This text is adapted from the BDK English Tripiṭaka Tiantai Lotus Texts1, which is available for download here. Some Bodhisattva names have been changed to reflect the Murano Lotus Sutra. In addition, the name of the sign of virtue on the chest of the Buddha has been inserted: svastika.
Chapter I
Beneficial Works
Background
& CommentaryThus have I heard: On one occasion the Buddha was staying at the city of Rājagṛha, on Mount Vulture Peak, together with an assembly of twelve thousand eminent monks. Eighty thousand great-being (mahāsattva) bodhisattvas were also there, along with heavenly beings (devas), nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, and mahoragas, as well as various monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen.
Spontaneously gathered around them—each with retinues that were hundreds of thousands of myriads in number—were leaders of empires great and small: rulers of gold-wheel, silver-wheel, and lesser-wheel domains; kings, princes, and officials of state; and citizens who were noblemen, noble-women, or people of great means. They all made their way to where the Buddha was, bowed their heads at his feet in homage, walked around him a hundred thousand times, burned incense and scattered flowers, and paid their respects in various ways. After they had honored the Buddha, they withdrew and sat to one side.
The bodhisattvas known by name were: Mañjuśrī, Prince of the Dharma;2 Wellspring of Great Majestic Virtue,3 Prince of the Dharma; Wellspring of Freedom from Anxiety, Prince of the Dharma; Wellspring of Effective Discourse, Prince of the Dharma; Maitreya Bodhisattva; Facilitating Leader Bodhisattva; Medicine King Bodhisattva (Bhaiṣajyarāja); Incomparable Medicine Bodhisattva (Bhaiṣajyarājasamudgata); Flower Banner Bodhisattva; Flower Radiance Bodhisattva;4 Sovereign Master of Dharma-grasping Empowerments Bodhisattva; World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva (Avalokiteśvara); Great Strength Achieved Bodhisattva (Mahāsthāmaprāpta); Constant Endeavor Bodhisattva (Nityodyukta/Satatasamitābhiyukta);5 Hands Showing the Seal of the Dharma Bodhisattva; Store of Treasures Bodhisattva (Ratnākara); Scepter of the Treasures Bodhisattva; Transcender of the Three Realms Bodhisattva (Trailokyavikrāmin); Bearer of the Loom Bodhisattva (Vemabhara);6 Incense Elephant Bodhisattva (Gandhahastin); Great Incense Elephant Bodhisattva; Majestic Roar of the Lion Bodhisattva; Lion Ranging the World Bodhisattva; Heroic Endeavor of the Lion Bodhisattva (Siṃhavikrīḍita); Relentlessness of the Lion Bodhisattva; Power of Courage and Dynamism Bodhisattva; Imposing Intensity of the Lion Bodhisattva; Well Composed Bodhisattva; and Fully Composed Bodhisattva (Mahāvyūha). Such great-being bodhisattvas as these numbered eighty thousand in all. Without exception, all such bodhisattvas as these are great beings that embody the Dharma. They have achieved perfection in behavioral principles, perfection in concentration, perfection in discernment, perfection in emancipation, and perfection in the perspective that pertains to emancipation. Their minds are calm and tranquil, constantly in contemplation, at peace and at ease—having no cravings and creating no causes, and immune to contrary thinking and distraction. Their quiet and pure resolve is boundlessly profound. Having steadfastly maintained this condition over hundreds of thousands of koṭis of kalpas, all of the countless approaches to the Dharma7 are before them here and now. Having gained great wisdom, they fathom all phenomena: their full grasp and discernment of the truth of natures and aspects, of existence and nonexistence, and of length and brevity is manifest and clear.
They are able, moreover, to clearly perceive conditioned desires of the senses. By means of Dharma-grasping empowerments (dhāraṇīs), and with unlimited facility of eloquence, they call upon the Buddha to turn a wheel of the Dharma; emulating him, they are able to turn it as well. They first bring it down in tiny drops that dissolve the dirt of delusive passions. They open nirvana’s gates and fan winds of emancipation—dispelling the world’s fevers and trials with the cool refreshment of the Dharma. Next, raining down the deeply profound twelve-linked chain of dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda), they drench the intense solar fires of assembled sufferings of ignorance, illness, aging, and death. Then, pouring the supreme Great Vehicle to overflowing, they immerse and soak the various roots of goodness that living beings possess, cast seeds of goodness widely over fields of beneficial effects, and inspire all beings everywhere to germinate the sprout of enlightenment. With wisdom accumulated over cycles of the sun and the moon, and with skillful means applied within a moment or over time, they advance and extend the work of the Great Vehicle: to enable living beings to quickly achieve the full dynamic of ultimate enlightenment and always abide in the reality that is joyful beyond description. With boundless great compassion, they rescue living beings from suffering.
These are the true companions of good influence for all living beings. These are bountiful spheres of kindness for all living beings. These are the spontaneous teachers of all living beings. These are centers of joyful tranquility, places of deliverance, shelters for protection, and great havens of reliability for all living beings. As such, they serve everywhere as extraordinary guides who are of benefit to all—capable of acting as eyes for those who do not see, as ears for those who do not hear, as a nose for those with no sense of smell, as a tongue for those who do not speak. They are able to make deficient faculties become whole, and to turn contrariness, unbalance, frenzy, and confusion into complete right mindfulness. They are the shipmasters and great captains that ferry living beings across the river of birth and death, landing them on nirvana’s shore. They are the greatest physicians and master doctors who distinguish the aspects of illnesses, know well the properties of medicines, offer remedies appropriate to an affliction, and have beings trustingly take them. They are directors and master directors who never lose control—like tamers of elephants or horses who are capable of training without fail. They are like valiant lions whose unconquerable majesty invites respect from all other beasts. Comfortably progressing in all bodhisattva practices of perfection, steadfast and immovable in the tathāgata realm, serenely abiding in the strength of their resolve, and refining buddha lands far and wide, they will realize and achieve the full dynamic of ultimate enlightenment before long. All such great-being bodhisattvas possess this kind of wondrous power to do beneficial works.
The monks known by name were Greatly Wise Śāriputra; Transcendent Maudgalyāyana; Lifelong Sage Subhūti; Mahākātyāyana; Pūrṇa, Son of Maitrāyaṇī; and Ājñāta-Kauṇḍinya. Others like them were Supremely Perceptive Aniruddha; Upāli, Upholder of Behavioral Principles; Ānanda, the Attendant; Rāhula, Son of the Buddha; Upananda; Revata; Kapphiṇa; Vakkula; Acyuta; Svāgata; Mahākāśyapa, He of Constant Practice; Uruvilvākāśyapa; Gayākāśyapa; and Nadīkāśyapa. Such monks as these were twelve thousand in number; all of them were arhats, had ended the outflow of all desires, were unhindered by attachments, and had gained true emancipation.
There came a certain moment when the great-being bodhisattva Fully Composed—having recognized that all at the gathering had seated themselves with a settled mind—arose from where he sat, as did the eighty thousand great-being bodhisattvas within the assembly. They made their way to where the Buddha was, bowed their heads at his feet in homage, walked around him a hundred thousand times, and burned incense and scattered flowers.8 Heavenly flowers, heavenly incense and garments, garlands of celestial jewels, and priceless celestial treasures accumulated like clouds in the four directions and spiraled down from the sky as offerings to the Buddha. Celestial bowls and containers were filled to overflowing with hundreds of heavenly delicacies that were spontaneously fully satisfying by appearance and aroma. Celestial flags, celestial banners and canopies, and marvelous celestial amusements were arranged everywhere, and heavenly music was played for the Buddha’s enjoyment. Thereupon they went before the Buddha, knelt formally on one knee, placed their palms together, and, with one mind and one voice, spoke words of praise in verse:
Great One! Most Venerable Fully Awakened Master!
You are without stain, contamination, or attachment!
Nurturer of human and heavenly beings! Tamer of elephants and
horses!
You infuse the fragrance of virtue into all things by means of the winds of the Way!
You are serene in wisdom, calm in emotion, composed in deep reflection,
And—volition extinguished, discriminations set aside—likewise tranquil in mind.
You have forever cast away delusive ideas, reflections, and thoughts—
No more to become entangled in all the facets of existence.
What you embody is not existing, and yet not nonexistent;
Is neither direct nor indirect cause; has no sense of self or other;
Is neither square nor round; is not brief or long;
Neither appears nor disappears; is without origination or cessation;
Is neither created nor self-arisen, nor is it produced;
Neither sits nor lies down; does not walk or stand; Neither moves nor turns; is not static or idle;
Neither advances nor retreats; is not imperiled or secure;
Neither is, nor is not; has no gain or loss;
Is neither here nor there; does not come or go;
Is neither blue nor yellow; is not red or white;
Is not crimson, is not purple or multicolored;
Comes forth from the perfection of behavioral principles, concentration, discernment, emancipation, and perspective that pertains to emancipation;
Rises from three kinds of transcendent knowledge, the six transcendent powers, and the avenues to enlightenment;9
Emanates from kindness, compassion, ten capabilities, and dauntlessness;
And emerges according to the good karmic actions of living beings.
Your manifestation is nearly sixteen feet tall, aglow in purple-gold, Well proportioned, greatly radiant, and lustrous.
The tuft between your eyebrows curves like the crescent moon; the nape of your neck glows like the sun.
Your hair is dark blue and curly; there is a wen on the top of your head.
Pure eyes shine brightly as they blink up and down.
Eyebrows and eyelashes are deep blue and long; mouth and cheeks have fine definition:
Your lips and tongue are beautifully red, like vermilion fruits; White teeth, forty in number, are like snowy agates.
Your forehead is wide, your nose is full, and you have a welcoming face.
Your chest is like that of a lion, and it is marked with a svastika, the sign of virtue.
Hands and feet are flexible and have the mark of one thousand spokes.
Your armpits and palms are rounded; nothing escapes your grasp.
Your arms are long from shoulder to elbow to wrist; fingers are slender and straight.
Your skin is soft and delicate, and the hair on it curls to the right. Ankles and knees are not prominent; genitals, in equine manner,
are concealed.
You have slender muscles and ligaments, and your calves are
curved like a deer’s.10
Unblemished purity reflects on the outside and pervades within: You are pure water, never muddied or stained.
There are thirty-two aspects like these,
And eighty special features can similarly be seen.
But, in truth, you are without a form that has or does not have aspects.
All aspects of all things are beyond the scope of the eye.
The characteristic of your aspect-embodiment is that of having
no aspects;
The characteristic of the aspect-bodies of all living beings is the same.
You are able to inspire living beings to joyfully pay homage,
To deeply, sincerely, and devotedly show respect,
And, by such cause, to cast off arrogance and pride of self
And achieve a consummate embodiment such as this.
We, the assembled eighty thousand,
Collectively bow in homage to, and together take refuge in,
The Great Sage who is without attachment, the tamer of elephants and horses
Who has superseded emotion, conception, mind, volition, and discrimination;
We bow to and confide in the Dharma embodied—The synthesis of perfection in behavioral principles, concentration, discernment, emancipation, and perspective that pertains to emancipation;
And we bow to and take refuge in the wonderfully symbolic robe.
We bow to, and take refuge in, that which is hard to give form to in thought or in word!
Your Brahma voice—that rolls like thunder, that has eight virtues,
That is pure, deeply resonant, sublime, and far-reaching—
Conveys the Four Noble Truths, the perfection of the six spiritual
attitudes,11 and the twelve-linked chain of dependent origination
To living beings according to their mindsets and their karmic actions.
The minds and hearts of those who hear you will invariably open;
They will not fail to sever themselves from the cycle of countless births and deaths (samsara).
Those who hear you will variously attain the fruit of entering
the stream (srota-āpanna),
The fruit of one remaining return (sakṛdāgāmin), the fruit of
non-returning (anāgāmin), the fruit of arhatship;
Or freedom from delusion and desire, and transcendence of cause and condition, in the status of a pratyekabuddha;
Or the bodhisattva stage in which phenomena are grasped as being without origination or cessation.
Or they will obtain countless Dharma-grasping empowerments;
Or the ability to expound pleasingly with unrestrained great
eloquence—
To orate in verses profound and sublime
While bathing and reveling in the pure pond of Dharma.
Or they will manifest wondrous abilities to reach any place, to leap and to soar,
And to move at will into and out of water and fire. Such are the signs of a wheel of the Dharma;
Thus is it pure and limitless, and hard to give form to in thought
or in word.
Together, all of us will bow again
And take refuge in a Dharma wheel whenever it is turned.
We will bow again and take refuge in the sound of your Brahma voice.
We will bow again and take refuge in the Four Noble Truths, the perfection of the spiritual attitudes, and dependent origination.
World-honored One! Ever since innumerable kalpas ago,
You have cultivated and practiced all beneficial works devotedly
For our sake—human beings, heavenly beings, nāga kings— Extending universally to all manner of living beings.
You were able to give up everything that is difficult to forgo—
Your wife, your child, all of your wealth, and your palaces and lands. As selfless with regard to inner matters as you are with material things,
You give your mind, your perceptions, and the essence of your being completely for the sake of all people.
You will reverently uphold the principles of pure behavior of all buddhas
With unbroken resolve until the end of your life.
Should someone bearing sword or staff come to do you harm,
Or to disparage or denounce you, you will be without anger
to the end.
Through kalpa after kalpa of all-out endeavor, your intensity
has never waned.
Night and day you govern your mind, keeping it constantly focused. You have completely mastered all ways to grasp the Dharma,
And your insight penetrates deeply into the core of living beings: Thus, you have come to achieve unhindered capabilities.
In total command of the Dharma, you are as its king. Together we all bow to and take refuge in the one
So steadfast in purpose toward all that is difficult to overcome.
Chapter II
Dharma Discourse
Having recited these verses in praise of the Buddha, the great-being bodhisattva Fully Composed and the eighty thousand great-being bodhisattvas then addressed the Buddha as one, saying: “World-honored One! We, the assembled eighty thousand bodhisattvas, now wish to put forth a question concerning the teachings of the Tathāgata. We wonder if the World-honored One would be kind enough to hear us.”
The Buddha addressed the bodhisattva Fully Composed and the eighty thousand bodhisattvas, saying: “Well done, you of good intent! Well done! You have correctly read this moment. Ask freely whatever you wish! The Tathāgata will be in the state of parinirvāṇa before long, and all should be made to have no remaining doubts after that. I am ready to respond to any question you wish to ask.”
With that, the bodhisattva Fully Composed and the eighty thousand bodhisattvas then addressed the Buddha with one voice, saying: “World-honored One! What approaches to Dharma should great-being bodhisattvas practice if they wish to realize—and quickly achieve—the full dynamic of ultimate enlightenment? What approaches to Dharma can enable great-being bodhisattvas to achieve the full dynamic of ulti- mate enlightenment quickly?”
In answer to the bodhisattva Fully Composed and the eighty thousand bodhisattvas, the Buddha said: “O you of good intent! There is one approach to Dharma that can let a bodhisattva quickly realize the full dynamic of ultimate enlightenment. If any bodhisattva masters this approach to the Dharma, he or she will then be able to realize the full dynamic of ultimate enlightenment quickly.”
“World-honored One! What is this Dharma approach called? What is its essence? How does a bodhisattva practice it?”
The Buddha replied: “O you of good intent! This particular Dharma approach is known as Infinite Meanings. A bodhisattva who wishes to achieve mastery in the practice of Infinite Meanings must perceive and observe that, in and of themselves, all phenomena intrinsically have been, successively will be, and currently are tranquil and empty in nature and aspect, without greatness or smallness, without origination or cessation, neither fixed nor moving, non-advancing and non-retreating. Like the emptiness of space, they are without duality. Living beings, however, thoughtlessly and falsely make polar assessments: ‘It is this,’ ‘It is that’; ‘It is gain,’ ‘It is loss.’ Unwholesome thoughts arise in them, producing harmful karmic causes. They cycle and recycle in the six realms of existence, piling up harmful passions and sufferings, and for hundreds of millions of myriads of kalpas they cannot break themselves free. Clearly perceiving this, the great-being bodhisattva must bring forth a mind of mercy and give rise to great compassion—particularly wishing to relieve living beings of suffering.
“He or she must then more completely fathom all phenomena: aspects of phenomena being as such, as such will phenomena come forth; aspects of phenomena being as such, as such will phenomena settle; aspects of phenomena being as such, as such will phenomena change; aspects of phenomena being as such, as such will phenomena become void. Aspects of phenomena being as such, an unwholesome phenomenon is able to come forth. Aspects of phenomena being as such, a wholesome phenomenon is able to come forth. So it is also with regard to settling, changing, and becoming void.
“After perceiving, observing, and fully understanding everything about these four modes from beginning to end, the bodhisattva must next perceive and observe that all phenomena are impermanent—coming forth and becoming void over and over again from moment to moment, and further grasp that their coming forth, settling, changing, and becoming void are instantaneously occurring. Having perceived and comprehended this, the bodhisattva will then have insight into the various conditioned desires of the senses of living beings.
“Seeing that conditioned desires are innumerable, the bodhisattva expounds the teachings in infinite ways. Because there are infinite ways of exposition, there are infinite meanings as well. The infinite meanings stem from a single dharma. That one dharma, namely, is formlessness. Itself not a form and having no forms, itself not an aspect and having no aspects, this formlessness, as such, is called the reality of all things. When the great-being bodhisattva has become serenely composed in this true reality of all things, loving-kindness that is clearly real and unfeigned will arise; in any circumstance in which living beings may be found, he or she will be truly capable of taking their suffering away. After removing their suffering, the bodhisattva again expounds the teachings for them, causing all living beings to know happiness and joy. O you of good intent! If a bodhisattva is able to practice this particular Dharma approach of Infinite Meanings in this way, he or she will surely realize—and quickly achieve—the full dynamic of ultimate enlightenment.
“O you of good intent! This is the deeply profound, incomparable, all-ferrying Infinite Meanings Sutra!12 Its content and principles are true and correct, and its value is supreme and unsurpassed! It is embraced by the buddhas of the past, present, and future together! It is impervious to the influence of disruptive forces and the influence of differing views, and is neither corrupted nor destroyed by any deluded perception or the cycle of births and deaths! Therefore, you of good intent, if a great-being bodhisattva wishes to achieve ultimate enlightenment quickly, he or she must achieve mastery in the practice of this deeply profound, supreme, all-ferrying Infinite Meanings Sutra!”
At that time the bodhisattva Fully Composed again addressed the Buddha, saying: “World-honored One! A Dharma discourse by the World-honored One is beyond thought and word; the fundamental nature of living beings is also beyond thought and word; and emancipation by a Dharma approach is likewise beyond thought and word! We have no doubts concerning the teachings the Buddha has expounded, but because the minds of living beings give rise to uncertainty, we put forth a question once more.
“World-honored One! For more than forty years, ever since achieving enlightenment, the Tathāgata, for the benefit of living beings, has continuously discoursed on the principle of the four modes of all phenomena, the meaning of suffering, and the meaning of emptiness; on ever changingness, nonexistence of self, non-greatness, non-smallness, non-origination, and non-cessation; on the formlessness of all things; and on the natures and aspects of phenomena being intrinsically empty and tranquil—neither coming nor going, neither appearing nor disappearing.
“Those who hear you variously realize the stage of an ardent mind, the stage of attaining the highest still-unsettled condition, the stage of attaining irreversible good roots,13 the stage of ultimate worldly perception; or the fruit of entering the stream, the fruit of one remaining return, the fruit of non-returning, the fruit of arhatship; or the way of pratyekabuddha; or the awakening of the aspiration for enlightenment (bodhicitta) and ascent to the first stage, the second stage, the third stage, or all the way to the tenth stage of development in bodhisattva practice.
“In what way does the essence of what you have just now expounded differ from that of all the doctrines you have expounded in the past, such that you say that a bodhisattva who practices the deeply profound, supreme, all-ferrying Infinite Meanings Sutra will surely realize—and quickly achieve—ultimate enlightenment? This is the matter in question. I earnestly wish that the World-honored One, out of compassion for all, would explain this in detail for the benefit of living beings far and wide, and ensure that those who hear this teaching in the present and in the future are not left enmeshed in doubt.”
With that, the Buddha said to the bodhisattva Fully Composed: “Well done, you of great good intent! Well done! You have skillfully questioned the Tathāgata regarding this profound, unequaled, all-ferrying, transcendental essence. You should know that you will enable many to benefit, you will please and bring ease to human and heavenly beings, and you will relieve living beings of their suffering. This is great and real compassion—trust wholly and completely that this is true. By this direct cause and its outgrowths, you will surely realize and quickly achieve ultimate enlightenment; you will also enable all living beings, now and in the future, to realize and achieve ultimate enlightenment.
“O you of good intent! By virtue of sitting upright and properly for six years at the place of the Way beneath the bodhi tree, I realized and achieved the full dynamic of ultimate enlightenment. With the insight of a buddha I perceived that not everything should be explained. What is the reason for this? It is that the conditioned desires of all living beings are not the same. Since conditioned desires differ, ways of expounding the Dharma are many and various. For more than forty years I have expounded the Dharma in all manner of ways through adeptness in skillful means, but the core truth has still not been revealed. That is why living beings differ regarding realization of the Way, and do not realize and quickly achieve ultimate enlightenment.
“O you of good intent! The Dharma is like water that can wash away dirt and grime. Whether coming from a well or a pond, a stream or a river, a valley or a ditch, or an ocean, the water contained in all of these can effectively wash all kinds of dirt and grime away. So it is also with the water of the Dharma: it can cleanse living beings of the dirt of all delusive worldly passions. O you of good intent! The character of the water is the same even though streams, rivers, wells, ponds, valleys, ditches, and oceans are each different and distinct. So it is also with the character of the Dharma: it removes and washes away the dirt of delusive passions equally and without discrimination; the three teachings,14 the four fruits, and the two ways, however, are not one and the same.
“O you of good intent! Although the water from all of these places is cleansing, a well is not a pond, a pond is neither a stream nor a river, and valleys and ditches are not oceans. The Tathāgata—Hero of the World, in total command of the Dharma—has expounded various teachings that are also like this. The initial-period discourses, the middle-period discourses, and the latter-period discourses are all able to remove and wash away delusive worldly passions of living beings. But the initial-period discourses are not the middle ones, and the middle-period discourses are not the latter ones. The initial-, middle-, and latter-period discourses express the same thing, yet they differ from each other in meaning.
“O you of good intent! Arising from beneath the bodhi tree, I went to Deer Park in Vārāṇasī. When I turned the Dharma wheel of the Four Noble Truths for the five renunciants including Ājñātakauṇḍinya, I was also saying that all phenomena intrinsically are empty and tranquil, successively occurring but not remaining, coming forth and becoming void moment to moment. When I proclaimed, narrated, and lectured on the twelve-linked chain of dependent origination or the perfection of the six spiritual attitudes for the monks or for the assemblies of bodhisattvas, respectively, here and at other places during the middle period, I was also saying that all phenomena are intrinsically empty and tranquil, successively occurring but not remaining, coming forth and becoming void from moment to moment. Now, again at this place, discoursing on the all-ferrying Infinite Meanings Sutra, I am also saying that all phenomena are intrinsically empty and tranquil, successively occurring but not remaining, coming forth and becoming void moment to moment. O you of good intent! This is why the initial-period discourses, the middle-period discourses, and the current discourse express the same thing even though they differ in meaning. Because meanings differ, living beings understand differently. Because their understanding differs, so does their grasp of the Dharma, their attainment of its fruits, and their realization of the Way.
“O you of good intent! I expounded the Four Noble Truths for the benefit of those seeking to become śrāvakas during the initial period; yet, eight hundred million heavenly beings came down to hear teaching and awakened the aspiration for enlightenment. I spoke about the sublimely profound twelve-linked chain of dependent origination at various locations during the middle period for the benefit of people seeking to become pratyekabuddhas; nevertheless, innumerable living beings awakened the aspiration for enlightenment or remained as śrāvakas. I next described kalpas-long bodhisattva practice by expounding twelve types of comprehensive sutras, the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra (Mahāprajñāpāramitā-sūtra), and the similes of clouds and oceans in the Flower Garland Sutra (Avataṃsaka-sūtra); even so, a hundred thousand monks, hundreds of millions of myriads of human and heavenly beings, and innumerable living beings15 attained the fruit of entering the stream, attained the fruit of one remaining return, attained the fruit of non-returning, attained the fruit of arhatship, or stayed within their understanding of the principle of dependent origination as pratyekabuddhas. O you of good intent! Accordingly, it should be known that even though the discourse is the same, its meaning will vary. Because the meaning varies, living beings have various understandings. Because their understanding varies, so also does their grasp of the Dharma, their attainment of its fruits, and their realization of the Way.
“And so, you of good intent, starting from when I established the Way and first began to expound the Dharma, until this moment in which I am discoursing on the all-ferrying Infinite Meanings Sutra, there has never been a time when I have not expounded suffering, emptiness, ever changingness, nonexistence of self, non-reality, non-unreality, non- greatness, non-smallness, intrinsic non-origination,16 continuing non-cessation, the formlessness of all things, that aspects and natures of phenomena neither come nor go, and that the four modes are the dynamic of living beings.
“O you of good intent! What all this means is that the buddhas have but one message: they are able to conform universally to all voices by means of a single sound. From a single body they are able to manifest embodiments as countless and immeasurable as millions upon millions of myriads of Ganges Rivers’ sands; then, in each embodiment, manifest various shapes as countless as millions upon millions of myriads of Ganges Rivers’ sands; then, in each shape, display appearances as countless as some millions upon millions of myriads of Ganges Rivers’ sands. O you of good intent! This, in fact, is the profound and unimaginable realm of all of the buddhas! It is neither knowable by those of the two vehicles nor reachable by bodhisattvas in the tenth development stage! Only a buddha together with a buddha can fathom it completely! O you of good intent! Thus do I expound the transcendent, profound, incomparable, all-ferrying Infinite Meanings Sutra! Its content and principles are true and correct, and its value is supreme and unsurpassed. It is embraced by the buddhas of the past, present, and future together. It is impervious to the influence of disruptive forces and the influence of differing views, and is neither corrupted nor destroyed by any deluded perception or the cycle of births and deaths. If great-being bodhisattvas wish to achieve ultimate enlightenment quickly, they should achieve mastery in the practice of this deeply profound, unsurpassed, all-ferrying Infinite Meanings Sutra.”
The Buddha having thus spoken, this universe of a thousand-million Sumeru worlds trembled and shook in six ways, and several varieties of heavenly blossoms—blue, crimson, yellow, and white lotus flowers—rained spontaneously from the sky. Also, a rain of many and various kinds of heavenly incense and garments, garlands of celestial jewels, and priceless celestial treasures came spiraling down from the skies above as offerings to the Buddha, the bodhisattvas, the śrāvakas, and the great multitude. Celestial bowls and containers were filled to overflowing with hundreds of heavenly delicacies. Celestial flags, celestial banners and canopies, and marvelous celestial amusements were arranged everywhere, and heavenly music and songs were played and sung in praise of the Buddha. Also, buddha worlds in the eastern direction, as numerous as the Ganges River’s sands, likewise trembled and shook in six ways. Heavenly flowers, heavenly incense and garments, garlands of celestial jewels, priceless celestial treasures, celestial bowls and containers with hundreds of heavenly delicacies, celestial flags, celestial banners and canopies, and marvelous celestial amusements also rained down. Heavenly music and songs were played and sung in praise of those buddhas as well as those bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, and great assemblies. In the southern, western, and northern directions, in the four intermediate directions, and in the upper and lower regions it was like this as well.
Within the gathering, thirty-two thousand great-being bodhisattvas attained the specialized focus of mind of infinite meanings, and thirty-four thousand great-being bodhisattvas gained access to countless and innumerable Dharma-grasping empowerments and became capable of turning all nonretrogressing Dharma wheels of the buddhas of the past, present, and future. The monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen, the heavenly beings, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, and mahoragas, and the leaders of empires great and small—rulers of silver-wheel, iron-wheel, and lesser-wheel domains, kings, princes, officials of state, and citizens who were noblemen, noblewomen, or people of great means—with hundreds of thousands of their numerous followers assembled together there, upon hearing the Buddha Tathāgata expound this sutra, variously realized the stage of an ardent mind, the stage of attaining the highest still-unsettled condition, the stage of attaining irreversible good roots,17 the stage of ultimate worldly perception, the fruit of entering the stream, the fruit of one remaining return, the fruit of non- returning, the fruit of arhatship, or the fruit of pratyekabuddha. Or they achieved the bodhisattva stage in which phenomena are grasped as being without origination or cessation. Or they obtained one Dharma-grasping empowerment, or obtained two Dharma-grasping empowerments, or obtained three Dharma-grasping empowerments, or obtained four Dharma-grasping empowerments, or five, six, seven, eight, nine, or ten Dharma-grasping empowerments, or obtained hundreds of millions of myriads of Dharma- grasping empowerments, or obtained innumerable Dharma-grasping empowerments—as countless and immeasurable as the Ganges River’s sands; all, accordingly, became capable of turning a nonretrogressing Dharma wheel. Innumerable living beings awakened the aspiration for the full dynamic of ultimate enlightenment.
Chapter III
Ten Beneficial Effects
The great-being bodhisattva Fully Composed then addressed the Buddha once again, saying: “World-honored One! The World-honored One has declared that this transcendent, profound, incomparable, all-ferrying Infinite Meanings Sutra’s truth is surpassingly deep, and its depth is surpassingly profound! Why is this so? Upon hearing this profound, peerless, all-ferrying Infinite Meanings Sutra, those in this gathering—all the great-being bodhisattvas, and all of the four kinds of followers, heavenly beings, nāgas and other guardian spirits, rulers and citizens, and various living beings as well—unfailingly gain access to Dharma-grasping empowerments, or realize the three teachings, or attain the four fruits or the aspiration for enlightenment.
“It should be known that the content and principles of this sutra18 are true and correct, that its value is supreme and unsurpassed, and that it is embraced by the buddhas of the past, present, and future. It is impervious to the influence of disruptive forces and the influence of differing views, and is neither corrupted nor destroyed by any deluded perception or the cycle of births and deaths. Why is this so? Because upon hearing it one can intuit all dharmas.
“If there are living beings who can hear this sutra, they will reap great benefit. Why is this so? If they are capable of practicing it, they will surely realize and quickly achieve the full dynamic of ultimate enlightenment. As for those living beings who cannot hear it, it should be known that they are ones who miss out on great benefit: even after the passing of innumerable, unimaginable, infinite myriads of kalpas, they still will not realize and achieve the full dynamic of ultimate enlightenment. What is the reason for this? It is because, not knowing the great direct route to enlightenment, they travel an uphill path full of hardships that detain them.
“World-honored One! This sutra is beyond thought and word! I earnestly wish that the World-honored One, out of compassion and sympathy for the great assembly, would explain the profound and wondrous matters of this sutra in detail. World-honored One! What is this sutra’s origin, what is its extent, and where does it abide to accordingly possess such immeasurable, inconceivably powerful beneficial effect that it enables all to quickly achieve the full dynamic of ultimate enlightenment?”
The World-honored One then addressed the great-being bodhisattva Fully Composed, saying: “Well done, you of good intent! Well done! It is just like this; it is just as you have said. O you of good intent! I have declared that this sutra is surpassingly profound in depth, and surpassingly deep in truth. Why is this so? Because it enables all to quickly achieve the full dynamic of ultimate enlightenment, because upon hearing it one can intuit all dharmas, and because it greatly benefits all living beings—because of it they will travel the great direct route with no hardships to detain them.
“O you of good intent! You ask, “What is this sutra’s origin, what is its extent, and where does it abide?” You must hear clearly and well! O you of good intent! This sutra originally comes from within the place where buddhas dwell;19 it encompasses all living beings that have awakened the aspiration for enlightenment; and it abides in any place where bodhisattvas practice. O you of good intent! This sutra has such an origin, such an extent, and such a place where it abides. That is why this sutra can possess such immeasurable, inconceivably powerful beneficial effect and enable all to quickly achieve the full dynamic of ultimate enlightenment.
“O you of good intent! Would you like, furthermore, to hear of ten inconceivable powers for beneficial effect that this sutra also possesses, or would you not?”
The bodhisattva Fully Composed replied: “We gladly would like to hear!”
The Buddha said: “O you of good intent! First, this sutra can enable a bodhisattva—whose mind has not yet produced it—to generate the aspiration for enlightenment; can awaken a mind of compassion in one who lacks kindness and sympathy; can awaken in one who is fond of killing a mind of expansive mercy; can awaken in one in whom envy arises a mind of sympathetic joy; can awaken in one who is in bondage to desires a mind that can rise above them; can awaken in a selfish one a mind of consideration for others; can awaken in the mind of an arrogant one the attitude of proper behavior; can awaken in one who is quick to anger a mind that is given to forbearance; can awaken in one who becomes lazy in discipline a mind of appropriate endeavor; can awaken in one who has unceasing thoughts a mind directed toward tranquility; can awaken an insightful mind in one who is deluded and confused; can awaken in one who is not yet able to ferry others a mind to convey them to freedom; can awaken in one who commits the ten harmful acts a mind of the ten virtues; can inspire in the mind of one drawn to conditioned phenomena the intent to transcend cause and condition; can create in one who tends to withdraw from commitment a mind that is resolute; can awaken in one whose conduct is unrestrained a mind to exert self-control; and can awaken in one who has delusive worldly passions a mind to purge and be rid of them. O you of good intent! This is known as the inconceivable power of the first beneficial effect of this sutra.
“O you of good intent! Second, this sutra’s unimaginable power for beneficial effect is this: If there are living beings who obtain this sutra20—whether a section of it, whether a verse of it, or whether a phrase—and thus become able to perceive millions upon millions of meanings, even though uncountable numbers of kalpas may pass they will not be able to elucidate the teaching they have acquired and kept. Why is this so? It is because the meanings of this teaching are unlimited. O you of good intent! This sutra can be likened to a single seed from which a thousand million seeds result. And each of these seeds, in turn, also results in a thousand million in number. In this way, the production of seeds is limitless in measure. So it is also with this sutra—it is a single teaching that gives rise to a hundred thousand meanings, and each one of these, in turn, produces a thousand million in number. In this way, meanings are produced to an unlimited and boundless extent. Thus is this sutra named Infinite Meanings. O you of good intent! This is known as the inconceivable power of the second beneficial effect of this sutra.
“O you of good intent! Third, this sutra’s unimaginable power for beneficial effect is this: If there are living beings who can hear this sutra— whether a section of it, whether a verse of it, or whether a phrase—they will gain awareness of hundreds of millions of myriads of meanings. Then, even though they have delusive worldly passions, it will be as if their delusive passions do not exist. They will not feel that taking birth or experiencing death are things that need to be feared; they will give rise to a mind of compassion for all living beings; and they will come to have a dauntless attitude with regard to all things.
A person with great strength can bear and carry all manner of heavy things. So it is also with people who keep faith with this sutra: they can shoulder the great responsibilities21 of ultimate enlightenment, and they can carry living beings away from the path of recurring births and deaths. They are capable of ferrying others even though they still cannot ferry themselves. Suppose a ship’s captain is rendered immobile by a serious affliction and must therefore remain on shore. But he has a fine, reliable vessel that is always equipped with everything needed to ferry others, which he makes available and on which they embark. So it is also with those who keep faith with this sutra: while enduring the circumstances of living in the five conditions of existence—the whole of their being constantly beset by one hundred and eight serious afflictions, one after another— they remain on this shore of ignorance, aging, and death. But they have this fine, reliable, all-ferrying sutra, equipped with infinite meanings, that is able to rescue living beings: those who practice it22 as expounded will attain deliverance from the cycle of births and deaths. O you of good intent! This is known as the inconceivable power of the third beneficial effect of this sutra.
“O you of good intent! Fourth, this sutra’s unimaginable power for beneficial effect is this: If there are living beings who can hear this sutra— whether a section of it, whether a verse of it, or whether a phrase—they will gain a dauntless attitude, they will become capable of ferrying others even though they do not yet ferry themselves, and they will gain the company of bodhisattvas. The buddha tathāgatas will always attend to such people and will expound the teachings to them. After hearing them, these people will be fully able to accept them, uphold them, and follow them without opposition; they will also, in turn, expound them appropriately to others far and wide. O you of good intent! Such people can be likened to the newborn prince of a king and queen. One day becomes two days, and then seven; one month becomes two months, and then seven; he becomes one year old, and then two, and then seven. Even though he cannot yet govern or administer the affairs of state, he is revered and respected by the people and enjoys the companionship of all great princes. The king and queen constantly give him earnest counsel and shower their affection upon him. Why is this so? It is because he is of tender age and has not yet matured.
O you of good intent! So it is also with one who keeps faith with this sutra. The convergence of the buddhas and this sutra—the union of ‘king’ and ‘queen’—gives birth to this bodhisattva-child. If this bodhisattva can hear this sutra—whether a phrase of it or whether a verse, whether one, two, ten, a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand times, or, like myriad multiples of all the sands of the Ganges River, an infinite number of times—even though he or she will not yet be able to embody its principles and truths to the fullest extent, or be able to make lands in the universe of a thousand-million Sumeru worlds tremble and shake from the rolling thunder of a Brahma voice that turns a great wheel of the Dharma, he or she will have gained the respect and admiration of all of the four kinds of followers and eight kinds of ever-present guardian spirits, will gain the company of great bodhisattvas, and will see deeply into doctrines preserved by the buddhas and be able to speak on them without fault or lack. Because this bodhisattva is just beginning to learn, he or she will always be kept in mind by the buddhas and will be wrapped in their affection. O you of good intent! This is known as the inconceivable power of the fourth beneficial effect of this sutra.
“O you of good intent! Fifth, this sutra’s unimaginable power for beneficial effect is this: Whether during or after the lifetime of a buddha, if there are men and women of good intent who accept, keep faith with, internalize, recite, and make records of this profound, peerless, all-ferrying Infinite Meanings Sutra, even though such people may be caught up in delusive worldly passions and are not yet able to rise above common daily affairs, they will nevertheless be able to manifest a great dynamic of enlightenment23—lengthening one day into one hundred kalpas, and abbreviating one hundred kalpas into one day—thereby inspiring other living beings to become joyful and trusting. O you of good intent! These men and women of good intent will be just like a nāga’s child that, at the age of only seven days, is able to gather up the clouds and produce rain. O you of good intent! This is known as the inconceivable power of the fifth beneficial effect of this sutra.
O you of good intent! “Sixth, this sutra’s unimaginable power for beneficial effect is this: Whether during or after the lifetime of a buddha, if men and women of good intent accept, keep faith with, and internalize and recite this sutra, although they themselves may have delusive worldly passions they nevertheless will expound the teachings for living beings, enabling them to overcome delusive worldly passions and the cycle of births and deaths and put an end to all suffering. Living beings that practice after hearing them will grasp the Dharma, attain its fruits, and realize the Way no differently than if they were with the buddha tathāgatas. Suppose there is a youthful and inexperienced prince. When the king, while traveling or due to ill health, entrusts this prince to manage the affairs of state, the prince, following the great king’s instructions, then leads the government officials and the various ministries, governing justly and properly according to the laws of the land. And all of the country’s citizens are at ease, following along in a manner no different than if it were the rule of the king. So it is also with the women and men of good intent who keep faith with this sutra, whether during or after the lifetime of a buddha. Even though unable to initially become steadfast in the stage of equanimity, these men and women of good intent, following the discourses given by the Buddha, expound the teachings and spread them far and wide. Living beings that practice wholeheartedly after hearing them will cast delusive worldly passions away, grasp the Dharma, attain its fruits, and realize the Way. O you of good intent! This is known as the inconceivable power of the sixth beneficial effect of this sutra.
“O you of good intent! Seventh, this sutra’s unimaginable power for beneficial effect is this: During or after the lifetime of a buddha, if men and women of good intent can hear this sutra and joyfully and willingly embrace and trust in it, realize its rarity in their minds, accept and keep faith with it, internalize and recite it, make records of and speak of it, practice the way of its teaching, awaken the aspiration for enlightenment, put forth many roots of goodness, promote great com- passion, and aspire to ferry all suffering living beings, then, even though they do not practice to perfect the six spiritual attitudes, perfection in the six spiritual attitudes will naturally come to them. Just as they are, they will come to the understanding that phenomena are without origination or cessation; they will instantly cast away and destroy delusive worldly passions and the cycle of births and deaths; and they will immediately rise to the seventh stage of development, joining the level of great bodhisattvas. Imagine that a powerful person settles a grudge on behalf of a king. After all hostility has been extinguished, the king is greatly pleased, and, as a reward, grants to that person full rights to all things in half of his realm. So it is also with the women and men of good intent who keep faith with this sutra. Being the strongest and most valiant of those who do practices, attainment of the Dharma treasure of the perfection of the six spiritual attitudes spontaneously comes to them without their pursuit of it, they naturally rout and remove the foes that are birth and death, and they come to the realization that phenomena are without origination or cessation. The treasure of half of a buddha realm with which they are rewarded is tranquility and joy. O you of good intent! This is known as the inconceivable power of the seventh beneficial effect of this sutra.
“O you of good intent! Eighth, this sutra’s unimaginable power for beneficial effect is this: Among men and women of good intent—either during or after the lifetime of a buddha—if there are those who are able to obtain this sutra and revere it, trust it, and look upon it as being nothing less than the actual person of a buddha, such people will come to love and take joy in this sutra, accept and keep faith with it, internalize it, recite it, make records of it, and respectfully embrace it. Following and practicing the way of its teaching, they will strengthen their spiritual attitudes regarding the behavioral principles and forbearance while also perfecting their practice of having consideration for others. Compassion will awaken from deep within them through this unmatched all-ferrying Infinite Meanings Sutra, and they will expound it widely for people’s benefit. If someone has long since completely disbelieved that there are things like impurities and virtues, their presentation of this sutra—employing various skillful means—will have the powerful effect of inspiring such a person to belief. Through the influence of the sutra they will awaken that person’s mind, and he or she will spontaneously experience a change of heart. With the now-awakened trusting mind, that person, through dauntless effort, can acquire this sutra’s dynamic power for great beneficial effect, and he or she will be able to realize the Way and attain its fruits.
By this means, men and women of good intent—just as they are— will come to the understanding that phenomena are without origination or cessation, achieve the highest stage of development, and become part of the company of bodhisattvas. They will quickly become able to bring living beings to accomplishment and refine buddha lands, and it will not take a long time for them to realize and achieve ultimate enlightenment. O you of good intent! This is known as the inconceivable power of the eighth beneficial effect of this sutra.
“O you of good intent! Ninth, this sutra’s unimaginable power for beneficial effect is this: If men and women of good intent, upon obtaining this sutra—either during or after the lifetime of a buddha—dance with joy and delight at gaining something marvelous, accept and keep faith with it, internalize and recite it, make records of and honor it, and widely explain to people in great detail what this sutra means, they will immediately and instantly achieve the destruction and elimination of the heavy hindrances from karmic causes and other impurities that remain from the past. They will opportunely achieve purity, come to attain great eloquence, perfectly compose themselves in the spiritual attitudes one by one, and attain various kinds of specialized focus of mind, including that of courageous advancement (śūraṅgama-samādhi). They will gain access to great Dharma-grasping empowerments, obtain the power of diligent endeavor, and swiftly pass to the uppermost stage of development. They will be well capable of widely making their presence felt in all the lands of the ten directions. Rescuing greatly suffering living beings throughout the twenty-five states of existence, they will lead them all to emancipation. This is all because this sutra contains power of this kind. O you of good intent! This is known as the inconceivable power of the ninth beneficial effect of this sutra.
“O you of good intent! Tenth, this sutra’s unimaginable power for beneficial effect is this: Whether during or after the lifetime of a buddha, if men and women of good intent who obtain this sutra give rise to great joy, realize its rarity in their minds, accept and keep faith with it, internalize and recite it, make records of it, honor it, and practice it as expounded for their own sake, and are similarly able to widely inspire both laypeople and renunciants to accept and keep faith with it, internalize and recite it, make records of and honor it, expound it, and practice the way of its teaching, then, through the energies gained from having led other people to practice this sutra, they will realize the Way and attain its fruits. Fully by reason of the dynamic transformative power of their compassionate minds, these men and women of good intent—just as they are—will opportunely come to gain access to innumerable Dharma-grasping empowerments. Still in the stages of having delusive worldly passions, they will for the first time be able to spontaneously produce countless and unlimited great vows and magnificent aspirations. They will generate a bottomless capacity to help all living beings, manifest great loving-kindness, skillfully and extensively relieve suffering, and amass acts of goodness for the benefit of all. Transmitting the Dharma-abundance that irrigates all that is parched, nurturing any living being with the Dharma’s many medicines, they will cause all to have ease and joy. Their perception will gradually become transcendent as they advance through the stage of the Dharma cloud (dharmameghā-bhūmi). With bountiful, all-embracing benevolence, and with compassion that blankets all without exception, they will lead all suffering living beings to enter the course of the Way. These people will accordingly realize and achieve the full dynamic of ultimate enlightenment before long. O you of good intent! This is known as the inconceivable power of the tenth beneficial effect of this sutra.
“O you of good intent! Such is the incomparable, all-ferrying Infinite Meanings Sutra! It possesses awe-inspiring power to the highest extent, and its value is supreme and unsurpassed! It can open the way for every being that is bound by delusive passions to attain the most sublime fruit—to forever rise above the cycle of births and deaths and attain emancipation. Thus is this sutra named Infinite Meanings! It can open the way for all living beings still in the stages of having delusive worldly passions to germinate the sprouts of all of the countless ways of bodhisattvas and let the tree of beneficial works flourish, thrive, and increase in breadth and reach. That is why this sutra is marked by its ten unimaginable powers for beneficial effect!”
With that, the great-being bodhisattva Fully Composed and the eighty thousand great-being bodhisattvas addressed the Buddha in one voice, saying: “World-honored One! The profound, transcendent, incomparable, all- ferrying Infinite Meanings Sutra expounded by the Buddha is true and correct in its content and principles, and its value is supreme and unsurpassed! It is embraced by the buddhas of the past, present, and future together. It is impervious to the influence of disruptive forces and the influence of differing views, and is neither corrupted nor destroyed by any deluded perception or the cycle of births and deaths. This sutra therefore has the inconceivable power of ten such kinds of beneficial effect and greatly benefits all living beings inclusively. It enables each and every great-being bodhisattva to attain the specialized focus of mind of infinite meanings, or to gain access to a hundred thousand Dharma-grasping empowerments, or to achieve the various bodhisattva stages and insights, or to attain realization as pratyekabuddha, or to realize the fruits of the four stages of arhatship. The World-honored One has willingly and compassionately expounded such a teaching for all of us and enabled us to harvest the great benefits of the Dharma. This is extremely unusual, unique, and unprecedented! The World-honored One’s compassionate favor is truly difficult to repay!”
At that moment the universe of a thousand-million Sumeru worlds trembled and shook in six ways, and several kinds of heavenly blossoms—blue, crimson, yellow, and white lotus flowers— rained from the sky above. Also, a rain of many and various kinds of heavenly incense and garments, garlands of celestial jewels, and priceless celestial treasures came spiraling down from the skies above as offerings to the Buddha, the bodhisattvas, the śrāvakas, and the great multitude. Celestial bowls and containers were filled to over- flowing with hundreds of heavenly delicacies that were spontaneously fully satisfying by appearance and aroma. Celestial flags, celestial banners and canopies, and marvelous celestial amusements were arranged everywhere, and heavenly music and songs were played and sung in praise of the Buddha. Also, buddha worlds in the eastern direction, as numerous as the Ganges River’s sands, likewise trembled and shook in six ways. Heavenly flowers, heavenly incense and garments, garlands of celestial jewels, priceless celestial treasures, celestial bowls and containers, hundreds of heavenly delicacies that were spontaneously fully satisfying by appearance and aroma, celestial flags, celestial banners and canopies, and marvelous celestial amusements also rained down. Heavenly music and songs were played and sung in praise of those buddhas, bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, and great assemblies. In the southern, western, and northern directions, in the four intermediate directions, and in the upper and lower regions it was like this as well.
At that time the Buddha addressed the great-being bodhisattva Fully Composed and the eighty thousand great-being bodhisattvas, saying: “Regarding this sutra, all of you should bring forth a deeply respectful attitude, practice the way of its teaching, and, with determined minds, disseminate it widely and inspire all living beings. You should always diligently endeavor to uphold it day and night and universally cause each and every living being to reap the benefits of the Dharma. In this you will truly be greatly merciful and highly compassionate. Cultivate a transcendent power of will to uphold this sutra, and never let doubt or hesitation arise. Make sure that it is widely practiced in this world in the future, and see that all living beings surely come to experience it, hear it, internalize it, recite it, make records of it, and honor it. This will also enable all of you to swiftly achieve the full dynamic of ultimate enlightenment.”
The great-being bodhisattva Fully Composed and the eighty thousand great-being bodhisattvas then immediately rose from where they sat, respectfully made their way to where the Buddha was, bowed their heads at his feet in homage, and walked around him a hundred thousand times. They then knelt formally on one knee before the Buddha and addressed him in one voice, saying: “World-honored One! We are all happy to receive the World-honored One’s compassion. You have expounded this profound, transcendent, supreme, all-ferrying Infinite Meanings Sutra for all of us equally. We respectfully accept the Buddha’s directive that, after your passing, we should be those who widely disseminate this sutra and inspire all living beings to accept it, keep faith with it, internalize it, recite it, make records of it, and honor it. May the World-honored One not be concerned! Through the strength of our resolve we will see that all living beings everywhere surely come to experience, hear, internalize, recite, make records of, and honor this sutra, and gain the dynamic transcendent power of its teaching.”
The Buddha then said, in praise, “Well done, you of good intent! Well done! Truly you are now successors of the Buddha! You are surely the ones capable of thoroughly eliminating suffering and alleviating misfortune with great kindness and compassion! You will be bountiful spheres of kindness for all living beings, excellent guides who benefit all far and wide, sources of great support for all living beings, and all living beings’ great benefactors! Constantly, with the benefits of the Dharma, be of universal service to all!”
Thereupon the entire assembly greatly rejoiced, paid homage to the Buddha, and, with understanding and acceptance, departed.
Notes
- The Lotus Sutra, translated by Tsugunari Kubo and Akira Yuyama (Berkeley: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, 2007, Revised Second Edition), pp. 4–5. return
- In the Numata Center edition of the Lotus Sutra, the characters fu-wang-zi are used to describe the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī in particular, and are translated as “Crown Prince of the Dharma” in recognition of his generally accepted historical status. In the Infinite Meanings Sutra, however, the phrase is used as a description of several bodhisattvas, so we chose to use “Prince of the Dharma” consistently in this passage. return
- The character zhang in the Taishō text can be directly translated as “vault” or “store- house.” In other texts, the Sanskrit source word of this character is garbha, “womb.” We elected to translate it as “wellspring” to convey the meaning of a “generative source” or a “source of continual and abundant supply” of the quality manifested by the bodhisattvas. return
- While the Taishō text has the characters hua guang chang (“Flower Radiance Banner”) here, according to note 9 in the Taishō, the Song, Yuan, and Ming editions do not include the character chang, “banner.” We elected to accord with this noted variance in our translation. return
- In the Taishō text of the Lotus Sutra, the same Chinese characters for this bodhisattva’s name appear at 2a9 in the Introduction, and 47c3 in Chapter Nineteen. In the first instance, the corresponding Sanskrit is Nityodyukta; in the second instance, the cor- responding Sanskrit is Satatasamitābhiyukta. Based on the Chinese, we translated the name as Constant Endeavor, but since there is no Sanskrit original to reference for this Sutra of Infinite Meanings, both possibilities for the Sanskrit name are given. return
- The exact combination of the characters of the name as it appears in the Taishō text, pi-mo-ba-luo, could not be found in any reference. The characters are transliterations for Sanskrit sounds, and through our research we determined that the most likely Sanskrit source was vema bhara, literally, “possessor of the loom,” which we render here as “Bearer of the Loom” for the bodhisattva’s name. return
- The literal translation of the characters fa men of the original text is “Dharma gate.” The concept has also been translated as “doctrine,” “teaching,” etc. However, within the contextual flow of the sutra we chose “approach to Dharma” or “Dharma approach.” The Chinese famen can be a translation of the Sanskrit dharma-paryāya, “turning the Dharma wheel,” or dharma-mukha, “mouth of (i.e., entrance to) the Dharma.” The character fa, appearing here as the translation of the Sanskrit dharma, has many shades of meaning. In each instance of this character in the source text, we translated it in the most appropriate way according to our determination of its contextual meaning (e.g., method, way, Dharma, Way, teaching, phenomenon, etc.). return
- The Taishō text shows only shao san, the characters for “burn” and “scatter,” which we took, contextually, to be a shortened version of shao-xiang-san-hua, “burned incense and scattered flowers,” which appear in a similar context above (384b3). return
- The Taishō text here reads dao pin, which can also be taken as an abbreviated form in the verse for san qi shi dao pin, “thirty seven avenues to enlightenment.” return
- While the Taishō text here reads bo chang, “curved foreleg,” we followed the texts of the Yuan and Ming editions as cited in note 14, using the characters chuan-chang, “curved calf.” return
- The Chinese character combination liuduo in the verse portion is a shortened reference to the six pāramitās, which we have rendered throughout our translation as “perfection of the six spiritual attitudes.” return
- Use of the term “Great Vehicle” (dacheng) as a description of a class of the Buddha’s teaching came into use many years after his passing. Because context and word order allow for it in this particular text, we use “all-ferrying” as our translation when the characters da cheng appear as part of a description of the sutra as a direct discourse between the Buddha and his audience. return
- The Taishō text does not include the characters ren fa, indicative of the third stage of the “stages of the four good roots.” We followed the texts of the Yuan and Ming editions, cited in note 4, which include these characters. return
- There is no traditional listing of san fa as “three teachings,” but it is clear from the context that the Four Noble Truths, the twelve-linked chain of dependent origination, and the perfection of the six spiritual attitudes—cited twice as a group in the verse portion of Chapter One, and twice referred to by the Buddha during his discourse in Chapter Two—are what is meant here. return
- The Taishō text has only the characters for “innumerable.” However, considering the context, we chose to follow the texts of the Yuan and Ming editions, cited in note 19, which give wu liang zhong sheng, “innumerable living beings.” return
- The Taishō text has the characters bu ran here, but we follow note 22, in which the Song, Yuan, and Ming editions and the Old Song edition of the Japanese Imperial Household Library have bu sheng, corresponding to the same reference at 386a12. return
- See note 13, above. return
- We follow the Taishō text here, which gives jing, “sutra”; however, note 10 shows that the Song, Yuan, and Ming editions and the Old Song edition of the Japanese Imperial Household Library have the character fa, “Dharma,” “law,” etc., instead of jing. The Kasuga version is also in accord with note 10. return
- While the Taishō text has the character gong, “palace,” we read the context according to the sense of the character in note 15, shi, “house,” following the Song, Yuan, and Ming editions and the Old Song edition of the Japanese Imperial Household Library. return
- While we follow the phrasing of the Taishō text here, which reads de shi jing, we considered the possibility that the character wen for “hear” was inadvertently omitted from the original, because the phrasing de wen shi jing, “can hear this sutra,” appears in the general text and in the description of the third, fourth, and seventh beneficial effects. The Kasuga version also reads de wen shi jing. There is no note in the Taishō text indicating differing versions of this phrase. return
- The Taishō text has the character bao, “treasure,” but we interpreted the context to strongly suggest a sense of honor or dedication, as reflected in the character in note 23, ren, “capability,” “integrity,” “role,” which appears in the Song, Yuan, and Ming editions and the Old Song edition of the Japanese Imperial Household Library. return
- The Taishō text has the character neng, “able to,” but we follow note 27, according to which this character is absent in the Song, Yuan, and Ming editions and the Old Song edition of the Japanese Imperial Household Library. return
- We follow the Taishō text here, which reads puti, “enlightenment.” The Kasuga version reads pusa, “bodhisattva.” There is no note indicating differing versions of this phrase. return