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In D this title, included within the text, is preceded by this introductory sentence: “From The Noble Dharma Discourse, the Great Heap of Jewels in one hundred thousand sections, section 41: ‘The Noble Elucidation of the Question of Maitreya’ in one fascicle” (’phags pa dkon mchog brtsegs pa chen po’i chos kyi rnam grangs le’u stong phrag brgya pa las le’u bzhi bcu rtsa gcig pa ste / ’phags pa byams pas zhus pa lung bstan pa / bam po gcig pa).
A fragment of the Stein collection, published in 1911 by Louis de La Vallée Poussin, was identified as part of this sūtra (corresponding to D, F.108.b–110.a) by Hisashi Matsumura in 1993 (see bibliography).
They are sūtra numbers 41 and 42 in the Tibetan version of the Ratnakūṭa collection, but are numbered 85 and 86 respectively in the Tōhoku catalogue of the Degé Kangyur as a whole.
The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (2), chapter 26, and The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (3), chapter 18 (both translated 2024). In both versions Maitreya is revealed toward the end of the chapter to have been Mahāpraṇāda in a previous life.
This inclusion of Indradeva and Varuṇadeva, Vedic deities, among the assembly of attendant bodhisattvas is unusual. It is, however, paralleled in another Ratnakuṭa sūtra, the Tathāgatacintyaguhyanirdeśa (Toh 47).
This section outlines the system of the eight meditative absorptions (Skt. dhyāna; Pali jhāna), which are progressively deeper states of meditation. The first four are termed “form” (rūpa) jhānas because the absorption takes place within the fine material sphere (Skt. rūpadhātu; Pali rūpaloka). The final four are called “formless” (arūpa) because they take place in the formless spheres (Skt. arūpyadhātu; Pali arūpaloka), and are also known as the four attainments (samāpatti). For a presentation of the jhāna system followed in the present-day Theravāda, see Gunaratana (1988 pp. 9-20.)
This is a citation from the Aṣṭādaśasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā (Perfection of Wisdom in 18,000 Lines), (Toh 11, vol. 29, F.162b). The preceding passage is also found there.
This odd, seemingly culturally Himalayan simile does not appear to be due to any corruption in the text: N and H merely offer yul ring(s) instead of D yun ring. Indeed, the same simile is found in other Kangyur texts, again in the context of guarding moral conduct.
The Sanskrit name of this tathāgata is attested in the Sanskrit fragment mentioned in the introduction (see also Matsumura 1993). The name is also a component of the names of two of the 35 “tathāgatas of confession,” found in a liturgy much used in the Tibetan tradition and extracted from the Vinayaviniścayopāliparipṛcchā (Toh 68); the Tibetan of the equivalent part of the names in the latter text is slightly different, ’od zer rnam par rol pa mngon par mkhyen pa (see Python 1973, pp. 34 and 100).
The Tibetan terms provisionally translated here as “set in place” and “protect” are bkod pa and yongs su gzung ba.
las rnam pa gsum, “the three [kinds of] actions” is interpreted by Dharmabhadra and Ngawang Khedrup to mean meritorious actions of body, speech, and mind, but by Padma Karpo to be meritorious actions causing rebirth as a human, meritorious actions causing rebirth as a god, and “non-transferring” actions (mi g.yo ba’i las) causing rebirth in the two higher realms (of form and no-form).
The commentaries differ considerably in their interpretations of these two lines, with Padma Karpo emphasizing simply the inanimate nature of the four elements, and most of the others detailing particular qualities of patience for which each of the four is a simile. Despite the syntax, most agree that “not dwelling” (mi gnas pa) refers principally to the wind element. The translation here is an attempt to remain open to more than one interpretation.
D and most other Kangyurs have bzod pa’am here in Toh 85, but bzod pa’ang in the versions in the Dhāraṇī section (Toh 1096) and in the Tengyur (Toh 4378), which makes more sense; S has simply bzod pa.
According to Tāranātha’s commentary, the threefold knowledge (rig pa gsum) comprises (1) knowledge of the whole of the past (sngon gyi mtha’ rig pa), (2) knowledge of the whole of the future (phyi ma’i mtha’ rig pa), and (3) knowledge of the exhaustion of defilements (zag zad rig pa); the other commentaries, however, take the three kinds of knowledge as knowledge of the minds, mental events, and their causes, of all sentient beings in the past, present, and future.
Close Śravaka disciple of the Buddha.
A major śrāvaka disciple and personal attendant of the Buddha Śākyamuni during the last twenty-five years of his life. He was a cousin of the Buddha (according to the Mahāvastu, he was a son of Śuklodana, one of the brothers of King Śuddhodana, which means he was a brother of Devadatta; other sources say he was a son of Amṛtodana, another brother of King Śuddhodana, which means he would have been a brother of Aniruddha).
Ānanda, having always been in the Buddha’s presence, is said to have memorized all the teachings he heard and is celebrated for having recited all the Buddha’s teachings by memory at the first council of the Buddhist saṅgha, thus preserving the teachings after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa. The phrase “Thus did I hear at one time,” found at the beginning of the sūtras, usually stands for his recitation of the teachings. He became a patriarch after the passing of Mahākāśyapa.
One of the first five disciples of the Buddha.
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.
One of the first five disciples of the Buddha.
Meditation technique to calm the mind.
Emptiness denotes the ultimate nature of reality, the total absence of inherent existence and self-identity with respect to all phenomena. According to this view, all things and events are devoid of any independent, intrinsic reality that constitutes their essence. Nothing can be said to exist independent of the complex network of factors that gives rise to its origination, nor are phenomena independent of the cognitive processes and mental constructs that make up the conventional framework within which their identity and existence are posited. When all levels of conceptualization dissolve and when all forms of dichotomizing tendencies are quelled through deliberate meditative deconstruction of conceptual elaborations, the ultimate nature of reality will finally become manifest. It is the first of the three gateways to liberation.
Four oceans believed to surround the central mountain, Mt. Meru, in Indian cosmology.
Close Śravaka disciple of the Buddha.
Close Śravaka disciple of the Buddha.
In the most general sense the devas—the term is cognate with the English divine—are a class of celestial beings who frequently appear in Buddhist texts, often at the head of the assemblies of nonhuman beings who attend and celebrate the teachings of the Buddha Śākyamuni and other buddhas and bodhisattvas. In Buddhist cosmology the devas occupy the highest of the five or six “destinies” (gati) of saṃsāra among which beings take rebirth. The devas reside in the devalokas, “heavens” that traditionally number between twenty-six and twenty-eight and are divided between the desire realm (kāmadhātu), form realm (rūpadhātu), and formless realm (ārūpyadhātu). A being attains rebirth among the devas either through meritorious deeds (in the desire realm) or the attainment of subtle meditative states (in the form and formless realms). While rebirth among the devas is considered favorable, it is ultimately a transitory state from which beings will fall when the conditions that lead to rebirth there are exhausted. Thus, rebirth in the god realms is regarded as a diversion from the spiritual path.
A bodhisattva in the assembly.
Close Śravaka disciple of the Buddha.
One of the first five disciples of the Buddha.
Close Śravaka disciple of the Buddha.
One of the first five disciples of the Buddha.
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.
One of the principal śrāvaka disciples of the Buddha, paired with Śāriputra. He was renowned for his miraculous powers. His family clan was descended from Mudgala, hence his name Maudgalyāyana, “the son of Mudgala’s descendants.” Respectfully referred to as Mahāmaudgalyāyana, “Great Maudgalyāyana.”
Four levels of meditation within the Form Realm.
See also n.11.
Sometimes has the alternative Sanskrit spelling Śiśumāragiri.
Close Śravaka disciple of the Buddha.
Close Śravaka disciple of the Buddha.
A tree, Ficus benghalensis, native to the Indian subcontinent, that can cover large areas by putting down aerial roots that become subsidiary trunks.
The sixth of the six perfections.
Close Śravaka disciple of the Buddha.
’phags pa byams pas zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Āryamaitreyaparipṛcchānāmamahāyānasūtra), Toh 85, Degé Kangyur, vol. 44 (dkon brtsegs, cha), folios 104b–116b.
’phags pa byams pas zhus pa zhes 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), 2006-2009, vol. 44, pp. 289–316.
’phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa khri brgyad stong pa (Aṣṭādaśasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā) [Perfection of Wisdom in 18,000 Lines], Toh 10, Degé Kangyur, vol. 29 F.1a–vol. 31 F.206a.
de bzhin gshegs pa’i gsang ba bsam gyis mi khyab pa bstan pa (Tathāgatacintyaguhyanirdeśa), Toh 47, Degé Kangyur, vol. 39, F.100a–203a.
dpal sbas kyi mdo (Śrīguptasūtra), Toh 217, Degé Kangyur, vol. 62, F.269a-284a. English translation The Śrīgupta Sūtra 2021.
Choné Trakpa Shedrup (co ne grags pa bshad sgrub). byams pa’i smon lam gyi rnam par bzhad pa dga’ ldan du bgrod pa’i lam bzang, in co ne grags pa bshad sgrub kyi gsung ’bum. Beijing: Mes po’i shul bzhag series, krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House, 2009). (BDRC W1PD90129).
Drukpa Padma Karpo (’brug pa pad+ma dkar po). ’phags pa byams pa’i smon lam gyi ’grel pa thogs med kyi dgongs pa gsal bar bstan pa. In gsung ’bum, vol. 7 (ja), pp. 349-376. Darjeeling: Kargyud Sungrab Nyamso Khang (1973-1974). (BDRC W10736).
Kyedor Khenpo Ngawang Khedrup (kye rdor mkhan po ngag dbang mkhas grub). byams pa’i smon lam gyi tshig don rnam bshad. In gsung ’bum, vol. 2, pp 315-360. Leh, Ladakh: S.W. Tashigangpa (1972–1974). (BDRC W16912).
Ngulchu Dharmabhadra (dngul chu d+harma b+hadra). byams pa’i smon lam gyi ’grel pa’i zin bris. In gsung ’bum, vol. 1. pp. 495 et seq. Ngulchu Chödzong: dngul chu bla brang, 2000? (BDRC W6493).
Shākya Chokden (shAkya mchog ldan). byams pas btab pa’i smon lam gyi rnam par bshad pa byams pa’i chos la ’jug pa’i sgo. In gsung bum, vol. 8 (nya), pp 407-430. New Delhi: Ngawang Topgyel, (1995). (BDRC W23200).
Tāranātha (tA ra nA tha). byams smon gyi ’grel pa. In gsung ’bum (blockprints from rtag brtan phun tshogs gling), vol. 13, pp 257–299. Leh, Ladakh: Namgyal & Tsewang Taru (1982–87). (BDRC W22277).
84000. The Chapter on Medicines Chapter 6, sman gyi gzhi (Bhaiṣajyavastu), of ’dul ba’i gzhi (Vinayavastu, Toh 1). Translated by the Bhaiṣajyavastu Translation Team. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.
84000. Maitreya’s Setting Out (Maitreyaprasthāna, byams pa ’jug pa, Toh 198). Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.
84000. The Question of Maitreya (3) (Maitreyaparipṛcchā, byams pas zhus pa, Toh 149). Translated by the Kīrtimukha Translation Group. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.
84000. The Śrīgupta Sūtra (Śrīguptasūtra, dpal sbas kyi mdo, Toh 217). Translated by Karen Liljenberg. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.
84000. The White Lotus of the Good Dharma (Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, dam pa’i chos pad ma dkar po, Toh 113). Translated by Peter Alan Roberts and Emily Bower. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018.
Gunaratana, Henepola. The Jhānas in Theravāda Buddhist Meditation. Kandy, Śri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society, 1988.
Matsumura, Hisashi. “Marginalia to the Sanskrit Fragments of Some Buddhist Texts,” in Central Asiatic Journal, vol. 37, no. 1/2 (1993), pp. 120–149. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 1993.
Python, Pierre. Vinaya-viniścaya-upāli-paripṛcchā : Enquête d’Upāli pour une exégèse de la discipline. Paris: Adrien-Maisonneuve, 1973.
D Degé (sde dge) Kangyur
H Lhasa (zhol) Kangyur
N Narthang (snar thang) Kangyur
S Stok Palace (stog pho brang bris ma) Kangyur
In The Question of Maitreya, the bodhisattva Maitreya asks the Buddha what qualities a bodhisattva needs to attain enlightenment quickly. The Buddha outlines several sets of qualities, foremost among them the altruistic intention of perfect bodhicitta. The Buddha then recounts to Ānanda how, in a former life, Maitreya revered a previous Buddha and, wishing to become just like him, at once realized that all phenomena are unproduced. Ānanda asks why Maitreya did not become a buddha sooner, and in answer the Buddha compares Maitreya’s bodhisattva career with his own, listing further sets of qualities that differentiate them and recounting examples of the hardships he himself faced in previous lives. Maitreya, on the other hand, has followed the easy bodhisattva vehicle using its skillful means, such as the seven branch practice and the training in the six perfections; the aspirations he thus made are set out in the famous “Prayer of Maitreya” for which this sūtra is perhaps best known. The Buddha declares that Maitreya will become enlightened when sentient beings have fewer negative emotions, in contrast to the ignorant and turbulent beings he himself vowed to help.
This sūtra was translated by Dr. Karen Liljenberg, with Dr. Ulrich Pagel acting as consultant.
This translation has been completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The Question of Maitreya (Maitreyaparipṛcchā), like most of the sūtras that comprise the Ratnakūṭa collection, was translated into Tibetan from a Sanskrit original that is now lost, but that may have dated back as far as the first or second centuries
Both the work translated here and the work that follows it in the collection, The Question of Maitreya on the Eight Qualities, focus on the important figure of the bodhisattva Maitreya, who is generally accepted as destined to be the future Buddha of this world-system.
In The Question of Maitreya, the Buddha predicts that Maitreya will attain enlightenment due to having applied the skillful means of the Bodhisattva Vehicle (Bodhisattvayāna), a synonym for the Mahāyāna. This vehicle, its entry, and its path are described as “easy,” in contrast to the difficulties encountered by the Buddha himself. His hardship is detailed in a passage that is unusual for its portrayal of the harsh rejection of the Buddha and his teachings by some of his contemporaries.
The sūtra’s stories of the Buddha’s great sacrifices in three of his former lives derive from earlier Jātaka literature. Although influential to some extent in forming the ideal of the bodhisattva, such supreme heroic acts were doubtless too daunting for most people. The reader is led to infer that by following the example of Maitreya future bodhisattvas will be able to attain enlightenment with relative ease. Thus, the sūtra implicitly promotes the Mahāyāna, without devaluing earlier Buddhist traditions.
The sūtra is probably best known for an aspiration prayer in verse that, the Buddha tells Ānanda, was used by Maitreya six times daily as he was training on the bodhisattva path (1.67–1.90). This prayer is widely known as The Prayer of Maitreya (byams pa’i smon lam) or The Sovereign Prayer of Maitreya (Maitreyapraṇidhanarāja, byams pa’i smon lam gyi rgyal po); at least in Tibetan Buddhism, its importance as a general Mahāyāna aspiration prayer is perhaps second only to Samantabhadra’s Prayer of Good Action (bzang spyod smon lam, from the Gaṇḍavyūhasūtra), and it is recited daily in many monasteries. The verses are also found as an independent text (but with this sūtra mentioned in the colophon as their source) both in the Dhāraṇī section of the Kangyur (Toh 1096), and in the Tengyur (Toh 4378). Although no Indian commentaries on this prayer are known, it seems to have been recognized as a distinct feature of the sūtra at least as far back as the early translation period, as evidenced by the sūtra’s description in the Phangthangma catalogue (dkar chag ’phang thang ma) as “the longer Noble [Sūtra] of the Question of Maitreya containing the aspiration” (’phags pa byams pas zhus pa chen po smon lam can). It is also, presumably, the “Former Prayer that is Truly Noble” that the Buddha gives Ānanda as an alternative title for the sūtra (see 1.96). The prayer is the topic of several commentaries in the Tibetan literature, notably those of Shākya Chokden (shA kya mchog ldan, 1428-1507); Drukpa Padma Karpo (’brug pa pad ma dkar po, 1527-1592); Tāranātha (tA ra nA tha, 1575-1634), who adds comments on the significance of the whole sūtra; Choné Trakpa Shedrup (co ne grags pa bshad sgrub, 1675-1748); Ngulchu Dharmabhadra (dngul chu dhar ma bha dra, 1772-1851); and Kyedor Khenpo Ngawang Khedrup (kye rdor mkhan po ngag dbang mkhas grub, 1779-1838).
It is difficult to determine the precise historical relationship of The Question of Maitreya with the much shorter sūtra that follows it, The Question of Maitreya on the Eight Qualities (Toh 86). Their themes are closely linked—in both, Maitreya questions the Buddha about the bodhisattvas’ qualities. However, their geographic settings differ: The Question of Maitreya is delivered in a relatively obscure location, Mount Śuśumāra in the country of the Bhargas, while The Question of Maitreya on the Eight Qualities is set on Vulture Peak Mountain near Rājagṛha, like many other Ratnakūṭa sūtras. The two texts also have different colophons. The translation of the longer sūtra is attributed to Jinamitra and Surendrabodhi, under the editorial supervision of Yeshé Dé, which would date its Tibetan translation to the early ninth century. The Question of Maitreya on the Eight Qualities, however, is said to have been translated by Jinamitra and Danaśila, while Yeshé Dé is said to have corrected it using the revised terminology (skad gsar). This may imply a slightly later date for this translation, but could also indicate the existence of an earlier Tibetan translation of The Question of Maitreya on the Eight Qualities which required updating in its terminology.
Other sūtras in which previous lives of Maitreya are recounted include the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka (Toh 113), Maitreyapraṣṭhāna (Toh 198), and Suvarṇaprabhāsa (Toh 556-7). The story of his obtaining the prophecy of his future buddhahood (vyākaraṇa) at the time of the Buddha Ratnaśikhin is told in the Mūlasarvāstivāda-vinaya (in the Bhaiṣajyavastu, the sixth chapter of the Vinayavastu, Toh 1)—the same account being found in the non-canonical Divyāvadāna collection—and in the Maitreyavyākaraṇa, a text found in several Sanskrit manuscripts, in a Chinese translation, and in a Tibetan version in the Peking (P 1011) and Narthang Kangyurs, but not included in the Degé Kangyur.
These two sūtras in the Ratnakūṭa, which are both often simply called The Question of Maitreya, are not to be confused with a third sūtra of the same name in the General Sūtra (mdo sde) section, Toh 149, a short work also set in Rajagṛha in which Maitreya asks a quite different question.
The main Tibetan text used for the present translation was the Degé edition of the Kangyur. Other Tibetan editions were also consulted but no significant variations were found except for the single one noted.
Homage to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas!
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was staying in the Country of the Bhargas, on Mount Śuśumāra in a fearsome forest of wild animals, together with a great saṅgha of about 500 monks, eminent śrāvaka-elders who possessed clairvoyance. These included the omniscient venerable Kauṇḍinya, and the venerables Aśvajit, Vaṣpa, Mahānāman, Bhadrika, Vimala, Pūrṇa, Gavāṃpati, Mṛgaśiras, Uruvilva Kāśyapa, Nadīkāśyapa, Gayākāśyapa, Jaṅghā Kāśyapa, Mahākāśyapa, Amogharāja, Sumati, Śāriputra, the eminent Maudgalyāyana, Parvatarāja, Nanda, Upananda, Ānanda, Rāhula, and so on.
Maitreya and 10,000 other bodhisattva mahāsattvas endowed with clairvoyance had also assembled there. These included the bodhisattvas Vardhamānamati, Sumati, Sthiramati, Viśālamati, Pratibhānakūṭa, Avalokiteśvara, Mahāsthāmaprāpta, Kusumaśrī, Mañjuśrī, Abhijñāpuṣpasuparipūrṇa, Anupalambhamanasikāra, Prasādavat, Ratnaketu, Indradeva, Varuṇadeva, Mṛdusvara, Kṣetraviśodhana, Merukūṭa, Pratibhānasaṃpad, Indraśrī, Nimiṃdhara, Scourer of the Hell-Dwellers, Abandoner of Unfavorable Rebirths, Ratnakesarin, and others.
The Blessed One, surrounded by this retinue of many hundreds of thousands, surveyed those before him, and taught the Dharma. At that time, the bodhisattva Maitreya was present in that very retinue. He surveyed the great assembly of bodhisattvas, rose from his seat, draped his shawl over one shoulder, set his right knee on the ground, and paid homage with palms joined toward the Blessed One.
He asked the Blessed One, “Would the Blessed One, if he has time, please answer a certain question that I would like to put to the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the completely and perfectly enlightened Buddha?”
The Blessed One then replied to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, “Maitreya, the Tathāgata always has time to answer such questions. Ask whatever you wish, Maitreya. What I shall say in response to your question will cause you to rejoice.”
So the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, how many qualities do bodhisattvas need to possess in order to abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha?”
The Blessed One answered the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, “Maitreya, you have served the victorious ones of the past, cultivated the roots of virtue, recalled your past lives, acquired eloquence, and for a long time, lived chastely. Maitreya, you work for the benefit of many people, bring happiness to many people, and are compassionate toward the world. You live to bring welfare, benefit, and well-being to ordinary beings, gods, and men, and to assist the noble sons and daughters, present and future, who belong to the vehicle of the bodhisattvas. It is indeed good that you have thought of asking the Blessed One a question on this subject. Therefore, Maitreya, listen well and carefully, and retain all that I say in your mind.”
The bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya assented to the Blessed One, and listened as the Blessed One had instructed.
The Blessed One said, “Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess one single quality, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha. What is that single quality? Having the altruistic intention of excellent bodhicitta. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess this single quality, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha.
“Furthermore, Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess two qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha. What two qualities? Thoroughly applying themselves in calm abiding and developing skill in insight. If bodhisattvas possess these two qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha.
“Furthermore, Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess three qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha. What three qualities? Attaining great compassion and having definitive understanding of the teaching of emptiness, yet without being arrogant. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess these three qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha.
“Furthermore, Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess four qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha. What four qualities? Observing moral conduct, having no doubt about the whole of the Dharma, delighting in seclusion, and not wavering from the undertaking to which they have committed themselves. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess these four qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha.
“Furthermore, Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess five qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha. What five qualities? Dwelling in emptiness, not seeking the delusions of others, investigating the self, delighting in the Dharma, and being committed to helping others. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess these five qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha.
“Furthermore, Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess six qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha. What six qualities? Being without attachment, aversion, and ignorance; immediately answering questions correctly and properly; being tireless in their ritual observance; and experiencing emptiness. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess these six qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha.
“Furthermore, Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess seven qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha. What seven qualities? Being learned in mindfulness and in the Dharma. Being diligent in their undertakings, joyful, mentally supple, and skilled in meditative concentration and analysis through wisdom. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess these seven qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha.
“Furthermore, Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess eight qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha. What eight qualities? Possessing right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess these eight qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha.
“Furthermore, Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess nine qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha. What nine qualities?
“Maitreya, those bodhisattvas distance themselves from desires and from sinful, non-virtuous things. They investigate, examine, and possess the joy and happiness that arise from solitude. Thus, they accomplish the first meditative absorption and maintain it.
“They are free from thinking or examining, and possess inner serenity. Because their mindstreams are one-pointed, they do not think or examine. Endowed with the joy and happiness that arise from meditative concentration, they then accomplish the second meditative absorption and maintain it.
“Because they are free from attachment to joy, they maintain equipoise and possess mindfulness and awareness. They experience the physical happiness of which the noble ones say, ‘To possess mindfulness and remain in happiness is equanimity.’ Free of joy they then accomplish the third meditative absorption and maintain it.
“They renounce happiness after already renouncing suffering. Because both mental happiness and mental displeasure decline, there is neither happiness nor suffering. They then accomplish the fourth meditative absorption and maintain it, with immaculate equipoise and mindfulness.
“They transcend conceptions of form in all aspects, and their conceptions of materiality decline. When they do not fabricate conceptions of any kind, they think, ‘This is the infinity of space,’ and then accomplish the sphere of the infinity of space and maintain it. After they have transcended the sphere of the infinity of space in all aspects, they think, ‘This is the infinity of consciousness,’ and then accomplish the sphere of the infinity of consciousness and maintain it. After they have transcended the sphere of the infinity of consciousness in all aspects, they think, ‘This is nothingness,’ and then accomplish the sphere of nothingness and maintain it. After they have transcended the sphere of nothingness in all aspects, they then accomplish the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception and maintain it. After they have transcended the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception in all aspects, they then accomplish the cessation of perception and feeling and maintain it. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess these nine qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha.
“Furthermore, Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess ten qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha. What ten qualities? Having vajra-like meditative concentration, meditative concentration that is assiduous regarding what is correct and incorrect, meditative concentration of going via methods, illuminating meditative concentration, all-illuminating meditative concentration, manifest meditative concentration, precious moon meditative concentration, moon-lamp meditative concentration, meditative concentration without afflictive emotions, and victory-banner finial meditative concentration. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess these ten qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha.”
The bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya was then satisfied and delighted. Joyful and pleased, he rose from his seat, draped his shawl over one shoulder, set his right knee on the ground, and bowed to the Blessed One with joined palms. He praised the Blessed One with these fitting verses:
After the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya had praised the Blessed One in verse with such fitting words, he stood to one side.
The venerable Ānanda then said to the Blessed One, “Lord, Blessed One, it is wonderful that the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya is so supremely eloquent, and that he teaches the Dharma with such words of certainty, that he teaches the Dharma with such matching words and letters, that he teaches the Dharma with such profound words, that he teaches the Dharma with words that explain it so well, and that he teaches the Dharma with such memorable words.”
“Exactly, Ānanda,” replied the Blessed One. “It is just as you have said—it is wonderful that the bodhisattva Maitreya is so supremely eloquent, that the bodhisattva Maitreya teaches the Dharma with such words of certainty, and all of what you said, up to his teaching the Dharma with such memorable words. Ānanda, this is not the first time that the bodhisattva Maitreya has praised me with such fitting verses. Why? Formerly, Ānanda, in times gone by, at a time when ten countless ages had passed, there came into the world a tathāgata, arhat, completely and perfectly enlightened buddha, endowed with perfect knowledge and perfect conduct, established in a state of bliss, commanding all worldly knowledge, an unsurpassed guide who converted all beings, a teacher of gods and men, the Buddha Arhat named Jyotivikrīḍitābhijña.
“At that time, there lived a brahmin boy named Bhadraśuddha, good-looking, handsome, and beautiful to behold, endowed with a supremely good complexion and excellent figure. He was going to a pleasure grove, when between the villages he saw the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the completely and perfectly enlightened Buddha Jyotivikrīḍitābhijña. The Tathāgata was handsome and charismatic, controlled in his faculties and in his mind. He had attained excellence in control and calm abiding, and superiority in control and calm abiding. He guarded his faculties, elephant-like in control of his passions, and was radiant, unsullied, and clear like a lake. His body was adorned with the thirty-two marks of a great being, and with the eighty minor marks, like the blossoming flower of a royal sal tree, and towering like Mount Meru, the king of mountains. His face was as calm as the sphere of the moon, and radiantly clear and brilliant like the sphere of the sun. His body was proportioned like a nyagrodha tree, blazing with light and great splendor.
“Seeing him, Bhadraśuddha developed an attitude of faith toward the Blessed One. With this attitude of faith, he thought, ‘How marvelous! How wondrously this body of the Tathāgata is adorned in its complexion and splendor. It blazes with glory, the marks of buddhahood, and clear, brilliant radiance.’ The brahmin boy Bhadraśuddha then spoke out loud, ‘How marvelous! May I also, in the future, come to possess such a body, blazing like this in complexion, magnificence, splendor, the marks of buddhahood, and with clear, brilliant radiance!’
“After he had prayed thus, he lay on the ground and thought, ‘If in the future I shall come to possess such a body, blazing like this in complexion, magnificence, splendor, marks of buddhahood, and with clear, brilliant radiance, may the Tathāgata touch me with his foot.’
“Then, Ānanda, the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the completely and perfectly enlightened Buddha Jyotivikrīḍitābhijña, learning of the noble intention of the brahmin boy Bhadraśuddha, approached him and touched him with his foot. As soon as the Tathāgata Jyotivikrīḍitābhijña had touched the brahmin boy Bhadraśuddha with his foot, at that very moment the boy attained acceptance of the fact that all phenomena are unproduced. Ānanda, the Tathāgata Jyotivikrīḍitābhijña looked behind him and addressed the monks, ‘Monks, on no account should you tread on the brahmin boy Bhadraśuddha with your feet. Why? Because he is a bodhisattva mahāsattva who has accepted the fact that all phenomena are unproduced.’
“At that very moment, the brahmin boy Bhadraśuddha obtained the knowledge of the divine eye, knowledge of the divine ear, knowledge of the thoughts of others, and knowledge recollecting his past lives, and also accomplished miraculous powers. In the presence of the Tathāgata Jyotivikrīḍitābhijña he spoke the following fitting verses of praise:
“Ānanda, this does not yet exhaust the miraculous displays and supernormal powers of the brahmin boy Bhadraśuddha.
“Ānanda, if you wonder whether the brahmin boy Bhadraśuddha was then, at that time, someone else, or you are of two minds about it, or doubtful, do not see him so. Why? Because the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya himself was then, at that time, the brahmin boy Bhadraśuddha, who uttered these verses of praise to the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha Jyotivikrīḍitābhijña.”
The venerable Ānanda asked, “Blessed One, if this bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya developed acceptance so long ago of the fact that all phenomena are unproduced, why did he not quickly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha?”
The Blessed One replied to the venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, the bodhisattvas set in place and protect two things. What two things? They set in place and protect sentient beings, and they set in place and protect their buddha realms. But of these two, when formerly the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya was engaged in the conduct of a bodhisattva, he set in place, consecrated, and protected his buddha realm.
“Ānanda, when I myself was formerly engaged in the conduct of a bodhisattva, I set in place and protected sentient beings, and I also set in place and protected my buddha realm. Ānanda, I knew through foresight that forty-two eons after the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya entered the path I would first arouse the mind of supreme, perfect enlightenment. Ānanda, with the knowledge that, ninety-four eons after that good eon had passed, I would realize supreme, perfect enlightenment, I applied myself, Ānanda, with burning diligence and quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha.
“Ānanda, it was by means of ten qualities that I quickly accomplished supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. What ten qualities? I abandoned and let go of all doubts, abandoned and let go of my spouse, abandoned and let go of my child, abandoned and let go of my head, abandoned and let go of my eyes, abandoned and let go of my kingdom, abandoned and let go of my wealth, abandoned and let go of my blood, abandoned and let go of my bones and marrow, and abandoned my limbs. By letting go of everything I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. Ānanda, it was by means of those ten qualities that I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha.
“Ānanda, it was also by means of a further ten qualities that I quickly accomplished supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. What ten qualities? Ānanda, I adhered to the teaching of the qualities of moral conduct, and so I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. Ānanda, I possessed the power of patience, and so I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. Ānanda, I applied ardent diligence, and so I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. Ānanda, I adhered to the qualities of meditation, and so I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. Ānanda, I adhered to the perfection of wisdom, and so I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. Ānanda, I did not abandon any sentient being in any way, and so I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. Ānanda, I was skillful in my means, and so I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. Ānanda, I treated all sentient beings equally, and so I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. Ānanda, I realized the teaching of emptiness, and so I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. Ānanda, I realized the teaching of signlessness and wishlessness, and so I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. Ānanda, it was by means of those ten qualities that I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha.
“Ānanda, if you were aware of how harsh and severe were the sensations of suffering by which I realized supreme and completely perfect enlightenment, perfect buddhahood, you, Ānanda, would not be so forthright. The reason, Ānanda, is that formerly, in times gone by, there lived a prince named Giver of All Wealth, good-looking, handsome, and beautiful to behold, endowed with a supremely good complexion, excellent figure, and with the great wealth and power of a king. He was going to a pleasure grove when he saw between the villages a man afflicted with suffering and seriously ill. At this sight, he felt compassion, approached the man, and asked, ‘You, sir, what are you suffering from?’
“The man said, ‘Your Highness, I have contracted an illness.’
“ ‘What will assuage your illness, my good man?’ asked the prince. ‘What shall I give you?’
“ ‘Your Highness,’ replied the man, ‘if I were to drink just enough of the blood from your body to satisfy me, my illness would be assuaged.’
“Then, Ānanda, Prince Giver of All Wealth took a sharp knife, cut himself, and gave the man the blood that drained from the wound to drink. Ānanda, as soon as the man drank it, his illness was cured. Ānanda, even though Prince Giver of All Wealth cut himself and all his blood drained out, he never had a moment’s regret. Ānanda, if you wonder whether Prince Giver of All Wealth was then, at that time, someone else, or you are of two minds about it, or doubtful, do not see him so. Why? Because I myself was then, at that time, Prince Giver of All Wealth. Ānanda, all the water of the four great oceans can be measured, but the blood that I have given to sentient beings as I sought supreme, completely perfect enlightenment cannot.
“Ānanda, formerly, in times gone by, there lived a prince named Puṣpa, good-looking, handsome, and beautiful to behold, endowed with a supremely good complexion, excellent figure, and with the great wealth and power of a king. He was going to the site of a pleasure grove when he saw between the villages a man who had contracted dropsy, afflicted with suffering and seriously ill.
“At this sight, he felt compassion and approached the man, and asked, ‘My good man, what will assuage this illness of yours? What shall I give you?’
“The man replied, ‘Your Majesty, if I were to get just enough of the marrow from your body to satisfy me, my illness would be assuaged.’
“Prince Puṣpa was satisfied and delighted; he rejoiced, and then pleasure and happiness arose in him. He beat his own body, then gouged out the marrow and smeared it on that man’s body. Ānanda, as soon as he smeared it on him, the man’s illness was cured. Ānanda, even though Prince Puṣpa beat his own body so that the marrow dripped out, he felt no regret in his mind.
“Ānanda, if you wonder whether Prince Puṣpa was then, at that time, someone else, or you are of two minds about it, or doubtful, do not see him so. Why? Because I myself was then, at that time, Prince Puṣpa. Ānanda, all the water of the four great oceans can be measured, but the marrow that I have given to sentient beings as I sought supreme, completely perfect enlightenment cannot.
“Ānanda, formerly in times gone by there lived a king named Candraprabha, good-looking, handsome and beautiful to behold, endowed with a supremely good complexion, excellent figure, and with the great wealth and power of a king. He was going to a pleasure grove, when between the villages he saw a poor, eyeless blind man, a destitute beggar. At this sight, he felt compassion.
“That man then approached King Candraprabha and said, ‘Your Majesty, you are happy. Your Majesty, you are joyful, but I suffer. I am blind; I have no eyes. I am poor and destitute. I am a beggar without refuge.’
“Then, Ānanda, King Candraprabha saw the man again, and after listening to his words again he wept, and still in tears, asked him, ‘My good man, what do you need? Should I give you food or drink? A riding-mount? Jewelry? Gold, gems, pearls, or various kinds of precious things? Tell me whatever you need.’
“The man replied, ‘I beg you, please give me your eye.’
“So, Ānanda, King Candraprabha plucked out his eye and gave it to the man. But, Ānanda, although King Candraprabha had plucked out his eye and given it to the man, he did not become regretful. Ānanda, if you wonder whether King Candraprabha was then, at that time , someone else, or you are of two minds about it, or doubtful, do not see him so. Why? Because I myself was then, at that time, King Candraprabha. Ānanda, Mount Meru, the king of mountains, can be measured, but the eyes that I have given to sentient beings as I sought supreme, completely perfect enlightenment are too great and cannot.
“Ānanda, when the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya was formerly engaged in the conduct of a bodhisattva, because the vehicle is easy, the entry is easy, and the path is easy, he perfectly accomplished supreme, perfect enlightenment. Ānanda, when the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya was formerly engaged in the conduct of a bodhisattva he did not let go of his arms, legs, or marrow. He did not renounce and let go of his spouse, or his child, village, town, city, royal palace, or retinue. But, Ānanda, when the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya was formerly engaged in the conduct of a bodhisattva, because he fully embraced skillful means, through the easy vehicle, the easy entry, and the easy path he accomplished supreme, perfect enlightenment.”
Then the venerable Ānanda asked, “Blessed One, what were the skillful means to which the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya adhered, thus accomplishing supreme, perfect enlightenment?”
The Blessed One replied, “Ānanda, when formerly the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya engaged in the conduct of a bodhisattva, he would drape his shawl over one shoulder, set his right knee on the ground, and put the palms of his hands together three times during the day and three times during the night. Making all the buddhas visible, he would then speak to them in these words:
“Ānanda, those are the skillful means through which the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, by adhering to them, through the easy vehicle, the easy entry, and the easy path, perfectly accomplished supreme, perfect, and complete enlightenment. Ānanda, when the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya was formerly engaged in the conduct of a bodhisattva, he thought to himself, ‘How I wish that sentient beings, having less desire, anger, and ignorance, might acquire the path of the ten virtuous actions! In the future, may I perfectly accomplish supreme, perfect, and complete enlightenment and become a buddha.’ It was thus that he consecrated his buddha realm.
“Ānanda, such a time and period will come about; then sentient beings will become less desiring, angry, and ignorant, and keep to the path of the ten virtuous actions. After that, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, due to the power of his prayer, will perfectly accomplish supreme, perfect, and completely enlightened buddhahood.
“Ānanda, when I formerly engaged in the conduct of a bodhisattva, I made this prayer: ‘When the world is beset with the five degenerations, sentient beings will have great desire, anger, and ignorance. Desire, anger, and ignorance will all increase. Beings will desire and crave irreligious things. They will be overcome by fearsome desire, and adopt false doctrines. They will despise their fathers, their mothers, their cousins, and their siblings, their partners, their relatives, noble beings, abbots, spiritual teachers, themselves, and others. These people will be filthy, wild, and stupid. How wonderful it will be if I can perfectly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha among them!’
“Having lived in such a terrible epoch, Ānanda, I have kindled great compassion. Today, when I enter villages, cities, towns, districts and provinces, and the surroundings of royal palaces with great compassion, as soon as I teach the Dharma I am slandered and reviled, harshly abused, and told not to create a gathering. Ānanda, it is even said that I am a nihilist, or that I am an eternalist. They say that those in my retinue have many desires, and that their desires are great. When I enter into houses, earth is thrown at me. I am given food mixed with poison. They even have bonfires made for me. So it is. Although I am a buddha, I am denigrated as cohabiting with so-called ‘beautiful women’ and the like. Ānanda, I kindled great compassion, and with great compassion, I now teach the Dharma to such sentient beings.”
The venerable Ānanda then said to the Blessed One, “The Blessed One who teaches the Dharma to such sentient beings, converting those not previously converted by the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha, has taken on a great burden, and undergone hardships.”
The Blessed One replied to the venerable Ānanda, “Exactly, Ānanda. It is just as you have said. Ānanda, the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha has tamed those not previously tamed, taken on a great burden, and himself endowed with every virtuous quality, undergone hardship by teaching the Dharma to such sentient beings. Why? Because this is how much he was gripped by great compassion.”
The venerable Ānanda then exclaimed, “That the Blessed One should bestow such a Dharma discourse, that I should hear this Dharma discourse, and hear this topic from the Blessed One, the best of men, is hair-raising and amazing! Blessed One, what is the name of this Dharma discourse? How should it be remembered?”
The Blessed One replied, “From now onward, Ānanda, you should remember this Dharma discourse as ‘The Former Prayer that is Truly Noble.’ You should also remember it as ‘The True Arising of the Tathāgata.’ You should also remember it as ‘The Arising of the Intention of Enlightenment.’ You should also remember it as ‘The Question of Maitreya.’ ”
When the Blessed One had spoken, the venerable Ānanda and the bodhisattva Maitreya, together with the five hundred monks and the entire retinue, as well as the worlds of gods and men, demi-gods and gandharvas, rejoiced and praised the Blessed One’s words.
This concludes The Question of Maitreya, the forty-first of the one hundred thousand sections of the Dharma discourse known as The Noble Great Heap of Jewels.
In The Question of Maitreya, the bodhisattva Maitreya asks the Buddha what qualities a bodhisattva needs to attain enlightenment quickly. The Buddha outlines several sets of qualities, foremost among them the altruistic intention of perfect bodhicitta. The Buddha then recounts to Ānanda how, in a former life, Maitreya revered a previous Buddha and, wishing to become just like him, at once realized that all phenomena are unproduced. Ānanda asks why Maitreya did not become a buddha sooner, and in answer the Buddha compares Maitreya’s bodhisattva career with his own, listing further sets of qualities that differentiate them and recounting examples of the hardships he himself faced in previous lives. Maitreya, on the other hand, has followed the easy bodhisattva vehicle using its skillful means, such as the seven branch practice and the training in the six perfections; the aspirations he thus made are set out in the famous “Prayer of Maitreya” for which this sūtra is perhaps best known. The Buddha declares that Maitreya will become enlightened when sentient beings have fewer negative emotions, in contrast to the ignorant and turbulent beings he himself vowed to help.
This sūtra was translated by Dr. Karen Liljenberg, with Dr. Ulrich Pagel acting as consultant.
This translation has been completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The Question of Maitreya (Maitreyaparipṛcchā), like most of the sūtras that comprise the Ratnakūṭa collection, was translated into Tibetan from a Sanskrit original that is now lost, but that may have dated back as far as the first or second centuries
Both the work translated here and the work that follows it in the collection, The Question of Maitreya on the Eight Qualities, focus on the important figure of the bodhisattva Maitreya, who is generally accepted as destined to be the future Buddha of this world-system.
In The Question of Maitreya, the Buddha predicts that Maitreya will attain enlightenment due to having applied the skillful means of the Bodhisattva Vehicle (Bodhisattvayāna), a synonym for the Mahāyāna. This vehicle, its entry, and its path are described as “easy,” in contrast to the difficulties encountered by the Buddha himself. His hardship is detailed in a passage that is unusual for its portrayal of the harsh rejection of the Buddha and his teachings by some of his contemporaries.
The sūtra’s stories of the Buddha’s great sacrifices in three of his former lives derive from earlier Jātaka literature. Although influential to some extent in forming the ideal of the bodhisattva, such supreme heroic acts were doubtless too daunting for most people. The reader is led to infer that by following the example of Maitreya future bodhisattvas will be able to attain enlightenment with relative ease. Thus, the sūtra implicitly promotes the Mahāyāna, without devaluing earlier Buddhist traditions.
The sūtra is probably best known for an aspiration prayer in verse that, the Buddha tells Ānanda, was used by Maitreya six times daily as he was training on the bodhisattva path (1.67–1.90). This prayer is widely known as The Prayer of Maitreya (byams pa’i smon lam) or The Sovereign Prayer of Maitreya (Maitreyapraṇidhanarāja, byams pa’i smon lam gyi rgyal po); at least in Tibetan Buddhism, its importance as a general Mahāyāna aspiration prayer is perhaps second only to Samantabhadra’s Prayer of Good Action (bzang spyod smon lam, from the Gaṇḍavyūhasūtra), and it is recited daily in many monasteries. The verses are also found as an independent text (but with this sūtra mentioned in the colophon as their source) both in the Dhāraṇī section of the Kangyur (Toh 1096), and in the Tengyur (Toh 4378). Although no Indian commentaries on this prayer are known, it seems to have been recognized as a distinct feature of the sūtra at least as far back as the early translation period, as evidenced by the sūtra’s description in the Phangthangma catalogue (dkar chag ’phang thang ma) as “the longer Noble [Sūtra] of the Question of Maitreya containing the aspiration” (’phags pa byams pas zhus pa chen po smon lam can). It is also, presumably, the “Former Prayer that is Truly Noble” that the Buddha gives Ānanda as an alternative title for the sūtra (see 1.96). The prayer is the topic of several commentaries in the Tibetan literature, notably those of Shākya Chokden (shA kya mchog ldan, 1428-1507); Drukpa Padma Karpo (’brug pa pad ma dkar po, 1527-1592); Tāranātha (tA ra nA tha, 1575-1634), who adds comments on the significance of the whole sūtra; Choné Trakpa Shedrup (co ne grags pa bshad sgrub, 1675-1748); Ngulchu Dharmabhadra (dngul chu dhar ma bha dra, 1772-1851); and Kyedor Khenpo Ngawang Khedrup (kye rdor mkhan po ngag dbang mkhas grub, 1779-1838).
It is difficult to determine the precise historical relationship of The Question of Maitreya with the much shorter sūtra that follows it, The Question of Maitreya on the Eight Qualities (Toh 86). Their themes are closely linked—in both, Maitreya questions the Buddha about the bodhisattvas’ qualities. However, their geographic settings differ: The Question of Maitreya is delivered in a relatively obscure location, Mount Śuśumāra in the country of the Bhargas, while The Question of Maitreya on the Eight Qualities is set on Vulture Peak Mountain near Rājagṛha, like many other Ratnakūṭa sūtras. The two texts also have different colophons. The translation of the longer sūtra is attributed to Jinamitra and Surendrabodhi, under the editorial supervision of Yeshé Dé, which would date its Tibetan translation to the early ninth century. The Question of Maitreya on the Eight Qualities, however, is said to have been translated by Jinamitra and Danaśila, while Yeshé Dé is said to have corrected it using the revised terminology (skad gsar). This may imply a slightly later date for this translation, but could also indicate the existence of an earlier Tibetan translation of The Question of Maitreya on the Eight Qualities which required updating in its terminology.
Other sūtras in which previous lives of Maitreya are recounted include the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka (Toh 113), Maitreyapraṣṭhāna (Toh 198), and Suvarṇaprabhāsa (Toh 556-7). The story of his obtaining the prophecy of his future buddhahood (vyākaraṇa) at the time of the Buddha Ratnaśikhin is told in the Mūlasarvāstivāda-vinaya (in the Bhaiṣajyavastu, the sixth chapter of the Vinayavastu, Toh 1)—the same account being found in the non-canonical Divyāvadāna collection—and in the Maitreyavyākaraṇa, a text found in several Sanskrit manuscripts, in a Chinese translation, and in a Tibetan version in the Peking (P 1011) and Narthang Kangyurs, but not included in the Degé Kangyur.
These two sūtras in the Ratnakūṭa, which are both often simply called The Question of Maitreya, are not to be confused with a third sūtra of the same name in the General Sūtra (mdo sde) section, Toh 149, a short work also set in Rajagṛha in which Maitreya asks a quite different question.
The main Tibetan text used for the present translation was the Degé edition of the Kangyur. Other Tibetan editions were also consulted but no significant variations were found except for the single one noted.
Homage to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas!
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was staying in the Country of the Bhargas, on Mount Śuśumāra in a fearsome forest of wild animals, together with a great saṅgha of about 500 monks, eminent śrāvaka-elders who possessed clairvoyance. These included the omniscient venerable Kauṇḍinya, and the venerables Aśvajit, Vaṣpa, Mahānāman, Bhadrika, Vimala, Pūrṇa, Gavāṃpati, Mṛgaśiras, Uruvilva Kāśyapa, Nadīkāśyapa, Gayākāśyapa, Jaṅghā Kāśyapa, Mahākāśyapa, Amogharāja, Sumati, Śāriputra, the eminent Maudgalyāyana, Parvatarāja, Nanda, Upananda, Ānanda, Rāhula, and so on.
Maitreya and 10,000 other bodhisattva mahāsattvas endowed with clairvoyance had also assembled there. These included the bodhisattvas Vardhamānamati, Sumati, Sthiramati, Viśālamati, Pratibhānakūṭa, Avalokiteśvara, Mahāsthāmaprāpta, Kusumaśrī, Mañjuśrī, Abhijñāpuṣpasuparipūrṇa, Anupalambhamanasikāra, Prasādavat, Ratnaketu, Indradeva, Varuṇadeva, Mṛdusvara, Kṣetraviśodhana, Merukūṭa, Pratibhānasaṃpad, Indraśrī, Nimiṃdhara, Scourer of the Hell-Dwellers, Abandoner of Unfavorable Rebirths, Ratnakesarin, and others.
The Blessed One, surrounded by this retinue of many hundreds of thousands, surveyed those before him, and taught the Dharma. At that time, the bodhisattva Maitreya was present in that very retinue. He surveyed the great assembly of bodhisattvas, rose from his seat, draped his shawl over one shoulder, set his right knee on the ground, and paid homage with palms joined toward the Blessed One.
He asked the Blessed One, “Would the Blessed One, if he has time, please answer a certain question that I would like to put to the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the completely and perfectly enlightened Buddha?”
The Blessed One then replied to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, “Maitreya, the Tathāgata always has time to answer such questions. Ask whatever you wish, Maitreya. What I shall say in response to your question will cause you to rejoice.”
So the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, how many qualities do bodhisattvas need to possess in order to abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha?”
The Blessed One answered the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, “Maitreya, you have served the victorious ones of the past, cultivated the roots of virtue, recalled your past lives, acquired eloquence, and for a long time, lived chastely. Maitreya, you work for the benefit of many people, bring happiness to many people, and are compassionate toward the world. You live to bring welfare, benefit, and well-being to ordinary beings, gods, and men, and to assist the noble sons and daughters, present and future, who belong to the vehicle of the bodhisattvas. It is indeed good that you have thought of asking the Blessed One a question on this subject. Therefore, Maitreya, listen well and carefully, and retain all that I say in your mind.”
The bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya assented to the Blessed One, and listened as the Blessed One had instructed.
The Blessed One said, “Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess one single quality, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha. What is that single quality? Having the altruistic intention of excellent bodhicitta. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess this single quality, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha.
“Furthermore, Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess two qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha. What two qualities? Thoroughly applying themselves in calm abiding and developing skill in insight. If bodhisattvas possess these two qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha.
“Furthermore, Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess three qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha. What three qualities? Attaining great compassion and having definitive understanding of the teaching of emptiness, yet without being arrogant. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess these three qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha.
“Furthermore, Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess four qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha. What four qualities? Observing moral conduct, having no doubt about the whole of the Dharma, delighting in seclusion, and not wavering from the undertaking to which they have committed themselves. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess these four qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha.
“Furthermore, Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess five qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha. What five qualities? Dwelling in emptiness, not seeking the delusions of others, investigating the self, delighting in the Dharma, and being committed to helping others. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess these five qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha.
“Furthermore, Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess six qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha. What six qualities? Being without attachment, aversion, and ignorance; immediately answering questions correctly and properly; being tireless in their ritual observance; and experiencing emptiness. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess these six qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha.
“Furthermore, Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess seven qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha. What seven qualities? Being learned in mindfulness and in the Dharma. Being diligent in their undertakings, joyful, mentally supple, and skilled in meditative concentration and analysis through wisdom. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess these seven qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha.
“Furthermore, Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess eight qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha. What eight qualities? Possessing right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess these eight qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha.
“Furthermore, Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess nine qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha. What nine qualities?
“Maitreya, those bodhisattvas distance themselves from desires and from sinful, non-virtuous things. They investigate, examine, and possess the joy and happiness that arise from solitude. Thus, they accomplish the first meditative absorption and maintain it.
“They are free from thinking or examining, and possess inner serenity. Because their mindstreams are one-pointed, they do not think or examine. Endowed with the joy and happiness that arise from meditative concentration, they then accomplish the second meditative absorption and maintain it.
“Because they are free from attachment to joy, they maintain equipoise and possess mindfulness and awareness. They experience the physical happiness of which the noble ones say, ‘To possess mindfulness and remain in happiness is equanimity.’ Free of joy they then accomplish the third meditative absorption and maintain it.
“They renounce happiness after already renouncing suffering. Because both mental happiness and mental displeasure decline, there is neither happiness nor suffering. They then accomplish the fourth meditative absorption and maintain it, with immaculate equipoise and mindfulness.
“They transcend conceptions of form in all aspects, and their conceptions of materiality decline. When they do not fabricate conceptions of any kind, they think, ‘This is the infinity of space,’ and then accomplish the sphere of the infinity of space and maintain it. After they have transcended the sphere of the infinity of space in all aspects, they think, ‘This is the infinity of consciousness,’ and then accomplish the sphere of the infinity of consciousness and maintain it. After they have transcended the sphere of the infinity of consciousness in all aspects, they think, ‘This is nothingness,’ and then accomplish the sphere of nothingness and maintain it. After they have transcended the sphere of nothingness in all aspects, they then accomplish the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception and maintain it. After they have transcended the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception in all aspects, they then accomplish the cessation of perception and feeling and maintain it. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess these nine qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha.
“Furthermore, Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess ten qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha. What ten qualities? Having vajra-like meditative concentration, meditative concentration that is assiduous regarding what is correct and incorrect, meditative concentration of going via methods, illuminating meditative concentration, all-illuminating meditative concentration, manifest meditative concentration, precious moon meditative concentration, moon-lamp meditative concentration, meditative concentration without afflictive emotions, and victory-banner finial meditative concentration. Maitreya, if bodhisattvas possess these ten qualities, they will abandon all evil rebirths and not fall into the clutches of sinful associates, but swiftly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha.”
The bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya was then satisfied and delighted. Joyful and pleased, he rose from his seat, draped his shawl over one shoulder, set his right knee on the ground, and bowed to the Blessed One with joined palms. He praised the Blessed One with these fitting verses:
After the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya had praised the Blessed One in verse with such fitting words, he stood to one side.
The venerable Ānanda then said to the Blessed One, “Lord, Blessed One, it is wonderful that the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya is so supremely eloquent, and that he teaches the Dharma with such words of certainty, that he teaches the Dharma with such matching words and letters, that he teaches the Dharma with such profound words, that he teaches the Dharma with words that explain it so well, and that he teaches the Dharma with such memorable words.”
“Exactly, Ānanda,” replied the Blessed One. “It is just as you have said—it is wonderful that the bodhisattva Maitreya is so supremely eloquent, that the bodhisattva Maitreya teaches the Dharma with such words of certainty, and all of what you said, up to his teaching the Dharma with such memorable words. Ānanda, this is not the first time that the bodhisattva Maitreya has praised me with such fitting verses. Why? Formerly, Ānanda, in times gone by, at a time when ten countless ages had passed, there came into the world a tathāgata, arhat, completely and perfectly enlightened buddha, endowed with perfect knowledge and perfect conduct, established in a state of bliss, commanding all worldly knowledge, an unsurpassed guide who converted all beings, a teacher of gods and men, the Buddha Arhat named Jyotivikrīḍitābhijña.
“At that time, there lived a brahmin boy named Bhadraśuddha, good-looking, handsome, and beautiful to behold, endowed with a supremely good complexion and excellent figure. He was going to a pleasure grove, when between the villages he saw the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the completely and perfectly enlightened Buddha Jyotivikrīḍitābhijña. The Tathāgata was handsome and charismatic, controlled in his faculties and in his mind. He had attained excellence in control and calm abiding, and superiority in control and calm abiding. He guarded his faculties, elephant-like in control of his passions, and was radiant, unsullied, and clear like a lake. His body was adorned with the thirty-two marks of a great being, and with the eighty minor marks, like the blossoming flower of a royal sal tree, and towering like Mount Meru, the king of mountains. His face was as calm as the sphere of the moon, and radiantly clear and brilliant like the sphere of the sun. His body was proportioned like a nyagrodha tree, blazing with light and great splendor.
“Seeing him, Bhadraśuddha developed an attitude of faith toward the Blessed One. With this attitude of faith, he thought, ‘How marvelous! How wondrously this body of the Tathāgata is adorned in its complexion and splendor. It blazes with glory, the marks of buddhahood, and clear, brilliant radiance.’ The brahmin boy Bhadraśuddha then spoke out loud, ‘How marvelous! May I also, in the future, come to possess such a body, blazing like this in complexion, magnificence, splendor, the marks of buddhahood, and with clear, brilliant radiance!’
“After he had prayed thus, he lay on the ground and thought, ‘If in the future I shall come to possess such a body, blazing like this in complexion, magnificence, splendor, marks of buddhahood, and with clear, brilliant radiance, may the Tathāgata touch me with his foot.’
“Then, Ānanda, the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the completely and perfectly enlightened Buddha Jyotivikrīḍitābhijña, learning of the noble intention of the brahmin boy Bhadraśuddha, approached him and touched him with his foot. As soon as the Tathāgata Jyotivikrīḍitābhijña had touched the brahmin boy Bhadraśuddha with his foot, at that very moment the boy attained acceptance of the fact that all phenomena are unproduced. Ānanda, the Tathāgata Jyotivikrīḍitābhijña looked behind him and addressed the monks, ‘Monks, on no account should you tread on the brahmin boy Bhadraśuddha with your feet. Why? Because he is a bodhisattva mahāsattva who has accepted the fact that all phenomena are unproduced.’
“At that very moment, the brahmin boy Bhadraśuddha obtained the knowledge of the divine eye, knowledge of the divine ear, knowledge of the thoughts of others, and knowledge recollecting his past lives, and also accomplished miraculous powers. In the presence of the Tathāgata Jyotivikrīḍitābhijña he spoke the following fitting verses of praise:
“Ānanda, this does not yet exhaust the miraculous displays and supernormal powers of the brahmin boy Bhadraśuddha.
“Ānanda, if you wonder whether the brahmin boy Bhadraśuddha was then, at that time, someone else, or you are of two minds about it, or doubtful, do not see him so. Why? Because the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya himself was then, at that time, the brahmin boy Bhadraśuddha, who uttered these verses of praise to the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha Jyotivikrīḍitābhijña.”
The venerable Ānanda asked, “Blessed One, if this bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya developed acceptance so long ago of the fact that all phenomena are unproduced, why did he not quickly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha?”
The Blessed One replied to the venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, the bodhisattvas set in place and protect two things. What two things? They set in place and protect sentient beings, and they set in place and protect their buddha realms. But of these two, when formerly the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya was engaged in the conduct of a bodhisattva, he set in place, consecrated, and protected his buddha realm.
“Ānanda, when I myself was formerly engaged in the conduct of a bodhisattva, I set in place and protected sentient beings, and I also set in place and protected my buddha realm. Ānanda, I knew through foresight that forty-two eons after the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya entered the path I would first arouse the mind of supreme, perfect enlightenment. Ānanda, with the knowledge that, ninety-four eons after that good eon had passed, I would realize supreme, perfect enlightenment, I applied myself, Ānanda, with burning diligence and quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha.
“Ānanda, it was by means of ten qualities that I quickly accomplished supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. What ten qualities? I abandoned and let go of all doubts, abandoned and let go of my spouse, abandoned and let go of my child, abandoned and let go of my head, abandoned and let go of my eyes, abandoned and let go of my kingdom, abandoned and let go of my wealth, abandoned and let go of my blood, abandoned and let go of my bones and marrow, and abandoned my limbs. By letting go of everything I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. Ānanda, it was by means of those ten qualities that I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha.
“Ānanda, it was also by means of a further ten qualities that I quickly accomplished supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. What ten qualities? Ānanda, I adhered to the teaching of the qualities of moral conduct, and so I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. Ānanda, I possessed the power of patience, and so I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. Ānanda, I applied ardent diligence, and so I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. Ānanda, I adhered to the qualities of meditation, and so I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. Ānanda, I adhered to the perfection of wisdom, and so I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. Ānanda, I did not abandon any sentient being in any way, and so I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. Ānanda, I was skillful in my means, and so I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. Ānanda, I treated all sentient beings equally, and so I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. Ānanda, I realized the teaching of emptiness, and so I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. Ānanda, I realized the teaching of signlessness and wishlessness, and so I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha. Ānanda, it was by means of those ten qualities that I quickly realized supreme, perfect enlightenment and became a buddha.
“Ānanda, if you were aware of how harsh and severe were the sensations of suffering by which I realized supreme and completely perfect enlightenment, perfect buddhahood, you, Ānanda, would not be so forthright. The reason, Ānanda, is that formerly, in times gone by, there lived a prince named Giver of All Wealth, good-looking, handsome, and beautiful to behold, endowed with a supremely good complexion, excellent figure, and with the great wealth and power of a king. He was going to a pleasure grove when he saw between the villages a man afflicted with suffering and seriously ill. At this sight, he felt compassion, approached the man, and asked, ‘You, sir, what are you suffering from?’
“The man said, ‘Your Highness, I have contracted an illness.’
“ ‘What will assuage your illness, my good man?’ asked the prince. ‘What shall I give you?’
“ ‘Your Highness,’ replied the man, ‘if I were to drink just enough of the blood from your body to satisfy me, my illness would be assuaged.’
“Then, Ānanda, Prince Giver of All Wealth took a sharp knife, cut himself, and gave the man the blood that drained from the wound to drink. Ānanda, as soon as the man drank it, his illness was cured. Ānanda, even though Prince Giver of All Wealth cut himself and all his blood drained out, he never had a moment’s regret. Ānanda, if you wonder whether Prince Giver of All Wealth was then, at that time, someone else, or you are of two minds about it, or doubtful, do not see him so. Why? Because I myself was then, at that time, Prince Giver of All Wealth. Ānanda, all the water of the four great oceans can be measured, but the blood that I have given to sentient beings as I sought supreme, completely perfect enlightenment cannot.
“Ānanda, formerly, in times gone by, there lived a prince named Puṣpa, good-looking, handsome, and beautiful to behold, endowed with a supremely good complexion, excellent figure, and with the great wealth and power of a king. He was going to the site of a pleasure grove when he saw between the villages a man who had contracted dropsy, afflicted with suffering and seriously ill.
“At this sight, he felt compassion and approached the man, and asked, ‘My good man, what will assuage this illness of yours? What shall I give you?’
“The man replied, ‘Your Majesty, if I were to get just enough of the marrow from your body to satisfy me, my illness would be assuaged.’
“Prince Puṣpa was satisfied and delighted; he rejoiced, and then pleasure and happiness arose in him. He beat his own body, then gouged out the marrow and smeared it on that man’s body. Ānanda, as soon as he smeared it on him, the man’s illness was cured. Ānanda, even though Prince Puṣpa beat his own body so that the marrow dripped out, he felt no regret in his mind.
“Ānanda, if you wonder whether Prince Puṣpa was then, at that time, someone else, or you are of two minds about it, or doubtful, do not see him so. Why? Because I myself was then, at that time, Prince Puṣpa. Ānanda, all the water of the four great oceans can be measured, but the marrow that I have given to sentient beings as I sought supreme, completely perfect enlightenment cannot.
“Ānanda, formerly in times gone by there lived a king named Candraprabha, good-looking, handsome and beautiful to behold, endowed with a supremely good complexion, excellent figure, and with the great wealth and power of a king. He was going to a pleasure grove, when between the villages he saw a poor, eyeless blind man, a destitute beggar. At this sight, he felt compassion.
“That man then approached King Candraprabha and said, ‘Your Majesty, you are happy. Your Majesty, you are joyful, but I suffer. I am blind; I have no eyes. I am poor and destitute. I am a beggar without refuge.’
“Then, Ānanda, King Candraprabha saw the man again, and after listening to his words again he wept, and still in tears, asked him, ‘My good man, what do you need? Should I give you food or drink? A riding-mount? Jewelry? Gold, gems, pearls, or various kinds of precious things? Tell me whatever you need.’
“The man replied, ‘I beg you, please give me your eye.’
“So, Ānanda, King Candraprabha plucked out his eye and gave it to the man. But, Ānanda, although King Candraprabha had plucked out his eye and given it to the man, he did not become regretful. Ānanda, if you wonder whether King Candraprabha was then, at that time , someone else, or you are of two minds about it, or doubtful, do not see him so. Why? Because I myself was then, at that time, King Candraprabha. Ānanda, Mount Meru, the king of mountains, can be measured, but the eyes that I have given to sentient beings as I sought supreme, completely perfect enlightenment are too great and cannot.
“Ānanda, when the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya was formerly engaged in the conduct of a bodhisattva, because the vehicle is easy, the entry is easy, and the path is easy, he perfectly accomplished supreme, perfect enlightenment. Ānanda, when the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya was formerly engaged in the conduct of a bodhisattva he did not let go of his arms, legs, or marrow. He did not renounce and let go of his spouse, or his child, village, town, city, royal palace, or retinue. But, Ānanda, when the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya was formerly engaged in the conduct of a bodhisattva, because he fully embraced skillful means, through the easy vehicle, the easy entry, and the easy path he accomplished supreme, perfect enlightenment.”
Then the venerable Ānanda asked, “Blessed One, what were the skillful means to which the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya adhered, thus accomplishing supreme, perfect enlightenment?”
The Blessed One replied, “Ānanda, when formerly the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya engaged in the conduct of a bodhisattva, he would drape his shawl over one shoulder, set his right knee on the ground, and put the palms of his hands together three times during the day and three times during the night. Making all the buddhas visible, he would then speak to them in these words:
“Ānanda, those are the skillful means through which the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, by adhering to them, through the easy vehicle, the easy entry, and the easy path, perfectly accomplished supreme, perfect, and complete enlightenment. Ānanda, when the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya was formerly engaged in the conduct of a bodhisattva, he thought to himself, ‘How I wish that sentient beings, having less desire, anger, and ignorance, might acquire the path of the ten virtuous actions! In the future, may I perfectly accomplish supreme, perfect, and complete enlightenment and become a buddha.’ It was thus that he consecrated his buddha realm.
“Ānanda, such a time and period will come about; then sentient beings will become less desiring, angry, and ignorant, and keep to the path of the ten virtuous actions. After that, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, due to the power of his prayer, will perfectly accomplish supreme, perfect, and completely enlightened buddhahood.
“Ānanda, when I formerly engaged in the conduct of a bodhisattva, I made this prayer: ‘When the world is beset with the five degenerations, sentient beings will have great desire, anger, and ignorance. Desire, anger, and ignorance will all increase. Beings will desire and crave irreligious things. They will be overcome by fearsome desire, and adopt false doctrines. They will despise their fathers, their mothers, their cousins, and their siblings, their partners, their relatives, noble beings, abbots, spiritual teachers, themselves, and others. These people will be filthy, wild, and stupid. How wonderful it will be if I can perfectly realize supreme, perfect enlightenment and become a buddha among them!’
“Having lived in such a terrible epoch, Ānanda, I have kindled great compassion. Today, when I enter villages, cities, towns, districts and provinces, and the surroundings of royal palaces with great compassion, as soon as I teach the Dharma I am slandered and reviled, harshly abused, and told not to create a gathering. Ānanda, it is even said that I am a nihilist, or that I am an eternalist. They say that those in my retinue have many desires, and that their desires are great. When I enter into houses, earth is thrown at me. I am given food mixed with poison. They even have bonfires made for me. So it is. Although I am a buddha, I am denigrated as cohabiting with so-called ‘beautiful women’ and the like. Ānanda, I kindled great compassion, and with great compassion, I now teach the Dharma to such sentient beings.”
The venerable Ānanda then said to the Blessed One, “The Blessed One who teaches the Dharma to such sentient beings, converting those not previously converted by the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha, has taken on a great burden, and undergone hardships.”
The Blessed One replied to the venerable Ānanda, “Exactly, Ānanda. It is just as you have said. Ānanda, the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha has tamed those not previously tamed, taken on a great burden, and himself endowed with every virtuous quality, undergone hardship by teaching the Dharma to such sentient beings. Why? Because this is how much he was gripped by great compassion.”
The venerable Ānanda then exclaimed, “That the Blessed One should bestow such a Dharma discourse, that I should hear this Dharma discourse, and hear this topic from the Blessed One, the best of men, is hair-raising and amazing! Blessed One, what is the name of this Dharma discourse? How should it be remembered?”
The Blessed One replied, “From now onward, Ānanda, you should remember this Dharma discourse as ‘The Former Prayer that is Truly Noble.’ You should also remember it as ‘The True Arising of the Tathāgata.’ You should also remember it as ‘The Arising of the Intention of Enlightenment.’ You should also remember it as ‘The Question of Maitreya.’ ”
When the Blessed One had spoken, the venerable Ānanda and the bodhisattva Maitreya, together with the five hundred monks and the entire retinue, as well as the worlds of gods and men, demi-gods and gandharvas, rejoiced and praised the Blessed One’s words.
This concludes The Question of Maitreya, the forty-first of the one hundred thousand sections of the Dharma discourse known as The Noble Great Heap of Jewels.