Day 11 continues Chapter 7, The Parable of the Magic City

Last month I considered what it would be light to find the world suddenly illumined with the light of a Buddha. For the next several months I will work through the responses of the Brahman-heavenly-kings of the five hundred billion worlds in each direction.

Starting in the East, we have a great Brahman-heavenly­-king called All-Saving who sings:

Why are our palaces illumined
More brightly than ever?
Let us find [the place]
[From where this light has come].

Did a god of great virtue or a Buddha
Appear somewhere in the universe?
This great light illumines
The worlds of the ten quarters.

And when he reaches the source of the light and sees the Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Tathagata he sings:

You, the World-Honored One, are exceptional.
It is difficult to meet you.
You have innumerable merits.
You are saving all living beings.

As the great teacher of gods and men,
You are benefiting all living beings
Of the worlds of the ten quarters
Out of your compassion towards them.

We have come here from five hundred billion worlds.
We gave up the pleasure
Of deep dhyana-concentration
Because we wished to make offerings to you.
Our palaces are beautifully adorned
Because we accumulated merits in our previous existence.
We offer [these palaces] to you.
Receive them out of your compassion towards us!

And finally:

Hero of the World, Most Honorable Biped!
Expound the Dharma!
Save the suffering beings
By the power of your great compassion!

This scene gets repeated several times, and I’m often fascinated with the little changes from direction to direction. So next month, more of the same, only different.