Thus have I heard. Once upon a time the Lord was staying at Rafagrfha, on the Gmlhrakft/a 1 mountain, with a numerous assemblage of monks, twelve hundred monks, all of them Arhats, stainless, free from depravity, self-controlled 2, thoroughly eman¬ cipated in thought and knowledge, of noble breed, (like unto) great elephants, having done their task, done their duty, acquitted their charge, reached the goal; in whom the ties which bound them to existence were wholly destroyed, whose minds were thoroughly emancipated by perfect knowledge, who had reached the utmost perfection in subduing all their thoughts; who were possessed of the transcendent faculties 3; 2 Varlbhfita. Like vasin, it likewise means, ‘having subdued others or the world.’
8 The five Abhi^mas, viz. the magical powers, the divine ear, 2 I.
eminent disciples, such as the venerable A^ata- KauwaTinya, the venerable Arva^it, the venerable Vdshpa, the venerable MahAn4man, the venerable Bhadrika 1, the venerable Mah&-Ki.syapa, the venera¬ ble K&fyapa of Uruvilvd, the venerable Klryapa of Nadi, the venerable KcUyapa of Gay4 2, the venera¬ ble Aariputra, the venerable Mahi-Maudgalyiyana 3, the venerable Maha-K&ty&yana 4, the venerable Ani- ruddha 5, the venerable Revata, the venerable Kap- phma 6, the venerable Gavimpati, the venerable Pilindavatsa, the venerable Vakula, the venerable Bh&radvS^a 7, the venerable Mahi-Kaush^ila 8, the venerable Nanda (alias Mahinanda), the venerable knowledge of the thoughts of others, knowledge of former exist¬ ences, the divine eye. Sometimes a sixth Abhi^M is added, viz. the knowledge which causes the destruction of human passion; Bumouf, Lotus, p. 820 sqq.; Spence Hardy, Eastern Monachism, p. 284.
1 These are known as the Five Bhadravargiyas, or, in Pali, Pamia- vaggiyas; they were the first five disciples.
2 The conversion of K&ryapa of Uruvilva and the two following is told in Buddhist Birth Stories (translated by Rhys Davids), 1,114; Mahavagga (ed. Oldenberg) I, 15.
3 Aariputra and Maudgalyayana are termed the foremost or chief disciples (agrarravaka) of the Lord. About their con¬ version, see Birth Stories, I, 118; Mahavagga I, 23.
4 About him, see Mahavagga V, 13.
5 In Pili, Anuruddha; the story of his conversion is told A'ulla- vagga (ed. Oldenberg) I, 8.
6 The name is variously spelt Kapphi«a, Kasphi«a, Kashphiwa, Kapphilla, Kawzphilla. The Tibetan form Kapina (in Lotus, p. 294) agrees with Maha-Kappina in Pali writings; MahavaggaII, 5; X, 5. I cannot help guessing that the name is identical with 2r/>Atjr, the proper name of Kalanos, in Plutarch’s Alexander, chap. 65; one WOUld expect Kairtplvrjs.
I.
INTRODUCTORY.
3 Upananda 1, the venerable Sundara-Nanda 2, the vene¬ rable Pftraa Maitraya;nputra, the venerable Subhftti, the venerable Rahula; with them yet other great dis¬ ciples, as the venerable Ananda, still under training, and two thousand other monks, some of whom still under training, the others masters; with six thousand nuns having at their head Mahapra^apati 3, and the nun Yasodharcl, the mother of R&hula, along with her train; (further) with eighty thousand Bodhisattvas, all unable to slide back 4, endowed with the spells of supreme, perfect enlightenment, firmly standing in wisdom; who moved onward the never deviating 5 wheel of the law; who had propitiated many hun¬ dred thousands of Buddhas; who under many hundred thousands of Buddhas had planted the roots of goodness, had been intimate with many hundred thousands of Buddhas, were in body and mind fully penetrated with the feeling of charity; able in com¬ municating the wisdom of the Tathagatas; very wise, having reached the perfection of wisdom; re¬ nowned in many hundred thousands of worlds; having saved many hundred thousand myriads 6 of kods 7 of beings; such as the Bodhisattva Maha- 2 Known from Lalita-vistara, p. 164; Bumouf has Sunanda.
3 Gautami, the aunt of Gautama Buddha.
4 Or, to swerve from their course.
6 Or, never rolling back.
6 I have followed Bumouf in translating nayuta by ten thousand; this being the value of the Sanskrit term ayuta. According to the Petersburg Dictionary the Northern Buddhists attach to nay uta the value of 100,000 millions. The P&li nahuta is said to be a vast number, one followed by twenty-eight ciphers; but in Spence Hardy’s Manual of Buddhism, p. 193, its worth is put down at a myriad.
4 I.
sattva 1 Ma^ufrl, as prince royal 2; the Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas A valokitesvara, Mahasthamaprapta, Sar- varthanaman, Nityodyukta, Anikshiptadhura, Ratna- pazzi, Bhaisha^yarao'a, Pradanasura, Ratnaiandra, Ratnaprabha, Phma^andra, Mahavikramin, Trailo- kavikramin, Anantavikramin, Mahapratibhana, Sata- tasamitabhiyukta, Dharazzidhara 3, Akshayamati, Pad- masrl, Nakshatrara^a, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Maitreya, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Sizzzha.
With them were also the sixteen virtuous men to begin with Bhadrapala, to wit, Bhadrapala, Ratna- kara, Susarthavaha, Naradatta 4 5, Guhagupta, Varu- zzadatta, I ndradatta, U ttaramati, Vbeshamati, Vardha- manamati, Amoghadardn, Susazzzsthita, Suvikranta- vikramin, Anupamamati, Suryagarbha, and Dhara- zzidhara; besides eighty thousand Bodhisattvas, among whom the fore-mentioned were the chiefs; further.Sakra, the ruler of the celestials, with twenty thousand gods, his followers, such as the god Afandra (the Moon), the god Shrya (the Sun), the god Samantagandha (the Wind), the god Rat¬ naprabha, the god Avabhasaprabha, and others; further, the four great rulers of the cardinal points with thirty thousand gods in their train, viz. the great ruler Viruz//zaka, the great ruler Virhpaksha, the great ruler Dhrz’tarash/ra, and the great ruler Vauravazza; the god tsvara and the god Mahe- •svara 6, each followed by thirty thousand gods; further, 8 In chap. XXIV he occurs as Bodhisattva Mahasattva Dhara- mndhara.
4 Burnouf has Ratnadatta.
5 The distinction between Irvara and Mahervara, both mere I.
INTRODUCTORY.
5 Brahma Sahampati 1 and his twelve thousand fol¬ lowers, the Brahmakayika gods, amongst whom Brahma.Sikhm 2 and Brahma Cyotishprabha, with the other twelve thousand Brahmakayika gods 3; together with the eight Naga kings and many hundred thou¬ sand myriads of ko/is of Ndgas in their train, viz. the Naga king Nanda, the Naga king Upananda, S&gara, Vasuki, Takshaka, Manasvin, Anavatapta, and Utpalaka; further, the four Kinnara kings with many hundred thousand myriads of ko/is of fol¬ lowers, viz. the Kinnara king Drama, the Kinnara king Mahcldharma, the Kinnara king Sudharma, and the Kinnara king Dharmadhara; besides, the four divine beings (called) Gandharvakayikas with many hundred thousand Gandharvas in their suite, viz. the Gandharva Mancha, the Gandharva Manq^wasvara, the Gandharva Madhura, and the Gandharva Ma- dhurasvara; further, the four chiefs of the demons epithets of.Siva, has its counterpart in the equally fanciful difference between Tishya and Pushya, Meru and Sumeru, which occurs in Buddhist writings. In Mahavastu, p. 355 (ed. Senart), we even find M&ya distinguished from Mahamaya.
1 On comparing Lalita-vistara, p. 515, 1. 3, with the parallel pas¬ sage Mahavagga I, 5, 4, it appears that Sahampati and.Sikhin are synonymous terms. As.Sikhin is a common term for Agni and as to the latter in Rig-veda I, 97, 5; 127, 10; III, 14, 2, is applied the epithet of sahasvat, it may be inferred that Sahampati and the collateral form Sahapati answer to a Sanskrit sahasampati or sahaspati.
2 Another instance of a fanciful distinction.
3 It may be remarked that in the enumeration of gods, between .Siva and Brahma, Vishnu is wanting. Those who adopt the view that Aakyamuni is an Avatara of Vishnu, consequently a mythical being, will readily account for that omission by saying that Vishnu and the Lord Buddha are identical, so that Vishnu is present in the gathering, under the disguise of Buddha.
6 I.
followed by many hundred thousand myriads of ko/is of demons, viz. the chief of the demons Bali, Kharaskandha x, Vema/&itri 1 2, and Rahu; along with the four Garut/a chiefs followed by many hundred thousand myriads of ko/is of GatWas, viz. the GaiWa chiefs Mahite^as, Mahakaya, Mahapuma, and Maharddhiprapta, and with Afata.?atru, king of Magadha, the son of Vaidehi.
Now at that time it was that the Lord surrounded, attended, honoured, revered, venerated, worshipped by the four classes of hearers, after expounding the Dharmaparyiya 3 called ‘the Great Exposition,’ a text of great development, serving to instruct Bodhi- sattvas and proper to all Buddhas, sat cross-legged on the seat of the law and entered upon the medita¬ tion termed ‘the station of the exposition of Infinity;’ his body was motionless and his mind had reached perfect tranquillity. And as soon as the Lord had entered upon his meditation, there fell a great rain of divine flowers, Mandaravas 4 and great Mandaravas, Ma^ushakas and great MaA^ushakas 4, covering the Lord and the four classes of hearers, while the whole Buddha field shook in six ways: it moved, 1 Burnouf has Suraskandha.
2 This is a wrong Sanskritisation of a Prakrit Vema/itti, Pali Vepa&tti; the proper Sanskrit equivalent is Vipra/dtti.
3 I. e. turn, period, or roll of the law; it may often be rendered by ‘a discourse on the law.’ In the sense of period, term, end, it is used as the title of the closing chapter of the whole work.
4 Mandarava, or rather Mandarava, derived from mandaru= mandara, Erythrina, is here a heavenly flower, or, as the Indians say, ‘a cloud-flower,' meghapushpa, i.e. raindrop and hail¬ stone. Mafl^ftsha is a name of the Rubia Manjista; the word is also said to mean, ‘a stone;’ in this case perhaps a hailstone or dewdrop.
I.
INTRODUCTORY.
7 removed, trembled, trembled from one end to the other, tossed, tossed along.
Then did those who were assembled and sitting together in that congregation, monks, nuns, male and female lay devotees, gods, Nigas, goblins, Gan- dharvas, demons, Garudas, Kinnaras, great serpents, men, and beings not human, as well as governors of a region, rulers of armies and rulers of four con¬ tinents, all of them with their followers, gaze on the Lord in astonishment, in amazement, in ecstasy.
And at that moment there issued a ray from within the circle of hair between the eyebrows of the Lord 1. It extended over eighteen hundred thousand Buddha-fields in the eastern quarter, so that all those Buddha-fields appeared wholly illu¬ minated by its radiance, down to the great hell Avb£i and up to the limit of existence. And the beings in any of the six states 2 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 sanc¬ tification) and those who had not, they, too, became visible. And the Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas 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.’
2 Viz. hell, the brute creation, the world of ghosts, of demons, of men, and of gods or angels.
8 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 Stfipas made of jewels and containing the relics of the extinct Buddhas became all visible in those Buddha-fields 1.
Then rose in the mind of the Bodhisattva MaM- sattva 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, pro¬ digious, 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 Ma%usrl, the prince royal, who has plied his office under former Cinas and planted the roots of goodness, while worshipping many Buddhas. This Ma^asri, the prince royal, must have witnessed before such signs of the former Tathagatas, 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 Ma^md, the prince royal.
And the four classes of the audience, monks, nuns, male and female lay devotees, numerous gods, Nagas, 1 It 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 Stfipa denotes the spot where a luminary, for the time being extinct, once stood; in more general acceptation it must have been synonymous with dhishwya, a fire-place, or with frapis.
I.
INTRODUCTORY.
9 goblins, Gandharvas, demons, GatWas, 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 curio¬ sity, and thought: Let us inquire why this magnifi¬ cent miracle has been produced by the great power of the Lord.
At the same moment, at that very instant, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Maitreya knew in his mind the thoughts arising in the minds of the four classes of hearers and he spoke to M.a.ng\xsxi, the prince royal: What, O Ma%iuri, 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 varie¬ gated, extremely beautiful, directed by Tathigatas and superintended by Tathigatas.
Then it was that Maitreya, the Bodhisattva Mahisattva, addressed Maw^utrl, the prince royal, in the following stanzas: 1. Why, Ma^ruri, 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 Mandiravas?
2. The gods, overjoyed, let drop Ma^hshakas and sandal powder, divine, fragrant, and delicious.
3. This earth is, on every side, replete with splen¬ dour, 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, simul¬ taneously, so that those fields appear as gold- coloured.
5. (The universe) as far as the (hell) AvL£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 1 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, com¬ forting 2 many koris of creatures and emitting sweet¬ sounding 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 ko/is of illustrations and proofs.
9. And to the ignorant creatures who are op¬ pressed 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.
10. 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.
2 PrajvdsamSnan, var. lect. prakasam&nan; Burnouf must have followed the latter reading, his translation having ‘instrui- sent.’
I.
INTRODUCTORY.
II plished their various tasks, them also they admonish to enlightenment.
12. From this place, O Ma/^ughosha, I see and hear such things and thousands of ko/is of other particulars besides; I will only describe some of them.
13. I see in many fields Bodhisattvas by many thousands of ko/is, like sands of the Ganges, who are producing enlightenment according to the dif¬ ferent degree of their power.
14. There are some who charitably bestow wealth, gold, silver, gold money, pearls, jewels, conch shells, stones 1, coral, male and female slaves, horses, and sheep; 15. As well as litters adorned with jewels. They are spending gifts with glad hearts, developing them¬ selves for superior enlightenment, in the hope of gaining the vehicle.
16. (Thus they think): ‘The best and most ex¬ cellent 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 sub¬ stances.
18. Some, again, give their children and wives; 1 The text has ^ankhaj-ila; according to the Tibetan version this would mean crystal, but that is impossible because jahkha 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 I.
others their own flesh; (or) offer, when bidden, their hands and feet, striving to gain supreme en¬ lightenment.
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 Marumi, 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.
23. And some Bodhisattvas I see, who, full of wisdom (or constancy), betake themselves to moun¬ tain caves, where by cultivating and meditating the Buddha-knowledge they arrive at its perception.
24. Others who have renounced all sensual de¬ sires, by purifying their own self, have cleared their sphere and obtained the five transcendent faculties, live in the wilderness, as (true) sons of the Sugata.
25. Some are standing firm, the feet put together and the hands joined in token of respect towards the leaders, and are praising joyfully the king of the leading Ginas in thousands of stanzas.
26. Some thoughtful, meek, and tranquil, who have mastered the niceties of the course of duty, question the highest of men about the law, and retain in their memory what they have learnt.
I.
INTRODUCTORY.
13 27. And I see here and there some sons of the principal Gma who, after completely developing their own self, are preaching the law to many kods of living beings with many myriads of illustrations and reasons.
28. Joyfully they proclaim the law, rousing many Bodhisattvas; after conquering the Evil One with his hosts and vehicles, they strike the drum of the law.
29. I see some sons of the Sugata, humble, calm, and quiet in conduct, living under the command of the Sugatas, and honoured by men, gods, goblins, and Titans.
30. Others, again, who have retired to woody thickets, are saving the creatures in the hells by emitting radiance from their body, and rouse them to enlightenment.
31. There are some sons of the Gma who dwell in the forest, abiding in vigour, completely re¬ nouncing sloth, and actively engaged in walking; it is by energy that they are striving for supreme enlightenment.
32. Others complete their course by keeping a constant purity and an unbroken morality like pre¬ cious stones and jewels; by morality do these strive for supreme enlightenment.
33. Some sons of the Gma, whose strength con¬ sists in forbearance, patiently endure abuse, censure, and threats from proud monks. They try to attain enlightenment by dint of forbearance.
34. Further, I see Bodhisattvas, who have for¬ saken all wanton pleasures, shun unwise companions and delight in having intercourse with genteel men (dryas); I.
H 35. Who, with avoidance of any distraction of thoughts and with attentive mind, during thousands of ko/is of years have meditated in the caves of the wilderness; these strive for enlightenment by dint of meditation.
36. Some, again, offer in presence of the (Tinas and the assemblage of disciples gifts (consisting) in food hard and soft, meat and drink, medicaments for the sick, in plenty and abundance.
37. Others offer in presence of the (Tinas and the assemblage of disciples hundreds of ko/is of clothes, worth thousands of ko/is, and garments of priceless value.
38. They bestow in presence of the Sugatas hun¬ dreds of ko/is of monasteries which they have caused to be built of precious substances and sandal-wood, and which are furnished with numerous lodgings (or couches).
39. Some present the leaders of men and their disciples with neat and lovely gardens abounding with fruits and beautiful flowers, to serve as places of daily recreation.
40. When they have, with joyful feelings, made such various and splendid donations, they rouse their energy in order to obtain enlightenment; these are those who try to reach supreme enlightenment by means of charitableness.
41. Others set forth the law of quietness, by many myriads of illustrations and proofs; they preach it to thousands of ko/is of living beings; these are tending to supreme enlightenment by science.
42. (There are) sons of the Sugata who try to reach enlightenment by wisdom; they understand the law of indifference and avoid acting at the I.
INTRODUCTORY.
15 antinomy (of things), unattached like birds in the sky.
43. Further, I see, O Maw/ughosha, many Bodhi- sattvas who have displayed steadiness under the rule of the departed Sugatas, and now are wor¬ shipping the relics of the (Pinas.
44. I see thousands of ko/is of Stftpas, numerous as the sand of the Ganges, which have been raised by these sons of the (Pina and now adorn ko/is of grounds.
45. Those magnificent Stftpas, made of seven precious substances, with their thousands of ko/is of umbrellas and banners, measure in height no less than 5000 yo^anas and 2000 in circumference 1.
46. They are always decorated with flags; a mul¬ titude of bells is constantly heard sounding; men, gods, goblins, and Titans pay their worship with flowers, perfumes, and music.
47. Such honour do the sons of the Sugata render to the relics of the (Pinas, so that all directions of space are brightened as by the celestial coral trees in full blossom.
48. From this spot I behold all this; those nu¬ merous ko(is of creatures; both this world and heaven covered with flowers, owing to the single ray shot forth by the (Pina.
49. O how powerful is the Leader of men! how extensive and bright is his knowledge! that a single beam darted by him over the world renders visible so many thousands of fields!
50. We are astonished at seeing this sign and 1 It is evident that there is no question of earthly Stupas, nor of hyperbolic phrases.
this wonder, so great, so incomprehensible. Ex¬ plain me the matter, O Ma^usvara! the sons of Buddha are anxious to know it.
51. The four classes of the congregation in joyful expectation gaze on thee, O hero, and on me; gladden (their hearts); remove their doubts; grant a revelation, O son of Sugata!
52. Why is it that the Sugata has now emitted such a light? O how great is the power of the Leader of men! O how extensive and holy is his knowledge!
53. That one ray extending from him all over the world makes visible many thousands of fields. It must be for some purpose that this great ray has been emitted.
54. Is the Lord of men to show the primordial laws which he, the Highest of men, discovered on the terrace of enlightenment? Or is he to prophesy the Bodhisattvas their future destiny?
55. There must be a weighty reason why so many thousands of fields have been rendered visible, variegated, splendid, and shining with gems, while Buddhas of infinite sight are appearing.
56. Maitreya asks the son of £rina; men, gods, goblins, and Titans, the four classes of the congrega¬ tion, are eagerly awaiting what answer Ma/z^usvara shall give in explanation.
Whereupon Mangnsri, the prince royal, addressed Maitreya, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva, and the whole assembly of Bodhisattvas (in these words): It is the intention of the Tath&gata, young men of good family, to begin a grand discourse for the teaching of the law, to pour the great rain of the law, to make resound the great drum of the law, to raise the great I.
INTRODUCTORY.
17 banner of the law, to kindle the great torch of the law, to blow the great conch trumpet of the law, and to strike the great tymbal of the law. Again, it is the intention of the Tath&gata, young men of good family, to make a grand exposition of the law this very day. Thus it appears to me, young men of good family, as I have witnessed a similar sign of the former Tathagatas 1, the Arhats, the perfectly enlightened. Those former Tath&gatas, &c., they, too, emitted a lustrous ray, and I am convinced that the Tath&gata is about to deliver a grand discourse for the teaching of the law and make his grand speech on the law everywhere heard, he having shown such a fore¬ token. And because the Tathagata, &c., wishes that this Dharmaparyaya meeting opposition in all the world 2 be heard everywhere, therefore does he display so great a miracle and this fore-token con¬ sisting in the lustre occasioned by the emission of a ray.
1 Hence it follows that Mangurri is eternally young, like the rising sun, like Mithra, and like the Arhatara deva, the latest, or youngest, of the Arhats or <?inas.
2 The rendering of vipratyanika, var.lect. vipratyaniyaka, is doubtful. Burnouf, who translates it by ‘ avec laquelle (le monde entier) doit 6tre en disaccord,’remarks in his comment (Lotus, p. 323) that the Tibetan version assigns to pratyaniyaka the meaning of ‘ accordance, concord.’ It is, however, extremely doubtful whether such a word as pratyantyaka exists at all, and if pratyanlka should really be used in the sense of ‘ concord,’ notwithstanding its generally occurring in the sense of ‘ opposition,’ we must suppose that from the notion of ‘an opposite party’ has developed that of a party, paksha, in general. On that assumption we can account for vipratyanika being used in the sense of vipaksha, repugnant, contrary, belonging to a different party. As to vipratyaniyaka, alsoLalita-vistara,p. 513, this may be a wrongly Sanskritised vippa/L ^aniyaka, to which would answer a Sanskrit vipratyanikaka.
i8 I.
I remember, young men of good family, that in the days of yore, many immeasurable, inconceivable, immense, infinite, countless Aions, more than count¬ less Aions ago, nay, long and very long before, there was born a Tathagata called A’andrashrya- pradipa 1, an Arhat, &c., endowed with science and conduct 2, a Sugata, knower of the world, an incom¬ parable tamer of men, a teacher (and ruler) of gods and men, a Buddha and Lord. He showed the law; he revealed the duteous course which is holy at its commencement, holy in its middle, holy at the end, good in substance and form, complete and perfect, correct and pure. That is to say, to the disciples he preached the law containing the four Noble Truths, and starting from the chain of causes and effects, tending to overcome birth, decrepitude, sick¬ ness, death, sorrow, lamentation, woe, grief, despond¬ ency, and finally leading to Nirvd^a; and to the Bodhisattvas he preached the law connected with the six Perfections 3, and terminating in the know¬ ledge of the Omniscient, after the attainment of supreme, perfect enlightenment.
[Now, young men of good family, long before the time of that Tathigata Aandrasuryapradipa, the Arhat, &c., there had appeared a Tathagata, &c., likewise called /dandrasfiryapradfpa, after whom, O A^ita 4, there were twenty thousand Tathagatas, 1 I. e. having the shine of moon and sun.
2 Otherwise, with light and motion.
3 The six Paramitas, viz. of almsgiving, morality, patience, zeal or energy, meditation, and wisdom.
4 I.e. invincible, invictus. The palpable connection between Maitreya Agita and Mithras Invictus is no proof of the Buddhists having borrowed the figure from the Persians; the coincidence I. INTRODUCTORY, 19 &c., all of them bearing the name of Aandrasurya- pradipa, of the same lineage and family name, to wit, of Bharadva^a 5. All those twenty thousand Tathagatas, O A^ita, from the first to the last, showed the law, revealed the course which is holy at its commencement, holy in its middle, holy at the The aforesaid Lord Aandrasfiryapradipa, the Tathagata, &c., when a young prince and not yet having left home (to embrace the ascetic life), had eight sons, viz. the young princes Sumati, Ananta- mati, Ratnamati, VLeshamati, VimatisamudgMtin, Ghoshamati, and Dharmamati. These eight young princes, A_gita, sons to the Lord Aandrashryapradlpa, the Tathagata, had an immense fortune 3. Each of them was in possession of four great continents, where they exercised the kingly sway. When they saw that the Lord had left his home to become an ascetic, and heard that he had attained supreme, perfect enlightenment, they forsook all of them the pleasures of royalty and followed the example of the Lord by resigning the world; all of them strove to being perfectly explainable if we consider the narrow relationship of Indian and Iranian mythology. Maitreya is not strictly identical with Mitra, but a younger edition, so to speak, of him; he is the future saviour.
1 It is clear that Bharadva^a, a well-known progenitor of one of the Brahmanic families, existed long before the creation, i.e. of the last creation of the world. There can be no question of his being a man, at least in the system of the Lotus.
2 The words in brackets are wanting in one of the MSS.
3 7?z'ddhi is the word used in the text. As an ecclesiastical term it denotes ‘ magic power,’ but that artificial meaning does not suit here.
20 I.
reach superior enlightenment and became preachers of the law. While constantly leading a holy life, those young princes planted roots of goodness under many thousands of Buddhas.
It was at that time, A^ita, that the Lord ATandra- suryapradipa, the Tathigata, &c., after expounding the Dharmaparyaya called ‘ the Great Exposition,’ a text of great extension, serving to instruct Bodhi- sattvas and proper to all Buddhas, at the same moment and instant, at the same gathering of the classes of hearers, sat cross-legged on the same seat of the law, and entered upon the meditation termed ‘the Station of the exposition of Infinity;’ his body was motionless, and his mind had reached perfect tranquillity. And as soon as the Lord had entered upon meditation, there fell a great rain of divine flowers, Mandaravas and great Mandaravas, Ma n- ^ushakas and great Ma^hshakas, covering the Lord and the four classes of hearers, while the whole Buddha-field shook in six ways; it moved, removed, trembled, trembled from one end to the other, tossed, tossed along.
Then did those who were assembled and sitting together at that congregation, monks, nuns, male and female lay devotees, gods, Nagas, goblins, Gandharvas, demons, Garuafas, Kinnaras, great serpents, men and beings not human, as well as governors of a region, rulers of armies and rulers of four continents, all of them with their followers gaze on the Lord in astonishment, in amazement, in ecstasy.
And at that moment there issued a ray from within the circle of hair between the eyebrows of the Lord. It extended over eighteen hundred I.
INTRODUCTORY.
thousand Buddha-fields in the eastern quarter, so that all those Buddha-fields appeared wholly illu¬ minated by its radiance, just like the Buddha-fields do now, O Agita.
[At that juncture, A^ita, there were twenty ko/is of Bodhisattvas following the Lord. All hearers of the law in that assembly, on seeing how the world w'as illuminated by the lustre of that ray, felt astonishment, amazement, ecstasy, and curio¬ sity h] Now it happened, Ayita, that under the rule of the aforesaid Lord there was a Bodhisattva called Varaprabha, who had eight hundred pupils. It was to this Bodhisattva Varaprabha that the Lord, on rising from his meditation, revealed the Dharmaparyaya called ‘the Lotus of the True Law.’ He spoke during fully sixty intermediate kalpas, always sitting on the same seat, with immovable body and tranquil mind. And the whole assembly continued sitting on the same seats, listening to the preaching of the Lord for sixty intermediate kalpas, there being not a single creature in that assembly who felt fatigue of body or mind.
As the Lord Aandrasuryapradlpa, the Tathagata, &c., during sixty intermediate kalpas had been ex¬ pounding the Dharmaparyaya called ‘ the Lotus of the True Law,’ a text of great development, serving to instruct Bodhisattvas and proper to all Buddhas, he instantly announced his complete Nirvana to the world, including the gods, Maras and Brahmas, to all creatures, including ascetics, Brahmans, gods, men and demons, saying: To-day, O monks, this very 1 The passage in brackets is wanting in one of the MSS.
22 I.
night, in the middle watch, will the Tathagata, by entering the element of absolute Nirva/za, become wholly extinct.
Thereupon, A^ita, the Lord A'andrasdryapradipa, the Tathagata, &c., predestinated the Bodhisattva called Arigarbha to supreme, perfect enlightenment, and then spoke thus to the whole assembly: O monks, this Bodhisattva.S’rigarbha here shall immediately after me attain supreme, perfect en¬ lightenment, and become Vimalanetra, the Tathi- gata, &c.