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BDK English Tripiṭaka Series ESOTERIC TEXTS

The Sutra of the Vow of Fulfilling the Great Perpetual Enjoyment and Benefiting All Sentient Beings Without Exception (Taishō Volume 8, Number 243) Translated by Taisen Miyata The Mātaṅga Sutra

(Taishō Volume 21, Number 1300) Translated by Rolf W. Giebel The Bodhicitta Śāstra (Taishō Volume 32, Number 1665) Translated by Minoru Kiyota Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai America, Inc. 2015

Copyright © 2015 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, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-886439-58-0

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015947185 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

v

Editorial Foreword

In January 1982, Dr. NUMATA Yehan, the founder of Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai (Society for the Promotion of Buddhism), decided to begin the monumental task of translating the complete Taishō 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 consisted of the following members: (late) HANAYAMA Shōyū (Chairperson), (late) BANDŌ Shōjun, ISHIGAMI Zennō, (late) KAMATA Shigeo, (late) KANAOKA Shūyū, MAYEDA Sengaku, NARA Yasuaki, (late) SAYEKI Shinkō, (late) SHIOIRI Ryōtatsu, TAMARU Noriyoshi, (late) TAMURA Kwansei, URYŪZU Ryūshin, and YUYAMA Akira. Assistant members of the Committee were as follows: KANAZAWA Atsushi, WATA NABE Shōgo, Rolf Giebel of New Zealand, and Rudy Smet of Belgium.

After holding planning meetings on a monthly basis, the Committee selected one hundred thirty-nine texts for the First Series of translations, an estimated one hundred printed volumes in all. The texts selected are not necessarily limited to those originally written in India but also include works written or 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.

Frankly speaking, it will take perhaps one hundred years or more to accomplish the English translation of the complete Chinese and Japanese texts, for they consist of thousands of works. Nevertheless, as Dr. NUMATA wished, it is the sincere hope of the Committee that this project will continue unto completion, even after all its present members have passed away.

Dr. NUMATA passed away on May 5, 1994, at the age of ninety-seven, entrusting his son, Mr. NUMATA Toshihide, with the continuation and completion of the Translation Project. The Committee also lost its able and devoted Chairperson, vii

Publisher’s Foreword

Editorial Foreword

Professor HANAYAMA Shōyū, on June 16, 1995, at the age of sixty-three. After these severe blows, the Committee elected me, then Vice President of Musashino Women's College, to be the Chair in October 1995. The Committee has renewed its determination to carry out the noble intention of Dr. NUMATA, under the leadership of Mr. NUMATA Toshihide. The present members of the Committee are MAYEDA Sengaku (Chairperson), ICHISHIMA Shōshin, ISHIGAMI Zennō, KATSURA Shōryū, NAMAI Chishō, NARA Yasuaki, SAITŌAkira, SHIMODA Masahiro, Kenneth K. Tanaka, 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 BDK English Tripiṭaka First Series. The Publication Committee was organized at the Numata Center in December 1991. Since then the publication of all the volumes has been and will continue to be conducted under the supervision of this Committee in close cooperation with the Editorial Committee in Tokyo. MAYEDA Sengaku

Chairperson

Editorial Committee of

the BDK English Tripiṭaka

viii

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: Senior Editor Marianne Dresser, Dr. Hudaya Kandahjaya, Dr. Carl Bielefeldt, Dr. Robert Sharf, and Rev. Brian Kensho Nagata, Director of the BDK America English Tripiṭaka Project.

A. Charles Muller

Chairperson

Publication Committee

ix

Contents

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

Editorial Foreword MAYEDA Sengaku vii Publisher's Foreword A. Charles Muller ix Esoteric Texts

The Sutra of the Vow of Fulfilling the Great Perpetual Enjoyment and Benefiting All Sentient Beings Without Exception Contents 3

Translator's Introduction 5 The Sutra of the Vow of Fulfilling the Great Perpetual Enjoyment and Benefiting All Sentient Beings Without Exception 9 Notes 25

The Mātaṅga Sutra Contents 29

Translator's Introduction 31 The Mātaṅga Sutra 35 Notes 93

The Bodhicitta Śāstra Contents 103

Translator's Introduction 105 The Bodhicitta Śāstra 107 Notes 129

Glossary 131

Bibliography 139 Index 141

A List of the Volumes of the BDK English Tripiṭaka (First Series) 151 xi xi

THE SUTRA OF THE VOW OF FULFILLING THE GREAT PERPETUAL ENJOYMENT AND BENEFITING ALL SENTIENT BEINGS WITHOUT EXCEPTION

Table of Contents

Contents Translator's Introduction 5 The Sutra of the Vow of Fulfilling the Great Perpetual Enjoyment and Benefiting All Sentient Beings Without Exception Introduction 11 1. The Way of Supreme Joy 2. The Way of Enlightenment 3. The Way of Conquest 4. The Way of Seeing the Self-nature 5. The Way of Discovering the Jewel 6. The Way of Karma 7. The Way of Turning the Wheel of a Letter (Akṣara-cakra) 8. The Way of Entering the Great Wheel (Cakra) 9. The Way of Worship 10. The Way of Wrath 11. The Way of Assembling the Vow (Samaya) 12. The Way of Empowerment 13. The Way of the Seven Heavenly Mothers 14. The Way of the Three Brothers 15. The Way of the Four Sisters 16. The Way of Perfection 17. The Way of the Mysteries 11 13 14 15 15 16 17 17 18 19 19 20 20 21 21 21 22 Concluding Prayer of Praise 23 Notes 25 3

Translator’s Introduction

Translator's Introduction

The Prajñāpāramitānaya-[sūtra] (Jp. Hannyarishukyō) (Taishō vol. 8, no. 243) consists of three sections: an introduction, the main body of the text, and a discourse in seventeen chapters (stages), ending with a concluding verse of praise. Each of the seventeen chapters of the discourse consists of three or four parts: an introductory message, the discourse, and its emphasis or religious merits, in which various esoteric symbols such as mantras, mudrās, seed syllables (bīja), and ritual implements are effectively expressed through a cosmological drama. Throughout the chapters the importance of human nature, such as the emotions of craving, passion, desire, and anger, is exposed and emphasized as the chief force of enlightenment, leading one toward nirvana. Negative views of human nature, which often appear in other Buddhist schools and are common in other religions, are absent from this text. Instead of a negative view of human nature, the sutra provides a way of magnifying human awareness through which reality is apprehended and embodied. In this process of universalization, various symbols, including mantras, seed syllables, bodhisattvas, and mudrās, are effectively employed and arranged in seventeen stages to produce a cosmological, religious drama/activity. An ineffable esoteric experience of the Shingon tradition is well expressed and exposed in the particular encountering pattern in which Mahāvairocana Tathāgata changes his form in retinue. More precisely, this literary work (sūtra) by an unknown seventh-century Indian Buddhist (or Buddhists) provides a religious pathway by which one may transcend human limitations and discover everlasting peace in this very life. Emphasizing the importance of human nature for enlightenment, it depicts an ideal being, Vajrasattva (Jp. Kongōsatta), in its universal drama. The title "The Way of Great Enjoyment" attributed to this sutra means the way of magnifying the scope of human craving or lust (using desire as an incentive), and it is precisely this magnification of desire that becomes the means of salvation. This literal translation of this text is mainly based on the eighth-century Chinese version by Amoghavajra (Ch. Bukong), taking into consideration the Japanese 5

The Sutra of the Vow of Fulfilling the Great Perpetual Enjoyment version translated by Dr. Shōun Toganoo, a modern philologist and scholar in the Shingon Buddhist tradition. Several key terms and crucial words remain in their original Sanskrit in order to avoid further misinterpretation and distortion. My primary aim for this translation is to introduce the religious significance of the sutra to Westerners, considering the context and usage of this text in the modern Shingon tradition.

The Hannyarishukyōhas been extensively used in the Japanese Shingon tradition, and is still recited daily by all Shingon monks and priests (including myself). Its ritual practice, the Rishu-bō,in the form of a sādhana(ritual formula to be performed for fulfillment), is performed daily for esoteric enlightenment and for many other purposes.

In the context of its use, every word, deity, mantra, mudrā,and seed syllable in the sutra is taken seriously as an important religious symbol that evokes or arouses the emotional motivation to transform one's human condition. The meaning of such esoteric symbols is repeatedly explained in the form of a dialogue between a preacher and his assembly/retinue throughout the discourse, emphasizing the way of transformation—the way of universalizing human nature. The Prajñāpāramitānaya-sūtrawas originally composed in Sanskrit sometime in the seventh century C.E. in India, and the text was introduced to China in the early part of the eighth century when the Indian Buddhist master Amoghavajra (705-774 C.E.), the fourth patriarchal master of the Esoteric Shingon tradition, translated it into Chinese in the capital city, Chang'an. The sutra recited by Shingon monks today is Amogha vajra's Chinese version. The full Sanskrit title of the sutra is Mahāsukhavajra-amoghasamaya-sūtra (Ch. Dale jingang bukong zhenshi sanmohe jing), referred to by Japanese monks by the abbreviated title Hannya rishukyō (Ch. Banruo liqu jing). Master Bukong also wrote a vast commentary on the sutra. In the early ninth century, Kōbō Daishi (Kūkai), the founder of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism, brought the text to Japan after his period of study in China. Since its introduction to Japan, the sutra has become the main textual source for esoteric rituals and served as the theoretical basis of Shingon teaching.

Dr. Toganoo made a great contribution by compiling a large commentary on the sutra, the Rishukyō no kenkyū(A Study of the Rishukyō) (Koyasan: Koyasan University Press, 1959), and in 1950 he completed a translation of the text into 6

Translator's Introduction

modern Japanese, Wabun Kyōten: Hannyarishukyō(Hannyarishukyō in Modern Japanese) (Koyasan: Koyasan Shuppansha, 1973, reprint).

I am not yet fully satisfied with my work here, leaving it to experts to explain in clear English the apparently unintelligible and the esoteric terms, so that the sutra can be understood by all.

For the preparation of this work, I wish to acknowledge my friend, Dr. Richard K. Payne of Los Gatos, California, who made corrections to my first draft. I completed this English translation in 2004, the year of the forty-fifth anniversary of my Buddhist mission in America, and I would like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to all the members of the Kōyasan Shingon Mission in Los Angeles for their support of my work and financial contribution, which made my Daishi mission possible.

7

Sutra of the Vow of Fulfilling the Great Perpetual Enjoyment and Benefiting All Sentient Beings Without Exception (Mahāsukhavajra-amoghasamaya-sūtra):

The Way of the Perfection of Wisdom

(Prajñāpāramitānaya)

Translated into Chinese by the Great Vast Wisdom in the Tripiṭaka, Śramaṇa Amoghavajra (Bukong) of Daxingshansi Temple, Chang'an, China, who received the honorary title of Governor General with Honorary Rank Equal to That of the Three Official Dignitaries in the Court; the Especially Advanced and [Appointed] Probationary Chief Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial; Duke of the Region of Su with a fief of three thousand households, upon whom was bestowed the purple robe; the [Judicial] Minister of the Civil and Land Services; and the posthumous title of Dazheng Jian.

Introduction

Thus have I heard: Thereupon, the Glorious One, Lord Vairocana, perfected the wisdom of excellent vow (samaya) of the imperishable empowerment (adhiṣṭhāna) of all tathāgatas. After donning the empowered jeweled crown of all the tathāgatas he obtained mastery of the triple world. Realizing the mastery in unhindered yoga with the wisdom of all wisdoms of all the tathāgatas, he equally performed all the various tasks and missions of the sameness of all the mudrās of all the tathāgatas. He totally fulfilled every wish of all sentient beings in the worlds without exception; continuously, through three generations and all times he had shown his perpetual [yet harmonious] acts of body, speech, and mind. Mahāvairocana took up his abode in the heavenly pavilion Paranirmitavaśavartin, which still belongs to the realm of sense desire. This eternal pavilion of all the tathāgatas was an auspicious, praiseworthy palace made of great maṇijewels. It was bedecked with various silk streamers with windbells, fluttering softly in the breezes, and decorated with strings of pearls, jeweled garlands, pendants, and hanging mirrors in the shapes of full and half-moons.

Vairocana Tathāgata dwelled together with eighty koṭī(eight billion) bodhisattvas, headed by Vajrapāṇi Bodhisattva-mahāsattva, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva-mahāsattva, Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva-mahāsattva, Vajramusti Bodhisattva-mahāsattva, Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva-mahāsattva, Sa cittot pāda dharmacakrapravartin Bodhisattva-mahāsattva, Gaganagañja Bodhisattva-mahāsattva, and Sarvamārapramardin Bodhisattva-mahāsattva, and other great bodhisattvas. Surrounded and accompanied by those bodhisattvas, he delivered the teaching (Dharma) that is lovely in the beginning, lovely in the middle, lovely in the end, well expressed, immaculate, perfect, and quite pure. [1. The Way of Supreme Joy]

At that time, the Glorious One, Lord Vairocana, turned the wheel of the Dharma here in making clear the principle that all dharmas are pure in their own being:

11

784a

784b

2. The Way of Enlightenment

The Sutra of the Vow of Fulfilling the Great Perpetual Enjoyment Enraptured and embraced in the heart of the Buddha, Received in the grace of the compassion, Enclosed in affection of the great, profound love, One who knows the purity of the true state1 of the self-nature is a bodhisattva (surata).

2

An arrow of the craving and eager affection shot, Quickly reaches and touches the beloved one. Tied with the threads of immaculate love, Live in joy and win the mastery of will. One who knows the purity of such a state [of rapture] is a bodhisattva. Seeing the Buddha as he is,

Delighting in touch with the beloved one, Enlarging the scope of love,

Gained in heraldic dignity (dignitary pride), One who knows the purity of such a state [of enjoyment] is a bodhisattva. Donning/decorating with a flower garland, Inspiring the great pleasure in mind (āhlādana), Illuminating the light of compassion, Rejoice in the physical pleasure. One who knows the purity of such a state is a bodhisattva. The color to be seen is Buddha,

The sound to be heard is his voice, The odor to be smelled is the fragrance of his Dharma, The taste to be touched is his teaching. One who knows the purity of such a state [of sensory perception] is a bodhisattva.

And why? Because all dharmas (things) are pure in their own being. Accordingly, the prajñāpāramitā(perfection of wisdom) is pure and clean. Vajrapāṇi! If anyone hears the way of perfection of wisdom that consummates the words of the purity of all dharmas in their own beings, until reaching at the bodhiseat, he will not fall into hell or on the way to hell even if he has accumulated all obstructions, such as the obstruction of defilements, the obstruction of dharmas, and the obstruction of karma. 12

The Sutra of the Vow of Fulfilling the Great Perpetual Enjoyment And even when he commits serious sins, he is capable of eliminating them without difficulty. If he receives and holds, recites daily, thinks, and meditates [on this sutra], he will attain to the state of eternal samādhiof the equality of all dharmas in this very life, gain mastery of all dharmas, and receive immeasurable joy and pleasure. Moreover, with the sixteen great bodhisattvas' lives (merits) he will attain to the state of tathāgata and [that of] a vajra-holder bodhisattva.

At that time, Lord Vajrapāṇi, great bodhisattva, perfecter of all beneficial tasks, unexcelled conqueror of triple realm, excellent vajra-holder, who resides and dwells in all the maṇḍalas that reveal the vow of the enlightenment of the Great Vehicle of all the tathāgatas, wishing to show clearly this significance again, smiled softly and held the mūdraof immovable confidence with his left hand and tossed up the original great vajra implement (fivepronged vajra) in his right hand, forming the posture of courageous pride. Then he uttered the essence of the imperishable vow of fulfilling the great enjoyment/bliss and benefiting all beings without exception as hūṃ. 3

[2. The Way of Enlightenment]

Thereupon, Lord Vairocana Tathāgata delivered the way of the perfection of wisdom that produces awakening to the sameness of the peaceful, calm Dharma-nature of all the tathāgatas.

Where one has awakened to the sameness of the imperishable nature of all being,

There is perfect enlightenment.

Because it is perpetually immovable and adamantine in its own being. (vajra)

Where one has awakened to the sameness of the beneficial nature of existents,

There is great enlightenment.

Because it is beneficent in its own being. (ratna) Where one has become aware of the sameness of the Dharma (teaching), There is perfect enlightenment.

Because it is pure in its own-being. (dharma)

13

784c

3. The Way of Conquest

The Sutra of the Vow of Fulfilling the Great Perpetual Enjoyment Where one has awakened to the sameness of karma (activities), There is the perfect enlightenment.

Because it is nondiscrimination of all discriminated things. (karma) Vajrapāṇi! If someone listens to this teaching of the four [major] producing dharmas, reads, receives, and holds it, even if in the present he immeasurably commits serious sins, he will surely be able to transcend all evil destinies and, seated on the bodhiseat, he will quickly realize unsurpassed enlightenment.

Then the Lord had thus delivered [this teaching]. In order to show clearly the significance [of the four phases of enlightenment] again, he smiled softly, held the mudrāof "wisdom fist,

" and manifested the essence of the sameness

of the self-nature of all things as āh.

4

[3. The Way of Conquest]

Thereupon, Śākyamuni Tathāgata, the conqueror/subduer of all evil enemies, delivered again the way of the perfection of wisdom that produces the supreme conquest of the sameness of all dharmas:

Because of the non-obsessed (aprapañca) nature of craving/greed, Anger has non-obsessed nature.

Because of the non-obsessed nature of hate,

Folly has a non-obsessed nature.

Because of the non-obsessed nature of folly,

All things are of non-obsessed nature.

Because of the non-obsessed nature of all things, one should know That prajñāpāramitāis of non-obsessed nature.

Vajrapāṇi! If anyone listens to this guiding principle and receives and holds it, then even when he harms all beings in the triple world he will not fall into evil destinies. Because he has subdued, he will immediately attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment.

Then Vajrapāṇi, the great bodhisattva, wishing to clearly expound again this significance, held the mudrāof conquering the triple realm (trailokya vijayarāja mudrā) with a smiling lotus face, and frowned angrily and glared. Showing his 14

4. The Way of Seeing the Self-nature

The Sutra of the Vow of Fulfilling the Great Perpetual Enjoyment sharp fangs, he stayed in the standing pose of conquering and uttered the essence of the vajra-hūṃ-kara(wrathful mantra) as hum. 5

[4. The Way of Seeing

the Self-nature]

Thereupon, Lord Svabhāvaśuddha Tathāgata (Avalokiteśvara), who has embodied the nature of self-purity, delivered the way of the perfection of wisdom that explicates the seal of cognition, which is seeing skillfully the equality of all dharmas:

Because all worldly greed is purified, All hatred is purified.

Because all worldly defilements are purified, All sins are purified.

Because all worldly dharmas are purified, All beings are purified.

Because the wisdom that comprehends all worldly phenomena is purified,

Prajñāpāramitāis purified.

Vajrapāṇi! If someone listens to this way of the perfection of wisdom, reads, recites, thinks, and meditates on it, even if he abides in much craving, like a lotus he will not be stained by defilements and will quickly attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. At that time, Lord Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, wishing again to expound clearly this meaning, smiled softly, formed a gesture of the opening lotus petals, and observed the nondefilement of desire. Then he uttered the essence of the various forms of all existents as hrīh. 6

[5. The Way of Discovering

the Jewel]

Thereupon, the Lord Tathāgata who has become the king of the entire triple world, again delivered the way of the perfection of wisdom that is called here the source of the consecrated wisdom of all the tathāgatas: 785a

15

6. The Way of Karma

The Sutra of the Vow of Fulfilling the Great Perpetual Enjoyment One who is empowered with the consecrating water Becomes the king of the triple world.

One who receives the gift of benefiting Fulfills all his wishes and hopes.

One who receives the gift of Dharma (the Buddha's teaching) Awakens to the perfection of all Dharma-nature. One who receives the requisites of life Rejoices at all the peaceful pleasures of body, speech, and mind. Then, the great bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha, wishing to expound this meaning again, smiled gently, place the jeweled vajra crown on his own head, and uttered the essence of the jewel of all consecrated vows as trām. 7

[6. The Way of Karma]

Thereupon the Lord Tathāgata, who has held the seal of cognition [of the skillful activities] of all the tathāgatas, delivered the method of the perfection of wisdom that is called here the way of empowering acts of all the tathāgatas with the mudrāof cognition:

Holding the mudrāof the body of all the tathāgatas Results in becoming the body of all the tathāgatas. Holding the mudrāof the speech of all the tathāgatas Results in attaining the teaching of all the tathāgatas. Holding the mudrāof the mind of all the tathāgatas Results in attaining the samādhiof all the tathāgatas. Holding the mudrāof the vajraof all the tathāgatas Results in the perfection of the supreme powers of Body, speech, and mind of all the tathāgatas. Vajrapāṇi! If someone listens to this guiding method, receives, recites, reflects on, and thinks it, he will not only gain all the masteries and the wisdom of knowledge of all phenomena but will also accomplish all activities and all perfections. Then he will succeed in gaining all the powers of the 16

The Sutra of the Vow of Fulfilling the Great Perpetual Enjoyment imperishable nature of all physical, verbal, and mental acts; [consequently,] he will quickly realize unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment. Then Lord Great Bodhisattva Vajramuṣti delivered a mudrāto express the significance of this method again, smiled softly, and formed the mudrāof the samaya vajrafist in his hands. Then he exposed the true essence of the self that is the vow of the perfection of all the firm, indestructible mudrās as aḥ. 8

[7. The Way of Turning the Wheel

of a Letter (Akṣara-cakra)]

Thereupon, the Lord Tathāgata, who has liberated himself out of discursive, discriminatory knowledge, delivered the way of the perfection of wisdom that is called here the turning of the wheel of a letter (akṣara-cakra): All things are empty, because of concomitance with The absence of self-nature.

All things have nonappearance, because of concomitance With the markless.

All things are unobtainable, because of concomitance With the non-obtainable nature.

All things are radiant, because of the purity of prajñāpāramitā. Then the youthful Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva, wishing to clearly deliver this significance again, smiled softly, and slashing all the tathāgatas with his own sword, uttered the most excellent essence of the prajñāpāramitā as 9

am.

[8. The Way of Entering the

Great Wheel (Cakra)]

Thereupon, the Lord Tathāgata who resides in the world of the great wheel delivered the way of the perfection of wisdom that is called here entering the great wheel:

Entering the sameness of adamantine [nature] is Entering the Dharma wheel of all the tathāgatas. 17

785b

9. The Way of Worship

The Sutra of the Vow of Fulfilling the Great Perpetual Enjoyment Entering the sameness of wealth is Entering the wheel of the great bodhisattvas. Entering the sameness of all dharmas is Entering the wonderful Dharma wheel. Entering the sameness of all actions is Entering the wheel of all karmic acts. Then, the great bodhisattva Sacittotpādadharmacakrapravartin, wishing to once again clearly demonstrate this significance, smiled softly and turned the vajrawheel, then delivered the essence of all the imperishable vows [of entering into the vajra cakra] as hūṃ. 10

[9. The Way of Worship]

Thereupon, the Lord Tathāgata, who has held a bowl and performed the grand ritual of worship of all the tathāgatas, delivered the way of the perfection of wisdom through which the supremacy of worship is produced and assured. Giving rise to the mind of enlightenment (bodhicitta) is Extensively worshiping all the tathāgatas. Salvation of all sentient beings is Extensively worshiping all the tathāgatas. Receiving and holding the wonderful sutra is Extensively worshiping all the tathāgatas. Receiving and maintaining, reading, writing, instructing others, copying,

Contemplating, practicing, and variously devoting to (worshiping) the prajñāpāramitāare greater worship to All the tathāgatas.

Then, the great bodhisattva Gaganagañja, wishing to clearly expound this significance again, smiled gently and uttered all the imperishable essence of the vow of accomplishing all the karmic actions of the worship without fail 11

as oṃ.

18

The Sutra of the Vow of Fulfilling the Great Perpetual Enjoyment [10. The Way of Wrath]

Thereupon, Lord Tathāgata [Sarvavinayasamartha], who has held the wisdom fists ("wrathful fists") of discipline, delivered again the way of the perfection of wisdom that is called here "source of the knowledge of wrath": Because of the sameness of all sentient beings, Wrath is sameness.

Because of the disciplining of all sentient beings, Wrath is discipline.

Because of the Dharma-nature of all sentient beings, Wrath is Dharma-nature.

Because of the vajra-nature of all sentient beings, Wrath is adamantine in nature.

And why?

Because the disciplining of all sentient beings is for the purpose of enlightenment.

Then, in order to expound this meaning the great bodhisattva Sarvamārapramadin smiled softly, held the vajrafangs (wrathful fists) in the form of Vajra yakṣa, frightened all the tathāgatas, and uttered the essence of the great laughter of vajrafury as hah.

12

[11. The Way of Assembling

the Vow (Samaya)]

Thereupon, the Lord Tathāgata who establishes the sameness of all dharmas again delivered the way of the perfection of wisdom that produces the supreme excellence of the vow of assembling the sameness of all dharmas: Because all things have the nature of sameness, Prajñāpāramitāhas the nature of sameness. Because of the beneficial nature of all things, Prajñāpāramitāhas the nature of benevolence. 19

785c

12. The Way of Empowerment

The Sutra of the Vow of Fulfilling the Great Perpetual Enjoyment Because of the Dharma-nature of all things, Prajñāpāramitāhas the Dharma-nature. Because of the karmic nature of all things, Prajñāpāramitāhas the nature of karma. So should it be understood.

Then Vajrapāṇi entered the samādhiof the vow of empowerment of all tathāgatas and bodhisattvas and uttered the essence of the vow of assembling all the teachings without exception as hūṃ. 13

[12. The Way of

Empowerment]

Thereupon, the Lord Tathāgata who consecrates all sentient beings delivered again the way of the perfection of wisdom that reveals that all sentient beings are capable of becoming a buddha with their own nature through his empowering activities: All beings are the womb of the Tathāgata (tathāgatagarbha) Because they store all with the self of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. All beings are the source of the imperishable nature (vajra) Because they are consecrated by its power. All beings are the source of the marvelous Dharma Because they can turn it well to all words. All beings are the source of activities Because they correspond with the nature of creativity [by means of making the actions well].

Then the celestial deity [Maheśvara], who resides in the outer cakraof the vajraassembly, raised a clamor of self-satisfaction to show this significance again, and delivered the true essence of his own self of the perpetual mastery and sovereignty as trī.

14

[13. The Way of the Seven

Heavenly Mothers]

At that time, the Seven Deva Mothers knelt down at the foot of the Lord, 20

The Sutra of the Vow of Fulfilling the Great Perpetual Enjoyment paid homage to him, and offered the heart-mantra that produces the vow of hooking, guiding, destruction, and perfection as bhyo. 15

[14. The Way of the

Three Brothers]

At that time, the heavenly guardians the Three Brothers, including Madhukāra, knelt down together to the Lord, paid homage, and offered the heart-mantra svā.

16

[15. The Way of the

Four Sisters]

At that time, the heavenly guardians the Four Sisters [of Tumburu] offered the heart-mantra to the Lord as ham. 17

[16. The Way of

Perfection]

Thereupon, the Lord Tathāgata, who embodies the infinite, boundless, yet utmost nature of all dharmas, again delivered the way of the perfection of wisdom that produces the sameness and imperishability [of all the dharmas], in order to empower and ultimately perfect this teaching [mentioned above]: Because prajñāpāramitāis immeasurable, all tathāgatas are Immeasurable.

Because prajñāpāramitāis boundless, all tathāgatas are Boundless.

Because all things are of one nature, prajñāpāramitāis Of one nature.

Because all things are ultimate, prajñāpāramitāis Ultimate.

Vajrapāṇi! If someone listens to this guiding principle, receives and maintains it, reads it, and meditates on its meaning, he will complete the ultimate conduct in the practice of the Buddha and bodhisattvas. 21

786a

17. The Way of the Mysteries

The Sutra of the Vow of Fulfilling the Great Perpetual Enjoyment [17. The Way of the

Mysteries]

Thereupon, Lord Vairocana Tathāgata of non-obsession, who gained the secret nature of all dharmas, expounded again the way of the perfection of wisdom that is supreme, without beginning, middle, or end, and which has the imperishable Dharma-nature of the vow of fulfilling the great perpetual bliss and benefiting all beings without exception: Bodhisattva-mahāsattva! Because of the supreme perfection of great craving (rāga),

One attains the supreme perfection of the great bliss. Bodhisattva-mahāsattva! Because of the supreme perfection of great bliss,

One attains the supreme perfection of the great enlightenment of all the tathāgatas.

Bodhisattva-mahāsattva! Because of attaining the supreme perfection of all the tathāgata's great enlightenment,

One attains the supreme perfection of all the tathāgatas, which crushes the power of all demon Māras.

Bodhisattva-mahāsattva! Because of attaining the supreme perfection of all the tathāgatas, which cuts off the power of all demon Māras, One attains the perfection of sovereign mastery of everywhere in the triple realm.

Bodhisattva-mahāsattva! Because of attaining the perfection of sovereign mastery of everywhere in the triple realm, One purifies all beings in the world, without exception, abiding in transmigration.

Making great effort, he dwells in samsara the world of birth and death, And accomplishes all the most excellent ultimate works that save, benefit, and bring peaceful joy to all.

And why?

Because:

22

The Sutra of the Vow of Fulfilling the Great Perpetual Enjoyment Bodhisattvas of great knowledge, Until the extinction of life and death Constantly benefit sentient beings, Without entering nirvana.

With wisdom and skillful means, They completely empower and purify All things and beings.

Subduing the world with desires, Leads to the attainment of purification. From the highest heaven to hell They totally subdue all beings. Like a lotus' original color That cannot be stained by mud. So also the nature of many desires does not stain beings; Rather it benefits them.

Realizing the purity of great desire, They have peaceful joy and great abundance. Gaining mastery of the triple realm, They steadily take on the mission of benefiting others. Vajrapāṇi! If anyone hears this essential way of the perfection of wisdom, recites it early each morning, and listens to it [in mind], he will not only obtain all peaceful joys and pleasures but will also gain the ultimate perfection of the vow of fulfilling the great perpetual bliss and benefiting all beings without exception. In the present world he will obtain the blissful mastery of all dharmas, embodying the sixteen great bodhisattvas' lives (merits), and attain the state of [Mahāvairocana] Tathāgata and the vajraholder bodhisattva [Vajradhara]. "

Hūṃ!18

[Concluding Prayer of Praise] Thereupon, all the tathāgatas and vajra-holder bodhisattva-mahāsattvas came together and assembled, because they wished to quickly realize this teaching 23

786b

Notes

The Sutra of the Vow of Fulfilling the Great Perpetual Enjoyment and make it a perfect, unhindered [Dharma] without exception. They all together praised Vajrapāṇi, saying: Well done! Well done! Great Being Mahāsattva! Fine! Fine! Great Peaceful Joy!

Splendid! Splendid! Great Vehicle!

Marvelous! Marvelous! Great Wisdom! Well [Vajrapāṇi] has skillfully delivered this Dharma teaching, and empowered this vajrasutra!

Those who hold this unsurpassed teaching cannot be destroyed by the Māras.

They attain the highest state of the Buddha and bodhisattvas, and are not long in accomplishing many siddhis. All the tathāgatas and bodhisattvas performed and accomplished this excellent teaching.

In order to perfect quickly those who have held this teaching, everyone [in the assembly] had great joy and faith, and received and practiced [this teaching].

[End of the Sutra of the Vow of Fulfilling the Great Perpetual Enjoyment and Benefiting All Sentient Beings Without Exception] 24

Notes

1 Translation of the Sanskrit pāda, which literally means "step, move on, footstep, pace.

" Here I have translated it as "state of" or "spiritual state of. "

2 This stanza is a poetic translation of the Sanskrit surata,pleasure or delightful ecstasy through sexual intercourse. It is used here as the symbolic expression of the great love in form of the mutual interaction, the union of rapture. 3 Here the seed syllable hūṃis attributed to the ideal eternal being Vajrasattva, who penetrates into the human body, evokes the mind of enlightenment, and pursues the way of salvation.

4 The seed syllable āh denotes four major phases of enlightenment—imperishable, beneficial, purity, and nondiscriminating action—and is used here as the identifying symbol of Mahāvairocana Buddha.

5 The seed syllable humrefers to a furious angry voice, an interjection. 6 The seed syllable hrīhis widely used in the Shingon tradition to identify Avalokiteśvara, Amitābha, and Amitāyus as symbols of self-purity and compassion. 7 The syllable trāmis the symbol of Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva and corresponds to the nature of benefiting and meritorious gifts.

8 The seed syllable aḥsymbolizes the nonabiding state of nirvana. It also corresponds to the nature of salvation as giving up one's own merit and dedicating it to others for their benefit.

9 Normally the seed syllable aṃ refers to the initial vow of Mañjuśrī. It should be understood here as the symbol of transcending to enlightenment through nondiscriminating knowledge. 10 Here hūṃis a joyous interjection made upon entering into the cakra. 11 In the Esoteric Buddhist tradition the syllable oṃ is used as a mantra in rites for offering and devoting worship to the deity that is to be identified with a practitioner. 12 According to Amoghavajra's description in his commentary, this mantra is explained as the symbol of an imperishable yet wrathful activity in the nonabiding state of nirvana. It is the identifying symbol of Vajrayakṣa.

13 The seed syllable hūṃsignifies the means of assembling, collecting, and condensing. 25

The Sutra of the Vow of Fulfilling the Great Perpetual Enjoyment 14 15 16 17 18 The seed syllable trī means converting all sentient beings into the world of the Buddha, the non-arising realm.

The word bhyo is attributed here to the mudrā of vajra-hooking and signifies turning all sentient beings to the buddha vehicle.

The seed syllable svāsignifies that all of the Three Brothers are real appearances of the unspeakable, ineffable, truthlike space.

The syllable hamindicates that the Four Sisters are released from their harmful activities, causing their self-existing characters to vanish and their attainment of enlightenment.

The seed syllable hūṃhere is the identifying symbol of Vajrasattva, who interiorizes himself in every human body. It refers to the totality of all four natures of Vajrasattva. 26

THE MĀTAṄGA SUTRA

Contents

Translator's Introduction 31 The Mātaṅga Sutra Fascicle One Chapter I. The Conversion of Prakṛti Chapter II. Clarifying Past Connections Chapter III. Revealing the Truth Chapter IV. Questions 57 Chapter V. Explaining the Star Charts 37 45

55

61

Fascicle Two Chapter VI. Observing Misfortune and Good Fortune Chapter VII. Clarifying Distinctions of Time 67 85

Notes 93

29

Translator’s Introduction

Translator's Introduction

The Mātaṅga Sutra (Taishō vol. 21, no. 1300) is said to have been translated in 230 C.E. by Zhu Lüyan, an Indian monk, and Zhi Qian, a layman of Indo-Scythian origin, in Yangdu, the capital of the kingdom of Wu. This would make it the earlier of two Chinese versions of the Sanskrit Śārdūlakarṇāvadāna,which is included in the Divyāvadāna,a fourth-century collection of biographical narratives (avadāna). The second Chinese version (Taishō no. 1301) was translated by Dharmarakṣa during the Yongjia era (307-313) of the Western Jin (265-316), and in addition there are two Chinese translations of the frame story, one (Taishō no. 551) attributed to An Shigao (fl. ca. 148-180 C.E.) and the other (Taishō no. 552) by an unknown translator of the Eastern Jin (317-420). It should be noted, however, that the traditionally accepted sequence of these four Chinese translations—Taishō nos. 551, 552, 1300, and 1301—has been questioned by the Japanese scholar Tomojirō Hayashiya, who established a quite different sequence on the basis of careful scrutiny of the vocabulary of the translations and early Chinese scriptural inventories. According to Hayashiya, the four Chinese versions were translated in the following order: Taishō no. 1301 (translated by Dharmarakṣa), no. 551, no. 552 (both translated by unknown translators during the Western Jin or earlier), and no. 1300 (translated by an unknown translator in the second half of the fifth century or later). This would mean that the version here translated into English is in fact the latest of the four Chinese versions.

Be that as it may, there is also a Tibetan translation from the mid-ninth century (Peking no. 1027, Derge no. 358), and variations of the frame story are found in other works too; it provides, for example, the occasion for the exposition of the Śūraṅgama-sūtra(Taishō no. 945). It is perhaps hardly surprising that this story should have been so popular, concerning as it does the love of Prakṛti, an outcaste girl, for the Buddha's renowned disciple Ānanda. In more modern times this same tale provided the plot for one of Richard Wagner's uncompleted works, 31

The Mātaṅga Sutra

an opera that was to be called Die Sieger(The Victors), and Rabindranath Tagore's play Chandalikais likewise based on this story.

According to our text, Prakṛti, a member of the outcaste caṇḍālas, fell in love with Ānanda after he asked her for a drink of water one day when he was returning from the city of Śrāvastī, where he had gone to beg for alms. With the help of her mother, a great sorceress who casts a spell on Ānanda, Prakṛti succeeds in drawing Ānanda to her home, but Ānanda is saved from his predicament by the miraculous intervention of the Buddha, and Prakṛti eventually becomes a nun. However, the ordination of an outcaste woman causes consternation among the citizens of Śrāvastī and they report the matter to King Prasenajit. The king then visits the Buddha, who proceeds to relate to the assembled multitude the story of a past life of the nun Prakṛti, a story that concerns Triśaṅku, king of the outcaste Mātaṅgas, who wished to marry his son Śārdūlakarṇa to the daughter (Prakṛti by name) of a brahman called Puṣkarasārin. At first Puṣkarasārin angrily rejects Triśaṅku's overtures, but in the course of a lengthy discussion between the two men Puṣkarasārin becomes convinced of Triśaṅku's learning and eventually gives his consent to the marriage of his daughter to Śārdūlakarṇa. It turns out that in a former life the Buddha himself was Triśaṅku, Ānanda was Śārdūla karṇa, Śāriputra was Puṣkarasārin, and Puṣkarasārin's daughter Prakṛti was the nun of the same name. This work is thus a typical avadāna,consisting of a story set in the present (i.e., the story of Ānanda and Prakṛti); a story set in the past, explaining the karmic background to present circumstances; and a final resolution in which the Buddha clarifies the links between people in the past and people in the present.

The discussion between Triśaṅku and Puṣkarasārin accounts for the greater part of the text and traverses a wide range of topics. Of particular interest is the trenchant critique of the caste system, but considerable space is also devoted to astronomical and astrological lore, especially in regard to the twenty-eight "lunar mansions" (nakṣatra), corresponding to the twenty-eight divisions of the sky, each identified by a prominent star or asterism, through which the moon passes during its monthly cycle. Further topics covered include various units of time, weights and measures, intercalation, and physiognomy. The extant Sanskrit text includes additional chapters on various arts of prognostication and so on found in neither the Chinese nor Tibetan translations, suggesting that these chapters were added at a later date.

32

Translator's Introduction

While most of the content of the Sanskrit text (apart from these additional chapters) is covered in the Chinese version translated here, there are considerable differences in the ordering of the subjects treated. (In contrast, the other Chinese translation, by Dharmarakṣa, generally follows the order of the Sanskrit text but omits several sections.) It is also evident that when translating passages dealing with astronomy the Chinese translators did not necessarily follow the original text faithfully but modified it on the basis of their own knowledge or observations. Some of the resulting discrepancies between the Sanskrit text and the Chinese translation, which are of some interest to historians of astronomy, have been mentioned briefly in the notes, but a more detailed discussion of these matters would go far beyond the scope of the present translation. Lastly, it should be pointed out that the Chinese title of this text has in the past generally been rendered as Mātaṅgī-sūtra or Sutra of the Mātaṅgī Girl, "Mātaṅgī" being the feminine form of Mātaṅga, a member of a certain hill tribe and, by extension, an outcaste. This rendering has no doubt been influenced at least in part by the two Chinese translations of the frame story about Ānanda and Prakṛti, the titles of both of which refer to a "Mātaṅ[gī] Girl. " But in the

present case, the Chinese transcription points to "Mātaṅga" rather than "Mātaṅgī, "

and the title has therefore been rendered as The Mātaṅga Sutra.In the Chinese translation the designation "Mātaṅga" is reserved for the Mātaṅga king Triśaṅku, but in the Sanskrit ŚārdūlakarṇāvadānaPrakṛti is called first a "Mātaṅga girl" and then a "caṇḍālagirl.

" Therefore,

"Mātaṅga" in the title could refer either

to the Mātaṅga king Triśaṅku, who is the central figure in the text, or to the nun Prakṛti, whose past circumstances the main story is meant to explain, or it could possibly encompass both.

33

The Mātaṅga Sutra

Translated by the Indian Tripiṭaka Master Zhu Lüyan together with Zhi Qian in Wu

Fascicle One

Chapter I

The Conversion of

Prakṛti

Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was staying in Anāthapiṇḍada's Garden in Jeta's Grove in the land of Śrāvastī, surrounded by monks and preaching the Dharma.

One morning the venerable Ānanda donned his robes, took his almsbowl, and entered the city [of Śrāvastī] to beg for food. Having finished begging for alms, he returned to Jeta's Grove. On the way there was a large pond where villagers gathered. Beside the pond was a woman of the caṇḍālaclass carrying a pitcher who had just arrived to fetch water. 1 The elder Ānanda

went up to where she was and said, "Sister, I am now thirsty and would very much like something to drink. Could you give me a little water?" Thereupon the charitable woman said, "Virtuous sir, it's not that I'm stingy, but I am a caṇḍālawoman, and I fear that it would not be proper were I to offer you [water].

"

Ānanda said,

"Sister, I am a śramaṇawhose mind is impartial. I do not see any difference between the high and the low. Just give me [some water], for I should not linger.

" The woman then gave Ānanda some clean water, and when he had drunk it, he returned to his lodgings. After he had left, the woman, seizing on Ānanda's countenance, voice, speech, deportment, and other attributes, engendered deep attachment and thoughts of desire flared up. She thought, "Wouldn't it be nice if I could get that departing monk to become my husband?" She further thought, "My

mother is skilled in spells. She may be able to make him come to be my husband. I shall go to my mother and tell her all about it. "

37

400a

400b

The Mātaṅga Sutra

Then she took some water and returned home. She went to where her mother was and said,

"[There is] a monk [called] Ānanda, who is a disciple of the Buddha. I am very much in love with him and want to win him as my husband. With the like of Mother's powers it should be possible to achieve this. Please take pity on me and fulfill my wish!" Her mother said to her,

"There are two kinds of people against whom it

is of no avail to use magic. Who are those two? One is those who have cut off desire, and the second is the dead. Others I am able to subjugate. The śramaṇaGautama is exalted in his awe-inspiring virtue, and King Prasenajit has great faith and respect for him. Were he to find out that I had made Ānanda come [here], the caṇḍālas would all be annihilated. Furthermore, Gautama has extinguished mental afflictions, and his followers are all free from the defilement of desire. I once heard that to those who have cut off birth and death one should offer respect. Why would one instead commit evil deeds against them?"

When [her daughter] heard this, she wept with grief and said, "Mother,

if you cannot make Ānanda come, I will most certainly forsake life and limb. Even if Gautama defies my wish, again I shall not be able to remain long in the world. If I win him (i.e., Ānanda), all my wishes will be fulfilled. "

On hearing these words, her mother, saddened and unhappy, addressed her, saying,

"You must not give up your life. I will assuredly be able to make Ānanda come here.

"

Thereupon the girl's mother smeared the ground in [the yard of] her home with cowdung, spread out reeds, and in the center of this site lit a great raging fire. [Taking] one hundred and eight fine arka flowers, she recited a spell once for each flower and threw it into the fire. The spell said: Amale vimale kuṅkume sumane, yena baddho

'

si vidyut, icchayā devo

varṣati vidyotati gajati vismaya[ṃ] ma[hā]rāja[sya] samabhivardhāyitum. 2

(O you who are untainted, free from taint, saffron, and beautiful! O lightning, by which you are bound! According to desire the god rains down, flashes forth, and thunders to increase the amazement of the great king.) Gods and demons and gandharvas, the god of fire and the god of the earth—if you hear this spell of mine and my sacrifice, you should quickly make Ānanda come here!

38

Chapter I

When she had finished speaking these words, the venerable Ānanda immediately became confused in mind and, unaware of what he was doing, went to pay a visit to the caṇḍālas' house. Then the girl's mother, seeing Ānanda from afar approaching in a leisurely manner, addressed her daughter, saying, "The monk Ānanda has come and

is drawing near. You should now lay out the bedding, burn incense, scatter flowers, and make everything very neat and clean. "

On hearing her mother's words, the girl rejoiced and leapt for joy. She decorated the room, installed a bejeweled seat, cleaned [the room], sprinkled and swept [the floor], and scattered famed flowers. By then Ānanda had already arrived at their house, sobbing with grief and choking, and he tearfully said,

"How hapless I am to have met with this trouble! Could the World-honored One, with his great compassion, not take pity, apply his might, and think protectively of me so that I may be neither troubled nor harmed?"

Just then the Tathāgata saw with his pure divine vision that Ānanda was being led astray and confused by that woman, and in order to protect him he uttered a spell:

Sthiti acyuti anīti.

3

Then the World-honored One, having uttered this spell, spoke these words: "With this spell I make all frightened beings feel at peace, and I also wish to bring benefit and ease to those in distress. Should there be any beings without a place of refuge, I shall become a true refuge for them. " Thereupon the

World-honored One further uttered these verses: The pond of precepts is fresh and cool, clear and unsullied, And it is able to lave the heat of the mental afflictions of beings. Should any wise person enter this pond, The obstacles of the darkness of ignorance will be completely extinguished forever.

For this reason the worthies and sages of the three ages All receive [the precepts] respectfully, and together they extol them. If I have truly bathed in this stream, It should make my attendant quickly return. 39

400c

The Mātaṅga Sutra

Then, because of the supernatural power of the Buddha and the power of his roots of goodness, the caṇḍālaspell had no effect on Ānanda, and he left their house and returned to Jeta's Grove. The girl saw Ānanda going back and said to her mother,

"The monk has left!"

The mother addressed her, saying,

"The śramaṇaGautama is surely with

his awesome power thinking protectively of him, and therefore he has been able to render my spell impotent.

"

The girl said to her mother,

"Is the power of the supernatural virtues of

the śramaṇaGautama able to prevail over Mother?" Her mother told her,

"The virtues of the śramaṇaGautama are profound

and vast, and my power cannot be compared with his. Any magical arts of beings throughout the entire world he could, were he so disposed, destroy completely without there ever remaining anything of them. His actions cannot be hindered. For this reason know that his power is unsurpassed. "

Around that [same] time Ānanda went to where the Buddha was, bowed down with his head at his feet, and stood to one side. The Buddha addressed Ānanda: "There is a six-phrase spell,

4 the power of which is preeminent: it

completely protects all beings, destroys evil paths, and puts an end to calamities. You should now receive and uphold it, read and recite it, and use it for your own benefit and to make others happy. If monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen wish to bring benefit and ease to themselves and to confer benefits on [other] beings, they should all receive and uphold the six-phrase divine spell. Ānanda, this entire spell was proclaimed by all six buddhas of the past, and now I, Śākyamuni Samyaksambuddha, also teach this spell. The heavenly king Great Brahmā, Śakra Devendra, the Four Heavenly Kings, and so on all revere it, receive and uphold it, and read and recite it. Therefore, you should now endeavor to practice, extol, and worship it without forgetting it.

" He then uttered the spell:

Yad uta, aṇḍare pāṇḍare keyūre [s]thāmihaste saragrīve bandhumati dhara viṣa cili mili bhanilinda yathā sambhakto lapolapati ka[ṇ]ṭhavilāya. 5

The Buddha addressed Ānanda: "Should any being receive and uphold this six-phrase divine spell, then when he is about to be executed, he will through the power of the spell be lightly whipped and gain release; if he deserves a whipping, he will because of this spell escape with a reprimand; 40

Chapter I

and if he deserves a reprimand, he will on account of the awesome power of this divine spell be forever uncensured, calm and happy. Ānanda, I do not see any śramaṇa,brahman or god, demon, [denizen of the world of] Brahmā, human and non-human receiving and upholding this spell and then being troubled and harmed, except for those whose karma is fixed, about which nothing can be done.

"

Then the caṇḍāla girl, having passed the night, bathed herself, donned new and clean clothes, placed a garland of flowers on her head, applied perfume, adorned her person with gold and silver brooches and strings of pearls and, walking slowly at a leisurely pace, set out for the land of Śrāvastī. When she arrived at the city gate, she stood waiting for Ānanda. That morning Ānanda entered the city to beg for food. The girl, seeing him coming, felt deep joy and went after him, never once leaving him. Whenever he stopped or moved on and whenever he entered [a house for alms] or came out, she always followed him. The venerable Ānanda, seeing this, felt greatly ashamed and, depressed and unhappy, he left the city and went to Jeta's Grove. He bowed down with his head at the Buddha's feet, withdrew, sat down to one side, and said to the Buddha,

"World-honored One, [this] caṇḍālagirl is harassing me a great deal. Whether I go or stay, move or halt, she does not leave me. I but beg you, World-honored One, to extend protection out of compassion. "

The Buddha addressed Ānanda: "You must not worry. I shall see to it that you are freed from this predicament.

"

Then the Buddha and World-honored One addressed the girl, saying, "Do

you want Ānanda to be your husband?"

She said,

"Gautama, it is truly as you say.

"

The Buddha said,

"Good woman, the rules for marriage are such that one must tell one's parents. Have you now asked your honored [parents] or not?" She replied,

"Gautama, my parents have given me permission. Therefore I have come here.

"

The Buddha said,

"If your parents have already granted permission, you must have them come themselves and hand you over in my presence. "

On hearing these words, the girl bowed to the Buddha, withdrew, and set out for her parents' place. Having paid her respects, she withdrew and stood to one side, and said to her parents,

"I want Ānanda to be my husband. Please

have pity and go together with me to hand me over to him in person. "

41

401a

401b

The Mātaṅga Sutra

At this her parents made their way to where the Buddha was, bowed down with their heads at the Buddha's feet, and sat down to one side. The girl said, "Gautama, my parents have come.

"

Thereupon the World-honored One asked them, "Do you truly give your

daughter to Ānanda?"

They replied,

"World-honored One, it is indeed as you say. "

The Buddha said,

"You may now return to your dwelling place. "

The girl's parents then bowed to the Buddha and withdrew, whereupon the Tathāgata addressed the girl, saying, "If you wish to win the monk Ānanda as your husband, you must leave home and assume his appearance. "

She replied,

"Yes, I shall respectfully accept your instructions. "

The Buddha said,

"Welcome!" whereupon she became a śramaṇā, and her hair fell away of its own accord and religious robes appeared on her person. Then [the Buddha] preached the Dharma for her, revealing and teaching it and benefiting and delighting her: namely, the discourse on giving, the discourse on the precepts, the discourse on birth in heaven, and that desire is impure and escape [from transmigration] is best. Further, this desire is an aggregation of sufferings, the palatability of which is very slight and the faults most plentiful. For example, just as moths out of ignorance throw themselves into blazing flames and burn themselves to death, so too ordinary people, with their inverted views, wrongly produce attachment and are impelled by craving, just like moths chasing flames. Therefore, the wise reject it and distance themselves from it, without for even a moment arousing thoughts of love.

Then, having heard [the Buddha] explain this, the nun was happy, rejoicing in her heart, and her mind became disciplined. Thereupon the World-honored One, knowing that the nun's heart and mind were pliant and free from trouble some hindrances, explained for her in full the Dharma of the four truths, that is,

"This is suffering, this is the habituation of suffering, this is the cessation of suffering, and this is the path to the cessation of suffering. "

Then the nun suddenly understood in her mind the four noble truths just as, for example, a new, clean, white cloth readily receives dye, and right there where she was sitting she attained the way of the arhat, never again to turn back or follow another's teaching. She bowed down with her head at the Buddha's feet and said to the Buddha, "World-honored One, earlier I was

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Chapter I

foolish. Intoxicated with the wine of desire, I upset a wise and holy person and created unwholesome karma. I but pray, World-honored One, that you will accept my confession.

"

The Buddha said,

"I have already accepted your confession. You should now know that a buddha age (when a buddha is on earth) is difficult to encounter, a human body is difficult to obtain, and to be liberated from birth and death and gain [the state of] an arhat is also extremely difficult. These difficult things you have already accomplished, and in the Buddha's Dharma you have attained the fruit of truth. That is to say, birth and death have come to an end, pure conduct has been established, what had to be done has been done, and there will be no future existence for you. Therefore, you should now exert yourself, and be sure not to be negligent!" 43