Thereupon Maitreya Bodhisattva, wishing to repeat what he had said, asked him in gāthās:

Mañjuśrī!
Why is the Leading Teacher
Emitting a great ray of light
From the white curl between his eyebrows?

The composition of the gāthās is dictated generally by the following four aims: first, for the sake of those who will come later; second, for the sake of those who have not yet been enlightened (through the prose section); third, to expand in the gāthās what has been briefly touched on (or left out) in the long lines (of prose); fourth, to chant and dance in tune with intense emotion. Maitreya has asked only the essentials. Now he speaks about them in full detail. The appearance of Mañjuśrī’s name at the start is for the sake of drawing the congregation’s attention; they regarded him highly and when they were to hear him speak later their affection for him would be very intense.

Because what he has seen and heard is so vast, it will be difficult for him to tell them in complete detail.

Many lines that follow this chant are [the recounting of] what has appeared earlier [in prose], [including] “the various background causes and conditions [of the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas], and their various degrees of belief and understanding (adhimukti). [The word] various can refer to morality (śīla) or almsgiving (dāna). What it refers to is not limited to one kind. Listed next are various practices of the six perfections (pāramitās). But there is no set order for them. [The sequential order] can be arranged high or low (or early or late) as [the Buddha] wishes. Why then are they put together here on this occasion and why are the good and the bad [practitioners] of them shown here? Because it is [the Buddha’s] wish that [beings] are led to discard evil and cultivate good. Also illustrated there is the fact that there is no place the light of knowledge does not illuminate.

He thought again:

“This Mañjuśrī, the son of the King of the Dharma, has already met innumerable Buddhas and made offerings to them in his previous existence. He must have seen this rare thing before. Now I will ask him.”

The reason why earlier, when [the Buddha] first entered the samādhi, [the phenomena of] the raining flowers and shaking earth appeared, was that he was going to expound the One Vehicle. This indicates that the transformative teaching of the One Vehicle would follow later. However, [to preach] the One Vehicle was [the Buddha’s] original purpose for convening the meeting. Therefore, Maitreya now first questions the emission of the ray. The order in which [the questioners] are arranged represents some meaning and intention in each case. It seems proper that the question about the rain flowers and the shaking of the earth follow next. [Yet], it is omitted and not mentioned [in the prose section]. That question then must be included in the gāthās.

Thereupon Maitreya Bodhisattva thought:

“The World-Honored One is now displaying a wonder [, that is, a good omen]. Why is he displaying this good omen? The Buddha, the World-Honored One, has entered into a samadhi. Whom shall I ask why he is displaying this inconceivable, rare thing? Who can answer my question?”

Now that the congregation had been mired so long, emotionally at a standstill, it held hard on to the idea. When it saw all of a sudden the strange mark it had never seen before, it was at a loss, doubts arising within [each member]. Maitreya, who was in rank to become the next Buddha, saw that his mind was becoming inquisitive like those of the others. Sharing this [doubting] thought with the rest of the congregation, he availed himself of the opportunity (chi) (or the subtle triggering force in him) and became puzzled. As the doubts piled up inside to a great degree, enlightenment also could be incited quickly. Maitreya was the principal questioner because the one who sought to resolve these doubts would duly attain illumination.

The congregation saw from this world the living beings of the six regions of those worlds. They also saw the present Buddhas of those worlds. They also heard the Dharma expounded by those Buddhas. They also saw the bhikṣus, bhikṣunīs, upāsakās and upāsikās of those worlds who had already attained [the various fruits of] enlightenment by their various practices. They also saw the Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas [of those worlds] who were practicing the Way of Bodhisattvas [in various ways] according to the variety of their karmas which they had done in their previous existence, and also according to the variety of their ways of understanding [the Dharma] by faith. They also saw the past Buddhas [of those worlds] who had already entered into Parinirvana. They also saw the stupas of the seven treasures which had been erected to enshrine the śarīras of those Buddhas after their Parinirvana.

“Those” and “these” [lands] were [made] mutually visible, expressing the fact that the right path penetrates formlessly, without obstacle and without obstruction.

The six “courses” illustrate that they were in such a state of existence because of their delusion (moha).

Because the deluded conditions of the six kinds of living beings was shown, it seems necessary [to cite] also those who reversed the course of delusion. Those who reversed the course of delusion were none other than the Buddhas.

Those who wanted the know-how (or knowledge) for reversing the deluded state are required to hear the Dharma [preached]. What is said next (or as well) is that they heard the sūtra preached.

All of them are those who turned around from the course of delusion.

It is illustrated here that the spiritual capacities of living beings are not equal. The ways for attaining enlightenment are myriad: [beings achieve it] sometimes by means of almsgiving (dāna) and morality (fila), or sometimes through spiritual transformation; hence, the word various.

These [Buddhas] are here shown to be contrasted with the present [Buddha]. They were supposed to realize that the Buddha’s nirvāṇa was not long away, but were in such a state of mind that they were far from realizing it; they were urged to seek for the Dharma diligently.

The great multitude of the congregation, which included bhikṣus, bhikṣunīs, upāsakās, upāsikās, gods, dragons, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, men, nonhuman beings, the kings of small countries, and the wheel-turning-holy-kings, were astonished. They rejoiced, joined their hands together [towards the Buddha], and looked up at him with one mind.

Thereupon the Buddha emitted a ray of light from the white curls between his eyebrows, and illumined all the corners of eighteen thousand worlds in the east, down to the Avchi Hell of each world, and up to the Akanistha Heaven of each world.

Knowing for certain that there will be an extraordinary preaching, they wait to hear the unusual speech.

[The ray of light] is intended to illustrate the right middle-path of the One Vehicle and the nonexistence of the two vehicles that are an illusion and hindrance. Its presence in the forehead signifies the mark of “impartiality.” When it shines, the [noble] knowledge will certainly become manifest.

The East is the cardinal of all directions. This is to show [analogically] the mystery that the One Vehicle is [identical with] the three vehicles. Also expressed here is that one who becomes enlightened to [the meaning of] the Greater [Vehicle] is [no less than the one who has been] so darkly merged [with the ultimate foundation] that he cannot
exhaust his illumination.

Although it illuminated in one direction, [the Buddha] intended to show that there was no place that such light could not illuminate. Thus by [the expression] eighteen thousand he meant to demonstrate that his illumination was not limited to one [direction]. That it illuminated throughout the regions above and below implies that ‘there is no place where the Tao is not present.’