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T2122 A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Vol. II

Thông tin: BDK America — English Tripiṭaka

A FOREST OF PEARLSFROM THE DHARMA GARDENVOLUME II

A FOREST OF PEARLS FROM THE DHARMA GARDEN VOLUME II

Title Page

BDK English Tripiṭaka Series A FOREST OF PEARLS FROM THE

DHARMA GARDEN VOLUME II (Taishō Volume 53, Number 2122) Translated by

Koichi Shinohara BDK America, Inc. 2019

Copyright © 2019 by Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai and BDK America, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transcribed in any form or by any means —electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise— without the prior written permission of the publisher. First Printing, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-886439-73-3

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2019935629 Published by

BDK America, Inc.

1675 School Street

Moraga, California 94556

Printed in the United States of America

A Message on the Publication of the

English Tripiṭaka

The Buddhist canon is said to contain eighty-four thousand different teachings. I believe that this is because the Buddha's basic approach was to prescribe a different treatment for every spiritual ailment, much as a doctor prescribes a different medicine for every medical ailment. Thus his teachings were always appropriate for the particular suffering individual and for the time at which the teaching was given, and over the ages not one of his prescriptions has failed to relieve the suffering to which it was addressed.

Ever since the Buddha's Great Demise over twenty-five hundred years ago, his message of wisdom and compassion has spread throughout the world. Yet no one has ever attempted to translate the entire Buddhist canon into English throughout the history of Japan. It is my greatest wish to see this done and to make the translations available to the many English-speaking people who have never had the opportunity to learn about the Buddha's teachings. Of course, it would be impossible to translate all of the Buddha's eighty-four thousand teachings in a few years. I have, therefore, had one hundred thirty-nine of the scriptural texts in the prodigious Taishō edition of the Chinese Buddhist canon selected for inclusion in the First Series of this translation project. It is in the nature of this undertaking that the results are bound to be criticized. Nonetheless, I am convinced that unless someone takes it upon himself or herself to initiate this project, it will never be done. At the same time, I hope that an improved, revised edition will appear in the future.

It is most gratifying that, thanks to the efforts of more than a hundred Buddhist scholars from the East and the West, this monumental project has finally gotten off the ground. May the rays of the Wisdom of the Compassionate One reach each and every person in the world.

NUMATA Yehan

Founder of the English

August 7, 1991 Tripiṭaka Project

Editorial Foreword

In the long history of Buddhist transmission throughout East Asia, translations of Buddhist texts were often carried out as national projects supported and funded by emperors and political leaders. The BDK English Tripiṭaka project, on the other hand, began as a result of the dream and commitment of one man. In January 1982 Dr. NUMATA Yehan, founder of Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai (Society for the Promotion of Buddhism), initiated the monumental task of translating the complete Taishō shinshū daizōkyō edition of the Chinese Tripiṭaka (Buddhist canon) into the English language. Under his leadership, a special preparatory committee was organized in April 1982. By July of the same year the Translation Committee of the English Tripiṭaka was officially convened. The initial Committee included the following members: (late) HANAYAMA Shōyū (Chairperson), (late) BANDŌ Shōjun, ISHIGAMI Zennō, (late) KAMATA Shigeo, (late) KANAOKA Shūyū, MAYEDA Sengaku, (late) NARA Yasuaki, (late) SAYEKI Shinkō, (late) SHIOIRI Ryōtatsu, TAMARU Noriyoshi, (late) TAMURA Kwansei, (late) URYŪZU Ryūshin, and YUYAMA Akira. Assistant members of the Committee were as follows: KANAZAWA Atsushi, WATANABE Shōgo, Rolf Giebel of New Zealand, and Rudy Smet of Belgium. After holding planning meetings on a monthly basis, the Committee selected one hundred and thirty-nine texts for the First Series of the project, estimated to be one hundred printed volumes in all. The texts selected were not limited to those originally written in India but also included works composed in China and Japan. While the publication of the First Series proceeds, the texts for the Second Series will be selected from among the remaining works; this process will continue until all the texts, in Japanese as well as in Chinese, have been published. Given the huge scope of this project, accomplishing the English translations of all the Chinese and Japanese texts in the Taishō canon may take as long as one hundred years or more. Nevertheless, as Dr. NUMATA wished, it is the sincere hope of the Committee that this project will continue until completion, even after all the present members have passed away.

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Publisher’s Foreword

Editorial Foreword

Dr. NUMATA passed away on May 5, 1994, at the age of ninety-seven. He entrusted his son, Mr. NUMATA Toshihide with the continuation and completion of the English Tripiṭaka project. Mr. Numata served for twenty-three years, leading the project forward with enormous progress before his sudden passing on February 16, 2017, at the age of eighty-four. The Committee previously lost its able and devoted first Chairperson, Professor HANAYAMA Shōyū, on June 16, 1995, at the age of sixty-three. In October 1995 the Committee elected Professor MAYEDA Sengaku (then Vice President of Musashino Women's College) as Chairperson, and upon the retirement of Professor Mayeda in July 2016, the torch was passed to me to serve as the third Chairperson. Despite these losses and changes we, the Editorial Committee members, have renewed our determination to carry out the noble ideals set by Dr. NUMATA. Present members of the Committee are Kenneth K. Tanaka (Chairperson), MAYEDA Sengaku, ICHISHIMA Shōshin, ISHIGAMI Zennō, KATSURA Shōryū, MINOWA Kenryō, SAITŌ Akira, SHIMODA Masahiro, WATANABE Shōgo, and YONEZAWA Yoshiyasu.

The Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research was established in November 1984, in Berkeley, California, U.S.A., to assist in the publication of the translated texts. The Publication Committee was organized at the Numata Center in December 1991. In 2010, the Numata Center's operations were merged with Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai America, Inc. (BDK America), and BDK America continues to oversee the publication side of the English Tripiṭaka project in close cooperation with the Editorial Committee in Tokyo.

At the time of this writing, in July 2019, the project has completed about sixtyfive percent of the seven thousand one hundred and eighty-five Taishō pages of texts selected for the First Series. Much work still lies ahead of us but we are committed to the completion of the remaining texts in order to realize the grand vision of Dr. Numata, shared by Mr. Numata and Professor Hanayama, to make the Buddhist canon more readily accessible to the English-speaking world. Kenneth K. Tanaka

Chairperson

Editorial Committee of

the BDK English Tripiṭaka

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Publisher's Foreword

On behalf of the members of the Publication Committee, I am happy to present this volume as the latest contribution to the BDK English Tripiṭaka Series. The Publication Committee members have worked to ensure that this volume, as all other volumes in the series, has gone through a rigorous process of editorial efforts. The initial translation and editing of the Buddhist scriptures found in this and other BDK English Tripiṭaka volumes are performed under the direction of the Editorial Committee in Tokyo, Japan. Both the Editorial Committee in Tokyo and the Publication Committee, headquartered in Moraga, California, are dedicated to the production of accurate and readable English translations of the Buddhist canon. In doing so, the members of both committees and associated staff work to honor the deep faith, spirit, and concern of the late Reverend Dr. Yehan Numata, who founded the BDK English Tripiṭaka Series in order to disseminate the Buddhist teachings throughout the world. The long-term goal of our project is the translation and publication of the texts in the one hundred-volume Taishō edition of the Chinese Buddhist canon, along with a number of influential extracanonical Japanese Buddhist texts. The list of texts selected for the First Series of this translation project may be found at the end of each volume in the series.

As Chair of the Publication Committee, I am deeply honored to serve as the fifth person in a post previously held by leading figures in the field of Buddhist studies, most recently by my predecessor, John R. McRae.

In conclusion, I wish to thank the members of the Publication Committee for their dedicated and expert work undertaken in the course of preparing this volume for publication: Managing Editor Marianne Dresser, Dr. Hudaya Kandahjaya, Dr. Carl Bielefeldt, Dr. Robert Sharf, and Rev. Brian Kensho Nagata, Director of the BDK English Tripiṭaka Project.

A. Charles Muller

Chairperson

Publication Committee

A Message on the Publication of the English Tripiṭaka NUMATA Yehan v

Editorial Foreword Kenneth K. Tanaka vii Publisher's Foreword A. Charles Muller ix Translator's Introduction Koichi Shinohara xiii A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II Fascicle 8

Chapter Five. One Thousand Buddhas 3 Fascicle 9

Chapter Five (continued). One Thousand Buddhas (continued) 53 Fascicle 10

Chapter Five (continued). One Thousand Buddhas (continued) 103 Fascicle 11

Chapter Five (continued). One Thousand Buddhas (continued) 163 Fascicle 12

Chapter Five (continued). One Thousand Buddhas (continued) 193 Bibliography 243

Index 245

A List of the Volumes of the BDK English Tripiṭaka (First Series) 271 xi

Translator's Introduction

A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden (Fayuan zhulin, T. 2122) is a large anthology of excerpts from Buddhist canonical sources and historical records, arranged by theme. The scriptural passages, with some exceptions, were taken from Indian Buddhist scriptures translated into Chinese; the settings of the narratives they offer are for the most part Indian. The historical records excerpted in the collection are of Chinese origin, and their settings are Chinese. The collection is attributed to Daoshi, a seventh-century monk based at Xi mingsi Monastery in the capital city, Chang'an. Ximingsi was completed in 658 (Xianqing 3) and the famous Vinaya specialist and historian Daoxuan (598-667) was invited to serve as monastic supervisor (shangzuo). Daoshi had studied under the same teacher as Daoxuan (Fayuan zhulin, T.2122:354b16) and was among the monks who were called to Ximingsi (Song gaoseng zhuan, T.2061:726c15-17). The monastery possessed a collection of canonical works and historical documents. Among the many works attributed to Daoxuan are a catalogue of the Buddhist canon, A Catalogue of Buddhist Scriptures Known in the Great Tang (Datang neidian lu, T. 2149), a collection of historical documents, Extended Collection of Writings for Spreading and Illuminating the Way (Guang hongming ji, T. 2103), and a collection of Buddhist miracle stories, Collected Records of Three Jewels Miracles (Ji shenzhou sanbao gantong lu, T. 2106), all of which are dated to 664. These works must have been drawn from the manuscript canon and other material preserved at Ximingsi. In compiling A Forest of Pearls Daoshi and his collaborators must also have relied on the same collection of canonical and historical sources at the monastery that Daoxuan had used. Daoxuan's collection of miracle stories includes a set of stories that also appear as a group in a section of A Forest of Pearls, and Daoxuan explicitly refers to this collection for further details.

The thematically grouped collection of scriptural excerpts attributed to Daoshi exists today under two titles, a more extensive Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden that covers one hundred topics, and a shorter Collected Summaries of All xiii

Translator's Introduction

Scriptures (Zhujing yaoji, T. 2123), which covers thirty topics. Virtually identical sets of excerpted scriptural passages appear in corresponding sections. In the preface to the Collected Summaries Daoshi speaks of reading through the entire canon during the Xianqing period (656-660) and preparing summaries (T.2123:1a19-20). This must refer to his compilation of the anthology of canonical sources that appear in both these collections.

In A Forest of Pearls a set of miracle stories is appended at the end of each chapter, devoted to one of the one hundred topics around which the collection is organized. These stories are missing in the Collected Summaries. In A Forest of Pearls these stories of miraculous occurrences (ganying yuan, "stories of cosmic responses") about events reported in China correlate to specific scriptural accounts set in India, and they appear to carry the distinct message that the occurrence of such miraculous events illustrate the efficacy in China of the practices described in scriptures. The principal sources for these miracle stories were collections of monastic biographies and a variety of miracle story collections. Most of the latter are no longer extant and their contents are known only through A Forest of Pearls. This collection offers a comprehensive and distinctive reading of the Buddhist canon. The focus of this reading is practice. An extraordinarily rich account of Buddhist practices is offered, though the rationale for the choice of the one hundred topics around which the discussion is organized is not always clear. The sections on overlapping topics appear in a different order in A Forest of Pearls and the Collected Summaries, suggesting that neither collection followed a rigid rationale in arranging these topics.

Still, the principal practice of "paying respect to," or worshiping, the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha) occupies an important place in both. A Forest of Pearls begins with an extended explanation of Buddhist cosmology and a large section on the life of the Buddha. This is followed by chapters on paying respect to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha and a separate chapter on the ritual of paying respect. At this point a focused discussion of Buddhist practice begins. The Collected Summaries begins with a section on the Three Jewels that closely matches A Forest of Pearls' sections on paying respect to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Daoxuan's collection of Buddhist miracle stories in China is also organized around the scheme of the Three Jewels. The Three Jewels stood for Buddhism and Buddhist practices are summarized as "paying respect" to them, and their efficacy is demonstrated by Three Jewels-related miracles. xiv

Translator's Introduction

Daoshi's voice is heard throughout the anthology. He introduces each section with a short essay, identifies scriptural passages, frequently explaining their significance in comparative summaries, and concludes the section with a set of verses. It is generally also Daoshi's comments in the interlinear notes within quoted passages, commenting on specific details in light of other scriptural accounts. Note on the Translation

The translation of the complete text of the Fayuan zhulin has been carried out by three translators and will be published in multiple volumes. Volumes I-III have been translated by Koichi Shinohara. Volume I (published previously) includes Fascicles 1-7, Chapters 1-4. The present Volume II includes Fascicles 8-12, Chapter 5. Volume III will include Fascicles 13-20, Chapters 6-9. xv

A FOREST OF PEARLS FROM THE DHARMA GARDEN VOLUME II

Fascicle 8

Chapter Five

One Thousand Buddhas

(Note: This has fifteen parts:) (1) The Seven Buddhas, (2) Causes and Conditions, (3) The Clan, (4) Conception, (5) Birth, (6) Attending to and Raising the Child , (7) Prognostication, (8) Studies, (9) Marriage, (10) Recognition of Suffering, (11) Renunciation, (12) Enlightenment, (13) Preaching the Dharma, (14) Extinction, and (15) The Collection of the Teaching. 1. The Seven Buddhas

(Note: This has nine parts:) (1) Introduction, (2) The Time of Coming into the World, (3) The Name, (4) The Clan, (5) The Tree of Enlightenment, (6) The Light Around the Body, (7) The Number of Occasions of Teaching, (8) The Disciples, and (9) The Duration of the Teaching.

1. Introduction

I have heard the following. The nine continents were divided and four kinds of living beings were differentiated. The waves of ignorance contaminate beings easily and the work of wisdom is difficult to establish. These beings return to the river of attachment and drift for a long time in the ocean of suffering. The tree of thought does not grow nor is the lamp of mind illuminates. The Great Sage of the Three Types of Supernatural Knowledge, the Adept of the Eight Liberations, stands in charge of the Dharma realm with his wisdom and ultimately makes the empty space his body. His bodily form is everywhere and its size cannot be measured in human scale. His wisdom operates in everything and its function transcends all categories of thought. He cannot be fathomed by human categories. How could he be discussed in terms of this world? He wished to make ignorant people see and hear, and show the shadow and traces of the Perfected Person. Like wind in a valley that follows the roaring of tigers, or auspicious clouds that rise after jumping dragons, stimuli and responses correspond to each other. Miraculous incidents 3

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occur simply following unchanging principles—from the time the trees at the Deer Park first gave expression to the light [of the Buddha's teaching] until the Gold River [at Kuśinagara] marked the concealment of the bright light. Sentient beings of the period of the imitation Dharma turn toward auspicious manifestations. Though one thousand buddhas differ in their traces, their wisdom and path are one and the same. Compassionate without discrimination, they follow natural desires and bring benefit to living beings. Having made the universal vow to establish the buddha land, they steer the boat of compassion in order to save those who are drowning [in samsara]. Sentient beings respond to this because their capacities (internal conditions) and external conditions (created by the buddhas) match each other. 2. The Time of Coming into the World

[Compiler's] Comment: The present belongs to the world age (kalpa) of the wise. Time is divided into four periods: (1) formation, (2) duration, (3) destruction, and (4) emptiness. Of these four periods of time, the world age of formation has already passed but the world age of destruction has not yet arrived. The present is the world age of duration. One thousand buddhas appear during this period. Speaking broadly, three buddhas have already gone by. The present is the period of the teaching left by the fourth buddha, Śākyamuni. Each of the four periods is divided into twenty minor world ages (antarakalpas). There are altogether eighty minor world ages. The first is the world age of the great flood, conflagration, and winds. The present is called the world age of the wise, but more specifically the present is part of one of the twenty minor world ages distinguished within the [major] world age of duration. The Lishi apitan lun (T.1644:215b24-25) says:

Eleven world ages are in the future and eight world ages are in the past. The present Śākyamuni Buddha attained buddhahood in the ninth world age.

Question: In the present world age of the wise, the buddhas do not appear in the world during the world ages of formation, destruction, and emptiness. They choose only the world age of duration [to appear]. Again, within this world age only eleven minor world ages are still left in the future. How can it be that nine hundred and ninety-six buddhas are yet to appear together in the remaining eleven world ages?

Fascicle 8

Answer: This is indeed difficult to understand. Even the ancient buddhas had such restrictions [regarding their times of appearance.] The meaning is obscure.

Let us learn the outline of this matter by consulting the Yaowang yaosheng jing (T. 1161) and the Foming jing (T. 440). We will first record a passage from the Yaowang yaosheng jing and then confirm it by quoting from the Foming jing. There are differences in the timing of world ages. The Yaowang yaosheng jing (T.1161:664a16-27) says:

At that time Śākyamuni Buddha told the congregation, "Innumerable world ages ago in the last period of the Dharma of the Buddha of Wondrous Light, I renounced the householder's life and, studying the Way, heard the names of these fifty-three buddhas. When I heard them I joined my hands together in reverence and felt joyful at heart. Furthermore, I taught others and made them remember them. After hearing these names of the buddhas others also taught them in their turn. In this way, three thousand people recited these same sounds of the names of the buddhas with their three thousand mouths and paid respect to them with deep devotion. Thus, they could overcome the sins committed during their rebirths in innumerable numbers of world ages. The list of the first one thousand buddhas begins with Huaguang Buddha and ends with Viśvabhū Buddha. They attained buddhahood during the world age of ornamentation just preceding the present world age of the wise. These buddhas are the one thousand buddhas of the past. The list of the one thousand buddhas of the present world age begins with Krakucchanda Buddha and ends with Ruci Tathāgata. These buddhas will attain buddhahood one after another during the present world age of the wise. The list of the last one thousand buddhas begins with Riguang Tathāgata and ends with Xumixiang Buddha. These buddhas will attain buddhahood during the future world age of the lunar stations." If we follow the Foming jing (T.440:161c11-13):

In the ninety-first world age counted backward from the present, there was a buddha called Vipaśyin; in the thirtieth world age counted backward from the present, a buddha came into the world; the name of this buddha was Śikhin; in this same world age another buddha came into the world; the name of this buddha was Viśvabhū Tathāgata.

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II Question: Are these ninety-one world ages major world ages or minor world ages?

Answer: They are major world ages.

Question: How do you know that?

Answer: According to the old Posha lun (ref. T.1546:378b6-7): Śākyamuni Bodhisattva planted the seeds of good works for the primary and secondary marks of the buddhahood since [the time of] Vipaśyin Buddha. He had lived through ninety-one major world ages before he reached the present ninth world age of duration.

According to the old Jushe lun (ref. T.1559:249b13-15), because of the vigorous efforts of worshiping Tiṣya Buddha, "Śākyamuni Bodhisattva was able to skip the nine major world ages to ultimately attain buddhahood." Therefore, we know that the nine world ages are major world ages. How could the remaining ninety-one world ages not also be major world ages? In addition, according to the Yaowang yaoshang jing (ref. T.1161:664a22-27): [T]he past world age of ornamentation, the present world age of the wise, and the future world age of the lunar stations will each see the appearance of one thousand buddhas. Thus, we learn that these world ages are major immeasurable world ages.

Again, it is said in the Yaowang [yaosheng] jing (T.1161:664a5-7): If good men and women and all other beings hear these fifty-three names of the buddhas, these people will not be reborn in the lower realms of beings during the subsequent trillion immeasurable world ages. The text continues in this manner, turning one by one to the past world age of ornamentation, present world age of the wise, and the future world age of the lunar stations, each of which sees the appearance of one thousand buddhas.

Thus, we learn that these creatures pass through the major world ages or immeasurable world ages. As for the present world age of the wise in which four buddhas have already appeared, this is also an immeasurable world age, not a minor world age of duration. Since it is a major world age, there is no 6

Fascicle 8

doubt about the fact that in the present world age of the wise one thousand buddhas will appear.

The Chang ahan jing (T.1:1c19-23) says:

In the ninety-first world age going back into the past there was a buddha called Vipaśyin. In the thirty-first world age back into the past a buddha appeared in the world who was called Śikhin. In the thirty-first world age back into the past a buddha appeared in the world who was called Viśvabhū. The buddhas Śikhin and Viśvabhū are none other than the two buddhas mentioned in the Foming jing, which says that in the same world age two buddhas appeared in the world. It may be that the translator of the Chang ahan jing repeated the expression "in the thirty-first world ages into the past" by mistake.

There is also another view. According to the Lishi apitan lun (ref. T.1644: 215b24-25), of the twenty world ages of duration eight world ages have passed. There have already been three buddhas that appeared in the world. Śākyamuni appeared in the present ninth world age. Thus, in the past nine world ages four buddhas have already appeared. There are still eleven world ages in the future. How could anyone know that there won't be many more buddhas appearing in this future period? A scripture says, "Sometimes incalculable numbers of buddhas appear during one world age; sometimes an infinite number of world ages passes without a single buddha appearing in the world." To infer from this, even in a minor world age many buddhas may appear in the world. Nothing prevents this. Since the capacities of sentient beings differ in strength at different times, the frequency of auspicious events also differs. (Note: It is difficult to learn what this means. The meaning becomes clear after further inference.)

[Compiler's] Comment: The realm where these one thousand buddhas of the world age of the wise teach includes the realm under the rule of the Zhou dynasty, but it is extended to include the entire universe covering the three thousand great chiliocosms. The land in which the buddhas dwell is at the very center. This is so that the teaching of the Buddha is initiated at the center of the empty space of the human mind and reaches externally human beings in all places. Because this land is the center of everything, the vajra throne 7

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(the seat where the Buddha achieved enlightenment) is located there. Such a seat is absent in other areas. Therefore, the buddhas do not dwell there. The Ruiying jing (T.185:473b16-20) says:

This land is at the center of three thousand suns and moons and twelve thousand heavens and earths. The august Buddha does not appear in peripheral areas. If he were to dwell on the periphery the ground would incline as a consequence. Therefore, when buddhas appeared in the past, they always appeared here.

Miraculous responses all occur in the same way. This passage demonstrates the truth of our observation above.

The Chang ahan jing (T.1:1c19-2a8) says:

In the ninety-first world age going back into the past a buddha appeared in the world. His name was Vipaśyin. At that time the life span of human beings was eighty thousand years. In the thirty-first world age in the past a buddha appeared in the world. His name was Śikhin. At that time the life span of human beings was seventy thousand years. In the thirty-first world age in the past a buddha appeared in the world. His name was Viśvabhū. At that time people lived sixty thousand years. Earlier in the world age of the wise a buddha appeared into the world. His name was Krakucchanda. At that time the life span of human beings was fifty thousand years. Also during the world age of the wise a buddha appeared in the world. His name was Kanaka. At that time the life span of human beings was forty thousand years. Also during the world age of the wise a buddha appeared in the world. His name was called Kāśyapa. At that time the life span of human beings was twenty thousand years. I now appear in the world. At this time the life span of human beings is one hundred years. A few people live longer but the majority live for a time span shorter than this. According to the Zhidu lun (ref. T.1509:89c10-17) and Katyāyana's Treatise (ref. T.1545:891b28-29), Śākyamuni was to appear when human beings lived ten thousand years. He observed the sentient beings in the world but from the time of the ten thousand-year life span on there were no beings with the appropriate capacity for salvation. When the time came when sentient beings had a life span of one hundred years, he saw that their suffering was 8

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intense and that the world age was about to end. Therefore, he came into the world. These treatises therefore say that at the end of a world age a buddha makes the world flourish; at the beginning of a world age a universal monarch (cakravartin) appears; these two circumstances are different. The topic is discussed below in the section on the universal monarch (ref. Fayuan zhulin, T.2122:617a24-623b29).

3. The Name

The information below is based on the Zengyi ahan jing (Chang ahan jing, T.1:1c19-2a27) and the Qifo fumu xingzi jing (T.4:159b12-21). The first buddha Vipaśyin, the second buddha Śikhin, the third buddha Viśvabhū—these three buddhas had the same surname Kuru (Note: The Chang ahan jing, T.1:1c19-23, says that the first buddha had the name Vipaśyin [with a different transcription]; the second, Śikhin, and the third, Viśvabhū.) The fourth buddha Krakucchanda, the fifth buddha Kanakamuni, the sixth buddha Kāśyapa—these three buddhas had the same surname Kāśyapa. (Note: The Chang ahan jing, T.1:2a5-15, says that the fourth had the name Krakucchanda Buddha [with a slightly different transcription]; the fifth, Kanaka Buddha, and the sixth had the name Kāśyapa Buddha, which is the same as above.) The seventh buddha is our present Śākyamuni. His surname is Gautama.

4. The Clan

[The Qifo fumu xingzi jing (T.4:159b21-c10, ref. Chang ahan jing, T.1:2a16-19) says:]

The first buddha Vipaśyin, the second buddha Śikhin, and the third buddha Viśvabhū—these three buddhas were equally of the warrior class (kṣatriya). The fourth buddha Krakucchanda, the fifth buddha Kanakamuni, and the sixth buddha Kāśyapa—these three buddhas were equally of the priestly class (brahman). The seventh buddha, Śākyamuni, whom I now have become, is of the warrior (kṣatriya) class.

As for the first, Vipaśyin Buddha, his father's name was Warrior King Bandhumant; his mother's name was Bandhumatī; the name of the state they governed was Bandhumatī.

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II As for the second, Śikhin Buddha, his father's name was Warrior King Aruṇavan; his mother's name was Prabhāvatī; the name of the state they governed was Aruṇavatī.

As for the third, Viśvabhū Buddha, his father's name was Warrior King Supratīta; his mother's name was Yaśavatī; the name of the state they governed was Anupama.

As for the fourth, Krakucchanda Buddha, his father's name was Agnidatta Brahman; his mother's name was Vaiśākha; the name of the state they governed was Kṣemāvatī; the name of the king was Kṣema. As for the fifth, Kanakamuni Buddha, his father's name was Yajñadatta Brahman; his mother's name was Uttarā; the name of the state they governed was Śobhavatī; the name of its king was Śobha. As for the sixth, Kāśyapa Buddha, his father's name was Agnidatta Brahman (Brahmadatta?); his mother's name was Dhanavatī; the name of the state they governed was Vārāṇasī; the name of its king was Kṛki. As for the seventh, Śākyamuni Buddha, whom I now have become, the father's name is Warrior King Śuddhodana; the mother's name is Mahāmāyā; the name of the state they govern is Kapilavastu; and the name of the previous great king was Panti.

(Note: To speak from a broader point of view, there are four classes: first the priests [brāhmaṇa], second the warriors [kṣatriya], third the merchants and farmers [vaiśya], and fourth the serfs [śūdra]. The last two classes are inferior and not the vehicle for the Great Sage. The earlier two are noble and are vehicles for the birth of the truly enlightened ones. The moral conduct of the priests is pure and lofty. The fearsome authority and kindness of the warriors are widely known.)

The Zhidu lun (ref. T.1509:89c10-24) says that the Buddha was born among the class that was most honored at the time. Śākyamuni appeared in the world when it was governed by strength. He was incarnated as a warrior king to demonstrate his fearsome authority. Kāśyapa was born at a time when everyone was good and obedient. He dwelled in pure conduct and became a model of virtue.

5. The Tree of Enlightenment

When the first, Vipaśyin Buddha, attained the Way and became the Buddha, it was under a pātaliya tree.

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When the second, Śikhin Buddha, attained the Way and became the Buddha, it was under a puṇḍarīka tree.

When the third, Viśvabhū Buddha, attained the Way and became the Buddha, it was under a śāla tree.

When the fourth, Krakucchanda Buddha, attained the Way and became the Buddha, it was under a śirīṣa tree.

When the fifth, Kanakamuni Buddha, attained the Way and became the Buddha, it was under an udumbara tree.

When the sixth, Kāśyapa Buddha, attained the Way and became the Buddha, it was under the a nyagrodha tree.

When the seventh, Śākyamuni Buddha, whom I have now become, became the Buddha, it was under an apeituoluo tree.

Beautiful temple buildings do not count as accomplishments for those who have renounced the householder's life. The regulations of purity for those who have entered the Way specify pine forests and grasses as suitable dwelling places. Why is this so? The people of the world value their bodies and therefore dwell in beautiful houses. The people of the Way consider household life to be bondage and therefore abandon and reject it. None of those who engage in the hundred trades and services could have attained enlightenment earlier. The teacher who trains us is said to have been wise by birth [and his wisdom is predetermined]. His attainment of the Way, final extinction (parinirvāṇa), birth, and preaching all took place under a tree. The meaning of this fact is [that his enlightenment was predetermined]. He cut off his hair, pulled out the hair pin, rejected all honors, and shaved his head—how could anyone fail to look up to him and place their trust in him? 6. The Light Around the Body

According to the Guanfo sanmei jing (T.643:693a17-18, b12-14, 22-24, 27-29, c3-5, 10, 13):

Vipaśyin Buddha's height was sixty yojanas and the halo of light around his head was one hundred and twenty yojanas in diameter; Śikhin Buddha's height was forty yojanas, the halo of light around his head was forty-five yojanas in diameter, and the light around his body extended for one hundred yojanas; Viśvabhū Buddha's height was thirty-two yojanas, the halo of light around his head was forty-two yojanas in diameter, and the light 11

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around his body extended for sixty-two yojanas; Krakucchanda Buddha's height was twenty-five yojanas, the halo of light around his head was thirty-two yojanas in diameter, and the light around his body extended for fifty yojanas; Kanakamuni Buddha's height was twenty-five yojanas, the halo of light around his head was thirty yojanas in diameter, and the light around his body extended for forty yojanas; Kāśyapa Buddha's height was sixteen zhang, the halo of light around his head was twenty yojanas in diameter; Śākyamuni Buddha's height is six zhang and the halo of light around his head is seven zhang in diameter. The color of the bodies of these seven buddhas is purplish gold.

(Note: To enquire into the matter respectfully, there is no distinction and order of superiority and inferiority among the Dharma bodies of the buddhas. Their manifestations are different only because they follow the capacities and karmic conditions of their listeners. Therefore, when he appeared in the world Śākyamuni's color was purplish gold but a thousand monks all saw it as red. Sixteen lay believers, with their biases, saw it as grey. The difference is due to the [spiritual] differences between the monks and the laypeople. The Buddha was always the same. If you understand the matter on the basis of this example, you will be free from error.)

The Mile xiasheng jing (T.454:424b14) says, "The [Buddha's] height was one thousand chi and the halo around the head was twenty zhang in diameter." 7. The Number of the Occasions of Teaching

The first, Vipaśyin Buddha, preached on three occasions altogether. On the first occasion, one hundred thousand monks attained arhatship; on the second occasion ninety thousand monks attained arhatship; on the third occasion eighty thousand monks attained arhatship. The Chang ahan jing, T.1.2b22-24, says:

On the first occasion of the preaching of Vipaśyin Buddha there were one hundred and sixty-eight thousand disciples; on the second occasion, there were one hundred thousand disciples; and on the third occasion there were three hundred and sixty-eight thousand disciples

The second, Śikhin Buddha, taught on three occasions. On the first occasion of his preaching ninety thousand monks attained arhatship; on the second 12

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occasion eighty thousand monks attained arhatship; on the third occasion seventy thousand monks attained arhatship. (Note: The Chang ahan jing, T.1:2b24-26, says: "Śikhin Buddha, on the first occasion of his preaching, had one hundred thousand disciples; the number on the second and third occasions was the same.")

The third, Viśvabhū Buddha, preached on two occasions. On the first occasion of his preaching seventy thousand monks attained arhatship; on the second occasion sixty thousand monks attained arhatship. The fourth, Krakucchanda Buddha, preached on one occasion. Forty thousand monks attained arhatship. The fifth, Kanakamuni Buddha, preached on one occasion. Thirty thousand monks attained arhatship.

The sixth, Kāśyapa Buddha, preached on one occasion. Twenty thousand monks attained arhatship.

The seventh, Śākyamuni Buddha, whom I have now become, preached on one occasion and one thousand two hundred and fifty monks attained arhatship.

[Compiler's] Comment: According to the list given above, the seven buddhas preached and saved different numbers of people. These numbers are based on the Small Vehicle (Hinayana) teaching. When the Tathāgata first attained buddhahood he saved the followers of wrong teachings; they rejected their mistaken views and adopted the correct one; as hearers (śrāvakas) and disciples they intimately served him. The number of these people was limited to those given here. If one bases their calculation on the entire lifetime of the Buddha's preaching, in which he saved followers of the three vehicles and caused them to enter the Way, then the number is infinite. Thus Dharma Master Xuanzang says the following:

According to the view prevalent in the West the teaching life of Śākyamuni is divided into three periods; during the first period he preached the teaching of form for the sake of the hearers in order to destroy their attachment to non-Buddhist teachings and awaken and lead them to attain the Way; in the second period he preached the teaching of nonform for the sake of the bodhisattvas of minor attainment in order to destroy their views of hearers and cause them to awaken to the Great Vehicle of nonform; in the third 13

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II period he preached the teaching of both form and nonform for the sake of the bodhisattvas of greater attainment in order to destroy the teaching of form and of nonform and cause them to awaken to the Middle Way and the ultimate and perfect teaching. During each of these three periods he adapted his teaching to his audience's capacities and taught widely and without limits. Some followed the disciples of these teachings of the three vehicles, and then the disciples of these disciples, and so on, as the transmission spread. Those who heard the teaching in this manner and attained the Way were as numerous as the infinite number of particles of dust and grains of sand. The Buddha's teaching cannot be fixed in one piece of writing and cannot be limited to one meaning.

8. The Disciples

The Chang ahan jing (T.1:2c24-3b2) says:

Vipaśyin Buddha had two disciples: one was called Khaṇḍa, the other Tiṣya. Śikhin Buddha had two disciples: one was called Abhibhū, the other Saṃbhava. Viśvabhū Buddha had two disciples: one was called Fuyou (Śroṇa), the other Uttara. Krakucchanda Buddha had two disciples: one was called Sañjīva, the other Vidhura. Kanaka Buddha had two disciples: one was called Youboxianduo (Bhiyya?), the other Yuduolou (Sottara?). Kāśyapa Buddha had two disciples: one was called Tiṣya, the other Bharadvāja. I now have two disciples: one is called Śāriputra, and the other Mahāmaudgalyāyana. (Note: The list above gives the names of two disciples for each buddha. This is because they were the first among the hearers and therefore are mentioned separately from others.) Vipaśyin Buddha had an attendant disciple called Aśoka; Śikhin Buddha had an attendant disciple called Kṣemaṅkura; Viśvabhū Buddha had an attendant disciple called Upaśāntā; Krakucchanda Buddha had an attendant disciple called Buddhija; Kanaka Buddha had an attendant disciple called Svaskika; Kāśyapa Buddha had an attendant disciple called Sarvamitra; I now have an attendant disciple called Ānanda.

Vipaśyin Buddha had a son called Fangying; Śikhin Buddha had a son called Wuliang; Viśvabhū Buddha had a son called Miaojue; Kraku cchanda Buddha had a son called Shangsheng; Kanaka Buddha had a 14

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son called Daoshi; Kāśyapa Buddha had a son called Jinjun; I now have a son called Rāhula.

9. The Duration of the Teaching

The Pusa benxing jing (T.190:671c20-672a6) says:

After the tathāgata Vipaśyin Buddha disappeared the true Dharma remained in the world for twenty thousand years; after the tathāgata Shenwenfo Buddha disappeared the true Dharma remained in the world for sixty thousand years (Note: Other scriptures call him Śikhin Buddha.); after the tathāgata Krakucchanda Buddha disappeared the correct teaching remained in the world for five hundred years; after Kanakamuni Tathāgata disappeared the true Dharma remained in the world for twenty-nine days; after the tathāgata Kāśyapa Buddha disappeared the true Dharma remained in the world for seven days; after the tathāgata Śākyamuni Buddha disappeared the true Dharma remained in the world for four hundred years; the imitation Dharma also remained in the world for five hundred years (Note: According to the Shanjian lun [Samantapāsādikā, T.1462:796c23], the true Dharma remained in the world for one thousand years.) 2. Causes and Conditions

(Note: This has three parts:) (1) Introduction, (2) Scriptural Evidence, and (3) Karmic Causes.

1. Introduction

The vehicles of one thousand buddhas are bright; ten thousand spirits look up to their light. The buddhas observe beings' capacities and attend to their works. The buddhas are most holy and their love is all-encompassing. Therefore, the holy ones describe happiness in order to encourage good deeds and point to disasters to warn about evil ones. Inferior people say that good deeds produce no benefits and they do not perform them; they say that evil deeds do no harm and they do not control them. Thus, [for them] mere statements of disastrous or happy consequences are only flowery words without substance; arguments that insist that there are no beneficial or harmful consequences are believed and considered to be proven by evidence. For this reason, the great holy ones, full of great love and compassion, take pity on 15

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these ignorant and deluded beings. They widely promote the teaching of the six perfections (pāramitās) of wisdom to guide all beings of the different types of birth; they broadly declare the teaching of the two truths and end the poisonous effects in the three realms of existence. Therefore, they show infinite compassion and attend to the karmic conditions of the present age of the wise.

2. Scriptural Evidence

The Wuxianren jing (T.154:77a8-78a26) says:

Innumerable world ages ago holy people lived in a forest; four of them were masters and one was a servant. The latter was never unhappy about his status. One day he went to gather fruit and juice, and by mistake failed to return on time. Since it was past midday the holy people could not eat. Resentment in someone's mind can work as evil magic. The holy one who was a servant to the others felt the effects of their resentment and died. He was then born among humans. A brahman who could read facial features predicted that he would become a king. Later he in fact became a king. [After telling this story] the Buddha said, "The king was none other than I myself. The four holy people were Krakucchanda Buddha, Kanakamuni Buddha, Kāśyapa Buddha, and Maitreya Buddha. The brahman was Devadatta." The Zhidu lun (T.1509:116a5-16) says:

When the world age [of destruction] ends in fire everything is reduced to emptiness. Because of the power of sentient beings' beneficial merit, a wind blows in all directions and holds up a great body of water. There is a being with one thousand heads and two thousand arms and legs. He is called the god Viṣṇu. Out of his navel a golden lotus flower of most precious jewels with one thousand petals appears. Its light is as bright as ten thousand suns shining at the same time. In the middle of the flower there is a person sitting with legs crossed, and he is also infinitely bright. He is called King Brahmā. Eight children are born from his mind. These eight children give birth to heaven, earth, and people. King Brahmā sits upon a lotus flower. For this reason, because the buddhas follow the ways of 16

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the world, they are said to sit on lotus flowers with crossed legs and preach the six perfections of wisdom.

The Dabei jing (T.380:958a13-23) says:

The Buddha said to Ānanda, "Why is the present world age called the world age of the wise? It is for the following reason. These three thousand great chiliocosms were all one mass of water when this world age was about to begin. At that time, the Śuddhāvāsa deities observed with their divine eyes that the world was only a great mass of water. They saw that there were one thousand stems of lotus flowers. Each of the lotus flowers was called 'one thousand petals.' The lotus flowers' color was golden and their golden light illumined everywhere, and the fragrance [of these flowers] in the air was extremely pleasurable. When the Śuddhāvāsa deities saw this, joy arose in their hearts. Praising this vision, they said, 'How extraordinary! In this world age one thousand buddhas will appear in the world.' Because of this, the present world age is called the world age of the wise. After I disappear, nine hundred and ninety-six buddhas will appear in the world during the world age of the wise. Krakucchanda Buddha was the first and I am the fourth. Maitreya will then take my place. In this way, buddhas will continue to appear until Ruci Tathāgata. You should know this sequence." (Note: Some other scriptures give the name of the last buddha as Ruci.) 3. Karmic Conditions

The Qianfo yinyuan jing (T.426:66a16-68b15) says:

At that time the Buddha was coming out of a rock cave in Mount Gṛdhra kūṭa in Rājagṛha. He asked Ānanda, "What doctrines are the hearers and bodhisattvas preaching now?" Ānanda replied to the Buddha, "Worldhonored One, each of the bodhisattvas is preaching the conditions of his own previous lives."

At that time, Bhadrapāla Bodhisattva said to the Buddha, "I would like to ask a few questions today. Please, World-honored One, explain these things to me." When he uttered these words, eighty-four thousand bodhisattvas all took off their precious necklaces and scattered them around the Buddha as offerings. The necklaces scattered around the Buddha stayed 17

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II on top of the Buddha's head. They looked like Mount Sumeru, awesome to observe. At that time one thousand buddhas manifested themselves, sitting in the middle of the mountain cave. At that time bodhisattvas said to the Buddha, "World-honored One, what sort of meritorious seeds did these one thousand buddhas of the present world age of the wise plant in the past world for all of them to be born in the same place, together in the same household, and in one and the same world age, to obtain enlightenment one after another in order to teach and save sentient beings?" At that time, the World-honored One said to the bodhisattvas, "I will explain this in detail for you. You should now know that infinite numbers of trillions of infinite world ages ago, or again twice that long a time ago, this world was called Great Adornment. The world age was called Great Treasure. There was a buddha called Baodengyanwang ("Flame King of the Jewel Lamp") Tathāgata. The lifetime of that buddha was half a world age. After the buddha's disappearance the period of instruction of the world with the true Dharma lasted for one world age; the period of instruction of the world with the imperfect Dharma after that lasted for two world ages. "During the period of the imperfect Dharma there was a king called Guangde ("Virtue of Light"), who instructed people by performing the ten types of good deeds and was like a universal monarch. At that time the great king instructed people to recite the Pituolun (Ancient Treatise). There were then one thousand youths in school—all aged fifteen, intelligent, and knowledgeable. They heard the monks praise the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. A boy named Lianhuade ("Lotus Virtue") said to the monk Shancheng (Yaśas), 'What are the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha?' The monk answered [in verse]:

Fully endowed with the perfections,

His pure nature realizes wisdom.

Since he has achieved the superior state of mind,

He is called the Buddha.

Undefiled, its nature is pure

And forever detached from the world.

Not contemplating the world, which is nothing but the five skandhas (?), It is eternal and is called the Dharma.

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[Their] bodies and minds permanently in a state of nonaction, And forever rejecting the four types of food [that maintain body and mind],

They serve as the field of merit for the world.

Therefore, these monks are called the Sangha.

"When the one thousand youths heard the name of the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha) each of them, holding incense and flowers, followed the monks and entered the stupa to worship. On seeing the Buddha's physical appearance [in an image] they all threw themselves onto the floor, bowing their heads to the ground, and [prostrating on their] elbows and knees in the act of worship. In front of the [buddha] image they made the universal vow of bodhisattvas. Each cherished the aspiration for supreme enlightenment (bodhicitta).

"After many world ages [these youths] will all attain buddhahood without fail. They will succeed just as the present World-honored One succeeded. Their lives differ in length but when they are about to die, because of the meritorious causal condition of hearing the names of the Three Jewels, the karmic effects of births and deaths lasting for fifty-one world ages will be removed from them, and when their lives end they will attain rebirth in Brahmā Heaven. Recalling that in their past lives they heard the names of the Three Jewels, they will achieve rebirth in heaven. [At the time the one thousand youths cherished the aspiration for supreme enlightenment], one thousand kings of Brahmā gods, each on top of his palace and holding flowers of seven treasures, arrived at the stupa and presented offerings to the buddha image. The one thousand kings of the Brahmā gods unanimously proclaimed the following verse: If we pronounce the Great Name of the Buddha, [whose wisdom is like the sun],

We dwell in the good and quiet land of nirvana forever. If we hear the Name of the Buddha and remove all evils, We are spontaneously reborn in Brahmā Heaven.

We now kneel to pay respect,

And take refuge in the Great Liberation.

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"After saying this verse, each king returned to Brahmā Heaven. Bhadrapāla, you must now know the following. The king of that state who instructed people by performing the ten types of good deeds has long since attained buddhahood. He is Vipaśyin Tathāgata. The monk Shan cheng is Śikhin Tathāgata. The one thousand youths of that time are none other than the tathāgatas of the present age, starting with Kraku cchanda Buddha and leading to the very last tathāgata, Ruci. Bhadrapāla, you should now know the following. Myself and the one thousand bodhisattvas of the present world age of the wise heard the name of the Three Jewels at the place of that buddha and first cherished the aspiration for supreme enlightenment. This is how the matter stands."

The Buddha said to Bhadrapāla, "An innumerable number of immeasurable world ages ago in this sahā world there was a large kingdom called Vārāṇasī. The name of the king was Fande (Brahmadatta). The king always taught the people the good Dharma. After handing the kingdom over to his son he renounced the householder's life, studied the Way, and became a pratyekabuddha. Leaping up into the sky, he performed eighteen miraculous feats. "At that time one thousand kings of the Brahmā gods, each wearing a heap of beautiful flowers on his shoulder scarf, went to the udumbara forest and offered the flowers to the pratyekabuddha. They said to the Buddha, 'Virtuous One, please preach the teaching to us.' Then the prat yeka buddha leaped up into the sky and performed the eighteen miraculous feats, stretching his arms and showing his legs.

"Among the kings of Brahmā gods was one called Huijian. He said to the other Brahmā kings, 'I see that the pratyekabuddha upholds the five precepts of lay followers. Following the teaching of mental and bodily purity, we should perform the ten types of good deeds and contemplate the doctrine of causality (pratītyasamutpāda). If we transfer the merits of these good roots toward the goal of attaining that extremely profound supreme enlightenment and make the vow that we shall attain buddhahood, that would be trillions of times better than the attainments of this pratyekabuddha.' "Then, after the lives of the one thousand Brahmā kings came to an end they were reborn as one thousand universal monarchs in one thousand sets of the four cosmic continents in the sahā world. Their life span was 20

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eighty-four thousand years. When [these universal monarchs] were about to die there was at that time a brahman in the Himalayas. He was intelligent and knowledgeable and had a life span of half a world age. Earlier in a scripture he had heard of the past buddha called Zhantanzhuangyan ("Decorated with Sandalwood") Tathāgata. That buddha preached the very profound teaching of the perfection of giving (dāna-pāramitā): if one transcends the artificially conceived distinction between giving and receiving, one's mind will be in peace. The great holy man came out of the Himalayas when he heard about this, and visited the one thousand holy kings to praise the teaching of giving. Thereupon, each of the one thousand holy kings handed his kingdom over to his son and renounced the householder's life in order to study the Way. At that time each of the one thousand holy kings built a hut in the Himalayas and sought the supreme Way. They attained the five supernatural powers and flew up into the sky. Their life span became one world age.

"At that time there was a large demon in the Himalayas. Its body was four thousand li long, and its fangs extended eighty li in an upward direction. Its face was twelve li wide and blood-colored light, which resembled molten copper, came out from its eyes. The demon held a sword in his left hand and a trident in his right. Standing in front of the holy kings, he shouted loudly, 'I am now hungry and thirsty but there is nothing to eat or to drink. Kings, please take pity on me and give me some food and drink!' "The one thousand holy kings then said to the demon, 'We have made the vow to give everything as an offering.' They each poured water on the demon's hands and gave him fruit to eat, such as holy men themselves eat. When he received the fruit the demon became very angry and threw it on the ground. He said to the kings, 'My father was a demon and ate the vital parts of human beings. My mother was a demoness and always ate the hearts of human beings and drank their warm blood. I am now very hungry and need the hearts and blood of human beings. What can I do with fruit?' "The one thousand holy kings then said to the demon, 'Nothing is more difficult to give as an offering than one's own body. Today we cannot give up our hearts and bring them to you for your use.' Thereupon, the demon said in verse:

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II Contemplate that the heart has no real characteristic of a heart, That it is only the product of the four elements of matter. Only if one can give up everything,

Should what he practices be called the bodhisattva practice. "At that time there was a brahman in the Himalayas, whose name was Laodubati. He said to the demon, 'Great master, please preach the teaching for me. I now do not begrudge you either my heart or my blood.' With these words he took off his clothes and spread them to make a high seat, and asked the demon to sit there. Thereupon, the great demon spoke in verse: Desiring to seek the unconditioned Way,

Do not begrudge having [your] bodies or minds cut apart. Cutting them up, [you will] feel (i.e., "receive") pain, But [you] can bear that pain with a firmness that is like the Firmness of the very earth on which [you] walk. Not feeling (i.e., "receiving") pain,

There is no regret in [your] mind that seeks the Way. Not begrudging anything,

Just as if saving [your] head that is on fire, Rescue many who are hungry and thirsty without discrimination. Only then should what [you] do be called the bodhisattva practice. "When Laodubati heard this verse his body and mind were filled with joy. Immediately, he took a sharp dagger and pierced his chest to take out his heart. At that very moment the goddess of the earth emerged from the ground and said to Laodubati, 'Please, great holy one, take pity on us and on the gods of the trees. Do not give up your body and life for the sake of a demon!' Laodubati said to the gods in verse: The body is like an illusory flame.

It appears due to karmic conditions and then changes and disappears. It is like the echo of a voice:

Once the calling stops, there is no more response. It is based on the powers of the four elements and the five skandhas. Their force does not remain forever.

During trillions of years there has never been anyone who died 22

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Because he did something for the Dharma.

For the Dharma I now sacrifice my heart and blood. Do not hinder me and deprive me of supreme wisdom. As the reward for this sacrificial gift, I vow, wishing to attain the Buddha's path.

That if I later attain buddhahood I will first bring salvation to you. "After saying these verses Laodubati lay down in front of the demon and, piercing his neck with a sword he made an offering of his blood to the demon. Then he cut open his chest, removed his heart, and gave it to the demon.

"At that moment heaven and earth shook greatly, the sun lost its light and lightning flashed in the sky although there were no clouds. Five demons appeared from the four directions and scrambled to eat the offering, grabbing pieces of the torn-up heart. After they ate the offering they flew up into the sky and said to the one thousand holy kings, 'Who could perform an act of giving like Laodubati? Only if you can perform the act of giving like this can you become a buddha!' Then the one thousand holy kings were frightened and withdrew, no longer desiring enlightenment. Full of regret, they all wanted to return to their kingdoms. Then the five demons said in verse: Not to kill is the seed of buddhahood.

A compassionate mind is the best medicine.

The Great Compassionate One is eternally in a state of peace. He is forever free from the illusion of old age and death. All those who receive bodies fear others who kill and poison. For this reason bodhisattvas teach us the precept of not killing. If you now fear death,

Constantly practice the precept of not killing. Why do you want to return to your kingdoms [where you engage in killing as rulers],

Giving up quietude and seeking the noisy world? "When the one thousand holy kings heard these words, they all fell silent."

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the past buddha Dingguangmingwang (Dīpaṅkara?). Laodubati is the past buddha Dīpaṅkara. The one thousand holy kings left the householder's life and studied the Way, and they met Dīpaṅkara Buddha. They practiced austerities and then had regret in their minds; they fell into the Great Hell and stayed there for a period of one world age. Even though they had fallen into hell, however, because their minds had once been adorned by the power of their vows to attain enlightenment the fires in hell could not burn them. After this period of time they again met Dingguangmingwang Bodhisattva and thanks to his preaching they came out of hell. They extensively praised the liberation of the past one thousand buddhas and ornamented those buddhas. At the time of Zizaiwang (Lokeśvara) Buddha, the one thousand holy kings heard the names of the one thousand buddhas and, overjoyed, they reverently worshiped the buddhas. Because of this karmic condition, they were released from the sins that would have resulted in births and deaths as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges River multiplied by nine hundred million nayutas. Bhadrapāla, you must now know: the one thousand holy kings are none other than the one thousand buddhas of our world age of the wise." 3. The Clan

(Note: this is divided into four parts:) (1) Introduction, (2) The Royal Tribe, (3) The Clan, and (4) Marriage.

1. Introduction

To enquire respectfully, the lineage of King Śuddhodana begins with King Ikṣuvāku. Universal monarchs followed one after another, and millions of clanspeople shone in light, like so many leaves of a tree. Therefore, when Śākyamuni appeared temporarily in this world, he chose to be born in this prominent lineage, even more greatly manifesting its later generations. Appearing in Kapilavastu as a golden figure six zhang in height, and manifesting the thirty-two marks of a buddha, he took charge of spiritual instruction for three thousand great chiliocosms. Taking pity on those who are submerged in the four violent streams of defilement, he sends out the boat of the six perfections for their salvation. 2. The Royal Tribe

The Chang ahan jing (ref. T.1:148b8-c29) says:

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When heaven and earth were formed the heavenly deities came down and, eating food, they became human beings. Because conflicts arose human beings, after discussion, established a ruler. Electing one person as the one most honored among nobles, they installed him as the head of the kingdom to govern the people. This person was the king who became the ancestor of the Śākya tribe.

(Note: Details were presented in the section on the world ages above, Fayuan zhulin, T.2122:276c7-26.)

The Loutan jing says:

Later kings did not govern as well as the first kings and their life span decreased. The human life span used to be eighty thousand years. After this development the life span became ten thousand years and eventually [decreased to] one hundred years.

At the beginning of the world age there was a king called Mahāsammata (Darenxiang).

According to the Sifen lü (ref. T.1428:779a7-b10), there were altogether eighty-four thousand two hundred and fifty-three kings who appeared in the world. Among these were the ten universal monarchs who ruled over the four realms under heaven. Other kings cannot be listed in detail. Only the names of the seven ancestors of the Tathāgata are listed. The Wufen lü (T.1421:101a10-12, b13-16) says:

There was a past king called Yumo (Okkāka; Ikṣuvāku) (Note: The Sifen lü, T.1428:779b1, calls him Yishimo.) This king had four sons: the first was called Zhaomu (Okkāmukha) (Note: The Chang ahan jing, T.1:82c23, calls him Mianguang.), the second was called Congmu (Karaṇḍaka) (Note: The same scripture calls him Shizhong [Xiangshi; Hastikaśīrṣa?].), the third was called Tiaoxiang (Tiaofuxiang; Hastinikāṣi) (Note: The same scripture calls him Luzhi.), and the fourth was called Nilou (Nirpura). (Note: The same scripture calls him Zhuangyan.) King Nilou had a son called Wutouluo. King Wutouluo had a son called Jutouluo. King Jutouluo had a son called Shixiuluo. King Shixiuluo had four sons: the first was called Jingfan (Śuddhodana), the second Bofan, the third Hufan (Drotodana), and the fourth Ganlufan (Amṛtādana). 25

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II The Chang ahan jing (ref. T.1.149a1-2), the Sifen lü (ref. T.1428:779b9-10), and other sources say that King Siṃhahanu had four sons: the first was called King Śuddhodana and he had two sons (Note: One was the Bodhisattva and the other Nanda.); the second was called Bofan and he had two sons (Note: One was Devadatta and the other Ānanda.); the third was called King Drotodana and he had two sons (Note: One was Mahānāma and the other Aniruddha.); and the fourth was called Amṛtādana and he had two sons. (Note: One was Suopo and the other Bhadrika.)

The Zhidu lun (T.1509:83b28-29, c3) says, "King Siṃhahanu had a daughter called Ganluwei (Amṛtā) and she had a son called Shipoluo (Sīvali)." According the Za ahan jing (ref. T.99:277b6-27), "The son of the Worldhonored One's aunt was called the monk Tiṣyā." The Fenbie gongde lun (T.1507:34b10) says:

Ānanda had a sister who left the householder's life and became a nun. (Note: The source does not give her name.) She disliked Kāśyapa who had disparagingly called Ānanda a small child.

The Dafangbian jing (T.156:136c13-15) says:

From the beginning of the world age, each successor in the lineage of [King] Śuddhodana became a universal monarch. Those in the last two generations, however, did not become universal monarchs but became the kings of this world (Jambudvīpa).

The Youposaijie jing (T.1488:1039a18-22) says:

I first had the thought of enlightenment under [the ancient] Śākya Buddha, then spent the first of the three infinitely long [world ages] (asaṃkhyeya kalpas) required before attaining buddhahood under Baoding Buddha, the second under Dīpaṅkara, and the third under Kāśyapa [Buddha]. ([Compiler's] Note: The Jushe lun (T.1558:95a26-27) says that going backward, the Buddha] encountered Vipaśyin Buddha, Dīpaṅkara Buddha, and Ratnaśikhin Buddha. [In this case, the Buddha [must have] fulfilled the three infinitely long periods [of practice] under Vipaśyin Buddha, and he would have had finished fulfilling them well before the time of Kāśyapa. The scripture and the treatise disagree on this point, yet both have their own 26

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separate sources. Truly, because of the Śākya clan's unprecedented nobility, they had planted the seeds of merit earlier and they now receive their good retribution.)

3. The Clan

The Shieryou jing (T.195:146a6-146b5) says:

An immeasurable period of time ago the Bodhisattva became a king. When he lost his father and mother early in his life, he abdicated the throne and gave the kingdom to his brother in order to seek the Way. From a great distance he saw a brahman whose name was Gautama. So the Bodhisattva followed the brahman and studied the Way. The brahman said, "Take off your royal apparel and dress like me, and accept the surname Gautama." Thereupon, the Bodhisattva accepted the name Gautama, went deep into the mountains, subsisted on berries and water, and sat in meditation, calming his thoughts. The Bodhisattva wandered around almsbegging and eventually reached his [former] kingdom, but none of the officials and the people recognized him and they called him "small Gautama." The Bodhisattva built a residence in Ikṣuvāku Garden. (Note: The Fosoxingzan jing [Buddhacarita, T.192:1a8-9], speaks of "the descendant of Ikṣuvāku." Since King Wushengjing of the Śākya clan was endowed with both talent and virtue, he was called Śuddhodana. Śuddhodana's distant ancestor was a descendant of Gautama. Because the clan had lived in Ikṣuvāku Garden earlier, the scripture regards the king as "a descendant of Ikṣuvāku.") There [the Bodhisattva] meditated by himself. At that time five hundred thieves stole objects from the palace and their escape route passed by the Bodhisattva's hut. The next day people captured the thieves and since their footprints were found near the Bodhisattva's residence, the people detained the Bodhisattva. One after another, as dictated by law, the bodies of the thieves were pierced with a wooden pillar that was raised up in the sky for all to see. Blood flowed down to the ground. The brahman teacher Great Gautama saw this with his divine eye and immediately came flying, using his magical power. He asked, "What is the crime you committed to receive this cruel punishment? You have no descendants. How will your family line be continued?" The Bodhisattva answered, "My life is about to end. How can I speak about my 27

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descendants?" The king ordered his attendants to shoot the Bodhisattva with their bows and arrows to kill him. The brahman teacher Gautama, in great sorrow, wept and placed the corpse in a coffin. He collected the blood on the ground and formed it into balls with soil. He placed these balls in two vessels and took them back to the deceased Gautama's residence. The blood that had been on the left side of the corpse was placed in the vessel to the left and the blood from the right side in the vessel to the right. The brahman teacher Great Gautama said, "If the religious aspiration of this practitioner of the Way was sincere, the gods in the heavens will transform this blood into human beings." Ten days later, the blood in the left vessel became a man and that in the right vessel became a woman. Thereupon, they were given the surname Gautama. They were also given the name Sheyi (Note: Sheyi is an aristocratic name for the Western Region.)

Blood becoming a human being—this is an event in the past. I cannot explain this transformation in detail here because it would require a long discussion. The Pusa benxing jing (T.190:674a23. b4-c2) says:

Before King Ikṣuvāku ("Sugar Cane") was a king called Damaocao ("Great Miscanthus Grass"). He entrusted the throne to his ministers. People surrounded the king as he left the city. The king shaved his head, cut off his beard, and put on the robes of [mendicants,] those who have renounced the householder's life. After renouncing the householder's life the king upheld the precepts and, maintaining purity, he practiced with great concentration and effort, thus mastering the four degrees of dhyāna (meditative trance states) and became endowed with the five supernatural powers. He became a royal sage and lived for an extremely long time. Reaching a great age, he began to decline physically; he lost his vigor and his back became bent. He could not walk very far even if he used a staff. At that time the royal sage had many disciples. Once his disciples were about to travel to the east and to the west, seeking food and drink. They collected soft grass, put it in a basket, placed the royal sage in the basket, and then hung the basket from a tree branch. Why did they do this? Because they feared that insects and animals might come and bother the royal sage. 28

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After the disciples left to beg for almsfood, a hunter who had been wandering in the fields and mountains saw the royal sage from a distance. He thought that what he saw was a swan and he shot at him. The royal sage was hit, two drops of blood fell on the ground, and he immediately died. The disciples came back from almsbegging and saw that the royal sage had been shot and had died. They also saw the two drops of blood on the ground. Immediately they lowered the basket and placed the king on the ground. Gathering firewood they cremated the king's corpse, collected the bones, and built a stupa. They also offered various kinds of fine incense and flowers at the stupa. With reverence and praise, they completed their devotions to the royal sage.

Just at the places where the two drops of blood had fallen on the ground two sugarcanes sprouted. In time they grew and when the sugarcanes had matured, the sun scorched them and split them open. A boy came out of one of the canes, and a girl came out of the other. They were wonderfully handsome, more attractive than anyone else in the world. The disciples then thought, "When the royal sage lived in this world he did not have any children. These two children are the descendants of the royal sage. We shall look after them."

The disciples reported this event to the ministers. They then called in a great brahman who could read facial features. The ministers ordered the brahman to read the facial features of the two children and also to choose names for them. The brahman said, "Since this boy was born when the sun scorched the mature sugarcane and made it split open, his first name will be Shansheng ("Good Birth"; Sujāta). Also, because he was born from sugarcane his second name will be Kanzhesheng ("Sugarcane-born"; Ikṣuvāku). Furthermore, because he was born when the sun scorched the sugarcane, he will be called Rizhong ("Sun Seed/Lineage"). The circumstances of the birth of the girl were entirely the same. Therefore, we shall name her Shanxian ("Good and Wise"; Subhadrā?). We shall also name her Shuibo ("Water Wave"). The ministers then accepted the boy who was born from the sugarcane, and at an early age anointed him as their king. When the girl Shanxian became old enough to serve him, they honored her as the first queen. 29

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II 4. Marriage

The Pusa benxing jing (T.190:676a6-b8) says:

At that time not far from the city of Kapilavastu was another city called Devadaha. In that city a very wealthy man of the Śākya clan, named Suprabuddha, lived. He was extremely wealthy and had accumulated a great deal of rare treasures. Because of his great wealth, he wielded awesome authority. Everything went as he wished without any effort on his part; there was no area in which he suffered from any shortage. His residence was just like the palace of the deity Vaiśravaṇa. This elder of the Śākya clan had eight daughters: the first was called Weiyi, the second Wubiyi, the third Dayi, the fourth Wubianyi, the fifth Fayi, the sixth Heiniu, the seventh Shouniu, and the eighth Mahāprajāpatī (Note: In Chinese, Dahui ["Great Wisdom"]; she was also called Fantian [Brahmadevī].) Dahui (Brahmadevī; Mahāprajāpatī) was the youngest of the daughters. The day she was born brahman teachers capable of reading physiological features examined her body and said, "If this girl marries and gives birth to a boy, he will without fail become an universal monarch and rule over the four continents under heaven. He will obtain the seven treasures of the universal monarch without any effort and he will be endowed with one thousand children. He will govern people without the use of whips and sticks."

When the daughter of Suprabuddha grew up and was of age to be married, King Śuddhodana heard that a very wealthy man of his own Śākya clan had eight daughters who were incomparably beautiful, and that a reader of physiological features had predicted that one of them would give birth to a noble child. When King Śuddhodana heard this he said, "I should seek out this woman and make her my queen, so that my lineage of Ikṣuvāku universal monarchs will not be terminated." (Note: This is the view of the Vinaya specialists. They also say that Dahui (Mahāprajāpatī) is the mother of the Bodhisattva. The text of the avadāna scripture says, "King Śuddhodana is my father; Lady Māyā is my mother." [This view of the] avadāna scripture is borne out through the examination of various scriptures.) King Śuddhodana sent a messenger to visit the house of the great elder Suprabuddha, requesting that Mahāprajāpatī become his queen, to be 30

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called Prajāpati (Note: This word means "root of life.") Suprabuddha said to the messenger, "Good messenger, on my behalf ask the king this question. I have eight daughters. The first is called Weiyi and so on. The eighth daughter is called Mahāprajāpatī. Why does the great king ask for the youngest? The great king must wait until I have taken care of the seven older daughters. Only then will I give him my youngest daughter, Mahā prajā patī, to become his queen." At this, King Śuddhodana sent the messenger back with the following message: "I will not wait until you marry the seven older daughters one by one before I take Mahāprajāpatī as my queen. I will take all of your eight daughters." Suprabuddha, a man of the Śākya clan, then replied to the great king, "If this is your wish, I will obey the king's order. Please take my daughters at your convenience." King Śuddhodana sent men to bring the eight daughters to the palace. When they arrived at the palace, he took two daughters as his queens. The name of the first of these two daughters was Weiyi and the second was Mahāprajāpatī. He gave the remaining six daughters to his three younger brothers, two daughters for each brother. Each brother married the two daughters given to him and made them princesses. Then King Śuddhodana brought the daughters into the inner chambers of his palace and enjoyed to his content the pleasures they gave him. He followed the laws of kingship in governance and brought spiritual guidance to the realm under his rule. The Pusa benxing jing (T.190:674c3-675c24) says:

At that time King Ikṣuvāku had a second queen. She was incomparably beautiful and bore four sons: the first was called Jumen (Ulkāmukha), the second Jinse (Kanakavarman), the third Xiangzhong (Hastinikāṣi), and the fourth Biecheng (Nirpura). The first queen, Shanxian (Subhadrā), had only one son called Changshou (Jantu). He was extremely good-looking; few in the world could compete with him in appearance. However, his facial structure was such that it clearly indicated that he was not suited to becoming a king.

At that time Queen Shanxian entertained the following thought, "The king of the Ikṣuvāku clan already has four sons. These brothers, Jumen and the others, are a strong group. I have only one son, and while he is extremely handsome and there is no one to compete with him in that 31

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regard, his features show that he is not suitable to become a king. By what means can I assure that this child of mine succeeds to the throne?" She also thought, "The present King Ikṣuvāku is now with me. He loves me greatly and is deeply attached to me, reveling in this emotion without any self-control. I will now make myself up as elaborately as I know how and cause the king to become besotted with love and desire for me. Once I induce this condition in him I will make my request to him in private." Having entertained this thought, she decorated herself as described above, and she was incomparably beautiful. Queen Shanxian went to the king, and when the king saw her approaching he felt great love and was overcome by desire. Seeing that the king was feeling such desire, the king and the queen [had sexual relations]. The queen said to the king, "Great king, you should know that I am now going to make a request. Please grant it to me." The king said, "Great queen, I will follow your wish without resistance. I will grant you whatever you want." The queen then said to the king again, to make sure, "After you have granted me my request you must not change your mind and regret that you have given me my wish." The king said, "If I grant the queen's request and regret it later on, may my head split into seven pieces." The queen said, "Great king, please expel your four sons, Jumen and the others, and make my son Changshou the king." King Ikṣuvāku immediately said to the queen, "These four sons of mine have not committed any crime. Are there any inauspicious signs in the kingdom that indicate they should not be allowed to stay?" The queen, in turn, said again, "The king has already made a solemn vow, saying that if he changed his mind and regretted granting my wish, his head should split into seven pieces." The king told the queen, "As I promised, I grant the queen's request."

After the night was over and the morning came, King Ikṣuvāku gathered the four brothers together and gave them this royal order: "You, my four sons, must leave the territory I govern. You must not live here. Go far away to another kingdom." The four boys knelt on their right knees and, holding their palms together, said to their father, "Great king! You must know that we four have not committed any crime. We are free from blame. Why does our father, the king, suddenly expel us, banishing us beyond the limits of his kingdom?" The king said, "I know you have not 32

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in fact committed any crime. It was not my idea to impose expulsion on you. It was the idea of great queen Shanxian. The queen begged me to grant this request. I did not refuse her request, so I now order you to leave the kingdom." Thereupon, each of the mothers of the four princes begged for permission to leave with her son. The king answered the ladies, "Go if you wish." Then the relatives of the four ladies, the ministers, and some common people said to the king, "If you order these four sons to leave the kingdom, we who are your subjects also wish to leave with them." The king said, "You may leave if you wish."

Then King Ikṣuvāku said to the princes, "From now on, when you wish to marry, you must not take a wife from another clan. You must take a wife who has the same surname as yourself. You must not let the lineage and surname of Ikṣuvāku die out."

Having received this instruction from their father, the king, each of the four princes left with his own mother and her relatives, their property and carriages, and went northward. When they arrived at the base of the Himalayas, they stopped for a while. There was a large river called Bhāgīrathī. After crossing the river, they climbed to the top of the Himalayas, where they roamed around and stayed for a long time. The river below was broad and peaceful and the ground was flat, without deep valleys or sharp hills. Soft and fine grass, clean and lovely, covered the ground everywhere. Trees, flowering and bearing fruit, grew densely over a large area. When the princes saw all of this they said to each other, "We should build a city here and govern it."

After the princes established secure living conditions, they remembered the words of their father, the king, who had instructed them to find wives to marry from their own clan. Since they could not find such women outside they married their own aunts and sisters with all the proper ceremony. They did this first to obey the king's instruction and second to prevent the lineage of the Śākya clan from being mixed with other clans, which would destroy the purity of their lineage.

One day the king of the Ikṣuvāku clan of the sun lineage invited a great brahman state teacher, "Great brahman, where are my four princes now?" The state teacher said, "Great king, you should know that your four sons left the kingdom and went northward. Now they have [married 33

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and their wives have] given birth to handsome male and female children." Then King Ikṣuvāku wanted to see them because he loved his four sons, the princes. He became very happy and said, "These princes are capable of managing state affairs and they will govern very well." In this way the four princes established the surname Śākya. Because the Śākya people lived in the shade of the spreading branches of a great tree, they were called Śākhiya. Because they originated from where the Kapila ascetics lived, their city was called Kapilavastu ("Dwelling Place of the Kapilas"). Then three of the sons of King Ikṣuvāku died and only one son was left, whose name was Nirpura. (Note: Biecheng in Chinese.) The Chang ahan jing (T.1:82c25-83a5) says:

They lived in a forest of straight trees, which was also called by the name Shilin ("Śākya Forest"). The name of the forest was used as their surname. The text also says that when their father, the king, heard that the four sons were handsome, he said that they were true Śākya sons. 4. Conception

(Note: This has six parts:) (1) Introduction, (2) Signs of Decline in Heaven, (3) Contemplating Capacities, (4) Manifestation of Auspicious Signs, (5) Descending into the Womb, and (6) Guidance.

1. Introduction

When a sincere mind is stimulated from within, true enlightenment will soon occur. When the external powers of the physical body are destroyed, the spiritual body (dharmakāya) is very near at hand. For this reason, Śākyamuni Buddha, the original teacher, followed karmic conditions and adapted to the capacities of sentient beings. Taking pity on that burning house that was already engulfed in flames, sharing the pain of the endless miasma that is the flow of desire, he embodied himself in the palace of King [Śuddhodana], and descended into [Queen] Māyā's womb. He radiated golden light and dispelled the darkness of ignorance. He dwelled in this world of the three poisons (greed, anger, and ignorance) and exposed the falsity of the picturebook life of the palace. Going out of the four gates, he warned of the transience of floating clouds (i.e., this world).

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2. Signs of Decline in Heaven

The Yinguo jing (T.189:623a24-624a16) says:

At that time Shanhui (Sumedha) Bodhisattva's practice had been completed, and he had ascended to the tenth stage. In his last birth he was nearing the complete wisdom of the buddhas. Born in Tuṣita Heaven, he was called Shengshan. To the heavenly rulers he taught the practice of those who occupy the rank of the last birth before achieving the goal and appeared in many different forms in many lands in all directions, in order to properly preach to sentient beings according to their circumstances. When the time approached for him to descend and become the Buddha, he contemplated the following five things. First, he contemplated whether the capacities of sentient beings had matured or not. Second, he contemplated whether the appropriate time had arrived or not. Third, he contemplated which kingdom among many was located at the center. Fourth, he contemplated which clan and tribe among many clans and tribes was most prosperous. Fifth, he contemplated past karmic causes and conditions to determine who had the true qualifications to become his parents. After he had contemplated these five things and was reborn [in the world] below he would no longer be able to benefit the gods in heaven. He then manifested five signs in the heavenly palace in order to let the gods know that the time had arrived for the Bodhisattva to descend and attain buddhahood. The first sign was that the Bodhisattva's eyes fluttered. The second sign was that the flowers on his head wilted. The third sign was that his clothing became covered with dust. The fourth sign was sweat that appeared under his armpits. The fifth sign was that he was not comfortable sitting on his own seat. When gods saw the Bodhisattva manifest these unusual signs they were frightened, and blood poured out like rain from all the pores of their skin. They said to each other, "The Bodhisattva will soon leave us!" At that time the Bodhisattva also manifested five auspicious signs. First, he sent forth light to illuminate the three thousand great chiliocosms. Second, the earth moved in eighteen ways; Mount Sumeru, the waters of the ocean, and the heavenly palace buildings all shook and quaked. Third, the palatial buildings of the māras disappeared. Fourth, the sun, moon, and stars lost their light. Fifth, the eight categories of supernatural beings in the universe all trembled and could not control themselves. 35

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II When these deities saw that the Bodhisattva's body had already manifested the five signs and also that the five extraordinary events had occurred in the universe, they all gathered at the Bodhisattva's place. They knelt before him, touching their heads to his feet to show their respect for him, and said, "Venerable One, today we have seen these signs and our bodies tremble all over; we cannot rest in peace. Please explain the meaning of these events in terms of karmic causes and conditions." Answering the gods, the Bodhisattva said, "Good sons, you should know that all conditioned things are impermanent. Now I am about to leave this heavenly palace to be born in the world (i.e., Jambudvīpa)." When the gods heard these words they cried loudly, weeping tears. They were greatly distressed. Blood appeared all over their bodies and they writhed in agony on the ground. In this way, they lamented the impermanence of all things. Then one deity spoke in verse:

The Bodhisattva was here and opened our spiritual eyes. Now he is about to leave us far behind.

We are like the blind who have lost their guide. Or like those who were about to cross a river and suddenly lost their bridge or ferryboat.

We are also like orphans who have lost their loving mother. We are like all these, having lost our place of refuge, drifting aimlessly along the current of life and death. There is absolutely no condition under which we can escape this roiling current.

Our life is like a long night.

Having been pierced by the arrow of ignorance, we are losing the great King of Physicians.

Who else can save us now?

Asleep on a bed of ignorance, forever drowning in the ocean of love and desire,

If we are forever deprived of the teaching of the Venerable One, We cannot see any hope of ever escaping from this world. The Bodhisattva then replied in verse:

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I will not stay here for long.

I am about to descend into the world [of Jambudvīpa]. In the kingdom of Kapilavastu,

I will be born in the palace of King Śuddhodana.

Then, taking leave of my parents and relatives, renouncing the throne of the universal monarch,

I will leave the householder's life and pursue the spiritual path. Achieving the complete wisdom of a buddha,

I will establish the banner of the right Dharma.

Able to terminate desires as vast and endless as the ocean and closing the gate to the realms of inferior births, I will open the eightfold correct path of purity and benefit for all gods and humans, infinite in number.

These developments, caused by karmic causes and conditions, should not cause you anxiety and distress.

The Zhidu lun (T.1509:89b26-c9) says:

Question: Why was the Bodhisattva born in Tuṣita Heaven, and not in higher or lower heavens? This person of great merits and virtues should have been free to be born anywhere.

Answer: Some people say that it is because the karmic effects matured in this way that he had to be reborn in the middle heaven. They also say that bondage in the lower heavens is heavy and impure, while bondage in the higher heavens is excessively sharp. In the case of Tuṣita Heaven, [the bondage of this heaven] is neither too heavy nor too sharp and the wisdom of the Bodhisattva is safe and secure there. Some also say that the Buddha did not wish to miss the time for appearing in the world. If he had been born in the lower heavens, because the life span in those heavens is brief, when his life there ended it would still not have been the appropriate time for the Buddha to appear in the world. If he had been born in the higher heavens, because the life span in those heavens is very long, before his life there ended he would have missed the time for the Buddha to appear in the world. Tuṣita Heaven is located in the middle of the six heavens plus Brahmā Heaven. There are three heavens above it and three below it. the Bodhisattva had to be born in the world in the 37

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II Middle Kingdom, descend there in the middle of the night, and leave the kingdom of Kapilavastu in the middle of the night. He had to practice the Middle Way in order to attain enlightenment, teach the middle path to people, and enter complete extinction (parinirvāṇa) at midnight. Because he preferred the teaching of the Middle [Way], he was born in the middle heaven.

3. Contemplating Capacities

[The Zhidu lun, T.1509:89c10-25, says:]

When the Bodhisattva entered the womb, he contemplated the human world in four ways. First, he contemplated the time. Second, he contemplated the land. Third, he contemplated the clan. Fourth, he contemplated the place of birth. As for the contemplation of time mentioned first in the list above, there are eight kinds of time. These include the first period of the Buddha's birth when the human life span is eighty-four thousand years as well as the eighth period when the human life span is more than one hundred years. The Bodhisattva entertained the following thought: "When the human life span is one hundred years, the time for the Buddha to appear has arrived." This is called the contemplation of time. As for the contemplation of the land mentioned second in the list above, the important principle is that buddhas are always born in the Middle Kingdom, which is rich in wealth and whose land is pure. As for the contemplation of the clan mentioned third in the list above, the important principle is that buddhas are born in one of the two [upper] classes, i.e., kṣatriyas and brahmans. This is because kṣatriyas are powerful and brahmans are wise. The Buddha is born to the clan that is more prestigious at the time of his birth. As for the contemplation of the place of birth mentioned fourth in the list above, the Bodhisattva examined which mothers would be able to carry a bodhisattva of godlike powers and protect themselves by keeping the precepts of purity. When the Bodhisattva finished contemplating in these four ways, it became clear that only the queen of King Śuddhodana of Kapilavastu in the Middle Kingdom could carry the Bodhisattva. Having thought thus, the Bodhisattva descended from Tuṣita Heaven, and without losing correct wisdom, entered his mother's womb.

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The Fobenxing jing (T.190:677c17-679c25) says:

At that time among the multitude of deities in Tuṣita Heaven was one called Jintuan. He had in the past descended to the world [of Jambudvīpa]. A bodhisattva who was in his last birth before attaining buddhahood, whose name was Huming (Jyotipāla), said to him, "Deity Jintuan, you have descended to the world [of Jambudvīpa] several times. You should already know the cities, the village communities, and the royal clans. In which family should this bodhisattva, who is in his last birth before attaining buddhahood, be reborn?" The deity Jintuan replied, "Venerable One, I know it very well. Venerable One, please listen well. I will now speak." Huming said, "Good!" Jintuan said, "In these three thousand chiliocosms there is only one place of enlightenment. The place is located inside the territory of the kingdom of Magadha in Jambudvīpa. This is the place where buddhas attained enlightenment in the past. I have traveled everywhere in the realms under heaven, but no other places ruled by other kings are appropriate for what the Bodhisattva intends to do."

Jintuan continued, "The world [of Jambudvīpa] is filled with kingdoms, villages, kingdoms, and cities. Everywhere kṣatriyas live in the cities and are engaged in all kinds of activities. I have visited them for the sake of the Venerable One, and I am now exhausted and distressed. My mind is confused and I cannot see any other places anymore. There is only one kṣatriya family. This ruling family was originally established by the populace through peaceful consensus, and has been the lineage that produced a universal monarch in each generation. The Ikṣuvāku branch of this family has lived for generations in Kapilavastu. They belong to the Śākya clan and the king's name is Siṃhahanu; his son is called Śuddhodana. They have a great reputation among the gods and humans in all the worlds. Venerable One, please be born as a son and prince of that king." Huming Bodhisattva answered Jintuan, "Well done, well done. Deity Jintuan, you have examined many royal families. I too have thought of being born in that family. I am now deeply persuaded by what you have said. Jintuan, you should know that I will definitely go to that family and be born as their son. Jintuan, in the past the families that a bodhisattva in 340b

A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II 340c

the last birth before achieving buddhahood chose as his own, were endowed with sixty kinds of merit. What are these sixty [kinds of] merit? (1) The family is pure and of good origin.

(2) It has been observed constantly by all holy beings. (3) No member of the family has committed any evil deed. (4) Those who have been born in the family have always been pure. (5) The lineage of the family is pure and has not been mixed with that of other families.

(6) The lineage of the family has been continuous and never broken. (7) The family has always and continuously produced kings. (8) All the kings born in the family have been those who in earlier times planted good karmic seeds.

(9) Those who are born in the family have always been praised by holy beings.

(10) Those who are born in the family are endowed with great and awesome virtues.

(11) There are many beautiful women in the family. (12) There are many men of wisdom in the family. (13) Those who are born in the family have well-balanced and harmonious temperaments. (14) Those who are born in the family are always free from frivolity. (15) Those who are born in the family are free from fear. (16) Those who are born in the family are never weak. (17) Those who are born in the family are intelligent and full of wisdom. (18) Those who are born in the family are insightful and clever. (19) Those who are born in the family are free from committing crimes. (20) Those who are born in the family do not indiscriminately engage in acts of worldly deception, nor do they show greediness in securing their livelihood.

(21) Those who are born in the family are always good to their friends. (22) Those who are born in the family do not kill insects and animals in order to secure their own livelihood.

(23) Those who are from the class to which the family belongs never forget loving-kindness and moral duty.

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(24) Those who are from the class to which the family belongs are capable of practicing austerities.

(25) Those who are born in the family do not take orders from others. (26) Those who are born in the family never harbor feelings of hatred. (27) Those who are born in the family are not bound by ignorant minds. (28) Those who are born in the family do not out of fear submissively follow others.

(29) Those who are born in the family are afraid to kill others. (30) Those who are born in the family are free from worries about committing crimes.

(31) Those who are born in the family obtain a great deal of almsfood when they go out begging.

(32) Those who beg alms from the family are not sent away emptyhanded. (33) The family is powerful; it is difficult for others to defeat it and make it submit to them.

(34) The norms according to which the family conducts its affairs are all based on the rules of decorum and the law.

(35) The family constantly and happily gives alms to sentient beings. (36) The family diligently establishes good causes and consequences of moral deeds (?).

(37) Those who are born in the family are courageous in the world. (38) Those who are born in the family constantly present offerings to all the holy ones and sages.

(39) Those who are born in the family constantly present offerings to the divine spirits.

(40) Those who are born in the family constantly present offerings to the gods.

(41) Those who are born in the family constantly present offerings to courageous practitioners of the Way.

(42) The family has been free from vengeful enemies for many generations. (43) The great reputation of the family is recognized everywhere. (44) The family is the first leader among many clans. 41

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II 341b

(45) From the earliest times, those born in the family have had the potential for spiritual attainment.

(46) Those who are born in the family are the first leaders among those who have the potential for spiritual attainment. (47) Those who are born in the family are ranked among those who have the potential for becoming a universal monarch. (48) Those who are born in the family are endowed with the nature of and potential for becoming people of powerful virtue. (49) Those who are born in the family are frequently surrounded by innumerable relatives and attendants.

(50) The relatives and attendants of those who are born in the family cannot be harmed.

(51) The relatives and attendants of those who are born in the family are superior to others.

(52) All those who are born in the family are devoted to their mothers and take care of them accordingly.

(53) Those who are born in the family are without exception devoted and obedient to their fathers.

(54) All those who are born in the family present offerings to all the monks.

(55) All those who are born in the family present offerings to brahmans. (56) Those born in the family have plenty of grain filling up their storehouses.

(57) Those who are born in the family have plenty of such valuable possessions as gold, silver, precious shells, and agate stones, and never suffer from the lack of any such possessions.

(58) Those who are born in the family possess many male and female slaves, horses, cows, and sheep. All these things are sufficiently provided for them.

(59) Those who are born in the family have never served others. (60) Those who are born in the family are thus endowed with everything and lack nothing in this world.

The buddha [Huming Bodhisattva] told the deity Jintuan, "When the Bodhisattva who will experience his last birth before attaining buddhahood 42

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places himself in a mother's womb, the mother can receive him in her womb only if she is endowed with thirty-two characteristics. What are these thirty-two characteristics?

(1) The mother was born in virtuous circumstances. (2) The mother has no physical defects. (3) The moral conduct of the mother has no defects. (4) The mother was born in an appropriate location. (5) The mother's conduct is perfect.

(6) The mother is of pure caste.

(7) The mother is incomparably attractive. (8) The name of the mother is praiseworthy. (9) The appearance of the mother's body is praised both by those above and below.

(10) The mother has not given birth before. (11) The mother has great merit.

(12) The mother constantly thinks about happy things. (13) The mother's mind constantly seeks out all sorts of good things. (14) The mother has no evil thoughts. (15) The mother's body, speech, and mind are controlled without effort. (16) The mother is free from fear of someone thinking or saying something bad to her. (17) The mother has been widely instructed and remembers everything. (18) The mother is extremely accomplished in womanly skills. (19) The mother does not entertain flattering and fawning thoughts. (20) The mother does not entertain deceptive thoughts. (21) The mother is free from anger.

(22) The mother is free from jealousy. (23) The mother is free from parsimony. (24) The mother's mind is not bedeviled. (25) The mother does not change her mind very easily. (26) The mother's body has signs of extreme virtue. (27) The mother's mind is patient.

(28) The mother's mind is capable of feeling shame. (29) The mother has little capacity for sexual wantonness, anger, or ignorance.

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II (30) The mother's conduct is free from any faults of her family (?). (31) The mother is obedient to her husband.

(32) The mother possesses all virtues and all religious practices are complete for her.

"Only such a mother is capable of carrying the Bodhisattva who will be reborn for the last time before achieving buddhahood. "When the Bodhisattva wishes to enter the mother's womb, he chooses the day of the Gui (Puṣya) lunar station in summer and enters his mother's womb. Before she receives the Bodhisattva who is being reborn for the last time before achieving buddhahood, the mother must go through the purification of the eight precepts. Then the Bodhisattva enters her womb." Huming Bodhisattva also said, "It is not for the sake of worldly wealth or the pleasures of the five senses that I accept this birth among humans. I do this only because I wish to bring peace and happiness to sentient beings and I have compassion for suffering sentient beings. 4. Manifestation of Auspicious Signs

The Fobenxing jing (T.190:682b17-684b9) says:

When the winter was over and the most pleasant season of early spring had arrived, all kinds of trees flowered everywhere, the air was clear, neither too warm nor too cold, and numerous plants sprouted, soft and shining in their fresh color, and covering the entire ground. Huming Bodhisattva chose an astrologically auspicious time and preached the essence of the Dharma to the gods, causing them all to rejoice. The deity Śuddhāvāsa told the multitude of deities, "You will now see that Huming Bodhisattva is about to be born below but do not be distressed. Why? In his life in the realm below he will attain supreme enlightenment without fail. After he is enlightened he will return to this heavenly palace and preach the Dharma for you. Exactly the same things will happen as in the past when both Vipaśyin Buddha and Kāśyapa Buddha left this place and then returned to preach for you."

Then the Bodhisattva descended to be reborn at night. When he was about to enter the womb, in that very night Māyā said to King Śuddhodana, "Great king, you should know that from tonight on I wish to uphold the 44

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eight precepts of purity. These rules are not killing, not stealing, not engaging in sexual acts, not lying, not ingesting intoxicants, not slandering others, not speaking in a harsh and aggressive manner, and not uttering meaningless and only superficially beautiful words. I also vow not to be greedy, not to get angry, not to be ignorant and deluded, and not to harbor heterodox views. I will uphold the correct views. I will now uphold the prohibitions and precepts to be upheld by all sentient beings. I will now concentrate on constant practice and nourish compassion toward other sentient beings."

King Śuddhodana answered his wife, "Practice what your mind loves and delights in freely. I too will give up the royal throne and follow what you practice."

A verse says:

When the king saw the mother of the Bodhisattva,

He stood up from his seat respectfully.

As if she were his mother or sister,

No desire moved in his mind.

The Bodhisattva entertained the thought of descending from Tuṣita Heaven and entered the right side of the first queen of King Śuddhodana. At that time the queen was sleeping and dreamed of a white elephant with sixteen tusks, a red head, and seven limbs holding the ground. The elephant's tusks were decorated with gold. Then it flew into the sky and entered her right side. The queen's dream ended. The next morning she told King Śuddhodana: "Great king, you should know that I had the following dream last night. When the elephant entered my right side I felt a pleasure I had never before experienced. From now on I will indeed give up worldly pleasures. Who among the oracle readers can interpret the meaning of this auspicious sign for me?" King Śuddhodana called for the attendant women in the palace and told them, "Go quickly outside to the Office of Issuing Royal Edicts and tell National Teacher Danamozi to call in eight great brahman dream interpreters." They did as they were ordered by the king and eight brahmans were called in. When the eight brahmans heard the king's words, they knew the signs well and could read the auspicious meaning of the dream. They said to the king, "Great king, please 45

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II listen carefully. We will explain the auspicious meaning of the dream in detail. In the record of the scriptures of the ancient holy ones and gods that we have seen there is a verse:

If a mother dreams the sun deity enters her right side, Then the child she bears will become a universal monarch without fail. If a mother dreams the moon deity enters her right side, Then the child she bears will be the best among all kings. If a mother dreams a white elephant enters her right side, Then the child she bears will become the Most Honorable One in the three realms of the universe.

He will be capable of benefiting sentient beings without discriminating between those who are close to him and those who are hostile. He will bring salvation to billions of people, causing them to cross over the deep ocean of desires.

Then the brahman teachers said to the great king, "The signs of the queen's dream are very auspicious. Great king, you should now congratulate yourself. The queen will certainly bear a holy child. Later he will surely complete the path of becoming a buddha. His reputation will spread widely." When King Śuddhodana heard the oracle readers utter these verses he was overjoyed and presented them with a large gift. After King Śuddhodana heard the oracle readers interpret the queen's dream as a very auspicious sign he held a great feast outside of the four gates of the city of Kapilavastu. In all large and small streets where people walked, he gave gifts, providing all kinds of desirable food, drink, treasures, buildings, and animals.

There was also Asita, a holy man who possessed the five supernatural powers. He heard the Bodhisattva in Tuṣita Heaven entertain the thought of descending to be born to King Śuddhodana and enter the queen's right side. When he entered the womb he radiated light, illuminating everywhere throughout all the worlds of humans and gods. Later, the great earth moved in eighteen ways. When Asita saw these events that had never before taken place, he was frightened and all his hair stood on end. "What conditions caused the earth to quake? What are the consequences of these events?" The holy man thought for a while and then calmed down. A great joy 46

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arose in his heart and he was infinitely delighted. Unable to control himself, he uttered the following words, "A rare sage beyond our comprehension! A great person (fujialo; pudgala) will appear in the world!" When the Bodhisattva first descended from Tuṣita Heaven, entered the his mother's right side, and settled in her womb, a god called Suwang ("Quick Going") went down to hell, saying loudly, "You should all know the following. The Bodhisattva has descended from Tuṣita Heaven and has entered his mother's womb. Therefore you should all quickly make the vow to be reborn among humans!" The sentient beings in hell heard these words. In the past all these sentient beings had performed good deeds as well as deeds of mixed character, but because the effects of their evil deeds were stronger they had fallen into hell. Every one of these beings showed by the expression on their face that they hated being in hell. Having seen the light their bodies and minds felt at peace, and on hearing the great deity Suwang's voice they abandoned their bodies in hell and were reborn among humans. Among all sentient beings in the three thousand chiliocosms, those who had performed good deeds in the past were all reborn in areas around the city of Kapilavastu. 5. Descending into the Womb

The Niepan jing (Nirvana Sutra, T.374:558c15-16, T.375:804c29-805a2) says:

When the Bodhisattva descended, all the gods of the realms of form and desire came and bade farewell. They praised the Bodhisattva loudly and the breath from their mouths caused the earth to quake and move. The Nianfo sanmei jing says, "When the Bodhisattva was about to descend into his mother's womb the three thousand great chiliocosms all shook in six ways."

The Yinguo jing (T.189:624a20-b22, c5-23) says:

The Bodhisattva was about to descend into his mother's womb. Riding on the six-tusked elephant he left Tuṣita Heaven. Innumerable gods danced and played music, burned many kinds of superior incense, and scattered beautiful heavenly flowers. They followed after the Bodhisattva, filling up the sky, and sent forth great light that illuminated all the directions. 342b

A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II 342c

On the eighth day of the fourth month, when the morning star Venus appeared, [the Bodhisattva] descended into his mother's womb. At that time Queen Māyā saw the Bodhisattva riding on the white elephant with six tusks come flying to her bedside and enter the right side of her body. You could see through the queen's body and see the Bodhisattva's body inside her, just as one can see through a piece of transparent blue jade (vaiḍūrya). The queen felt peaceful and experienced pleasure as if she had drunk heavenly dew. Looking at her own body sending forth light like the sun and moon, she was overjoyed and felt infinite delight. When she saw this sight she thought how extraordinary it was and reported it to King Śuddhodana.

King Śuddhodana saw the auspicious sign and could not restrain himself in his great joy and delight. He then called in a brahman who was good at reading signs and ordered him to divine its significance. He learned that the Bodhisattva was in the womb, that when he was born in the world he would attain buddhahood, and that the merit and benefit that would be brought by this event were beyond description.

At that point the gods in Tuṣita Heaven thought aloud, "The Bodhisattva is now born in the palace of King Śuddhodana. We should also descend and be born among humans. When the Bodhisattva attains buddhahood we will become his first attendants and listen to the teaching." When they had finished this thought, they were immediately reborn below. The gods who descended from Tuṣita Heaven and were born among humans numbered nine billion nine hundred million. There were also gods from the uppermost heaven in the realm of desire as well as the four deva kings and the deva kings of the realm of form. They descended with their attendants; their number was beyond calculation. The Bodhisattva walked, stood, sat, and laid down in his mother's womb without any obstruction to his movements. Neither did he cause his mother any pain or suffering. From within his mother's womb the Bodhisattva preached to the gods of the realm of form in the morning, to the gods of the realm of desire at midday, and to the demons and spirits at the end of the day. He followed the same order for the three periods of night. (Note: The Puyao jing, T.186: 492b21-23, says, "The Bodhisattva began teaching while he was in his 48

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mother's womb for ten months and taught for thirty-six years in order to establish the practice of the hearers and the Great Vehicle for gods and humans.")

The Huayan jing (T.278:666c3-5; T.279:311a14-16) says: When the Bodhisattva was in his mother's womb the sentient beings of the three thousand great chiliocosms could see him in the womb as if they were looking at his image in a clear mirror.

6. Guidance

The Pusa chutai jing (T.384:1023c13-1024a5, 1015b23-c26, 1017c26-28, 1024b20-24) says: The Buddha told Xijian Bodhisattva, "Do you wish to know whether the past buddhas in the state of nirvana [simply] stayed in their buddha lands? You should know that my past births were infinite and incalculable in number. By means of supernatural powers I entered into the realm of the moisture-born. Endowed with all the characteristics of the moisture-born, I preached to the moisture-conscious sentient beings for innumerable ages, enabling those moisture-conscious beings to achieve liberation according to their wishes. I entered into other realms such as that of the egg-born and, just as above, enabled the beings in these realms to achieve liberation according to their wishes. Through supernatural powers I manifest future worlds and enter into the realms of the four types of living beings and, as above, enable each being to achieve liberation according to his wish. "Today I am in my mother's womb and preach the rare teaching of nonretrogression for bodhisattvas of supernatural powers throughout the ten directions. I also enter the realms of the four types of living beings in heaven, hell, among the hungry ghosts, and among the animals. Among the four types of living beings, the womb-born and those born through spontaneous generation are quick to exhaust the impure outflows of their minds. The moisture-born and the egg-born are slower. The womb-born and those born through spontaneous generation are creatures of sharp capacities. The moisture-born and the egg-born are creatures of dull capacities." Another passage from the same scripture says:

A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II

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The Buddha said to Ānanda, "Listen and think carefully. I will now distinguish one by one the rare teachings of great beings." Ānanda said to the Buddha, "I wish to hear that." The Buddha said to Ānanda, "At a distance as many worlds away as the number of grains of sand in one billion eleven thousand and sixty-two Ganges Rivers southeast from here, there is a world called Sile. The name of the buddha there is Xiangyan Tathāgata. He attained final extinction (parinirvāṇa) there and then came to the palace of Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. During the long period of innumerable ages he returned thirty-six times to become the great divine king Brahmā, thirty-six times to appear in the body of the god Śakra (Indra), and thirtysix times to become a universal monarch. None of the sentient beings saved by him fell into the wrong teachings of the two vehicles nor were reborn in inferior realms of existence. Why? Because they are all mysteriously informed by the divine wisdom of all the buddhas." The Buddha said to Ānanda, "Does the body of the Tathāgata have a period of sojourn in a womb or not? " Ānanda replied to the Buddha, "The Tathāgata's body does not have a period of sojourn in the womb." The Buddha said to Ānanda, "If the Tathāgata does not have a period of sojourn in the womb, why it is said that the Tathāgata stayed in the womb for ten months to teach and preach?" Ānanda replied to the Buddha, "If the Tathāgata has a period of sojourn in the womb, nonetheless he still dwells in nirvana; if he does not have it, he also dwells in nirvana." Then the World-honored One used his supernatural powers and appeared within Māyā's body. He sat, lay down, and walked around. There he found a great high throne, eight thousand yojanas long and wide, a stairway of gold and silver, and a canopy of heavenly silk hanging from an empty sky. The pleasure there was beyond description. Bodhisattvas and mahā sattvas eight thousand worlds away in the eastern direction from this sahā world all used their supernatural capacity to travel quickly and gather there, similarly from the south, west, north, and from the four cardinal directions between. Also from six billion two hundred million worlds below bodhisattvas with supernatural powers came to the great gathering. From seven billion two hundred million sky spaces above, bodhisattvas also gathered and swarmed into the womb.

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At that time Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva asked the World-honored One, "These bodhisattvas and mahāsattvas gathered together like a cloud. They wish to hear the World-honored One preach the teaching beyond comprehension. Of the innumerable number of different types of concentrated trance states (samādhis), which concentrated trance has the Tathāgata now entered, dwelling in the womb and preaching the teaching beyond comprehension to the great beings (mahāsattvas)?"

The Buddha said to Mañjuśrī, "You should now observe the bodhisattvas of the first stage, the second stage, and so on up to the bodhisattvas of the tenth stage who are in their last birth. Observe them according to their correct ranks and without mixing them up. Now, all the beings in this crowd are completely pure and free from impure admixtures. The branches and leaves on which they dwell are also free from defilement. On these seats there is none who is defiled or has regressed. Why? Because those with sharp capacities do not dwell in the realms of life and death. The Buddha also asked Maitreya, "When the mind produces a thought, how many thoughts and consciousnesses are formed?" Maitreya said, "In a period of time as brief it takes to raise one's hand or snap one's fingers three billion two hundred million thoughts take shape, and each thought this formed has consciousness. Conscious thought is so fine that one cannot get hold of it. The Buddha's mysterious power enters into that fine consciousness and leads each one to salvation. Here he teaches consciousness. It is not that there is no consciousness."

Nguồn: BDK America — English Tripiṭaka (bdkamerica.org).

T2122 A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Vol. II

A FOREST OF PEARLSFROM THE DHARMA GARDENVOLUME II

Title Page

Copyright © 2019 by Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai and BDK America, Inc.

Editorial Foreword

Publisher’s Foreword

Contents

Contents

Fascicle 8