Ch.
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CHAPTER XIX.
SADÂPARIBHÛTA.
The
Lord then addressed the Bodhisattva Mahisattva
Mahâsthâmaprâpta. In a similar way, Mahâsthâmaprâpta, one
may infer from what has been said that he who rejects
such a Dharmaparyâya as this, who abuses monks, nuns, lay
devotees male or female, keeping this Sûtra, insults
them, treats them with false and harsh words, shall
experience dire results, to such an extent as is
impossible to express in words. But those that keep,
read, comprehend, teach, amply expound it to others,
shall experience happy results, such as I have already
mentioned: they shall attain such a perfection of the
eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind as just described.
In the days of yore, Mahâsthâmaprâpta, at a past period,
before incalculable Æons, nay, more than incalculable,
immense, inconceivable, and even long before, there
appeared in the world a Tathâgata, &c., named
Bhîshmagargitasvararâga, endowed with science and
conduct, a Sugata, &c. &c., in the Æon
Vinirbhoga, in the world Mahâsambhava. Now,
Mahâsthâmaprâpta, that Lord Bhîshmagargitasvararâga, the
Tathâgata, &c., in that world Vinirbhoga, showed the
law in the presence of the world, including gods, men,
and demons; the law containing the four noble truths and
starting from the chain of causes and efferts, tending to
overcome birth, decrepitude, sickness, death, sorrow,
lamentation, woe, grief, despondency, and finally leading
to Nirvâna, he showed to the disciples; the law connected
with the six Perfections of virtue and terminating in the
knowledge of the Omniscient, after the attainment of
supreme, perfect enlightenment, he showed to the
Bodhisattvas. The lifetime of that Lord
Bhîshmagargitasvararâga, the Tathâgata, &c., lasted
forty hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Æons equal to
the sands of the river Ganges. After his complete
extinction his true law remained hundred thousands of
myriads of kotis of Æons equal to the atoms (contained)
in Gambudvîpa, and the counterfeit of the true law
continued hundred thousands of myriads of kotis of Æons
equal to the dust-atoms in the four continents. When the
counterfeit of the true law of the Lord
Bhîshmagargitasvararâga, the Tathâgata, &c., after
his complete extinction, had disappeared in the world
Mahâsambhava, Mahâsthâmaprâpta, another Tathâgata
Bhîshmagargitasvararâga, Arhat, &c., appeared,
endowed with science and conduct. So in succession,
Mahâsthâmaprâpta, there arose in that world Mahâsambhava
twenty hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Tathâgatas,
&c., called Bhîshmagargitasvararâga. At the time,
Mahâsthâmaprâpta, after the complete extinction of the
first Tathâgata amongst all those of the name of
Bhîshmagargitasvararâga, Tathâgata, &c., endowed with
science and conduct, &c. &c., when his true law
had disappeared and the counterfeit of the true law was
fading; when the reign (of the law) was being oppressed
by proud monks, there was a monk, a Bodhisattva
Mahâsattva, called Sadâparibhûta. For what reason,
Mahâsthâmaprâpta, was that Bodhisattva Mahâsattva called
Sadâparibhûta? It was, Mahâsthâmaprâpta, because that
Bodhisattva Mahâsattva was in the habit of exclaiming to
every monk or nun, male or female lay devotee, while
approaching them: I do not contemn you, worthies. You
deserve no contempt, for you all observe the course of
duty of Bodhisattvas and are to become Tath.âgatas,
&c. In this way, Mahâsthâmaprâpta, that Bodhisattva
Mahâsattva, when a monk, did not teach nor study; the
only thing he did was, whenever he descried from afar a
monk or nun, a male or female lay devotee, to approach
them and exclaim: I do not contemn you, sisters. You
deserve no contempt, for you all observe the course of
duty of Bodhisattvas and are to become Tathâgatas,
&c. So, Mahâsthâmaprâpta, the Bodhisattva Mahâsattva
at that time used to address every monk or nun, male or
female devotee. But all were extremely irritated and
angry at it, showed him their displeasure, abused and
insulted him: Why does he, unasked, declare that he feels
no contempt for us? just by so doing he shows a contempt
for us. He renders himself contemptible by predicting our
future destiny to supreme, perfect enlightenment; we do
not care for what is not true. Many years,
Mahâsthâmaprâpta, went on during which that Bodhisattva
Mahâsattva was being abused, but he was not angry at
anybody, nor felt malignity, and to those who, when he
addressed them in the said manner, cast a clod or stick
at him, he loudly exclaimed from afar: I do not contemn
you. Those monks and nuns, male and female lay devotees,
being always and ever addressed by him in that phrase
gave him the (nick)name of Sadâparibhûta.
Under those circumstances, Mahâsthâmaprâpta, the
Bodhisattva Mahâsattva Sadâparibhûta happened to hear
this Dharmaparyâya of the Lotus of the True Law when the
end of his life was impending, and the moment of dying
drawing near. It was the Lord Bhîshmagargitasvararâga,
the Tathâgata, &c., who expounded this Dharmaparyâya
in twenty times twenty hundred thousand myriads of kotis
of stanzas, which the Bodhisattva Mahâsattva
Sadâparibhûta heard from a voice in the sky, when the
time of his death was near at hand. On hearing that voice
from the sky, without there appearing a person speaking,
he grasped this Dharmaparyâya and obtained the
perfections already mentioned: the perfection of sight,
hearing, smell, taste, body, and mind. With the
attainment of these perfections he at the same time made
a vow to prolong his life for twenty hundred thousand
myriads of kotis of years, and promulgated this
Dharmaparyâya of the Lotus of the True Law. And all those
proud beings, monks, nuns, male and female lay devotees
to whom he had said: I do not contemn you, and who had
given him the name of Sadâparibhûta, became all his
followers to hear the law, after they had seen the power
and strength of his sublime magic faculties, of his vow,
of his readiness of wit, of his wisdom. All those and
many hundred thousand myriads of kotis of other beings
were by him roused to supreme, perfect enlightenment.
Afterwards, Mahâsthamaprâpta, that Bodhisattva Mahâsattva
disappeared from that place and propitiated twenty
hundred kotis of Tathâgatas, &c., all bearing the
same name of Kandraprabhâsvararâga, under all of whom he
promulgated this Dharmaparyâya. By virtue of his previous
root of goodness he, in course of time, propitiated
twenty hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Tathâgatas,
&c., all bearing the name of Dundubhisvararâga, and
under all he obtained this very Dharmaparyâya of the
Lotus of the True Law and promulgated it to the four
classes. By virtue of his previous root of goodness he
again, in course of time, propitiated twenty hundred
thousand myriads of kotis of Tathâgatas, &c., all
bearing the name of Meghasvararâga, and under all he
obtained this very Dharmaparyâya of the Lotus of the True
Law and promulgated it to the four classes. And under all
of them he was possessed of the afore-mentioned
perfectness of sight, hearing, smell, taste, body, and
mind.
Now, Mahâsthâmaprâpta, that Bodhisattva Mahâsattva
Sadâparibhûta, after having honoured, respected,
esteemed, worshipped, venerated, revered so many hundred
thousand myriads of kotis of Tathâgatas, and after having
acted in the same way towards many hundred thousand
myriads of kotis of other Buddhas, obtained under all of
them this very Dharmaparyâya of the Lotus of the True
Law, and owing to his former root of goodness having come
to full development, gained supreme, perfect
enlightenment. Perhaps, Mahâsthâmaprâpta, thou wilt have
some doubt, uncertainty, or misgiving, and think that he
who at that time, at that juncture was the Bodhisattva
Mahâsattva called Sadâparibhûta was one, and he who under
the rule of that Lord Bhishmagargitasvararâga, the
Tathâgata, &c., was generally called Sadâparibhûta by
the four classes, by whom so many Tathâgatas were
propitiated, was another. But thou shouldst not think so.
For it is myself who at that time, at that juncture was
the Bodhisattva Mahâsattva Sadâparibhûta. Had I not
formerly grasped and kept this Dharmaparyâya,
Mahâsthâmaprâpta, I should not so soon have arrived at
supreme, perfect enlightenment. It is because I have
kept, read, preached this Dharmaparyâya (derived) from
the teaching of the ancient Tathâgatas, &c.,
Mahâsthâmaprâpta, that I have so soon arrived at supreme,
perfect enlightenment. As to the hundreds of monks, nuns,
male and female lay devotees, Mahâsthâmaprâpta, to whom
under that Lord the Bodhisattva Mahâsattva Sadâparibhûta
promulgated this Dharmaparyâya by saying: I do not
contemn you; you all observe the course of duty of
Bodhisattvas; you are to become Tathâgatas, &c., and
in whom awoke a feeling of malignity towards that
Bodhisattva, they in twenty hundred thousand myriads of
kotis of .Æons never saw a Tathâgata, nor heard the call
of the law, nor the call of the assembly, and for ten
thousand Æons they suffered terrible pain in the great
hell Avîki. Thereafter released from the ban, they by the
instrumentality of that Bodhisattva Mahâsattva were all
brought to full ripeness for supreme, perfect
enlightenment. Perhaps, Mahâsthâmaprâpta, thou wilt have
some doubt, uncertainty, or misgiving as to who at that
time, at that juncture were the persons hooting and
laughing at the Bodhisattva Mahâsattva. They are, in this
very assembly, the five hundred Bodhisattvas headed by
Bhadrapâla, the five hundred nuns following Simhakandrâ,
the five hundred lay devotees following Sugataketanâ,who
all of them have been rendered inflexible in supreme,
perfect enlightenment. So greatly useful it is to keep
and preach this Dharmaparyâya, as it tends to result for
Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas in supreme, perfect
enlightenment. Hence, Mahâsthâmaprapta, the Bodhisattvas
Mahâsattvas should, after the complete extinction of the
Tathâgata, constantly keep, read, and promulgate this
Dharmaparyâya.
And on that occasion the Lord uttered the following
stanzas:
1. I remember a past period, when king Bhîshmasvara, the
Gina, lived, very mighty, and revered by gods and men,
the leader of men, gods, goblins, and giants.
2. At the time succeeding the complete extinction of that
Gina, when the decay of the true law was far advanced,
there was a monk, a Bodhisattva, called by the name of
Sadâparibhûta.
3. Other monks and nuns who did not believe but in what
they saw, he would approach (and say): I never am to
contemn you, for you observe the course leading to
supreme enlightenment.
4. It was his wont always to utter those words, which
brought him but abuse and taunts from their part. At the
time when his death was impending he heard this Sûtra.
5. The sage, then, did not expire; he resolved upon a
very long life, and promulgated this Sûtra under the rule
of that leader.
6. And those many (persons) who only acknowledged the
evidence of sensual perception were by him brought to
full ripeness for enlightenment. Then, disappearing from
that place, he propitiated thousands of kotis of Buddhas.
7. Owing to the successive good actions performed by him,
and to his constantly promulgating this Sûtra, that son
of Gina reached enlightenment. That Bodhisattva then is
myself, Sâkyamuni.
8. And those persons who only believed in perception by
the senses, those monks, nuns, male and female lay
devotees who by the sage were admonished of
enlightenment,
9. And who have seen many kotis of Buddhas, are the monks
here before me,-no less than five hundred,-nuns, and
female lay devotees.
10. All of them have been by me brought to complete
ripeness, and after my extinction they will all, full of
wisdom, keep this Sûtra.
11. Not once in many, inconceivably many kotis of Æons
has such a Sûtra as this been heard. There are, indeed,
hundreds of kotis of Buddhas, but they do not elucidate
this Sûtra.
12. Therefore let one who has heard this law exposed by
the Self-born himself, and who has repeatedly propitiated
him, promulgate this Sûtra after my extinction in this
world.
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