- Chapter Twenty-four
- Bodhisattva Myozon
At that time Shakyamuni Buddha emitted a beam of bright light from the
knob of flesh [on top of his head], one of the features of a great man, and also emitted a
beam of light from the tuft of white hair between his eyebrows, illuminating the Buddha
worlds in the eastern direction equal in number to the sands of one hundred eighty
thousand million nayutas of Ganges. Beyond these numerous worlds was a world called
Adorned with Pure Light. In this realm there was a Buddha named Pure Flower Constellation
King Wisdom 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. An immeasurably
and boundlessly great multitude of bodhisattvas surrounded him and paid reverence, and for
these he preached the Law. The beam of bright light from the white tuft of Shakyamuni
Buddha illuminated the whole land.
At that time in the land Adorned with Pure Light there was a
bodhisattva named Wonderful Sound, who long ago had planted numerous roots of virtue,
offering alms to and waiting upon immeasurable hundreds, thousands, ten thousands,
millions of Buddhas. He had succeeded in acquiring all kinds of profound wisdom, gaining
the samadhi of the wonderful banner mark, the Dharma flower samadhi, the pure virtue
samadhi, the samadhi of the Constellation King's sport, the condition-less samadhi, the
seal of wisdom samadhi, the samadhi that allows one to understand the words of all living
beings, the samadhi that gathers together all benefits, the pure samadhi, with the samadhi
of the sport of transcendental powers, the wisdom torch samadhi, the adorned king samadhi,
the pure light glow samadhi, the pure storehouse samadhi, the unshared samadhi, and the
samadhi of the suns revolving. He has gained all these great samadhis equal in number to
the sands of a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a million Ganges.
When the light emitted by Shakyamuni Buddha illuminated his body, he
immediately spoke to the Buddha Pure Flower Constellation King Wisdom, saying:
"World-Honored One, I must journey to the saha world to do obeisance, wait on, and
offer alms to Shakyamuni Buddha, and to see Bodhisattva Manjushri, Prince of the Dharma,
Bodhisattva Medicine King, Bodhisattva Brave donor, Bodhisattva Constellation King Flower,
Bodhisattva Superior Practices Intent, Bodhisattva Adorned King, and Bodhisattva Medicine
Superior."
At that time the Buddha Pure Flower Constellation King Wisdom said to
Bodhisattva Wonderful Sound: "You must not look with contempt on the land or come to
think of it as a means and inferior. Good man, that saha world is uneven, high in places,
low in others, and full of dirt, stones, mountains, foulness, and impurity. The Buddha is
puny in stature and the numerous bodhisattvas are likewise small in form, whereas your
body is forty-two thousand yojanas in height and mine is six million eight hundred
thousand yojanas. Your body is foremost in shapeliness, with hundreds, thousands, ten
thousands of blessings and a radiance that is particularly wonderful. Therefore when you
journey there, you must not look with contempt on that land or come to think of the Buddha
and bodhisattvas or the land itself as mean and inferior!"
Bodhisattva Wonderful Sound said to the Buddha: "World-Honored
One, my journey now to the saha world is in all respects due to the power of the Thus Come
One, a sport carried out by the Thus Come One's transcendental powers, an adornment to the
Thus Come One's blessings and wisdom."
Thereupon the Bodhisattva Wonderful Sound, without raising from his
seat or swaying his body, entered into the samadhi, and through the power of the samadhi,
in a place not far removed from the Dharma seat on Mount Gridhrakuta, created a jeweled
mass of eighty-four thousand lotus blossoms. Their stems were made of Jambunada gold,
their leaves were of silver, their stamens of diamond, and their calyxes of kimshuka
jewels.
At that time the Dharma Prince Manjushri, spying the lotus flowers,
spoke to the Buddha, saying: "World-Honored One, what causes have brought about the
appearance of this auspicious sign? Here are many ten thousands of lotus blossoms, their
stems made of Jambunada gold, their stamens of diamond and their calyxes of kimshuka
jewels!"
At that time Shakyamuni Buddha said to Manjushri: "This
bodhisattva and mahasattva Wonderful Sound wishes to leave the land of the Buddha Pure
Flower Constellation King Wisdom and, surrounded by eighty-four thousand bodhisattvas, to
come to this saha world to offer alms, wait on, and pay obeisance to me. He also wishes to
offer alms to and hear the Lotus Sutra."
Manjushri said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One, what good roots
has this bodhisattva planted, what benefits has he cultivated, that he can exercise such
great transcendental powers as this? What samadhi does he carry out? I beg you to explain
for us the name of this samadhi, for we too would look like to apply ourselves diligently
to its practice. If we carry out this samadhi, then we will be able to observe the aspect
and size of this bodhisattva and his bearing and conduct. We beg the World-Honored One to
employ his transcendental powers to bring this bodhisattva here and enable us to see
him!"
At that time Shakyamuni Buddha said to Manjushri, "Many Treasures
Thus Come One, who entered extinction so long ago, will manifest his form for you.
Then the Buddha Many Treasures said to the bodhisattva [Wonderful
Sound], "Come, good man. The Dharma Prince Manjushri wishes to see your body."
With that, Bodhisattva Wonderful Sound vanished from his own land and,
accompanied by eight-four thousand bodhisattvas, appeared here [in this saha world]. The
lands that he passed through on his way quaked and trembled in six different ways, and in
all of them seven jeweled lotus flowers rained down and instruments of hundreds and
thousands of the musicians sounded of themselves without having been struck.
This bodhisattva's eyes were as big and broad an the leaves of the blue
Lotus, and a hundred, thousand, ten thousand moons put together could not surpass the
perfection of this face. His body was pure gold in color, adorned with immeasurable
hundreds and thousands of blessings. His dignity and virtue were splendid, his light shone
brightly, he was endowed with many special marks and as stalwart in body as Narayana.
Taking his place on the dais made of seven treasures, he had risen up
into the air until he was raised above the earth the height of seven tala trees. Then with
a host of bodhisattvas surrounding him and paying reverence, he had journeyed to Mount
Gridhrakuta in this saha world. When he arrived there he descended from the dais of seven
of seven pressures. Bearing a necklace worth hundreds and thousands, he proceeded to the
place where Shakyamuni Buddha was, bowed his head to the ground, made obeisance to the
Buddha's feet, and presented the necklace, addressing the Buddha in these words:
"World-Honored One, the Buddha Pure Flower Constellation King Wisdom wishes to
inquire about the World-Honored One. Are your illnesses few, are your worries few? Can you
come and go easily and conveniently, can you move about in comfort? Are the four elements
properly harmonized in you? Can you endure the worlds affairs? Are the living beings easy
to the rescue? Are they not excessive in their greed, anger, stupidity, jealousy,
stinginess, and arrogance? Are they not lacking in filial conduct toward their parents?
Are they not disrespectful toward shramanas and given to heterodox views and other evil?
Do they not fail to control their five emotions? World-Honored One, are the living beings
able to conquer and overcome the enmity of the devils? Has Many Treasures Thus Come One,
who entered extinction so long ago, come in his tower of seven treasures to listen to the
Law? The Buddha also wishes to inquire about Many Treasures Thus Come One, whether he is
tranquil and at ease, with few worries, patient and long abiding. World-Honored One, I
would like to see the body of the Buddha Many Treasures. I beg the World-Honored One to
allow me to see him!"
At the time Shakyamuni Buddha said to Many Treasures Buddha, "This
bodhisattva Wonderful Sound wishes to see you."
Then Many Treasures Buddha addressed Wonderful Sound, saying,
"Excellent, excellent! You have come here in order to be able to offer alms to a
Shakyamuni Buddha and to listen to the Lotus Sutra and see Manjushri and the others."
At that time the Bodhisattva Flower Virtue said to the Buddha,
"World-Honored One, this bodhisattva Wonderful Sound - what good roots has he
planted, what benefits has he cultivated, that he possesses these supernatural
powers?"
The Buddha replied to Bodhisattva flower Virtual: "In ages past
there was a Buddha named cloud Thunder Sound King, tathagata, arhats, samyak-sambuddha.
His land was called Manifesting All Worlds and his kalpa was called Gladly Seen. For
twelve thousand years the Bodhisattva Wonderful Sound employed a hundred thousand types of
musical instruments to provide an offering to the Buddha Cloud Thunder Sound King, and e
also presented to him eighty-four thousand alms bowls made of the seven treasures. In
recompense for these actions he has now been born in the land of the Buddha Pure Flower
Constellation King Wisdom and possesses these supernatural powers.
"Flower Virtue, what is your opinion? The bodhisattva Wonderful
Sound who at that time made musical offerings to the Buddha Cloud Thunder Sound King and
presented him with jeweled vessels - was he someone unknown to you? In fact is none other
than the bodhisattva and mahasattva Wonderful Sound who is here now!
"Flower Virtue, this bodhisattva Wonderful Sound has already made
offerings to and waited on an immeasurable number of Buddhas. Long ago he planted the
roots of virtue and encountered hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas of
Buddhist equal in number to the sands of the Ganges.
Flower Virtue, you see only the body of Bodhisattva Wonderful Sound
which is here. But this bodhisattva manifests himself in various different bodies and
preaches this sutra for the sake of living beings in various different places. At times he
appears as King Brahma, at times as Lord Shakra, at times as the heavenly Being Freedom,
at times as a great general of heaven, at times as the heavenly King Vaishravana, at times
as a wheel-turning sage king, at times as one of the petty kings, at times as rich man, at
times as a householder, to times the chief minister, at times as a Brahman, at times as a
monk, a nun, a layman believer, or laywomen believer, at times as the wife of a rich man
or a householder, at times as a wife of a chief minister, a times as a wife of a Brahman,
at times as a young boy or a young girl, at times as a heavenly being, a dragon, a yaksha,
a gandharva, an asura, a garuda, a kimnara, a mahoraga, a human or a nonhuman being, so
preaches this sutra. The hell dwellers, hungry spirits, beasts, and the numerous others
who are in difficult circumstances are thus are able to be saved. And for the sake of
those who are in women's quarters of the royal palace, he changes himself into a woman's
form and preaches this sutra.
"Flower Virtue, this bodhisattva Wonderful Sound can save and
protect the various living beings of the saha world. This bodhisattva Wonderful Sound
performs various transformations, manifesting himself in different forms in this saha land
and preaches this sutra for the sake of living beings, and yet his transcendental powers,
his transformations, and his Wisdom suffer no injury or diminution thereby. This
bodhisattva employs various types of wisdom to illuminate the saha world, causing each one
among all the living beings to acquire the appropriate understanding, and does the same in
all the other worlds of the ten directions which are numerous as Ganges sands.
"If the form of a voice-hearer is what is needed to bring
salvation, he manifests himself in the form of a voice-hearer and proceeds to preach the
Law. If the form of a pratyekabuddha will bring salvation, he manifests himself in the
form of a pratyekabuddha and preaches the Law. If the form of a bodhisattva will bring
salvation, he manifests a bodhisattva form and preaches the Law. If the form of a Buddha
will bring salvation, he immediately manifests a Buddha form and preaches the Law. Thus he
manifests himself in various different forms, depending upon what is appropriate for
salvation. And if it is appropriate to enter extinction in order to bring salvation, he
manifests himself as entering extinction.
"Flower virtue, the bodhisattva mahasattvas Wonderful Sound has
acquired great transcendental powers and the power of wisdom that enable him to do all
this!"
At that time the bodhisattva Flower Virtue said to the Buddha,
"World-Honored One, this bodhisattva Wonderful Sound as planted the roots of goodness
very deeply. World-Honored One, samadhi does this bodhisattva dwell in, that he is able to
carry out all these transformations and manifestations to save living beings?"
The Buddha said to Bodhisattva Flower Virtue, "Good man, this
samadhi is called Manifesting All Kinds of bodies. The bodhisattva Wonderful Sound,
dwelling in this samadhi, is able in this manner to enrich and benefit immeasurable living
beings."
When [the Buddha] preached this chapter on Bodhisattva Wonderful Sound,
the eighty-four thousand persons who had come with bodhisattva Wonderful Sound all
acquired the samadhi enabling them to manifest all kinds of bodies, and the immeasurable
bodhisattvas in this saha world also acquired this samadhi and dharani.
At that time the bodhisattva and mahasattva Wonderful Sound, having
finished offering alms to Shakyamuni Buddha and to the tower of Many Treasures Buddha,
returned to his original land. The lands that he passed through on his way quaked and
trembled in six different ways, jeweled lotus flowers rained down, and hundreds,
thousands, ten thousands, millions of different kinds of music played.
After he had arrived in his original land and was surrounded by his
eighty-four thousand bodhisattvas, he proceeded to the place of the Buddha Pure Flower
Constellation King Wisdom and addressed the Buddha saying, "World-Honored One, I have
visited the saha world, enriched and benefited the living beings, saw Shakyamuni Buddha
and the tower of Many Treasures Buddha, and offered obeisance and alms to them. I also saw
bodhisattva Manjushri, prince of the Dharma, as well as Bodhisattva Medicine King,
Bodhisattva Gaining Diligent Exertion Power, Bodhisattva Brave Donor, and others. And I
made it possible for these eighty-four thousand bodhisattvas to gain the samadhi enabling
them to manifest all kinds of bodies."
When [the Buddha] preached this chapter on the comings and goings of
Bodhisattva Wonderful Sound, forty-two thousand sons of gods gained the truth of the
birthless-ness of all phenomena, and Bodhisattva Flower Virtue gained the Dharma flower
samadhi.