has: ebhir aham Bhagavann iyadbhir akusalair dharmai4 samanvagato ne&khimi Bhagavato ’ntikam (sic) upasamkramitum, i.e. being possessed of so many unholy qualities, O Lord, I do (or did) not wish to approach the Lord.
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(and asked): Do you see, monks, the king Subhavytha who, standing in the sky, is emitting a lion’s roar? They answered: We do, Lord. The Lord proceeded: This king Subhavytha, monks, after having become a monk under my rule shall become a Tathagata in the world, by the name of Salendraraga, endowed with science and conduct, &c. &c., in the world Visttrzavatt; his epoch shall be called Abhyudgatar4ga. That Tathagata Sdlendrardga, monks, the Arhat, &c., shall have an immense congregation of Bodhisattvas, an immense congregation of disciples. The said world Vistirzavatt shall be level as the palm of the hand, and consist of lapis lazuli. So he shall be an inconceivably great Tathagata, &c. Perhaps, young men of good family, you will have some doubt, uncertainty or misgiving (and think) that the king Subhavytha at that time, that juncture was another. But you must not think so; for it is the very same Bodhisattva Mahasattva Padmasrt here present, who at that time, that juncture was the king Subhavytha. Perhaps, young men of good family, you will have some doubt, uncertainty or misgiving (and think) that the queen Vimaladatta at that time, that juncture was another. But you must not think so; for it is the very same Bodhisattva Mahdsattva called Vairo#anarasmipratimanaitaraga*, who at that time, that juncture was the queen Vimaladatt4, and who out of compassion for the king Subhavydha and the creatures had assumed
? Also written Salendraraga. In the Calcutta edition of the Lalita-vistara, p. 201, l. 12, he occurs as Sérendrarfga, but Hodgson, Essays, p. 33, in a list drawn from the same work, has Salendraraga.
> Burnouf’s reading has dhvaga for raga.
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the state of being the wife of king Subhavydha. Perhaps, young men of good family, you will have some doubt, uncertainty or misgiving (and think) that the two young princes were others. But you must not think so; for it was Bhaishagyaraga and Bhaishagyaragasamudgata, who at that time, that juncture were sons to the king Subhavydha. With such inconceivable qualities, young men of good family, were the Bodhisattvas MahAsattvas Bhaishagyaraga and Bhaishagyaragasamudgata endowed, they, the two good men, having planted good roots under many hundred thousand myriads of ko¢is of Buddhas. Those that shall cherish the name of these two good men shall all become worthy of receiving homage from the world, including the gods,
While this chapter on Ancient Devotion was being expounded, the spiritual insight of eighty-four thousand living beings in respect to the law was purified so as to become unclouded and spotless.
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CHAPTER XXVI. ENCOURAGEMENT? OF SAMANTABHADRA.
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CHAPTER XXVI. ENCOURAGEMENT? OF SAMANTABHADRA.
Thereupon the Bodhisattva Mahdsattva Samantabhadra, in the east, surrounded and followed by Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas surpassing all calculation, amid the stirring of fields, a rain of lotuses, the playing of hundred thousands of myriads of kofis of musical instruments, proceeded with the great pomp of a Bodhisattva, the great display of transformations proper to a Bodhisattva, the great magnificence of a Bodhisattva, the great power of a Bodhisattva, the great lustre of a glorious Bodhisattva, the great stately march of a Bodhisattva, the great miraculous display of a Bodhisattva, a great phantasmagorical sight of gods, Nagas, goblins, Gandharvas, demons, Garudas, Kinnaras, great serpents, men, and beings not human, who, produced by his magic, surrounded and followed him ; Samantabhadra, then, the Bodhisattva, amid such inconceivable miracles worked by magic, arrived at this Saha-world. He went up to the place of the Lord on the Grzdhrakiia, the king of mountains, and on approaching he humbly saluted the Lord’s feet, made seven circumambulations from left to right, and said to the Lord: I have come hither, O Lord, from the field of the Lord Ratna-
} Utsahana.
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tegobhyudgata, the Tathagata, &c., as 1 am aware, Lord, that here in the Saha-world is taught the Dharmaparydya of the Lotus of the True Law, to hear which from the mouth of the Lord Sakyamuni I have come accompanied by these hundred thousands of Bodhisattvas Mahdsattvas. May the Lord deign to expound, in extension, this Dharmaparydya of the Lotus of the True Law to these Bodhisattvas Mahdsattvas. So addressed, the Lord said to the Bodhisattva Mahdsattva Samantabhadra: These Bodhisattvas, young man of good family, are, indeed, quick of understanding, but this is the Dharmaparydya of the Lotus of the True Law, that is to say, an unmixed truth!. The Bodhisattvas exclaimed: Indeed Lord; indeed, Sugata. Then in order to confirm, in the Dharmapary4ya of the Lotus of the True Law, the females? among the monks, nuns, and lay devotees assembled at the gathering, the Lord again spoke to the Bodhisattva Mahdsattva Samantabhadra: This Dharmapary4ya of the Lotus of the True Law, young man of good family, shall be entrusted to a female if she be possessed of four requisites, to wit: she shall stand under the superintendence of the Lords Buddhas; she shall have planted good roots*; she shall keep steadily to the mass of disci-
1 Yad utdsambhinnatathaté,
* Tasam. Iam not able to discover the connection between this confirming of the females in the gathering, and the foregoing remark on the character of the Saddharma. The explanation is probably to be sought in the term asambhinna, unallayed, unmixed. The meaning of the passage may be that the Saddharmapundarika, as a general rule, is fit for males only, but under certain conditions may be entrusted to females also.
The explanation is probably to be sought in the term asambhinna, unallayed, unmixed. The meaning of the passage may be that the Saddharmapundarika, as a general rule, is fit for males only, but under certain conditions may be entrusted to females also.
* We would say: she must have a good antecedent behaviour.
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plinary regulations ; she shall, in order to save creatures, have the thoughts fixed on supreme and perfect enlightenment. These are the four requisites, young man of good family, a female must be possessed of, to whom this Dharmapary4ya of the Lotus of the True Law is to be entrusted.
Then the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Samantabhadra said to the Lord: At the end of time, at the end of the period, in the second half of the millennium, I will protect the monks who keep this SdtrAnta ; I will take care of their safety, avert blows!, and destroy poison, so that no one laying snares for those preachers may surprise them, neither M4ra the Evil One, nor the sons of Mara, the angels called Mérakdyikas, the daughters of MAra, the followers of Mara, and all other servitors to M4ra; that no gods, goblins, ghosts, imps, wizards, spectres laying snares for those preachers may surprise them. Incessantly and constantly, O Lord, will I protect such a preacher. And when a preacher who applies himself to this Dharmaparydya shall take a walk, then, O Lord, will I mount a white elephant with six tusks, and with a train of Bodhisattvas betake myself to the place where that preacher is walking, in order to protect this Dharmaparyaya. And when that preacher, applying himself to this Dharmaparyaya, forgets, be it but a single word or syllable, then will I mount the white elephant with six tusks, show my face to that preacher, and repeat this entire Dharmaparyaya*. And when the preacher has
1 Or punishment.
* Samantabhadra renders the same service to pious and studious preachers as the Buddha himself; see chapter X, especially stanzas 29-31. As to the elephant on which he is mounted, one knows
(21) Ffp. 434 seen my proper body and heard from me this entire Dharmapary4ya, he, content, in high spirits, ravished, rejoiced, joyful, and delighted, will the more do his utmost to study this Dharmapary4ya, and immediately after beholding me he will acquire meditation and obtain spells, termed the talisman! of preservation, the talisman of hundred thousand ko/is, and the talisman of skill in all sounds.
of preservation, the talisman of hundred thousand ko/is, and the talisman of skill in all sounds.
Again, Lord, the monks, nuns, male or female lay devotees, who at the end of time, at the end of the period, in the second half of the millennium, shall study this Dharmapary4ya, when walking for three weeks, (or) twenty-one days, to them will I show my body, at the sight of which all beings rejoice. Mounted on that same white elephant with six tusks, and surrounded by a troop of Bodhisattvas, I shall on the twenty-first day betake myself to the place where the preachers are walking; there I shall rouse, excite, and stimulate them, and give them spells whereby those preachers shall become inviolable, so that no being, either human or not human, shall be able to surprise them, and no women able to beguile them. I will protect them, take care of their safety, avert blows’, and destroy poison. I will, besides, O Lord, give those preachers words of talismanic spells, such as, Adazde damndapati, daxd4vartani dandakusale damdasudh4ri dh4ri sudh4rapati, buddhapasyani dharamzi, A4vartani samvartani sanghaparikshite sanghanirghatani dharmapartkshite sarvathat the Bodhisattva entered the womb of his mother Maya Devt in the shape of an elephant with six tusks; see Lalita-vistara, p. 63. According to the description of the elephant, it must, originally, be a name of lightning.
1 Avarta. * Or punishment.
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sattvarutakausalydnugate simhavikriditel. The Bodhisattva Mahdsattva, whose organ of hearing is struck by these talismanic words, Lord, shall be aware that the Bodhisattva Mahdsattva Samantabhadra is their ruling power *.
Further, Lord, the Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas to whom this Dharmaparydya of the Lotus of the True Law shall be entrusted, as long as it continues having course in Gambudvipa, those preachers, Lord, should take this view: It is owing to the power and grandeur of the Bodhisattva Mahdsattva Samantabhadra that this Dharmaparydya has been entrusted to us. Those creatures who shall write and keep this Sdtra, O Lord, are to partake of the course of duty of the Bodhisattva Mahdsattva Samantabhadra ; they will belong to those who have planted good roots under many Buddhas, O Lord, and whose heads are caressed by the hands of the Tathagata. Those who shall write and keep this Satra, O Lord, will afford me pleasure. Those who shall write this Sdtra, O Lord, and comprehend it, shall, when they disappear from this world, after having written it, be reborn in the company of the
Those who shall write and keep this Satra, O Lord, will afford me pleasure. Those who shall write this Sdtra, O Lord, and comprehend it, shall, when they disappear from this world, after having written it, be reborn in the company of the
1 In Burnouf’s translation we find added: anuvarte vartani vartAli svaha. All terms are, or ought to be, vocatives of feminine words in the . singular. Pati,as in Pali pag4pati, Buddhistic Sansk. prag4pati, interchanges with the ending vati; not only in prag4vati (e.g. in Lalita-vistara), but in some of the words occurring in the spell; so for dandapati the Tibetan text has dandavati. As Siva in Mahabharata XII, 10361 is represented as the personified Danda, we may hold that all the names above belong to Siva’s female counterpart, Durga. The epithet of Simhavikridita is but a variation of Simhik4, one of the names of Daksh4yami or Durga in her quality of mother to R&hu. Cf. the remarks on the spells in chap. XXI.
* Asthe presiding deity of lightning he is also the lord of flame, of Svaha, identified with Dakshdyani-Durga.
Ff 2
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gods of paradise, and at that birth shall eighty-four thousand heavenly nymphs immediately come near them. Adorned with a high crown, they shall as angels dwell amongst those nymphs. Such is the mass of merit resulting from writing this Dharmapary4ya; how much greater will be the mass of merit reaped by those who recite, study, meditate, remember it! Therefore, young men of good family}, one ought to honour this Dharmapary4ya of the Lotus of the True Law, and write it with the utmost attention. He who writes it with undistracted attention shall be supported by the hands of a thousand Buddhas, and at the moment of his death he shall see another thousand of Buddhas from face to face. He shall not sink down into a state of wretchedness, and after disappearing from this world he shall enter the company of the Tushita-gods, where the Bodhisattva Mahdsattva Maitreya is residing, and where, marked by the thirty-two sublime characteristics, surrounded by a host of Bodhisattvas, and waited upon by hundred thousands of myriads of ko¢is of heavenly nymphs he is preaching the law. Therefore, then, young men of good family, a wise young man or young lady of good family should respectfully write this Dharmapary4ya of the Lotus of the True Law, respectfully recite it, respectfully study it, respectfully treasure it up in his (or her) mind. By writing, reciting, studying this Dharmaparydya, and by treasuring it up in one’s mind, young men of good family, one is to acquire innumerable good qualities, Hence a wise young man or young lady of good
* Burnouf’s reading has, O Lord. The reading of the Cambridge MS. is no mere mistake, for we find it repeated in the sequel.
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The reading of the Cambridge MS. is no mere mistake, for we find it repeated in the sequel.
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family ought to keep this Dharmaparydya of the Lotus of the True Law. I myself, O Lord, will superintend this Dharmapary4ya, that through my superintendence it may here spread in Gambudvtpa. Then the Lord Sakyamuni, the Tathagata, &c., expressed his approval to the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Samantabhadra : Very well, very well, Samantabhadra. It is happy that thou art so well disposed to promote the weal and happiness of the people at large, out of compassion for the people, for the benefit, weal, and happiness of the great body of men; that thou art endowed with such inconceivable qualities, with a mind so full of compassion, with intentions so inconceivably kind, so that of thine own accord thou wilt take those preachers under thy protection. The young men of good family who shall cherish the name of the Bodhisattva Mahdsattva Samantabhadra may be convinced that they have seen Sdkyamuni, the Tathagata, &c.; that they have heard this Dharmapary4ya of the Lotus of the True Law from the Lord SAékyamuni ; that they have paid homage to the Tath4gata S4kyamuni; that they have applauded the preaching of the Tathagata Sakyamuni. They will have joyfully accepted this Dharmapary4ya; the Tathagata SAkyamuni will have laid his hand upon their head, and they will have decked the Lord SAakyamuni with their robes. Those young men or young ladies of good family, Samantabhadra, must be held to have accepted the command of the Tathagata’. They
1 If I rightly understand these cautious and veiled words, the meaning is that such persons, though no Buddhists, must be held in equal esteem as if they were. The persons alluded to are, not unlikely, Saiva monks or devotees, who, if leading a pious life, havep. 438 will have no pleasure in worldly philosophy’; no persons fondly addicted to poetry will please them ; no dancers, athletes, vendors of meat, mutton butchers, poulterers, pork butchers, or profligates will please them. After having heard, written, kept, or read such Satrantas as this, they will find no delight in those persons. They must be held to be possessed of natural righteousness?; they will be right-minded from themselves, possess a power to do good of their own accord, and make an agreeable impression on others. Such will be the monks who keep this Satranta. No passionate attachment will hinder them, no hatred, no infatuation, no jealousy, no envy, no hypocrisy, no pride, no conceitedness, no mendaciousness, Those preachers, Samantabhadra, will be content with what they receive. He, Samantabhadra, who at the end of time, at the end of the period, in the second half of the millennium, sees a monk keeping this Dharmapary4ya of the Lotus of the True Law, must think thus: This young man of good family will reach the terrace of enlightenment; this young man will conquer the troop of the
for protector or patron Samantabhadra, who, as we have seen above, is the lord of Svaha or Dakshayami, consequently Siva-K4la.
* Na Lok4yate rudir bhavishyati. The Lokayatikas are the Indian Epicureans.
2 Svabh4vadharmasamanvagata, which may also be rendered by, possessed of the religion of Svabh4va (Nature). This I think to be the recondite and real meaning of the term, whether it alludes to the Svabh4vika sect of Buddhism or to materialistic schools among the Saivas. Though the philosophical tenets of all Svabhévikas are identical with those of the Lokayatikas, their opinions on morals are exactly the reverse. Hence it may have been deemed necessary to inculcate on devotees of more or less strong ascetic habits the precept that they should have no intercourse with the immoral vulgar materialists.
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wicked MAra!, move forward the wheel of the law, strike the drum of the law, blow the conch trumpet of the law, spread the rain of the law, and ascend the royal throne of the law. The monks who at the end of time, at the end of the period, in the second half of the millennium, keep this Dharmaparyd4ya, will not be covetous, nor greedy of robes or vehicles?. Those preachers will be honest, and possessed of three emancipations; they will refrain from worldly business. Such persons as lead into error monks who know this Satranta, shall be born blind; and such as openly defame them, shall have a spotted body in this very world. Those who scoff and hoot at the monks who copy this Sftrdnta, shall have the teeth broken and separated far from each other; disgusting lips, a flat nose, contorted hands and feet, squinting eyes ; a putrid body, a body covered with stinking boils, eruptions, scabs, and itch. If one speaks an unkind word, true or not true, to such writers, readers, and keepers of this Sitranta, it must be considered a very heinous sin. Therefore then, Samantabhadra, people should, even from afar, rise from their seats before the monks who keep this Dharmaparydya and show them the same reverence as to the Tathagata.
While this chapter of the Encouragement of Samantabhadra was being expounded, hundred thousands of ko¢is of Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas, equal to the sands of the river Ganges, acquired the talismanic spell Avarta.
? Marakalidakram. ? Y4na; Burnoufhas read pana, drink. It is, indeed, generally impossible to distinguish between pa and ya in the Nepalese MSS.
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CHAPTER XXVII.
THE PERIOD}
? Marakalidakram. ? Y4na; Burnoufhas read pana, drink. It is, indeed, generally impossible to distinguish between pa and ya in the Nepalese MSS.
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CHAPTER XXVII.
THE PERIOD}
Thereupon the Lord S&kyamuni, the Tathagata, &c., rose from his pulpit, collected the Bodhisattvas, took their right hands with his own right hand, which had become strong by the exercise of magic, and spoke on that occasion as follows: Into your hands, young men of good family, I transfer and transmit, entrust and deposit this supreme and perfect enlightenment arrived at by me after hundred thousands of myriads of ko/is of incalculable AZons. Ye, young men of good family, do your best that it may grow and spread.
A second time, a third time the Lord spoke to the host of Bodhisattvas after taking them by the right hands: Into your hands, young men of good family, I transfer and transmit, entrust and deposit this supreme and perfect enlightenment arrived at by me after hundred thousands of myriads of koéis of incalculable Eons. Receive it, young men of good family, keep, read, fathom, teach, promulgate, and preach it to all beings. I am not avaricious, young men of good family, nor narrow-minded; I am confident and willing to impart Buddha-knowledge, to impart the knowledge of the Tathdgata, the knowledge of the Self-born. I am a bountiful giver, young
* Dharmapary Aya, properly, the period of the law.
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men of good family, and ye, young men of good family, follow my example; imitate me in liberally showing this knowledge of the Tath4gata, and in skilfulness, and preach this Dharmapary4ya to the young men and young ladies of good family who successively shall gather round you. And as to unbelieving persons, rouse them to accept this law. By so doing, young men of good family, you will acquit your debt to the Tathd4gatas.
So addressed by the Lord Sékyamuni, the Tathagata, &c., the Bodhisattvas filled with delight and joy, and with a feeling of great respect they lowered, bent, and bowed their body towards the Lord, and, the head inclined and the joined hands stretched out, they spoke in one voice to the Lord SAkyamuni, the Tathagata, &c., the following words: We shall do, O Lord, what the Tathagata commands; we shall fulfil the command of all Tathagatas. Let the Lord be at ease as to this, and perfectly quiet. A second time, a third time the entire host of Bodhisattvas spoke in one voice the same words: Let the Lord be at ease as to this, and perfectly quiet. We shall do, O Lord, what the Tathagata commands us; we shall fulfil the command of all Tathdgatas.
A second time, a third time the entire host of Bodhisattvas spoke in one voice the same words: Let the Lord be at ease as to this, and perfectly quiet. We shall do, O Lord, what the Tathagata commands us; we shall fulfil the command of all Tathdgatas.
Thereupon the Lord Saékyamuni, the Tathagata, &c., dismissed all those Tath4gatas, &c., who had come to the gathering from other worlds, and wished them a happy existence, with the words: May the Tathagatas, &c., live happy. Then he restored the Stapa of precious substances of the Lord Prabhdtaratna, the Tathd4gata, &c., to its place, and wished him also a happy existence.
Thus spoke the Lord. The incalculable, innumerable Tathagatas, &c., who had come from otherp. 442 worlds and were sitting on their thrones at the foot of jewel trees, as well as Prabhdtaratna, the Tathégata, &c., and the whole host of Bodhisattvas headed by Visish/aaritra, the innumerable, incalculable Bodhisattvas Mah4sattvas who had issued from the gaps of the earth, the great disciples, the four classes, the world, including gods, men, demons, and Gandharvas, in ecstasy applauded the words of the Lord.
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