Ch.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27
CHAPTER XV.
DURATION OF LIFE OF THE TATHÂGATA.
Thereupon
the Lord addressed the entire host of Bodhisattvas: Trust
me, young men of good family, believe in the Tathâgata
speaking a veracious word. A second time the Lord addressed
the Bodhisattvas: Trust me, young gentlemen of good family,
believe in the Tathâgata speaking a veracious word. A third
and last time the Lord addressed the Bodhisattvas: Trust
me, young men of good family, believe in the Tathâgata
speaking a veracious word. Then the entire host of
Bodhisattvas with Maitreya, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva at
their head, stretched out the joined hands and said to the
Lord: Expound this matter, O Lord; expound it, O Sugata; we
will believe in the word of the Tathâgata. A second time
the entire host, &c. &c. A third time the entire
host, &c. &c.
The Lord, considering that the Bodhisattvas repeated their
prayer up to three times, addressed them thus: Listen then,
young men of good family. The force of a strong resolve
which I assumed is such, young men of good family, that
this world, including gods, men, and demons, acknowledges:
Now has the Lord Sakyamuni, after going out from the home
of the Sakyas, arrived at supreme, perfect enlightenment,
on the summit of the terrace of enlightenment at the town
of Gaya. But, young men of good family, the truth is that
many hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Æons ago I have
arrived at supreme, perfect enlightenment. By way of
example, young men of good family, let there be the atoms
of earth of fifty hundred thousand myriads of kotis of
worlds; let there exist some man who takes one of those
atoms of dust and then goes in an eastern direction fifty
hundred thousand myriads of kotis of worlds further on,
there to deposit that atom of dust; let in this manner the
man carry away from all those worlds the whole mass of
earth, and in the same manner, and by the same act as
supposed, deposit all those atoms in an eastern direction.
Now, would you think, young men of good family, that any
one should be able to imagine, weigh, count, or determine
(the number of) those worlds? The Lord having thus spoken,
the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Maitreya and the entire host of
Bodhisattvas replied: They are incalculable, O Lord, those
worlds, countless, beyond the range of thought. Not even
all the disciples and Pratyekabuddhas, O Lord, with their
Ârya-knowledge, will be able to imagine, weigh, count, or
determine them. For us also, O Lord, who are Bodhisattvas
standing on the place from whence there is no turning back,
this point lies beyond the sphere of our comprehension; so
innumerable, O Lord, are those worlds.
This said, the Lord spoke to those Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas
as follows: I announce to you, young men of good family, I
declare to you: However numerous be those worlds where that
man deposits those atoms of dust and where he does not,
there are not, young men of good family, in all those
hundred thousands of myriads of kolis of worlds so many
dust atoms as there are hundred thousands of myriads of
kotis of Æons since I have arrived at supreme, perfect
enlightenment. From the moment, young men of good family,
when I began preaching the law to creatures in this
Saha-world and in hundred thousands of myriads of kotis of
other worlds, and (when) the other Tathâgatas, Arhats,
&c., such as the Tathâgata Dîpankara and the rest whom
I have mentioned in the lapse of time (preached), (from
that moment) have I, young men of good family, for the
complete Nirvâna of those Tathâgatas, &c., created all
that with the express view to skilfully preach the law.
Again, young men of good family, the Tathâgata, considering
the different degrees of faculty and strength of succeeding
generations, reveals at each (generation) his own name,
reveals a state in which Nirvâna has not yet been reached,
and in different ways he satisfies the wants of (different)
creatures through various Dharmaparyâyas . This being the
case, young men of good family, the Tathâgata declares to
the creatures, whose dispositions are so various and who
possess so few roots of goodness, so many evil
propensities: I am young of age, monks; having left my
father's home, monks, I have lately arrived at supreme,
perfect enlightenment. When, however, the Tathâgata, who so
long ago arrived at perfect enlightenment, declares himself
to have but lately arrived at perfect enlightenment, he
does so in order to lead creatures to full ripeness and
make them go in. Therefore have these Dharmaparyâyas been
revealed; and it is for the education of creatures, young
men of good family, that the Tathâgata has revealed all
Dharmaparyâyas. And, young men of good family, the word
that the Tathâgata delivers on behalf of the education of
creatures, either under his own appearance or under
another's, either on his own authority or under the mask of
another, all that the Tathâgata declares, all those
Dharmaparyâyas spoken by the Tathâgata are true. There can
be no question of untruth from the part of the Tathâgata in
this respect. For the Tathâgata sees the triple world as it
really is: it is not born, it dies not; it is not
conceived, it springs not into existence; it moves not in a
whirl, it becomes not extinct; it is not real, nor unreal;
it is not existing, nor non-existing; it is not such, nor
otherwise, nor false. The Tathâgata sees the triple world,
not as the ignorant, common people, he seeing things always
present to him; indeed, to the Tathâgata, in his position,
no laws are concealed. In that respect any word that the
Tathâgata speaks is true, not false. But in order to
produce the roots of goodness in the creatures, who follow
different pursuits and behave according to different
notions, he reveals various Dharmaparyâyas with various
fundamental principles. The Tathâgata then, young men of
good family, does what he has to do. The Tathâgata who so
long ago was perfectly enlightened is unlimited in the
duration of his life, he is everlasting. Without being
extinct, the Tathâgata makes a show of extinction, on
behalf of those who have to be educated. And even now,
young gentlemen of good family, I have not accomplished my
ancient Bodhisattvacourse, and the measure of my lifetime
is not full. Nay, young men of good family, I shall yet
have twice as many hundred thousand myriads of kotis of
Æons before the measure of my lifetime be full. I announce
final extinction, young men of good family, though myself I
do not become finally extinct. For in this way, young men
of good family, I bring (all) creatures to maturity, lest
creatures in whom goodness is not firmly rooted, who are
unholy, miserable, eager of sensual pleasures, blind and
obscured by the film of wrong views, should, by too often
seeing me, take to thinking: 'The Tathâgata is staying' and
fancy that all is a child's play; (lest they) by thinking
'we are near that Tathâgata' should fail to exert
themselves in order to escape the triple world and not
conceive how precious the Tathâgata is. Hence, young men of
good family, the Tathdgata skilfully utters. these words:
The apparition of the Tathâgatas, monks, is precious (and
rare). For in the course of many hundred thousand myriads
of kotis of Æons creatures may happen to see a Tathâgata or
not to see him,. Therefore and upon that ground, young men
of good family, I say: The apparition of the Tathâgatas,
monks, is precious (and rare). By being more and more
convinced of the apparition of the Tathâgatas being
precious (or rare) they will feel surprised and sorry, and
whilst not seeing the Tathâgata they will get a longing to
see him. The good roots developing from their earnest
thought relating to the Tathâgata will lastingly tend to
their weal, benefit, and happiness; in consideration of
which the Tathâgata announces final extinction, though he
himself does not become finally extinct, on behalf of the
creatures who have to be educated. Such, young men of good
family, is the Tathâgata's manner of teaching; when the
Tathâgata speaks in this way, there is from his part no
falsehood.
Let us suppose an analogous case, young men of good family.
There is some physician, learned, intelligent, prudent,
clever in allaying all sorts of diseases. That man has many
sons, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, or a hundred. The
physician once being abroad, all his children incur a
disease from poison or venom. Overcome with the grievous
pains caused by that poison or venom which burns them they
lie rolling on the ground. Their father, the physician,
comes home from his journey at the time when his sons are
suffering from that poison or venom. Some of them have
perverted notions, others have right notions, but all
suffer the same pain. On seeing their father they
cheerfully greet him and say: Hail, dear father, that thou
art come back in safety and welfare! Now deliver us from
our evil, be it poison or venom; let us live, dear father.
And the physician, seeing his sons befallen with disease,
overcome with pain and rolling on the ground, prepares a
great remedy, having the required colour, smell, and taste,
pounds it on a stone and gives it as a potion to his sons,
with these words: Take this great remedy, my sons, which
has the required colour, smell, and taste. For by taking
this great remedy, my sons, you shall soon be rid of this
poison or venom; you shall recover and be healthy. Those
amongst the children of the physician that have right
notions, after seeing the colour of the remedy, after
smelling the smell and tasting the flavour, quickly take
it, and in consequence of it are soon totally delivered
from their disease. But the sons who have perverted notions
cheerfully greet their father and say: Hail, dear father,
that thou art come back in safety and welfare; do heal us.
So they speak, but they do not take the remedy offered, and
that because, owing to the perverseness of their notions,
that remedy does not please them, in colour, smell, nor
taste. Then the physician reflects thus: These sons of mine
must have become perverted in their notions owing to this
poison or venom, as they do not take the remedy nor hail
me. Therefore will I by some able device induce these sons
to take this remedy. Prompted by this desire he speaks to
those sons as follows: I am old, young men of good family,
decrepit, advanced in years, and my term of life is near at
hand; but be not sorry, young men of good family, do not
feel dejected; here have I prepared a great remedy for you;
if you want it, you may take it. Having thus admonished
them, he skilfully betakes himself to another part of the
country and lets his sick sons know that he has departed
life. They are extremely sorry and bewail him extremely: So
then he is dead, our father and protector; he who begat us;
he, so full of bounty! now are we left without a protector.
Fully aware of their being orphans and of having no refuge,
they are continually plunged in sorrow, by which their
perverted notions make room for right notions. They
acknowledge that remedy possessed of the required colour,
smell, and taste to have the required colour, smell, and
taste, so that they instantly take it, and by taking it are
delivered from their evil. Then, on knowing that these sons
are delivered from evil, the physician shows himself again.
Now, young men of good family, what is your opinion? Would
any one charge that physician with falsehood on account of
his using that device? No, certainly not, Lord; certainly
not, Sugata. He proceeded: In the same manner, young men of
good family, I have arrived at supreme, perfect
enlightenment since an immense, incalculable number of
hundred thousands of myriads of kotis of Æons, but from
time to time I display such able devices to the creatures,
with the view of educating them, without there being in
that respect any falsehood on my part.
In order to set forth this subject more extensively the
Lord on that occasion uttered the following stanzas:
1. An inconceivable number of thousands of kotis of Æons,
never to be measured, is it since I reached superior (or
first) enlightenment and never ceased to teach the law.
2. I roused many Bodhisattvas and established them in
Buddha-knowledge. I brought myriads of kotis of beings,
endless, to full ripeness in many kotis of Æons.
3. I show the place of extinction, I reveal to (all) beings
a device to educate them, albeit I do not become extinct at
the time, and in this very place continue preaching the
law.
4. There I rule myself as well as all beings, I. But men of
perverted minds, in their delusion, do not see me standing
there.
5. In the opinion that my body is completely extinct, they
pay worship, in many ways, to the relics, but me they see
not. They feel (however) a certain aspiration by which
their mind becomes right.
6. When such upright (or pious), mild, and gentle creatures
leave off their bodies, then I assemble the crowd of
disciples and show myself here on the Gridhrakûta.
7. And then I speak thus to them, in this very place: I was
not completely extinct at that time; it was but a device of
mine, monks; repeatedly am I born in the world of the
living.
8. Honoured by other beings, I show them my superior
enlightenment, but you would not obey my word, unless the
Lord of the world enter Nirvâna.
9. I see how the creatures are afflicted, but I do not show
them my proper being. Let them first have an aspiration to
see me; then I will reveal to them the true law.
10. Such has always been my firm resolve during an
inconceivable number of thousands of kotis of Æons, and I
have not left this Gridhrakûta for other abodes.
11. And when creatures behold this world and imagine that
it is burning, even then my Buddhafield is teeming with
gods and men.
12. They dispose of manifold amusements, kotis of pleasure
gardens, palaces, and aerial cars; (this field) is
embellished by hills of gems and by trees abounding with
blossoms and fruits.
13. And aloft gods are striking musical instruments and
pouring a rain of Mandâras by which they are covering me,
the disciples and other sages who are striving after
enlightenment.
14. So is my field here, everlasti.ngly; but others fancy
that it is burning; in their view this world is most
terrific, wretched, replete with number of woes.
15. Ay, many kotis of years they may pass without ever
having mentioned my name, the law, or my congregation. That
is the fruit of sinful deeds.
16. But when mild and gentle beings are born in this world
of men, they immediately see me revealing the law, owing to
their good works.
17. I never speak to them of the infinitude of my action.
Therefore, I am, properly, existing since long, and yet
declare: The Ginas are rare (or precious).
18. Such is the glorious power of my wisdom that knows no
limit, and the duration of my life is as long as an endless
period; I have acquired it after previously following a due
course.
19. Feel no doubt concerning it, O sages, and leave off all
uncertainty: the word I here pronounce is really true; my
word is never false.
20. For even as that physician skilled in devices, for the
sake of his sons whose notions were perverted, said that he
had died although he was still alive, and even as no
sensible man, would charge that physician with falsehood;
21. So am I the father of the world, the Self born, the
Healer, the Protector of all creatures. Knowing them to be
perverted, infatuated, and ignorant I teach final rest,
myself not being at rest.
22. What reason should I have to continually manifest
myself? When men become unbelieving, unwise, ignorant,
careless, fond of sensual pleasures, and from
thoughtlessness run into misfortune,
23. Then I, who know the course of the world, declare: I am
so and so, (and consider): How can I incline them to
enlightenment? how can they become partakers of the
Buddha-laws?
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