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Particularly in texts of the Ārya, or ’phags lugs, commentarial tradition related to the Guhyasamāja.
rkyen gyi rgyal ba, a term that from the context is very likely a synonym of pratyekabuddha (rang sangs rgyas). The term is found only in one other canonical text, the Sūryagarbhamahāvaipulyasūtra (Toh 257). The Sanskrit equivalent would be pratyayajina, which is rare or unknown, but pratyayabuddha is well attested. Norman (1997, p. 87) has argued that pratyayabuddha, or pacceyabuddha in Pali, may have been the original, more correct form of pratyekabuddha.
While most other Kangyurs have chos sprin rgyal las, the Degé Kangyur has chos sprin rgya las, and the Stok Palace Kangyur chos sprin rgyas las. The latter two readings seem more likely.
We have not been able to translate this analogy with confidence. This represents no more than our best guess at this passage
The buddha of the western buddhafield of Sukhāvatī, where fortunate beings are reborn to make further progress toward spiritual maturity. Amitābha made his great vows to create such a realm when he was a bodhisattva called Dharmākara. In the Pure Land Buddhist tradition, popular in East Asia, aspiring to be reborn in his buddha realm is the main emphasis; in other Mahāyāna traditions, too, it is a widespread practice. For a detailed description of the realm, see \1\2The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī, Toh 115. In some tantras that make reference to the five families he is the tathāgata associated with the lotus family.
Amitābha, “Infinite Light,” is also known in many Indian Buddhist works as Amitāyus, “Infinite Life.” In both East Asian and Tibetan Buddhist traditions he is often conflated with another buddha named “Infinite Life,” Aparimitāyus, or “Infinite Life and Wisdom,”Aparimitāyurjñāna, the shorter version of whose name has also been back-translated from Tibetan into Sanskrit as Amitāyus but who presides over a realm in the zenith. For details on the relation between these buddhas and their names, see \1\2The Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra (1) Toh 674, i.9.
One of the “eight close sons of the Buddha,” he is also known as the bodhisattva who embodies compassion. In certain tantras, he is also the lord of the three families, where he embodies the compassion of the buddhas. In Tibet, he attained great significance as a special protector of Tibet, and in China, in female form, as Guanyin, the most important bodhisattva in all of East Asia.
Yeshé Dé (late eighth to early ninth century) was the most prolific translator of sūtras into Tibetan. Altogether he is credited with the translation of more than one hundred sixty sūtra translations and more than one hundred additional translations, mostly on tantric topics. In spite of Yeshé Dé’s great importance for the propagation of Buddhism in Tibet during the imperial era, only a few biographical details about this figure are known. Later sources describe him as a student of the Indian teacher Padmasambhava, and he is also credited with teaching both sūtra and tantra widely to students of his own. He was also known as Nanam Yeshé Dé, from the Nanam (sna nam) clan.
Head of the “sixteen excellent men” (ṣoḍaśasatpuruṣa), a group of householder bodhisattvas present in the audience of many sūtras. He appears prominently in certain sūtras, such as The Samādhi of the Presence of the Buddhas (Pratyutpannabuddhasaṃmukhāvasthitasamādhisūtra, Toh 133) and is perhaps also the merchant of the same name who is the principal interlocutor in The Questions of Bhadrapāla the Merchant (Toh 83).
A high-ranking deity presiding over a divine world; he is also considered to be the lord of the Sahā world (our universe). Though not considered a creator god in Buddhism, Brahmā occupies an important place as one of two gods (the other being Indra/Śakra) said to have first exhorted the Buddha Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. The particular heavens found in the form realm over which Brahmā rules are often some of the most sought-after realms of higher rebirth in Buddhist literature. Since there are many universes or world systems, there are also multiple Brahmās presiding over them. His most frequent epithets are “Lord of the Sahā World” (sahāṃpati) and Great Brahmā (mahābrahman).
“Wheel”; here, a flower.
“Moon”; here, a flower.
A being who attains victory (i.e. awakening) through specific circumstances. Almost certainly a synonym for a solitary buddha.
The buddha realm in which Avalokiteśvara will become a fully enlightened buddha. Probably the same as Sarvaratnasannicaya attested in the Karuṇāpuṇḍarīkasūtra, where the Tibetan rendering is rin po che tham cad yang dag par sags pa.
Being born as a hell being, preta, animal, god, barbarian, human with wrong views, where there is no buddha, or as a human with impaired faculties.
Generosity, kind talk, meaningful actions, and practicing what one preaches.
The realization that all phenomena are illusory and empty, which occurs when a bodhisattva understands the unborn nature of phenomena.
The bodhisattva Maitreya is an important figure in many Buddhist traditions, where he is unanimously regarded as the buddha of the future era. He is said to currently reside in the heaven of Tuṣita, as Śākyamuni’s regent, where he awaits the proper time to take his final rebirth and become the fifth buddha in the Fortunate Eon, reestablishing the Dharma in this world after the teachings of the current buddha have disappeared. Within the Mahāyāna sūtras, Maitreya is elevated to the same status as other central bodhisattvas such as Mañjuśrī and Avalokiteśvara, and his name appears frequently in sūtras, either as the Buddha’s interlocutor or as a teacher of the Dharma. Maitreya literally means “Loving One.” He is also known as Ajita, meaning “Invincible.”
For more information on Maitreya, see, for example, the introduction to \1\2Maitreya’s Setting Out (Toh 198).
One of the five trees of Indra’s paradise, its heavenly flowers often rain down in salutation of the buddhas and bodhisattvas and are said to be very bright and aromatic, gladdening the hearts of those who see them. In our world, it is a tree native to India, Erythrina indica or Erythrina variegata, commonly known as the Indian coral tree, mandarava tree, flame tree, and tiger’s claw. In the early spring, before its leaves grow, the tree is fully covered in large flowers, which are rich in nectar and attract many birds. Although the most widespread coral tree has red crimson flowers, the color of the blossoms is not usually mentioned in the sūtras themselves, and it may refer to some other kinds, like the rarer Erythrina indica alba, which boasts white flowers.
Mañjuśrī is one of the “eight close sons of the Buddha” and a bodhisattva who embodies wisdom. He is a major figure in the Mahāyāna sūtras, appearing often as an interlocutor of the Buddha. In his most well-known iconographic form, he is portrayed bearing the sword of wisdom in his right hand and a volume of the Prajñāpāramitāsūtra in his left. To his name, Mañjuśrī, meaning “Gentle and Glorious One,” is often added the epithet Kumārabhūta, “having a youthful form.” He is also called Mañjughoṣa, Mañjusvara, and Pañcaśikha.
A high level of absorption reached through mastery of concentration.
May also mean a type of jasmine.
’phags pa sgyu ma lta bu’i ting nge ’dzin ces bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryamāyopamasamadhināmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 130, Degé Kangyur vol. 55 (mdo sde, da), folios 210b3–230b4.
’phags pa sgyu ma lta bu’i ting nge ’dzin ces bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo. bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–9, vol. 55, pp. 552–600.
Dharmachakra Translation Committee (tr.). The Absorption That Encapsulates All Merit (Sarvapuṇyasamuccayasamādhi, Toh 134). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2016.
Norman, K.R. A Philological Approach to Buddhism. London: School of Oriental and African Studies, 1997.
Roberts, Peter, and Bower, Emily (trs.). The White Lotus of the Good Dharma (Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, Toh 113). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018.
In this sūtra Buddha Śākyamuni explains how to attain the absorption known as “the illusory absorption,” a meditative state so powerful that it enables awakening to be attained very quickly. He also teaches that this absorption has been mastered particularly well by two bodhisattvas, Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta, who live in Sukhāvatī, the distant realm of Buddha Amitābha. Buddha Śākyamuni summons these two bodhisattvas to this world and, when they arrive, recounts the story of how they first engendered the mind of awakening. Finally the Buddha reveals the circumstances surrounding the future awakening of Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta.
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the guidance of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. Andreas Doctor produced the translation and wrote the introduction. Zachary Beer compared the draft translation with the original Tibetan and edited the text. The translators are grateful to Khenpo Trokpa Tulku, Lama Karma Oser, and Lama Tenzin Sangpo from Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery for their assistance in resolving several difficult passages.
This translation has been completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The Illusory Absorption is a sūtra that belongs to the general sūtra section of the Kangyur. In the fashion typical of Great Vehicle sūtras, the Buddha’s discourse unfolds within a worldview vastly different in scope from ordinary reality. Here we meet bodhisattvas who have journeyed across billions of universes to hear the Buddha’s teaching, bringing with them samples of the splendors and pleasures that adorn their distant buddha realms. The vast scope of this sūtra pertains not only to the distances traveled, but also to the timespan covered. Through his omniscience, the Buddha recalls events that happened at the dawn of time and predicts affairs yet to unfold in a far-distant future. In this way our ordinary perceptions of time and space are challenged as we enter the worldview of the Great Vehicle.
The sūtra begins outside Vārāṇasī, in the Deer Park where the Buddha first turned the wheel of Dharma after his awakening. This time, however, he is not just speaking to his five previous companions, the audience for his first teaching. Now, we are told, there are 20,000 monks, 12,000 bodhisattvas, 20,000 deities, and several hundred thousand other beings present.
As is customary in sūtra literature, the Buddha delivers his Dharma talks at the request of someone who poses a particular question and asks for clarification. In this particular sūtra, the role of the questioner is played by a bodhisattva named Padmaśrīgarbha, who asks the Buddha how one can attain a particular type of absorption known as “the illusory absorption” and, after attaining that absorption, quickly attain complete awakening.
The Buddha is pleased with this request and praises Padmaśrīgarbha for asking such a meaningful question. He then proceeds to explain that there is one quality that underlies all attainments of awakened qualities and the state of awakening itself. When in possession of this one quality, a bodhisattva will naturally proceed along the path until finally gaining perfect buddhahood. The Buddha reveals that this crucial and indispensable quality is not to abide anywhere in the three realms, whether internally in the mental sphere or externally in the outer world.
If one is able not to abide in this manner, one will come to understand that all phenomena are unborn, an understanding that enables one to practice the bodhisattva path. With the realization that all phenomena are unborn comes the understanding that phenomena are likewise illusory and empty. This is the point at which one attains the illusory absorption. When this absorption is attained, one is able to display a variety of bodies in order to teach and guide sentient beings. At that point, full and complete awakening is not far off.
Padmaśrīgarbha continues to ask the Buddha about the illusory absorption, and he wonders whether anyone among his peers in the Buddha’s retinue might have obtained this absorption. Indeed, the Buddha confirms, several students have gained this absorption, but all of them have attained their realization by associating with two bodhisattvas, Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta, who live in Sukhāvatī, the distant realm of Buddha Amitābha.
Padmaśrīgarbha implores the Buddha to manifest a miraculous sign that will summon these two bodhisattvas, so that others may be blessed by their presence in this world and likewise attain the illusory absorption. The Buddha consents and emits a light from the hair between his eyebrows, a light so bright that it illuminates the entire world of Sukhāvatī. When all the bodhisattvas in Sukhāvatī ask Amitābha about the origin of this light, he reveals that it is being emitted by Buddha Śākyamuni to indicate that a Dharma teaching will shortly be delivered. Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta request permission to attend the teaching, and Amitābha encourages them to go. The two bodhisattvas bring with them on the journey no fewer than 840 million other bodhisattvas, who each manifest a beautiful mansion as an offering to the Buddha Śākyamuni. Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta multiply this offering by emanating 840 million exact copies within each mansion, thus producing a mind-boggling display of gifts.
The pilgrimage to this world is not an arduous one by any means, being completed within a single second. Once the bodhisattvas arrive, they pay homage to Buddha Śākyamuni and sing his praises in a series of beautiful verses. The bodhisattvas and hearers in the retinue of Buddha Śākyamuni are, of course, amazed by the arrival of all the bodhisattvas from Sukhāvatī and their impressive display of offerings. So they ask the Buddha about the merit that allows Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta to perform such a display. The Buddha reveals how these two bodhisattvas are able to multiply their bodies in inconceivable ways, thus gaining merit by serving countless buddhas in endless realms.
Next, Buddha Śākyamuni recounts the story of how Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta first gave rise to the mind of awakening that signifies the beginning of the bodhisattva path. We hear how these two beings, in a far, far distant past, were born miraculously from two lotus flowers in the realm of a buddha known as King of the Golden-Hued Lion’s Play, who himself was a previous emanation of Buddha Amitābha. The place where it all unfolded, we are told, was none other than the world of Sukhāvatī, at that time known as Boundless Accumulation of Precious Qualities and Full Display of Happiness.
As is typical of many Great Vehicle sūtras, the Buddha proceeds to reveal the circumstances surrounding the future awakening of the protagonists in question, in this case Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta. Once Buddha Amitābha has passed into nirvāṇa and no trace remains of his teachings, Avalokiteśvara will fully awaken at dawn on the very next day and receive the name Buddha Samantaraśmyabhyudgataśrīkūtarāja. At that point the realm will no longer be known as Sukhāvatī, but rather Complete Gathering of Wealth. Next, once this particular buddha passes into nirvāṇa, Mahāsthāmaprāpta will awaken in a similar fashion and be known as Supratiṣṭhitaguṇamaṇikūṭarāja.
The names of these two future buddhas turn out to be of key importance in the sūtra, because anyone who happens to hear them will be irreversibly destined to unsurpassed and perfect awakening. The blessing of hearing these two names is also such that any woman will be able to put an end to future female rebirths, and in that way join the saṅgha of monks.
At this point the Buddha’s teaching is complete, and everyone in attendance rejoices and arouses the mind set upon unsurpassed and perfect awakening. Many of the listeners in attendance develop various signs of accomplishment and become free from obscurations. Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta also cause a miracle so that the entire retinue can behold all the limitless, uncountable buddhas in all directions, who are making prophecies for their unsurpassed and perfect awakening.
As is typical of Great Vehicle sūtras, toward the end of the story the Buddha speaks of the great amount of merit to be gained by upholding and propagating the sūtra, and everyone gathered at the occasion promises to spread the teaching to the best of their ability. The Buddha repeats his statement that any woman who hears this teaching will be transformed immediately into a man. (Today’s readers should keep in mind that these teachings were given in a society where the status of women was generally low, and women were expected to be subservient and deferential to men. It is also important to remember that the Buddha did allow women into his order, which at the time was a radical endorsement of women as worthy spiritual practitioners.)
Finally, while thousands of gods scatter flowers and praise on the Buddha and the assembled bodhisattvas, a young girl stands up and announces that she has decided to give up the negative emotions that cause beings to be born as women. Instead, she promises, she will set her mind on complete awakening. In front of the Buddha she vows to become an example for other women by relinquishing her female body, and she requests the Buddha’s blessings to help her do so. Immediately her body is transformed and becomes that of a man. With this metamorphosis complete, the Buddha foretells that she is destined to become a future buddha known by the name Repeller of All Disturbing Emotions, and the sūtra comes to an end.
No Sanskrit version of the text is known to exist, but in addition to this Tibetan translation the sūtra survives in two earlier Chinese translations. The Tibetan translation, by Surendrabodhi and Bandé Yeshé Dé, must have been completed in the early translation period, as it is listed in both early ninth century inventories, the Denkarma (ldan dkar ma) and Phangthangma (phang thang ma). According to the catalogues of both the Degé and Narthang Kangyurs, the sūtra has nine chapters or sections (le’u), and the Narthang catalogue mentions that the existence of nine le’u is mentioned by the Great Fifth Dalai Lama in the list of texts of which he received the transmission (gsan yig). However, no such formal section breaks can be seen in the Tibetan text as preserved in the different Kangyurs, and it would be unusual for a relatively short text such as this to be divided into formally distinct chapters. It may be that in this and similar catalogue entries the term le’u is being used to denote “episodes” or “scenes,” rather than in its more usual sense of chapters; it would not be impossible to discern nine or more parts to the narrative in this text.
Unlike the names of some of the specific absorptions described in sūtras, “the illusory absorption” is a term that occurs in a wide range of canonical texts, including the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, the Laṅkāvatāra, and in several tantras and their Tengyur commentaries. This sūtra, as would be expected from its title, is indeed sometimes mentioned or cited in later Tibetan works in connection with the illusory absorption itself. More often, however, it is mentioned as one of the scriptural sources of the stories of Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta. The other notable source is the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka (Toh 113), which contains a similar but much more detailed account of the predictions of these two bodhisattvas’ future attainment of complete buddhahood, as well as a different episode from their previous lives.
Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in the Deer Park by the Hill of the Fallen Sages near Vārāṇasī, together with a great saṅgha of twenty thousand worthy monks and twelve thousand bodhisattvas that included the bodhisattva great beings Harisiṃha, Siṃhamati, Supratiṣṭhitabuddhi, Anupamamati, Dharaṇīṃdhara, Agnidatta, Varuṇa, Ratnākara, Guhyagupta, Bhadrapāla, Vidyutdeva, Vairocana, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, Jñānākara, Anikṣiptadhura, Amoghadarśin, and the bodhisattva great being Maitreya. Also in attendance were twenty thousand gods who had all entered the Great Vehicle, such as Susīma and Supratiṣṭhitabuddhi. At that time the Blessed One, surrounded and venerated by a retinue of several hundred thousand beings, was teaching the Dharma.
The bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha stood up, draped his shawl over one shoulder, and knelt on his right knee. With his palms together, he bowed toward the Blessed One, and inquired of the Blessed One, “If this is an opportune moment for the Blessed One to grant me answers to some questions of mine, may I put them to the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha?”
The Blessed One replied to the bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha, “Padmaśrīgarbha, it is always opportune for the Thus-Gone One to address your concerns. Padmaśrīgarbha, ask the Thus-Gone One, the worthy, completely perfect Buddha, whatever you wish, and I will address your questions, so that you may feel at ease.”
The bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, how is it that bodhisattva great beings render irreversible their progress to unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening, come to possess the five types of clairvoyance, and attain the illusory absorption? How is it that, as soon as they attain that absorption, they emanate whatever bodies in whatever way will perfect sentient beings’ roots of virtue, and teach the Dharma according to sentient beings’ inclinations? How do they quickly awaken to unsurpassed and completely perfect buddhahood?”
The Blessed One said to the bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha, “Padmaśrīgarbha, excellent! Padmaśrīgarbha, previously you have served the victorious ones, gathered the roots of virtue, and venerated a myriad buddhas. You feel love and compassion for all beings, and that is why you ask the Thus-Gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha about this. That is excellent! Padmaśrīgarbha, therefore, listen well and pay attention. Then I shall explain it to you.”
The bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha said to the Blessed One, “Wonderful!” and he listened as the Blessed One had directed him.
The Blessed One said, “Padmaśrīgarbha, there is one quality that, if bodhisattva great beings possess it, renders irreversible their progress to unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening, and grants them the five types of clairvoyance and the illusory absorption. Moreover, as soon as they attain that absorption, they emanate whatever bodies in whatever way will perfect sentient beings’ roots of virtue, teach the Dharma according to sentient beings’ inclinations, and quickly awaken to unsurpassed and completely perfect buddhahood.
“What is that single quality? Padmaśrīgarbha, those bodhisattvas must not abide anywhere in the three realms, neither abiding internally nor externally. As they do not abide, they will see reality. As they see reality, they will unite with reality. As they unite with reality, nothing will impede their mind. As nothing impedes their mind, they will engage in authentic conduct.
“What does it mean to engage in authentic conduct? It is as follows. All phenomena arise in dependence. There is no phenomenon that can remain constantly. All phenomena arise from circumstances. There is no phenomenon that arises without circumstances. Any phenomenon that arises in dependence is unborn. Therefore all phenomena are unborn. To realize that all phenomena are unborn is to know how to practice the bodhisattva’s path. In this way, one attains the basis for benefiting all beings and can proceed with a compassionate outlook. With such conviction, one comes to understand that all phenomena are illusory. All phenomena are magically manifest because they are imputed. Those imputations are also utterly empty. The realization that all phenomena are empty is the attainment of the illusory absorption.
“As soon as one attains this absorption, one emanates whatever bodies in whatever way will perfect sentient beings’ roots of virtue, and one teaches the Dharma according to sentient beings’ inclinations. In this way, one quickly awakens to unsurpassed and completely perfect buddhahood.”
The bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, is there any bodhisattva great being here in this gathering who has attained this illusory absorption?”
“Padmaśrīgarbha,” replied the Blessed One, “there are sixty holy beings here in this gathering who intentionally wear the armor and who have attained the illusory absorption. There are sixty holy beings, including the bodhisattva great beings Maitreya and Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, who have attained this illusory absorption.”
Padmaśrīgarbha asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, did these holy beings attain this illusory absorption here in this world? Or did these holy beings attain this illusory absorption in some other realm?”
The Blessed One answered, “Padmaśrīgarbha, to the west of this buddha realm, passing through one trillion buddha realms, there is a realm known as Sukhāvatī. Right now the Thus-Gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha resides there, flourishes there, lives there, and teaches the Dharma. In his buddha realm live the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara and the bodhisattva great being Mahāsthāmaprāpta, both of whom have attained this absorption. Padmaśrīgarbha, it is from conversations lasting seven days with those two holy beings that other bodhisattva great beings attain this illusory absorption.”
The bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, there must be many bodhisattva great beings who attained the illusory absorption in that buddha realm. Blessed One, the reason is that the bodhisattva great beings who are born in that buddha realm can engage in Dharma conversations with those two holy beings without any effort.”
“Padmaśrīgarbha, it is exactly as you say,” said the Blessed One. “The bodhisattva great beings who abide there within the illusory absorption are indeed limitless and countless.”
The bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha implored the Blessed One, “Blessed One, thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha, please use your miraculous powers to show a mental sign by which the two holy beings will come to this Sahā world, and the whole Sukhāvatī world together with the Thus-Gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha will also arrive here in this world. The reason is, Blessed One, that if those two holy beings come to this buddha realm, the sons and daughters of noble family who follow the vehicle of the bodhisattvas will perfect their roots of virtue. They will hear the Dharma talks of those two holy beings, and they, too, will thereby attain the illusory absorption. Here in this buddha realm they will be able to behold Sukhāvatī as well as the Thus-Gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha. Witnessing that, the sons and daughters of noble family will arouse the mind of unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening. They will make aspirations to be born in that buddha realm and, as soon as they are born there, they will render irreversible their progress to unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening.”
The Blessed One, understanding the bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha’s request, emitted a bright light from the hair between his eyebrows. The light pervaded this entire trichiliocosm with a bright golden radiance. Throughout the entire trichiliocosm, all mountain ranges and forests as well as the central mountain, the Mucilinda Mountains, the Greater Mucilinda Mountains, the surrounding mountains, the greater surrounding mountains, and all places of deep darkness throughout the world were bathed in that golden light, eclipsing even the sun and the moon—so well known for their great miraculous ability, great strength, and great power—to the point of invisibility. Toward the west, crossing through a trillion buddha realms, that brilliant golden light pervaded the entire realm of Sukhāvatī. There, the light prostrated at the feet of the Thus-Gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha, circumambulated him seven times, and, in that blessed one’s presence, disappeared.
The beings who lived in Sukhāvatī, including the bodhisattvas and the great hearers, looked toward this Sahā world and saw the Thus-Gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni surrounded by the gathering of bodhisattvas and attended upon by the saṅgha of hearers. As they saw it all, as clearly as seeing an āmalakī fruit right in their own hand, they were filled with joy and great happiness, and exclaimed, “Homage to the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni!”
Here in the Sahā world, the assembled retinue of the Thus-Gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni consisted of monks, nuns, laymen, laywomen, gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, demigods, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragās, humans, nonhumans, Śakra, Brahmā, the guardians of the world, and bodhisattvas. All of them could now also vividly see the world of Sukhāvatī and the Thus-Gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha, who was shining like the king of mountains, surrounded by the assembly of bodhisattvas and attended upon by the saṅgha of hearers. They saw the entire buddha realm in this way. Just as a person with perfect sight can see the face of another person only a fathom away without any strain, from this world and this buddha realm they saw the Thus-Gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha, as well as the world of Sukhāvatī, which appeared in a great display of fine features, filled with trillions of qualities. Witnessing it, they were filled with joy and great happiness, and exclaimed, “Homage to the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha!”
When that buddha realm was shown to them, 84,000 beings here in this buddha realm, who had not previously aroused the mind of awakening, now gave rise to the mind set upon unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening. They dedicated the roots of virtue toward taking birth in the world of Sukhāvatī, as well as toward unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening.
In the world of Sukhāvatī, the assembled bodhisattva great beings and great hearers saw the Sahā world and were amazed. They joined the palms of their hands and prostrated toward the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni while they called out, “Homage to the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni!”
As soon as the bodhisattva great beings and the great hearers had spoken these words, the entire world shook in six ways: it vibrated, shuddered, and reeled; quivered, trembled, and quaked; wobbled, rocked, and swayed; boomed, thundered, and roared; rattled, shook, and convulsed; and clattered, rattled, and clanged.
Then the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara and the bodhisattva great being Mahāsthāmaprāpta went before the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha. Prostrating with their heads to the Blessed One’s feet, they respectfully stood to one side. Standing together, the two holy beings said to the Blessed One, “The Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni has attained very stable powers. Blessed One, it is amazing. Blissful One, it is amazing. Why? Blessed One, it is like this. When so much as the name of the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni was pronounced, even this inanimate earth shook in six ways.”
The Thus-Gone Amitābha said to the two holy beings, “Sons of noble family, not only was the name of the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni pronounced in this buddha realm, the name of that Blessed One was also pronounced in many other buddha realms. Those buddha realms, too, all shook in six ways when touched by that light. In those buddha realms, limitless and countless beings heard the name of the Thus-Gone Śākyamuni, and thereby perfected their roots of virtue and rendered irreversible their progress to unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening. Then, from among the assembly of bodhisattvas, four hundred million bodhisattvas heard the name of the Blessed One, the thus-gone Śākyamuni. When they heard it, they all gathered and, in a single voice, dedicated the roots of virtue toward unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening. The Blessed One also prophesied that they would render irreversible their progress to unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening.”
Then the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara and the bodhisattva great being Mahāsthāmaprāpta said to the Thus-Gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha, “The Blessed One, the thus-gone Śākyamuni, has sent forth a light that we have previously never seen nor heard of. Now, since the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni, would not emit such a wonderful and beautiful light without causes or circumstances, please tell us what the causes and conditions are for the Blessed One, the thus-gone Śākyamuni, to send forth such a wonderful and beautiful light.”
The Thus-Gone Amitābha said to the two holy beings, “Sons of noble family, what you say is true. That Blessed One would not send forth such a wonderful and beautiful light without any causes and conditions. And why? Because the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni, is about to deliver a Dharma teaching on how to accomplish the precious absorption known as ‘the bodhisattvas’ application.’ That is why the Blessed One Śākyamuni emitted this wonderful and beautiful light as an omen of that Dharma teaching.”
Then the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara and the bodhisattva great being Mahāsthāmaprāpta said to the Thus-Gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha, “In order to gaze upon, honor, venerate, and serve the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni, and also to hear his Dharma teaching, we, Blessed One, will travel to that Sahā world.”
The thus-gone one Amitābha said, “Sons of noble family, you know that the time has come for the Blessed One, the thus-gone Śākyamuni, to teach the Dharma to an assembly headed by the two of you, so please do go ahead.”
With this permission, the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara and the bodhisattva great being Mahāsthāmaprāpta called out to the four hundred million bodhisattvas assembled in the retinue of the Blessed One, the thus-gone Amitābha, “Sons of noble family, come! In order to behold, honor, venerate, and serve the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni, and also to hear his Dharma teaching, let us travel to the Sahā world. Why? Because the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni, gave up all the many perfectly pure buddha realms and, through his aspirations and great compassion, manifested in that afflicted buddha realm. Because he undertook austerities, it was amidst those sentient beings who have base desires and raging attachment, anger, and delusion, that he fully awakened to unsurpassed and completely perfect buddhahood.”
As soon as the two holy beings had spoken these words, all of the bodhisattva great beings in the world of Sukhāvatī assembled and said in a single voice, “Blessed One, any being who even hears the name of the Blessed One, the thus-gone Śākyamuni, reaches excellent attainments. That being so, what need is there to mention those who actually see him with their physical eyes and engender faith? Blessed One, we shall also travel to the Sahā world in order to behold, honor, venerate, and serve the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni, and also to hear his Dharma teaching.”
The Blessed One said, “Sons of noble family, you know that the time has come, so please go ahead.”
So the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara and the bodhisattva great being Mahāsthāmaprāpta set out from the world of Sukhāvatī, surrounded and preceded by 840 million bodhisattvas. At that point they manifested their miraculous powers, and by those miraculous powers 840 million bodhisattvas each emanated 840 million mansions. The miraculously manifested mansions were square, structured around four pillars, even and well proportioned, and of excellent design. Each of the mansions was twelve leagues tall and eight leagues wide. Some mansions were made of gold; some were made of silver; some were made of beryl; some were made of crystal; some were made of red pearl, emerald, and coral; some were made of combinations of gold and silver; some were made of combinations of gold, silver, and beryl; some were made of combinations of gold, silver, beryl, and crystal; some mansions were made of combinations of gold, silver, beryl, crystal, and red pearl; some mansions were made of combinations of gold, silver, beryl, crystal, red pearl, and coral; some mansions were made of combinations of gold, silver, beryl, crystal, red pearl, coral, and emerald; some mansions were made of red sandalwood; some were made of uragasāra sandalwood; some were made of aloeswood and sandalwood; some were made of black aloeswood and sandalwood; some mansions were made of all types of sandalwood; some mansions were made of blue lotuses, pink lotuses, water lily, and white lotuses; some mansions were made of flowers of nutmeg, jasmine, magnolia, pāṭalam, mountain ebony, aloe flower, and gotaraṇi; some mansions were made of danuskari flowers; some mansions were made of māndārava and mahāmāndārava flowers; some mansions were made of flowers of pāruṣaka, mahāpāruṣaka, mañjuṣaka, mahāmañjuṣaka, roca, mahāroca, cakra, mahācakra, sarvacakra, atyarthaśobhaticakra, candra, mahācandra, atyarthaśobhaticandra, paramacandra, sthāla, and mahāsthāla; some mansions were made of all types of flowers; and some were made of flowers of various colors, multiple colors, hundreds of thousands of colors, beautiful, pure, and shining.
In each mansion were emanated 84,000 goddesses. Some of the goddesses held conches, drums, clay kettle drums, wooden kettle drums, lutes, and flutes, while others sang melodiously, and yet others held up reed pipes, one-stringed lutes, and three-stringed lutes. In this way they were playing instruments, singing songs, and making music in abundance. Some goddesses were holding vessels of powdered red sandalwood; some goddesses were holding vessels of powdered uragasāra sandalwood; some goddesses were holding vessels of powdered aloeswood and sandalwood; some goddesses were holding vessels of powdered black aloeswood and sandalwood; some goddesses were holding vessels of all types of powdered sandalwood; some goddesses were holding vessels of powdered blue lotuses, pink lotuses, water lilies, and white lotuses; some goddesses were holding vessels of powdered flowers of māndārava, mahāmāndārava, pāruṣaka, mahāpāruṣaka, mañjuṣaka, mahāmañjuṣaka, roca, mahāroca, cakra, mahācakra, sarvacakra, atyarthaśobhaticakra, candra, mahācandra, atyarthaśobhaticandra, paramacandra, sthāla, and mahāsthāla; some goddesses were proffering vessels of all types of powdered flowers, perfume, incense, flower garlands, and ointments.
In each mansion appeared an ornately decorated lion throne upon which the form of a thus-gone one was seated, adorned with the thirty-two marks of a great being. In each of the mansions appeared 84,000 pearl garlands, made of white, red, and blue pearls. In each of the mansions appeared 84,000 victory banners made of divinely manufactured fabric, each of them covered in a lattice of small golden bells. In each of the mansions appeared 84,000 censers of incense. In each of the mansions appeared 84,000 parasols of various colors, multiple colors, hundreds of thousands of colors, beautiful, well-crafted, and of fine proportions. In each of the mansions appeared 84,000 rows of palm trees. In each of the mansions appeared 84,000 jewel trees. In each of the mansions appeared 84,000 lattices of small bells that, when stirred by the wind, sounded tunes resembling the music performed by skilled musicians playing trillions of divine instruments. Such were the sweet and beautiful tunes that rang out from those bells when stirred by the wind. In each of the mansions appeared ponds, the bottom of each lined with gold dust, adorned with beryl and crystal, and encircled by a ring of the seven precious gemstones. The ponds were filled with blue and pink lotuses, water lilies, and white lotus flowers, and on them were wild geese calling out. The ponds were filled to the brim with water of eight properties, making them excellent for the birds to quench their thirst. Each of the mansions was surrounded by seven rows of jewel trees, and 84,000 jewel strings bound them all together. The light shining from each of the mansions extended for 84,000 leagues. Such was the layout of all the mansions.
Inside each of those mansions, the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara and the bodhisattva great being Mahāsthāmaprāpta then again emanated the entire display of all the mansions that they had produced, along with all of their elaborate internal contents, in a precise copy.
Once the two bodhisattva great beings had emanated those displays inside each of the mansions, the displays together with 840 billion bodhisattvas all vanished from the world of Sukhāvatī and arrived here in this Sahā world in just a single moment, a single second, a single instant. It happened as quickly as it takes for a strong person to extend his arm and flex it again. At that point the two bodhisattvas miraculously transformed this Sahā world so that it became as even as the palm of a hand. Such was the miracle that they manifested. All the bodhisattvas also arrived together with the 840 million mansions. This great display of qualities was absolutely resplendent. The light that shone from the mansions pervaded this entire trichiliocosm.
Then the two bodhisattvas went before the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni. They prostrated with their heads at the feet of the Blessed One, the thus-gone, the worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni, and circumambulated him three times before standing off to one side. As they stood there, those two holy beings, in a single tune and a single voice, praised the Blessed One with these verses:
When the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara and the bodhisattva great being Mahāsthāmaprāpta had praised the Blessed One with these fitting verses, they asked the Blessed One about his health, saying, “The Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha is asking if the Blessed One is in good health. Are you free from any misfortune and agitation? Are you enjoying good health and well-being?”
They also said, “Hearers of the Blessed One, behold how delightful the world has become.”
When the bodhisattvas and great hearers here in the Sahā world saw the great display of mansions that pervaded this entire world, as well as its many riches, they were amazed and thought to themselves, “Is it due to the power of the Thus-Gone One, or is it due to the power of these bodhisattva great beings, that all of this has arrived here from the world of Sukhāvatī?”
At that point, inspired by the Buddha, the bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, all these many mansions that now fill up and adorn this Sahā world are amazing! Blissful One, they are truly amazing! Did all of this arrive here in the Sahā world from the world of Sukhāvatī due to the power of the Thus-Gone One or due to the power of these bodhisattvas?”
The Blessed One answered the bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha, “Padmaśrīgarbha, that these many jewel mansions now fill up and adorn this Sahā world is not due to the power of the Thus-Gone One. Rather, it is due to the power of the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara and the bodhisattva great being Mahāsthāmaprāpta.”
Padmaśrīgarbha exclaimed, “Because of their power, this Sahā world is now filled and adorned with these many jewel mansions. The perfection of the aspirations and roots of virtue of these two holy beings is inconceivable! Blessed One, it is amazing! Blissful One, it is truly amazing!”
“Padmaśrīgarbha, it is just as you say,” said the Blessed One. “For innumerable trillions of eons, these two holy beings have perfected the roots of virtue. Padmaśrīgarbha, these two holy beings have attained the illusory absorption. As they abide within the illusory absorption, they can demonstrate such miraculous emanations. Padmaśrīgarbha, when you look toward the east, what do you see?”
When the bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha looked toward the east with the unobscured divine eye of a bodhisattva, he saw as many buddha realms as there are grains of sand in the river Ganges, with as many blessed buddhas as there are grains of sand in the river Ganges. At the feet of all of those blessed buddhas were the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara and the bodhisattva great being Mahāsthāmaprāpta, prostrating and inquiring about their health, saying, “The Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha is asking if the Blessed One is in good health. Are you free from any misfortune and agitation? Are you enjoying good health and well-being?”
The same thing occurred in the south, in the west, in the north, below, above, and in all the ten directions. In all directions Padmaśrīgarbha saw as many buddha realms as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, filled with and adorned by a great display of mansions made of various precious substances. In all those buddha realms he saw blessed buddhas, and he witnessed the two holy beings prostrating before all those blessed buddhas. As he saw this, he was filled with great wonder.
The bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha was amazed, and exclaimed to the Blessed One, “The accomplishment of the illusory absorption by these two holy beings is inconceivable! Blessed One, it is amazing! Blissful One, it is truly amazing! Why do I say so? Because these two holy beings abide in that absorption, and thus are present in all buddha realms.”
The Blessed One then produced a miraculous display so that the bodhisattva Padmaśrīgarbha could see the buddha realms in all ten directions. He could also behold blessed buddhas in those buddha realms, and he saw how the two holy beings prostrated at the feet of the blessed ones. In a similar way, the entire retinue present could see the buddha realms in all ten directions, behold the blessed buddhas in those buddha realms, and see the two holy beings prostrated at the feet of the blessed ones. Witnessing this, thirty-two thousand beings in the retinue of the Blessed One developed the mind set on unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening. Such were the miracles that the Blessed One produced.
Then the bodhisattva Padmaśrīgarbha asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, from which thus-gone one did these two holy beings develop the mind set on unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening? And how long ago was that? What was his name? Blessed One, thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha, please tell us!”
The Blessed One replied, “It is thus that other bodhisattvas, too, should perfect their conduct, actions, and aspirations. Therefore, Padmaśrīgarbha, listen very well and keep in mind what I will now explain.”
The bodhisattva Padmaśrīgarbha said, “Blessed One, excellent!” and he listened as the Blessed One had advised.
“Padmaśrīgarbha,” continued the Blessed One, “previously, in times past, an inconceivable number of eons ago, an endless number of eons ago, at a time stretching further back than any number of eons, a number of eons so great that the number of atoms found in 100,000 worlds—all the limitless and inconceivable number of such atoms—would not equal the number of eons, there was a world called Boundless Accumulation of Precious Qualities and Full Display of Happiness. In that world was a blessed, thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect buddha who had perfect knowledge and conduct. He was a blissful one who knew the world, an unsurpassed charioteer who trained beings, and a teacher of gods and men. His name was Blessed Buddha King of the Golden-Hued Lion’s Play.
“Padmaśrīgarbha, in the buddha realm of the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha King of the Golden-Hued Lion’s Play, there was a display of precious qualities. I will only give you a mere illustration of this, just to mention a few of the qualities, so listen. Padmaśrīgarbha, tell me, are there many displays of precious qualities in the buddha realm of the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha?”
Padmaśrīgarbha replied, “Blessed One, there are indeed—inconceivably many. They are limitless, and it would not be easy to describe them in words.”
The Blessed One said, “Padmaśrīgarbha, consider this analogy. Imagine a person splits the tip of a hair into one hundred pieces, and then uses the tip of one of those pieces to lift up one drop of water from the ocean. Tell me now, Padmaśrīgarbha, which would be greater, the amount of water that has been extracted or the water that remains?”
Padmaśrīgarbha replied, “Blessed One, the extracted water would be less. The amount remaining is measureless.”
“Padmaśrīgarbha, think about this and understand it,” said the Blessed One. “The amount of water extracted from the ocean in a single drop by that person using a hundredth of a hair tip represents the displays of precious qualities in the buddha realm of the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha, while the body of water remaining in the ocean represents the displays of precious qualities in Boundless Accumulation of Precious Qualities and Full Display of Happiness, the buddha realm of the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha, King of the Golden-Hued Lion’s Play.
“His saṅgha of hearers was also endless. Right now the Thus-Gone Amitābha’s saṅgha of hearers is said to be boundless, but the saṅgha of hearers belonging to the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha, King of the Golden-Hued Lion’s Play, was a hundred thousand times larger than that. His saṅgha of bodhisattvas was also of comparable size. That blessed, thus-gone one taught the Dharma exclusively within the three vehicles. Padmaśrīgarbha, even if I had as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River to describe the display of precious qualities in the buddha realm of the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha, King of the Golden-Hued Lion’s Play, as well as the display of qualities of his hearers and the causes for their happiness, I would not run out of things to say, and I would be unable to complete my description of the display of qualities in that buddha realm.
“Padmaśrīgarbha, back then, during the life of the blessed Thus-Gone One, King of the Golden-Hued Lion’s Play, there was a virtuous and religious king who ruled over a thousand worlds. He was known as Glorious Splendor. Padmaśrīgarbha, King Glorious Splendor had one billion sons. All the young princes had the twenty-eight marks of a great being, and all of them had genuinely attained unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening. Padmaśrīgarbha, King Glorious Splendor also had seventy-six thousand pleasure groves for his enjoyment, while each of his sons had ten thousand pleasure groves.”
Then the bodhisattva Padmaśrīgarbha asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, were there no women in that buddha realm?”
“No, Padmaśrīgarbha, there were not,” answered the Blessed One. “In that buddha realm not even the word ‘woman’ was heard. All those young princes had been born out of chastity. They were all born in a miraculous manner. All those beings sustained themselves on the joy of concentration and the joy of the Dharma, and in that buddha realm there was no gross type of food. Padmaśrīgarbha, King Glorious Splendor had no formal duties, so together with his sons he worshipped the Blessed One for 840 trillion years. That Blessed, Thus-Gone One knew the king’s good intentions, so he taught him how to gain expertise in the mode of Dharma known as the boundless seal.
“Padmaśrīgarbha, you may wonder what that ‘expertise in the mode of Dharma known as the boundless seal’ might be. Well, Padmaśrīgarbha, it is that bodhisattva great beings never fail to strive for boundless activities. They never fail to undertake boundless efforts. And why? Because those bodhisattvas’ generosity is boundless. Their discipline is boundless. Their patience is boundless. Their diligence is boundless. Their concentration is boundless. Their knowledge is boundless. Their embrace of saṃsāra is boundless. Their love for beings is boundless. Their display of realms is boundless. Their hearers are boundless. Their perfect forms are boundless. Their voices are boundless. Their eloquence is boundless.
“Padmaśrīgarbha, bodhisattvas will dedicate any root of virtue that has been created, even a single instance of the thought of awakening, so that it becomes boundless. You may wonder how dedication can make it boundless. Well, at the time bodhisattvas dedicate that root of merit to all sentient beings, the non-birth of all those sentient beings is actualized, and it is through their passing into the parinirvāṇa of a buddha that they will pass into parinirvāṇa. That, son of noble family, is called boundless dedication.
“Their emptiness is boundless. Their signlessness is boundless. Their wishlessness is boundless. Their lack of conditioned existence is boundless. In this way they are free of desire and liberated within the realm of phenomena, the limit of reality. They are unborn, serene, free, beyond suffering, and boundless. Son of noble family, in short, all phenomena are boundless. Therefore all phenomena are said to be unborn and unceasing. Whatever is unborn and unceasing is boundless.
“Padmaśrīgarbha, the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha, King of the Golden-Hued Lion’s Play, taught King Glorious Splendor perfectly how to gain expertise in the mode of Dharma known as the boundless seal, so that he, too, could reflect on the boundless Dharma. Then, as King Glorious Splendor received the teaching on the boundless Dharma from that blessed one, he was satisfied and pleased. He rejoiced and was extremely delighted. Since he was so joyful and happy, together with his sons he praised that blessed one with these verses:
“Padmaśrīgarbha, on another occasion King Glorious Splendor was in his pleasure grove practicing concentration, when two beautiful and captivating lotus flowers made of uragasāra sandalwood sprang up on either side of him. From those two lotus flowers, two beings miraculously appeared: one bore the name Precious Mind, and the other was called Perfect Wealth. They sat cross-legged in the flowers.
“Padmaśrīgarbha, when King Glorious Splendor arose from his absorption, he saw those two beings sitting there, cross-legged, and at the sight he spoke this verse:
“Padmaśrīgarbha, the being who had appeared on King Glorious Splendor’s right replied with these verses to King Glorious Splendor:
“Padmaśrīgarbha, the other being then spoke to King Glorious Splendor in these verses:
“Padmaśrīgarbha, once these two beings had spoken these verses, the king attained the five types of clairvoyance. Together with King Glorious Splendor, the two beings then went before the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha King of the Golden-Hued Lion’s Play. They prostrated with their heads to the blessed one’s feet, circumambulated the blessed one three times, joined the palms of their hands together, and stood to one side. Padmaśrīgarbha, these two beings then spoke these verses to the blessed one, as if in a single voice:
In this sūtra Buddha Śākyamuni explains how to attain the absorption known as “the illusory absorption,” a meditative state so powerful that it enables awakening to be attained very quickly. He also teaches that this absorption has been mastered particularly well by two bodhisattvas, Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta, who live in Sukhāvatī, the distant realm of Buddha Amitābha. Buddha Śākyamuni summons these two bodhisattvas to this world and, when they arrive, recounts the story of how they first engendered the mind of awakening. Finally the Buddha reveals the circumstances surrounding the future awakening of Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta.
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the guidance of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. Andreas Doctor produced the translation and wrote the introduction. Zachary Beer compared the draft translation with the original Tibetan and edited the text. The translators are grateful to Khenpo Trokpa Tulku, Lama Karma Oser, and Lama Tenzin Sangpo from Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery for their assistance in resolving several difficult passages.
This translation has been completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The Illusory Absorption is a sūtra that belongs to the general sūtra section of the Kangyur. In the fashion typical of Great Vehicle sūtras, the Buddha’s discourse unfolds within a worldview vastly different in scope from ordinary reality. Here we meet bodhisattvas who have journeyed across billions of universes to hear the Buddha’s teaching, bringing with them samples of the splendors and pleasures that adorn their distant buddha realms. The vast scope of this sūtra pertains not only to the distances traveled, but also to the timespan covered. Through his omniscience, the Buddha recalls events that happened at the dawn of time and predicts affairs yet to unfold in a far-distant future. In this way our ordinary perceptions of time and space are challenged as we enter the worldview of the Great Vehicle.
The sūtra begins outside Vārāṇasī, in the Deer Park where the Buddha first turned the wheel of Dharma after his awakening. This time, however, he is not just speaking to his five previous companions, the audience for his first teaching. Now, we are told, there are 20,000 monks, 12,000 bodhisattvas, 20,000 deities, and several hundred thousand other beings present.
As is customary in sūtra literature, the Buddha delivers his Dharma talks at the request of someone who poses a particular question and asks for clarification. In this particular sūtra, the role of the questioner is played by a bodhisattva named Padmaśrīgarbha, who asks the Buddha how one can attain a particular type of absorption known as “the illusory absorption” and, after attaining that absorption, quickly attain complete awakening.
The Buddha is pleased with this request and praises Padmaśrīgarbha for asking such a meaningful question. He then proceeds to explain that there is one quality that underlies all attainments of awakened qualities and the state of awakening itself. When in possession of this one quality, a bodhisattva will naturally proceed along the path until finally gaining perfect buddhahood. The Buddha reveals that this crucial and indispensable quality is not to abide anywhere in the three realms, whether internally in the mental sphere or externally in the outer world.
If one is able not to abide in this manner, one will come to understand that all phenomena are unborn, an understanding that enables one to practice the bodhisattva path. With the realization that all phenomena are unborn comes the understanding that phenomena are likewise illusory and empty. This is the point at which one attains the illusory absorption. When this absorption is attained, one is able to display a variety of bodies in order to teach and guide sentient beings. At that point, full and complete awakening is not far off.
Padmaśrīgarbha continues to ask the Buddha about the illusory absorption, and he wonders whether anyone among his peers in the Buddha’s retinue might have obtained this absorption. Indeed, the Buddha confirms, several students have gained this absorption, but all of them have attained their realization by associating with two bodhisattvas, Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta, who live in Sukhāvatī, the distant realm of Buddha Amitābha.
Padmaśrīgarbha implores the Buddha to manifest a miraculous sign that will summon these two bodhisattvas, so that others may be blessed by their presence in this world and likewise attain the illusory absorption. The Buddha consents and emits a light from the hair between his eyebrows, a light so bright that it illuminates the entire world of Sukhāvatī. When all the bodhisattvas in Sukhāvatī ask Amitābha about the origin of this light, he reveals that it is being emitted by Buddha Śākyamuni to indicate that a Dharma teaching will shortly be delivered. Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta request permission to attend the teaching, and Amitābha encourages them to go. The two bodhisattvas bring with them on the journey no fewer than 840 million other bodhisattvas, who each manifest a beautiful mansion as an offering to the Buddha Śākyamuni. Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta multiply this offering by emanating 840 million exact copies within each mansion, thus producing a mind-boggling display of gifts.
The pilgrimage to this world is not an arduous one by any means, being completed within a single second. Once the bodhisattvas arrive, they pay homage to Buddha Śākyamuni and sing his praises in a series of beautiful verses. The bodhisattvas and hearers in the retinue of Buddha Śākyamuni are, of course, amazed by the arrival of all the bodhisattvas from Sukhāvatī and their impressive display of offerings. So they ask the Buddha about the merit that allows Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta to perform such a display. The Buddha reveals how these two bodhisattvas are able to multiply their bodies in inconceivable ways, thus gaining merit by serving countless buddhas in endless realms.
Next, Buddha Śākyamuni recounts the story of how Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta first gave rise to the mind of awakening that signifies the beginning of the bodhisattva path. We hear how these two beings, in a far, far distant past, were born miraculously from two lotus flowers in the realm of a buddha known as King of the Golden-Hued Lion’s Play, who himself was a previous emanation of Buddha Amitābha. The place where it all unfolded, we are told, was none other than the world of Sukhāvatī, at that time known as Boundless Accumulation of Precious Qualities and Full Display of Happiness.
As is typical of many Great Vehicle sūtras, the Buddha proceeds to reveal the circumstances surrounding the future awakening of the protagonists in question, in this case Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta. Once Buddha Amitābha has passed into nirvāṇa and no trace remains of his teachings, Avalokiteśvara will fully awaken at dawn on the very next day and receive the name Buddha Samantaraśmyabhyudgataśrīkūtarāja. At that point the realm will no longer be known as Sukhāvatī, but rather Complete Gathering of Wealth. Next, once this particular buddha passes into nirvāṇa, Mahāsthāmaprāpta will awaken in a similar fashion and be known as Supratiṣṭhitaguṇamaṇikūṭarāja.
The names of these two future buddhas turn out to be of key importance in the sūtra, because anyone who happens to hear them will be irreversibly destined to unsurpassed and perfect awakening. The blessing of hearing these two names is also such that any woman will be able to put an end to future female rebirths, and in that way join the saṅgha of monks.
At this point the Buddha’s teaching is complete, and everyone in attendance rejoices and arouses the mind set upon unsurpassed and perfect awakening. Many of the listeners in attendance develop various signs of accomplishment and become free from obscurations. Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta also cause a miracle so that the entire retinue can behold all the limitless, uncountable buddhas in all directions, who are making prophecies for their unsurpassed and perfect awakening.
As is typical of Great Vehicle sūtras, toward the end of the story the Buddha speaks of the great amount of merit to be gained by upholding and propagating the sūtra, and everyone gathered at the occasion promises to spread the teaching to the best of their ability. The Buddha repeats his statement that any woman who hears this teaching will be transformed immediately into a man. (Today’s readers should keep in mind that these teachings were given in a society where the status of women was generally low, and women were expected to be subservient and deferential to men. It is also important to remember that the Buddha did allow women into his order, which at the time was a radical endorsement of women as worthy spiritual practitioners.)
Finally, while thousands of gods scatter flowers and praise on the Buddha and the assembled bodhisattvas, a young girl stands up and announces that she has decided to give up the negative emotions that cause beings to be born as women. Instead, she promises, she will set her mind on complete awakening. In front of the Buddha she vows to become an example for other women by relinquishing her female body, and she requests the Buddha’s blessings to help her do so. Immediately her body is transformed and becomes that of a man. With this metamorphosis complete, the Buddha foretells that she is destined to become a future buddha known by the name Repeller of All Disturbing Emotions, and the sūtra comes to an end.
No Sanskrit version of the text is known to exist, but in addition to this Tibetan translation the sūtra survives in two earlier Chinese translations. The Tibetan translation, by Surendrabodhi and Bandé Yeshé Dé, must have been completed in the early translation period, as it is listed in both early ninth century inventories, the Denkarma (ldan dkar ma) and Phangthangma (phang thang ma). According to the catalogues of both the Degé and Narthang Kangyurs, the sūtra has nine chapters or sections (le’u), and the Narthang catalogue mentions that the existence of nine le’u is mentioned by the Great Fifth Dalai Lama in the list of texts of which he received the transmission (gsan yig). However, no such formal section breaks can be seen in the Tibetan text as preserved in the different Kangyurs, and it would be unusual for a relatively short text such as this to be divided into formally distinct chapters. It may be that in this and similar catalogue entries the term le’u is being used to denote “episodes” or “scenes,” rather than in its more usual sense of chapters; it would not be impossible to discern nine or more parts to the narrative in this text.
Unlike the names of some of the specific absorptions described in sūtras, “the illusory absorption” is a term that occurs in a wide range of canonical texts, including the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, the Laṅkāvatāra, and in several tantras and their Tengyur commentaries. This sūtra, as would be expected from its title, is indeed sometimes mentioned or cited in later Tibetan works in connection with the illusory absorption itself. More often, however, it is mentioned as one of the scriptural sources of the stories of Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta. The other notable source is the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka (Toh 113), which contains a similar but much more detailed account of the predictions of these two bodhisattvas’ future attainment of complete buddhahood, as well as a different episode from their previous lives.
Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in the Deer Park by the Hill of the Fallen Sages near Vārāṇasī, together with a great saṅgha of twenty thousand worthy monks and twelve thousand bodhisattvas that included the bodhisattva great beings Harisiṃha, Siṃhamati, Supratiṣṭhitabuddhi, Anupamamati, Dharaṇīṃdhara, Agnidatta, Varuṇa, Ratnākara, Guhyagupta, Bhadrapāla, Vidyutdeva, Vairocana, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, Jñānākara, Anikṣiptadhura, Amoghadarśin, and the bodhisattva great being Maitreya. Also in attendance were twenty thousand gods who had all entered the Great Vehicle, such as Susīma and Supratiṣṭhitabuddhi. At that time the Blessed One, surrounded and venerated by a retinue of several hundred thousand beings, was teaching the Dharma.
The bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha stood up, draped his shawl over one shoulder, and knelt on his right knee. With his palms together, he bowed toward the Blessed One, and inquired of the Blessed One, “If this is an opportune moment for the Blessed One to grant me answers to some questions of mine, may I put them to the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha?”
The Blessed One replied to the bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha, “Padmaśrīgarbha, it is always opportune for the Thus-Gone One to address your concerns. Padmaśrīgarbha, ask the Thus-Gone One, the worthy, completely perfect Buddha, whatever you wish, and I will address your questions, so that you may feel at ease.”
The bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, how is it that bodhisattva great beings render irreversible their progress to unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening, come to possess the five types of clairvoyance, and attain the illusory absorption? How is it that, as soon as they attain that absorption, they emanate whatever bodies in whatever way will perfect sentient beings’ roots of virtue, and teach the Dharma according to sentient beings’ inclinations? How do they quickly awaken to unsurpassed and completely perfect buddhahood?”
The Blessed One said to the bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha, “Padmaśrīgarbha, excellent! Padmaśrīgarbha, previously you have served the victorious ones, gathered the roots of virtue, and venerated a myriad buddhas. You feel love and compassion for all beings, and that is why you ask the Thus-Gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha about this. That is excellent! Padmaśrīgarbha, therefore, listen well and pay attention. Then I shall explain it to you.”
The bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha said to the Blessed One, “Wonderful!” and he listened as the Blessed One had directed him.
The Blessed One said, “Padmaśrīgarbha, there is one quality that, if bodhisattva great beings possess it, renders irreversible their progress to unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening, and grants them the five types of clairvoyance and the illusory absorption. Moreover, as soon as they attain that absorption, they emanate whatever bodies in whatever way will perfect sentient beings’ roots of virtue, teach the Dharma according to sentient beings’ inclinations, and quickly awaken to unsurpassed and completely perfect buddhahood.
“What is that single quality? Padmaśrīgarbha, those bodhisattvas must not abide anywhere in the three realms, neither abiding internally nor externally. As they do not abide, they will see reality. As they see reality, they will unite with reality. As they unite with reality, nothing will impede their mind. As nothing impedes their mind, they will engage in authentic conduct.
“What does it mean to engage in authentic conduct? It is as follows. All phenomena arise in dependence. There is no phenomenon that can remain constantly. All phenomena arise from circumstances. There is no phenomenon that arises without circumstances. Any phenomenon that arises in dependence is unborn. Therefore all phenomena are unborn. To realize that all phenomena are unborn is to know how to practice the bodhisattva’s path. In this way, one attains the basis for benefiting all beings and can proceed with a compassionate outlook. With such conviction, one comes to understand that all phenomena are illusory. All phenomena are magically manifest because they are imputed. Those imputations are also utterly empty. The realization that all phenomena are empty is the attainment of the illusory absorption.
“As soon as one attains this absorption, one emanates whatever bodies in whatever way will perfect sentient beings’ roots of virtue, and one teaches the Dharma according to sentient beings’ inclinations. In this way, one quickly awakens to unsurpassed and completely perfect buddhahood.”
The bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, is there any bodhisattva great being here in this gathering who has attained this illusory absorption?”
“Padmaśrīgarbha,” replied the Blessed One, “there are sixty holy beings here in this gathering who intentionally wear the armor and who have attained the illusory absorption. There are sixty holy beings, including the bodhisattva great beings Maitreya and Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, who have attained this illusory absorption.”
Padmaśrīgarbha asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, did these holy beings attain this illusory absorption here in this world? Or did these holy beings attain this illusory absorption in some other realm?”
The Blessed One answered, “Padmaśrīgarbha, to the west of this buddha realm, passing through one trillion buddha realms, there is a realm known as Sukhāvatī. Right now the Thus-Gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha resides there, flourishes there, lives there, and teaches the Dharma. In his buddha realm live the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara and the bodhisattva great being Mahāsthāmaprāpta, both of whom have attained this absorption. Padmaśrīgarbha, it is from conversations lasting seven days with those two holy beings that other bodhisattva great beings attain this illusory absorption.”
The bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, there must be many bodhisattva great beings who attained the illusory absorption in that buddha realm. Blessed One, the reason is that the bodhisattva great beings who are born in that buddha realm can engage in Dharma conversations with those two holy beings without any effort.”
“Padmaśrīgarbha, it is exactly as you say,” said the Blessed One. “The bodhisattva great beings who abide there within the illusory absorption are indeed limitless and countless.”
The bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha implored the Blessed One, “Blessed One, thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha, please use your miraculous powers to show a mental sign by which the two holy beings will come to this Sahā world, and the whole Sukhāvatī world together with the Thus-Gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha will also arrive here in this world. The reason is, Blessed One, that if those two holy beings come to this buddha realm, the sons and daughters of noble family who follow the vehicle of the bodhisattvas will perfect their roots of virtue. They will hear the Dharma talks of those two holy beings, and they, too, will thereby attain the illusory absorption. Here in this buddha realm they will be able to behold Sukhāvatī as well as the Thus-Gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha. Witnessing that, the sons and daughters of noble family will arouse the mind of unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening. They will make aspirations to be born in that buddha realm and, as soon as they are born there, they will render irreversible their progress to unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening.”
The Blessed One, understanding the bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha’s request, emitted a bright light from the hair between his eyebrows. The light pervaded this entire trichiliocosm with a bright golden radiance. Throughout the entire trichiliocosm, all mountain ranges and forests as well as the central mountain, the Mucilinda Mountains, the Greater Mucilinda Mountains, the surrounding mountains, the greater surrounding mountains, and all places of deep darkness throughout the world were bathed in that golden light, eclipsing even the sun and the moon—so well known for their great miraculous ability, great strength, and great power—to the point of invisibility. Toward the west, crossing through a trillion buddha realms, that brilliant golden light pervaded the entire realm of Sukhāvatī. There, the light prostrated at the feet of the Thus-Gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha, circumambulated him seven times, and, in that blessed one’s presence, disappeared.
The beings who lived in Sukhāvatī, including the bodhisattvas and the great hearers, looked toward this Sahā world and saw the Thus-Gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni surrounded by the gathering of bodhisattvas and attended upon by the saṅgha of hearers. As they saw it all, as clearly as seeing an āmalakī fruit right in their own hand, they were filled with joy and great happiness, and exclaimed, “Homage to the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni!”
Here in the Sahā world, the assembled retinue of the Thus-Gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni consisted of monks, nuns, laymen, laywomen, gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, demigods, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragās, humans, nonhumans, Śakra, Brahmā, the guardians of the world, and bodhisattvas. All of them could now also vividly see the world of Sukhāvatī and the Thus-Gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha, who was shining like the king of mountains, surrounded by the assembly of bodhisattvas and attended upon by the saṅgha of hearers. They saw the entire buddha realm in this way. Just as a person with perfect sight can see the face of another person only a fathom away without any strain, from this world and this buddha realm they saw the Thus-Gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha, as well as the world of Sukhāvatī, which appeared in a great display of fine features, filled with trillions of qualities. Witnessing it, they were filled with joy and great happiness, and exclaimed, “Homage to the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha!”
When that buddha realm was shown to them, 84,000 beings here in this buddha realm, who had not previously aroused the mind of awakening, now gave rise to the mind set upon unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening. They dedicated the roots of virtue toward taking birth in the world of Sukhāvatī, as well as toward unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening.
In the world of Sukhāvatī, the assembled bodhisattva great beings and great hearers saw the Sahā world and were amazed. They joined the palms of their hands and prostrated toward the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni while they called out, “Homage to the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni!”
As soon as the bodhisattva great beings and the great hearers had spoken these words, the entire world shook in six ways: it vibrated, shuddered, and reeled; quivered, trembled, and quaked; wobbled, rocked, and swayed; boomed, thundered, and roared; rattled, shook, and convulsed; and clattered, rattled, and clanged.
Then the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara and the bodhisattva great being Mahāsthāmaprāpta went before the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha. Prostrating with their heads to the Blessed One’s feet, they respectfully stood to one side. Standing together, the two holy beings said to the Blessed One, “The Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni has attained very stable powers. Blessed One, it is amazing. Blissful One, it is amazing. Why? Blessed One, it is like this. When so much as the name of the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni was pronounced, even this inanimate earth shook in six ways.”
The Thus-Gone Amitābha said to the two holy beings, “Sons of noble family, not only was the name of the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni pronounced in this buddha realm, the name of that Blessed One was also pronounced in many other buddha realms. Those buddha realms, too, all shook in six ways when touched by that light. In those buddha realms, limitless and countless beings heard the name of the Thus-Gone Śākyamuni, and thereby perfected their roots of virtue and rendered irreversible their progress to unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening. Then, from among the assembly of bodhisattvas, four hundred million bodhisattvas heard the name of the Blessed One, the thus-gone Śākyamuni. When they heard it, they all gathered and, in a single voice, dedicated the roots of virtue toward unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening. The Blessed One also prophesied that they would render irreversible their progress to unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening.”
Then the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara and the bodhisattva great being Mahāsthāmaprāpta said to the Thus-Gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha, “The Blessed One, the thus-gone Śākyamuni, has sent forth a light that we have previously never seen nor heard of. Now, since the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni, would not emit such a wonderful and beautiful light without causes or circumstances, please tell us what the causes and conditions are for the Blessed One, the thus-gone Śākyamuni, to send forth such a wonderful and beautiful light.”
The Thus-Gone Amitābha said to the two holy beings, “Sons of noble family, what you say is true. That Blessed One would not send forth such a wonderful and beautiful light without any causes and conditions. And why? Because the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni, is about to deliver a Dharma teaching on how to accomplish the precious absorption known as ‘the bodhisattvas’ application.’ That is why the Blessed One Śākyamuni emitted this wonderful and beautiful light as an omen of that Dharma teaching.”
Then the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara and the bodhisattva great being Mahāsthāmaprāpta said to the Thus-Gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha, “In order to gaze upon, honor, venerate, and serve the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni, and also to hear his Dharma teaching, we, Blessed One, will travel to that Sahā world.”
The thus-gone one Amitābha said, “Sons of noble family, you know that the time has come for the Blessed One, the thus-gone Śākyamuni, to teach the Dharma to an assembly headed by the two of you, so please do go ahead.”
With this permission, the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara and the bodhisattva great being Mahāsthāmaprāpta called out to the four hundred million bodhisattvas assembled in the retinue of the Blessed One, the thus-gone Amitābha, “Sons of noble family, come! In order to behold, honor, venerate, and serve the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni, and also to hear his Dharma teaching, let us travel to the Sahā world. Why? Because the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni, gave up all the many perfectly pure buddha realms and, through his aspirations and great compassion, manifested in that afflicted buddha realm. Because he undertook austerities, it was amidst those sentient beings who have base desires and raging attachment, anger, and delusion, that he fully awakened to unsurpassed and completely perfect buddhahood.”
As soon as the two holy beings had spoken these words, all of the bodhisattva great beings in the world of Sukhāvatī assembled and said in a single voice, “Blessed One, any being who even hears the name of the Blessed One, the thus-gone Śākyamuni, reaches excellent attainments. That being so, what need is there to mention those who actually see him with their physical eyes and engender faith? Blessed One, we shall also travel to the Sahā world in order to behold, honor, venerate, and serve the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni, and also to hear his Dharma teaching.”
The Blessed One said, “Sons of noble family, you know that the time has come, so please go ahead.”
So the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara and the bodhisattva great being Mahāsthāmaprāpta set out from the world of Sukhāvatī, surrounded and preceded by 840 million bodhisattvas. At that point they manifested their miraculous powers, and by those miraculous powers 840 million bodhisattvas each emanated 840 million mansions. The miraculously manifested mansions were square, structured around four pillars, even and well proportioned, and of excellent design. Each of the mansions was twelve leagues tall and eight leagues wide. Some mansions were made of gold; some were made of silver; some were made of beryl; some were made of crystal; some were made of red pearl, emerald, and coral; some were made of combinations of gold and silver; some were made of combinations of gold, silver, and beryl; some were made of combinations of gold, silver, beryl, and crystal; some mansions were made of combinations of gold, silver, beryl, crystal, and red pearl; some mansions were made of combinations of gold, silver, beryl, crystal, red pearl, and coral; some mansions were made of combinations of gold, silver, beryl, crystal, red pearl, coral, and emerald; some mansions were made of red sandalwood; some were made of uragasāra sandalwood; some were made of aloeswood and sandalwood; some were made of black aloeswood and sandalwood; some mansions were made of all types of sandalwood; some mansions were made of blue lotuses, pink lotuses, water lily, and white lotuses; some mansions were made of flowers of nutmeg, jasmine, magnolia, pāṭalam, mountain ebony, aloe flower, and gotaraṇi; some mansions were made of danuskari flowers; some mansions were made of māndārava and mahāmāndārava flowers; some mansions were made of flowers of pāruṣaka, mahāpāruṣaka, mañjuṣaka, mahāmañjuṣaka, roca, mahāroca, cakra, mahācakra, sarvacakra, atyarthaśobhaticakra, candra, mahācandra, atyarthaśobhaticandra, paramacandra, sthāla, and mahāsthāla; some mansions were made of all types of flowers; and some were made of flowers of various colors, multiple colors, hundreds of thousands of colors, beautiful, pure, and shining.
In each mansion were emanated 84,000 goddesses. Some of the goddesses held conches, drums, clay kettle drums, wooden kettle drums, lutes, and flutes, while others sang melodiously, and yet others held up reed pipes, one-stringed lutes, and three-stringed lutes. In this way they were playing instruments, singing songs, and making music in abundance. Some goddesses were holding vessels of powdered red sandalwood; some goddesses were holding vessels of powdered uragasāra sandalwood; some goddesses were holding vessels of powdered aloeswood and sandalwood; some goddesses were holding vessels of powdered black aloeswood and sandalwood; some goddesses were holding vessels of all types of powdered sandalwood; some goddesses were holding vessels of powdered blue lotuses, pink lotuses, water lilies, and white lotuses; some goddesses were holding vessels of powdered flowers of māndārava, mahāmāndārava, pāruṣaka, mahāpāruṣaka, mañjuṣaka, mahāmañjuṣaka, roca, mahāroca, cakra, mahācakra, sarvacakra, atyarthaśobhaticakra, candra, mahācandra, atyarthaśobhaticandra, paramacandra, sthāla, and mahāsthāla; some goddesses were proffering vessels of all types of powdered flowers, perfume, incense, flower garlands, and ointments.
In each mansion appeared an ornately decorated lion throne upon which the form of a thus-gone one was seated, adorned with the thirty-two marks of a great being. In each of the mansions appeared 84,000 pearl garlands, made of white, red, and blue pearls. In each of the mansions appeared 84,000 victory banners made of divinely manufactured fabric, each of them covered in a lattice of small golden bells. In each of the mansions appeared 84,000 censers of incense. In each of the mansions appeared 84,000 parasols of various colors, multiple colors, hundreds of thousands of colors, beautiful, well-crafted, and of fine proportions. In each of the mansions appeared 84,000 rows of palm trees. In each of the mansions appeared 84,000 jewel trees. In each of the mansions appeared 84,000 lattices of small bells that, when stirred by the wind, sounded tunes resembling the music performed by skilled musicians playing trillions of divine instruments. Such were the sweet and beautiful tunes that rang out from those bells when stirred by the wind. In each of the mansions appeared ponds, the bottom of each lined with gold dust, adorned with beryl and crystal, and encircled by a ring of the seven precious gemstones. The ponds were filled with blue and pink lotuses, water lilies, and white lotus flowers, and on them were wild geese calling out. The ponds were filled to the brim with water of eight properties, making them excellent for the birds to quench their thirst. Each of the mansions was surrounded by seven rows of jewel trees, and 84,000 jewel strings bound them all together. The light shining from each of the mansions extended for 84,000 leagues. Such was the layout of all the mansions.
Inside each of those mansions, the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara and the bodhisattva great being Mahāsthāmaprāpta then again emanated the entire display of all the mansions that they had produced, along with all of their elaborate internal contents, in a precise copy.
Once the two bodhisattva great beings had emanated those displays inside each of the mansions, the displays together with 840 billion bodhisattvas all vanished from the world of Sukhāvatī and arrived here in this Sahā world in just a single moment, a single second, a single instant. It happened as quickly as it takes for a strong person to extend his arm and flex it again. At that point the two bodhisattvas miraculously transformed this Sahā world so that it became as even as the palm of a hand. Such was the miracle that they manifested. All the bodhisattvas also arrived together with the 840 million mansions. This great display of qualities was absolutely resplendent. The light that shone from the mansions pervaded this entire trichiliocosm.
Then the two bodhisattvas went before the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni. They prostrated with their heads at the feet of the Blessed One, the thus-gone, the worthy, completely perfect Buddha Śākyamuni, and circumambulated him three times before standing off to one side. As they stood there, those two holy beings, in a single tune and a single voice, praised the Blessed One with these verses:
When the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara and the bodhisattva great being Mahāsthāmaprāpta had praised the Blessed One with these fitting verses, they asked the Blessed One about his health, saying, “The Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha is asking if the Blessed One is in good health. Are you free from any misfortune and agitation? Are you enjoying good health and well-being?”
They also said, “Hearers of the Blessed One, behold how delightful the world has become.”
When the bodhisattvas and great hearers here in the Sahā world saw the great display of mansions that pervaded this entire world, as well as its many riches, they were amazed and thought to themselves, “Is it due to the power of the Thus-Gone One, or is it due to the power of these bodhisattva great beings, that all of this has arrived here from the world of Sukhāvatī?”
At that point, inspired by the Buddha, the bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, all these many mansions that now fill up and adorn this Sahā world are amazing! Blissful One, they are truly amazing! Did all of this arrive here in the Sahā world from the world of Sukhāvatī due to the power of the Thus-Gone One or due to the power of these bodhisattvas?”
The Blessed One answered the bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha, “Padmaśrīgarbha, that these many jewel mansions now fill up and adorn this Sahā world is not due to the power of the Thus-Gone One. Rather, it is due to the power of the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara and the bodhisattva great being Mahāsthāmaprāpta.”
Padmaśrīgarbha exclaimed, “Because of their power, this Sahā world is now filled and adorned with these many jewel mansions. The perfection of the aspirations and roots of virtue of these two holy beings is inconceivable! Blessed One, it is amazing! Blissful One, it is truly amazing!”
“Padmaśrīgarbha, it is just as you say,” said the Blessed One. “For innumerable trillions of eons, these two holy beings have perfected the roots of virtue. Padmaśrīgarbha, these two holy beings have attained the illusory absorption. As they abide within the illusory absorption, they can demonstrate such miraculous emanations. Padmaśrīgarbha, when you look toward the east, what do you see?”
When the bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha looked toward the east with the unobscured divine eye of a bodhisattva, he saw as many buddha realms as there are grains of sand in the river Ganges, with as many blessed buddhas as there are grains of sand in the river Ganges. At the feet of all of those blessed buddhas were the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara and the bodhisattva great being Mahāsthāmaprāpta, prostrating and inquiring about their health, saying, “The Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha is asking if the Blessed One is in good health. Are you free from any misfortune and agitation? Are you enjoying good health and well-being?”
The same thing occurred in the south, in the west, in the north, below, above, and in all the ten directions. In all directions Padmaśrīgarbha saw as many buddha realms as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, filled with and adorned by a great display of mansions made of various precious substances. In all those buddha realms he saw blessed buddhas, and he witnessed the two holy beings prostrating before all those blessed buddhas. As he saw this, he was filled with great wonder.
The bodhisattva great being Padmaśrīgarbha was amazed, and exclaimed to the Blessed One, “The accomplishment of the illusory absorption by these two holy beings is inconceivable! Blessed One, it is amazing! Blissful One, it is truly amazing! Why do I say so? Because these two holy beings abide in that absorption, and thus are present in all buddha realms.”
The Blessed One then produced a miraculous display so that the bodhisattva Padmaśrīgarbha could see the buddha realms in all ten directions. He could also behold blessed buddhas in those buddha realms, and he saw how the two holy beings prostrated at the feet of the blessed ones. In a similar way, the entire retinue present could see the buddha realms in all ten directions, behold the blessed buddhas in those buddha realms, and see the two holy beings prostrated at the feet of the blessed ones. Witnessing this, thirty-two thousand beings in the retinue of the Blessed One developed the mind set on unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening. Such were the miracles that the Blessed One produced.
Then the bodhisattva Padmaśrīgarbha asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, from which thus-gone one did these two holy beings develop the mind set on unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening? And how long ago was that? What was his name? Blessed One, thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha, please tell us!”
The Blessed One replied, “It is thus that other bodhisattvas, too, should perfect their conduct, actions, and aspirations. Therefore, Padmaśrīgarbha, listen very well and keep in mind what I will now explain.”
The bodhisattva Padmaśrīgarbha said, “Blessed One, excellent!” and he listened as the Blessed One had advised.
“Padmaśrīgarbha,” continued the Blessed One, “previously, in times past, an inconceivable number of eons ago, an endless number of eons ago, at a time stretching further back than any number of eons, a number of eons so great that the number of atoms found in 100,000 worlds—all the limitless and inconceivable number of such atoms—would not equal the number of eons, there was a world called Boundless Accumulation of Precious Qualities and Full Display of Happiness. In that world was a blessed, thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect buddha who had perfect knowledge and conduct. He was a blissful one who knew the world, an unsurpassed charioteer who trained beings, and a teacher of gods and men. His name was Blessed Buddha King of the Golden-Hued Lion’s Play.
“Padmaśrīgarbha, in the buddha realm of the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha King of the Golden-Hued Lion’s Play, there was a display of precious qualities. I will only give you a mere illustration of this, just to mention a few of the qualities, so listen. Padmaśrīgarbha, tell me, are there many displays of precious qualities in the buddha realm of the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha?”
Padmaśrīgarbha replied, “Blessed One, there are indeed—inconceivably many. They are limitless, and it would not be easy to describe them in words.”
The Blessed One said, “Padmaśrīgarbha, consider this analogy. Imagine a person splits the tip of a hair into one hundred pieces, and then uses the tip of one of those pieces to lift up one drop of water from the ocean. Tell me now, Padmaśrīgarbha, which would be greater, the amount of water that has been extracted or the water that remains?”
Padmaśrīgarbha replied, “Blessed One, the extracted water would be less. The amount remaining is measureless.”
“Padmaśrīgarbha, think about this and understand it,” said the Blessed One. “The amount of water extracted from the ocean in a single drop by that person using a hundredth of a hair tip represents the displays of precious qualities in the buddha realm of the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha Amitābha, while the body of water remaining in the ocean represents the displays of precious qualities in Boundless Accumulation of Precious Qualities and Full Display of Happiness, the buddha realm of the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha, King of the Golden-Hued Lion’s Play.
“His saṅgha of hearers was also endless. Right now the Thus-Gone Amitābha’s saṅgha of hearers is said to be boundless, but the saṅgha of hearers belonging to the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha, King of the Golden-Hued Lion’s Play, was a hundred thousand times larger than that. His saṅgha of bodhisattvas was also of comparable size. That blessed, thus-gone one taught the Dharma exclusively within the three vehicles. Padmaśrīgarbha, even if I had as many eons as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River to describe the display of precious qualities in the buddha realm of the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha, King of the Golden-Hued Lion’s Play, as well as the display of qualities of his hearers and the causes for their happiness, I would not run out of things to say, and I would be unable to complete my description of the display of qualities in that buddha realm.
“Padmaśrīgarbha, back then, during the life of the blessed Thus-Gone One, King of the Golden-Hued Lion’s Play, there was a virtuous and religious king who ruled over a thousand worlds. He was known as Glorious Splendor. Padmaśrīgarbha, King Glorious Splendor had one billion sons. All the young princes had the twenty-eight marks of a great being, and all of them had genuinely attained unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening. Padmaśrīgarbha, King Glorious Splendor also had seventy-six thousand pleasure groves for his enjoyment, while each of his sons had ten thousand pleasure groves.”
Then the bodhisattva Padmaśrīgarbha asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, were there no women in that buddha realm?”
“No, Padmaśrīgarbha, there were not,” answered the Blessed One. “In that buddha realm not even the word ‘woman’ was heard. All those young princes had been born out of chastity. They were all born in a miraculous manner. All those beings sustained themselves on the joy of concentration and the joy of the Dharma, and in that buddha realm there was no gross type of food. Padmaśrīgarbha, King Glorious Splendor had no formal duties, so together with his sons he worshipped the Blessed One for 840 trillion years. That Blessed, Thus-Gone One knew the king’s good intentions, so he taught him how to gain expertise in the mode of Dharma known as the boundless seal.
“Padmaśrīgarbha, you may wonder what that ‘expertise in the mode of Dharma known as the boundless seal’ might be. Well, Padmaśrīgarbha, it is that bodhisattva great beings never fail to strive for boundless activities. They never fail to undertake boundless efforts. And why? Because those bodhisattvas’ generosity is boundless. Their discipline is boundless. Their patience is boundless. Their diligence is boundless. Their concentration is boundless. Their knowledge is boundless. Their embrace of saṃsāra is boundless. Their love for beings is boundless. Their display of realms is boundless. Their hearers are boundless. Their perfect forms are boundless. Their voices are boundless. Their eloquence is boundless.
“Padmaśrīgarbha, bodhisattvas will dedicate any root of virtue that has been created, even a single instance of the thought of awakening, so that it becomes boundless. You may wonder how dedication can make it boundless. Well, at the time bodhisattvas dedicate that root of merit to all sentient beings, the non-birth of all those sentient beings is actualized, and it is through their passing into the parinirvāṇa of a buddha that they will pass into parinirvāṇa. That, son of noble family, is called boundless dedication.
“Their emptiness is boundless. Their signlessness is boundless. Their wishlessness is boundless. Their lack of conditioned existence is boundless. In this way they are free of desire and liberated within the realm of phenomena, the limit of reality. They are unborn, serene, free, beyond suffering, and boundless. Son of noble family, in short, all phenomena are boundless. Therefore all phenomena are said to be unborn and unceasing. Whatever is unborn and unceasing is boundless.
“Padmaśrīgarbha, the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha, King of the Golden-Hued Lion’s Play, taught King Glorious Splendor perfectly how to gain expertise in the mode of Dharma known as the boundless seal, so that he, too, could reflect on the boundless Dharma. Then, as King Glorious Splendor received the teaching on the boundless Dharma from that blessed one, he was satisfied and pleased. He rejoiced and was extremely delighted. Since he was so joyful and happy, together with his sons he praised that blessed one with these verses:
“Padmaśrīgarbha, on another occasion King Glorious Splendor was in his pleasure grove practicing concentration, when two beautiful and captivating lotus flowers made of uragasāra sandalwood sprang up on either side of him. From those two lotus flowers, two beings miraculously appeared: one bore the name Precious Mind, and the other was called Perfect Wealth. They sat cross-legged in the flowers.
“Padmaśrīgarbha, when King Glorious Splendor arose from his absorption, he saw those two beings sitting there, cross-legged, and at the sight he spoke this verse:
“Padmaśrīgarbha, the being who had appeared on King Glorious Splendor’s right replied with these verses to King Glorious Splendor:
“Padmaśrīgarbha, the other being then spoke to King Glorious Splendor in these verses:
“Padmaśrīgarbha, once these two beings had spoken these verses, the king attained the five types of clairvoyance. Together with King Glorious Splendor, the two beings then went before the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, completely perfect Buddha King of the Golden-Hued Lion’s Play. They prostrated with their heads to the blessed one’s feet, circumambulated the blessed one three times, joined the palms of their hands together, and stood to one side. Padmaśrīgarbha, these two beings then spoke these verses to the blessed one, as if in a single voice: