T450 The Scripture of Master of Medicine, Beryl Radiance Tathāgata – and The Sutra of the Girl Candrottarā

Twelve Great Yakṣa Generals

The Scripture of Master of Medicine, Beryl Radiance Tathāgata 408b

The second [untimely death] is to unexpectedly be subject to execution under royal statutes. The third is when one goes out hunting on a pleasure party and engages without restraint in debauchery and drunkenness. Unexpectedly one's vital energy is then taken away by a [demonic] nonhuman being. The fourth is when one is unexpectedly burned in a fire. The fifth is when one unexpectedly drowns in water. The sixth is when one is unexpectedly eaten by various wild animals. The seventh is when one unexpectedly falls from a mountain cliff. The eighth is when one is unexpectedly poisoned, cursed, imprecated, or [becomes the object of an evil spell] by necromantic demons (vetālas). The ninth is when one suffers from hunger and thirst and is unable to obtain food and drink, so that he or she unexpectedly dies.

These are abridged teachings by the Tathāgata on the untimely deaths, of which there are nine kinds. There are also innumerable other untimely [deaths] that are difficult to explain in detail.

Moreover, Ānanda, King Yama has control of the register of the names [of all the beings in] the world. If there are those who are not filial, who have committed the five capital crimes, who have broken and brought shame to the Three Jewels, who have infringed upon the law of ruler and subjects, or who have denigrated faith [and violated] the precepts, then the King of the Dharma Yama will punish them in accordance with his examination of the severity of their crimes. This is why I now urge all sentient beings to light lamps, make banners, release creatures, and engage in meritorious activities. Thus, people will be delivered from calamities and avoid meeting all kinds of difficulties. Twelve Great Yakṣa

Generals

At that moment in the assembly there were twelve yakṣa generals seated together. These were29 the general Kiṃbhīra, the general Vajra, the general Mekhila, the general Antila, the general Anila, the general Saṇṭhila, the general Indāla, the general Pāyila, the general Māhura, the general Cindāla, the general Codhura, and the general Vikala. Each of these twelve yakṣa generals had retinues of seven thousand yakṣas. They raised their voices together and said to the Buddha:

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The Scripture of Master of Medicine, Beryl Radiance Tathāgata O Bhagavat, having heard the name of Bhagavat Master of Medicine, Beryl Radiance Tathāgata, we have now received the Buddha's majestic power. We are no longer afraid of falling into evil paths. We are together all of the same mind in taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha throughout our lives. We vow to bear the burden of bringing about benefit, enrichment, peace, and pleasure for all sentient beings. Wherever it may be, either in a village, town, capital, or remote forest, if there is anyone who spreads this sutra or holds onto the name of Master of Medicine, Beryl Radiance Tathāgata and respectfully worships him, we and our retinues will protect that person. All such people will be delivered from all suffering and difficulty and their wishes will all be completely fulfilled. Anyone who is ill and wishes to be delivered [from illness] should read and recite this sutra. Taking a five-colored rope, they should knot our names in it; when their wish is fulfilled they should untie the knots. At that moment, the Bhagavat praised the yakṣa generals and said to them: Excellent, excellent, yakṣa generals! You think of responding to the debt of gratitude for Bhagavat Master of Medicine, Beryl Radiance Tathāgata. You should always do thus, bringing about benefit, peace, and pleasure for all sentient beings.

Conclusion

At that moment, Ānanda said to the Buddha, "O Bhagavat, how should this Dharma gate be called, and how should we uphold it?"

The Buddha said to Ānanda:

This Dharma gate is called "The Teaching on the Merits of the Former Vow of Master of Medicine, Beryl Radiance Tathāgata." It is also called "The Teaching of the Divine Spell of the Twelve Divine Generals Benefiting Sentient Beings [and] the Fulfillment of [Their] Wishes." It is also called "The Eradication of all Karmic Obstructions." You should uphold this [sutra] as such.

When the Bhagavat finished teaching this [sutra], all the bodhisattva mahāsattvas and great listeners (śrāvakas), kings, ministers, brahmans, and householders, devas, dragons, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, 29

Appendix

The Scripture of Master of Medicine, Beryl Radiance Tathāgata mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans—all in the assembly who heard the Buddha's teaching were greatly delighted, received it with conviction and faith, and practiced it.

[End of] The Scripture of the Merits of the Former Vows of Master of Medicine, Beryl Radiance Tathāgata

The disciple Gu Chongjun, wishing for peace and producing the mind of bodhi, copied the scripture of Master of Medicine on the fifteenth day of the second month of second year of the Guangde era (764). 30

Appendix

Translation of the

Interpolated Passage

(T.450:406, n. 13)

Moreover, Mañjuśrī, when that Master of Medicine, Beryl Radiance Tathāgata attained bodhi, because of the power of his former vows he was able to observe sentient beings. He saw that some were suffering from various diseases and were emaciated because of lovesickness, desiccated, suffering from malaria, and so on; others had been poisoned by black magic; further, others were [naturally] short-lived or were to have untimely deaths. He then wanted to remove the suffering due to diseases and cause the beings' desires to be fulfilled.

At that moment, the Bhagavat entered into the samādhi called "Queller of the Sufferings of All Beings." Having entered this samādhi, a great brilliant light shone from the excrescence on his head, and from its midst a great dhāraṇī was taught:

I honor the Bhagavat Master of Medicine, King of Beryl Radiance, Tathāgata, Arhat, Perfectly Enlightened One, saying: To the Healer, to the Healer, to the supreme Healer, hail! (Namo bhagavate bhaiṣajyaguru-vaiḍūrya prabharājāya tathāgatāya arthate samyaksaṃbuddhāya tadyathā. Oṃ bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajya-samudgate svāhā).30

Then, this dhāraṇī having been taught in the light, the great earth shook and emitted a great light. The suffering caused by the diseases of all sentient beings was removed. They all became peaceful and joyous.

O Mañjuśrī, if there is a son or daughter suffering because of disease, for the sake of that person one should always earnestly clean and bathe him or 31

Notes

The Scripture of Master of Medicine, Beryl Radiance Tathāgata her. One should provide them with food, medicine, or [clean] water free of insects, and recite the dhāraṇī over these things one hundred and eight times, [then] make that person take [the medicine, food, or water]. Then all their suffering from disease will disappear. If one desires something, just recite [the dhāraṇī] and one will obtain it; one will be without illness, his or her life will be prolonged, and at the end of their life he or she will be born in that realm [of Pure Beryl].31 One will attain the state of non regression [on the path to the enlightenment] until final bodhi. This is why, Mañjuśrī, if there is a son or a daughter, who, with utmost sincerity, most respectfully worships that Master of Medicine, Beryl Radiance Tathāgata, that person should always hold on to that dhāraṇī and never forget it. Moreover, Mañjuśrī, if there is a son or a daughter with pure faith who is able to hear the name of Master of Medicine, Beryl Radiance Tathāgata, Worthy of Offerings (Arhat), Perfectly Enlightened One and, having heard it, holds onto it and recites it—such a person should at dawn chew the toothstick, bathe, and purify himself. He should worship the image [of that buddha] with all kinds of fragrant flowers, burn incense, [offer] perfumed unguents, and play music of all sorts. He should copy this sutra by himself, or cause others to do so, and he should wholeheartedly hold onto it and try to understand its meaning. He should worship and reward the Dharma master [who teaches the sutra], offering him all the necessities of life, making sure that he lacks nothing. Having done this, that person will be covered by the protective thoughts of the buddhas, and all that he seeks for shall be fulfilled until he attains bodhi.

32

Notes

1 See Hiram Woodward, "Cambodian Images of Bhaisajyaguru," in Emma C. Bunker and Douglas Latchford, eds., Khmer Bronzes: New Interpretations of the Past (Chicago: Art Media Resources, 2011), pp. 497-502.

2 This text was edited by Nalinaksha Dutt, Gilgit Manuscripts, Vol. 1 (Srinagar-Kashmir: Government of Kashmir, 1939) and a facsimile edition of the manuscripts was published by Raghu Vira and Lokesh Chandra, Gilgit Buddhist Manuscripts, Part 8 (New Delhi: International Academy of Indian Culture, 1974). A new, much more faithful, critical edition of the text appears in Gregory Schopen, "The Bhaiṣajyaguru-sūtra and the Buddhism of Gilgit," unpublished Ph.D. dissertation (Canberra: Australian National University, 1978). Another critical edition of the Sanskrit text is in F. M. Hassnain and Tokan Sumi, Bhaisajya-guru-sutra: Original Sanskrit Text with Introduction and Commentary (New Delhi: Reliance Publishing House, 1995). 3 See the Chinese translation of the Śikṣāsamuccaya: T.1636:109c8-110a21, corresponding to T.450:407a9-12; 407a17-27; 407a27-b4; 406b6-19; 406b19-21. There is another quotation from the Bhaiṣajya-sūtra, 78b8-13, but it has no corresponding passage in T. 450.

4 The Taishō edition's original text is the Goryeo printed edition; it is collated against the three printed editions of Song, Yuan, and Ming, an old printed edition of Song preserved in the Japanese Palace Library, the printed edition of the Shukusatsu zōkyō of Tokyo, and the oldest Dunhuang manuscript (S. 2616). The latter manuscript is photographically reproduced in Huang Yongwu, ed., Dunhuang bao zang (Taipei: Xinwenfeng chuban gongsi, 1981-1986), vol. 21, pp. 512a-521a. 5 The Tibetan text 'Phags pa bcom ldan 'das sman gyi bla baiḍurya'i 'od kyi sṅon gyi smon lam gyi khyad par rgyas pa źes bya ba theg pa chen po'i mdo is critically edited by Schopen in his 1978 dissertation, "The Bhaiṣajyaguru-sūtra and the Buddhism of Gilgit."

6 For the Sogdian and Khotanese fragments, see Émile Benveniste, Textes Sogdiens: Mission Pelliot en Asie Centrale (Paris: P. Geuthner, 1940), vol. III, pp. 82-92; Ernst Leumann, Buddhistisch Literatur Nordarisch und Deutsch (Leibzig: F. A. Brockhaus, 1920), vol. I, pp. 104-110; and Mauro Maggi, "Khotanese Literature," in Ronald E. Emmerick, et al., eds., The Literature of Pre-Islamic Iran: A History of Persian Literature Companion (London: Tauris, 2009), vol. 1, p. 386. On the Mongolian version translated from Uighur, see Raoul Birnbaum, The Healing Buddha (Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2003, revised ed.), p. 60.

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The Scripture of Master of Medicine, Beryl Radiance Tathāgata 7 There are twenty-eight occurrences of the buddha's name in Xuanzang's translation and only five in Huijian's version. It is also noteworthy that in Huijian's and Huiju's versions there is no occurrence of the sanctioned term miaohao ("buddha's name"), which appears in the translations by Xuanzang and Yijing.

8 See Kayoko Nagao, "Girugitto bon 'Yakushi-kyō' no seiritsu: Bukkyō taishūka no hitokoma," Pāri-gaku bukkyō bunka-gaku 7 (1994-1996): 101-110, and "Koyaku 'Yakushi-kyō' ni mirareru Yama rāja no kijutsu: Sansukuritto tekisuto wo shiya ni ireta kenkyū," Pāri-gaku bukkyō bunka-gaku 21 (2007-2012): 37-51; Schopen, "The Bhaiṣajyaguru-sūtra and the Buddhism of Gilgit," pp. 247-252, and "The Generalization of an Old Yogic Attainment in Medieval Mahāyana Sūtra Literature: Some notes on Jātismara," Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 6/1 (1983): 109-147.

9 See note 21.

10 Schopen, "The Bhaiṣajyaguru-sūtra and the Buddhism of Gilgit," pp. 354-355. 11 Birnbaum, The Healing Buddha, p. 57.

12 See note 23.

13 See Keiya Noguchi, "Shoki mikkyō kyōten to shite no 'Yakushi-kyō,'" Mikkyō-gaku kenkyū 44 (2012): 39-58.

14 Birnbaum, The Healing Buddha, pp. 151-172; Schopen, "The Bhaiṣajyaguru-sūtra and the Buddhism of Gilgit," pp. 162-375 (with full annotation); Yutaka Iwamoto, "Yakushi nyorai hongan-kyō," in Daijō kyōten (Tōkyō: Yomiuri shinbunsha, 1974), vol. 6, pp. 161-201.

15 I follow here the text of the Dunhuang manuscript. In the Taishō edition text, this passage would be rendered "they recall it in their evil destiny." See T.450:405c20, n. 13.

16 Although the Dunhuang manuscript has xiazei ("low bandit") here, I assume that this is a mistake for xiajian, according to the Taishō edition (T.450:406a17, n. 3), and translate accordingly.

17 18 The Dunhuang manuscript has jie ("precepts") here, instead of huo ("either"), which appears in the Taishō edition (T.450:406b8, n. 9). I assume that the Dunhuang manuscript variant is a mistake. In a variant found in the Śikṣāsamuccaya's quotation "three months" is replaced with "three years." See T.1636:109c29; see also Schopen, "The Bhaiṣajyaguru-sūtra and the Buddhism of Gilgit," p. 276.

19 The Taishō edition apparatus (T.1450:406, n. 12) gives a variant text here that reads ". . . there will be eight bodhisattvas—named Mañjuśrī, Avalokiteśvara, Mahāsthāmaprāpta, Akṣayamati, Baotanhua (Precious Sandal Flower), Bhaiṣajyarāja, Bhaiṣajyasamudgata, and Maitreya—coming mounted on empty space. . . . " (T.450:406, n. 11) 34

20 21 Notes

as the text of the Dunhuang manuscript. However, in fact, the Dunhuang manuscript (p. 515b, p. 516a in the photographic reproduction of the Dunhuang baozang, XXI) does not have this text. This text is given in the Shukusatsu zōkyō edition. The Taishō edition's note is certainly a mistake for the Shukusatsu zōkyō edition. These names are given in the oldest translation of this sutra in the twelfth scroll of the Consecration Sutra (T.1331:533c; the second character of the name Baotanhua is written 壇 instead of 檀); the same list can be also found in the Jingtu lun by Jiacai (first half of the seventh century), who quotes the Yaoshi jing (T.1963:94b). The name of the fifth bodhisattva, Baotanhua, is unknown elsewhere and has no standard Sanskrit equivalent. A note in the Taishō edition (T.450:406, n. 13) has an additional passage given in the Shukusatsu zōkyō edition. A translation of this passage appears in the Appendix. This text is the same as in Yijing's translation (T.451:414b22-c21). According to Birnbaum, The Healing Buddha, p. 171, n. 10: "This section, though found neither in the Dunhuang version of Xuanzang's translation nor in the Sanskrit manuscript remains, can be found in slightly altered form in the later expanded version of this sutra, the scripture of the Seven Healing Buddhas (Translation IV [T.451:414b22-c21]). It is also popularly incorporated into modern versions circulated among Chinese Buddhists, including a version in my possession recently published in Hong Kong. It is included in Walter Liebenthal's translation, The Sutra of the Lord of Healing (Peking: [Society of Chinese Buddhists,] 1936), and is also found in a Chinese version of the sutra circulated in Peking in the early 1930s, found in the collection of the late Prof. F. D. Lessing." The interpolated passage contains a dhāraṇī in Chinese transliteration mainly consisting of Bhaiṣajyaguru Buddha's name. This may give the text the appearance of being an esoteric sutra. See Introduction, p. 10.

This passage raises a difficult problem of interpretation: does the dying person really die, or is on the point of dying, and the worship of Bhaiṣajyaguru Buddha allows him to be resuscitated, or rather does it mean that that person's "consciousness" will be reborn in a new body with the recollection of the acts of his former life and their retribution, given here in the form of the judgment rendered by King Yama, so that he will no longer commit any evil actions? As far as Xuanzang's Chinese text is concerned, this question has no answer. A common sense interpretation would be that it is difficult to imagine that a person who has been dead (or appears to be deceased) for as long as "seven, or twenty-one, or thirty-five, or forty-nine days" can then "return" to life. On the other hand, the multiples of seven days generally are ceremonial days for deceased persons.

The expression "the consciousness returns to that place" used in the Chinese text seems, at least at first glance, to mean that the consciousness of an apparently dead person returns to life in the same body (in Schopen's translation of the Sanskrit text, "The Bhaiṣajyaguru-sūtra and the Buddhism of Gilgit," p. 354, the corresponding phrase is simply rendered "his consciousness returns again"). This appears to have been the preponderant understanding in Japanese Buddhism, at least, where many ceremonies of worshiping Bhaiṣajyaguru Buddha were performed on the occasion of serious illness among emperors or other royal persons. In the Sanskrit text unearthed 35

The Scripture of Master of Medicine, Beryl Radiance Tathāgata 22 23 at Gilgit, however, the word "cadaver" (Skt. kaḍevara) is used just at this point: ". . . in the last period, there will be beings afflicted with various diseases, having emaciated limbs from long illness, their lips and throat parched from hunger and thirst, in the presence of death, surrounded by weeping friends and relatives and kinsmen, seeing darkness in all directions, having drawn away by the servants of Yama. The cadaver of such a person. . ."; Schopen, "The Bhaiṣajyaguru-sūtra and the Buddhism of Gilgit," pp. 354-355. The translation by Huiju and Dharmagupta also uses the word shi ("cadaver" or "corpse") at the corresponding place (T.449:403c19). It is therefore most likely that in the Sanskrit text the meaning of this passage was that the person had died and was reborn into a new life (body). In East Asian Buddhism, however, Bhaiṣajyaguru Buddha was believed to be a miraculous doctor, able to resuscitate nearly dead or even already deceased people.

This "inborn genius" is the deity (or spirit) called "Born Together With" or "Born at the Same Time" (Skt. sahajā devatā; Ch. jusheng shen; Jp. kushōjin), about which there would have been many popular developments in China and in medieval Japanese Buddhism. See Michel Soymié, "Notes d'iconographie chinoise: Les acolytes de Titsang (I)," Arts Asiatiques 14 (1966): 45-78, and "Notes d'iconographie chinoise: Les acolytes de Ti-tsang (II)," Arts Asiatiques 16 (1967): 141-170; Kayoko Nagao, "Kan'yaku butten ni okeru 'kushōjin' no kaishaku," Pāri-gaku bukkyō bunka-gaku 13 (1999): 55-66.

The "life-prolonging divine banner" (xuming shenfan) may be understood as a ritual implement that allows believers to experience no suffering at the moment of death (as will be stated later), but whether it really prolongs the life of a person whose natural life span has been exhausted is not clear. In the Sanskrit version, the translation by Huiju and Dharmagupta (Taishō 449), and the translation by Yijing (Taishō 451), the phrase "life-prolonging" does not appear (the implement is simply called a "banner"). It appears only in the translation by Huijian (Taishō 1331, twelfth fascicle) and in Xuanzang's translation (Taishō 450). Some Chinese encyclopedic works report a legend about King Aśoka who became ill before completing the construction of his stupas but was cured by a "life-prolonging divine banner," thanks to which he lived an additional twelve (or twenty-five) years; see T.2040:79a9-16, T.2122:568b16-24, and T.2123:38a6-14.

24 See note 21.

25 The Dunhuang manuscript has jin ("now") here, instead of ming ("life"), which appears in the Taishō edition (T.450:407b27). I assume that this is a mistake and translate according to the Taishō edition variant.

26 The compound yaonie means "inauspicious," "calamitous," or "inauspicious omens." 27 The text has mi huo, meaning "seek calamities," but this does not make sense. In fact, Xuanzang reuses here the older translation by Huijian (T.1331:535c13). The first character, mi, is probably a scribal mistake for bu jian, meaning "not see[ing]." I 36

Notes

28 29 30 31 assume that the original wording was bu jian huo and translate accordingly. I would like to thank Dr. Ishii Kōsei for this correction of the text. The passage from "There are also [people] who believe in the false teachings. . . " to here is found only in the oldest translation by Huijian, Xuanzang's translation, and the translation by Yijing (Taishō 451). The Sanskrit version and the other Chinese translation (Taishō 449) do not have this passage.

Almost all the yakṣa general names listed below (except the second, Vajra) are not known anywhere else, and their origins and meanings are unknown; see Keiyo Arai, "Yakushi jūni shinshō mei no kentō," in Nakamura Hajime hakase kanreki kinenkai, ed., Nakamura Hajime hakase kanreki kinen ronshū (Tokyo: Shunjūsha, 1973), pp. 513-521.

A simpler dhāraṇī, Namo bhaiṣajyaguru vaiḍūrya prabha-rājāya tathāgatāya bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajya-samudgate svāhā, can be found in the first translation by Huijian (T.1331: 536a25-27).

The "realm [of Pure Beryl]" is perhaps the Joyous Realm of the West (i.e., Sukhāvatī) of Amitābha Buddha. The text is not clear on this point.

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THE SUTRA OF THE GIRLCANDROTTARĀ

THE SUTRA OF THE GIRL CANDROTTARĀ

Contents

Translator's Introduction 41 The Sutra of the Girl Candrottarā Fascicle One 45 Fascicle Two 65 Notes 83

39

Translator’s Introduction

Translator's Introduction

The Sutra of the Girl Candrottarā was translated into Chinese by Jñānagupta in 591 C.E. Though the complete Sanskrit text is no longer extant, a short fragment is preserved in the Schøyen Collection. In addition, a verse passage is quoted by Śāntideva (mid-eighth century?) in his Śikṣāsamuccaya under the title Candrottarādārikāparipṛcchā (Questions of the Girl Candrottarā), and there also exists a Tibetan translation, dating from the early ninth century or before, in which the title is given as Candrottarādārikāvyākaraṇa (Prediction Concerning the Girl Candrottarā). Since Candrottarā both asks questions and receives a prediction, either title would seem appropriate, but the title Candrottarā dārikāvyākaraṇa will be used here. The Chinese and Tibetan translations appear to be based on similar texts, and any differences that exist between them have not generally been noted in the translation.

The chief protagonist of this sutra is a girl by the name of Candrottarā, so called because when she was born she emitted from her person a brilliant light that was said to be "superior (uttara) to the radiance of the moon (candra)." She was born to Vimalakīrti, a wealthy householder of the Licchavi people in the city of Vaiśālī, and his wife Vimalā. Not long after her birth Candrottarā assumed the appearance of an eight-year-old girl of incomparable beauty, whereupon her father was overwhelmed by suitors hoping to win her hand in marriage. Unlike the Vimalakīrti of the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa, Candrottarā's father is portrayed as a rather weak individual unable to stand up to the sometimes threatening approaches of her would-be suitors. Candrottarā solves the problem by promising to choose a husband in seven days' time, but on the night of the sixth day she receives a visit from a messenger of the Buddha in the form of an image of a tathā gata seated in a lotus flower that appears miraculously in her right hand. Hearing about the Buddha from this tathāgata, she is filled with a longing to see him, and the following day she sets out together with her parents for the Mahāvana, a grove outside the city where the Buddha is staying. On the way she first delivers a discourse on the follies of desire to the crowd of people who have gathered 41

Translator's Introduction

to see her, and she then meets Śāriputra, with whom she discusses some of the finer points of Buddhist doctrine. Eventually she arrives at the Mahāvana, where she further demonstrates her understanding of the Buddha's teachings through her answers to questions posed by a number of bodhisattvas and again by Śāriputra. She then makes ten vows in the presence of the Buddha, who predicts her future attainment of buddhahood. On hearing this prediction, she changes sex to become a boy, and the sutra ends with the boy Candrottara (his name being the masculine form of Candrottarā) leaving home to become a disciple of the Buddha. This sutra is one of several Mahayana sutras in which the leading role is played by a woman or, as in this case, a young girl, and it is thus of particular interest for the light it sheds on the position of women in Buddhism. In this regard, it shows the ambiguity of several other works of this genre in that while Candrottarā points out the irrelevance of gender to the attainment of buddhahood, she ultimately changes her form into that of a boy.

Another point of interest is the depiction of her father, Vimalakīrti, which, as has already been noted, contrasts with the portrayal of Vimalakīrti in the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa. This raises the question of the relationship between this sutra and the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa. It has been suggested by some scholars that the present work is, along with the *Mahāvaipulyamūrdharāja-sūtra (in which Vimalakīrti's son figures), a sequel to the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa. But it has also been argued that the Candrottarādārikāvyākaraṇa and the *Mahāvaipulyamūrdharājasūtra predate the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa, which, it is claimed, further develops and refines their thought. It is perhaps impossible to reach any definitive conclusion regarding the relationship between these three works, at least at present. Lastly, it may also be noted that the Japanese novelist and poet Kōda Rohan (1867-1947) held that the Candrottarādārikāvyākaraṇa provided at least some of the inspiration for the well-known Japanese folktale Taketori monogatari (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter). While any connection between the two is again impossible to prove, there are certain similarities between the girl Candrottarā and the Shining Princess of the latter, and possible links between the two works have since been mooted by others too.

42

The Sutra of the Girl Candrottarā Translated by the Indian Trepiṭaka and Dharma Master Jñānagupta during the Sui

Fascicle One

Thus have I heard. Once the Buddha was staying at the Grass Hermitage1 in the Mahāvana in the land of Vaiśālī together with five hundred great monks, all of whom were arhats. With them were also eight thousand bodhisattvas, all of great virtue, who possessed great awesome power, had great supernatural faculties, had all received and upheld dhāraṇīs, had obtained unimpeded eloquence, had obtained the states of meditation, had obtained acceptance of the nonbirth [of dharmas], and were endowed with the five [supernatural] faculties; whatever they spoke was truthful, without falsehood, and free from praise or censure; they were not at all attached to their own attendants or to gain; they preached the Dharma for people without seeking any reward; they had obtained acceptance of the profound Dharma; they had crossed to the other shore; they were endowed with fearlessness; they had gone beyond [the reach of] the deeds of demons; they had no karmic bonds; they had no misgivings about the nature of dharmas; they had been successful in practicing for immeasurable hundreds of thousands of nayutas of eons; always with a pleasant expression, they encouraged practitioners with skillful phrases, never once frowning; they did not change their minds; their eloquence had no end; in addition, they had all achieved acceptance of the equality of dharmas; they were able to preach the Dharma in large assemblies without fear; they had gained the skill in means and inexhaustible wisdom to expound a single Dharma phrase for hundreds of thousands of billions of nayutas of eons; they knew that the three ages are like an illusory transformation and also like a mirage, like the moon [reflected] on water, like a dream, like a star,2 and like space and an echo; they knew that the nature of dharmas is empty and without any [distinguishing] characteristic or objective; their minds were always quiescent; they dwelled in the Dharma of thusness, were free from taking and rejecting, and had already obtained immeasurable knowledge and skill in means, as well as the knowledge and skill in means for knowing the workings of the minds of all people; they could expound the Dharmas in accordance with the circumstances of whomsoever they were converting; they had no thoughts of harm toward any beings and were free from all cravings; nor did 45

615c

The Sutra of the Girl Candrottarā

they have any secondary mental afflictions, and they were endowed with the practice of forbearance; they had completely understood the nature of dharmas; they had already accomplished deeds of adornment in buddha fields; they were forever engaged in the samādhi of recollecting the Buddha and were also accomplished in the knowledge of soliciting the buddhas; they were able to cut off various mental afflictions and impulses; they sported in samādhis and samāpattis; and they had completely acquired knowledge and skill in means. Their names were:3 the bodhisattva and mahāsattva Mañjuśrī kumāra bhūta, the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, the bodhisattva Mahāsthāmaprāpta, the bodhisattva Durabhisaṃbhava, the bodhisattva Gandhahastin, the bodhisattva Anikṣiptadhura, the bodhisattva Sūryagarbha, the bodhisattva Dhāraṇī[śvararāja], the bodhisattva Gandharaśmipramukta, the bodhisattva Garjitasvara, the bodhisattva Suvarṇaprabhāsaviniścayarāja, the bodhisattva Nārāyaṇa, the bodhisattva Ratnapāṇi, the bodhisattva Ratnamudrāhasta, the bodhisattva Gaganagañja, the bodhisattva Prāmodyarāja, the bodhisattva Priyadarśana, the bodhisattva Sattvatārin, the bodhisattva Nityodyukta, the bodhisattva Nityapramuditendriya, the bodhisattva Apayaṃjaha, the bodhisattva Vajra[pada]vikramin, the bodhisattva Trailokya[pada]vikramin, the bodhisattva Acala[pada]vikramin, the bodhisattva Amoghadarśin, the bodhisattva Śrīgarbha, the bodhisattva Padmaśrī, the bodhisattva Prākṛtagandhahastin, the bodhisattva Gambhīrapratibhāna, the bodhisattva Mahāpratibhāna, the bodhisattva Dharmodgata, the bodhisattva Dharmaniḥsaṃcayita, the bodhisattva Siṃhavikrāntagāmin, the bodhisattva Sarvatrāsahara, the bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, the bodhisattva Siṃhanādanādin, the bodhisattva Anabhilāpya,4 the bodhisattva Pratibhānakūṭa, the bodhisattva and mahāsattva Maitreya, and so on. With these at their head, there were also one hundred thousand bodhisattvas and mahāsattvas like these with them. At that time, the World-honored One was staying at the Grass Hermitage in the Mahāvana in Vaiśālī, and kings, ministers, officials, very wealthy people, eminent householders, brahmans, laymen, ordinary people, and traveling merchants from afar all venerated, revered, and attended on him. At the time there was in that city a Licchavi by the name of Vimalakīrti. His family was extremely rich, his wealth was immeasurable, and his storehouses, abundantly full, could not be counted and were all full to overflowing with four-footed and two-footed animals and so on. He had a wife called Vimalā, 46

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who was charming and upright, had a beautiful figure, and was endowed with womanly characteristics. Moreover, at the time she was fully nine months pregnant. She then gave birth to a girl of handsome appearance whose body was so perfect that those who saw her never tired [of looking at her]. When this girl was born, there was a great bright light that illuminated the interior of their house, filling every part of it. Likewise, when she was born, the earth shook and all the trees outside the entrance to the house exuded ghee, which flowed forth spontaneously. In the city of Vaiśālī all the large drums and small drums and various kinds of music sounded forth without being played, and from the sky above the heavens caused flowers to rain down. Inside the house there was in each of its four corners a hidden treasury that opened up of its own accord, from which emerged sundry secret treasures. When the girl was born, she did not cry at all but immediately raised her hands, clasping her palms with their ten fingers together, and spoke these verses: Not having performed any evil deeds in the past, I have now obtained a body thus pure;

Had I performed any evil deeds,

I would not have been born into this extremely distinguished [family]. Because I have since former times desisted from evil conduct, Been fond of generosity, self-controlled, and not heedless, And have revered and venerated those to be honored, I have gained birth in this worthy household. I recall how once the Buddha Kāśyapa,

Begging for alms, entered Vaiśālī,

And I, up on top of a mansion,5 saw the Honored One, And having seen him, my mind was purified.

My mind having gained purity,

I worshiped and venerated the Tathāgata.

On that occasion I had at hand no fragrant flowers, Unguents, scented powder, or food and drink. Then I heard a voice in the sky:

"The Buddha does not seek any reward from the world at large. He takes pity on all beings,

And therefore he wanders about and comes begging for alms. 47

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The Sutra of the Girl Candrottarā If you wish to worship the Honored One, You should generate the unsurpassed bodhi mind (bodhicitta). Compared with offerings laid out in the three realms, There is nothing like someone who faithfully generates thoughts of the path."

Having thus heard this voice in the sky, I then saw the sublime marks of the buddhas, Whereupon I generated the steadfast bodhi mind And threw myself down from the top of that mansion. Hovering in midair at the height of a tāla (palm) tree, I then saw all the buddhas in the ten directions And, just like the bejeweled Mount Sume[ru], So too the body of the Buddha Kāśyapa. At that moment, through the supernatural power of the buddhas, My hands were filled with māndāra flowers, Which I then scattered over Kāśyapa, Whereupon they turned into a pure canopy of wondrous flowers. Over the buddhas visible in the ten directions, Their bodies adorned with sublime marks, I [also] saw canopies of māndāra flowers, Just like that over Kāśyapa.

I then spoke these words in midair: "I pray that I may become a supremely honored one among two-legged beings.

I shall practice for eons equal in number to the dust motes [of countless world-systems],

And as long as I do not gain bodhi, I vow not to turn back." Gods and nāgas, as well as nonhumans and so on Of the eight classes [of supernatural beings], two thousand in number, On hearing this lion's roar of mine, Also generated the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi. Having forsaken [the Heaven of] the Thirty-three Gods, I have returned to be born in Jambūdvīpa. I have never abandoned wholesome conduct, And therefore I urge you to cultivate meritorious deeds. 48

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When I was in [the Heaven of] the Thirty-three Gods,

I worshiped the Buddha Śākyamuni.

I have now been born not for the sake of the five desires, But have returned simply to worship this Tathāgata.

I recall that as retribution for deeds in former lives

I was [re]born in eighty-nine places in all.

The merit and virtue received are all like [what I have] now. The wise person should worship the Buddha.

Then, having spoken these verses, she fell silent. On account of her having performed deeds of roots of goodness in the past, her body was spontaneously clothed with garments worn by the gods and [adorned with] wondrous gems, and she emitted from her person a wondrous bright light surpassing the radiance of the moon which, golden in color, illuminated the interior of the house. On seeing this light, her parents named her Candrottarā ("Superior to the Moon"). Then, not long after Candrottarā had been born, she suddenly became the size of an eight-year-old. Wherever she walked, rested, sat, or stood, the ground shone brightly, and the pores of her body emitted the perfume of sandal wood, while her breath was fragrant like an utpala flower.

The sons of all the kṣatriyas and princes in the city of Vaiśālī, as well as all the sons of ministers, laymen, eminent householders, brahmans, and other leading families, distinguished lineages, and clans heard from afar about the fame of this girl Candrottarā, who was upright, charming, and without compare in the world. Having heard about her, they all burned with the fire of desire and cherished in their minds an ardent passion that filled their bodies. Every one of them formed the idea that he would like to win the girl Candrottarā as his wife.

Then, when all the sons had formed this thought, they all went to the house of the Licchavi Vimalakīrti, to whom they conveyed their interest, attending on his every move. They each promised immeasurable rare gems, camels, donkeys, elephants, horses, riches, and so forth. Some met with the Licchavi [Vimalakīrti] and threatened him verbally, saying, "I will carry her off," while others shouted and made statements such as: "If you do not give me your daughter right now, I will without fail seize your beds, bedding, wealth, clothes, bodily jewelry, and all your accessories—I will take them all away." 49

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The Sutra of the Girl Candrottarā

Or else they said that they would beat him or that they would tie him up. Engaging in frightening behavior such as this, they thus addressed him. Then fear arose in the mind of the Licchavi Vimalakīrti, all the hair on his body stood on end, and he became anxious and unhappy. He thought, "Some of them want to carry off my daughter Candrottarā by force and take her away, while others want to come and take my life." Then the Licchavi [Vimalakīrti] lost his senses, and, troubled and distressed, his eyebrows knitted and forehead creased, he turned toward his daughter with unblinking eyes, whereupon he cried out aloud and wept, his tears falling like rain. Then Candrottarā, seeing her father anxious and wailing in this manner, asked him, "Father, why are you now distressed and wailing like this?" Thereupon the Licchavi Vimalakīrti addressed her, saying, "Do you not realize that today, on account of you, everyone in the city has been hostile toward me? Consequently, they each want to come and vie for you. I now fear that with their power you will be carried away, my life and limbs harmed, and my riches all lost."

Then Candrottarā replied to her father in verse: Even if in the land of Jambūdvīpa

All beings there

Were each as strong as Nārāyaṇa,6

And people wielded in their hands sharp weapons And pursued me to the utmost of their strength, They would in the end be unable to harm me. A compassionate mind is not harmed by poison or weapons, Nor is it washed away or burned by water or fire; It does not fear the effects of corpse demons (vetāla) Or those who utter curses.

The compassionate mind is certainly without hatred, And the compassionate mind ultimately does not fear others. I have now aroused these thoughts of compassion, To protect the world as I would protect my own person. Nor I am presently causing others any suffering. Therefore, who can hurt me?

Averse to desire, I myself have no thoughts of desire; 50

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Compassionate, I am also without wrath and delusion. I do not have the afflictions of desire, anger, and delusion; Therefore, there is none who can hurt me.

I regard all beings

With the thought that they are all just like my parents. Those who have only this compassion toward the world Can never be deceived by others.

Even if the sky were to vanish into the ground,

Or [Mount] Sume[ru] fit into a mustard seed,

Or the waters of the four oceans rest in a cow's hoofprint, Still nothing could befall me.

Then Candrottarā, having spoken these verses, said to her parents, "Honorable Mother and Father, if this is indeed the case, I ask that at the crossroads here in the city of Vaiśālī you sound a bell and make the following proclamation to everyone in the city: 'Seven days hence our daughter Candrottarā will definitely go forth and, herself seeking marriage, will choose a husband. All you unmarried men should each bedeck yourselves with clothes and jewelry. You should also sweep the streets throughout the city, scatter fragrant flowers, incense, scented powder, garlands of flowers, and so on, preparing each and every one, and erect gemmed banners and hang up pennants and parasols. Array these various things in a pleasing manner yourselves.'" With various means such as this she asked her parents to have this done. Then her parents, having heard what she had to say, accepted her words, left the house, and, in accordance with what she had said, sounded a bell and made the following announcement to everyone in the city: Our daughter Candrottarā will, in seven days from today, go forth from home and, herself seeking marriage, will choose a husband. You should each make efforts to bedeck yourselves with [fine] clothes, sweep the streets, scatter fragrant flowers, incense, and scented powder, preparing each and every one, and erect gemmed banners, pennants, and parasols. Array these various things in a pleasing manner yourselves. Then, when everyone in the city had heard these words, their hearts danced for joy, and each decorated the front gardens of their houses and the streets 51

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The Sutra of the Girl Candrottarā

in a splendid manner that exceeded what was described above. At the same time, the sons of the kṣatriyas, ministers, brahmans, laymen, eminent householders, and artisans all washed their hair, bathed themselves, and applied fine perfumes, vying with each other in bedecking themselves with clothes and jewelry. Having done so, only then did they address their entourage of retainers with these words: "You should not waver in your minds, nor think of anything else. If the girl Candrottarā does not come toward me, you must use force and help me to seize her."

Then, six days later, on the fifteenth [day of the light half] of the month when the moon was full, Candrottarā received the eight precepts of abstinence, and that night, being bright and quiet, she walked back and forth up on top of the mansion. Through the supernatural power of the Buddha a lotus flower suddenly appeared of its own accord in her right hand. Its stalk was gold, its petals silver, its stamens lapis lazuli, and its pericarp agate. This flower had altogether one hundred thousand petals and shone brightly, the quintessence of exquisite beauty. Inside the flower was an image of a Tathāgata sitting cross-legged, his body like gold in color, which had appeared spontaneously, and, radiant with awesome splendor, it illuminated [the roof of] the mansion. [The Tathāgata] was endowed with the thirty-two [major] marks of a [great] man, and his body was adorned with the eighty [minor] marks [of a great man]. The rays of light emitted by this image of the Tathāgata also completely illuminated the interior of Candrottarā's house. When Candrottarā suddenly saw the flower in her right hand, she gazed at the image of the Tathāgata with reverence and was filled throughout her body with unbearable joy and ecstasy. She then questioned in verse the magically created image of the Tathāgata with these words:

I do not know, esteemed sir, whether you are a god or a nāga, A kiṃnara or a yakṣa,

A demon or an asura.

O Mass of Merit, pray tell me.

This body of yours, honorable sir, is remarkable:

It is like the golden-colored sun and so on,

Or else it changes into a yellow-colored body,

And then suddenly looks like crystal, bright red in color. 52

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I have no thoughts of existence regarding the body or mind, And on seeing your merits I am most joyful. Esteemed sir, by whom you have now been sent I do not know, nor from where you have come. I do not know to what your coming is due And, having come, where you wish to go. Your dignity is resplendent, like a mass of fire, And your virtue towers up like [Mount] Sume[ru]. Thereupon the magically created image of the Tathāgata replied in verse to the girl Candrottarā:

I am now neither god nor nāga,

Nor yakṣa or gandharva.

The Lion of the Śākya tribe (Śākyasiṃha), the World-honored Buddha, Has today sent me to visit you.

Therefore, I am neither a god, a nāga, a yakṣa, Or a nonhuman, nor a kiṃnara,

Nor an [a]sura and so on among the eight classes of [supernatural] beings;

I am verily the messenger of the Buddha of the Śākya tribe (i.e., Śākyamuni).

Thereupon Candrottarā spoke again in verse to the magically created image of the Tathāgata with these words: The World-honored Buddha whom you mentioned just now— What do his form, color, and body resemble? Pray describe his appearance for me, And once I have heard [your description], I shall think of him in that fashion.

Moreover, you yourself say, "I am a messenger of the Buddha and the Dharma,"

And yet you do not describe the marks of the Buddha for me. I see that your majesty and supernatural power Are without compare in the world, just like those of the Buddha. 53

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The Sutra of the Girl Candrottarā 617c

Thereupon the magically created image of the Tathāgata replied again in verse to the girl Candrottarā: The body of the Honored One is the color of genuine gold, He is endowed with the thirty-two [major] marks of a great person, And he is able to act as a field of merit for beings: For this reason he is called a buddha. He himself is able to apprehend all dharmas, And he also comprehends the minds of beings, Whether superior, middling, or inferior: For this reason he is called a buddha. He understands everything about worldly affairs And comprehends all dharmas,

And, knowing all dharmas, he has reached the other shore: For this reason he is called a buddha. The minds of all beings

His own mind is able to know and see individually, But he is not attached to either of the two loci Of beings and minds.

By practicing generosity he was able to become a buddha, And always observing the pure precepts, And also forbearance, effort,

Meditation, and wisdom, he became a buddha. There is nothing about worldly affairs that he does not know— That is to say, about all the arts— And he always espouses thoughts of loving-kindness, compassion, [sympathetic] joy, and equanimity: For this reason he is called a buddha. He subjugates all demons,

His renown causes ten million worlds to quake, And he is able to awaken by himself to the unsurpassed path: For this reason he is called a buddha. In the past he constantly turned The unsurpassed wheel of all Dharmas, Its rays of light fully illuminating ten million [buddha] fields, And always expounded suffering, emptiness, and no-self. 54

Fascicle One

Buddha fields thousands in number, Hundreds in number, billions in number, nayutas [in number], His vast tongue is able to cover completely: For this reason he is called a buddha. Buddha fields thousands in number, As numerous as the sands of the Ganges River, He fills all completely with his great voice: For this reason he is called a buddha. Buddha fields thousands of billions in number The Honored One can hold in his hand, Remaining motionless in one spot for ten million eons: For this reason he is called a buddha. All the [Mount] Sume[ru]s in [buddha] fields, Buddha fields thousands of billions in number, The Honored One, having bound them together with a single hair of his, Can carry with him to billions of [buddha] fields. Hearing of it, he betook himself to the paramount state of the buddhas, Became sovereign over the dharmas, and crossed to the other shore; Having himself realized [the Dharma], he is able to lead [other] beings across:

For this reason he is called a buddha. Absolutely free, he is endowed with all ten powers, Has also accomplished the four fearlessnesses, And has no doubts about the Buddha Dharma: For this reason he is called a buddha. There is none who can consecrate the Buddha, He is fully endowed with the accomplishments of the five kinds of vision,

He is perfectly provided with the five faculties and the five powers, And in the path of the seven factors of awakening he is undefiled. He duly observes the prohibitory precepts and is pleasant to live with, His tranquil concentration and self-discipline are quite without compare, He is without deceitfulness and without crookedness, and his mind is pliant:

For this reason he is called a buddha. 55

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The Sutra of the Girl Candrottarā The Buddha is always in meditative states, His mind is never even temporarily disturbed and is without fear, And he knows when to speak to benefit beings: For this reason he is called a buddha. He is completely endowed with all virtues, Is [an object of] worship for beings, Possesses omniscience, and sees all dharmas: For this reason he is called a buddha. Were I to explain for one eon

Or for hundreds of tens of millions of eons Why he is called a buddha,

I would be unable to finish explaining it: therefore he is called a buddha. Thereupon Candrottarā, on hearing these verses, was filled throughout her body with unbearable joy and ecstasy, and in her mind there arose a longing to see the Tathāgata. Again she spoke in verse to the magically created image with these words:

"Now that you, honorable sir, have described his virtues, I wish to see him. Would that be possible or not? If a wise person were to hear Dharma like this, He would certainly not wish to remain living at home. If I do not see the Buddha now,

I will definitely neither drink nor eat, Neither will I hanker for sleep, Nor sit on a proper couch.

I am delighted to have seen you, honorable sir, And on hearing of [the Buddha's] virtues I have gained purity of mind. If I were to see the Buddha's form face-to-face, I would engender thoughts of still greater joy. It is difficult in the world to hear [even once] about the Buddha, a great man,

In the course of hundreds of thousands of billions of eons, And I now have heard the name of him whose contaminants have been exhausted.

Where is the Honored One now?"

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The magically created Tathāgata replied: "The Dharma King is presently in the Mahāvana. He has several hundred thousand followers, Pure, free from defilement, and all courageous. Each is able to bear a trigalactic [megagalactic world-]system, Holding it up in [one] hand for an eon without tiring. They have gained concentration, wisdom, and unimpeded eloquence And have fully obtained great learning, [vast] like the ocean. With supernatural faculties they can visit several billion [buddha] fields And make obeisance to all the buddhas in an instant, And, having worshiped tens of millions of buddhas, They come back again in an instant.

They have no notion of self or notion of the Buddha And have no notion of a [buddha] field or notion of the Dharma. They are completely undefiled by any thoughts And act for the benefit of beings.

If you wish to see the World-honored One And the assembly of great bodhisattvas and śrāvakas, And to hear the sublime Dharma of the buddhas, Go quickly to where the Great Guide is." Thereupon Candrottarā, holding that lotus flower with the magically created buddha, came down from the top of the mansion and went to her parents. On reaching them, she addressed her parents in verse with these words: "Mother and Father, look at the flower I am holding, With its exquisite stalk, adamantine (i.e., golden) in color! See, too, the person inside the unsurpassed flower, Adorned with [fine] marks, like the king of mountains! Who would not worship

This sublime and supreme Honored One? Mother, know that everywhere inside the house I now see a golden-colored radiance. His body cannot be fully measured,

For it changes in an instant into various colors, Red, white, yellow, crimson, and crystal. 57

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The Sutra of the Girl Candrottarā

We must now make offerings.

The Great Sage Gautama is in the Mahāvana; Quickly taking flowers, perfume, and scented powder, Let us go together, Mother and Father, to make offerings, And we will obtain immeasurable merits."

On hearing this, her parents exclaimed, "Excellent! These words of yours, Candrottarā, are of great benefit!" They then prepared various kinds of perfumes, Gemmed banners, pennants, parasols, and garlands of flowers. Candrottarā's parents and relatives

All donned the finest clothes

And fully prepared priceless rare gems,

Music, and various adornments,

And, having carefully prepared them, they set off from the house, Wishing to go to the World-honored One in the Mahāvana. Then, six days having elapsed, the seventh day—the day on which Candrottarā was expected—arrived, whereupon a great crowd of immeasurable thousands assembled and came together to see Candrottarā. At that time there were among the crowd some who had foregathered because of thoughts tormented by desire, while others had come because, looking at the city of Vaiśālī, they had seen all the adornments on the city walls and the carved decorations on the defensive watchtowers, battlements, windows, and balustrades with their painted balusters. There were innumerable men and women who crossed the city to see Candrottarā. Thereupon Candrottarā, carrying the flower, and her parents and their retinue, bearing garlands of flowers, unguents, scented powder, various kinds of incense, fine raiments, gemmed banners, pennants, and parasols and [playing] various kinds of music, surrounded by an entourage of attendants, set off from the house into the streets. Then, when Candrottarā and her retinue had gone out into the streets and were thus moving along, a crowd of immeasurable and infinite thousands of people saw Candrottarā making her way along the streets, whereupon they went to where she was, and every one of them cried out, "This is my wife! This is my wife!" At that time in the great city of Vaiśālī people came running all at once, yelling and shouting, toward the girl Candrottarā.

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Then, seeing the great crowd rushing toward her, she immediately rose up into the air to the height of a tāla [tree], and, holding the flower, she remained hovering in midair and addressed the great crowds in verse: Behold this wondrous body of mine,

Like genuine gold and tinged with the color of fire! It is not by engendering thoughts of desire in the past That one is able to gain an exquisite body like this. Those who reject lust as if it were a pit of fire And are not attached to worldly affairs, Who practice ascetic practices, control the six sense organs, And practice the pure practices of celibacy, And who, on seeing others' wives, do not crave for them, But form the notion of "sister" and "mother" toward them all— They will produce a charming body

That people will enjoy looking at without ever tiring. The pores of my body emit a wondrous fragrance— Do you not smell it pervading this city? It was not gained by being suffused with thoughts of desire, But is all due to the fruits of generosity and self-discipline. I now have no thoughts of lust at all,

So do not engender desire toward one who is desireless. This venerable image will now bear witness for me That I speak the truth and that there is nothing false [in what I say]. In the past you may have been my father, And in the past I may have been your mother. We were father, mother, and siblings to each other; How could one engender thoughts of desire toward these? In the past I may have killed you,

And you may also have killed me.

Each has been an enemy and we have killed each other; How could one produce notions of desire toward these? It is not by having desire that one gains beauty, And those with desire will assuredly be born in an unwholesome state, Nor will those with thoughts of desire be liberated: 59

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The Sutra of the Girl Candrottarā

For this reason one must now renounce thoughts of desire. If one falls into hell, among hungry ghosts, Among the varieties of animals,

Or among kumbhāṇ[ḍa]s, yakṣas, asuras,

And piśācas, it is all because of desire. Being one-eyed, tongueless, lame, or deaf, Having a physical appearance that is quite ugly, And all sorts of defects

All come from thoughts of much desire in past actions. If in a future life one becomes a wheel[-turning] king (cakravartin), Śakra, lord of the Thirty-three Gods,

Great Brahmā, Masterful One (Īśvara), or other gods, It all comes from having extensively practiced pure celibacy. Being blind from birth or dumb, losing one's senses, Or becoming a pig, dog, horse, donkey, camel, Elephant, cow, tiger, fly, mosquito, gadfly, and so on— It is all because of much desire that one gains this retribution. Those who are born as large landowners, into joyful homes, And as wealthy people, eminent householders, and laymen— It is all because of having practiced celibacy That they have presently won joy and always experience happiness. Bearing a heavy burden, boiling and roasting, having one's nose infused with smoke,7

Being shackled and manacled, [suffering from] beating and abuse of one's person,

Decapitation, having one's feet cut off, one's nose cut off, or one's eyes gouged out,

Or becoming a servant for others—all are due to desire. If you wish to become pratyekabuddhas, arhats, Or the bodies of buddhas adorned with the marks [of a buddha], Themselves awakened, awakening others, and widely beneficent, It all comes from abandoning notions characterized by desire. Acting with desire is not just one kind of affliction, And many are the [resulting] faults that are of no benefit. If you wish to be liberated from desires quickly, 60

Fascicle One

Come with me to where the Tathāgata is.

There is no other refuge able to eradicate sin;

There are only the buddhas, honored by gods and humans. Go quickly to where the Honored One is,

For a buddha is difficult to behold [even once] in immeasurable eons! Then, when Candrottarā had spoken these verses to the people, the entire earth shook, and innumerable gods in the sky raised their voices in a great clamor, their bodies and robes waving about, and sang aloud, immeasurable and incalculable [in number]; they caused heavenly flowers to rain down in their hundreds and thousands and played all kinds of music impossible to describe in full.

Then, when the great crowd had seen and heard this, they produced thoughts of eschewing desires and so on and produced thoughts of the remarkable and thoughts of the unprecedented, whereupon all the hair on their bodies stood on end. They no longer had any desire, any anger, any ire, any greed, any delusion, any wrath, any jealousy, any envy, any strife, any other mental afflictions, or any impulses; their bodies were all suffused with joy, and they each formed notions of father, mother, brothers, sisters, relatives, elders, and so on toward one another. Having abandoned all mental afflictions, each made obeisance to the girl Candrottarā with their heads [touching the ground]. Then the great crowd cast the fragrant flowers, scented powder, unguents, garlands of flowers, raiments, jewelry, and so on that they were holding toward Candrottarā. Having been cast, through the supernatural power of the Buddha they turned into a canopy over the magically created Tathāgata, which was half a yojana in diameter.

Thereupon Candrottarā descended from the sky to a height of four fingers8 from the ground and, with her feet walking on air, proceeded on her way. In an instant she had left the city of Vaiśālī, intending to head toward where the Tathāgata Śākyamuni was. Wherever Candrottarā placed her feet the ground shook, and the great crowd, numbering eighty-four thousand people, followed Candrottarā and left [Vaiśālī] one after another.

At the time the elder Śāriputra, together with five hundred monks, who had that morning arranged their robes and taken their almsbowls, was coming toward the city of Vaiśālī in order to beg for alms. The company of śrāvakas then saw from afar Candrottarā coming toward them, surrounded in front 61

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The Sutra of the Girl Candrottarā

and behind by the great crowd. Śāriputra then addressed the elder Mahā kāśyapa, saying, "Venerable Kāśyapa, that person coming [toward us] is the girl Candrottarā, intending to head toward where the Buddha is. Let us interrogate her and, according to the gist [of her replies], test whether or not she has gained acceptance [of the Dharma]."

Thereupon the elder Śāriputra and the other five hundred monks continued on their way and came to where the girl Candrottarā was. Having reached her, [Śāriputra] addressed her: "Where do you intend going now?" The girl Candrottarā answered the elder Śāriputra, "Honorable Śāriputra, just now you asked me, 'Where do you intend going now?' I too am now simply going the same way that you, Śāriputra, are going." Thereupon Śāriputra responded to Candrottarā with these words: "I am now about to enter the city of Vaiśālī, whereas you have just now come from there. How can you answer, 'I too am now going the same way that you, Śāriputra, are going'?"

Thereupon Candrottarā again answered the elder Śāriputra, "But, Śāriputra, on what do you rely whenever you raise your feet and lower your feet?" Śāriputra said, "I rely on space when I now both raise my feet and lower my feet."

She again answered Śāriputra, "I too likewise always rely on space when I raise my feet and place my feet. Moreover, the realm of space does not make any distinctions. For this reason I said, 'I too am simply going the same way that you, Honorable Śāriputra, are going.' Honorable Śāriputra, be that as it may, where are you now going, Śāriputra?"

Śāriputra said, "I am now going thuswise to nirvana." She then said to Śāriputra, "Honorable Śāriputra, are not all dharmas going to nirvana? I too am now going there."

Thereupon the elder Śāriputra again questioned Candrottarā with these words: "If all dharmas are headed toward nirvana, why have you now not reached extinction [in complete nirvana (i.e., parinirvāṇa)]?" She answered, "Honorable Śāriputra, if one is headed toward nirvana, then one does not reach extinction. Why? Because in going to nirvana one is neither born nor extinguished. Going to nirvana is indiscernible and is in essence undifferentiated and inextinguishable. In this sense, going to nirvana is nirvana."

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Thereupon Śāriputra again questioned Candrottarā with these words: "By which vehicle is it that you are now going [to nirvana]? Are you going by the śrāvaka vehicle, or are you going by the pratyekabuddha vehicle, or are you going by the Great Vehicle (Mahayana)?"

Thereupon Candrottarā answered Śāriputra with these words: "Honorable Śāriputra, just now you asked me by which vehicle I am going [to nirvana]. I shall now ask you something in return, Śāriputra. Pray answer me just as you please. Does the Dharma that you, Śāriputra, have realized go by the śrāvaka vehicle, or does it go by the pratyekabuddha vehicle, or does it go by the Great Vehicle?"

Thereupon Śāriputra again answered her with these words: "That is not the case, Candrottarā. Why? That Dharma is undifferentiable and nonverbal, and it is neither separate, nor one, nor many."

Thereupon Candrottarā answered the honorable Śāriputra, "Therefore, one should not differentiate the dharmas. In all marks—the mark of oneness, the mark of difference, the mark of nondifference—there is nothing that can reside there. Hence there is truly nothing to be extinguished in nirvana." Thereupon the elder Śāriputra again addressed Candrottarā with these words: "It is remarkable, quite remarkable, how this eloquence of yours now is without any hindrance. Therefore, in former times on how many other buddhas have you attended?"

Thereupon Candrottarā answered Śāriputra with these words: "Honorable Śāriputra, just now you asked me, 'In former times on how many other buddhas have you attended?' As many as there are apexes of reality and Dharma realms."

Śāriputra then again asked her, "How many are there of the apexes of reality and Dharma realms of which you speak?"

She again answered, "They are no different [in number] from ignorance, existence, craving, and so on."

Śāriputra then again asked her, "And how many are there of ignorance, existence, and craving?"

She answered, "They are no different [in number] from the realms of beings."

Śāriputra then asked her, "And how many realms of beings are there?" 63

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