Compassionate Lotus Sutra
(Also known as:)
Karuna Pundarika Sutra
Mahayana Compassionate Pundarika(White Lotus) Sutra
(Tripitaka No. 0157)
(Reference: Mahayana Compassionate Pundarika Sutra, Tripitaka 0158)
Translated during the North-Lerng Dynasty by Tripitaka Master Dharmaraksa from India
Volume 7
The 5th Section of Chapter 4: Awarding the Bodhisattvas the distinctive marks of future Buddhahood
"'Bhagavan, when I have achieved Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, I will speak Dharma with a single voice, but when the living beings hear my speech, those who want the Voice-hearer's vehicle will understand the Voice-hearer's Dharma-Store; those who want the Conditional-Awakener (Pratyeka-buddha)'s vehicle will understand the Conditional-Awakener's Dharma; and those who want the unsurpassed vehicle -- Mahayana will understand the Dharma of pure Mahayana.'"
"'Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those who wish to achieve Bodhi but have not enough merits and virtues will be able to practice donation; those who wish to be reborn in heaven but have not enough blessings will be able to keep precepts; those who have defiled hearts and often frighten each others will arouse the hearts of kindness; those who enjoy killing will arouse the hearts of compassion; those whose hearts are polluted by miserliness and jealousness will begin to cultivate the delightful heart; those who are proud of their beauties and powers and have dissipated hearts will arouse the hearts of abnegation; those who have lustful hearts will contemplate the impurity of their desires; the Mahayana learners who are obstructed by distraction (* Literally: Fallen-lift) will understand the Dharma of Anapana; and those who lack wisdom and want the lamplight of Dharma will understand the profound twelve interconnected causes(*);'"
(* The twelve interconnected causes:
1. non-brightness [ignorance];
2. action;
3. consciousness;
4. name and form;
5. the six sense organs;
6. touch;
7. feel;
8. craving;
9. grasping;
10. becoming;
11. birth;
12. aging and death. )
"'Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those who lack knowledge will gain the non-forgetful Dharani so that they will be able to uphold many Dharmas; those who are in the wilderness of incorrect views will understand the profound Dharma of the emptiness of all things; those whose hearts are covered by sensations will deeply understand the Dharma-Gate of formlessness; those who have many impure wishes will deeply understand the Dharma-Gate of Non-Action; and for the living beings whose bodies and minds are defiled, their bodies and minds will become gentle when they hear my Dharma speech.'"
"'Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those who are trapped in messy conditions will understand the Dharma of Non-losable Bodhi heart; those whose hearts are covered by anger will have their angers quenched, understand the nature of the Reality, and will be awarded the distinctive mark of future Buddhahood; and those who are attached to the two views (of existence and inexistence) will understand the profound Dharmas and be free from the attachments;'"
"'Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those whose hearts are covered by impure desires will understand quickly that all things (dharma) are undefiled and pure; those who have lost their virtuous hearts will deeply understand the Sunlight Samadhi; those who commit demonic karmas will quickly understand the pure Dharma; those whose hearts are covered by incorrect theories will gain deep understanding and improvement on the Correct Dharma; those whose hearts are covered by worries will understand the Dharma of being free from worries; and those who walk on evil paths (believe in evil theories and do evil deeds) will turn back immediately.'"
"'Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those who long for Mahayana will acquire the non-regression; those who tire of births and deaths will realize the joy of Bodhisattvas; those who have not yet gain the wisdom of virtuous state will gain improvement on it; those who do not appreciate others' virtuous deeds will accordingly rejoice at the virtuous deeds; those whose hearts are unfair will understand the unobstructed light; those who commit bad deeds will understand the retributions of bad deeds; those who are cowardly among crowd will understand the Lion Samadhi; those whose hearts are oppressed by the four demons will achieve Shurangama Samadhi quickly; and those who cannot see the brilliant lights of the Buddha-Worlds will achieve the Samadhi of Deep Understanding on Myriads of Sublime Lights.'"
"'Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those who have hatreds and loves in their hearts will abnegate all those emotions; those who have not yet perceived the light of Buddha-Dharma will gain Dharma-Banner Samadhi; those who lack great wisdom will gain Dharma-Torch Samadhi; those who are trapped in foolishness and darkness will gain Sun Lamp Light Samadhi; and those who lack eloquence will gain the merits and virtues needed for good eloquence.'"
"'Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those who contemplate all phenomena and find that the constructions are as infirm as bubbles, will gain Narayana Samadhi; those whose hearts are unstable will gain Firm and Decisive Samadhi; those who wish to observe the Buddha's crown will gain Sumeru Banner Samadhi; those who abandoned their previous vows will gain Firmness Samadhi; those who lost their supernatural abilities will realize Vajra-Mind; those who seek Bodhi-Manda (enlightenment site) will realize Vajra-Manda; those who are not in thrall to any phenomena will understand Vajra-Like Dharma; those who wish to know what others think will fulfill their wishes; those who wish to know others' roots (faculties for Dharma-learning) will understand the Way to the Wisdom; and those who do not understand the languages of each others will gain the Samadhi of Full Understanding of Sounds.'"
"'Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those who have not yet achieved Dharma-Body will understand the Dharma for cultivating the Universal Body; those who long to see the Tathagata will gain Non-Wink Samadhi; those who discriminate all activities will gain Non-Strife Samadhi; those who wish to turn the Dharma-Wheel will realize the Undefiled Wheel; those who do not believe in causality and seek evil goals will understand and comply with the teachings on causes and relationships; those who believe in only one Buddha-World will understand that there are countless Buddha-Worlds; those who have not yet generated the causes of beautiful appearance [of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas] will achieve Sublime Beauties Samadhi; and those who cannot master all words will gain the Samadhi of Rhetoric.'"
"'Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those who seek the Universal Wisdom absorbedly will gain Indistinguishable Dharma Realm Samadhi; those who retrogress from Dharma will gain Firmness Samadhi; those who do not understand the nature of all dharma(phenomena) will gain the thorough wisdom; those who give up their virtuous vows will gain Non-losable Samadhi; those who discriminate various paths will gain the path of Oneness and be free from discrimination; those who seek the wisdom as vast as all spaces will gain Free-From-Existences Samadhi; those who have not yet perfected all Paramitas will dwell in the purity of Paramitas; those who have not perfectly mastered the Four Dharmas of Attraction(*) will become expert at winning living beings over; those who discriminate among the Four Immeasurable Minds(*) will practice them impartially and diligently; and those who have not fully gained the Thirty-seven Aids to Enlightenment(*) will realize the non-attaching practices.'"
(* The Four Dharmas of Attraction:
The four methods that Bodhisattvas employ to approach and save living beings. They are:
1. Giving, giving the gift of Dharma or something that people like;
2. Using kind words;
3. Acting for the purpose of benefit to them;
4. Physically working together with them. )
(* The Four Immeasurable Minds: kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and impartiality)
(* The Thirty-seven Aids to Enlightenment:
The thirty-seven kinds of practices for the attainment of enlightenment, they are:
The Four Bases of Mindfulness;
The Four Right Efforts;
The Four Supernatural Abilities;
The Five Roots of Goodness;
The Five Powers;
The Seven Factors of Enlightenment;
The Eightfold Holy Path)
"'Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those who forget virtue and lose wisdom will gain Great Ocean Wisdom Seal Samadhi; those who desire the Uncreated Dharma Forbearance will gain the decisive Samadhi of all dharmas, because the nature of dharmas is the same; those who forget the Dharma they heard will gain Non-forgetful Samadhi; those who tirelessly preach virtuous teachings to each others will gain pure wisdom-eyes and be free from the net of doubts; those who do not have faith in the Three Treasures will gain Merits-Accumulating Samadhi; those who are thirsty for Dharma-Rain will gain Dharma-Rain Samadhi; those who hold nihilistic views (uccheda-drsti*) with regard to the Three Treasures will understand the sublime of the Treasures; those who do not cultivate wisdom and do not practice diligently will gain Vajra-Wisdom Samadhi; those who are bound by vexations will gain Empty Space Seal Samadhi; and those who are attached to both Self and the things possessed by Self will gain Wisdom Seal Samadhi.'"
(* uccheda-drsti: "nihilism", the mistaken view that results from not discerning the principle of cause and effect that centers on the idea that the world or oneself can be destroyed; for example, the idea that once a being dies, there is no future rebirth, or that life is something limited to this world, is the nihilistic view of denying the reception of the fruits of good and evil acts.)
"'Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those who do not know that the Tathagata's merits and virtues are perfect will gain the Samadhi of Liberation from the World; those who have not accumulated enough merits in the present of the previous Buddhas will gain many supernatural powers including the Holy-Feet(*) and various transformation abilities; those who are not yet able to preach even one Dharma-Gate will gain the ability of expounding all Dharmas and their natures; those who have not yet mastered all Sutras will understand that the natures of all Dharmas are equal; those who do not comply with the Six Harmony Principles (*) will gain Understanding All Dharmas Samadhi; those who do not think of the liberation will gain the unrestricted supernatural power of Lion's Playing Samadhi; those who wish to enter into the secret of Tathagatas will be able to enter into the treasuries of Tathagatas without consulting any others; those who do not diligently carry out Bodhisattva-Practices will gain the wisdom to practice diligently; those who have not yet seen the Sutras on the legend of the Buddha will gain Everywhere Dwelling Samadhi; and those who are on the Way to Bodhi but have not yet achieved the perfection will gain Mark-Awarding Samadhi.'"
(* Holy-Feet (rddhi-pratiharya): The supernatural power of unimpeded bodily function, which includes such abilities as flying, reaching anywhere instantly, making oneself invisible, etc. One of the six supernatural powers.)
(* The Six Harmony Principles:
Six ways that Buddhist practitioners should live in harmony and be sensitive and caring towards each other:
1. To unify their respectful deportment to be the same [bodily karma];
2. To unify their chanting [verbal karma];
3. To unify their purpose [mind karma];
4. to unify their practices of purity [precepts];
5. to unify their view;
6. to unify their benefits. )
"'Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those who do not fully have the Ten Powers of Tathagatas will gain Indestructible Samadhi; those who do not fully have the Four Fearlessnesses will gain Inexhaustible Meanings Samadhi; those who do not fully have the uncommon characteristics peculiar to the Buddhas will gain Uncommon Characteristics Samadhi; those whose views are not yet free from ignorance will gain Vows Sentences Samadhi; those who are not yet directly awakened to all Buddha-Dharmas will gain Pure White Undefiled Seal Samadhi; those who have not yet obtained the Universal Wisdom (sarva-jnana / omniscience) will gain Perfect Knowledge Samadhi; and those who have not yet accomplished all activities of Buddhas will gain Unbounded and Inexhaustible Dharmas Samadhi.'"
"'Such living beings will gain respective faiths and understandings with regard to the Buddha-Dharmas.'"
"'Furthermore, there will be some Bodhisattvas whose hearts are straight-forward, ingenuous, and free from perverse minds, when they hear even one sentence of my Dharma speech, they will gain 84 thousand Dharma-Gates, 84 thousand Samadhis, and 75 thousand Dharanis. Furthermore, there will be immeasurable and unbounded Asamkhya Bodhisattvas who cultivate the Great Collection, when they hear my Dharma speech, they will also gain such immeasurable merits and virtues, and stay peacefully at the non-retrogression stage."
"By the aid of such merits and virtues, the Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas will adorn themselves with great sublimities -- they will be able to make unimaginable vows bravely, and enhance their unimaginable wisdom and knowledge to adorn themselves: Their bodies will be adorned with the 32 marks and the 80 minor marks; their mouths will be adorned with their Dharma-speeches preached according to the living beings' likes to make the audiences joyful; their hearts will be adorned with the non-retrograde Samadhis; their mindfulness will be adorned with the non-losable Dharanis; their thoughts will be adorned with their great knowledge; and their achievements will be adorned with the ultimate Awakening.'"
"'Furthermore, they will be adorned with virtuous wishes so that they will keep their vows firmly, practice diligently, and reach the other shore [of liberation] as they wish; they will be adorned with concentration so that they will achieve the cultivation stages step by step; they will be adorned with charity so that they will give out everything; they will be adorned with precept-keeping so that their hearts will be pure white, clean, and undefiled; they will be adorned with forbearance so that they will regard all living beings impartially; they will be adorned with diligence so that all their works will be accomplished; they will be adorned with Dhyana so that from all Samadhis they will gain the power of Lion's playing; they will be adorned with wisdom so that they will understand the causes of all afflictions and habits; they will be adorned with kindness so that they will be mindful of every living being absorbedly; they will be adorned with compassion so that they will not abandon any living being; they will be adorned with joy so that they will have no doubt on any Dharma; they will be adorned with relinquishment so that praises and slanders will not be different for them; they will be adorned with supernatural powers so that they will have the supernatural ability of playing everything; they will be adorned with blessings so that they will gain the precious hand of inexhaustible treasuries; they will be adorned with wisdom so that they will know all living beings' thoughts; they will be adorned with awakening so that they will awaken all living beings using virtuous Dharmas; they will be adorned with brightness so that they will have the illuminating wisdom eyes; they will be adorned with eloquence so that they will be able to explain the meanings of Dharmas with proper words; they will be adorned with fearlessness so that they will defeat all demons and incorrect theories; they will be adorned with merits and virtues so that they will gain the unsurpassed merits and virtues of the Buddhas; they will be adorned with Dharmas so that they will speak Dharmas for living beings with countless figures of speech; they will be adorned with illumination so that they will be illuminated by all Buddha-Dharmas; they will be adorned with light so that they will illuminate all Buddha-Worlds; they will be adorned with Dharma-speaking so that they will gain the proper wisdom which allow them to remember things correctly; they will be adorned with teaching so that they will be able to keep precepts in accord with their preaching; they will be adorned with supernatural abilities so that they will gain the Four Holy Feet which allow them to reach the other shore [of liberation]; they will be adorned with the enhancements given by all Tathagatas so that they will enter into the secrets of the Tathagatas; they will be adorned with the unrestricted power so that they will gain the independent wisdom; and they will be adorned with their compliance with all virtuous Dharmas so that they will practice in accord with the Buddhas' teachings and no one will be able to make them retrograde.
-- I wish that those living beings will gain all such merits, virtues and benefits.'"
"'For the countless Asamkhya living beings who seek Mahayana, I wish that even one sentence of my Dharma-speech will fill them with the pure white virtuous Dharmas, so that such Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas will gain the wisdom on all dharmas without consulting any others, attain the great Dharma-light, and achieve Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi quickly.'"
"'Bhagavan, in the other worlds, there will be living beings who commit the five heinous sins, violate the four grave prohibitions, have burnt and withered hearts, or seek the Voice-Hearers'(Sravaka) Vehicle, Conditional-Awakeners'(Pratyeka-buddha) Vehicle, or the Great Vehicle (Mahayana). When they are reborn in my Buddha-World by the power of the vows, they will have many non-virtuous faculties and enjoy evils, they will be rough, tough, have inverse views, and have difficulty concentrating their minds. For such living beings disturbed by the 84000 moving paths of their hearts, I will widely speak the 84000 Dharmas, each Dharma treats one of the disturbances. For the living beings among them who seek the unsurpassed Mahayana, I will explain in full the six Paramitas, including the Dana (giving) Paramita unto Prajna Paramita. For the living beings among them who seek the Voice-Hearers' Vehicle or the Conditional-Awakeners' Vehicle but have not planted virtuous roots and wish to learn from the Buddhas, I will make them first take refuge in the three treasures, and then practice the six Paramitas.'"
"'For those who enjoy killing, I will make them stop killing; for those who commit crimes due to their greed, I will make them not to steal; for those who commit sexual misconducts, I will make them keep away from such immoral behaviors; for those who deliberately slander each others, I will make them not to slander; for those who enjoy inebriation, I will make them not to drink alcohol. -- For the living beings with such five illnesses, I will make them keep the five precepts of Upasaka (Lay-persons).'"
"'For those living beings who do not like any virtuous Dharmas, I wish that I can make them keep the eight precepts for at least one day and one night;'"
"'For those who have few virtuous roots and slightly enjoy virtuous Dharmas, I will make them get closer to my Dharmas, become monks, keep the ten precepts, and stay in the Brahma-practice;'"
"'For those who desire virtuous Dharmas, I will make them keep the Complete Precepts of virtuous Dharmas, and all stay in the Brahma-practice;'"
"'For such living beings who commit the sins leading to uninterrupted hells and who lose control of their minds, I shall speak Dharmas for them using various words, sentences, languages, and supernatural manifestations. I will reveal to them the five skandhas(*), the eighteen realms (astadasa-dhatavah)(*), the twelve loci(*), and the Dharmas on impermanence, sufferings, emptiness, and no-self, to make them stay in the virtuous, peaceful, stable, wonderful, and tranquil city of Nirvana.'"
(* The five skandhas:
1. form - matter in general;
2. feeling - receptive or sensory function;
3. perception - images that surface in the mind;
4. impulse - will, intention, or the mental function that accounts for craving. The power of formation potential.
5. consciousness - the cognitive, or discriminating function. Knowing through discrimination.)
(* The eighteen realms:
The eighteen compositional elements of human existence, including the six roots [six sense faculties], the six defilements [their six objects], and the six consciousnesses.
* The six roots are:
Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind.
* The six defilements are:
Forms/phenomena, sound, smell, flavor, touch, and things.
* The six consciousnesses are:
Eye consciousnesses, ear consciousnesses, nose consciousnesses, tongue consciousnesses, body consciousnesses, and mind consciousnesses.)
(* The twelve loci: the six roots and the six defilements)
"'I will also speak such Dharmas for the fourfold assembly that consists of Bhiksus(monks), Bhiksunis(nuns), Upasakas(laymen), and Upasikas(laywomen).'"
"'For those who like to hear theories, I will speak the theories of correct Dharmas; for those who seek the liberation, I will speak the theories on the emptiness; for those who do not like virtuous dharmas, I will persuade them to do good deeds; for those who like virtuous Dharmas, I will tell them to recite and study Dharmas, and expound the emptiness, Samadhis, and the true liberation.'"
"'For each of such living beings, I will walk hundreds of thousands of Yojanas without using supernatural powers, to reveal to him the countless and various expedient means [to the liberation]; and in order to make him understand the meanings of my words, I will manifest various supernatural transformations or even appear as entering Nirvana -- I will never be tired of doing so.'"
"'Bhagavan, by the power of Samadhi, I will hide my fifth part of lifespan and enter into Nirvana, and at that time, I will shatter my own body to pieces of Shariras(relics) each as big as half of a mustard seed -- Out of compassion for living beings, I will enter into Nirvana.'"
"'After my Nirvana, let my Proper Dharma dwell in the world for one thousand years, and my Semblance Dharma dwell in the world for five hundred years.'"
"'After my Nirvana, if any living being makes offerings to my Shariras with treasures or music, or, in front of my Shariras, says "Namo Buddha" even once, or makes obeisance just once, or circumambulate it clockwise even once, or joins his palms even once, or makes an offering of just one flower -- out of this cause, he will achieve the non-retrograde stage in any of the Three Vehicles, according to his wish.'"
"'After my Nirvana, if any living being can uphold even one precept that comes from my Dharmas and can comply with it as I taught, or if he can read or recite even as few as four gathas, speak them for others and make the hearers delightful, and the hearers can make an offering to the Dharma-teacher with even one flower or one obeisance, then, all of them will respectively achieve the non-retrograde stages in any of the Three Vehicles according to their wishes.'"
"'As far as when the correct Dharmas vanish, the Dharma-torch quenches, and the Dharma-flag falls down, my Shariras will sink into the Gold Wheel Position. At that time, the Saha world lacks treasures, therefore, let my Shariras transform into a flaming bright beryl named Superior-Mind, emerge from the Gold Wheel Position, ascend to Akanistha heaven, and rain down multifarious flowers, including Mandara flowers, Maha-Mandara flowers, Parijata flowers, Manjusaka flowers, Maha-Manjusaka flowers, Rocamona flowers, Dhara flowers, Maha-dhara flowers, Undefiled Wheel Flowers, Hundred-petaled flowers, Thousand-petaled flowers, Hundred thousand-petaled flowers, Universal Light flowers, Universal Fragrance flowers, Virtuous Joy flowers, Sato flowers, Rocana flowers, Joy-Limitation Moonlight flowers, Bright Moon flowers, Countless Colored flowers, Countless Fragrances flowers, and Countless Light flowers.'"
"'During such a great rain, those flowers will also utter multifarious gentle sounds, including the sounds of Buddhas, sounds of Dharmas, sounds of Sanghas, sounds of taking refuge in the three treasures, sounds of Upasaka precepts, sounds of the holy eight precepts, sounds of the monks' ten precepts, sounds of giving, sounds of precept-keeping, sounds of pure Brahma-practices and the complete great precepts, sounds of persuading and teaching, sounds of sutra-reading and reciting, sounds of Dhyana and meditations, sounds of contemplating the unclean, sounds of meditating on inhales and exhalations, sounds of the neither-thought-nor-no-thought concentrations, sounds of the nothingness concentrations, sounds of the immeasurable consciousnesses concentrations, sounds of the immeasurable emptiness concentrations, sounds of the eight victorious stages, sounds of the ten ubiquitous things, sounds of the stopping and contemplations, sounds of emptiness, sounds of the formless, sounds of non-action, sounds of the twelve interconnected causes, sounds of the complete Dharma-Store of Voice-hearers, sounds of the complete Dharma-Store of Pratyeka-buddha Vehicle, and sounds of the full speech on the six Paramitas of Mahayana.'"
"'When the heavenly gods of the Form Realm hear these sounds, they will recall their previous virtuous roots respectively, and regret their bad deeds, thereupon, they will go down to Saha World, teach the people in there, and make them practice the ten kinds of virtuous deeds (*)'"
(* The ten kinds of virtuous deeds:
1. not killing;
2. not stealing;
3. not committing adultery;
4. not lying;
5. not speaking harshly;
6. not speaking divisively;
7. not speaking idly;
8. not being greedy
9. not being angry;
10. not having wrong views )
"'When the heavenly gods of the Desire Realm hear these sounds, let them be free from their attachments to loves, greed, and desires, and let their hearts attain the tranquility. Let them recall all their previous virtuous roots, and regret their bad deeds. Thereupon, they will also go down to Saha World to teach the people in there, and make them practice the ten kinds of virtuous deeds.'"
"'And then, those flowers in the sky will turn into multifarious treasures, such as gold, silvers, Mani gems, pearls, beryl, spiral shells, sila gems, carnelians, clockwise-circumvolving treasures, and so forth. These treasures will be rained down to Saha World.'"
"'Therewithal, the evils in Saha World, such as hatreds, strives, hungers, diseases, wars, and so forth, will all be eliminated. The people will become healthy, the quarrels will cease, the world will have plenty of foods, and everyone will be delighted.'"
"'If any living being sees, touches, or uses any of those treasures, they will never retrograde from the Three Vehicles.'"
"'Those treasures will grant such benefits, then go down again, and stay upon the Gold Wheel Position.'"
"'Bhagavan, when the kalpa of wars comes, let my Shariras transform into an Indranila Mani pearl, ascend to Akanistha heaven, and rain down multifarious flowers, such as Mandara flowers, Maha-mandara flowers, Parijata flowers, unto Countless Light flowers. Those flowers will utter multifarious wonderful sounds, such as the sounds of Buddhas, sounds of Dharmas, sounds of Sanghas, etc., and do the same works as mentioned previously. After that, my Shariras will go down again and stay upon the Gold Wheel Position.'"
"'When the kalpa of hunger comes, let my Shariras ascend to Akanistha heaven, rain down a lot of flowers, and do the same works as mentioned previously.'"
"'When the kalpa of diseases comes, my Shariras will also do the same works, as mentioned previously.'"
"'In such a way, after my Nirvana, during the great kalpa of goodness (bhadra maha-kalpa), my Shariras will do such works to enlighten innumerable living beings, and make them achieve the non-retrograde stage in any of the Three Vehicles. In the same way, during as many great kalpas as there are atoms of five Buddha-Worlds, my Shariras will enlighten countless living beings and make them achieve the non-retrograde stage in any of the Three Vehicles.'"
"'During my Bodhisattva practice for Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, I will enlighten countless living beings, so that, one thousand Ganges-river-sands Asamkhya kalpas later, in the ten directions, in the other countless and boundless Asamkhyas of worlds, the Buddhas that appear in those worlds, are all those previously enlightened and persuaded by me to arouse their initial resolves for Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, and henceforth stay in the Six Paramitas.'"
"'Those living beings who, after my achievement of Bodhi, will be enlightened and persuaded by me to arouse their resolves for Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, and those who, after my Nirvana, will be enlightened by the supernatural manifestations of my Shariras and arouse their resolves for Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, will all achieve Buddhahood in the future. One thousand Ganges-river-sands Asamkhya kalpas later, when they become Buddhas and appear in the countless and boundless Asamkhyas of worlds of the ten directions, they will all announce my name and praise that:
"In the remote past there was a kalpa named Good(Bhadra), from the beginning of that kalpa, the fourth Bhagavan was named such-and-such, He enlightened and persuaded us to arouse our initial resolves for Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. At that time, our Hearts were withered, we had many non-virtuous faculties, we committed the sins of uninterrupted-hells, and we had evil views. That Buddha enlightened us and made us stay in the Six Paramitas. For this reason, we entered into the Universal Wisdom, so that we can turn the True Dharma Wheel and break loose from births and deaths, and make hundreds of thousands of Kotis of Nayutas of living beings attain the rebirths in heavens, up to the fruits of liberation." '"
"'If any living beings who seek the Bodhi Way, having heard the praise, ask the Tathagata: "Bhagavan, what truth that Tathagata had seen, that made him attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi in the evil age of the five turbidities?" '"
"'Those Tathagatas will then tell the virtuous men and virtuous women about the great compassion that I achieved, my initial awakening of Bodhi Heart, and my causal-stage vows for subliming the Buddha-worlds.'"
"'Having heard those things, the askers will become astonished and gain the unprecedented faith and happiness, they will then arouse the great compassion towards all living beings, and make the wonderful vows just like mine. They will vow to, in the evil ages of the five turbidities and in the defiled worlds, receive and enlighten those living beings who commit the sins of uninterrupted-hells and have many non-virtuous faculties. Because of their achievements of the great compassion and their wills to Bodhi, the Buddhas, the Bhagavans will award them the distinctive marks of future Buddhahood, to fulfill their wishes of enlightening living beings in the evil ages of the five turbidities.'"
"'The Buddhas, the Bhagavans will also tell the virtuous men and virtuous women, who will be seeking Bodhi, about my Shariras' supernatural transformations, saying:
"In the remote past there was a Sacrosanct Sun named such-and-such, after His Nirvana, there were calamities of wars, diseases, hunger, and so forth. At that time, we were suffering from various afflictions. For our sake, that Buddha's Shariras manifested multifarious supernatural transformations, therefore we aroused our initial resolves for Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, planted the virtuous roots (set up the virtuous foundations), began practicing the Six-Paramitas diligently, and so forth, as mentioned previously." '"
(The Buddha told Quiescent-Mind Bodhisattva:) "Virtuous man, when the great master Ocean-Atoms Brahmana had made these five hundred greatly compassionate vows in front of Treasure-Store Tathagata and the great assembly, including gods, Gandharvas, human and non-human beings, and so forth, he said further:
"'Bhagavan, if my vows cannot be fulfilled, that is, in the future evil age of the five turbidities in Good Kalpa, when the world will be defiled, disordered, and full of wars and quarrels, and when the living beings will be blind to the truth and have no teacher, if I cannot do the Buddha-works at that time according to my vows, I do not wish to achieve Bodhi, and do not wish to plant my virtuous roots in any other Buddha-worlds.'"
"'Bhagavan, with this determination, I wish not to transmit the merits of my virtuous roots to Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, and wish not to become a Pratyeka-buddha, Voice-Hearer, king of heavenly gods, or king of human beings; I do not want any enjoyments of the five desires, do not want any offerings, and do not want any happiness of heavens or human worlds, I also do not want to be a Gandharva, Asura, Yaksa, Raksa, dragon, or the like. I will not exchange the merits of my virtuous roots for any of those rewards.'"
"'Bhagavan, it is said that giving is the cause of great richness, precept-keeping is the cause of rebirths in heavens, the extensive learning is the cause of the great wisdom, and the cultivations are the cause of the liberation. The Bhagavan also said that, such practices will produce many merits which can benefit the practitioners themselves, so that, by transmitting their merits to their wishes, they can gain whatever they want.'"
"'Bhagavan, if I can also gain those merits, I wish that all the merits produced from my cultivations, including giving, precept-keeping, extensive learning, meditating, and so forth, will be transmitted to all living beings in hells. If any living beings are suffering in Avichi hells, when they have received my merits, they will be liberated from the hells, and become a human being in this Buddha-world. (Saha World) They will then encounter the Tathagatas' Dharmas, become Arhats, and enter into Nirvana.'"
"'If those living beings' evil karmas are still not exhausted, let me abandon my lifespan and enter into Avichi hells to suffer instead of them. Let my body be divided into as many bodies as there are atoms in a Buddha-world, let each of these bodies be as huge as the Sumeru mountain-king, let each of them has the same feeling as my current body, which can feel multifarious pains, and let each of my bodies suffer from as many intense pains as there are atoms in a Buddha-world.'"
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