Buddhism: The Lotus Sutra

 

CHAPTER XIX.
SADaPARIBHuTA.

the Lord (Buddha) then addressed the Bodhisattva Mahisattva Mahasthamaprapta. In a similar way, Mahasthamaprapta, one may infer from what has been said that he who rejects such a Dharmaparyaya as this, who abuses monks, nuns, lay devotees male or female, keeping this Sutra, insults them, treats them with false and harsh words, shall experience dire results, to such an extent as is impossible to express in words. But those that keep, read, comprehend, teach, amply expound it to others, shall experience happy results, such as I have already mentioned: they shall attain such a perfection of the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind as just described.

In the days of yore, Mahasthamaprapta, at a past period, before incalculable Æons, nay, more than incalculable, immense, inconceivable, and even long before, there appeared in the world a Tathagata, &c., named Bhîshmagargitasvararaga, endowed with science and conduct, a Sugata, &c. &c., in the Æon Vinirbhoga, in the world Mahasambhava. Now, Mahasthamaprapta, that Lord Bhîshmagargitasvararaga, the Tathagata, &c., in that world Vinirbhoga, showed the law in the presence of the world, including gods, men, and demons; the law containing the four noble truths and starting from the chain of causes and efferts, tending to overcome birth, decrepitude, sickness, death, sorrow, lamentation, woe, grief, despondency, and finally leading to Nirvana, he showed to the disciples; the law connected with the six Perfections of virtue and terminating in the knowledge of the Omniscient, after the attainment of supreme, perfect enlightenment, he showed to the Bodhisattvas. The lifetime of that Lord Bhîshmagargitasvararaga, the Tathagata, &c., lasted forty hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Æons equal to the sands of the river Ganges. After his complete extinction his true law remained hundred thousands of myriads of kotis of Æons equal to the atoms (contained) in Gambudvîpa, and the counterfeit of the true law continued hundred thousands of myriads of kotis of Æons equal to the dust-atoms in the four continents. When the counterfeit of the true law of the Lord (Buddha) Bhîshmagargitasvararaga, the Tathagata, &c., after his complete extinction, had disappeared in the world Mahasambhava, Mahasthamaprapta, another Tathagata Bhîshmagargitasvararaga, Arhat, &c., appeared, endowed with science and conduct. So in succession, Mahasthamaprapta, there arose in that world Mahasambhava twenty hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Tathagatas, &c., called Bhîshmagargitasvararaga. At the time, Mahasthamaprapta, after the complete extinction of the first Tathagata amongst all those of the name of Bhîshmagargitasvararaga, Tathagata, &c., endowed with science and conduct, &c. &c., when his true law had disappeared and the counterfeit of the true law was fading; when the reign (of the law) was being oppressed by proud monks, there was a monk, a Bodhisattva Mahasattva, called Sadaparibhuta. For what reason, Mahasthamaprapta, was that Bodhisattva Mahasattva called Sadaparibhuta? It was, Mahasthamaprapta, because that Bodhisattva Mahasattva was in the habit of exclaiming to every monk or nun, male or female lay devotee, while approaching them: I do not contemn you, worthies. You deserve no contempt, for you all observe the course of duty of Bodhisattvas and are to become Tath.agatas, &c. In this way, Mahasthamaprapta, that Bodhisattva Mahasattva, when a monk, did not teach nor study; the only thing he did was, whenever he descried from afar a monk or nun, a male or female lay devotee, to approach them and exclaim: I do not contemn you, sisters. You deserve no contempt, for you all observe the course of duty of Bodhisattvas and are to become Tathagatas, &c. So, Mahasthamaprapta, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva at that time used to address every monk or nun, male or female devotee. But all were extremely irritated and angry at it, showed him their displeasure, abused and insulted him: Why does he, unasked, declare that he feels no contempt for us? just by so doing he shows a contempt for us. He renders himself contemptible by predicting our future destiny to supreme, perfect enlightenment; we do not care for what is not true. Many years, Mahasthamaprapta, went on during which that Bodhisattva Mahasattva was being abused, but he was not angry at anybody, nor felt malignity, and to those who, when he addressed them in the said manner, cast a clod or stick at him, he loudly exclaimed from afar: I do not contemn you. Those monks and nuns, male and female lay devotees, being always and ever addressed by him in that phrase gave him the (nick)name of Sadaparibhuta.

Under those circumstances, Mahasthamaprapta, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Sadaparibhuta happened to hear this Dharmaparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law when the end of his life was impending, and the moment of dying drawing near. It was the Lord (Buddha) Bhîshmagargitasvararaga, the Tathagata, &c., who expounded this Dharmaparyaya in twenty times twenty hundred thousand myriads of kotis of stanzas, which the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Sadaparibhuta heard from a voice in the sky, when the time of his death was near at hand. On hearing that voice from the sky, without there appearing a person speaking, he grasped this Dharmaparyaya and obtained the perfections already mentioned: the perfection of sight, hearing, smell, taste, body, and mind. With the attainment of these perfections he at the same time made a vow to prolong his life for twenty hundred thousand myriads of kotis of years, and promulgated this Dharmaparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law. And all those proud beings, monks, nuns, male and female lay devotees to whom he had said: I do not contemn you, and who had given him the name of Sadaparibhuta, became all his followers to hear the law, after they had seen the power and strength of his sublime magic faculties, of his vow, of his readiness of wit, of his wisdom. All those and many hundred thousand myriads of kotis of other beings were by him roused to supreme, perfect enlightenment.

Afterwards, Mahasthamaprapta, that Bodhisattva Mahasattva disappeared from that place and propitiated twenty hundred kotis of Tathagatas, &c., all bearing the same name of Kandraprabhasvararaga, under all of whom he promulgated this Dharmaparyaya. By virtue of his previous root of goodness he, in course of time, propitiated twenty hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Tathagatas, &c., all bearing the name of Dundubhisvararaga, and under all he obtained this very Dharmaparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law and promulgated it to the four classes. By virtue of his previous root of goodness he again, in course of time, propitiated twenty hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Tathagatas, &c., all bearing the name of Meghasvararaga, and under all he obtained this very Dharmaparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law and promulgated it to the four classes. And under all of them he was possessed of the afore-mentioned perfectness of sight, hearing, smell, taste, body, and mind.

Now, Mahasthamaprapta, that Bodhisattva Mahasattva Sadaparibhuta, after having honoured, respected, esteemed, worshipped, venerated, revered so many hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Tathagatas, and after having acted in the same way towards many hundred thousand myriads of kotis of other Buddhas, obtained under all of them this very Dharmaparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law, and owing to his former root of goodness having come to full development, gained supreme, perfect enlightenment. Perhaps, Mahasthamaprapta, thou wilt have some doubt, uncertainty, or misgiving, and think that he who at that time, at that juncture was the Bodhisattva Mahasattva called Sadaparibhuta was one, and he who under the rule of that Lord Bhishmagargitasvararaga, the Tathagata, &c., was generally called Sadaparibhuta by the four classes, by whom so many Tathagatas were propitiated, was another. But thou shouldst not think so. For it is myself who at that time, at that juncture was the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Sadaparibhuta. Had I not formerly grasped and kept this Dharmaparyaya, Mahasthamaprapta, I should not so soon have arrived at supreme, perfect enlightenment. It is because I have kept, read, preached this Dharmaparyaya (derived) from the teaching of the ancient Tathagatas, &c., Mahasthamaprapta, that I have so soon arrived at supreme, perfect enlightenment. As to the hundreds of monks, nuns, male and female lay devotees, Mahasthamaprapta, to whom under that Lord the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Sadaparibhuta promulgated this Dharmaparyaya by saying: I do not contemn you; you all observe the course of duty of Bodhisattvas; you are to become Tathagatas, &c., and in whom awoke a feeling of malignity towards that Bodhisattva, they in twenty hundred thousand myriads of kotis of .Æons never saw a Tathagata, nor heard the call of the law, nor the call of the assembly, and for ten thousand Æons they suffered terrible pain in the great hell Avîki. Thereafter released from the ban, they by the instrumentality of that Bodhisattva Mahasattva were all brought to full ripeness for supreme, perfect enlightenment. Perhaps, Mahasthamaprapta, thou wilt have some doubt, uncertainty, or misgiving as to who at that time, at that juncture were the persons hooting and laughing at the Bodhisattva Mahasattva. They are, in this very assembly, the five hundred Bodhisattvas headed by Bhadrapala, the five hundred nuns following Simhakandra, the five hundred lay devotees following Sugataketana,who all of them have been rendered inflexible in supreme, perfect enlightenment. So greatly useful it is to keep and preach this Dharmaparyaya, as it tends to result for Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas in supreme, perfect enlightenment. Hence, Mahasthamaprapta, the Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas should, after the complete extinction of the Tathagata, constantly keep, read, and promulgate this Dharmaparyaya.

And on that occasion the Lord (Buddha) uttered the following stanzas:

1. I remember a past period, when king Bhîshmasvara, the Gina, lived, very mighty, and revered by gods and men, the leader of men, gods, goblins, and giants.

2. At the time succeeding the complete extinction of that Gina, when the decay of the true law was far advanced, there was a monk, a Bodhisattva, called by the name of Sadaparibhuta.

3. Other monks and nuns who did not believe but in what they saw, he would approach (and say): I never am to contemn you, for you observe the course leading to supreme enlightenment.

4. It was his wont always to utter those words, which brought him but abuse and taunts from their part. At the time when his death was impending he heard this Sutra.

5. The sage, then, did not expire; he resolved upon a very long life, and promulgated this Sutra under the rule of that leader.

6. And those many (persons) who only acknowledged the evidence of sensual perception were by him brought to full ripeness for enlightenment. Then, disappearing from that place, he propitiated thousands of kotis of Buddhas.

7. Owing to the successive good actions performed by him, and to his constantly promulgating this Sutra, that son of Gina reached enlightenment. That Bodhisattva then is myself, Sakyamuni.

8. And those persons who only believed in perception by the senses, those monks, nuns, male and female lay devotees who by the sage were admonished of enlightenment,

9. And who have seen many kotis of Buddhas, are the monks here before me,-no less than five hundred,-nuns, and female lay devotees.

10. All of them have been by me brought to complete ripeness, and after my extinction they will all, full of wisdom, keep this Sutra.

11. Not once in many, inconceivably many kotis of Æons has such a Sutra as this been heard. There are, indeed, hundreds of kotis of Buddhas, but they do not elucidate this Sutra.

12. Therefore let one who has heard this law exposed by the Self-born himself, and who has repeatedly propitiated him, promulgate this Sutra after my extinction in this world.

from Buddhism: The Lotus Sutra