- Chapter Eleven
- The Emergence of the Treasure Tower
At that time in the Buddha's presence there was a tower adorned with
the seven treasures, five hundred yojanas in height and two hundred and fifty yojanas in
width and depth, that rose up out of the earth and stood suspended in the air. Various
kinds of precious objects adorned it. It had five thousand railings, a thousand, ten
thousand rooms, and numberless streamers and banners decorated it. Festoons of jewels hung
down and ten thousand million jeweled bells were suspended from it. All four sides emitted
a fragrance of tamalapatra and sandalwood that pervaded the whole world. Its banners and
canopies were made of the seven treasures, namely, gold, silver, lapis Lazuli, seashell,
agate, pearl, and carnelian, and it as so high it reached to the heavenly places of the
Four Heavenly Kings. The gods of the Trayastrimsha heaven rained down heavenly mandarava
flowers as an offering to the treasure tower, and the other heavenly beings and the
dragons, yakshas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kimnaras, mahoragas, human and nonhuman
beings, an assembly of thousands, ten thousands, millions, offered all kinds of flowers,
incense, necklaces, streamers, canopies and music as alms to the treasure tower, paying it
reverence, honor and praise.
At that time a loud voice issued from the treasure tower, speaking
words of praise: "Excellent, excellent! Shakyamuni, World-Honored One, that you can
take a great wisdom of equality, a Law to instruct the bodhisattvas, guarded and kept in
mind by the Buddhas, the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful law, and preach it for the sake of
the great assembly! It is as you say, as you say. Shakyamuni, World-Honored One, all that
you have expounded is the truth!"
At that time the four kinds of believers saw the great treasure tower
suspended in the air, and they heard the voice that issued from the tower. All experienced
the joy of the Law, marveling at this thing they had never known before. They rose from
their seats, pressed their palms together in reverence, and then retired to one side.
At that time there was a bodhisattva and mahasattva named Great Joy of
Preaching, who understood the doubts that were in the minds of the heavenly and human
beings, asuras and other beings of all the world. He said to the Buddha:
"World-Honored One, for what reason has this treasure tower risen up out of the
earth? And why does this voice issue from its midst?"
At that time the Buddha said: "Bodhisattva Great Joy of Preaching,
in the treasure tower is the complete body of a Thus Come One. Long ago, an immeasurable
thousand, ten thousand million of asamkhyas of worlds to the east, in a land called
Treasure Purity, there was a Buddha named Many Treasures. When this Buddha was originally
carrying out the bodhisattva way, he made a great vow, saying, "If after I have
become a Buddha and entered extinction, in the lands in the ten directions there is any
place where the Lotus Sutra is preached, then my funerary tower, in order that I may
listen to the sutra, will come forth and appear in that spot to testify to the sutra and
praise its excellence.'
"When that Buddha had finished carrying out the Buddha way and was
on the point of passing into extinction, in the midst of the great assembly of heavenly
and human beings he said to the monks, 'After I have passed into extinction, if there are
those who wish to offer alms to my complete body, then they should erect a great tower.'
That Buddha, through his transcendental powers and the power of his vow, insures that,
throughout the worlds in the ten directions, no matter in what place, if there are those
who preach the Lotus Sutra, this treasure tower will in all cases come forth and appear in
their presence, and his complete body will be in the tower, speaking words of praise and
saying, Excellent, excellent!
"Great Joy of Preaching, now this tower of the Thus Come One Many
Treasures, because it heard the preaching of the Lotus Sutra, has come forth out of the
ground and speaks words of praise, saying, Excellent, Excellent!"
At this time Bodhisattva Great Joy of Preaching, knowing the
supernatural powers of the Thus Come One, spoke to the Buddha, saying, "World-Honored
One, we wish to see the body of this Buddha."
The Buddha said to the bodhisattva and mahasattva Great Joy of
Preaching, "This Many Treasures Buddha has taken a profound vow, saying, 'When my
treasure tower, in order to listen to the Lotus Sutra comes forth into the presence of one
of the Buddhas, if there should be those who wish me to show my body to the four kinds of
believers, then let the various Buddhas who are emanations of that Buddha and who are
preaching the Law in the worlds in the ten directions all return and gather around that
Buddha in a single spot. Only when that has been done will my body become visible.' Great
Joy Preaching, I will now gather together the various Buddhas that are emanations of my
body and that are preaching the Law in the worlds in the ten directions."
Great Joy of Preaching said to the Buddha, "World-Honored One, I
and the others also wish to see these Buddhas that are emanations of the World-Honored
One, and to make obeisance to them and offer alms."
At that time the Buddha emitted a ray of light from the tuft of white
hair [between his eyebrows], immediately making visible the Buddhas in the eastern region
in lands as numerous as five hundred ten thousand million nayutas of Ganges sands. The
earth in all these lands was made of crystal, and the lands were adorned with jeweled
trees and jeweled robes. Countless thousands, ten thousands, millions of bodhisattvas
filled them, and everywhere were hung jeweled curtains, with jeweled nets covering them
over. The Buddhas in these lands preached the various doctrines of the Law with great and
wonderful voices, and one could see immeasurable thousands, ten thousands, millions of
bodhisattvas filling all these lands and preaching the Law for the assembly. In the
southern, western and northern regions as well, and in the four intermediate quarters and
up and down, wherever the beam from the tuft of white hair, a characteristic feature of
the Buddha, shone, the same was true.
At that time the Buddhas of the ten directions each spoke to his
multitude of bodhisattvas, saying, "Good men, now I must go to the saha world, to the
place where Shakyamuni Buddha is, and also offer alms to the treasure tower of Many
Treasures Thus Come One."
The saha world thereupon immediately changed into a place of cleanness
and purity. The ground was made of lapis lazuli, jeweled trees adorned it, and ropes of
gold marked off the eight highways. There were no villages, towns or cities, great seas of
rivers, mountains, streams or forests; great jeweled incense was burning there and
mandarava flowers covered the ground all over. Jeweled nets and curtains were spread
above, hung with jeweled bells, and the members of this assembly alone were gathered
there, all other heavenly and human beings having been moved to another region.
At that time the Buddhas, each with a great bodhisattva to act as his
attendant, arrived in the saha world and proceeded to a position beneath one of the
jeweled trees. Each of these jeweled trees was five hundred yojanas high and adorned with
branches, leaves, flowers and fruit in due proportion. Under all the jeweled trees were
lion seats five yojanas in height, and these too were decorated with large jewels. At that
time each of the Buddhas took one of these seats, seating himself in cross-legged
position. In this way the seats were filled throughout the thousand-million-fold world,
but still there was no end even to the emanations of Shakyamuni Buddha arriving from
merely one direction.
At that time Shakyamuni Buddha, wishing to provide space for all the
Buddhas that were emanations of his body, in addition transformed two hundred ten thousand
million nayutas of lands in each of the eight directions, making them all clean and pure
and without hells, hungry spirits, beasts or asuras. He also moved all their heavenly and
human beings to another region. The ground in these lands that he had transformed was also
made of lapis lazuli, Jeweled trees adorned them, each tree five hundred yojanas high and
adorned with branches, leaves, flowers and flowers and fruit in due proportion. There were
jeweled lion seats under all the trees, five yojanas in height and ornamented with various
kinds of treasures, these lands too were without great seas or rivers, or any kingly
ranges of mountains such as the Muchilinda Mountains, Mahamuchilinda Mountains, Iron
Encircling Mountains, Great Iron Encircling mountains, or Mount Sumeru. The whole area
comprised a single Buddha land, a jeweled region level and smooth. Curtains crisscrossed
with festoons of jewels were spread everywhere, banners and canopies hung down, great
jeweled incense burned, and heavenly jeweled flowers covered the ground all around.
Shakyamuni Buddha, in order to provide seats for all the Buddhas that
were arriving, once more transformed two hundred ten thousand million nayutas of lands in
each of the eight directions, making them all clean and pure and without hells, hungry
spirits, beasts or asuras. He also moved all the heavenly and human beings to another
region. The ground in these lands that he had transformed was likewise made of lapis
lazuli. Jeweled trees adorned the lands, each tree five hundred yojanas in height and
adorned with branches, leaves, flowers and fruit in due proportion. There were jeweled
lion seats under all the trees, five yojanas in height and ornamented with great jewels,
these lands too were without great seas or rivers, or any kingly ranges such as the
Muchilinda Mountains, Great Mahamuchilinda Mountains, iron Encircling Mountains, Great
Iron Encircling Mountains, or Mount Sumeru, the whole area comprising a single Buddha
land, a jeweled region level and smooth. Curtains crisscrossed with festoons of jewels
were spread everywhere, banners and canopies hung down, great jeweled incense burned, and
heavenly jeweled flowers covered the ground all around.
At that time the emanations of Shakyamuni Buddha from the eastern
region, Buddhas in lands equal in number to hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions
of nayutas of Ganges sands, each preaching the Law, had assembled there. And bit by bit
the Buddhas from the ten directions all came and assembled in this way and were seated in
the eight directions. At this time each of the directions was filled with Buddhas, Thus
Come Ones, in four hundred ten thousand million nayutas of lands.
At that time the Buddhas, each seated on a lion seat under one of the
jeweled trees, all dispatched their attendants to go and greet Shakyamuni Buddha. Each
Buddha presented his attendant with a handful of jeweled flowers and said, "Good man,
you must go to Mount Gridhrakuta to the place where Shakyamuni Buddha is and speak to him
as I instruct you. Say, 'Are your illnesses few, and your worries few? In spirit and vigor
are you well and happy? And are the bodhisattvas and voice-hearers all well and at peace?'
Then take these jeweled flowers and scatter them over the Buddha as an offering, and say,
'The Buddha So-and-so would like to participate in the opening of this treasure tower.'
All the Buddhas dispatched their attendants to speak in this manner. At
that time Shakyamuni Buddha saw the Buddhas that were his emanations all assembled, each
sitting on a lion seat, and heard all these Buddhas say that they wished to participate in
the opening of the treasure tower. Immediately he rose from his seat and stationed himself
in midair. All the four kinds of believers likewise stood up, pressed their palms together
and gazed at the Buddha with a single mind.
Shakyamuni Buddha with the fingers of his right hand then opened the
door of the tower of seven treasures. A loud sound issued from it, like the sound of a
lock and crossbar being removed from a great city gate, and at once all the members of the
assembly caught sight of Many Treasures Thus Come One seated on a lion seat inside the
treasure tower, his body whole and unimpaired, sitting as thought engaged in meditation.
And they heard him say, "excellent, excellent, Shakyamuni Buddha! You have preached
this Lotus Sutra in a spirited manner. I have come here in order that I may hear this
sutra."
At that time the four kinds of believers, observing this Buddha who had
passed into extinction immeasurable thousands, ten thousands, millions of kalpas in the
past speaking in this way, marveled at what they had never known before and took the
masses of heavenly jeweled flowers and scattered them over Many Treasures Buddha and
Shakyamuni Buddha.
At that time Many Treasures Buddha offered half of his seat in the
treasure tower to Shakyamuni Buddha, saying, "Shakyamuni Buddha, sit here!"
Shakyamuni Buddha at once entered the tower and took half of the seat, seating himself in
cross-legged position.
At that time the members of the great assembly, seeing the two Thus
Come Ones seated cross-legged on the lion seat in the tower of seven treasures, all
thought to themselves, These Buddhas are seated high up and far away! If only the Thus
Come Ones would employ their transcendental powers to enable all of us to join them there
in the air!
Immediately Shakyamuni Buddha used his transcendental powers to lift
the members of the great assembly up into the air. And in a loud voice he addressed all
the four kinds of believers, saying, "Who is capable of broadly preaching the Lotus
Sutra of the Wonderful Law in this saha world? Now is the time to do so, for before long
the Thus Come One will enter nirvana. the Buddha wishes to entrust this Lotus Sutra of the
Wonderful Law to someone so that it may be preserved."
At that time the World-Honored One, wishing to state his meaning once
more, spoke in verse form, saying: