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 XX.
CONCEPTION OF THE TRANSCENDENT POWER OF THE TATHÂGATAS.
Thereupon
those hundred thousands of myriads of kotis of
Bodhisattvas equal to the dust-atoms of a macrocosm, who
had issued from the gaps of the earth, all stretched
their joined hands towards the Lord, and said unto him:
We, O Lord, will, after the complete extinction of the
Tathâgata, promulgate this Dharmaparyâya everywhere (or
on every occasion) in all Buddha-fields of the Lord,
wherever (or whenever) the Lord shall be completely
extinct [Hence follows that Nirvâna is repeatedly entered
into by the Lord]. We are anxious to obtain this sublime
Dharmaparyâya, O Lord, in order to keep, read, publish,
and write it.
Thereupon the hundred thousands of myriads of kotis of
Bodhisattvas, headed by Mañgusrî; the monks, nuns, male
and female lay devotees living in this world; the gods,
Nâgas, goblins, Gandharvas, demons, Garudas, Kinnaras,
great serpents, men, and beings not human, and the many
Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas equal to the sands of the river
Ganges, said unto the Lord: We also, O Lord, will
promulgate this Dharmaparyâya after the complete
extinction of the Tathâgata. While standing with an
invisible body in the sky, O Lord, we will send forth a
voice, and plant the roots of goodness of such creatures
as have not (yet) planted roots of goodness.
Then the Lord addressed the Bodhisattva Mahasattva
Visishtakâritra, followed by a troop, a great troop, the
master of a troop, who was the very first of those
afore-mentioned Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas followed by a
troop, a great troop, masters of a troop: Very well,
Visishtakâritra, very well; so you should do; it is for
the sake of this Dharmaparyâya that the Tathâgata has
brought you to ripeness.
Thereupon the Lord Sâkyamuni, the Tathâgata, &c., and
the wholly extinct Lord Prabhûtaratna, the Tathâgata,
&c., both seated on the throne in the centre of the
Stûpa, commenced smiling to one another, and from their
opened mouths stretched out their tongues, so that with
their tongues they reached the Brahma-world, and from
those two tongues issued many hundred thousand myriads of
kotis of rays. From each of those rays issued many
hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Bodhisattvas, with
gold-coloured bodies and possessed of the thirty-two
characteristic signs of a great man, and seated on
thrones consisting of the interior of lotuses. Those
Bodhisattvas spread in all directions in hundred
thousands of worlds, and while on every side stationed in
the sky preached the law. Just as the Lord Sâkyamuni, the
Tathâgata, &c., produced a miracle of magic by his
tongue, so, too, Prabhûtaratna, the Tathâgata, &c.,
and the other Tathâgatas, &c., who, having flocked
from hundred thousands of myriads of kolis of other
worlds, were seated on thrones at the foot of jewel
trees, by their tongues produced a miracle of magic.
The Lord Sâkyamuni, the Tathâgata, &c., and all those
Tathâgatas, &c., produced that magical effect during
fully a thousand years. After the lapse of that
millennium those Tathâgatas, &c., pulled back their
tongue, and all simultaneously, at the same moment, the
same instant, made a great noise as of expectoration and
of snapping the fingers, by which sounds all the hundred
thousands of myriads of kotis of Buddha-fields in every
direction of space were moved, removed, stirred, wholly
stirred, tossed, tossed forward, tossed along, and all
beings in all those Buddha-fields, gods, Nâgas, goblins,
Gandharvas, demons, Garudas, Kinnaras, great serpents,
men, and beings not human beheld, by the power of the
Buddha, from the place where they stood, this Saha-world.
They beheld the hundred thousands of myriads of kotis of
Tathâgatas seated severally on their throne at the foot
of a jewel tree, and the Lord Sâkyamuni, the Tathâgata,
&c., and the Lord Prabhûtaratna, the Tathâgata,
&c., wholly extinct, sitting on the throne in the
centre of the Stûpa of magnificent precious substances,
along with the Lord Sâkyamuni, the Tathâgata, &c.;
they beheld, finally, those four classes of the audience.
At this sight they felt struck with wonder, amazement,
and rapture. And they heard a voice from the sky calling:
Worthies, beyond a distance of an immense, incalculable
number of hundred thousands of myriads of kotis of worlds
there is the world named Saha; there the Tathâgata called
Sâkyamuni, the Arhat, &c., is just now revealing to
the Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas the Dharmaparyâya of the
Lotus of the True Law, a Sûtrânta of great extent,
serving to instruct Bodhisattvas, and belonging in proper
to all Buddhas. Ye accept it joyfully with all your
heart, and do homage to the Lord Sâkyamuni, the
Tathâgata, &c., and the Lord Prabhûtaratna, the
Tathâgata, &c.
On hearing such a voice from the sky all those beings
exclaimed from the place where they stood, with joined
hands: Homage to the Lord Sâkyamuni, the Tathâgata. Then
they threw towards the Saha-world various flowers,
incense, fragrant wreaths, ointment, gold, cloth,
umbrellas, flags, banners, and triumphal streamers, as
well as ornaments, parures, necklaces, gems and jewels of
all sorts, in order to worship the Lord Sâkyamuni, the
Tathâgata, and this Dharmaparyâya of the Lotus of the
True Law. Those flowers, incense, &c., and those
necklaces, &c., came down upon this Saha-world, where
they formed a great canopy of flowers hanging in the sky
above the Tathâgatas there sitting, as well as those in
the hundred thousands of myriads of kotis of other
worlds.
Thereupon the Lord addressed the Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas
headed by Visishtakâritra: Inconceivable, young men of
good family, is the power of the Tathâgatas, &c. In
order to transmit this Dharmaparyâya, young men of good
family, I might go on for hundred thousands of myriads of
kotis of Æons explaining the manifold virtues of this
Dharmaparyâya through the different principles of the
law, without reaching the end of those virtues. In this
Dharmaparyâya I have succinctly taught all Buddha-laws
(or Buddha-qualities), all the superiority, all the
mystery, all the profound conditions of the Buddhas.
Therefore, young men of good family, you should, after
the complete extinction of the Tathâgata, with reverence
keep, read, promulgate, cherish, worship it. And wherever
on earth, young men of good family, this Dharmaparyâya
shall be made known, read, written, meditated, expounded,
studied or collected into a volume, be it in a monastery
or at home, in the wilderness or in a town, at the foot
of a tree or in a palace, in a building or in a cavern,
on that spot one should erect a shrine in dedication to
the Tathâgata. For such a spot must be regarded as a
terrace of enlightenment; such a spot must be regarded as
one where all Tathâgatas &c. have arrived at supreme,
perfect enlightenment; on that spot have all Tathâgatas
moved forward the wheel of the law; on that spot one may
hold that all Tathâgatas have reached complete
extinction.
And on that occasion the Lord uttered the following
stanzas:
1. Inconceivable is the power to promote the weal of the
world possessed by those who, firmly established in
transcendent knowledge, by means of their unlimited sight
display their magic faculty in order to gladden all
living beings on earth.
2. They extend their tongue over the whole world, darting
thousands of beams to the astonishment of those to whom
this effect of magic is displayed and who are making for
supreme enlightenment.
3. The Buddhas made a noise of expectoration and of
snapping the fingers, (and by it) called the attention of
the whole world, of all parts of the world in the ten
directions of space.
4. Those and other miraculous qualities they display in
their benevolence and compassion (with the view) that the
creatures, gladly excited at the time, may (also) keep
the Sûtra after the complete extinction of the Sugata.
5. Even if I continued for thousands of kotis of Æons
speaking the praise of those sons of Sugata who shall
keep this eminent Sûtra after thc extinction of the
Leader of the world,
6. I should not have terminated the enumeration of their
qualities; inconceivable as the qualities of infinite
space are the merits of those who constantly keep this
holy Sûtra.
7. They behold me as well as these chiefs, and the Leader
of the world now extinct; (they behold) all these
numerous Bodhisattvas and the four classes.
8. Such a one now here propitiates me and all these
leaders, as well as the extinct chief of Ginas and the
others in every quarter.
9. The future and past Buddhas stationed in the ten
points of space will all be seen and worshipped by him
who keeps this Sûtra.
10. He who keeps this Sûtra, the veritable law, will
fathom the mystery of the highest man; will soon
comprehend what truth it was that was arrived at on the
terrace of enlightenment.
11. The quickness of his apprehension will be unlimited;
like the wind he will nowhere meet impediments; he knows
the purport and interpretation of the law, he who keeps
this exalted Sûtra.
12. He will, after some reflection, always find out the
connection of the Sûtras spoken by the leaders; even
after the complete extinction of the leader he will grasp
the real meaning of the Sûtras.
13. He resembles the moon and the sun; he illuminates all
around him, and while roaming the earth in different
directions he rouses many Bodhisattvas.
14. The wise Bodhisattvas who, after hearing the
enumeration of such advantages, shall keep this Sûtra
after my complete extinction will doubtless reach
enlightenment.