Day 10 concludes Chapter 6, Assurance of Future Buddhahood, and opens Chapter 7, The Parable of a Magic City.

Last month skipped over the assurance of future Buddhahood for Subhuti, Great Katyayana, and Great Maudgalyayana and instead discussed Chapter 7, The Parable of the Magic City, and the unhindered power of the Buddha to remember what happened “countless, limitless, inconceivable, asamkhya number of
kalpas ago.”

Continuing in Chapter 7, we have the reality that enlightenment may take awhile.

The Buddha said to the bhiksus:

The duration of the life of Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha was five hundred and forty billion nayuta kalpas. [Before he attained Buddhahood,] he sat at the place of enlightenment and defeated the army of Mara. He wished to attain Anuttara-samyak­sambodhi, but could not because the Dharma of the Buddhas had not yet come into his mind. He sat cross-legged without moving his mind and body for one to ten small kalpas. During all that time the Dharma of the Buddhas did not come into his mind.

[Before he sat at the place of enlightenment,] the Trayastrimsa Gods prepared him a lion-like seat a yojana high under the Bodhi­tree so that he might be able to attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi on that seat. When he sat on that seat, the Brahman-heavenly-kings rained heavenly flowers on the area extending a hundred yojanas in all directions from that seat. From time to time withered flowers were blown away by fragrant winds and new flowers were rained down. [The Brahman-heavenly-kings] continued this offering to him for fully ten small kalpas. [After he attained Buddhahood also,] they continued raining flowers until he passed away.

[When he sat on that seat,] the four heavenly-kings beat heavenly drums, and the other gods made heavenly music and offered it to him. They continued these offerings also for fully ten small kalpas. [After he attained Buddhahood also,] they continued these offerings until he passed away.

Bhiksus! At the end of the period of ten small kalpas, the Dharma of the Buddhas came into the mind of Great-Universal­-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha. Now he attained Anuttara-samyak­sambodhi.

I sit in awe, unable to be still even for a moment, and consider that “He wished to attain Anuttara-samyak-­sambodhi, but could not because the Dharma of the Buddhas had not yet come into his mind,” and I try to imagine what it might feel like when “the Dharma of the Buddhas came into the mind of Great-Universal­-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha.”

Next month, the 16 princes.