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].