Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1And at that moment there issued a ray from within the circle of hair between the eyebrows of the Lord’. It extended over eighteen hundred thousand Buddha-fields in the eastern quarter, so that all those Buddha-fields appeared wholly illuminated by its radiance, down to the great hell Avt&i and up to the limit of existence. And the beings in any of the six states * of existence became visible, all without exception. Likewise the Lords Buddhas staying, living, and existing in those Buddha-fields became all visible, and the law preached by them could be entirely heard by all beings. And the monks, nuns, lay devotees male and female, Yogins and students of Yoga, those who had obtained the fruition (of the Paths of sanctification) and those who had not, they, too, became visible. And the Bodhisattvas Mahdsattvas in those 1 This reminds one of Wordsworth’s lines : ‘Bright apparition suddenly put forth The Rainbow, smiling on the faded storm; The mild assemblage of the starry heavens ; And the great Sun, earth’s universal Lord.’ * Viz. hell, the brute creation, the world of ghosts, of demons, of men, and of gods or angels. 8 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. I. Buddha-fields who plied the Bodhisattva-course with ability, due to their earnest belief in numerous and various lessons and the fundamental ideas, they, too, became all visible. Likewise the Lords Buddhas in those Buddha-fields who had reached final Nirvana became visible, all of them. And the Stipas made of jewels and containing the relics of the extinct Buddhas became all visible in those Buddha-fields'. Then rose in the mind of the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Maitreya this thought:!O how great a wonder does the Tathagata display! What may be the cause, what the reason of the Lord producing so great a wonder as this? And such astonishing, prodigious, inconceivable, powerful miracles now appear, although the Lord is absorbed in meditation! Why, let me inquire about this matter; who would be able here to explain it to me ?; He then thought :! Here is Mazgusri, the prince royal, who has plied his office under former Ginas and planted the roots of goodness, while worshipping many Buddhas. This Mazgusri, the prince royal, must have witnessed before such signs of the former Tath4gatas, those Arhats, those perfectly enlightened Buddhas; of yore he must have enjoyed the grand conversations on the law. Therefore will I inquire about this matter with Mazgusri, the prince royal. And the four classes of the audience, monks, nuns, male and female lay devotees, numerous gods, Nagas, 1 Tt is sufficiently clear, I think, that the Buddha-fields are the heavens, and that we have in the text a description of the aspect of heaven when the stars are twinkling at dawn, shortly after or before. A Stipa denotes the spot where a luminary, for the time being extinct, once stood; in more general acceptation it must have been synonymous with dhishmya, a fire-place, or with Boyds. I. INTRODUCTORY. 9
2A Stipa denotes the spot where a luminary, for the time being extinct, once stood; in more general acceptation it must have been synonymous with dhishmya, a fire-place, or with Boyds. I. INTRODUCTORY. 9 goblins, Gandharvas, demons, Garudas, Kinnaras, great serpents, men, and beings not human, on seeing the magnificence of this great miracle of the Lord, were struck with astonishment, amazement and curiosity, and thought: Let us inquire why this magnifcent miracle has been produced by the great power of the Lord. At the same moment, at that very instant, the Bodhisattva Mahdsattva Maitreya knew in his mind the thoughts arising in the minds of the four classes of hearers and he spoke to Mazgusrt, the prince royal :'What, O Mafgusrt, is the cause, what is the reason of this wonderful, prodigious, miraculous shine having been produced by the Lord? Look, how these eighteen thousand Buddha-fields appear variegated, extremely beautiful, directed by Tathagatas and superintended by Tathagatas. Then it was that Maitreya, the Bodhisattva Mahisattva, addressed Mazigusri, the prince royal, in the following stanzas: 1. Why, Mazgusri, does this ray darted by the guide of men shine forth from between his brows? this single ray issuing from the circle of hair? and why this abundant rain of Mandaravas ? 2. The gods, overjoyed, let drop Mazgishakas and sandal powder, divine, fragrant, and delicious. 3. This earth is, on every side, replete with splendour, and all the four classes of the assembly are filled with delight, while the whole field shakes in six different ways, frightfully. 4. And that ray in the eastern quarter illuminates the whole of eighteen thousand Buddha-fields, simultaneously, so that those fields: appear as goldcoloured. Io SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. I. 5. (The universe) as far as the (hell) Avi#i (and) the extreme limit of existence, with all beings of those fields living in any of the six states of existence, those who are leaving one state! to be born in another ; 6. Their various and different actions in those states have become visible; whether they are in a happy, unhappy, low, eminent, or intermediate position, all that I see from this place. 7. I see also the Buddhas, those lions of kings, revealing and showing the essence of the law, comforting? many ko/is of creatures and emitting sweetsounding voices. 8. They let go forth, each in his own field, a deep, sublime, wonderful voice, while proclaiming the Buddha-laws by means of myriads of kofis of illustrations and proofs. 9. And to the ignorant creatures who are oppressed with toils and distressed in mind by birth and old age, they announce the bliss of Rest, saying: This is the end of trouble, O monks. 1o. And to those who are possessed of strength and vigour and who have acquired merit by virtue or earnest belief in the Buddhas, they show the vehicle of the Pratyekabuddhas, by observing this rule of the law.
31o. And to those who are possessed of strength and vigour and who have acquired merit by virtue or earnest belief in the Buddhas, they show the vehicle of the Pratyekabuddhas, by observing this rule of the law. 11. And the other sons of the Sugata who, striving after superior knowledge, have constantly accom- 1 The word for state, gati, also means ‘the position, place,’ e. g. of a star. * Prasvésam4n4n, var. lect. prakadsamanan; Burnouf must have followed the latter reading, his translation having ‘ instruisent.’ I. INTRODUCTORY. II plished their various tasks, them also they admonish to enlightenment. 12. From this place, O Mazgughosha, I see and hear such things and thousands of koféis of other particulars besides; I will only describe some of them. 13. I see in many fields Bodhisattvas by many thousands of kofis, like sands of the Ganges, who are producing enlightenment according to the different degree of their power. 14. There are some who charitably bestow wealth, gold, silver, gold money, pearls, jewels, conch shells, stones}, coral, male and female slaves, horses, and sheep ; 15. As well as litters adorned with jewels. They are spending gifts with glad hearts, developing themselves for superior enlightenment, in the hope of gaining the vehicle. 16. (Thus they think): ‘The best and most excellent vehicle in the whole of the threefold world is the Buddha-vehicle magnified by the Sugatas. May I, forsooth, soon gain it after my spending such gifts,’ 17. Some give carriages yoked with four horses and furnished with benches, flowers, banners, and flags; others give objects made of precious substances. 18, Some, again, give their children and wives ; 1 The text has sankhasil&; according to the Tibetan version this would mean crystal, but that is impossible because sankha is well known to be a conch shell. Burnouf hesitatingly renders it by ‘des conques, du cristal ;’ see, however, Lotus, p. 314. I have been unable to find out what meaning the compound, be it a Dvandva or a Tatpurusha, is intended to convey. 12 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. I others their own flesh; (or) offer, when bidden, their hands and feet, striving to gain supreme enlightenment. 19. Some give their heads, others their eyes, others their dear own body, and after cheerfully bestowing their gifts they aspire to the knowledge of the Tathagatas. 20. Here and there, O Mazgusrt, I behold beings who have abandoned their flourishing kingdoms, harems, and continents, left all their counsellors and kinsmen, 21. And betaken themselves to the guides of the world to ask for the most excellent law, for the sake of bliss ; they put on reddish-yellow robes, and shave hair and beard. 22. I see also many Bodhisattvas like monks, living in the forest, and others inhabiting the empty wilderness, engaged in reciting and reading.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1And at that moment there issued a ray from within the circle of hair between the eyebrows of the Lord’. It extended over eighteen hundred thousand Buddha-fields in the eastern quarter, so that all those Buddha-fields appeared wholly illuminated by its radiance, down to the great hell Avt&i and up to the limit of existence. And the beings in any of the six states * of existence became visible, all without exception. Likewise the Lords Buddhas staying, living, and existing in those Buddha-fields became all visible, and the law preached by them could be entirely heard by all beings. And the monks, nuns, lay devotees male and female, Yogins and students of Yoga, those who had obtained the fruition (of the Paths of sanctification) and those who had not, they, too, became visible. And the Bodhisattvas Mahdsattvas in those 1 This reminds one of Wordsworth’s lines : ‘Bright apparition suddenly put forth The Rainbow, smiling on the faded storm; The mild assemblage of the starry heavens ; And the great Sun, earth’s universal Lord.’ * Viz. hell, the brute creation, the world of ghosts, of demons, of men, and of gods or angels. 8 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. I. Buddha-fields who plied the Bodhisattva-course with ability, due to their earnest belief in numerous and various lessons and the fundamental ideas, they, too, became all visible. Likewise the Lords Buddhas in those Buddha-fields who had reached final Nirvana became visible, all of them. And the Stipas made of jewels and containing the relics of the extinct Buddhas became all visible in those Buddha-fields'. Then rose in the mind of the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Maitreya this thought:!O how great a wonder does the Tathagata display! What may be the cause, what the reason of the Lord producing so great a wonder as this? And such astonishing, prodigious, inconceivable, powerful miracles now appear, although the Lord is absorbed in meditation! Why, let me inquire about this matter; who would be able here to explain it to me ?; He then thought :! Here is Mazgusri, the prince royal, who has plied his office under former Ginas and planted the roots of goodness, while worshipping many Buddhas. This Mazgusri, the prince royal, must have witnessed before such signs of the former Tath4gatas, those Arhats, those perfectly enlightened Buddhas; of yore he must have enjoyed the grand conversations on the law. Therefore will I inquire about this matter with Mazgusri, the prince royal. And the four classes of the audience, monks, nuns, male and female lay devotees, numerous gods, Nagas, 1 Tt is sufficiently clear, I think, that the Buddha-fields are the heavens, and that we have in the text a description of the aspect of heaven when the stars are twinkling at dawn, shortly after or before. A Stipa denotes the spot where a luminary, for the time being extinct, once stood; in more general acceptation it must have been synonymous with dhishmya, a fire-place, or with Boyds. I. INTRODUCTORY. 9
2A Stipa denotes the spot where a luminary, for the time being extinct, once stood; in more general acceptation it must have been synonymous with dhishmya, a fire-place, or with Boyds. I. INTRODUCTORY. 9 goblins, Gandharvas, demons, Garudas, Kinnaras, great serpents, men, and beings not human, on seeing the magnificence of this great miracle of the Lord, were struck with astonishment, amazement and curiosity, and thought: Let us inquire why this magnifcent miracle has been produced by the great power of the Lord. At the same moment, at that very instant, the Bodhisattva Mahdsattva Maitreya knew in his mind the thoughts arising in the minds of the four classes of hearers and he spoke to Mazgusrt, the prince royal :'What, O Mafgusrt, is the cause, what is the reason of this wonderful, prodigious, miraculous shine having been produced by the Lord? Look, how these eighteen thousand Buddha-fields appear variegated, extremely beautiful, directed by Tathagatas and superintended by Tathagatas. Then it was that Maitreya, the Bodhisattva Mahisattva, addressed Mazigusri, the prince royal, in the following stanzas: 1. Why, Mazgusri, does this ray darted by the guide of men shine forth from between his brows? this single ray issuing from the circle of hair? and why this abundant rain of Mandaravas ? 2. The gods, overjoyed, let drop Mazgishakas and sandal powder, divine, fragrant, and delicious. 3. This earth is, on every side, replete with splendour, and all the four classes of the assembly are filled with delight, while the whole field shakes in six different ways, frightfully. 4. And that ray in the eastern quarter illuminates the whole of eighteen thousand Buddha-fields, simultaneously, so that those fields: appear as goldcoloured. Io SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. I. 5. (The universe) as far as the (hell) Avi#i (and) the extreme limit of existence, with all beings of those fields living in any of the six states of existence, those who are leaving one state! to be born in another ; 6. Their various and different actions in those states have become visible; whether they are in a happy, unhappy, low, eminent, or intermediate position, all that I see from this place. 7. I see also the Buddhas, those lions of kings, revealing and showing the essence of the law, comforting? many ko/is of creatures and emitting sweetsounding voices. 8. They let go forth, each in his own field, a deep, sublime, wonderful voice, while proclaiming the Buddha-laws by means of myriads of kofis of illustrations and proofs. 9. And to the ignorant creatures who are oppressed with toils and distressed in mind by birth and old age, they announce the bliss of Rest, saying: This is the end of trouble, O monks. 1o. And to those who are possessed of strength and vigour and who have acquired merit by virtue or earnest belief in the Buddhas, they show the vehicle of the Pratyekabuddhas, by observing this rule of the law.
31o. And to those who are possessed of strength and vigour and who have acquired merit by virtue or earnest belief in the Buddhas, they show the vehicle of the Pratyekabuddhas, by observing this rule of the law. 11. And the other sons of the Sugata who, striving after superior knowledge, have constantly accom- 1 The word for state, gati, also means ‘the position, place,’ e. g. of a star. * Prasvésam4n4n, var. lect. prakadsamanan; Burnouf must have followed the latter reading, his translation having ‘ instruisent.’ I. INTRODUCTORY. II plished their various tasks, them also they admonish to enlightenment. 12. From this place, O Mazgughosha, I see and hear such things and thousands of koféis of other particulars besides; I will only describe some of them. 13. I see in many fields Bodhisattvas by many thousands of kofis, like sands of the Ganges, who are producing enlightenment according to the different degree of their power. 14. There are some who charitably bestow wealth, gold, silver, gold money, pearls, jewels, conch shells, stones}, coral, male and female slaves, horses, and sheep ; 15. As well as litters adorned with jewels. They are spending gifts with glad hearts, developing themselves for superior enlightenment, in the hope of gaining the vehicle. 16. (Thus they think): ‘The best and most excellent vehicle in the whole of the threefold world is the Buddha-vehicle magnified by the Sugatas. May I, forsooth, soon gain it after my spending such gifts,’ 17. Some give carriages yoked with four horses and furnished with benches, flowers, banners, and flags; others give objects made of precious substances. 18, Some, again, give their children and wives ; 1 The text has sankhasil&; according to the Tibetan version this would mean crystal, but that is impossible because sankha is well known to be a conch shell. Burnouf hesitatingly renders it by ‘des conques, du cristal ;’ see, however, Lotus, p. 314. I have been unable to find out what meaning the compound, be it a Dvandva or a Tatpurusha, is intended to convey. 12 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. I others their own flesh; (or) offer, when bidden, their hands and feet, striving to gain supreme enlightenment. 19. Some give their heads, others their eyes, others their dear own body, and after cheerfully bestowing their gifts they aspire to the knowledge of the Tathagatas. 20. Here and there, O Mazgusrt, I behold beings who have abandoned their flourishing kingdoms, harems, and continents, left all their counsellors and kinsmen, 21. And betaken themselves to the guides of the world to ask for the most excellent law, for the sake of bliss ; they put on reddish-yellow robes, and shave hair and beard. 22. I see also many Bodhisattvas like monks, living in the forest, and others inhabiting the empty wilderness, engaged in reciting and reading.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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