- Chapter Twenty
- Bodhisattva Never Disparaging
At that time the Buddha said to the bodhisattva and mahasattva Gainer
of Great Authority: 'You should understand this. When monks, nuns, laymen or laywomen
uphold the Lotus Sutra, if anyone should speak ill of them, curse or slander them, he will
suffer severe recompense for his crime, as I have explained earlier. And I have also
explained earlier the benefits gained by those who uphold the sutra, namely, purification
of their eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind.
"Gainer of Great Authority, long ago, an immeasurable, boundless,
inconceivable number of asamkhya kalpas in the past, there was a Buddha named Awesome
Sound King Thus Come One, worthy of offerings, of right and universal knowledge, perfect
clarity and conduct, well gone, understanding the world, unexcelled trainer of people,
teacher of heavenly and human beings, Buddha, World-Honored One. His kalpa was called
Exempt from Decay and his land was called Great Achievement.
"This Buddha Awesome Sound King during the age when he lived
preached the Law for heavenly and human beings and asuras. For those who were seeking to
become voice-hearers he responded by preaching the Law of the four noble truths so that
they could transcend birth, old age, sickness and death and eventually attain nirvana. For
those seeking to become pratyekabuddhas he responded by preaching the Law of the
twelve-linked chain of causation. For the bodhisattvas, as a means to lead them to
anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, he responded by preaching the Law of the six paramitas so they
could eventually gain the Buddha wisdom.
"Gainer of Great Authority, this Buddha Awesome Sound King had a
life span of kalpas equal to four-hundred thousand million nayutas of Ganges sands. His
correct Law endured in the world for as many kalpas as there are dust particles in one
Jambudvipa. His counterfeit Law endured in the world for as many kalpas as there are dust
particles in the four continents. After this Buddha had finished bringing great benefits
to living beings, he passed into extinction.
"After his Correct Law and Counterfeit Law had come to an end,
another Buddha appeared in the same land. He too was named Awesome Sound King Thus Come
One, worthy of offerings, of right and universal knowledge, perfect clarity and conduct,
well gone, understanding the world, unexcelled worthy, trainer of people, teacher of
heavenly and human beings, Buddha, World-Honored One. This process continue until
twenty-thousand million Buddhas had appeared one after another, all bearing the same name.
"After the original Awesome sound King Thus Come One had passed
into extinction, and after his Correct Law had also passed away, in the period of his
Counterfeit Law, monks of overbearing arrogance exercised great authority and power. At
this time there was a bodhisattva monk named Never Disparaging. Now, Gainer of Great
Authority, for what reason was he named Never Disparaging? This monk, whatever persons he
happened to meet, whether monks, nuns, Laymen or laywomen, would bow in obeisance to all
of them and speak words of praise, saying, 'I have profound reverence for you, I would
never dare treat you with disparaging and arrogance. Why? Because you are all practicing
the bodhisattva way and are certain to attain Buddhahood.'
"This monk did not devote his time to reading or reciting the
scriptures, but simply went about bowing to people. And if he happened to see any of the
four kinds of believers far off in the distance, he would purposely go to where they were,
bow to them and speak words of praise, saying, 'I would never dare disparage you, because
you are all certain to attain Buddhahood!'
"Among the four kinds of believers there were the those who gave
way to anger, their minds lacking in purity, and they spoke ill of him and cursed him,
saying, 'This ignorant monk - were does he come from, presuming to declare that he does
not disparage us and bestowing on us a prediction that we will attain Buddhahood? We have
no use for such vain and irresponsible predictions!'
"Many years passed in this way, during which this monk was
constantly subjected to curses and abuse. He did not give way to anger, however, but each
time spoke the same words, 'You are certain to attain Buddhahood.' When he spoke in this
manner, some among the group would take sticks of wood or tiles and stones and beat and
pelt him. But even as he ran away and took up his stance at a distance, he continued to
call out in a loud voice, ' I would never dare disparage you, for you are all certain to
attain Buddhahood!' And because he always spoke these words, the overbearing arrogant
monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen gave him the name Never Disparaging.
"When this monk was on the point of death, he heard up in the sky
fully twenty thousand, ten thousand, a million verses of the Lotus Sutra that had been
previously preached by the Buddha Awesome Sound King, and he was able to accept and uphold
them all. Immediately he gained the kind of purity of vision and purity of the faculties
of the ear, nose, tongue, body and mind that have been described above. Having gained this
purity of the six faculties, his life span was increased by two hundred ten million
nayutas of years, and he went about widely preaching the Lotus Sutra for people.
"At that time, when the four kinds of believers who were
overbearingly arrogant, the monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen who had looked with contempt
on this monk and given him the name Never Disparaging - when they saw that he had gained
great transcendental powers, the power to preach pleasingly and eloquently, the power of
great goodness and tranquility, and when they heard his preaching, they all took faith in
him and willingly became his followers.
"This bodhisattva converted a multitude of a thousand, ten
thousand, a million, causing them to abide in the state of anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. After
his life came to an end, he was able to encounter two thousand million Buddhas, all
bearing the name Sun Moon Bright, and in the midst of their Law he preached this Lotus
Sutra. Through the causes and conditions created thereby, he was also able to encounter
two thousand million Buddhas, all with the identical name Cloud Freedom Lamp King. In the
midst of the Law of these Buddhas, he excepted, upheld, read, recited and preached this
sutra for the four kinds of believers. For that reason he was able to gain perfection of
his ordinary eyes, and the faculties of his ears, nose, tongue, body and mind were
likewise purified. Among the four kinds of believers he preached Law with no fear in his
mind.
"Gainer of Great Authority, this bodhisattva and mahasattvas Never
Disparaging in this manner offered alms to a vast number of Buddhas, treating them with
reverence and honor and praising them. Having planted these good roots, he was later able
to encounter a thousand, ten thousand, a million Buddhas, and in the midst of the Law of
these Buddhas, he preached this sutra, gaining benefits about him to attain Buddhahood.
"Gainer of Great Authority, what do you think? The bodhisattva
Never Disparaging who lived at that time - could he be unknown to you? In fact he was none
other than I myself! If in my previous existences I had not accepted, upheld, read and
recited this sutra and preached it for others, I would never have been able boat to attain
anuttara-samyak-sambodhi so quickly. Because in the presence of those earlier Buddhas I
accepted, upheld, read and recited this sutra and preached it for others, I was able
quickly to attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
"Gainer of Great Authority, at that time before the four kinds of
believers, the monks, nuns, laymen and many women, because anger arose in their minds and
they threatened me with disparagement and contempt, were for two hundred million kalpas
never able to encounter a Buddha, to hear the Law, or to see the community of monks. For a
thousand kalpas they underwent great suffering and Avichi hell. After they had finished
paying for their offenses, they once more encountered the bodhisattva Never Disparaging,
who instructed them in anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
"Gainer of Great Authority, what do you think? The four kinds of
believers who at that time constantly disparaged this bodhisattva - could they be unknown
to you? They are in this assembly now, Bhadrapala and his group, five hundred
bodhisattvas; Lion Moon and her group, five hundred laymen, all having reached the state
where they will never regress in their search for anuttara-samyak-sambodhi!
"Gainer of Great Authority, you should understand that this Lotus
Sutra richly benefits the bodhisattvas and mahasattvas, for it can cause them to obtain
anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. For this reason, after the Thus Come One has passed into
extinction, the bodhisattvas and mahasattvas should at all times accept, uphold, read,
recite, explain, preach and transcribe this sutra."
At that time the World-Honored One, wishing to state his meaning once
more, spoke in verse form, saying: