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 VI.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF FUTURE DESTINY.
After
pronouncing these stanzas the Lord addressed the complete
assembly of monks: I announce to you, monks, I make known
to you that the monk Kâsyapa, my disciple, here present,
shall do homage to thirty thousand kotis of Buddhas;
shall respect, honour, and worship them; and shall keep
the true law of those Lords and Buddhas. In his last
bodily existence in the world Avabhâsa (i. e. lustre), in
the age (Æon) Mahâvyûha (i.e. great division) he shall be
a Tathâgata, an Arhat, &c. &c., by the name of
Rasmiprabhâsa (i.e. beaming with rays). His lifetime
shall last twelve intermediate kalpas, and his true law
twenty intermediate kalpas; the counterfeit of his true
law shall last as many intermediate kalpas. His
Buddha-field will be pure, clean, devoid of stones, grit,
gravel; of pits and precipices; devoid of gutters and
dirty pools; even, pretty, beautiful, and pleasant to
see; consisting of lapis lazuli, adorned with
jewel-trees, and looking like a checker-board with eight
compartments set off with gold threads. It will be
strewed with flowers, and many hundred thousand
Bodhisattvas are to appear in it. As to disciples, there
will be innumerable hundred thousands of myriads of kotis
of them. Neither Mâra the evil one, nor his host will be
discoverable in it, though Mâra and his followers shall
afterwards be there; for they will apply themselves to
receive the true law under the command of that very Lord
Rasmiprabhâsa.
And on that occasion the Lord uttered the following
stanzas:
1. With my Buddha-eye, monks, I see that the senior
Kâsyapa here shall become a Buddha at a future epoch, in
an incalculable Æon, after he shall have paid homage to
the most high of men.
2. This Kâsyapa shall see fully thirty thousand kotis of
Ginas, under whom he shall lead a spiritual life for the
sake of Buddha-knowledge.
3. After having paid homage to those highest of men and
acquired that supreme knowledge, he shall in his last
bodily existence be a Lord of the world, a matchless,
great Seer.
4. And his field will be magnificent, excellent, pure,
goodly, beautiful, pretty, nice, ever delightful, and set
off with gold threads.
5. That field, monks, (appearing like) a board divided
into eight compartments, will have several jewel-trees,
one in each compartment, from which issues a delicious
odour.
6. It will be adorned with plenty of flowers, and
embellished with variegated blossoms; in it are no pits
nor precipices; it is even, goodly, beautiful.
7. There will be found hundreds of kotis of Bodhisattvas,
subdued of mind and of great; magical power, mighty
keepers of Sûtrântas of great extension.
8. As to disciples, faultless, princes of the law,
standing in their last period of life, their number can
never be known, even if one should go on counting for
Æons, and that with the aid of divine knowledge.
9. He himself shall stay twelve intermediate kalpas, and
his true law twenty complete Æons; the counterfeit is to
continue as many Æons, in the domain of Rasmiprabhâsa.
Thereupon the venerable senior Mahâ-Maudgalyâyana, the
venerable Subhûti, and the venerable Mahâ-Kâtyâyana,
their bodies trembling, gazed up to the Lord with
unblenching eyes, and at the same moment severally
uttered, in mental concert, the following stanzas :
10. O hallowed one (Arhat), great hero, Sâkya-lion, most
high of men! out of compassion to us speak the
Buddha-word.
11. The highest of men, the Gina, he who knows the fatal
term, will, as it were, sprinkle us with nectar by
predicting our destiny also.
12. (It is as if) a certain man, in time of famine, comes
and gets good food, but to whom, when the food is already
in his hands, they say that he should wait.
13. Similarly it was with us, who after minding the lower
vehicle, at the calamitous conjuncture of a bad time,
were longing for Buddha-knowledge.
14. But the perfectly-enlightened great Seer has not yet
favoured us with a prediction (of our destiny), as if he
would say: Do not eat the food that has been put into
your hand.
15. Quite so, O hero, we were longing as we heard the
exalted voice (and thought): Then shall we be at rest
[And felicitous, blest, beatified (nirvritra)], when we
shall have received a prediction.
16. Utter a prediction, O great hero, so benevolent and
merciful! let there be an end of our feeling of poverty!
And the Lord, who in his mind apprehended the thoughts
arising in the minds of those great senior disciples,
again addressed the complete assembly of monks: This
great disciple of mine, monks, the senior Subhûti, shall
likewise pay homage to thirty hundred thousand myriads of
kotis of Buddhas; shall show them respect, honour,
reverence, veneration, and worship. Under them shall he
lead a spiritual life and achieve enlightenment. After
the performance of such duties shall he, in his last
bodily existence, become a Tathâgata in the world, an
Arhat, &c. &c., by the name of Sasiketu
[moon-signal].
His Buddha-field will be called Ratnasambhava and his
epoch Ratnaprabhâsa. And that Buddha-field will be even,
beautiful, crystalline, variegated with jewel-trees,
devoid of pits and precipices, devoid of sewers, nice,
covered with flowers. And there will men have their abode
in palaces (or towers) given them for their use. In it
will be many disciples, innumerable, so that it would be
impossible to terminate the calculation. Many hundred
thousand myriads of kotis of Bodhisattvas also will be
there. The lifetime of that Lord is to last twelve
intermediate kalpas; his true law is to continue twenty
intermediate kalpas, and its counterfeit as many. That
Lord will, while standing poised in the firmament
[Properly, standing as a great meteor], preach the law to
the monks, and educate many thousands of Bodhisattvas and
disciples.
And on that occasion the Lord uttered the following
stanzas:
17. I have something to announce monks, something to make
known; listen then to me: The senior Subhûti, my
disciple, shall in days to come be a Buddha.
18. After having seen of most mighty Buddhas thirty
myriads of kotis in full, he shall enter upon the
straight course to obtain this knowledge.
19. In his last bodily existence shall the hero,
possessed of the thirty-two distinctive signs, become a
great Seer, similar to a column of gold, beneficial and
bounteous to the world.
20. The field where that friend of the world shall save
myriads of kotis of living beings will be most beautiful,
pretty, and delightful to people at large.
21. In it will be many Bodhisattvas to turn the wheel
that never rolls back (or never deviates); endowed with
keen faculties they will, under that Gina, be the
ornaments of the Buddha-field.
22. His disciples are so numerous as to pass calculation
and measure; gifted with the six transcendent faculties,
the triple science and magic power; firm in the eight
emancipations.
23. His magic power, while he reveals supreme
enlightenment, is inconceivable. Gods and men, as
numerous as the sands of the Ganges, will always
reverentially salute him with joined hands.
24. He shall stay twelve intermediate kalpas; the true
law of that most high of men is to last twenty
intermediate kalpas and the counterfeit of it as many.
Again the Lord addressed the complete assembly of monks:
I announce to you, monks, I make known that the senior
Mahâ-Katyâyana here present, my disciple, shall pay
homage to eight thousand kotis of Buddhas; shall show
them respect, honour, reverence, veneration, and worship;
at the expiration of those Tathâgatas he shall build
Stûpas, a thousand yoganas in height, fifty yoganas in
circumference, and consisting of seven precious
substances, to wit, gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal,
red pearl, emerald, and, seventhly, coral. Those Stûpas
he shall worship with flowers, incense, perfumed wreaths,
ointments, powder, robes, umbrellas, banners, flags,
triumphal streamers. Afterwards he shall again pay a
similar homage to twenty kotis of Buddhas; show them
respect, honour, reverence, veneration, and worship. Then
in his last bodily existence, his last corporeal
appearance, he shall be a Tathâgata in the world, an
Arhat, &c. &c., named Gambûnada-prabhâsa (i.e.
gold-shine), endowed with science and conduct, &c.
His Buddha-field will be thoroughly pure, even, nice,
pretty, beautiful, crystalline, variegated with
jeweltrees, interlaced with gold threads, strewed with
flowers, free from beings of the brute creation, hell,
and the host of demons, replete with numerous men and
gods, adorned with many hundred thousand disciples and
many hundred thousand Bodhisattvas. The measure of his
lifetime shall be twelve intermediate kalpas; his true
law shall continue twenty intermediate kalpas and its
counterfeit as many.
And on that occasion the Lord uttered the following
stanzas:
25. Listen all to me, ye monks, since I am going to utter
an infallible word . Katyâyana here, the senior, my
disciple, shall render worship to the Leaders.
26. He shall show veneration of various kinds and in many
ways to the Leaders, after whose expiration he shall
build Stûpas, worshipping them with flowers and perfumes.
27. In his last bodily existence he shall be a Gina, in a
thoroughly pure field, and after acquiring full knowledge
he shall preach to a thousand kotis of living beings.
28. He shall be a mighty Buddha and illuminator, highly
honoured in this world, including the gods, under the
name of Gâmbunada-prabhâsa, and save kotis of gods and
men.
29. Many Bodhisattvas as well as disciples, beyond
measure and calculation, will in that field adorn the
reign of that Buddha, all of them freed from existence
and exempt from existence.
Again the Lord addressed the complete assembly of monks:
I announce to you, monks, I make known, that the senior
Mahâ-Maudgalyâyana here present, my disciple, shall
propitiate twenty-eight thousand Buddhas and pay those
Lords homage of various kinds; he shall show them
respect, &c., and after their expiration build Stûpas
consisting of seven precious substances, to wit, gold,
silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, red pearl, emerald, and,
seventhly, coral; (Stûpas) a thousand yoganas in height
and five hundred yoganas in circumference, which Stilpas
he shall worship in different ways, with flowers,
incense, perfumed wreaths, ointments, powder, robes,
umbrellas, banners, flags, and triumphal streamers.
Afterwards he shall again pay a similar worship to twenty
hundred thousand kotis of Buddhas; he shall show respect,
&c., and in his last bodily existence become in the
world a Tathâgata, &c., named
Tamâlapatrakandanagandha, endowed with science and
conduct, &c. The field of that Buddha will be called
Manobhirâma; his period Ratipratipûrna. And that
Buddha-field will be even, nice, pretty, beautiful,
crystalline, variegated with jewel-trees, strewn with
detached flowers, replete with gods and men, frequented
by hundred thousands of Seers, that is to say, disciples
and Bodhisattvas. The measure of his lifetime shall be
twenty-four intermediate kalpas; his true law is to last
forty intermediate kalpas and its counterfeit as many.
And on that occasion the Lord uttered the following
stanzas:
30. The scion of the Mudgala-race, my disciple here,
after leaving human existence shall see twenty thousand
mighty Ginas and eight (thousand) more of these faultless
beings.
31. Under them he shall follow a course of duty, trying
to reach Buddha-knowledge; he shall pay homage in various
ways to those Leaders and to the most high of men.
32. After keeping their true law, of wide reach and
sublime, for thousands of kotis of Æons, he shall at the
expiration of those, Sugatas worship their Stûpas.
33. In honour of those most high Ginas, those mighty
beings I so beneficial to the world, he shall erect
Stûpas consisting of precious substances, and decorated
with triumphal streamers, worshipping them with flowers,
perfumes, and the sounds of music.
34. At the period of his last bodily existence he shall,
in a nice and beautiful field, be a Buddha bounteous and
compassionate to the world, under the name of
Tamâlapatrakandanagandha.
35. The measure of that Sugata's life shall be fully
twenty-four intermediate kalpas, during which he shall be
assiduous in declaring the Buddha-rule to men and gods.
36. That Gina shall have many thousands of kotis of
disciples, innumerable as the sands of the Ganges, gifted
with the six transcendent faculties and the triple
science, and possessed of magic power, under the command
of that Sugata.
37. Under the reign of that Sugata there shall also
appear numerous Bodhisattvas, many thousands of them,
unable to slide back (or to deviate), developing zeal, of
extensive knowledge and studious habits.
38. After that Gina's expiration his true law shall
measure in time twenty-four intermediate kalpas in full;
its counterfeit shall have the same measure.
39. These are my five mighty disciples whom I have
destined to supreme enlightenment and to become in future
self-born Ginas; now hear from me their course. [In this
chapter only four disciples are mentioned; the fifth must
be Sâriputra, whose destination has been predicted
before].