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 XXVI.
ENCOURAGEMENT OF SAMANTABHADRA.
Thereupon
the Bodhisattva Mahâsattva Samantabhadra, in the east,
surrounded and followed by Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas
surpassing all calculation, amid the stirring of fields,
a rain of lotuses, the playing of hundred thousands of
myriads of kotis of musical instruments, proceeded with
the great pomp of a Bodhisattva, the great display of
transformations proper to a Bodhisattva, the great
magnificence of a Bodhisattva, the great power of a
Bodhisattva, the great lustre of a glorious Bodhisattva,
the great stately march of a Bodhisattva, the great
miraculous display of a Bodhisattva, a great
phantasmagorical sight of gods, Nâgas, goblins,
Gandharvas, demons, Garudas, Kinnaras, great serpents,
men, and beings not human, who, produced by his magic,
surrounded and followed him; Samantabhadra, then, the
Bodhisattva, amid such inconceivable miracles worked by
magic, arrived at this Saha-world. He went up to the
place of the Lord on the Gridhrakûta, the king of
mountains, and on approaching he humbly saluted the
Lord's feet, made seven circumambulations from left to
right, and said to the Lord: I have come hither, O Lord,
from the field of the Lord Ratnategobhyudgata, the
Tathâgata, &c., as I am aware, Lord, that here in the
Saha-world is taught the Dharmaparyâya of the Lotus of
the True Law, to hear which from the mouth of the Lord
Sâkyamuni I have come accompanied by these hundred
thousands of Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas. May the Lord deign
to expound, in extension, this Dharmaparyâya of the Lotus
of the True Law to these Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas. So
addressed, the Lord said to the Bodhisattva Mahâsattva
Samantabhadra: These Bodhisattvas, young man of good
family, are, indeed, quick of understanding, but this is
the Dharmaparyâya of the Lotus of the True Law, that is
to say, an unmixed truth. The Bodhisattvas exclaimed:
Indeed Lord; indeed, Sugata. Then in order to confirm, in
the Dharmaparyâya of the Lotus of the True Law, the
females among the monks, nuns, and lay devotees assembled
at the gathering, the Lord again spoke to the Bodhisattva
Mahâsattva Samantabhadra: This Dharmaparyâya of the Lotus
of the True Law, young man of good family, shall be
entrusted to a female if she be possessed of four
requisites, to wit: she shall stand under the
superintendence of the Lords Buddhas; she shall have
planted good roots; she shall keep steadily to the mass
of disciplinary regulations; she shall, in order to save
creatures, have the thoughts fixed on supreme and perfect
enlightenment. These are the four requisites, young man
of good family, a female must be possessed of, to whom
this Dharmaparyâya of the Lotus of the True Law is to be
entrusted.
Then the Bodhisattva Mahâsattva Samantabhadra said to the
Lord: At the end of time, at the end of the period, in
the second half of the millennium, I will protect the
monks who keep this Satrânta; I will take care of their
safety, avert blows [or punishment], and destroy poison,
so that no one laying snares for those preachers may
surprise them, neither Mâra the Evil One, nor the sons of
Mâra, the angels called Mârakâyikas, the daughters of
Mâra, the followers of Mâra, and all other servitors to
Mâra; that no gods, goblins, ghosts, imps, wizards,
spectres laying snares for those preachers may surprise
them. Incessantly and constantly, O Lord, will I protect
such a preacher. And when a preacher who applies himself
to this Dharmaparyâya shall take a walk, then, O Lord,
will I mount a white elephant with six tusks, and with a
train of Bodhisattvas betake myself to the place where
that preacher is walking, in order to protect this
Dharmaparyâya. And when that preacher, applying himself
to this Dharmaparyâya, forgets, be it but a single word
or syllable, then will I mount the white elephant with
six tusks, show my face to that preacher, and repeat this
entire Dharmaparyâya. And when the preacher has seen my
proper body and heard from me this entire Dharmaparyâya,
he, content, in high spirits, ravished, rejoiced, joyful,
and delighted, will the more do his utmost to study this
Dharmaparyâya, and immediately after beholding me he will
acquire meditation and obtain spells, termed the talisman
of preservation, the talisman of hundred thousand kotis,
and the talisman of skill in all sounds.
Again, Lord, the monks, nuns, male or female lay
devotees, who at the end of time, at the end of the
period, in the second half of the millennium, shall study
this Dharmaparyâya, when walking for three weeks, (or)
twenty-one days, to them will I show my body, at the
sight of which all beings rejoice. Mounted on that same
white elephant with six tusks, and surrounded by a troop
of Bodhisattvas, I shall on the twenty-first day betake
myself to the place where the preachers are walking;
there I shall rouse, excite, and stimulate them, and give
them spells whereby those preachers shall become
inviolable, so that no being, either human or not human,
shall be able to surprise them, and no women able to
beguile them. I will protect them, take care of their
safety, avert blows, and destroy poison. I will, besides,
O Lord, give those preachers words of talismanic spells,
such as, Adande dandapati, dandâvartani dandakusale
dandasudhâri dhâri sudhârapati, buddhapasyani dhârani,
âvartani samvartani sanghaparîkshite sanghanirghâtani
dharmaparîkshite sarvasattvarutakausalyânugate
simhavikrîdite. The Bodhisattva Mahâsattva, whose organ
of hearing is struck by these talismanic words, Lord,
shall be aware that the Bodhisattva Mahâsattva
Samantabhadra is their ruling power.
Further, Lord, the Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas to whom this
Dharmaparyâya of the Lotus of the True Law shall be
entrusted, as long as it continues having course in
Gambudvîpa, those preachers, Lord, should take this view:
It is owing to the power and grandeur of the Bodhisattva
Mahâsattva Samantabhadra that this Dharmaparyâya has been
entrusted to us. Those creatures who shall write and keep
this Sûtra, O Lord, are to partake of the course of duty
of the Bodhisattva Mahâsattva Samantabhadra; they will
belong to those who have planted good roots under many
Buddhas, O Lord, and whose heads are caressed by the
hands of the Tathâgata. Those who shall write and keep
this Sûtra, O Lord, will afford me pleasure. Those who
shall write this Sûtra, O Lord, and comprehend it, shall,
when they disappear from this world, after having written
it, be reborn in the company of the gods of paradise, and
at that birth shall eighty-four thousand heavenly nymphs
immediately come near them. Adorned with a high crown,
they shall as angels dwell amongst those nymphs. Such is
the mass of merit resulting from writing this
Dharmaparyâya; how much greater will be the mass of merit
reaped by those who recite, study, meditate, remember it!
Therefore, young men of good family, one ought to honour
this Dharmaparyâya of the Lotus of the True Law, and
write it with the utmost attention. He who writes it with
undistracted attention shall be supported by the hands of
a thousand Buddhas, and at the moment of his death he
shall see another thousand of Buddhas from face to face.
He shall not sink down into a state of wretchedness, and
after disappearing from this world he shall enter the
company of the Tushita-gods, where the Bodhisattva
Mahâsattva Maitreya is residing, and where, marked by the
thirty-two sublime characteristics, surrounded by a host
of Bodhisattvas, and waited upon by hundred thousands of
myriads of kolis of heavenly nymphs he is preaching the
law. Therefore, then, young men of good family, a wise
young man or young lady of good family should
respectfully write this Dharmaparyâya of the Lotus of the
True Law, respectfully recite it, respectfully study it,
respectfully treasure it up in his (or her) mind. By
writing, reciting, studying this Dharmaparyâya, and by
treasuring it up in one's mind, young men of good family,
one is to acquire innumerable good qualities. Hence a
wise young man or young lady of good family ought to keep
this Dharmaparyâya of the Lotus of the True Law. I
myself, O Lord, will superintend this Dharmaparyâya, that
through my superintendence it may here spread in
Gambudvîpa.
Then the Lord Sâkyamuni, the Tathâgata, &c.,
expressed his approval to the Bodhisattva Mahâsattva
Samantabhadra: Very well, very well, Samantabhadra. It is
happy that thou art so well disposed to promote the weal
and happiness of the people at large, out of compassion
for the people, for the benefit, weal, and happiness of
the great body of men; that thou art endowed with such
inconceivable qualities, with a mind so full of
compassion, with intentions so inconceivably kind, so
that of thine own accord thou wilt take those preachers
under thy protection. The young men of good family who
shall cherish the name of the Bodhisattva Mahâsattva
Samantabhadra may be convinced that they have seen
Sâkyamuni, the Tathâgata, &c.; that they have heard
this Dharmaparyâya of the Lotus of the True Law from the
Lord Sâkyamuni; that they have paid homage to the
Tathâgata Sâkyamuni; that they have applauded the
preaching of the Tathâgata Sâkyamuni. They will have
joyfully accepted this Dharmaparyâya; the Tathâgata
Sâkyamuni will have laid his hand upon their head, and
they will have decked the Lord Sâkyamuni with their
robes. Those young men or young ladies of good family,
Samantabhadra, must be held to have accepted the command
of the Tathâgata. They will have no pleasure in worldly
philosophy; no persons fondly addicted to poetry will
please them; no dancers, athletes, vendors of meat,
mutton butchers, poulterers, pork butchers, or
profligates will please them. After having heard,
written, kept, or read such Stitrantas as this, they will
find no delight in those persons. They must be held to be
possessed of natural righteousness; they will be
right-minded from themselves, possess a power to do good
of their own accord, and make an agreeable impression on
others. Such will be the monks who keep this Sûtrânta. No
passionate attachment will hinder them, no hatred, no
infatuation, no jealousy, no envy, no hypocrisy, no
pride, no conceitedness, no mendaciousness. Those
preachers, Samantabhadra, will be content with what they
receive. He, Samantabhadra, who at the end of time, at
the end of the period, in the second half of the
millennium, sees a monk keeping this Dharmaparyâya of the
Lotus of the True Law, must think thus: This young man of
good family will reach the terrace of enlightenment; this
young man will conquer the troop of the wicked Mâra, move
forward the wheel of the law, strike the drum of the law,
blow the conch trumpet of the law, spread the rain of the
law, and ascend the royal throne of the law. The monks
who at the end of time, at the end of the period, in the
second half of the millennium, keep this Dharmaparyâya,
will not be covetous, nor greedy of robes or vehicles.
Those preachers will be honest, and possessed of three
emancipations; they will refrain from worldly business.
Such persons as lead into error monks who know this
Satranta, shall be born blind; and such as openly defame
them, shall have a spotted body in this very world. Those
who scoff and hoot at the monks who copy this Sûtrânta,
shall have the teeth broken and separated far from each
other; disgusting lips, a flat nose, contorted hands and
feet, squinting eyes; a putrid body, a body covered with
stinking boils, eruptions, scabs, and itch. If one speaks
an unkind word, true or not true, to such writers,
readers, and keepers of this Sûtranta, it must be
considered a very heinous sin. Therefore then,
Samantabhadra, people should, even from afar, rise from
their seats before the monks who keep this Dharmaparyâya
and show them the same reverence as to the Tathâgata.
While this chapter of the Encouragement of Samantabhadra
was being expounded, hundred thousands of kotis of
Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas, equal to the sands of the river
Ganges, acquired the talismanic spell Âvarta.