There were also the eight dragon-kings

All these dragon kings are named Joy. They were (once) reincarnated in human form and resided in Rājagṛha. When suffering from drought, the king and ministers went to them to seek help. Immediately the sweet rain fell and the rain soaked the whole country. Seeing the rain fall, the people were very pleased; hence, the name joy.

[T]he four great heavenly-kings

In the east of Sumeru is [the king] called Dhṛtarāṣṭra, in the south Virūḍhaka, in the west Virūpāksha, and in the north Vaiśravaṇa. They are controlled by Śakra-Devānām-Indra.

Sakra-Devanam-Indra was also present.

He is the second god-emperor, in charge of four regional godkings. He commands the dragons (nāgas) and demons (pretas), not letting them offend beings unrestrainedly but making them (beings) always cultivate meritorious virtues. He makes the sun and the moon shine clear and bright. He often acts as a main interlocutor who draws out remarks or sermons [from the Buddha]. Hence, he is mentioned in the beginning [of the paragraph].

They never faltered in [seeking] Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. They had already obtained dharanis, turned the irrevocable wheel of the Dharma with eloquence according to the wishes [of all living beings], made offerings to many hundreds of thousands of Buddhas, and planted the roots of virtue under those Buddhas, by whom they had always been praised. They had already trained themselves out of their compassion towards others, entered the Way to the wisdom of the Buddha, obtained [penetrated] great wisdom, and reached the Other Shore so that their fame had already extended over innumerable worlds. They had already saved many hundreds of thousands of living beings.

This refers to the conduct that took place in the past [lives].

[The passage] following this phrase illustrates the merits of the bodhisattvas through three kinds of deeds (karman). Having sympathy for, and taking care of, the weak and the deprived is what is meant by “cultivating themselves through compassion.” The word body [of cultivating themselves or, literally, cultivating body] implies both mouth and mind as well.

This word (great wisdom) refers to what they have obtained for themselves. Penetration means “[reaching] to the substratum.”

[Having reached the Other Shore] refers to what they have reached at the ultimate end.

Whereas their virtues were established internally their fame spread outward. Their merit and fame having been established, the news spread outward.

There were also eighty thousand Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas.

The voice hearers basically take the exhaustion of suffering as the aim [of life]; hence, it was said earlier that they had their bondages destroyed. In the path of bodhisattvas, in which a person sets himself to embrace all [beings] he does not stay [in the world] just to get rid of bonds of existence (chieh); he wishes only to acquire such ways to help save beings. [As such] they [i.e., the bodhisattvas] are the only people to be equipped with the magic charms (dhārāṇi) and the four kinds of [unhindered] powers. Hence, their wondrous techniques for wheeling and uplifting ̄̄̄[beings to salvation] are introduced first, being followed at the end by a discussion of the innumerable people to be saved.

Maha-Prajapati Bhikṣunī was present with her six thousand attendants. Yasodhara Bhikṣunī, the mother of Rahula, was also present with her attendants.

Listed next are the group of mendicant nuns (bhiksunis). Mahāprajāpatī means, in Chinese, [the one who] loves the path (tao) greatly.

Rāhula’s mother Yaśodharā [Yaśodharā] means, in Chinese, “keeps hearing from afar.”

They were great Arhats well known to the multitude.

All these voice hearers (Śrāvakas) had “their virtues firmly established within and their fame reported without.” [People] far and near admired them [wholeheartedly]; who did not know them? This is why their names are listed and their virtues praised.

Great [of great arhats] tells that the Dharma of the Lesser Vehicle (Hinayāna) is identical with the path of the bodhisattvas.

He was accompanied by twelve thousand great bhikṣus.

If it is said that [the transmitter] heard [the preaching] by himself, one would find it difficult to believe other factors, too. If he simply said we and everybody [vaguely, not specifically] he would not be any better than “excepted from being” a solitary [witness]. [So] he lists all the [specific] cohearers. These are all that I mentioned as [the five factors] witnessing the sūtra. Bhikṣu is a general term referring to those who are in the process of destroying evils. Why are the voice hearers (śrāvakas) listed first and then the bodhisattvas? This has to do with the difference of inner and outer; inner-directedness has a limited scope, whereas outer-directedness has no restrictions. Hence, it should be in that order. It also suggests that the Buddha’s transformative teaching covers all; starting from the near, extending to the distant; there is no place where [his] Tao is not existent. Great (Mahā) refers to the assembly of people that can [counter] ninety-six kinds [of heretical views or arguments].

The Buddha once {At One Time}¹ lived on Mt. Gṛdhrakūṭa in the City of King-House.

Even though words be in accord with li, if they do not match the occasion they will still be empty statements. Hence, next comes “at one time.” What time means is that the “subtle, triggering mechanism force (chi)” within beings stimulates (kan) the Sage, and the latter responds [appropriately and helpfully] (ying) to them; when religious interaction between ordinary people and the Sage does not miss a favorable opportunity (chi), we call it at one time.

Although there is no place where the Dharma body is not present, if the place where the preaching took place were not recorded, it would look vague and diffuse. Given that [the transmitter] had to introduce it in order to give evidence for the preaching, and there were five places in this mountain, [namely,] Rājagṛha, which is the one where the preaching took place? It was at the monastery on Gṛdhrakūṭa mountain (“Vulture Peak”).

1. I’ve used Senchu Murano’s translation of the Lotus Sutra when quoted by Tao-sheng. When he uses a phrase not used by Murano, I’ve inserted the phrase in {curly brackets}.return