【The Lotus Sutra】01

【The Lotus Sutra】01

 

Contents

Chapter I. Introduction

Chapter II. Skillful Means

Chapter III. A Parable

Chapter IV. Willing Acceptance

Chapter V. Herbs

Chapter VI. Prediction

Chapter VII. The Apparitional City

Chapter VIII. The Five Hundred Disciples Receive Their Predictions

Chapter IX. The Predictions for Those Who Still Have More to Learn

and for Those Who Do Not

Chapter X. The Expounder of the Dharma

Chapter XI. The Appearance of a Jeweled Stupa

Chapter XII. Devadatta

Chapter XIII. Perseverance

Chapter XIV. Ease in Practice

Chapter XV. Bodhisattvas Emerging from the Earth

Chapter XVI. The Lifespan of the Tathāgata

Chapter XVII. Description of Merits

Chapter XVIII. The Merits of Joyful Acceptance

Chapter XIX. The Benefits Obtained by an Expounder of the Dharma

 

Chapter XX. Bodhisattva Sadāparibhūta

Chapter XXI. The Transcendent Powers of the Tathāgata

Chapter XXII. Entrustment

Chapter XXIII. Ancient Accounts of Bodhisattva Bhaiṣajyarāja

Chapter XXIV. Bodhisattva Gadgadasvara

Chapter XXV. The Gateway to Every Direction [Manifested by

Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara]

Chapter XXVI. Dhāraṇī

Chapter XXVII. Ancient Accounts of King Śubhavyūha

Chapter XXVIII. Encouragement of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra

 

THE LOTUS SUTRA

 

Chapter I

Introduction

Thus have I heard. Once the Buddha was staying in the city of Rājagṛha, on the mountain called Gṛdhrakūṭa, together with a great assembly of twelve

thousand monks, all of whom were arhats whose corruption was at an end, who were free

 from the confusion of desire,

 who had achieved their own

goals, shattered the bonds of existence, and attained complete mental discipline.

 Their names were Ājñātakauṇḍinya, Mahākāśyapa, Uruvilvakāśyapa,

Gayākāśyapa, Nadīkāśyapa, Śāriputra, Mahāmaudgalyāyana, Mahākātyāyana, Aniruddha, Kapphiṇa, Gavāṃpati, Revata, Pilindavatsa, Bakkula,

Mahākauṣṭhila, Nanda, Sundarananda, Pūrṇamaitrāyaṇīputra, Subhūti,

Ānanda, and Rāhula. All of them were great arhats, known to the assembly.

There were in addition two thousand others, both those who had more to learn and those

 who did not. The nun

 Mahāprajāpatī was there,

 together with

her six thousand attendants; and also the nun Yaśodharā, Rāhula’s mother,

together with her attendants.

There were also eighty thousand bodhisattva mahāsattvas, all of whom

were irreversible from highest, complete enlightenment (anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi). They had obtained the dhāraṇīs, were established in eloquence,

and had turned the irreversible wheel of the Dharma. Each had paid homage

to countless hundreds of thousands of buddhas, planted roots of merit in their

presence, and had always been praised by those buddhas. They had also cultivated compassion within themselves, skillfully caused others to enter the

wisdom of a buddha, obtained great wisdom, and reached the other shore. All

of them were famous throughout countless worlds and had saved innumerable hundreds of thousands of sentient beings. They were Mañjuśrī, Avalokiteśvara, Mahāsthāmaprāpta, Nityodyukta, Anikṣiptadhura, Ratnapāni,

Bhaiṣajyarāja, Pradānaśūra, Ratnacandra, Candraprabha, Pūrṇacandra,

Mahāvikramin, Anantavikramin, Trailokyavikrama, Bhadrapāla, Maitreya,

Ratnākara, and Susāthavāha. There were altogether eighty thousand such

bodhisattva mahāsattvas.

 

At that time Śakra, king of the devas, was also there, attended by twenty

thousand devaputras. Candra, Samantagandha, and Ratnaprabha, and the

great devas of the four quarters were there, together with a retinue of ten

thousand devaputras. The devaputras Īśvara and Maheśvara were there,

attended by thirty thousand devaputras. Brahma, the lord of the sahā world,

as well as the great Brahma Śikhin and the great Brahma Jyotiṣprabha were

there, together with a retinue of twelve thousand devaputras. The eight nāga

kings—namely, Nanda, Upananda, Sāgara, Vāsukin, Takṣaka, Anavatapta,

Manasvin, and Utpalaka—were also there, each of them surrounded by several hundreds of thousands of attendants.

There were four kings of the kiṃnaras whose names were Dharma, Sudharma, Mahādharma, and Dharmadhara, and each had several hundreds of

thousands of attendants. The four kings of the gandharvas were there. They

were Manojña, Manojñasvara, Madhura, and Madhurasvara, each of them

also with several hundreds of thousands of attendants. There, too, were four

kings of the asuras, called Baḍin, Kharaskandha, Vemacitra, and Rahu, each

with several hundreds of thousands of attendants. Mahātejas, Mahākāya,

Mahāpūrṇa, and Maharddhiprāpta, the four kings of the garuḍas, were there

together with several hundreds of thousands of attendants. Finally, King

Ajātaśatru, Vaidehī’s son, was also there with several hundreds of thousands

of his attendants. Each of them, after having bowed at the Buddha’s feet,

withdrew and sat to one side.

At that time the Bhagavat was respectfully surrounded by the fourfold

assembly (i.e., monks, nuns, laymen, laywomen), paid homage, honored,

and praised. He then taught the bodhisattvas the Mahayana sutra called

Immeasurable Meanings (Mahānirdeśa), the instruction for the bodhisattvas

and the treasured lore of the buddhas. After having taught this sutra, the

Buddha sat cross-legged, entered the samādhi called the “abode of immeasurable meanings” (ananta-nirdeśa-pratiṣṭhāna) and remained unmoving in

both body and mind. Māndārava and great māndārava flowers, mañjūṣaka

and great mañjūṣaka flowers then fell like rain from the sky, scattering upon

the Buddha and all of his attendants; and the whole buddha world quaked in

six ways. At that time, that whole assembly of such humans and nonhumans

as monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen, the devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas,

asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, kings, and noble emperors, having

 

experienced something unprecedented, were filled with joy, and with their

palms pressed together they gazed attentively at the Buddha.

Then the Buddha emitted a ray of light from the tuft of white hair between

his eyebrows. It illuminated all the eighteen thousand worlds in the east,

down as far as the lowest hell, Avīci, and up as high as the Akaniṣṭha Heaven.

All the sentient beings in those worlds living in the six transmigratory states

became visible from this world. The buddhas in those worlds were also seen,

and the Dharma they were teaching could be heard. The monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen and those who had practiced and achieved the path were

also to be seen, while the bodhisattva mahāsattvas, of various background

causes and conditions, endowed in various degrees with the willingness to

understand and having various appearances, were also seen practicing the

bodhisattva path. All of the buddhas who had achieved parinirvāṇa were

seen, as well as their relic stupas made of the seven precious treasures.

At that moment it occurred to Bodhisattva Maitreya: “The Bhagavat has

now manifested the sign of great transcendent power. What could be the reason for this marvel? The Buddha, the Bhagavat, has now entered samādhi.

Whom should I ask about this wonderful marvel? Who would be able to

answer my question?”

Then he thought further: “This Mañjuśrī, Prince of the Dharma, has

closely attended and paid homage to innumerable buddhas of the past. He

must certainly have seen such a marvelous sign before. I should ask him now.”

At the same time it occurred to the monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen,

devas, nāgas, yakṣas, and others: “Now whom should we ask about the illumination and marvelous sign of this buddha?”

Then Bodhisattva Maitreya, wanting to clear up his own confusion, and

knowing the minds of the fourfold assembly of monks, nuns, laymen, and

laywomen and of the nāgas, yakṣas, and other beings in that gathering, asked

Mañjuśrī: “What is the reason for this marvelous sign, this great ray of light

that illuminates the eighteen thousand worlds in the east and renders visible

the adornments of all the buddha worlds?”

Thereupon Bodhisattva Maitreya, wanting to elaborate the meaning of

this further, spoke to Mañjuśrī in verse:

“O Mañjuśrī!

Why has the Leader

 

Emitted this great ray of light far and wide

From the tuft of white hair

Between his eyebrows,

Raining down māndārava and mañjūṣaka flowers,

And gladdening the people

With the fragrant winds of sandalwood?

For this reason

The earth is completely adorned,

And this world quakes in six ways.

And the fourfold assembly

Is completely enraptured,

Delighted in body and mind at the experience of

Such an unprecedented marvel.

From the depths of the Avīci Hell

Up to the summit of existence,

The ray of light from between his eyebrows

Illuminates the eighteen thousand worlds,

Which shimmer like gold,

And, throughout all these worlds,

The births and deaths of the living beings

Of the six transmigratory states of existence,

And the good and bad deeds,

Through which they have received

Good and bad consequences,

Are all to be seen from here.

The buddhas, the Sage Lord (Narendrasiṃhā),

Who teach the subtle and supreme sutra

Are also seen.

Uttering soft sounds

With their pure voices,

They teach innumerable myriads

Of koṭis of bodhisattvas.

With their voices, deep and enticing

Like the sounds of Brahma

They make the people eager to hear them.

 

In each world they teach the True Dharma;

They illuminate the Buddha-Dharma

And enlighten sentient beings

By means of various explanations

And innumerable illustrations.

To those who are suffering

And are cast down by old age, illness, and death

They teach nirvana

To extinguish their sufferings.

To those who have merit,

Have paid homage to the buddhas

And seek the excellent Dharma,

They teach the ideal of the pratyekabuddha.

To those heirs of the buddhas

Who have practiced in various ways

And are seeking the utmost wisdom,

They teach the pure path.

O Mañjuśrī!

Abiding here, I see and hear

Thousands of koṭis of things in this way.

There are many such things.

I shall now explain them in brief.

In these worlds I see bodhisattvas,

Equal in number to the sands of the Ganges River,

Seeking the path of the buddhas

According to their various situations.

Some undertake the practice of giving gifts,

Joyfully giving gold, silver, coral, pearls,

Jewels, conch shells, agates, diamonds,

Servants, carts, and ornamented litters—

They give these things joyfully,

Transferring the merit

To the path of the buddhas,

Wishing to obtain this vehicle

Which is the highest in the three worlds,

 

And praised by all the buddhas.

Other bodhisattvas give gifts

Such as ornamented carts yoked with four horses

And furnished with railings,

Canopies, and decorated eaves.

Moreover, I see bodhisattvas

Who, seeking for the highest path,

Give gifts such as their bodies, flesh, hands,

And feet, as well as their wives and children.

Moreover, I see bodhisattvas

Who are joyfully giving their heads, eyes, and bodies,

While searching for the wisdom of the buddhas.

O Mañjuśrī!

I see kings making pilgrimages to the buddhas,

Asking about the highest path,

Abandoning their prosperous lands,

Palaces, subjects and harems,

Shaving their heads and beards,

And wearing the robes of the Dharma.

I see some bodhisattvas becoming monks,

Dwelling apart in tranquility,

Reciting the sutras with contentment.

I also see bodhisattvas

Persistent and courageous,

Going into remote mountains

And contemplating the buddha path.

I see some abandoning worldly desires,

Dwelling always in lonely places,

Practicing profound meditations

And obtaining the five transcendent powers.

I see bodhisattvas

Meditating with palms pressed together,

Praising the Kings of the Dharma

With thousands of myriads of verses.

I also see bodhisattvas,

 

Profound in wisdom and firm in resolution,

Asking the buddhas questions,

Listening carefully and retaining everything.

Furthermore, I see heirs of the buddhas,

Endowed with concentration and wisdom,

Teaching the Dharma by innumerable illustrations

For the benefit of living beings,

Leading and inspiring the bodhisattvas

By joyously teaching the Dharma,

Destroying Māra and his minions

And beating the drums of the Dharma.

I also see bodhisattvas

Who are tranquil and silent in ease,

And never exult

Even in the homage paid by devas and nāgas.

I see bodhisattvas

Dwelling in forests, radiating light,

Alleviating the suffering of beings in the hells

And causing them to enter the buddha path.

I also see heirs of the buddhas

Who have never fallen asleep,

And are constantly wandering in forests

In search of the buddha path.

I see some who are pure like jewels,

Endowed with integrity

And faultless in behavior,

In search of the buddha path.

Furthermore, I see heirs of the buddhas

In search of the buddha path,

Who have the power of perseverance

And patiently endure

Those of excessive pride

Who abuse them verbally and physically.

I see bodhisattvas

Who have been searching for the buddha path

 

For thousands of myriads of koṭis of years,

And who have renounced idlers and foolish companions

And approached the wise.

Having singlemindedly rid themselves of inner confusion

They are meditating in mountain forests.

I also see bodhisattvas seeking

For the highest path,

Who are giving food and drink,

And a hundred kinds of medicine

To the Buddha and the sangha.

They give superb garments and clothing

Worth thousands of myriads,

And priceless robes

To the Buddha and the sangha.

They give thousands of myriads of koṭis

Of treasured monasteries made of sandalwood,

And various kinds of excellent bedding

To the Buddha and the sangha.

They give clean garden groves

Full of flowers and fruits,

Fountains and bathing pools

To the Buddha and the sangha.

Thus they give such various excellent things,

With joy and vigor,

Seeking the supreme path.

There are also bodhisattvas

Who are teaching innumerable sentient beings

The Dharma of tranquility

In various ways.

Furthermore, I see bodhisattvas

Who have perceived the essential character

Of all dharmas (phenomena) to be without duality,

Just like empty space.

I also see heirs of the buddhas

Who are seeking the highest path

 

Through this subtle wisdom,

Their minds free of attachment.

O Mañjuśrī!

There are bodhisattvas

Who pay homage to the relics (śarīras) of the buddhas

After their parinirvāṇas.

I also see heirs of the buddhas

Who have built stupas

As numerous as the sands of the Ganges River,

With which to decorate the buddha worlds.

These jeweled stupas are magnificent—

Five thousand yojanas in height and

Two thousand yojanas in both length and width.

On each of these stupas

Are one thousand banners, flags, and canopies,

And jeweled bells ringing harmoniously.

And devas, nāgas, humans, and nonhumans

Constantly give offerings of

Perfume, flowers, and music to them.

O Mañjuśrī!

The heirs of the buddhas

Have decorated the stupas

In order to pay homage to the relics.

These worlds have been spontaneously

Made as extraordinarily beautiful

As the king of the heavenly trees

When his flowers bloom.

Because the Buddha has emitted this ray of light,

I and those with me in the assembly can see

These worlds of marvelous and varied beauty.

The wisdom and transcendent powers

Of all the buddhas are extraordinary;

By emitting a single ray of light

He has illuminated innumerable lands.

Seeing this, we attain

 

That which we have not met with before.

O Mañjuśrī, Heir of the Buddhas!

We entreat you to rid us of our confusion!

The fourfold assembly is joyfully

Looking up at you and me.

Why did the Bhagavat emit this ray of light?

O Heir of the Buddhas, now answer!

Resolve our confusion and gladden us!

Why is he emitting this ray of light?

Will the Buddha teach us the True Dharma

That he obtained while he sat

On the terrace of enlightenment (bodhimaṇḍa)?

Will he predict enlightenment to us?

It is not for a trifling reason

That all the buddha lands, ornamented

With various jewels,

And all the buddhas have been made visible.

O Mañjuśrī!

You should know that the fourfold assembly,

Nāgas, and devas,

Look forward to hearing

What you shall reveal.”

Thereupon Mañjuśrī spoke to Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Maitreya and the

other worthy beings: “O sons of a virtuous family! I am very sure that the

Buddha, the Bhagavat, will now teach the great Dharma, rain down the great

Dharma, blow the conch of the great Dharma, beat the drum of the great

Dharma, and reveal the meaning of the great Dharma.

“O sons of a virtuous family! I have seen buddhas in the past who have

shown this marvel and have taught the great Dharma immediately after emitting a ray of light. Therefore, you should know that in the very same way

the Buddha has now emitted this light and has shown this marvel in order

to cause all sentient beings to hear and understand the Dharma which in all

the worlds is difficult to understand.

“O sons of a virtuous family! In the past, more than innumerable, unthinkable, incalculable kalpas ago, there was a buddha called Candrasūryapradīpa,

 

a Tathāgata, Arhat, Completely Enlightened, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Departed, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed, Tamer of Humans,

Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Bhagavat. He taught the True

Dharma that was good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the

end. It was profound in meaning, elegant in speech, and endowed with the

character of the pure path of discipline and integrity.

“To those seeking for the śrāvaka vehicle he taught the Dharma with

respect to the Four Noble Truths, causing them to overcome birth, old age,

illness, and death and to attain nirvana. He taught the Dharma with respect

to dependent origination to the pratyekabuddhas; and to the bodhisattvas he

taught the Dharma with respect to the six perfections (pāramitās), causing

them to attain highest, complete enlightenment and perfect all-knowledge

(sarvajñātā).

“Then there was another buddha named Candrasūryapradīpa, and after

him another buddha also named Candrasūryapradīpa. And so in this way

twenty thousand buddhas all had the same name Candrasūryapradīpa. They

also had the same family name Bharadvāja.

“O Maitreya! You should know that these buddhas, beginning from the

first up to the last, all had the same name Candrasūryapradīpa, endowed with

the ten epithets. The Dharma that they taught was good in the beginning, the

middle, and the end.

“The last buddha fathered eight princes before he renounced household

life. The first was called Mati, the second Sumati, the third Anantamati, the

fourth Ratimati, the fifth was called Viśeṣamati, the sixth Vimatisamudghātin,

the seventh Ghoṣamati, and the eighth was called Dharmamati. These eight

princes were endowed with dignity and power, and each of them ruled over

four great continents. Having heard that their father had renounced household life and obtained highest, complete enlightenment, all of them abandoned their kingdoms and also renounced household life. Each caused the

spirit of the Mahayana to arise within him, practiced the pure path of discipline and integrity, and became an expounder of the Dharma. They all planted

roots of good merit under many thousands of myriads of buddhas.

“At that time, the Buddha Candrasūryapradīpa taught the Mahayana

sutra called Immeasurable Meanings, the instruction for the bodhisattvas

and treasured lore of the buddhas. Having taught this sutra, he sat down

 

cross-legged, undisturbed in body and mind among the great assembly and

entered the samādhi called the ‘abode of immeasurable meanings.’

“Then māndārava and great māndārava flowers, mañjūṣaka and great

mañjūṣaka flowers fell like rain from the sky, scattering over the Buddha

and all of his attendants. And the whole buddha world quaked in six ways.

At that time all in that assembly of humans and nonhumans—monks, nuns,

laymen, laywomen, devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, kings, and noble emperors—having experienced such an

unprecedented marvel, were filled with joy and pressing their palms together

they gazed attentively at the Buddha.

“Then the Buddha emitted a ray of light from the tuft of white hair

between his eyebrows which completely illuminated all the eighteen thousand worlds in the east, in the same way that all of these buddha worlds are

visible now.

“O Maitreya! You should know that at that time there were twenty koṭis

of bodhisattvas in the assembly who wanted to hear the Dharma. All of these

bodhisattvas, having seen all the buddha worlds completely illuminated by this

ray of light, were struck with wonder and wanted to know why it was emitted.

“A bodhisattva named Varaprabha was there with his eight hundred disciples. At that time the Buddha Candrasūryapradīpa, having emerged from

samādhi, remained sitting for sixty intermediate kalpas and revealed to Bodhisattva Varaprabha the Mahayana sutra called Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, the White

Lotus of the Marvelous Law (hereafter Lotus Sutra), which was the instruction for bodhisattvas and the treasured lore of the buddhas. The assembly also

sat there undisturbed in body and mind listening to the Buddha’s exposition

for sixty intermediate kalpas as if only a single mealtime had passed; during

that time not a single person among them experienced fatigue of body or mind.

“Having taught thissutra forsixty intermediate kalpas, the Buddha Candrasūryapradīpa made this proclamation to the assembly of Brahmas, māras,

śrāmaṇas, brahmans, devas, humans, and asuras, saying:

On this day during the middle watch of the night, the Tathāgata will

enter nirvana without residue.

“Then the Buddha Candrasūryapradīpa gave this prediction to a bodhisattva called Śrīgarbha. Addressing the monks, he said:

 

This Bodhisattva Śrīgarbha will become the next buddha after me. He

will be called Vimalāṅganetra, a Tathāgata, Arhat, Completely Enlightened.

“The Buddha, after having made this prediction, entered nirvana without residue during the middle of the night. After the Buddha passed into

extinction, Bodhisattva Varaprabha, having preserved the Lotus Sutra, taught

it to humans for the full period of eighty intermediate kalpas.

“This Bodhisattva Varaprabha was made the teacher for the Buddha

Candrasūryapradīpa’s eight princes. Varaprabha led and inspired them and

caused them to be firm in highest, complete enlightenment.

“After paying homage to innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of buddhas, all these princes attained the path of the buddhas.

The last of these to become enlightened was named Dīpaṃkara.

“Among the eight hundred disciples of Bodhisattva Varaprabha there

was a man named Yaśaskāma who was attached to profit. Even though he

had repeatedly recited the sutras he never became versed in them and forgot the greater part. That is why he was called Yaśaskāma, ‘Fame Seeker.’

But because he had also planted various roots of good merit, he was able to

meet innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of buddhas

whom he rendered homage to, honored, revered, and praised.

“O Maitreya! You should know that Bodhisattva Varaprabha at that

time was none other than myself, and Bodhisattva Yaśaskāma was none

other than you. The marvel we see here is exactly the same as the previous

one. Therefore I am certain that today the Tathāgata will teach the Mahayana

sutra called the Lotus Sutra, the instruction for bodhisattvas and treasured

lore of the buddhas.”

Thereupon Mañjuśrī, wanting to explain the meaning of this further,

spoke to the great assembly in verse:

I remember that in the past,

Innumerable incalculable kalpas ago,

There was a buddha, the Best of Humans,

Called Candrasūryapradīpa.

This Bhagavat taught the Dharma,

Leading and inspiring innumerable sentient beings

 

And incalculable numbers of bodhisattvas,

To attain the wisdom of the buddhas.

Before renouncing household life

The Buddha fathered eight princes.

Having seen the Great Sage

Renounce household life,

They also followed him

And practiced the pure path of discipline and integrity.

At that time the Buddha taught

And extensively illuminated the Mahayana sutra

Called Immeasurable Meanings

To the great assembly.

After having taught this sutra,

The Buddha sat down cross-legged

On the seat of Dharma and entered the samādhi

Called the “abode of immeasurable meanings.”

The heavenly māndārava flowers

Fell down like rain;

The heavenly drums resounded spontaneously.

All the devas, nāgas, and yakṣas

Paid homage to the Best of Humans.

All of the buddha worlds suddenly quaked greatly.

And the Buddha emitted a ray of light

From the tuft between his eyebrows

And manifested various marvels.

This ray of light illuminated

The eighteen thousand buddha worlds in the east

And revealed the conditions

Resulting from the karma of each sentient being.

Through this light of the Buddha

All the buddha worlds appeared

As if they were decorated with various jewels

Such as lapis lazuli or crystal.

All the devas, humans, nāgas,

Yakṣas, gandharvas, and kiṃnaras

 

Were each seen paying homage to the buddhas.

All the Tathāgatas, who had spontaneously attained

The path of the buddhas,

Looked majestic and very beautiful

With bodies like golden mountains.

Each Bhagavat appeared like a golden image

In the midst of lapis lazuli,

Expounding the meaning

Of the profound Dharma to the great assembly.

There were innumerable śrāvakas

In each of the buddha worlds,

And they saw all the great assemblies

Because of the light of the Buddha.

There were also monks

Living in mountain forests,

Who, through persistence, possessed purity of conduct,

Which they protected like a precious jewel.

There were bodhisattvas,

As numerous as the sands of the Ganges River,

Practicing by giving (dāna), perseverance (kṣānti), and so

on (i.e., the six perfections),

Who also became visible through the light of the Buddha.

There were bodhisattvas, who,

Having entered deep samādhi,

Were tranquil and undisturbed in body and mind,

And who were seen seeking for the highest path.

There were also bodhisattvas,

Who, knowing the tranquil character of the Dharma,

Were seen teaching the Dharma

And seeking the path of the buddhas

In each of the buddha worlds.

At that time the fourfold assembly,

Having seen the Buddha Candrasūryapradīpa

Manifest these great transcendent powers,

Became delighted, and asked each other

 

What the reason for this could be.

The Noble One, revered by devas and humans,

Then emerged from samādhi and

Praised Bodhisattva Varaprabha, saying:

You are the Eye of the World.

You are believed in by all and

Possess the treasure house of the Dharma.

You are the only one who can understand

The Dharma that I have taught!

The Bhagavat praised Varaprabha, delighting him,

And taught this Lotus Sutra

For the full period of sixty intermediate kalpas

Without rising from his seat.

This expounder of the Dharma, Varaprabha,

Firmly and completely

Preserved this most excellent Dharma

That was taught by the Buddha.

After having taught this Lotus Sutra

And having then gladdened the assembly

On that very day,

The Buddha told the assembly of devas and humans:

I have already taught you the meaning

Of the essential character of all dharmas.

Today I will enter nirvana

In the middle of the night.

Exert yourselves attentively

And rid yourselves of negligence!

The buddhas are extremely hard to meet

And can be encountered only once

In koṭis of kalpas!

All the sons of the Bhagavat,

On hearing that the Buddha was to enter nirvana,

Became sad, thinking:

 

Why will the Buddha enter nirvana so soon?

The Noble Lord, the King of the Dharma,

Consoled the innumerable beings saying:

Do not fear after I enter nirvana!

This Bodhisattva Śrīgarbha has fully realized

The true character of freedom from corruption

And after me he will become

A buddha named Vimalāṅganetra.

And then he will bring

Innumerable sentient beings to the path.

And that night the Buddha entered nirvana,

Like a fire that goes out when the wood is exhausted.

His relics were distributed

And innumerable stupas were built.

There were monks and nuns,

As numerous as the sands of the Ganges River,

Who increased their efforts

And sought for the highest path.

This expounder of the Dharma, Varaprabha,

Possessed of the treasure house of the Buddha,

Extensively proclaimed the Lotus Sutra

For eighty intermediate kalpas.

All of the eight princes

Led and inspired by Varaprabha,

Became firmly established

In the highest path,

And met innumerable buddhas.

After having paid homage to the buddhas

And following them in their practice of the great path,

They all in turn received their predictions,

Becoming buddhas in succession.

The last Buddha, the Highest of Devas,

Was called Dīpaṃkara,

And, as the leader of all the sages,

 

Had brought innumerable sentient beings to the path.

This expounder of the Dharma, Varaprabha,

Had one disciple who was lazy

And attached to fame and fortune.

This disciple ceaselessly sought these things

And amused himself from house to house.

He abandoned recitation of the sutras,

And, forgetting them,

Never became versed in them.

For this very reason he was named Yaśaskāma.

But since he had also performed many good deeds,

He was able to meet innumerable buddhas.

He paid homage to all these buddhas

And having practiced the great path after them,

Acquired all the six perfections and

Now meets the Lion of the Śākyas.

He shall subsequently become a buddha called Maitreya

Who will extensively bring

Innumerable sentient beings to the path.

After the parinirvāṇa of that

Buddha Candrasūryapradīpa,

The lazy one was none other than you;

And the expounder of the Dharma, Varaprabha,

Was no one but myself.

When I saw the Buddha Dīpaṃkara

He also revealed this marvel of light.

That is why I know that this buddha

Will now teach the Lotus Sutra.

This sign is just like the previous marvel.

It is the skillful means of all the buddhas.

The Buddha has now emitted this ray of light

In order to reveal

The essential character of dharmas.

Now it should be clear to everyone.

Wait attentively with palms pressed together!

 

Having rained the Dharma,

The Buddha will satisfy those seeking the path.

If there is anyone seeking the three vehicles

Who still has any doubts,

The Buddha will completely remove them,

Extinguishing them with none left over.

21

 

Chapter II

Skillful Means

At that time the Bhagavat arose tranquilly with insight out of samādhi and

addressed Śāriputra: “Profound and immeasurable is the wisdom of the

buddhas. The gate to their wisdom is hard to enter and difficult to understand.

None of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas may be capable of understanding it. Why is this? The buddhas have closely attended innumerable hundreds

of thousands of myriads of koṭis of other buddhas. They have exhaustively

carried out practices with courage and persistence under uncountable numbers of buddhas, their names becoming universally renowned. They have perfected this profound and unprecedented Dharma, and their intention in adapting their explanations to what is appropriate is difficult to understand.

“O Śāriputra! After attaining buddhahood I expounded the teaching

extensively with various explanations and illustrations, and with skillful

means (upāya) led sentient beings to rid themselves of their attachments.

Why is this? Because all the Tathāgatas have attained perfect mastery of

skillful means, wisdom, and insight.

“O Śāriputra! The wisdom and insight of the Tathāgatas is extensive,

profound, immeasurable, and unhindered. They are possessed of power, fearlessness, meditation, liberation, and samādhi that is profound and endless.

They have completely attained this unprecedented Dharma.

“O Śāriputra! The Tathāgatas can, through various methods, skillfully

illuminate the Dharma with gentle speech and gladden the hearts of the

assemblies.

“O Śāriputra! To put it briefly, the buddhas have attained this immeasurable, limitless, and unprecedented Dharma. Enough, O Śāriputra, I will

speak no further. Why is this? Because the Dharma that the buddhas have

attained is foremost, unique, and difficult to understand. No one but the

buddhas can completely know the real aspects of all dharmas—that is to say

their character, nature, substance, potential, function, cause, condition, result,

effect, and essential unity.”

 

Thereupon the Bhagavat spoke these verses to explain this meaning

again:

The Heroes of the World are inconceivable,

Neither devas, humans, nor any other sentient beings

Are able to comprehend them.

No one is able to discern the power, fearlessness,

Liberation, samādhi, and

Other attributes of the buddhas.

Formerly, under innumerable buddhas,

They have fully accomplished their practices

And the Dharma, which is profound and excellent,

Hard to perceive and difficult to understand.

Having pursued these practices

For innumerable koṭis of kalpas,

I attained the result on the terrace of enlightenment

And understood completely.

I and the buddhas of the ten directions

Know such matters,

Such as the great results and rewards,

And the meaning of various aspects and characteristics.

It is impossible to explain this Dharma;

The powers of speech fail.

No other sentient being is able to understand it,

Except for those bodhisattvas

Who, in their belief, are willing to understand.

Even the multitude of the Buddha’s disciples,

Who have formerly paid homage to all the buddhas,

Who have put an end to all their corruption

And are bearing their last bodies,

Are not able to understand it.

Even if this whole world

Were filled with those such as Śāriputra,

And they tried together to comprehend it,

They still would not be able to understand completely

 

The wisdom of the buddhas.

Again, even if the worlds of the ten directions

Were filled with such disciples

As Śāriputra,

And they tried together to comprehend it,

They still would not be able to completely understand.

And even if the worlds of the ten directions

Were filled with pratyekabuddhas,

As numerous as bamboo trees in a grove,

Who had keen wisdom

And were bearing their last bodies,

Free from corruption,

Even if they tried together singlemindedly,

For innumerable kalpas,

To comprehend the wisdom of the buddhas,

Still they would not understand it in the least.

Even if the worlds of the ten directions

Were packed as thick as stalks of rice,

Flax, bamboo, and reeds

With bodhisattvas, recent aspirants to enlightenment,

Who had paid homage to innumerable buddhas—

Though they fully understood the meaning

And could expound the Dharma,

Even with this subtle wisdom,

If they tried together singlemindedly to comprehend,

For as many kalpas as the sands of the Ganges River,

They still would not be able to know

The wisdom of the buddhas.

Even if bodhisattvas,

As numerous as the sands of the Ganges River,

Who had reached the stage of nonretrogression,

Tried together singlemindedly to comprehend it,

Still they would not be able to know.

The Buddha, still speaking to Śāriputra, said:

 

 

I have already attained the profound and subtle Dharma

That is incorruptible

And beyond all comprehension.