught extensively, even
in their dreams, that the nature of phenomena is like a hallucination. They
will also not fall into ruin, for they will acquire a great heap of
merit. They will bring pleasure and happiness to an immeasurable number of
beings. They will rule the world and reach perfection through the Great
Vehicle.

“Ten buddhafields away, in the world system called Meteor, dwells
the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called
Source of Gold. Śāriputra, previously the thus-gone one Source of Gold,
while engaging in the conduct of the bodhisattvas, thought, ‘I shall perfect
all the qualities of a buddha, so that all beings that will be born in the
buddhafield where I awaken to unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening,
and all beings from other world systems will, upon hearing my name, make
irreversible progress toward unexcelled, perfect and complete
awakening!’

“Eighteen buddhafields from here, in the world system called Endowed
with Honey dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect
buddha called Sovereign King of Nāgas.

“Śāriputra, when the nāgas cast lightning bolts toward their
village or region, those who hear the name of the thus-gone one Sovereign
King of Nāgas should kneel on their right knees and say, ‘By the truth and
true words, the thus-gone one Sovereign King of Nāgas became a nāga while
previously engaged in the conduct of the bodhisattvas and liberated nāgas
from each of their agonies. Because he liberated several hundreds,
thousands, and hundreds of thousands of nāgas from agony, he made the
following aspiration: “By these virtuous roots may I perfectly awaken to
unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening, such that uttering my name,
whether I am still alive or have passed beyond suffering, may prevent harm
and bring, through that word of truth, well-being wherever nāgas should cast
lightning bolts or harmful hail, or spread peril, illness, harm, or
contagion, even if it takes place in other world systems!” ’

“Śāriputra, through the truth and those true words, even the
retribution of these beings was directed toward happiness. The mere
utterance of the name will prevent nāgas from sending lightning bolts. For
when they die, they will be reborn in his buddhafield and make irreversible
progress toward unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening. Moreover, those
who have devotion and faith will acquire, day and night, an immeasurable
heap of merit. It will not be difficult for them to acquire the wisdom of
the buddhas.

“A trillion buddhafields beyond here, in the world system called
Moon-like, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Sovereign King of All Flowers’ Fragrance.
Śāriputra, those who hear the name of the thus-gone one Sovereign King of
All Flowers’ Fragrance will waft the fragrance of discipline throughout as
many world systems as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River.
Moreover, Śāriputra, all those who hear his name, whether that thus-gone one
still remains or has passed beyond suffering, will become endowed with all
the qualities of a buddha. Why is that? It is because this is the previous
aspiration of that very thus-gone one. Therefore, one should have
wholehearted faith in the blessed buddhas. Having faith in the blessed
buddhas will thus bring great benefit. Through single-pointed faith, one
will obtain whatever is desired. Those who join their palms with
one-pointed faith in thus-gone ones like this who inspire us to uphold their
advice and who uttering the words ‘Homage to the buddhas!’ are steadfast in
their love, will make irreversible progress toward unexcelled, perfect and
complete awakening. If they have wholehearted faith, they will perfect those
qualities. Therefore, one should continuously recite the name of the
thus-gone one. If those who wish to travel in that vehicle recollect the
qualities of that thus-gone one, they will turn away from saṃsāra in
fourteen eons.

“Two billion buddhafields from here, in a world system called
Endowed with the King of Stars, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one,
the completely perfect buddha King of Sāla. Śāriputra, those who hear the
name of the thus-gone one King of Sāla and, lacking faith, disparage and
mock it, will be roasted in the terrible Crushing Hell for six thousand
years. By expressing their lack of faith they will experience for seven
thousand years the suffering of hungry ghosts who eat burning embers.

“Fifty-five buddhafields from here, in a world system called
Powerful, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Leader of Loyal Heroes Who Uses Weapons to
Eliminate Afflictions. Śāriputra, those who hear the name of the thus-gone
one Leader of Loyal Heroes Who Uses Weapons to Eliminate Afflictions, will
become vajra-like, even in their dreams. They will become impervious to the
control of Māra and his entourage. They will be rescued from grave battles
and obtain the wisdom of omniscience. Śāriputra, the sons or daughters of
noble family who become faithful and delighted through just recollecting the
name of that thus-gone one should think, while engaging in conduct for the
sake of awakening, ‘We shall see the thus-gone one and know him perfectly!’

“Alternatively, they should engender the mind of awakening as
follows: ‘We
shall make irreversible progress toward unexcelled, perfect and complete
awakening. We shall perfectly delight in the expansive resolve. We will
benefit many beings by hearing from them the name resounding in our ears and
by delighting in that. Such is its great miraculous power.’

“Śāriputra, I will explain a little bit about the heap of merit
that comes from hearing the name of a thus-gone one and becoming devout upon
hearing it. Suppose someone were to fill with jewels as many world systems
as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River and offer them to as many
blessed buddhas as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, every day,
for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River. The heap
of merit from that would not compare to even a fraction of the heap of merit
that comes from hearing the name of a thus-gone one. Suppose someone, with
the wish to hear the name, were to make an offering of that many world
systems filled with the seven kinds of precious substances. Without having
made the requisite merit, even that person would not be able to hear it. Why
is that? It is because if one were to hear the name without making the
necessary merit, then even hell beings, animals, beings in the world of
Yama, and the long-lived gods would hear it and understand the qualities
extolled. For they would all possess the right amount of merit.

“Ten buddhafields from here, in the world system called
Glorious, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one,
the completely perfect buddha called Shining Essence of Glory. Śāriputra,
all those who hear the name of that thus-gone one and become devout with a
resolute frame of mind will obtain an immeasurable heap of merit. They will
not be scared of the lower realms. They will pass beyond suffering by means
of the unexcelled Buddha Vehicle exactly in accordance with the aspirations
they have made. Whether that thus-gone one still remains or has passed beyond
suffering, all those who hear his name will be endowed with the ease and
happiness of the Great Vehicle. Even while cycling among humans and gods,
they will pass away with the great array of the qualities of a buddhafield,
exactly in accordance with the aspirations they have made. Thus is the heap
of merit that comes from buddhas. They will not fall to ruin for as many
eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, so inconceivable are
the roots of virtue engendered with respect to buddhas.

“Unless they commit actions with immediate retribution and
disparage the noble ones, they will pass away after a long time exactly in
accordance to the aspirations they have made. Śāriputra, they should not
commit any evil deeds. I have taught that one should not give rise to ill
will even toward a burnt log, much less a human. Furthermore, if getting
angry even at ordinary humans leads to rebirth plagued by the many kinds of
suffering of the terrible hells, how much worse is getting angry at the
faithful who have devotion for the teachings of the thus-gone ones, let
alone getting angry at a thus-gone one endowed with infinite wisdom? For I
have not seen those foolish beings escape such a fate in one, two, three, or
even as many as a hundred eons, and they do not escape from the hells in
even a trillion eons. I have taught that those who forsake the awakening of
the buddhas will suffer. One should give rise to the mind of awakening with
the following thought: ‘Anyone who does not forsake the authentic way of
Dharma, whose words do not preach duality, will come to acquire, without
ever regressing, the wisdom of the buddhas!’

“Eighty buddhafields away, in the world system called Fragrant with
an Ocean of Incense, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Shining with Immeasurable Incense.
Śāriputra,
all those who hear the name of the thus-gone one called Shining with
Immeasurable Incense and, upon hearing it, become wholeheartedly devout and
keep it in mind, will make irreversible progress toward unexcelled, perfect
and complete awakening. Upon attaining unexcelled, perfect and complete
awakening, all the pores of their body will waft a pleasant fragrance and
radiate light all around. Moreover, those with meager insight cannot aspire
for this great wisdom. I have seen that those with more expansive insight
will become filled with faith upon hearing this name proclaimed. They will
truly achieve insight from other buddhas for many eons. Śāriputra, it is
impossible and implausible for those that hear this Dharma from other
buddhas in the final period of five hundred years to be impious,
distrustful, and misunderstand it. This is impossible and implausible
because they will turn away from saṃsāra in forty-five eons. Those with deep
faith in this Dharma will be endowed with a moon-like insight and become
objects of veneration in the world with its gods.

“Fifteen buddhafields away, in the world system called Endowed with
Nāgas, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect
buddha called Melody of Lions. Śāriputra, all those who, upon hearing the
name of the thus-gone one Melody of Lions, recollect discipline and are
devout and trustful, will never waver from virtuous qualities. In twenty
eons, they will turn away from saṃsāra. Any women who hear the name of that
thus-gone one will change sex and become like shrines in the world.

“Thirty buddhafields away, in the world system of Yaṅgarvatī,
dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called
Delivered through Powerful Diligence. Śāriputra, those who, upon hearing the
name of Delivered through Powerful Diligence, give rise to faith and,
kneeling on their right knees with palms joined, say ‘Homage to the
thus-gone one Delivered through Powerful Diligence!’ will never be deluded
in future lifetimes within saṃsāra. They will become formidable weapons
against all demons, non-Buddhists, and false teachers. In twenty-five eons,
they will turn away from saṃsāra.

“Forty buddhafields away, in the world system called Well-Settled
Ocean, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect
buddha called Triumphant on the Seat of Awakening with His Brilliance.
Śāriputra, all those who hear the name of the thus-gone Triumphant on the
Seat of Awakening with His Brilliance and become filled with faith and
devout upon hearing it, will settle well upon the seat of awakening and
attain the Supreme Vehicle. Thus endowed with the boon of the gift of
Dharma, they will gather immeasurable heaps of merit from the gift of Dharma
throughout day and night.

“Thirty-six buddhafields away, in the world system called Luminous,
dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha
called King of the Drum’s Melody. Śāriputra, the heap of merit generated by
completely filling the trigalactic megagalactic world system with the seven
kinds of precious substances and offering it every day to pratyekabuddhas
for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River does not
approach even a hundredth of the heap of merit generated by hearing the name
of the thus-gone one King of the Drum’s Melody, joining palms with their ten
fingers, and saying, ‘Homage to the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha King of the Drum’s Melody!’ Nor does it withstand
so much as an analogy.

“Fifty buddhafields away, in a world system called Endowed with
Moon, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect
buddha called Guru of the Moon. Śāriputra, all those who hear the name of
the thus-gone one Guru of the Moon, be they gods, nāgas, yakṣas, humans, or
nonhumans, will become like lotuses in the world, untainted by nonvirtuous
qualities. If a woman hears it, has strong faith in it, or becomes
wholeheartedly devout toward it, that will be her final birth in a female
body. Those who distrust and forsake it will be forsaking the power of the
buddhas. For a full twenty eons, they will roast in the terrible Hell of
Endless Torment. By contrast, Śāriputra, those who trust in, long for, and
have devotion for the inconceivability of the blessed buddhas will in
nineteen eons turn away from saṃsāra.

“Three trillion buddhafields away, in the world system called
Steady Pillar of Sandalwood, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Outshining Flower. Śāriputra, previously,
while the thus-gone one Outshining Flower was engaging in the conduct of the
bodhisattvas, he thought, ‘In the buddhafield where I awaken to unexcelled,
perfect and complete awakening, may there be none of the eight unfavorable
states!’

“In accordance with the aspiration he made, the buddhafield of that
thus-gone one was thoroughly purified, such that the beings in his field are
filled with perfect happiness. Furthermore, Śāriputra, those who hear the
name of that thus-gone one and give rise to faith are wondrous in the world.
Even after they have perfectly and completely awakened, none of the eight
unfavorable states will occur in that buddhafield.

“Two trillion buddhafields away, in the world system called Placid
River of Jambu, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely
perfect buddha called Light of the World. Śāriputra, unless
they commit actions with immediate retribution and disparage the noble ones,
all those who hear the name of the thus-gone one Light of the
World will be free from rebirth in the lower realms. Even those
who have committed actions with immediate retribution and disparaged the
noble ones will, if they hear it, eventually become awakened once their
negative karma is exhausted. In twenty eons, they will turn away from
saṃsāra.

“Eight trillion buddhafields away, in the world system called Clear
Light, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect
buddha called Fire. Śāriputra, why, do you think, is the world
system called Clear Light? The trigalactic megagalactic world system is even
like the palm of a hand and appears like a lotus. Śāriputra, in that world
system, the thus-gone one Fire teaches the Dharma, blazing
radiantly—glittering, gleaming, and glistening—like an inferno of flames in
the dark, and communicates through melody to the entire trigalactic
megagalactic world system. The heap of merit generated by covering the
trigalactic megagalactic world system with planks of gold, ornamenting all
its trees with silk, and offering it every day to as many countless blessed
buddhas as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, for as many eons as
there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, does not approach even a
hundredth part of the heap of merit generated by hearing the name of that
thus-gone one, nor does any analogy suffice. Those who, having heard it, take pleasure
in it and persevere in what they desire will turn away from saṃsāra in sixty
eons and acquire an unexcelled buddhafield.

“Śāriputra, in the east there is the world system called Fully
Arrayed. There dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely
perfect buddha called Jewel Foundation.

“Śāriputra, in the east there is a world system called
Awakened. There dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one,
the completely perfect buddha called Forever Passed Beyond Sorrow, where he
turns the irreversible Dharma wheel.

“Śāriputra, in the east there is the world system called Slope of
Mount Sumeru. There dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely
perfect buddha called Mind without Torment.

“Śāriputra, in the east there is the world system called Free of
Poverty. There dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely
perfect buddha called Appearance of Countless Emanations.

“Śāriputra, in the east there is the world system called Smooth as
Kācilindika Fabric. There dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Astride Mount Sumeru.

“Śāriputra, in the east there is the world system called Endowed
with the Glory of Sublime Evenness. There dwells the thus-gone one, the
worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called Sublime Elephant of Jewels.

“Śāriputra, in the east there is the world system called Source of
Preciousness. There dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely
perfect buddha called Glory of Assembled Jewels.

“Śāriputra, in the east there is the world system called Free of
Impurity. There dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely
perfect buddha called Eternally Glorious Meaning of the Precious Irreversible Wheel.
Surrounded by an assembly of bodhisattvas, he turns the irreversible wheel.

“Śāriputra, in the east there is the world system called Perfectly
Pure Abode. There dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely
perfect buddha called Attainer of Purity of Universal Illumination.

“Śāriputra, an infinite number of blessed buddhas, led by these
buddhas, currently dwell in the east, alive and well, teaching the Dharma.
One should kneel on one’s right knee, and, joining one’s palms with the ten
fingers, proclaim the names of these buddhas and repeat three times the
joyous expression, ‘Homage to those blessed buddhas endowed with infinite
qualities!’ Those who proclaim the names of those illuminators in the east
will acquire an immeasurable heap of merit.

“In the south, a trillion buddhafields away in the world system
called Freeing, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely
perfect buddha called Lamp of Sun and Moon. Śāriputra, the sons or daughters
of noble family who happen to hear the name of the thus-gone one Lamp of Sun
and Moon and feel great joy and become devout upon hearing it, and who then
get goose bumps and shed tears when reflecting on the hundred thousand
aspects of the thus-gone one’s words, should understand that they will see
that thus-gone one while they are engaging in the conduct of the
bodhisattvas. Women too should delight at the thought that by hearing the
name of the thus-gone one Lamp of Sun and Moon, their female bodies will be
their last and they will all also attain unexcelled, perfect and complete
awakening.

“All the myriad beings throughout the ten directions who hear it
will make irreversible progress toward unexcelled, perfect and complete
awakening.
For, just like the aforementioned beings, these beings too will not be
obscured. It is not easy for even mathematicians or great mathematicians to
calculate or tally how many beings exist in this Sahā world system. The evil
Māra will not create obstacles in any world system where the name of that
thus-gone one resounds, and it is not easy to comprehend the full scope of
how many have heard the name of the thus-gone one Lamp of Sun and Moon and
become filled with faith on that account. Yet, Śāriputra, the evil māras in
this world system make efforts, with their troops and mounts, to create
obstacles for beings that hear such sūtras as this, because those hearers
have committed and accumulated actions that will lead to their obscuration.
Śāriputra, such events will come to pass at a later time. At that time, the
beings that have devotion and faith in the merit of uttering the name will
be like the uḍumbara flower. They will be worthy
of worship in the world.”

The venerable Śāriputra now asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One,
since this will be so very rare in the future,
how many beings, at that time, will hear the name of the thus-gone one Lamp
of Sun and Moon and how many will truly give rise to faith upon hearing the
names of other blessed buddhas?”

The Blessed One replied to Venerable Śāriputra, “Śāriputra, I see
those who will hear the names. To give an example based on the beings seen
at present: Śāriputra, just as there is right now only one white-clad
householder amidst the assembly of saffron-clad monks, beings that will hear
the names of the thus-gone ones will be equally rare. Those who will become
filled with faith upon hearing it, Śāriputra, will acquire an immeasurable
heap of merit. Those who will become filled with faith upon hearing it,
Śāriputra,
will, in the future, have no fear of faltering. They will never part from
the blessed buddhas. They will become especially exalted above the world.
The blessed buddhas will teach the Dharma to them first and they will
benefit many beings. Those who hear the Dharma taught and give rise to
genuine faith in it will uphold my buddha awakening from the depths of their
hearts. In a hundred eons, they will turn away from saṃsāra.

“Moreover, I also see those who do not give rise to faith, just as
I presently see you.”

Śāriputra now asked, “Blessed One, how large will be the heap of
demerit for those who, upon hearing the names of those blessed buddhas, do
not give rise to faith and forsake the buddhas’ awakening?”

The Blessed One replied, “Śāriputra, they will dwell in the hells
for six hundred million years and experience the sensation of great agony
there. Śāriputra, wherever the teachings flourish there will be a great many
foolish people who will forsake the sublime Dharma. For this reason,
Śāriputra, the sons or daughters of noble family who do not forsake this
Dharma discourse should truly give rise to exultation and raise a banner
with the knowledge that they will be free from all lower realms. Suppose
someone were to say, ‘I will hear this name after having filled the
trigalactic megagalactic world system with jewels.’ That expresses only a
small part of it—those wishing to settle into an understanding of the wisdom
of omniscience should hear the names after having completely filled with
jewels as many countless world systems as there are grains of sand in the
Ganges River.

“Ten thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called Endowed
with the Light of Ethical Conduct, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one,
the completely perfect buddha called Mount Sumeru. Those who hear the name
of the thus-gone one Mount Sumeru will not disparage the noble ones even in
their dreams. They will have pure altruistic intention. They will make
irreversible progress toward unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening, and
they will swiftly understand that all phenomena are like a dream. In eight
eons, they will turn away from saṃsāra.

“Five thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called
Beautiful Golden Form, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Manifest Mount Sumeru. Those who hear the
name of the thus-gone one Manifest Mount Sumeru and uphold it continuously
will turn away from saṃsāra in ten eons.

“Twenty thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called
Endowed with Light, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely
perfect buddha called Image of Mount Sumeru. Śāriputra, if someone were to
hear the name of the thus-gone one Image of Mount Sumeru and, upon hearing
it, bring it to mind with reverence for even as brief as a mere finger snap,
and if someone else were to offer as a gift the trigalactic megagalactic
world system covered with planks of gold from the Jambu River, then the
latter’s heap of merit would not approach even a hundredth part of that of
the former, who brought this thus-gone one to mind. Nor would any analogy
suffice. Why is that? It is because the words for buddhas are very powerful,
not to mention the veneration of thus-gone ones while they are still present
and the worship of their bodily remains after they have passed beyond
suffering.

“Innumerable thousands of buddhafields away, in the world system
called Attainment of All Powerful Forces, dwells the thus-gone one, the
worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called Always Fragrant. Śāriputra,
while engaging in the conduct of the bodhisattvas, the thus-gone one Always
Fragrant made the following aspiration: ‘May I, through any roots of virtue
I have accomplished by venerating the buddha and burning as little incense
as a grain of mustard for the thus-gone one Dense Cloud, emit a pleasant
fragrance from every pore of my body once I perfectly awaken to unexcelled,
perfect and complete awakening! May this cloud of incense spread to as many
world systems throughout the ten directions as there are grains of sand in
the Ganges River! When all the beings in those world systems attain
unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening by smelling this fragrance and
hearing my name, may they also emit a pleasant fragrance from the pores of
their bodies!’

“Śāriputra, sons or daughters of noble family who wish for
deliverance through the same vow by which the thus-gone one Always Fragrant
reached deliverance will extol his qualities, as revealed in hearing his
name, even if they have to forgo eating for seven days. Why is that? It is
because they will acquire an immeasurable heap of merit immediately upon
hearing his name.”

Venerable Śāriputra then said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One,
could you please elaborate on the collection of merit that comes from
hearing such praises of the qualities of the thus-gone one Always
Fragrant?”

The Blessed One replied, “In the future, sons or daughters of noble
family will become overjoyed and exultant upon hearing those qualities. The
more they hear about the qualities of buddhas, the more invulnerable they
will be to evil Māra. Why is that? It is because the buddhas will care for
them, and while being so cared for, they will not forsake unexcelled,
perfect and complete awakening.”

The Blessed One continued, “Śāriputra, if I told you about the
entire collection of merit belonging to the thus-gone one Always Fragrant,
beings would go mad. For they do not have the merit to be
devout towards or have faith in the roots of virtue acquired from hearing
his name. For those who think, with devotion, faith, and true joy, that they
will not turn away from the qualities of buddhas, Śāriputra, I will explain
a mere portion of that heap of merit. They will partake of the teaching
intended for sages endowed with great wisdom. If someone were to completely
fill ten world systems the size of the Sahā buddhafield with the seven
precious substances and offer it every day as a gift to infinite buddhas for
an infinite number of eons, that would not account for even a fraction of
the former heap of merit. The heap of merit generated by recollecting
infinite thus-gone ones and prostrating with the five parts of the body will
be infinitely and innumerably greater than that. For in ten eons, they will
turn away from saṃsāra.

“A hundred million buddhafields away, in the world system called
Endowed with Immaculate Light, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Perfectly Pure Light. Śāriputra, the heap
of merit generated by completely filling as many world systems as there are
grains of sand in the Ganges River with the seven precious substances and
offering it every day to as many buddhas as there are grains of sand in the
Ganges River, for as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges
River, does not compare to a mere fraction of the heap of merit that comes
from hearing the name of the thus-gone one Perfectly Pure Light, cultivating
loving-kindness for as brief as a finger snap, and with yearning faith and
devotion saying, ‘Through my virtuous roots of hearing the name of the
thus-gone one and cultivating a loving mind, may all beings become endowed
with the wisdom of the buddhas!’ Why is that? It is because through the
latter heap of merit one will attain
awakening. Why is that? Śāriputra, it is because bodhisattvas who are
courageous in the gift of Dharma, in that they bestow on others into the
gift of Dharma, are close to attaining unexcelled, perfect and complete
awakening. Therefore, Śāriputra, one should bestow on others the supreme
gift of Dharma, not material gifts. Those who offer gifts to sublime persons
should give only the gift of Dharma, not material gifts. For in this way
they will approach unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening. In
eighty eons, they
will turn away from saṃsāra.

“A hundred thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called
Endowed with Dharma, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Guru of Dharma. Śāriputra, all those who
hear the name of the thus-gone one Guru of Dharma, give rise to faith, and
join palms will train in accomplishing the Dharma under the teaching of this
buddha. Those who desire these qualities should reverentially long for them.
When it comes to the thus-gone ones’ virtues so extolled, the wisdom of a
thus-gone one cannot be assessed by the knowledge of an ordinary being,
indeed the wisdom of buddhas cannot be
assessed by even pratyekabuddhas. Thus, based on learning these examples,
one should not deride the wisdom of buddhas, just as one should not take up
actions by which a single intention or verbal act will lead to the many
kinds of births in the terrible hells. Why is that? It is because it is rare
for the blessed buddhas to appear in the world. It is even rarer to be born
as a human and obtain excellent leisure. I will offer an analogy to
illustrate this point. Śāriputra, suppose for example that this great earth
were one giant ocean, and within it, there were a yoke with one opening and
a blind tortoise. Suppose that across that giant ocean there blew the wind
called the one that blows up and down. Suppose now
that the blind tortoise were to surface once every hundred years. One might
say that the neck of the blind tortoise that surfaces suddenly once every
hundred years might enter the opening of the yoke; not so for becoming a
human after falling into the lower realms. It is much rarer for those who
have fallen into the lower realms to later become human.

“One should truly congratulate oneself by thinking: ‘I have
completely avoided inopportune states, and now that I am a human, I have
pleased the buddha that has appeared. Having acquired faith in a thus-gone
one endowed with the sublime wisdom supreme throughout all worlds, I have
achieved an ideal human existence. I will therefore long, with but a single
resolve, for the thus-gone one endowed with the great wisdom of
omniscience!’ Those who do so will turn away from saṃsāra in thirty eons.

“Fifty-five thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called
Lord of Movement, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely
perfect buddha called Sovereign King of Incense. Śāriputra, those who hear
the name of the thus-gone one Sovereign King of Incense and, with faith and
devotion, say with palms joined, ‘Homage to the blessed thus-gone one
Sovereign King of Incense!’ will gain an immeasurable heap of merit. I will
partially illustrate this. Śāriputra, the heap of merit generated by filling
the trigalactic megagalactic world system with the seven precious substances
and offering it every day to the blessed buddhas for a thousand years does
not approach a hundredth part of the merit of hearing the name of the
thus-gone one Sovereign King of Incense and, with faith and devotion, saying
with joined palms, ‘Homage to the blessed thus-gone one Sovereign King of
Incense!’
Nor will any analogy suffice. For those who do so will turn away from
saṃsāra in thirty eons.

“Ten thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called Endowed
with Truth, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect
buddha called Great Qualities. Śāriputra, all those who hear
the name of the thus-gone one Great Qualities will obtain the
qualities of a buddha, unless they have already secured assurance of the
final attainment.

“Eight thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called
Endowed with Great Ornament, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Light of Incense. Śāriputra, while engaging
in the conduct of the bodhisattvas, the thus-gone one Light of Incense made
the following aspiration: ‘Once I have perfectly awakened to unexcelled,
perfect and complete awakening, may all those who hear my name and become
devout upon hearing it make irreversible progress toward unexcelled, perfect
and complete awakening and, henceforth, never go to lower realms!’

“Hence, Śāriputra, all those who hear that thus-gone one’s name and
become wholeheartedly devout upon hearing it will, due to that previous
aspiration, make irreversible progress toward unexcelled, perfect and
complete awakening.

“Thirty thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called
Immaculate One, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely
perfect buddha called Radiant Light. Śāriputra, the few who hear the name of
the thus-gone one Radiant Light and become devout and filled with faith upon
hearing it will obtain an immeasurable heap of merit. Those who disregard it
will incur an immeasurable heap of demerit.

“Fifteen thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called
Fully Joyous, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect
buddha called Immeasurable Light. Śāriputra, all those who hear the name of
the thus-gone one Immeasurable Light and wholeheartedly give rise to faith
will obtain the light of that thus-gone one. Those who lack faith will roast
in the hot hells for twenty eons.

“Twenty thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called
Endowed with Essence, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Emanating Light. Śāriputra, all those who
hear the name of the thus-gone one Emanating Light and give rise to faith
immediately upon hearing it will be impervious to the power of evil Māra.

“Twenty thousand five hundred buddhafields away, in the world
system called Replete with Coral Trees, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy
one, the completely perfect buddha called Moon Light. Śāriputra, those who
hear the name of the thus-gone one Moon Light will be worthy of veneration in the world with its gods. Wherever they
dwell will become a shrine. Why is that? It is because in the future,
sublime beings that hear the name of
the thus-gone ones will be rare.

“Eight thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called
Supreme Fragrance, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely
perfect buddha called Moonlight. Śāriputra, all who hear the name of the
thus-gone one Moonlight, even in a dream, and genuinely give rise to faith
will generate a great heap of merit. They will become like mountains,
impervious to all demons.

“Twelve thousand buddhafields away, in the
world system called Endowed with Sun, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy
one, the completely perfect buddha called Light of the Moon. Śāriputra, in
the buddhafield of the thus-gone one Light of the Moon, there is nobody in the lower
realms.
Śāriputra, previously that thus-gone one made the following aspiration:
‘Upon my attainment of awakening, may all those who hear my name and hear
about my transcendence of suffering make irreversible progress toward
unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening! May the arrangement of their
buddhafields be exactly the same as mine is now!’

“Śāriputra, such things will come to pass for anyone who hears the
name of the thus-gone one Light of the Moon, precisely in accordance with
the aspiration he made while previously engaging in the conduct of the
bodhisattvas.

“Eighteen thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called
Luminous Golden Gem, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Firelight. Śāriputra, all those who hear
the name of the thus-gone one Firelight will carry the lamp of the Dharma.
They will free all world systems and all beings from the ocean of saṃsāra.
They will pass their days and nights immersed in bringing benefit to beings.
They will give the gift of Dharma. They will be unassailable by all demons
and non-Buddhists.

“Ten thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called
Luminous Form, dwells the thus-gone one called Victorious Melody. Why is
this world system called Luminous Form? All the beings that were, are, and
will be born in this world system transcend the appearance of humans. Their
forms are beautiful and exquisite. Śāriputra, all those who hear the name of
the thus-gone one Victorious Melody will have bodies that are beautified by
the qualities of unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening.

“Thirteen thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called
Triumphant, dwells the thus-gone one called He Who Acts as Supreme. Śāriputra,
those who hear the name of the thus-gone one He Who Acts as Supreme and give
rise to faith will be supreme in the world with its gods, humans, and
asuras. In twenty eons they will turn away from saṃsāra.

“A trillion buddhafields away, in the world system called
Overcoming through Triumph in Battle, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy
one, the completely perfect buddha called Guru of Many. Śāriputra, for those
who hear the name of the thus-gone one Guru of Many, be they gods, nāgas,
yakṣas, humans, or nonhumans, just hearing that will be the cause for them
all to attain unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening. In thirty eons
those beings will turn away from saṃsāra. Those who do not give rise to
faith in this name will roast in the hells for twenty eons and a thousand
years.

“Five thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called
Seven Precious Substances, dwells the thus-gone one, the
worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called Lotus Commander. Śāriputra,
those who fill the entire trigalactic megagalactic world system with jewels
and offer it every day to the blessed buddhas for as many eons as there are
grains of sand in the Ganges River with the thought, ‘By means of giving
away these jewels, may I hear the name of the thus-gone one Lotus
Commander!’ will see the buddha and thus be able to hear his name. Why is
that? Śāriputra, it is because that thus-gone one has reached deliverance
through inconceivable conduct, such that those who hear his name and give
rise to faith will, as a lotus arises from water, rise above the three
worlds entirely.

“Thirty thousand buddhafields from here, in the world system
Endowed with Moon, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Melody of a Lotus. Śāriputra,
why do you think he is called Melody of a Lotus? It is because
that thus-gone one perfectly awakened to unexcelled, perfect and complete
awakening while seated on a lotus, whereupon the gods of the Heaven of the
Thirty-Three exclaimed, ‘Hurray, a thus-gone one, a worthy one, a completely
perfect buddha—the melody of a lotus—has appeared!’

“Śāriputra, all those who hear the name of the thus-gone one
Melody of a Lotus, give rise to faith, and say, kneeling on
their right knees, ‘Homage to the thus-gone one!’ will possess the quality
of not falling into negative rebirths; that is, unless they have committed
actions with immediate retribution and disparaged the noble ones.

“Thirty thousand buddhafields from here, in the world system Place
Endowed with Great Power, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Myriad Jewels. Śāriputra, why do you think
he is called Myriad Jewels? In that buddhafield there is a great many
bodhisattvas and few followers of the Vehicle of Hearers, and every day he
reveals infinite teachings for them. That is why that thus-gone one is
called Myriad Jewels. Śāriputra, if any son or daughter of noble family
kneels on his or her right knee and, with palms joined, repeats three times
the joyous utterance, ‘Homage to the thus-gone one Myriad Jewels!’ he or she
will perfect the conduct connected to that thus-gone one’s previous
aspiration and become a servant endowed with
jewels.

“Twenty thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called
Endowed with Flowers, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Lion’s Roar. Śāriputra, if
those who hear the name of the thus-gone one Lion’s Roar kneel
on their right knees and repeat three times the joyous utterance, ‘Homage to
the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha
Lion’s Roar!’ they will all roar the lion’s roar,
overwhelming the three worlds in order to liberate all beings. In five eons,
they will turn away from saṃsāra.

“Ten thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called Endowed
with Wilderness, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely
perfect buddha called Lion’s Melody. Śāriputra, those who recollect the
thus-gone one Lion’s Melody and simply toss a flower in the sky—let alone
worship him by erecting a stūpa for him and making offerings—will all become
like flowers in the world. They will acquire a melodious voice, which is the
melodious voice of buddhas.

“Fifteen thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called
Devoid of Sorrow, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely
perfect buddha called Leader of Heroes. Śāriputra, all those who hear the
name of the thus-gone one Leader of Heroes, give rise to faith,
wholeheartedly long for the world system Devoid of Sorrow, and give rise to
faith with only a mere thought wholeheartedly generated in relation to that
thus-gone one will witness that thus-gone one teaching the Dharma. Why is
that? It is because that blessed one previously made the following
aspiration: ‘Once I have attained awakening, may those in other world
systems who hear my name, after death, be reborn in my buddhafield and
perfect all the qualities of a buddha!’

“Those who hear the thus-gone one’s name but impiously forsake it,
and those whose ears are tuned but do not listen, will incur the karma for
living in the hells for as long as ten million years.

“Sixty thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called Gentle
Voice, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect
buddha called Resolver of Doubts Regarding Transgressing All Vows.
Śāriputra, those who hear the name of the thus-gone one Resolver of Doubts
Regarding Transgressing All Vows, give rise to faith, and become devout will
do exactly as proclaimed in their vows. Having tamed all demons and
preachers of false doctrines, they will resolve all doubts and become
thus-gone ones, worthy ones, completely perfect buddhas.

“Eighteen thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called
Infused with the Fragrance of Flowers, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy
one, the completely perfect buddha called One like a Jewel Wheel and Fire.
Śāriputra, all those who hear the name of the thus-gone one One like a Jewel
Wheel and Fire and give rise to faith immediately upon hearing it will
become like jewel wheels and fire. Furthermore, they will swiftly turn the
wheel of the Dharma in the world.

“Accordingly, faith in buddhas has great miraculous power. For
heaps of merit will be accomplished precisely according to how beings
dedicate them, whether it be through the Vehicle of Hearers, the Vehicle of
Solitary Realizers, or the unexcelled Great Vehicle. Among them, those with
more expansive insight will take up the unexcelled Great Vehicle in order to
accomplish awakening. The insightful with more meager inclinations will
forgo such an immeasurable accomplishment as awakening, and take up the
Vehicles of Hearers and Solitary Realizers to accomplish their results. When
they have found such great treasures and, without stinginess, feel inclined
to offer them to the Thus-Gone One, they thereby give rise to the resolve
set on unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening. Their dedication of all
the merit from doing so toward the welfare and happiness of all beings
should be understood as amazing! Śāriputra, all those who do not have
faith in the virtues of that thus-gone one or other buddhas will dwell in
the Black Line Hell for forty thousand years.

“Sixty thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called
Created with Joy, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely
perfect buddha called Devoid of Sorrow. Śāriputra, all those who find joy by
merely hearing the name of that thus-gone one will be untainted by secondary
afflictions and free of sorrow. After attaining awakening, they will also
free many beings from sorrow. Beings with faith in that thus-gone one,
whether he still remains or has passed beyond suffering, will be amazingly
superior in all the worlds. They will acquire an immeasurable heap of merit
and never part from the blessed buddhas.

“Forty thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called
Endowed with Sustenance, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Endowed with Sublime Happiness. Śāriputra,
all those who hear the name of the thus-gone one Endowed with Sublime
Happiness, feel joy and elation upon hearing it,
and say, kneeling with their right knees on the ground and their palms
joined, ‘Homage to the thus-gone one Endowed with Sublime Happiness!’ will
benefit many beings. They will not be afraid of falling into lower realms.

“Eight thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called Light
of the Moon, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely
perfect buddha called Source of Power. Śāriputra, those who successively hear
the name of the thus-gone one Source of Power will obtain an immeasurable
heap of merit. All those who hear the resounding of the name, be they gods,
nāgas, yakṣas, humans, or nonhumans, will make irreversible progress toward
great wisdom.

“Two trillion buddhafields away, in the world system called
Superior to All Cymbals, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Boundless Melody. Śāriputra, all those who
hear the name of the thus-gone one Boundless Melody and think ‘By means of
these virtuous roots of mine, may I obtain the highest wisdom!’ will attain
unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening. Those who do not have faith in
him create the karma for dwelling in the hells, the retribution for
displeasing the buddhas. Why is that world system called Superior to All
Cymbals? Śāriputra, that world system is called Superior to All Cymbals
because in the interval between that thus-gone one’s death in Tuṣita and his
attainment of great nirvāṇa, all the gods and humans of this trigalactic
megagalactic world system held up and rang their cymbals. And why is that
thus-gone one called Boundless Melody? Śāriputra, it is because when the
thus-gone one Boundless Melody teaches the Dharma, he conveys it in melody
for as far as two thousand world systems throughout the ten directions.

“Three billion buddhafields away, in the world system called Light
of Victory, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect
buddha called Dīpaṅkara. Śāriputra, the thus-gone one Dīpaṅkara is so called
because, with his light, one trillion buddhafields throughout the ten
directions are flooded everywhere with dazzling radiance. Śāriputra,
those who, upon hearing the name of the thus-gone one Dīpaṅkara, give rise
to faith and discover and experience an ocean of joy and ecstasy will be
unwavering. All of them will obtain that luminosity.

“Eighty thousand buddhafields away, in the world system called All
Luminous Incenses, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely
perfect buddha called Jewel Light. Śāriputra, all those who hear the name of
the thus-gone one Jewel Light and, upon hearing it, give rise to faith and
become wholeheartedly devout, will become like jewels, make irreversible
progress toward the qualities of a buddha, and never part from the blessed
buddhas. They will turn away from saṃsāra in five eons while practicing the
conduct of the bodhisattvas.

“That is why, Śāriputra, one should not give rise to hostile
thoughts toward thus-gone ones and toward great persons who have embarked on
the Great Vehicle. Śāriputra, those who do not trust their elder
siblings—the thus-gone ones and the great persons who have entered the Great
Vehicle—will distance themselves from the awakening of a buddha even if they
have approached it; that is, unless they have secured assurance of the final
attainment and have devotion for the Bouquet of
Flowers. They should not come in the vicinity of
bodhisattva-mahāsattvas. Those who have ill will toward those sublime beings
will incur the suffering of the great hells for ten million years. If it is
taught that one should not have ill will even toward those in the animal
realm, how much worse would it be to have it toward those sublime beings!

“Śāriputra, anyone who hurts, distrusts, disturbs, and insults
those great persons with devotion for the Bouquet of
Flowers will incur the terrible karma of the hells. Why is that?
It is
because the appearance of those sublime persons, bodhisattvas who set their
minds on awakening and do not turn away from it, is extremely rare in the
world. Therefore, I have taught that those who stabilize their vows without
getting discouraged once they have set their minds on awakening and, having
perfectly and completely awakened to awakening, satiate seekers with the
gift of Dharma according to their needs are like the uḍumbara flower.

“Śāriputra, there are countless, innumerable blessed buddhas, such
as those I have mentioned, who presently dwell in the south, alive and well,
teaching the Dharma. If someone pays homage by prostrating in their
direction with the five parts of the body touching the ground, hears the
name exactly as it is taught, and contemplates the extolled qualities, he or
she will obtain an immeasurable heap of merit.

“A trillion buddhafields away to the west, in the world system
called Sukhāvatī, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely
perfect buddha called Amitāyus. Śāriputra, all those who, by merely hearing
the name of the thus-gone one Amitāyus, experience great joy and genuinely
long for his hundreds of thousands of attributes will obtain immeasurable
merit. They will have no fear of falling into the lower realms, for once
they die, they will be reborn in his buddhafield. Those who continuously
contemplate him will, upon death, sit amidst an assembly of monks before the
thus-gone one Amitāyus. Why is that? It is because the thus-gone one
Mahākaruṇa, out of his awakened intent to benefit beings, protects beings
that evil māras plan to create obstacles for, even when he is dwelling in
another buddhafield. After they die, they will be born in Sukhāvatī,
precisely where they will all perfect the qualities of a buddha. Why is
that? It is because the thus-gone one made the following aspiration: ‘May I
fulfill all the wishes of beings who, having embarked on the Great Vehicle,
are born in the buddhafield where I attained awakening, ensuring they have
all the qualities conducive to awakening! May followers of the Vehicle of
Hearers who are born in that buddhafield become arhats in that very
place!’

“Śāriputra, any son or daughter of noble family who in the future
has faith in and wholeheartedly rejoices in the extolled virtues of
Amitābha, and wholeheartedly delights in that thus-gone one, will be born in
that buddhafield. Those residing there will have all their wishes fulfilled
and approach awakening, exactly as taught. They will see the assembly of
thus-gone ones, and they will see the beings born in that buddhafield. Those
who distrust, disparage, and forsake the extolled qualities of that
thus-gone one will incur the karma for dwelling in the hells for five
eons.

“A hundred thousand buddhafields away, in the world system Endowed
with the Vanquisher of All Demons, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one,
the completely perfect buddha called Possessor of Victory. Śāriputra, those
who hear the name of the thus-gone one Possessor of Victory will entirely
sever the lasso of Māra. In sixty eons, they will turn away from
saṃsāra.

“A hundred thousand buddhafields away, in the world system
Vanquisher of All Demons, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Melody of Victory. Those who hear the name
of the thus-gone one Melody of Victory will acquire the ability to speak in
all manner of voices and will drive evil Māra far away. In eight eons they will turn
away from saṃsāra.”

The bodhisattva-mahāsattva Ajita then asked the Blessed One,
“Blessed One, is there some quality that a bodhisattva-mahāsattva can
possess to ensure that he or she makes swift and irreversible progress
toward unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening?”

The Blessed One said to the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, “There is,
Ajita. To the north, in the world system Pile of Śrīgarbha Jewels, dwells
the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called He
Who Is Proclaimed King of the Pile of Śrīgarbha Jewels. Ajita, all those who
hear the name of the thus-gone one He Who Is Proclaimed King of the Pile of
Śrīgarbha Jewels will, making irreversible progress toward unexcelled,
perfect and complete awakening, swiftly and perfectly awaken to it. In ten
million complete eons, they will turn away from saṃsāra. Ajita, those who
hear the name of the thus-gone one He Who Is Proclaimed King of the Pile of
Śrīgarbha Jewels have been in the company of
fifty buddhas. Thus, after they die, they will never be deprived of
miraculous powers. Until they pass beyond suffering, they will never be deprived of divine hearing, nor of sublime beauty.
They will never be killed or bound. They will not have any ear illnesses,
nose illnesses, tongue illnesses, or any other bodily illnesses. Until they
pass beyond suffering, they will not be born in world systems without a
buddha, or in world systems where a buddha will not come. They will
never be deprived of Dharma. They will never be born in unfavorable
circumstances. They will never be devoid of training. Nor will they ever be
devoid of mindfulness. Until they pass beyond suffering, they will never be
devoid of wisdom. Ajita, all those who hear the name of that thus-gone one
and have confident devotion and deep faith in my omniscience will acquire
that state and become supreme, sublime, utmost, and unsurpassable throughout
all worlds. That is why those who wish to acquire that state in full and
reside as supreme, sublime, and utmost throughout all worlds should hear the
name of that thus-gone one, who is supreme throughout all worlds. Upon
hearing it, they should prostrate, saying, ‘Homage to the thus-gone one, the
worthy one, the completely perfect buddha He Who Is Proclaimed King of the
Pile of Śrīgarbha Jewels.”

The bodhisattva-mahāsattva Ajita then asked, “Blessed One, how far
away is the world system where that thus-gone one dwells? How long ago did
he appear there?”

The Blessed One replied to the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Ajita,
“Ajita, suppose there were a heap of sand one hundred leagues around and
each grain of sand were removed from the heap and taken to stand for a
single buddhafield until all the sand were separated out. Now suppose that
all the world systems, as represented by the sand, were in turn filled with
sand. The world system called Pile of Śrīgarbha Jewels is innumerably many
more world systems away than all the particles of sand in those sand-filled
world systems.

Therein dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely
perfect buddha He Who Is Proclaimed King of the Pile of Śrīgarbha Jewels,
alive and well, teaching the Dharma. Ajita, an eon has passed since the
thus-gone one He Who Is Proclaimed King of the Pile of Śrīgarbha Jewels
attained complete and perfect awakening. Moreover, Ajita, while seated on
this very seat, I see with my innate fleshy eye that thus-gone one, together
with an assembly of hearers, and that world system. While seated on a seat
in that world system, that thus-gone one also sees with his fleshy eye this
Sahā world system and me along with my entourage. Ajita, those who have
trust, devotion, and strong faith in a thus-gone one’s fleshy eye, who have
faith and conviction in my omniscience and, furthermore, have trust,
devotion, and no hesitation or doubt regarding the perfected blessing of
that thus-gone one’s aspiration will obtain all the qualities exalted beyond
all worlds. They will make irreversible progress toward unexcelled, perfect
and complete awakening. Therefore, Ajita, the son or daughter of noble
family should traverse the trigalactic megagalactic world system filled with
fire in order to hear the name of that thus-gone one and his blessed
aspiration.”

The bodhisattva-mahāsattva Ajita then asked the Blessed One,
“Blessed One, is there single quality, aside from that, that a
bodhisattva-mahāsattva can possess to ensure that he or she
makes swift and irreversible progress toward unexcelled, perfect and
complete awakening?”

The Blessed One replied to the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Ajita,
“Ajita, there is a single quality that a bodhisattva-mahāsattva can possess
to ensure that he or she makes swift and irreversible progress toward
unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening.

“Ajita, countless world systems away to the north, in the world
system called Endowed with the Essence of Vajra, dwells the thus-gone one,
the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called All-Conquering Vajra,
alive and well, teaching the Dharma. Ajita, those who hear the name of the
thus-gone one All-Conquering Vajra will make irreversible progress toward
unexcelled, perfect and complete awakening and then fully awaken to it. In a
hundred trillion eons they will turn away from saṃsāra. Such is the great
power of this thus-gone one, worthy one, completely perfect buddha. Ajita, I
turned away from saṃsāra after a hundred trillion eons based on hearing the
name of that thus-gone one from the clairvoyant thus-gone one Dīpaṅkara.
Ajita, had I not heard the name of that thus-gone one from the thus-gone one
Dīpaṅkara, I would not have fully and perfectly awakened to unexcelled,
perfect and complete awakening as I have. What do the words ‘All-Conquering
Vajra’ mean? Well, for example, Ajita, just as a vajra destroys and
penetrates gems, stones, clods of earth, pebbles, gravel, or earth,
those who hear the name of that thus-gone one and have faith in his
blessings and my omniscience will likewise scatter, demolish, destroy, and
tear apart all the levels of ordinary beings and solitary realizers until
they attain omniscience. This is why his name is All-Conquering Vajra—with
his aspiration being so excellent, he is a thus-gone one endowed with
inconceivable qualities.

“A trillion world systems away to the north, in the world system
called Luminous Gem, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Jewel Flame. Those who hear that thus-gone
one’s name that have not yet secured assurance of the final attainment
will make irreversible progress toward unexcelled, perfect and complete
awakening. In that world system, there are no followers of the Vehicle of
Hearers, or of the Vehicle of Solitary Realizers. There are only
bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, who serve the thus-gone one Jewel Flame.”

The Blessed One then said to Venerable Mahākāśyapa, “Kāśyapa, the
blessed buddhas have inconceivable power. Kāśyapa, fifty thousand
buddhafields away, in the world system called Fragrance of Aloeswood, dwells
the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called
Moon’s Light. Kāśyapa, if sons or daughters of noble family hear the name of
that thus-gone one, they will attain the absorption called the
blessing of turning away from birth. If they settle into it,
they will see as many buddhas as the grains of sand in the Ganges River,
fully retain whatever they say, and learn and preach any Dharma teaching
that they desire to learn and preach. Why is that? It is because that comes
from the power engendered by a previous aspiration made by that blessed one.
He made the following aspiration: ‘May whoever hears my name attain this
absorption!’ ”

The Blessed One then spoke the following verses:

“Fifty-five thousand buddhafields from here,

In the finely-emanated world system

Called Fragrance of Aloeswood,

Where fragrant incense wafts,

“Dwells the perfect buddha

Light of the Sublime Precious Moon.

Those who hear the name of

That protector and lord of the world

“Will attain the sublime absorption

Called limited to one more birth and blessed,

Which perpetually

Illuminates everything.

“Upon attaining this absorption,

They will see the guides of the world

Teaching immeasurable Dharma teachings

In order to benefit all living beings.

“The lord of the world will teach

That all phenomena are devoid of essence.

Correctly retaining these words,

Beings will generate virtue.

“Given that all constituents lack existence,

They will regard their own constituents in that way.

Given that phenomena lack characteristics,

Their non-existence is proclaimed.

“Their existence cannot be found,

And neither can their non-existence;

Since they are without self, they have no essence—

Phenomena are shown to be like this.

“The Dharma that is taught,

Is the unexcelled truth.

Therefore, it applies to wisdom,

Just as it does to ignorance.

“Neither ignorance, nor wisdom,

Nor both exist.

In this there is no phenomenon

Either purified or polluted.

“The lords will teach in this way,

Resolving the nature of all phenomena.

Having taught that there is no remaining,

The buddhas will not remain.

“When they reach awakening,

They will not find phenomena

And thus bodhisattvas do not abide.

Yet in this way they abide for a long time.

“Because word and meaning do not exist,

The wise will not apprehend them.

Satisfied with their prodigious learning,

They will not debate with worldly beings.

“Kāśyapa, sixty thousand buddhafields away to the north, in the world
system called Elation, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the
completely perfect buddha called Glory of Sublime Goodness. Kāśyapa, if sons
or daughters of noble family hear the name of that thus-gone one, they will
not regress, and they will acquire throughout all their lifetimes the karma
to be attractive, to be in an assembly, and to retain words. Their eloquence
will become profound. They will have devotion for the Dharma that the Dharma
teachers are teaching to beings. If a woman hears the name, that will be her
final existence as a woman.”

The Blessed One then spoke the following verses:

“Perfectly located sixty thousand buddhafields away,

Is the world system—

A complete and unspoiled field—

Called Elation.

“The buddha who dwells there

Has perfected all qualities.

He is the unexcelled lord of the world

Called Glory of Sublime Goodness.

“Those who hear the name

Of the protector of the gods

Will be attractive and pleasing

Wherever they are born.

“Endowed with agreeable speech and supreme knowledge,

They will teach the Dharma to beings.

Having heard it,

Those beings will attain sublime joy.

“Even when women hear

This buddha’s name,

They will be liberated from the birthplace of great fear—

Birth as a woman.

“They will become profound and wise

In that which the world does not understand.

And their minds will become

Precisely in accordance with the stainless state.

“Both the real and the unreal

Are non-existent.

When one has become weary of phenomena,

How can there be any discussion of it?

“Kāśyapa, eighty thousand buddhafields away to the north, in the
world system called Beautiful Entrance, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy
one, the completely perfect buddha called Departed to a Lotus. If sons or
daughters of noble family hear his name, then after they pass away, their
bodies will become exquisite and beautiful, beings will be delighted to
behold them, and they will become attractive and captivating. They will
recollect countless eons and know them exactly as they are. They will be
endowed with unexcelled eloquence and teach the Dharma uninterruptedly
throughout all their lifetimes. Their aspirations and vision will also
become completely pure.”

The Blessed One then spoke the following verses:

“Eighty thousand

Complete buddhafields away

Is the utterly excellent

World system Joyful Entrance.

“The buddha who dwells there

Is the unexcelled protector of the world,

The illuminating protector of the world

Called Departed to a Jewel Lotus.

“Those who hear his name

Will have purified vision,

An exquisite form,

And be beautiful to behold.

“While that buddha was in equipoise

His hearers were also present—

With their liberation, they reached tranquility,

Such that the world does not comprehend them.

“Even after a full one thousand years,

When the buddha arose from his absorption,

His hearers remained,

For as long as he did.

“By hearing the name of that excellent and supreme buddha,

One will become like those hearers.

Those who hear his name here

Will experience his qualities

For a countless eon.

“Then, the heroic ones will come to know his qualities.

And moved by sublime devotion,

They will teach beings the Dharma,

The excellent sūtras,

In unimpeded and unobstructed language.

“Kāśyapa, among the sons and daughters of noble family who hear the
name of the thus-gone ones, the worthy ones, the completely perfect buddhas,
the fact that women, Kāśyapa, who hear the name of the thus-gone ones
transform from their existence as women is just as I taught previously.
Thus, I will put the topic aside for now. They will have the opportunity for
all the qualities as explained, without distinction. For when hearing these
names, they
will acquire the features of these qualities just as explained.”

The Blessed One then spoke the following verses:

“Those who hear and understand

The names of the buddhas,

Who have quelled the craving of desire

And exhausted the fetters,

“Will have an abundance of special qualities.

When they die, those qualities will emerge.

If women, upon hearing the name

Of the lord and protector of the world,

“Were to make the aspiration,

They will be born as supreme men.

Those who want to discard their existence as women,

Will avoid a woman’s existence,

“Which would be unsuitable in the world.

They will swiftly become

Unexcelled spiritual friends to beings.

Those who abandon desire

“Will generate merit in many ways.

Establishing themselves and others

In virtue,

They will be completely liberated from suffering.

“Those who are born as women again and again

Desire to discard their female existence

And attain complete liberation.

When a big poisonous tree

“In the middle of a city

Is cut down,

Living beings are happy.

Likewise, when the evil,

“Poisonous existence of womanhood

Is discarded,

One is situated

On the path to awakening.

“Neither one’s own existence,

Nor the existence of beings is found.

For wherever bondage is not found

Is the unexcelled path.

“Neither men, nor women,

Exist ultimately.

Wherever existence is not found,

Aspiration has been perfected.

“Where there is no aspiration,

No consciousness will emerge.

That is the ultimate limit,

Because it cannot be observed.

“Nor does one find the mind

That investigates the existence of a woman.

When the mind is not found,

This is the unexcelled aspiration.

“Whoever engages in investigation,

Intently focused

On discarding the existence of a woman,

Dwells in obsession.

“The existence that is described as a woman’s existence

Does not exist.

Those who understand this

Connect to the teachings.

“Neither connection,

Nor non-connection, exists at all.

The non-existence of phenomena

Is also termed connection.

“Those who hear the names

Of the protectors and guardians of the world

Will generate much virtue

At the feet of all buddhas.

“Those who hear all the names of the all-seeing ones

And those of similar beings,

Will acquire these qualities

No matter where they are born.

“I see those who will hear.

I also see those who will explain.

I see many

Who will not believe in this teaching.

“And I see those

Who will claim ‘The buddhas did not teach this.’

They will forsake the Dharma teachings of the buddhas,

And go to the hells for many lifetimes.

“Due to the karma generated

By completely forsaking

The Dharma teachings of the friends of the world,

They will go to lower realms.

“They will be fools who are stupid and mute

And will likewise have impaired faculties.

Having forsaken the mind of awakening,

Their minds will go astray.

“They will have little power, bad complexion,

And faded luster, and be ugly.

Those people will be born

In evil, inferior places.

“They will not understand the Dharma

Taught by complete and perfect buddhas.

Neither will they enter the profound,

For they will be deprived of the Dharma of fruition.

“Having heard what is deprived of Dharma,

Those people will have faulty knowledge.

The illuminating protectors of the world,

Those with great wisdom, will not be pleased.

“Monks, and likewise

Lay people, should understand:

The deprivation that comes from contravening the Dharma

Is suffering.

“The awakened guides dwell

In worlds throughout the ten directions

Teaching the profound Dharma,

Wherever there are beings.

“Therefore, beings become devoted

To the protectors of the world.

The guides teach the Dharma,

The unimpeded Dharma of perfect awakening.

“The wise with devotion

For the names

Will be endowed

With immeasurable merit.

“The people here who retain

The names of such beings

Will moreover have sublime eloquence

And become supremely wise.

“If they proclaim, without impediment,

The names of such beings as those,

They will be honored by the whole world

And always have pleasing speech.

“Those who proclaim those names

Throughout the four directions

Will be fearless,

Wherever they are born.

“For those who,

Having heard the names of buddhas,

Revere such names,

Awakening is not far.

“For those who introduce many beings

To the names of such buddhas

The purview of the protectors of the world

Will not be difficult to attain.

“Kāśyapa, monks endowed with four qualities will have devotion for
those names. What are the four qualities? (1) They previously honored the
blessed ones; (2) they long for the profound; (3) they long for solitude;
(4) and in reliance on a virtuous spiritual friend, they have neither
performed nor accumulated actions that lead to being deprived of the sublime
Dharma. Kāśyapa, monks who possess these four qualities have devotion for
the names of the thus-gone ones, the worthy ones, the completely perfect
buddhas.”

The Blessed One then spoke the following verses:

“Previously they have seen and worshiped

The perfect buddhas.

Through that very root of virtue,

They will hear their names.

“Moreover, they long for the profound,

And have heard about my awakened qualities.

Because their previous actions are pure,

Then they have come here.

“Also, when this sūtra was taught previously,

No doubts arose for them.

They never contravene this sūtra

Taught by the perfect and complete one.

“They have devotion for the guides

Of those with limited patience.

Moreover, they should listen to what I have taught

With pure intention.

“They should delight in the instructions

And pursue reality.

By conceiving of them as Dharma,

They collect all of them.

“Neither perception,

Nor non-perception, exists.

They understand

The inconceivable objects of all buddhas.

“There is no disputation

Among the many faithful,

Who long for the profound,

About the reality of those objects.

“Those who partake of the profound

Will have no doubts.

It will not at all be like

A treasure for one craving wealth.

“One should know that

Those who are hesitant

About the protectors of the world

Will have dull faculties, and will be mad and lazy.

“For those with devotion,

Doubts will not arise.

Those who create obstacles for them

Will not collect the fruits of their efforts.

“Upon hearing the names of the buddhas,

Which are eloquently spoken,

They will extol praises for the buddhas,

As protectors of the world, throughout the ten directions.

“Those who praise the names of the perfect buddhas,

Recollecting the buddhas’ names

Again and again,

Will swiftly become immaculate.

“Venerated by living beings,

They will teach the buddhas’ awakening

With unimpeded eloquence.

“Kāśyapa, above there is a world system called Guru of the Moon.
There dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect
buddha called Overwhelming with Golden Light.

“Kāśyapa, above this buddhafield, in the world system called Pile
of Bad Colors That Delights in Disputation, dwells the thus-gone one, the
worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called Glory of Invincibility.

“Above, in the world system called Endowed with Teachers, dwells
the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called
Thus-Gone King, Guru of Immeasurably Many.

“Above, in the world system called Victory Banner of Mount Sumeru,
dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called
Sublime Elephant Out of Rut.

“Above, in the world system called Awakening of Beautiful Thought,
dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha
called Glory of Being Immersed in Incalculable Effort.

“Above, in the world system called Non-grasping, dwells the
thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called
Inexpressible Intention.

“Above, in the world system called Ornamented by Pure Conduct,
dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha
called Glory of the Incense of Non-ignorance.

“Above, in the world system called Light of the Sun, dwells the
thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called Glory of
the Moon.

“Above, in the world system called Supreme Dharma, dwells the
thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called Light of
Non-conceptuality.

“Above, in the world system called Religious Practice, dwells the
thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called Light of
the Sky.

“Above, in the world system called Mass of Virtue, dwells the
thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called Peak of
Pure Conduct.

“Above, in the world system called Victorious, dwells the thus-gone
one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called King of the
Well-Settled Treasury of Peace.

“Above, in the world system called Source of Diligence, dwells the
thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called
Accomplisher of All Goals.

“Above, in the world system called Power of Aspiration, dwells the
thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called Glory of
the Protection by Knowledge.

“Above, in the world system called Region of Joyous Radiance,
dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha
called Complete Purifier of Speech.

“Above, in the world system called Cave of Sandalwood Fragrance,
dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha
called Essence of Vaiḍūrya.

“Above, in the world system called Endowed with Jewels, dwells the
thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called
Overwhelming All with Precious Qualities.

“Above, in the world system called Glory of Immeasurable Qualities,
dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha
called Well Established in Perfectly Pure Qualities.

“Above, in the world system called Future Hearers, dwells the
thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called Stūpa
That Overwhelms with Jewel Light.

“Above, in the world system called Sleepless Eye, dwells the
thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called Glory of
the Finest Gold of Immeasurable Propriety.”

The Blessed One then spoke the following verses:

“The buddha Endowed with the Moon of Glory

Is a great king, supreme among humans,

And the buddhas, supreme among humans,

Range over all phenomena.

“The buddhas, by means of their names,

Range across the buddhafields.

People who hear their names

In this eon,

“And become filled with faith

And reverential toward them

Will be heroes with great insight.

They will become sublime buddhas.

“Their wisdom will be infinite;

Have no doubt about it!

“Above, in the world system called Beautiful Lotus, dwells the
thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called Glory of
the Manifestation of the Sublime Lotus. Those who hear his name will be cut
off from the three lower realms. In thirty-six eons, they will turn away
from saṃsāra.”

The Blessed One then spoke the following verses:

“In the finely-adorned world system

Called Beautiful Lotus,

Which is permanently and exquisitely adorned

Like a divine grove,

“Dwells a buddha,

Skillful in the Glory of the Lotus Guru.

In that buddhafield he performs miracles

And teaches the Dharma to living beings.

“Once men and women

Have heard his name,

They will avoid the three lower realms

And see many buddhas.

“After thirty-six eons they will renounce saṃsāra,

Reject all compounded things,

And henceforth make irreversible progress

Toward the awakening of a buddha.

“They will not become blind, or crippled,

Nor will they ever become dumb.

In all their future worlds they will have complete faculties,

And their wisdom and merit will exponentially increase.

“If they pay homage to the thus-gone ones,

Evil companions will not proliferate,

Nor will killers and opponents,

And they will find a virtuous spiritual friend.

“If they pay homage to that buddha

And other objects of veneration in the world,

They will gain the knowledge that understands all phenomena

And thereby have no hesitations about awakening.

“Above, in the world system called Precious Tārā, dwells the
thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called Glory of
the Origin of Pure Jewels. Those who hear his name will obtain the seven
precious factors of awakening. In thirty eons, they will turn away from
saṃsāra.”

The Blessed One then spoke the following verses:

“In the supreme world system Precious Tārā,

Is the buddha called Origin of Jewels.

Upon hearing his most excellent name,

Living beings will obtain the factors of awakening.

“In thirty eons, they will renounce saṃsāra

And be perfectly poised for awakening.

They will also see many sublime persons

Who are preachers of unshakable courage.

“Above, in the world system called Flash of Lightning, dwells the
thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha called King of
the Tip of the Lamp of Lightning. Those who hear his name will avoid all
unfortunate rebirths. In twenty eons, they will turn away from saṃsāra.”

The Blessed One then spoke the following verses:

“In the field called Flash of Lightning,

There is a buddha with great miraculous power

Called King of the Tip of the Flash of Lightning,

Who was excellently born from a sublime lotus.

“Those who hear his name

Will avoid all unfortunate rebirths.

After twenty eons, they will renounce saṃsāra

And, henceforth, swiftly awaken to awakening.

“Above, in the world system called Adorned with Golden Palmyra
Trees, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect
buddha called Glory of the Exalted King of Palmyra Trees. Those who hear his
name will be exalted above all beings.

“Above, in the world system called Palmyra Trees Reaching the Sky,
dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy one, the completely perfect buddha
called Lamp of the Sky of Dharma. Those who hear his name will, after sixty
eons, turn away from saṃsāra and henceforth their progress toward truly
going to a buddhafield will be irreversible. In this lifetime, they will
have visions of the thus-gone ones. Even in their dreams, they will
prostrate to that thus-gone one, touching the ground with the five parts of
their bodies. They will wholeheartedly revere the blessed buddhas. They also will find
beings with unexcelled wisdom to esteem, honor, and serve. In this lifetime,
they will obtain these qualities. For, Śāriputra, those thus-gone ones have
immeasurable qualities and virtues.”

The Blessed One then spoke the following verses:

“In the field Fully-Adorned Sky,

Is a highly-renowned buddha,

Supreme among humans,

Named Lamp of the Sky of Dharma.

“Those who hear his name

Will, after sixty eons, reject saṃsāra

And obtain the unexcelled qualities of a buddha

And the destiny to become awakened.

“In this very lifetime, they will see

The great awakened heroes.

With a wholeheartedly loving mind,

They will prostrate to them, using the five parts of their bodies.

“Even in their dreams, they will see

The perfect, ideal buddhas.

Understanding the thoughts in others’ minds,

And recollecting the king of Dharma,

“They will find beings adept in wisdom

To serve.

These will be their qualities in this lifetime,

For the teacher has immeasurable qualities

And has achieved mastery over all phenomena.

“Those who seek all sublime qualities

Should lovingly pay homage!

“Above, in the world system Well Proportioned, dwells the thus-gone one, the worthy
one, the completely perfect buddha called Source of All Good Qualities. Why
is that world system called Well Proportioned? It is well
proportioned because that world system has a gold surface outlined in a
checked pattern with beryl gems and having fragrant trees such as flower
trees, jewel trees, sandalwood trees, and the like in each of its squares.
Fragrance wafts from these trees, spreading out in a single canopy that
covers all buddhafields. Those who hear the name of thus-gone one Source of
All Good Qualities, as he sits on his Dharma seat, will obtain the
well-proportioned qualities of a buddha. In eighty eons they will turn away from
saṃsāra.”

The Blessed One then spoke the following verses:

“The unexcelled world system

Called Well Proportioned

Is decorated with fragrant trees

That form a checkered pattern.

“A fragrance wafts from them

That spreads over all lands.

It lingers in the air,

Forming a single canopy.

“There dwells a buddha,

Source of All Good Qualities—

His name is extremely sublime,

That fearless Dharma king.

“Those who hear his name

Will have exquisite bodily limbs,

Beautiful, captivating faces,

Exquisite forms pleasing to behold,

“And well-proportioned bodies

With a circumference like that of a banyan tree.

Blazing with glory,

They will travel to the fields of the buddhas.

After eighty eons they will renounce saṃsāra,

Reject all conditioned things,

And then swiftly attain

The well-proportioned qualities of a buddha, in all their aspects.

“Upon recollecting the buddha

Source of All Attributes of Good Qualities,

Their qualities and virtues will be pristine,

Thus poising them for the state of a buddha’s qualities.

“Above, in the world system called Supreme Goodness, dwells the
thus-gone one called King Victory Banner at the Pinnacle of Goodness. Those
who hear his name will not regress from the qualities of a buddha. They will
turn away from saṃsāra in fifty eons.”

The Blessed One then spoke the following verses:

“In the world system Supreme Goodness,

Also called Delight in Goodness,

Dwells a perfect buddha,

The sage Victory Banner at the Pinnacle of Goodness.

“He is a supreme victor, a king of Dharma,

Who possesses thirty-two supreme names.

For those who hear his names,

The qualities of a buddha will never wane.

“After fifty eons,

They will renounce saṃsāra

And swiftly become gods among gods

Highly renowned throughout the world.

“Above, in the world system called Family of Jewels, dwells the
thus-gone one called He Who Possesses a Body Adorned with All Jewels. Why is
that world system called Family of Jewels? Kāśyapa, it is because the beings
in that buddhafield have genuinely set out for unexcelled, perfect and
complete awakening. For in the moment it takes to snap one’s fingers, many
hundreds of thousands upon trillions of bodhisattvas can emerge from that
buddhafield, ripen for awakening beings in as many world systems throughout
the ten directions as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, worship
as many blessed buddhas, and then return to that world system.”

Mahākāśyapa now asked the Blessed One, “What are those
bodhisattva-mahāsattvas’ names?”

The Blessed One replied, “Kāśyapa, they are Lion’s Play, Lion’s Yawn, Lion’s Pinnacle, Lion’s
Emanation, Exceedingly Firm Power, Sword of Vajra Intelligence, and so
forth. All those who hear any of the names of the bodhisattvas that
constantly apply effort, such as these, will obtain the eighteen distinct
qualities of a buddha belonging to the thus-gone one He Who Possesses a Body
Adorned with All Jewels. They will also obtain the irreversible Dharma
wheel. After a full hundred eons, they will turn away from saṃsāra.”

The Blessed One then spoke the following verses:

“In the world system Family of Jewels,

Adorned with all great families,

Dwells a buddha

Surrounded by heroes.

“The name of this light of the world

Is He Who Possesses a Body Adorned,

Exalted by All Jewels,

The sage Victory Banner at the Pinnacle of Dharma.

“The guide dispenses Dharma teachings

Surrounded by bodhisattvas,

Turning the irreversible wheel

That has not been turned in the world.

“Those who hear his name

Will not, after a hundred eons, continue to cycle through saṃsāra,

And will obtain the unexcelled,

Irreversible wheel.

“The Dharma kings

Whose names are proclaimed,

Whether they dwell in a self-arisen place

Or in the world systems,

“Have pure names and families,

Pure conduct,

Pure Dharma vision,

And perfect mastery over all phenomena.

“There are many beings, Śāriputra,

Who, with their insightful purview,

Long for

Unexcelled wisdom.

“In the future,

During fearful times,

They will hear this Dharma teaching

And have faith upon hearing it.

“In so doing, they will have, without a doubt,

Honored me, Śāriputra.

Just as when a pauper feels discouraged

Upon seeing a priceless gem,

Thinking it impossible for him to find a jewel

And come into such wealth;

“Likewise, how could those with little merit

And jaded perspective

Become filled with faith

When hearing about unexcelled awakening?

“Upon hearing about

The many kinds of gems and treasuries,

One should truly seek them out,

Hoping to adorn oneself well with them.

“So it is also with great insight,

That when one hears the names of buddhas,

One should thoroughly seek them out,

Expecting that this is how one will reach awakening.

“Those with meager karma

Who indulge in evil deeds, are deceitful,

And lack merit and insight

Do not hear such things.

“Those engrossed in desire,

Mired in delusion,

Or overcome by attachment

Do not hear such things.

“Those who are proud, arrogant,

Lazy, have meager intelligence,

And are preoccupied with other, extreme views

Do not hear such things.”

Then, a billion gods exclaimed:

“Hail Buddha!

Hail Dharma!

Hail the unexcelled Saṅgha!”

They also cast down a rain of flowers,

Strewing them throughout the trigalactic megagalactic world system.

They rang ten million cymbals,

And doused the ground with perfume.

Having illuminated this realm,

They caused the earth to shake in six different ways.

All those

In the assembly

Who hear the teaching of this sūtra,

The sublime Bouquet of Flowers,

Will attain unexcelled awakening;

That is, unless they live in a period between buddhas.

Bodhisattvas came

From as many realms throughout the ten directions

As there are grains of sand in the Ganges River,

Listened to the teaching, then disbanded.

When this sūtra was taught,

Many tens of millions of monks

All became
arhats

And saw the guides.

A hundred thousand monks,

And nuns too—

Sixty thousand in full—

Attained acceptance of reality.

Having attained unexcelled acceptance

That all phenomena are unborn,

They beheld the buddhas,

And taught the Dharma to beings.

Five hundred nuns

And forty lay women

Clothed the body of the Thus-Gone One

With their own robes.

When the Blessed One finished speaking, Venerable Śāriputra
rejoiced. The bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, the monks, and the world with its
gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas rejoiced and praised what the Blessed
One taught.

This concludes the Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra “Bouquet of
Flowers.”

Colophon

This text was edited and finalized by the Indian preceptor
Jñānasiddhi, the chief editor-translator Venerable Dharmatāśīla, and
others.

Notes

Abbreviations

C
Choné

D
Degé

J
Lithang

KY

Peking Yongle

N
Narthang

U
Urga

Bibliography

Tibetan Sources

Modern Sources

blessing of turning away from birth
the blessing of turning away from birth

skye ba las rnam par log pa’i byin gyi rlabs
སྐྱེ་བ་ལས་རྣམ་པར་ལོག་པའི་བྱིན་གྱི་རླབས།

final period of five hundred years

lnga brgya’i tha ma
ལྔ་བརྒྱའི་ཐ་མ།

limited to one more birth and blessed

skye ba gcig gis thogs gyur cing byin gyis rlob
སྐྱེ་བ་གཅིག་གིས་ཐོགས་གྱུར་ཅིང་བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབ།

Sahā world system
Sahā

mi mjed kyi ’jig rten gyi khams
མི་མཇེད་ཀྱི་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་ཁམས།

Accomplisher of All Goals

don thams cad grub pa
དོན་ཐམས་ཅད་གྲུབ་པ།

All-Conquering Vajra

rdo rjes rab tu ’joms pa
རྡོ་རྗེས་རབ་ཏུ་འཇོམས་པ།

Always Fragrant

kun tu spos
ཀུན་ཏུ་སྤོས།

Ambrosia Melody

bdud rtsi dbyangs
བདུད་རྩི་དབྱངས།

Appearance of Countless Emanations

sprul pa tshad med par snang ba
སྤྲུལ་པ་ཚད་མེད་པར་སྣང་བ།

Astride Mount Sumeru

ri rab rnam par gnon pa
རི་རབ་རྣམ་པར་གནོན་པ།

Boundless Melody

dbyangs tshad med
དབྱངས་ཚད་མེད།

Branch Guru

yan lag bla ma
ཡན་ལག་བླ་མ།

Bright Jewel

rin chen snang
རིན་ཆེན་སྣང་།

Brilliant Jewel

rin chen rab snang
རིན་ཆེན་རབ་སྣང་།

Complete Purifier of Speech

gtam shin tu yongs su dag par mdzad pa
གཏམ་ཤིན་ཏུ་ཡོངས་སུ་དག་པར་མཛད་པ།

Delivered through Powerful Diligence

mthu chen po’i brtson ’grus kyis nges par ’byung ba
མཐུ་ཆེན་པོའི་བརྩོན་འགྲུས་ཀྱིས་ངེས་པར་འབྱུང་བ།

Departed to a Jewel Lotus

rin chen pad mo bzhud
རིན་ཆེན་པད་མོ་བཞུད།

Departed to a Lotus

pad mo la bzhud pa
པད་མོ་ལ་བཞུད་པ།

Emanating Light

’od btang ba
འོད་བཏང་བ།

Endowed with Sublime Happiness

dam pa’i dga’ ldan
དམ་པའི་དགའ་ལྡན།

Endowed with the Moon of Glory

dpal gyi zla ba can
དཔལ་གྱི་ཟླ་བ་ཅན།

Essence of Vaiḍūrya

bai dUrya’i snying po
བཻ་དཱུརྱའི་སྙིང་པོ།

Eternally Glorious Meaning of the Precious Irreversible Wheel

phyir mi ldog pa’i ’khor lo rin po che rtag tu don dpal
ཕྱིར་མི་ལྡོག་པའི་འཁོར་ལོ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་རྟག་ཏུ་དོན་དཔལ།

Exceedingly Firm Power

shin tu brtan pa’i mthu rtul
ཤིན་ཏུ་བརྟན་པའི་མཐུ་རྟུལ།

Firelight

me ’od
མེ་འོད།

Fire

me
མེ།

Foremost Sublime Jewel

rin chen dam pa gtso bo
རིན་ཆེན་དམ་པ་གཙོ་བོ།

Sublime Jewel

rin chen dam pa
རིན་ཆེན་དམ་པ།

Forever Passed Beyond Sorrow

rtag par yongs su mya ngan las ’das pa
རྟག་པར་ཡོངས་སུ་མྱ་ངན་ལས་འདས་པ།

Fount of Jewels

rin chen ’byung ba
རིན་ཆེན་འབྱུང་བ།

Glory of Assembled Jewels

rin po che ’dus pa’i dpal
རིན་པོ་ཆེ་འདུས་པའི་དཔལ།

Glory of Being Immersed in Incalculable Effort

brtson ’grus grangs med pa la zhugs pa’i dpal
བརྩོན་འགྲུས་གྲངས་མེད་པ་ལ་ཞུགས་པའི་དཔལ།

Glory of Invincibility

ma pham pa’i dpal
མ་ཕམ་པའི་དཔལ།

Glory of Sublime Goodness

bzang po dam pa’i dpal
བཟང་པོ་དམ་པའི་དཔལ།

Glory of the Exalted King of Palmyra Trees

ta la’i rgyal po mngon par ’phags pa’i dpal
ཏ་ལའི་རྒྱལ་པོ་མངོན་པར་འཕགས་པའི་དཔལ།

Glory of the Finest Gold of Immeasurable Propriety

tshad med pa’i khrel yod pa gser dam pa’i dpal
ཚད་མེད་པའི་ཁྲེལ་ཡོད་པ་གསེར་དམ་པའི་དཔལ།

Glory of the Incense of Non-ignorance

gti mug med pa’i spos dpal
གཏི་མུག་མེད་པའི་སྤོས་དཔལ།

Glory of the Manifestation of the Sublime Lotus

pad ma dam pa rnam par ’phrul pa’i dpal
པད་མ་དམ་པ་རྣམ་པར་འཕྲུལ་པའི་དཔལ།

Glory of the Moon

zla ba dpal
ཟླ་བ་དཔལ།

Glory of the Protection by Knowledge

shes rab kyis sbed pa’i dpal
ཤེས་རབ་ཀྱིས་སྦེད་པའི་དཔལ།

Glory of the Origin of Pure Jewels

rin chen dag pa ’byung ba’i dpal
རིན་ཆེན་དག་པ་འབྱུང་བའི་དཔལ།

Great Qualities

yon tan chen po
ཡོན་ཏན་ཆེན་པོ།

Guru of Dharma

chos kyi bla ma
ཆོས་ཀྱི་བླ་མ།

Guru of Many

mang po’i bla ma
མང་པོའི་བླ་མ།

Guru of the Moon

zla ba’i bla ma
ཟླ་བའི་བླ་མ།

He Who Acts as Supreme

mchog mdzad
མཆོག་མཛད།

Attainer of Purity of Universal Illumination

kun tu rnam par snang mdzad rnam par dag pa thob pa
ཀུན་ཏུ་རྣམ་པར་སྣང་མཛད་རྣམ་པར་དག་པ་ཐོབ་པ།

He Who Is Proclaimed King of the Pile of Śrīgarbha Jewels
śrīgarbhakūṭavinarditarāja
dpal gyi snying po brtsegs pa rnam par bsgrags pa’i rgyal po
དཔལ་གྱི་སྙིང་པོ་བརྩེགས་པ་རྣམ་པར་བསྒྲགས་པའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།

Triumphant on the Seat of Awakening with His Brilliance

snying po zil gyis gnon pa
སྙིང་པོ་ཟིལ་གྱིས་གནོན་པ།

He Who Possesses a Body Adorned with All Jewels

rin po che thams cad kyis brgyan pa’i gzugs ’dzin pa
རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱིས་བརྒྱན་པའི་གཟུགས་འཛིན་པ།

rin chen kun gyis ’phags pa ste rab tu brgyan pa’i gzugs ’dzin pa
རིན་ཆེན་ཀུན་གྱིས་འཕགས་པ་སྟེ་རབ་ཏུ་བརྒྱན་པའི་གཟུགས་འཛིན་པ།

Highly Renowned

grags pa chen po
གྲགས་པ་ཆེན་པོ།

Image of Mount Sumeru

ri rab ’dra ba
རི་རབ་འདྲ་བ།

Immeasurable Light

’od tshad med
འོད་ཚད་མེད།

Immeasurable Melody

dbyangs dpag med
དབྱངས་དཔག་མེད།

Inexpressible Intention

dgongs pa brjod kyis mi lang ba
དགོངས་པ་བརྗོད་ཀྱིས་མི་ལང་བ།

Infinite Jewel

rin chen mtha’ yas
རིན་ཆེན་མཐའ་ཡས།

Infinite Purity

dri med mtha’ yas
དྲི་མེད་མཐའ་ཡས།

Infinite Renown

grags pa mtha’ yas
གྲགས་པ་མཐའ་ཡས།

Jewel Flame

rin chen me
རིན་ཆེན་མེ།

Jewel Foundation

rin po che’i rmang
རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་རྨང་།

Jewel Light

rin po che snang ba
རིན་པོ་ཆེ་སྣང་བ།

Jewel Peak

rin chen tog
རིན་ཆེན་ཏོག

King of Sāla

sA la’i rgyal po
སཱ་ལའི་རྒྱལ་པོ།

King of the Drum’s Melody

rnga dbyangs rgyal po
རྔ་དབྱངས་རྒྱལ་པོ།

King of the Tip of the Flash of Lightning

glog ’od tog gi rgyal
གློག་འོད་ཏོག་གི་རྒྱལ།

King of the Tip of the Lamp of Lightning

glog gi sgron ma tog gi rgyal po
གློག་གི་སྒྲོན་མ་ཏོག་གི་རྒྱལ་པོ།

King of the Well-Settled Treasury of Peace

gter legs par gnas pa zhi ba rgyal po
གཏེར་ལེགས་པར་གནས་པ་ཞི་བ་རྒྱལ་པོ།

King Victory Banner at the Pinnacle of Goodness

bzang po’i tog gi rgyal mtshan rgyal po
བཟང་པོའི་ཏོག་གི་རྒྱལ་མཚན་རྒྱལ་པོ།

Lamp of Sun and Moon

nyi zla sgron ma
ཉི་ཟླ་སྒྲོན་མ།

Lamp of the Sky of Dharma

chos kyi nam mkha’ sgron ma
ཆོས་ཀྱི་ནམ་མཁའ་སྒྲོན་མ།

Leader of Heroes

dpa’ bo’i sde
དཔའ་བོའི་སྡེ།

Leader of Loyal Heroes Who Uses Weapons to Eliminate Afflictions

dpa’ brtan pa’i sde mtshon chas nyon mongs pa sel ba
དཔའ་བརྟན་པའི་སྡེ་མཚོན་ཆས་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་སེལ་བ།

Light of Incense

spos ’od
སྤོས་འོད།

Light of Non-conceptuality

rnam par mi rtog pa’i ’od
རྣམ་པར་མི་རྟོག་པའི་འོད།

Light of the World

’jig rten gyi sgron ma
འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་སྒྲོན་མ།

Light of the Moon

zla ba snang ba
ཟླ་བ་སྣང་བ།

Light of the Sky

nam mkha’ snang ba
ནམ་མཁའ་སྣང་བ།

Light of the Sublime Precious Moon

rin chen zla ba dam pa’i ’od
རིན་ཆེན་ཟླ་བ་དམ་པའི་འོད།

Lion’s Emanation

seng ge rnam par sprul
སེང་གེ་རྣམ་པར་སྤྲུལ།

Lion’s Melody

seng ge’i dbyangs
སེང་གེའི་དབྱངས།

Lion’s Pinnacle

seng ge’i tog
སེང་གེའི་ཏོག

Lion’s Roar

seng ge’i nga ro
སེང་གེའི་ང་རོ།

Lotus Commander

pad ma’i sde
པད་མའི་སྡེ།

Lotus Guru

pad mo’i bla ma
པད་མོའི་བླ་མ།

Manifest Mount Sumeru

ri rab mngon pa
རི་རབ་མངོན་པ།

Melody of a Lotus

pad mo’i dbyangs
པད་མོའི་དབྱངས།

Melody of Lions

seng ge’i dbyangs
སེང་གེའི་དབྱངས།

Melody of Truth

bden pa’i dbyangs
བདེན་པའི་དབྱངས།

Melody of Victory

rnam par rgyal ba’i dbyangs
རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ་བའི་དབྱངས།

Mind without Torment

zug rngu med pa’i blo
ཟུག་རྔུ་མེད་པའི་བློ།

Moon Light

zla ba’i sgron ma
ཟླ་བའི་སྒྲོན་མ།

Moonlight

zla ’od
ཟླ་འོད།

Moon’s Light

zla ba’i ’od
ཟླ་བའི་འོད།

Mount Sumeru

ri rab
རི་རབ།

Myriad Jewels

rin chen mang
རིན་ཆེན་མང་།

One like a Jewel Wheel and Fire

’khor rin po che dang me lta bu
འཁོར་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་དང་མེ་ལྟ་བུ།

Outshining Flower

me tog zil gyis gnon pa
མེ་ཏོག་ཟིལ་གྱིས་གནོན་པ།

Overwhelming All with Precious Qualities

kun tu yon tan rin po ches rnam par gnon pa
ཀུན་ཏུ་ཡོན་ཏན་རིན་པོ་ཆེས་རྣམ་པར་གནོན་པ།

Overwhelming with Golden Light

gser snang bas rnam par gnon pa
གསེར་སྣང་བས་རྣམ་པར་གནོན་པ།

Peak of Pure Conduct

spyod pa yongs su dag pa’i tog
སྤྱོད་པ་ཡོངས་སུ་དག་པའི་ཏོག

Perfectly Pure Light

snang ba yongs su dag pa
སྣང་བ་ཡོངས་སུ་དག་པ།

Possessor of Great Bliss

bde ba chen po thob pa
བདེ་བ་ཆེན་པོ་ཐོབ་པ།

Pristine Light

’od dag pa
འོད་དག་པ།

Radiant Light

’od ’phro
འོད་འཕྲོ།

Resolver of Doubts Regarding Transgressing All Vows

yang dag par blangs pa thams cad las rgal ba the tsom gcod pa
ཡང་དག་པར་བླངས་པ་ཐམས་ཅད་ལས་རྒལ་བ་ཐེ་ཙོམ་གཅོད་པ།

Shining Essence of Glory

dpal gyi snying po snang ba
དཔལ་གྱི་སྙིང་པོ་སྣང་བ།

Shining Jewel

rin chen snang ba
རིན་ཆེན་སྣང་བ།

Shining Like Gold

gser ltar snang ba
གསེར་ལྟར་སྣང་བ།

Shining Star Lamp

skar ma mar me snang ba
སྐར་མ་མར་མེ་སྣང་བ།

Shining with Immeasurable Incense

spos dpag med snang ba
སྤོས་དཔག་མེད་སྣང་བ།

Skillful in the Glory of the Lotus Guru

pad ma bla dpal mkhas pa
པད་མ་བླ་དཔལ་མཁས་པ།

Source of All Attributes of Good Qualities

yon tan yan lag kun ’byung ba
ཡོན་ཏན་ཡན་ལག་ཀུན་འབྱུང་བ།

Source of All Good Qualities

yon tan thams cad ’byung ba
ཡོན་ཏན་ཐམས་ཅད་འབྱུང་བ།

Source of Gold

gser gyi ’byung gnas
གསེར་གྱི་འབྱུང་གནས།

Source of Jewels

rin chen ’byung gnas
རིན་ཆེན་འབྱུང་གནས།

Origin of Jewels

rin chen ’byung
རིན་ཆེན་འབྱུང་།

Source of Power

dbang po’i ’byung gnas
དབང་པོའི་འབྱུང་གནས།

Sovereign King of All Flowers’ Fragrance

me tog thams cad kyi dri’i dbang phyug rgyal po
མེ་ཏོག་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱི་དྲིའི་དབང་ཕྱུག་རྒྱལ་པོ།

Sovereign King of Brahmā

tshangs pa’i dbang phyug rgyal po
ཚངས་པའི་དབང་ཕྱུག་རྒྱལ་པོ།

Sovereign King of Incense

spos kyi dbang phyug rgyal po
སྤོས་ཀྱི་དབང་ཕྱུག་རྒྱལ་པོ།

Sovereign King of Nāgas

klu’i dbang phyug rgyal po
ཀླུའི་དབང་ཕྱུག་རྒྱལ་པོ།

Stainless Light

dri ma med pa’i ’od
དྲི་མ་མེད་པའི་འོད།

Stūpa That Overwhelms with Jewel Light

rin chen snang bas rnam par gnon pa’i mchod rten
རིན་ཆེན་སྣང་བས་རྣམ་པར་གནོན་པའི་མཆོད་རྟེན།

Sublime Elephant of Jewels

rin po che’i glang po dam pa
རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་གླང་པོ་དམ་པ།

Sublime Elephant Out of Rut

ma rlan pa’i glang po dam pa
མ་རླན་པའི་གླང་པོ་དམ་པ།

Sublime Golden Light

gser ’od dam pa
གསེར་འོད་དམ་པ།

Sunlight

nyi ’od
ཉི་འོད།

Sword of Vajra Intelligence

rdo rje’i blo gros mtshon cha
རྡོ་རྗེའི་བློ་གྲོས་མཚོན་ཆ།

Thus-Gone King, Guru of Immeasurably Many

tshad med pa’i bla ma bde bar gshegs pa rgyal po
ཚད་མེད་པའི་བླ་མ་བདེ་བར་གཤེགས་པ་རྒྱལ་པོ།

Possessor of Victory

rnam par rgyal ba mnga’ ba
རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ་བ་མངའ་བ།

Victorious Melody

rnam par rgyal ba’i dbyangs
རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ་བའི་དབྱངས།

Victory Banner at the Pinnacle of Dharma

chos tog rgyal mtshan
ཆོས་ཏོག་རྒྱལ་མཚན།

Victory Banner at the Pinnacle of Goodness

bzang tog rgyal mtshan
བཟང་ཏོག་རྒྱལ་མཚན།

Well Established in Perfectly Pure Qualities

yon tan shin tu yongs su dag pa rab tu gnas pa
ཡོན་ཏན་ཤིན་ཏུ་ཡོངས་སུ་དག་པ་རབ་ཏུ་གནས་པ།

White as the Moon

zla ba ltar dkar ba
ཟླ་བ་ལྟར་དཀར་བ།

Adorned with Golden Palmyra Trees

gser gyi shing ta la rab tu brgyan pa
གསེར་གྱི་ཤིང་ཏ་ལ་རབ་ཏུ་བརྒྱན་པ།

All Luminous Incenses

spos thams cad snang ba dang ldan pa
སྤོས་ཐམས་ཅད་སྣང་བ་དང་ལྡན་པ།

Attainment of All Powerful Forces

stobs kyi shugs thams cad thob pa
སྟོབས་ཀྱི་ཤུགས་ཐམས་ཅད་ཐོབ་པ།

Awakened

sangs rgyas
སངས་རྒྱས།

Awakening of Beautiful Thought

shin tu mdzes pa rtog pa’i byang chub
ཤིན་ཏུ་མཛེས་པ་རྟོག་པའི་བྱང་ཆུབ།

Beautiful Entrance

legs par ’jug pa
ལེགས་པར་འཇུག་པ།

Beautiful Golden Form

gzugs gser mdog bzang po
གཟུགས་གསེར་མདོག་བཟང་པོ།

Beautiful Lotus

Beyond All Sorrow and Harm

mya ngan dang gnod pa thams cad las ’das pa
མྱ་ངན་དང་གནོད་པ་ཐམས་ཅད་ལས་འདས་པ།

Blissful

bde ba can
བདེ་བ་ཅན།

Brilliant

’od zer can
འོད་ཟེར་ཅན།

Cave of Sandalwood Fragrance

tsan dan gyi dri’i phug
ཙན་དན་གྱི་དྲིའི་ཕུག

Clear Light

’od gsal
འོད་གསལ།

Created with Joy

dga’ ba dang bcas par skyed pa
དགའ་བ་དང་བཅས་པར་སྐྱེད་པ།

Crushing Hell

bsdus gzhom
བསྡུས་གཞོམ།

Crystalline

man shel can
མན་ཤེལ་ཅན།

Delight in Goodness

bzang po dga’ ba
བཟང་པོ་དགའ་བ།

Dense Cloud

sprin stug po
སྤྲིན་སྟུག་པོ།

Devoid of Sorrow

mya ngan med pa
མྱ་ངན་མེད་པ།

Elation

rab tu dga’ ba
རབ་ཏུ་དགའ་བ།

Endowed with Dharma

chos ldan
ཆོས་ལྡན།

Endowed with Essence

snying po dang ldan pa
སྙིང་པོ་དང་ལྡན་པ།

Endowed with Excellent Attainment

legs par thob pa dang ldan pa
ལེགས་པར་ཐོབ་པ་དང་ལྡན་པ།

Endowed with Flowers

me tog can
མེ་ཏོག་ཅན།

Endowed with Great Ornament

rgyan chen po dang ldan pa
རྒྱན་ཆེན་པོ་དང་ལྡན་པ།

Endowed with Honey

sbrang rtsi can
སྦྲང་རྩི་ཅན།

Endowed with Immaculate Light

dri ma med pa’i ’od dang ldan pa
དྲི་མ་མེད་པའི་འོད་དང་ལྡན་པ།

Endowed with Jewels

rin po che dang ldan pa
རིན་པོ་ཆེ་དང་ལྡན་པ།

Endowed with Light

snang ba can
སྣང་བ་ཅན།

Endowed with Lotuses

pad mo can
པད་མོ་ཅན།

Endowed with Moon

zla ba can
ཟླ་བ་ཅན།

Endowed with Nāgas

klu dang ldan pa
ཀླུ་དང་ལྡན་པ།

Endowed with Sun

nyi ma dang ldan pa
ཉི་མ་དང་ལྡན་པ།

Endowed with Sustenance

’tsho ba dang ldan pa
འཚོ་བ་དང་ལྡན་པ།

Endowed with Teachers

slob dpon dang ldan pa
སློབ་དཔོན་དང་ལྡན་པ།

Endowed with the Essence of Vajra

rdo rje’i snying po can
རྡོ་རྗེའི་སྙིང་པོ་ཅན།

Endowed with the Glory of Sublime Evenness

mnyam pa dam pa’i dpal dang ldan pa
མཉམ་པ་དམ་པའི་དཔལ་དང་ལྡན་པ།

Endowed with the King of Stars

skar ma’i rgyal po dang ldan pa
སྐར་མའི་རྒྱལ་པོ་དང་ལྡན་པ།

Endowed with the Light of Ethical Conduct

tshul khrims kyi ’od dang ldan pa
ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་ཀྱི་འོད་དང་ལྡན་པ།

Endowed with the Vanquisher of All Demons

bdud thams cad rab tu bcom pa dang ldan pa
བདུད་ཐམས་ཅད་རབ་ཏུ་བཅོམ་པ་དང་ལྡན་པ།

Endowed with Truth

bden pa dang ldan pa
བདེན་པ་དང་ལྡན་པ།

Endowed with Wilderness

dgon pa can
དགོན་པ་ཅན།

Family of Jewels

Flash of Lightning

Flowered

me tog can
མེ་ཏོག་ཅན།

Fragrance of Aloeswood

a ga ru’i dri
ཨ་ག་རུའི་དྲི།

Fragrant with an Ocean of Incense

rgya mtsho’i spos kyis bdugs pa
རྒྱ་མཚོའི་སྤོས་ཀྱིས་བདུགས་པ།

Fragrant

spos ldan
སྤོས་ལྡན།

Free of Impurity

rnam par ma dag pa dang bral ba
རྣམ་པར་མ་དག་པ་དང་བྲལ་བ།

Free of Poverty

phongs pa dang bral ba
ཕོངས་པ་དང་བྲལ་བ།

Freeing

grol ba can
གྲོལ་བ་ཅན།

Fully Arrayed

kun tu bkod pa
ཀུན་ཏུ་བཀོད་པ།

Fully Joyous

kun tu dga’ ba dang ldan pa
ཀུན་ཏུ་དགའ་བ་དང་ལྡན་པ།

Fully-adorned Sky

nam mkha’ yongs su brgyan pa
ནམ་མཁའ་ཡོངས་སུ་བརྒྱན་པ།

Future Hearers

nyan thos ma ’ongs pa
ཉན་ཐོས་མ་འོངས་པ།

Gentle Voice

’jam dbyangs
འཇམ་དབྱངས།

Glorious

dpal ldan
དཔལ་ལྡན།

Glory of Immeasurable Qualities

yon tan tshad med dpal
ཡོན་ཏན་ཚད་མེད་དཔལ།

Golden

gser can
གསེར་ཅན།

Immaculate

rdul med
རྡུལ་མེད།

Impervious

gdul dka’
གདུལ་དཀའ།

Infused with the Fragrance of Flowers

me tog gi dris bsgos pa
མེ་ཏོག་གི་དྲིས་བསྒོས་པ།

Joyful Entrance

bde bar ’jug pa
བདེ་བར་འཇུག་པ།

Liberation from All Sorrow and Harm

mya ngan dang gnod pa thams cad las sgrol ba
མྱ་ངན་དང་གནོད་པ་ཐམས་ཅད་ལས་སྒྲོལ་བ།

Light of Victory

rnam par rgyal ba’i ’od
རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ་བའི་འོད།

Lord of Movement

rgyu ba’i dbang po
རྒྱུ་བའི་དབང་པོ།

Luminosity

’od gsal
འོད་གསལ།

Luminous

snang ba dang ldan pa
སྣང་བ་དང་ལྡན་པ།

Luminous Form

gzugs snang ba dang ldan pa
གཟུགས་སྣང་བ་དང་ལྡན་པ།

Luminous Gem

nor bu snang ba can
ནོར་བུ་སྣང་བ་ཅན།

Luminous Golden Gem

gser gyi nor bu snang ba dang ldan pa
གསེར་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་སྣང་བ་དང་ལྡན་པ།

Mass of Virtue

dge ba sogs pa
དགེ་བ་སོགས་པ།

Melodious

dbyangs can
དབྱངས་ཅན།

Moon-like

zla ba lta bu
ཟླ་བ་ལྟ་བུ།

Non-grasping

yongs su ’dzin pa med pa
ཡོངས་སུ་འཛིན་པ་མེད་པ།

Ornamented by Pure Conduct

tshangs par spyod pas brgyan pa
ཚངས་པར་སྤྱོད་པས་བརྒྱན་པ།

Overcoming through Triumph in Battle

g.yul las rnam par rgyal te rgal ba
གཡུལ་ལས་རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ་ཏེ་རྒལ་བ།

Palmyra Trees Reaching the Sky

ta la nam mkha’ la nye ba
ཏ་ལ་ནམ་མཁའ་ལ་ཉེ་བ།

Perfectly Pure Abode

rnam par dag pa gnas pa
རྣམ་པར་དག་པ་གནས་པ།

Pile of Bad Colors That Delights in Disputation

rtsod pa la dga’ ba mdog ngan brtsegs pa
རྩོད་པ་ལ་དགའ་བ་མདོག་ངན་བརྩེགས་པ།

Pile of Śrīgarbha Jewels

dpal brtsegs pa
དཔལ་བརྩེགས་པ།

Place Endowed with Great Power

mthu bo che dang ldan pa’i sa
མཐུ་བོ་ཆེ་དང་ལྡན་པའི་ས།

Placid River of Jambu

’dzam bu’i chu bo rab tu gnas pa
འཛམ་བུའི་ཆུ་བོ་རབ་ཏུ་གནས་པ།

Possessing Sun

nyi ma can
ཉི་མ་ཅན།

Power of Aspiration

smon lam gyi stobs
སྨོན་ལམ་གྱི་སྟོབས།

Powerful

stobs ldan
སྟོབས་ལྡན།

Precious Tārā

Pristine Pearl Lattice

mu tig gi dra ba yongs su dag pa
མུ་ཏིག་གི་དྲ་བ་ཡོངས་སུ་དག་པ།

Region of Joyous Radiance

mdangs dga’ ba’i phyogs
མདངས་དགའ་བའི་ཕྱོགས།

Religious Practice

chos spyod
ཆོས་སྤྱོད།

Replete

snying po can
སྙིང་པོ་ཅན།

Replete with Coral Trees

spug gi shing tog dang ldan pa
སྤུག་གི་ཤིང་ཏོག་དང་ལྡན་པ།

Seven Precious Substances

rin po che sna bdun
རིན་པོ་ཆེ་སྣ་བདུན།

Shining Gem

nor bu snang ba
ནོར་བུ་སྣང་བ།

Shining with All Qualities

yon tan thams cad rab tu snang ba dang ldan pa
ཡོན་ཏན་ཐམས་ཅད་རབ་ཏུ་སྣང་བ་དང་ལྡན་པ།

Shining with Beryl

bai dUr+ya’i snang ba can
བཻ་དཱུརྱའི་སྣང་བ་ཅན།

Sleepless Eye

gnyid med pa’i mig
གཉིད་མེད་པའི་མིག

Slope of Mount Sumeru

ri rab kyi ngos
རི་རབ་ཀྱི་ངོས།

Smooth as Kācilindika Fabric

gos ka tsa lin da ltar reg na ’jam pa
གོས་ཀ་ཙ་ལིན་ད་ལྟར་རེག་ན་འཇམ་པ།

Source of Diligence

brtson ’grus skyes pa
བརྩོན་འགྲུས་སྐྱེས་པ།

Source of Preciousness

rin po che ’byung ba
རིན་པོ་ཆེ་འབྱུང་བ།

Stainless

dri ma med pa can
དྲི་མ་མེད་པ་ཅན།

Immaculate One

dri ma med pa dang ldan pa
དྲི་མ་མེད་པ་དང་ལྡན་པ།

Steady Pillar of Sandalwood

tsan dan gyi ka ba rab tu gnas pa
ཙན་དན་གྱི་ཀ་བ་རབ་ཏུ་གནས་པ།

Light of the Sun

nyi ma snang ba
ཉི་མ་སྣང་བ།

Superior to All Cymbals

sil snyan thams cad kun nas mtho ba
སིལ་སྙན་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀུན་ནས་མཐོ་བ།

Supreme Dharma

chos mchog
ཆོས་མཆོག

Supreme Fragrance

dri mchog
དྲི་མཆོག

Supreme Goodness

Triumphant

rnam par rgyal ba dang ldan pa
རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ་བ་དང་ལྡན་པ།

Truthful

bden ldan
བདེན་ལྡན།

Vanquisher of All Demons

bdud thams cad rab tu ’joms pa
བདུད་ཐམས་ཅད་རབ་ཏུ་འཇོམས་པ།

Victorious

rnam par rgyal ba
རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ་བ།

Victory Banner at the Peak

tog gi rgyal mtshan
ཏོག་གི་རྒྱལ་མཚན།

Victory Banner of Mount Sumeru

ri rab rgyal mtshan
རི་རབ་རྒྱལ་མཚན།

Well Proportioned

shin tu rnam par phye ba
ཤིན་ཏུ་རྣམ་པར་ཕྱེ་བ།

Well Adorned with the Factors Conducive to Awakening

byang chub kyi yan lag rab tu brgyan pa
བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ཡན་ལག་རབ་ཏུ་བརྒྱན་པ།

Well-Settled Ocean

rgya mtsho rab tu gnas pa
རྒྱ་མཚོ་རབ་ཏུ་གནས་པ།