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.