Toh 273The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The Twelve Buddhas”

Summary

The Twelve Buddhas opens at
Rājagṛha with a dialogue between the Buddha Śākyamuni and the bodhisattva
Maitreya about the eastern buddhafield of a buddha whose abbreviated name is
King of Jewels. This buddha prophesies that when he passes into complete nirvāṇa,
the bodhisattva Incomparable will take his place as a buddha whose abbreviated name
is Victory Banner King. Śākyamuni then provides the names of the remaining ten tathāgatas, locating them in the
ten directions surrounding Victory Banner King’s buddhafield Full of Pearls.
After listing the full set of names of these twelve buddhas and their
directional relationship to Victory Banner King, the Buddha Śākyamuni provides
an accompanying mantra-dhāraṇī and closes with a set of thirty-seven verses
outlining the benefits of remembering the names of these buddhas.

Acknowledgements

Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the
supervision of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. The translation was produced by Adam Krug
and then checked against the Tibetan and edited by Ryan Damron.

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

Introduction

The Twelve Buddhas opens in
Rājagṛha, where the Buddha Śākyamuni is accompanied by a large gathering of
monks and bodhisattvas. The Buddha begins with a description of the eastern
buddhafield Full of Pearls, where there resides a buddha whose long name could be
abbreviated as King of Jewels. After King of Jewels is identified to Maitreya and the
assembly, the Buddha Śākyamuni explains that whoever remembers this buddha’s name will renounce
cyclic existence. We are told that King of Jewels has prophesied that once he
attains parinirvāṇa and his teachings
have faded from the world, the bodhisattva Incomparable will succeed him as a buddha
whose name (in abbreviated form) is Victory Banner King. The Buddha Śākyamuni then names the buddhas
who will populate the buddhafields surrounding that of Victory Banner King in the ten
directions, instructs the audience to remember their names and prostrate to them, and outlines
the form of a sixfold service for their worship. He describes the benefits that accrue from reciting
the names of these twelve buddhas, and then teaches a verse aspiration and a
dhāraṇī to be recited in order to attain the results of the practice. The text ends with a set of thirty-seven
verses describing the benefits of bearing the names of the twelve buddhas in
mind.

There are no available Sanskrit versions of this text. The first Chinese
translation of this text was completed by Jñānagupta in 587 ce
(Taishō 1348)
and the second was produced by Yijing in 711 ce
(Taishō 1349).
The translator’s colophon to the Tibetan translation tells us that The
Twelve Buddhas was translated by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra
and Dānaśīla along with the Tibetan translator Yeshé Dé (c. eighth century).
The text is listed as a sūtra in both the Denkarma and
Phangthangma royal Tibetan catalogues of translated works,
which tells us that the Tibetan translation was completed prior to the compilation
and publication of the Denkarma catalogue in 812 ce.

This translation was completed in consultation with the versions of
the text from the General Sūtra Section (mdo
sde), the Tantra Collection (rgyud
’bum), and the Compendium of Dhāraṇīs (gzungs
’dus) of the Degé Kangyur in
conjunction with the text as it appears in the Stok Palace Kangyur and the
Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma). The
only notable variant between these versions of the text is that the
witnesses in the General Sūtra Section of the Degé and in the Stok Palace Kangyur
refer to the bodhisattva prophesied to become the next buddha presiding over
the buddhafield Full of Pearls by the name Stainless (dri med) instead
of the more common name Incomparable
(’dra ba med). The dhāraṇī in
this text is rendered in Sanskrit transliteration based on the Degé, with
significant variants noted. A tentative English translation of the dhāraṇī
is also provided in a note.

The Translation

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra

The Twelve Buddhas

Homage to all buddhas and
bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing on Vulture
Peak at Rājagṛha with a great saṅgha of one thousand two hundred and fifty
monks and a great saṅgha of twelve thousand bodhisattvas that included the
bodhisattva Ajita and others. The
Blessed One addressed the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, saying,
“Maitreya, to the east of this buddhafield, past as many buddhafields as
there are grains of dust in ten inexpressible billions of buddhafields,
there is a world system called Full of Pearls. In that buddhafield there is
a tathāgata, arhat, completely perfect buddha named King of Jewels Devoid of
Desire Whose Supreme Emanation Has Arisen from the Expanse of Phenomena, Who
Is Ornamented by Boundless Sunlight from the Top of His Crown Protuberance and
by an Aspiration Like Moonlight, Whose Body Is Bedecked and Elegantly Ornamented
with Offerings of Excellent Perfumes,

Who Has a Body Like a Lotus Flower Lovely as a Resplendent Blue Beryl Gemstone, the Light
of the Good Qualities of Whom Are as Beautiful as a Glorious Pure Sky Free of Dust.
He nurtures and teaches the Dharma to the beings who live there. Whoever remembers
the name of that victorious one will renounce cyclic existence for a great eon that
consists of eons equal to the number of grains of dust in Jambudvīpa.

“That tathāgata issued the following prophecy about the bodhisattva
great being Incomparable:

“ ‘As soon as the tathāgata, arhat, perfect and complete buddha King
of Jewels Devoid of Desire Whose Supreme Emanation Has Arisen from the Expanse of
Phenomena, Who Is Ornamented by Boundless Sunlight from the Top of His Crown
Protuberance and by an Aspiration Like Moonlight, Whose Body Is Bedecked and Elegantly
Ornamented with Offerings of Excellent Perfumes, Who Has a Body Like a Lotus Flower
Lovely as a Resplendent Blue Beryl Gemstone, the Light of the Good Qualities of Whom
Are as Beautiful as a Glorious Pure Sky Free of Dust passes
into parinirvāṇa and his teachings fade away, the bodhisattva
Incomparable will attain unsurpassed, perfect, completely manifest
awakening. He will appear in the world as a tathāgata, arhat, perfect and complete buddha
endowed with perfect knowledge and conduct, a sugata,
a knower of the world, an unsurpassed guide who tames beings, a teacher of gods and humans
known as the blessed buddha Victory Banner King Whose Light Rays Illuminate All the World
Realms in the Ten-Directional Unimpeded Circular Maṇḍala, Adorned with Completely Illuminating
Sunlight, Endowed with a Space-Like Body Resembling Youthful
Varuṇa,
the Light of the Sun, a Moon Flower, and a Beautiful Golden Lotus.’

“You should also remember the name of the tathāgata, arhat, perfect and complete buddha of the
quarter to the east from there
called Stainless Light of the
Entire Array, and
you should recite it and prostrate to him. You should also remember the name of the tathāgata, arhat, perfect
and complete buddha of the southern quarter called Thought Adorned with
Eloquence, and you should direct
your attention toward him. You should also remember the name of the tathāgata of the western
quarter called Renowned Victor Crowned with a Clear Moon, and you should prostrate to him. You
should also remember the name of the tathāgata of the northern quarter Manifesting an Array of
Flowers, and you should prostrate to him. You should also remember the name of the tathāgata
of the southeastern quarter called Light Maker, and you should prostrate to him. You should
also remember the name of the tathāgata of the southwestern quarter
called Renowned Supreme Jewel Crown, and you
should prostrate to him. You should also remember the name of the tathāgata
of the northwestern quarter called Fearless and All-Seeing, and you should prostrate
to him. You should also remember the name of the tathāgata of the northeast quarter called Bristling with
Fearless Confidence, and you should prostrate to him.
You should also remember the name of the tathāgata of the nadir called Throat of the Yawning Lion,
and you should prostrate to him. You should also remember the name of the tathāgata of the zenith
called Fearless King Majestic Golden Radiance, and you should prostrate to him.

“Maitreya, sons or daughters of the lineage with sincere faith
should recite the names of these twelve tathāgata, arhat, perfect and complete
buddhas, and over the course of ten days as they confess all their misdeeds, they should rejoice
in all roots of virtue. They should make requests to all the buddhas, supplicate all the buddhas,
and dedicate all these roots of virtue by dedication to the expanse of phenomena.

“Later, they will obtain the excellent conditions of a buddhafield with a vast array
of good qualities, the excellent conditions of the fearlessnesses, the excellent conditions of the marks of an awakened being,
the excellent conditions of a saṅgha of bodhisattvas, the excellent conditions of the dhāraṇīs, and the excellent conditions of
meditative concentrations.

“In the immediate, they will have the support of the excellent conditions of a pure buddhafield in
accordance with their aspirations, and the excellent conditions of a spiritual teacher.
Their progress toward unsurpassed complete and perfect awakening will not fall back
and will never be lost.
As they take rebirth in cyclic existence, they will have the support of the excellent conditions of good looks and
wealth, the excellent conditions of family line, the excellent conditions of social standing, the excellent
conditions of family traits,
the excellent conditions of appearance, and the excellent conditions of having a
retinue of people around them who are of similar disposition.

“On this topic, it is said:

“In all lifetimes,

No matter where they are reborn,

They will be a joyful sight, a bringer of joy,

Radiant, have great influence,

And have abundant wealth.

“They should recite the mantra words of this dhāraṇī:

tadyathā akhe
makhe samantamukhe
sautiyukte nirukte prabhe samayoge citavivarte ame khame madane vivarte
samantaguṇe satyārame yukte prayukte hili mili masale ānale
came aciṭi aciṭi coce arahe bahudche māyugrahe hemavati jyotivati dharmaciti cyutapaṅke avikṣepe radhikṣa me skandhavibhakte

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas. With the blessing of the
Buddha, may these mantra words be accomplished.

“On this topic, it is said:

“The six hundred million sages

Who dwell in the ten directions

Will pay heed to those

Who bear these dhāraṇī verses in mind.

“In all their rebirths

They will encounter a spiritual teacher,

And whatever little virtue they possess

Will accomplish all their goals.

“Those who bear these dhāraṇī verses in mind

Will see the buddhas seated

In the center of lotuses before them

And be wise, fortunate, and take miraculous birth.

“Their recollection, intellect, understanding,

Devotion, and insight will increase.

They will understand all they have studied,

And their understanding of all they have studied will not diminish.

“Those who recite the names

Of these world protectors

Will be free from all lower rebirths

And quickly proceed to the higher realms;

“There they will realize

The supreme meditative concentrations and dhāraṇīs,

And they will attain supreme awakening.

Compared to filling a thousand million buddhafields

“With gold and making offerings with it,

Those who bear the names

Of these tathāgatas in mind

Will have a much greater heap of merit.

“They will always remember their past lives.

When they practice the conduct of a bodhisattva,

They will abandon all unfree states,

And the exquisite emergence of buddhas is achieved.

“They will serve the perfect buddhas.

They will obtain unsurpassed faith.

They will express their faith in the buddhas

And make supreme offerings to them.

“Delighted by the emergence of buddhas,

They shall see them and have faith in these teachers.

They will see these lamps that illuminate the world

And make excellent offerings to them.

“Those who bear these names in mind

Will be free from cyclic existence

For innumerable millions of eons

And quickly attain awakening.

“If they bear these names in mind

For a total of seven days and nights,

The extensive vision of whoever sees these guides

Will be purified.

“Those who bear the names

Of the world protectors in mind

Will be worthy of veneration

Wherever they might take rebirth.

“Those who bear these names in mind

Will not fall into disrepute

For unimaginable millions of eons,

But will be famous throughout all worlds.

“Those who bear these names in mind

Will be honored by the gods

For many eons

And quickly attain awakening.

“Those who bear these names in mind

Will not lack faith or lose insight,

Will give up deviation and deceit,

And will always see the buddhas.

“Those who bear these
names in mind

Will always be protected

By gods, gandharvas, the nāga lords,

Garuḍas, asuras, and guhyakas.

“They will have excellent bodily forms and names

And will be born into wealthy households.

They will be generous to all beings

And will be brave, magnanimous, and selfless.

“For many millions of eons,

They will always have the pleasant scent

Of divine red sandalwood,

And their breath will have the scent of perfume.

“Those who bear these names in mind

Shall be endowed with the melodious voice of Brahmā

For millions of eons

And maintain the status
of a Dharma king.

“Those who bear these names in mind

Will have divine bodies,

And great riches will spring from the many-million petals

Of the lotus of the seven royal treasures.

“Those who bear these names in mind

Will never find themselves

Without fathers, mothers, siblings, loved ones,

And a multitude of good people.

“If a woman has borne the names

Of these great sages in mind,

She will be freed from her feminine form

And become an intelligent man.

“After attaining the next human rebirth,

She will attain unsurpassed awakening,

Turn the wheel of the Dharma,

And easily attain nirvāṇa.

“Those who bear these names in mind

Cannot be harmed

By weapons, poison,

Fire, kings, or criminals.

“The thoughts of those

Who bear these names in mind

Will never be troubled

By Māra, mounted on his chariot with his retinue.

“Human beings who bear

The names of these buddhas in mind

Can course through space

Across infinite millions of buddhafields.

“After making offerings to the buddhas who teach there,

They must fearlessly petition them.

The victors will understand their wishes

And issue prophecies of their awakenings.

“After they receive prophecies

From those buddha lords,

They will be exceedingly joyful

And have no doubt in the
Victor’s teaching.

“Those who bear these names in mind

Will hear the profound Dharma

From all the world protectors

And retain all they have heard.

“Then they will perfect

All the perfections and the grounds,

The four types of fearlessness, the powers,

And the major and minor marks.

“They will go to the field

Of one of those buddhas.

They will realize unsurpassed, perfect,

Complete awakening and become a buddha.

“A buddha could describe

These and the other qualities

Of any man or woman

Who bears these names in mind for an entire eon.

“People who heed this teaching

And learn about these excellent qualities

Should bear the names of these renowned

Perfect buddhas in mind.

“Anyone who hears the names

Of these buddhas who are glorious by nature,

Who are world protectors, supreme among human beings,

And celestial kings in the course of an eon,

“And those who hear and learn their names

Will be moved by devotion,

Will develop great insight into all things,

And will become supreme among human beings.

“What wise, insightful person,

Having learned the names of these great sages

And heeded this teaching,

Would not bear them in mind?”

After the Blessed One had spoken, the bodhisattva great being
Maitreya, the entire retinue of monks and bodhisattvas, and the whole world
with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas were delighted and praised his
words.

This concludes the noble Mahāyāna sūtra “The Twelve Buddhas.”

Colophon

This text was translated and edited by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra
and Dānaśīla along with the chief editor and translator Bandé Yeshé Dé and
then finalized.

It was later revised
according to the new language reform and then finalized.

Notes

Abbreviations

D
Degé Kangyur

J
Lithang Kangyur

K
Kangxi Kangyur

KY

Yongle Kangyur

N
Narthang Kangyur

S
Stok Palace Kangyur

Bibliography

Source Texts

Reference Works

Secondary Sources

The name of a tathāgata presiding over a
buddhafield to the northeast of the buddhafield Full of Pearls.

The name of a tathāgata presiding over a
buddhafield to the northwest of the buddhafield Full of Pearls.

The name of a tathāgata presiding over a
buddhafield to at the zenith above the buddhafield Full of Pearls.

The name of a bodhisattva prophesied to become
the tathāgata presiding over the buddhafield Full of Pearls after
the tathāgata King of Jewels passes into parinirvāṇa.

The name of a tathāgata presiding over a
buddhafield to the north of the buddhafield Full of Pearls.

The name of a tathāgata presiding over a
buddhafield to the southwest of the buddhafield Full of Pearls.

The name of a tathāgata presiding over a
buddhafield to the west of the buddhafield Full of Pearls.

The name of a tathāgata presiding over a
buddhafield to the east of the buddhafield Full of Pearls.

The name of a tathāgata presiding over a
buddhafield to the south of the buddhafield Full of Pearls.

The name of a tathāgata presiding over a
buddhafield at the nadir below the buddhafield Full of Pearls.

The abbreviated name that the bodhisattva
Incomparable/Stainless is prophesied to adopt when he takes his
place as the tathāgata presiding over the buddhafield Full of Pearls
after the tathāgata King of Jewels passes into parinirvāṇa. The full name of this tathagata in this work is Victory Banner King Whose Light Rays Illuminate All the World Realms in the Ten-Directional Unimpeded Circular Maṇḍala, Adorned with Completely Illuminating Sunlight, Endowed with a Space-Like Body Resembling Youthful Varuṇa, the Light of the Sun, a Moon Flower, and a Beautiful Golden Lotus.

The name of a buddhafield.

Rājagṛha
rgyal po’i khab
རྒྱལ་པོའི་ཁབ།
Rājagṛha
The ancient capital of Magadha prior to its
relocation to Pataliputra during the Mauryan dynasty, Rājagṛha is
one of the most important cities and geographic locations in
Buddhist literature. The literature tells us that the Buddha and his
saṅgha spent a considerable amount of time in residence in and
around Rājagṛha enjoying the patronage of King Bimbisāra and then
his son King Ajātaśatru of Magadha. Rājagṛha is also remembered as
the location where the first Buddhist monastic council was held
after the Buddha Śākyamuni passed into parinirvāṇa.