Thereupon Mañjuśrī, wishing to repeat what he had said, sang in gāthās in the midst of the great multitude:

As for the way the gāthās are composed, what was [mentioned] before [in prose] may sometimes be omitted and not chanted [in the gāthās]; what was not previously [in prose] may sometimes be included in the gāthās. It is also difficult to set a standard [on what is to be chanted]. It is possible only to determine provisionally at a specific point of time what should be [chanted].

“At that time there was a Bodhisattva called Virtue-Store. Sun-Moon-Light Buddha assured him of his future Buddhahood. The Buddha said to the bhikṣus, ‘This Virtue-Store Bodhisattva will become a Buddha immediately after me. He will be called Pure-Body, the Tathagata, the Arhat, the Samyak-sambuddha.’

“Having assured him of his future Buddhahood, the Buddha then entered into the Nirvāṇa-without-remainder at midnight. “

[Consequently] they sought for the Dharma earnestly with the utmost effort. The motive for [the Buddha’s] gift to Womb of Excellence (Śrīgarbha) of the prophecy that he would later become a Buddha is to attract those with [excessive] self-esteem. If they hear suddenly that the Buddha is about to [enter] nirvāṇa, which means that there will be no Sage [to guide them] from then on, they will then immediately stop their journey in the middle of the path they have trodden. Another reason [the Buddha] conferred the prophecy of his future Buddhahood on Womb of Excellence is because people of the world, seeking after fame and profit, tend to be very fond of holding on to what is near while rejecting that which is far off, and he wanted to admonish them from such proclivities.

“Sun-Moon-Light Buddha emerged from his samādhi, and expounded the sūtra of the Great Vehicle to Wonderful-Light Bodhisattva and others without rising from his seat for sixty small kalpas.”

What he preached at this particular time he was going to continue preaching for sixty kalpas. How can this be true? This time span is used [merely] to express the utmost respect for the Dharma.

“At that time there was a Bodhisattva called Wonderful-Light. He had eight hundred disciples.”

The eight hundred disciples are featured to indicate that it is not only now that Maitreya has sought advice from Mañjuśrī, but that in the past he also received instruction [from him] as his pupil. Now he has again become the one who inquires [about the portents]: he is bound to obtain enlightenment [this time].

“Thereupon the last Sun-Moon-Light Buddha expounded a Sūtra of the Great Vehicle called the ‘Innumerable Teachings, the Dharma for Bodhisattvas, the Dharma Upheld by the Buddhas.’ “

This is cited now in order to corroborate that the present portents are identical with [those in the past].

He had eight sons born to him before he renounced the world.

The reason why the eight sons appear is twofold. First, to prove what Mañjuśrī says about what happened in the remote past, namely, that he was none other than the master of Torch Burner (Dīpaṃkara), [that is, Fine Luster (Varaprabha)], and that Torch Burner was in turn the master of Śākyamuni. As such, there cannot be anything false in what Mañjuśrī has said. Second, speaking in reverse, [it suggests that] one’s longevity [makes one] gradually open up one’s eyes.

“After his extinction there appeared a Buddha also called Sun-Moon-Light. After his extinction there appeared another Buddha also called Sun-Moon-Light. In the same manner, seventy thousand Buddhas appeared in succession, all of them being called Sun-Moon-Light with the surname Bharadvaja.”

The purpose underlying the description of twenty thousand buddhas as witnesses for Śākyamuni Buddha is to describe the transformative teaching of the two vehicles, and thus to expound the beauty of the One Vehicle. Thus he must describe a wide variety of Buddhas. Although there are many [of these buddhas,] their path (tao) is in the end one.

He expounded the right teachings. His expounding of the right teachings was good at the beginning, good in the middle, and good at the end.

[The true Dharma] that is good at beginning refers to the voice hearers (Śrāvakas); good at middle refers to the pratyekabuddhas; and good at end refers to the bodhisattvas. Listed next are those who belong to the three vehicles, and that is followed by a description of the events involved. The three kinds of transformative teaching (hua) also were preached earlier; what was said there remains true in the present case, as well.

“Good men! Innumerable, inconceivable, asamkya kalpas ago, there lived a Buddha called Sun-Moon-Light, the Tathagata, the Deserver of Offerings, the Perfectly Enlightened One, the Man of Wisdom and Practice, the Well-Gone, the Knower of the World, the Unsurpassed Man, the Controller of Men, the Teacher of Gods and Men, the Buddha, the World-Honored One.

What will be plainly spoken of from now on is simply what happened in the remote past, [Mañjuśrī] is going to describe what really happened. It is the story of the Buddha Sun-and-Moon Glow.

The Thus Come One (Tathāgata) preached freely in accordance with his aims; thus it is referred to as Immeasurable. But here just “ten” attributes are mentioned. Why [ten]? Ten represents the full and ultimate number (or infinity), with the implication that the li of the Thus Come One is perfect and faultless and that the Tao is omnipresent; hence, [the word] ten is employed.

What does [the title] “Thus Come One” (Tathāgata) mean? Although the myriad dharmas are different from each other, they are one and in a [mysterious] way the same. [Why did] the coming of the Sagely body [take place]? He has come [in incarnated form] to transform the myriad creatures; hence, the title Thus Come One.

[Deserver of Offerings] The fertile fields of ‘the utmost Tao’ can produce wonderful fruits. With both external marks (laḳṣaṇa) and ties (saṁyojana?) dispelled, he can be called [worthy of] offerings.

[Perfectly Enlightened One] There is no place that knowledge does not permeate: it is “universal.” This knowledge is not depraved; it is “right” (or correct).

[Man of Wisdom and Practice] When the actions (karman) of body, mouth, and mind are in conformity with knowledge, there is what can be called enlightenment and conduct. [The word] perfect means that as his wisdom is universal, his knowledge and conduct, too, must be complete and perfect.

[Well-Gone ] [The Buddha’s] existence and disappearance provided beings with immeasurable benefits. His trace was exhausted under ‘the twin trees.’ He was then “gone” for [the good of] beings, and beings benefited from this. How can it not be “well”?

[Knower of the World] What does [the title] [the one who] understands the world (lokavid) mean? The five aggregates (pañcaskanda) are what make up the World. The Thus Come One came to the world and untied the bonds and knots.

[Unsurpassed Man] The man is lofty; the path [to him] is cut off (or [his] Tao is absolute). No one can stand equal with him.

[Controller of Men] It is hard to regulate evils, and the immature and woeful [deeds caused by] body and mouth. The Buddha can suppress them and regulate beings. He thus can be called regulator.

[Teacher of Gods and Men] Having completely mastered the wondrous technique of regulation, he can be the teacher of gods (devas) and men.

[Buddha, the World-Honored One] Buddha refers to awakening. He was awakened and enlightened to [the truth of] birth and death. Armed with the previous ten virtues, his general title [representing all his virtues] is Buddha, World-Honored One.

“Good men! I met many Buddhas in my previous existence. At that time I saw the same good omen as this. Those Buddhas emitted the same ray of light as this, and then expounded a great teaching. Therefore, know this! I think that this Buddha also is emitting this ray of light, and showing this good omen, wishing to cause all living beings to hear and understand the most difficult teaching in the world to believe.

The second segment. [What happened in] the past is cited to explain [what happens in] the present. Even though the past and the present are distinguished, their Tao is not different. The past portents as such pointed to the fact that [the Buddha] would preach the great Dharma; [likewise] “it should be understood” that the present portents of Śākyamuni clearly signal that he is certain to preach the Dharma Blossom.