Further, Ma^ourl, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva, living at the time of destruction of the true law after the extinction of the Tathagata, who is desirous of keeping this Dharmaparyaya, should live as far as possible away from laymen and friars, and lead a life of charity. He must feel affection for all beings who are striving for enlightenment and therefore make this reflection: To be sure, they are greatly perverted in mind, those beings who do not hear, nor perceive, nor understand the skilfulness and the mystery 1 of the Tathagata, who do not inquire for it, nor believe in it, nor even are willing to believe in it. Of course, these beings do not penetrate, nor understand this Dharma- paryiya. Nevertheless will I, who have attained 2 this supreme, perfect knowledge, powerfully 3 bend to it the mind of every one, whatever may be the position he occupies, and bring about that he accepts, under¬ stands, and arrives at full ripeness.
By possessing also this fourth quality, VL^ngnsri, a Bodhisattva Mahasattva, who is to expound the law after the extinction of the Tathagata, will be 1 Sandh&bh&shita.
s Abhisambudhya.
3 Balena; in the margin added by a later hand, rfddhi; this is the reading followed by Burnouf, ‘par la force de mes facuMs surnaturelles.’
T unmolested, honoured, respected, esteemed, vene¬ rated by monks, nuns, and lay devotees, male and female, by kings, princes, ministers, king’s officers, by citizens and country people, by Brahmans and laymen; the gods of the sky will, full of faith, follow his track to hear the law, and the angels will follow his track to protect him; whether he is in a village or in a monastery, they will approach him day and night to put questions about the law, and they will be satisfied, charmed with his explanation. For this Dharmaparyaya, Ma ngnsri, has been blessed by all Buddhas. With the past, future, and present Tathclgata, Maw^u^rl, this Dharmaparyaya is for ever blessed. Precious 1 in all worlds, Marumi, is the sound, rumour, or mentioning of this Dharma¬ paryaya.
It is a case, Ma%uyri, similar to that of a king, a ruler of armies, who by force has conquered his own kingdom, whereupon other kings, his adversaries, wage war against him. That ruler of armies has soldiers of various description to fight with various enemies. As the king sees those soldiers fighting, he is delighted with their gal¬ lantry, enraptured, and in his delight and rapture he makes to his soldiers several donations, such as villages and village grounds, towns and grounds of a town; garments and head-gear; hand-ornaments, necklaces, gold threads, earrings, strings of pearls, bullion, gold, gems, pearls, lapis lazuli, conch-shells, stones (?), corals; he, moreover, gives elephants, horses, cars, foot soldiers, male and female slaves, vehicles, and litters. But to none he makes a present 1 Durlabha, also meaning rare, difficult to be got.
XIII.
PEACEFUL LIFE.
of his crown jewel, because that jewel only fits on the head of a king. Were the king to give away that crown jewel, then that whole royal army, con¬ sisting of four divisions, would be astonished and amazed. In the same manner, Mawfutrf, the Tatha- gata, the Arhat, &c., exercises the reign of righteous¬ ness (and of the law) in the triple world which he has conquered by the power of his arm and the power of his virtue. His triple world is assailed by Mira, the Evil One. Then the Aryas, the soldiers of the Tathagata, fight with Mira. Then, Ma^mri, the king of the law, the lord of the law, expounds to the Aryas, his soldiers, whom he sees fighting, hun¬ dred thousands of Sutras in order to encourage the four classes. He gives them the city of Nirvana, the great city of the law; he allures them with that city of Nirvana, but he does not preach to them such a Dharmaparyiya as this. Just as in that case, Maflgusrt, that king, ruler of armies, astonished at the great valour of his soldiers in battle gives them all his property, at last even his crown jewel, and just as that crown jewel has been kept by the king on his head to the last, so, Ma^iuri, the Tathi- gata, the Arhat, &c., who as the great king of the law in the triple world exercises his sway with jus¬ tice, when he sees disciples and Bodhisattvas fighting against the Mara of fancies or the Mara of sinful inclinations, and when he sees that by fighting they have destroyed affection, hatred, and infatuation, overcome the triple world and conquered all Miras, is satisfied, and in his satisfaction he expounds to those noble (irya) soldiers this Dharmaparyiya which meets opposition in all the world, the unbelief of all the world, a Dharmaparyiya never before preached, XIII.
never before explained. And the Tathagata bestows on all disciples the noble crown jewel, that most exalted crown jewel which brings omniscience to all. For this, Ma^u^ri, is the supreme preaching of the Tathagatas; this is the last Dharmaparyaya of the Tathagatas; this is the most profound discourse on the law, a Dharmaparyaya meeting opposition in all the world. In the same manner, Ma«£uyrl, as that king of righteousness and ruler of armies took off the crown jewel which he had kept so long a time and gave it (at last) to the soldiers, so, Maw^usrl, the Tathagata now reveals this long-kept mystery of the law exceeding all others, (the mystery) which must be known by the Tathagatas.
And in order to elucidate this matter more in detail, the Lord on that occasion uttered the follow¬ ing stanzas: 45. Always displaying the strength of charity, always filled with compassion for all creatures, ex¬ pounding this law, the Sugatas have approved this exalted Sutra.
46. The laymen, as well as the mendicant friars, and the Bodhisattvas who shall live at the end of time, must all show the strength of charity, lest those who hear the law reject it.
47. But I, when I shall have reached enlighten¬ ment and be established in Tathagataship, will initiate (others), and after having initiated disciples 1 preach everywhere this superior enlightenment.
48. It is (a case) like that of a king, ruler of armies, who gives to his soldiers various things, gold, elephants, horses, cars, foot soldiers; he also Tato upaneshyi upayayitva sa/Hfr&vayishye imam agrabodhim.
XIII. PEACEFUL LIFE. 277 gives towns and villages, in token of his content¬ ment.
49. In his satisfaction he gives to some hand- ornaments, silver and gold thread; pearls, gems, conch-shells, stones (?), coral; he also gives slaves of various description.
50. But when he is struck with the incomparable daring of one amongst the soldiers, he says: Thou hast admirably done this; and, taking off his crown, makes him a present of the jewel.
51. Likewise do I, the Buddha, the king of the law, I who have the force of patience and a large treasure of wisdom, with justice govern the whole world, benign, compassionate, and pitiful.
52. And seeing how the creatures are in trouble, I pronounce thousands of ko/is of Shtrdntas, when I perceive the heroism of those living beings who by pure-mindedness overcome the sinful inclinations of the world.
53. And the king of the law, the great physician, who expounds hundreds of ko/is of Paryayas, when he recognises that creatures are strong, shows them this Sfttra, comparable to a crown jewel.
54. This is the last Sfttra proclaimed in the world, the most eminent of all my Sfttras, which I have always kept and never divulged. Now I am going to make it known; listen all.
55. There are four qualities to be acquired by those who at the period after my extinction desire supreme enlightenment and perform my charge 1. The qualities are such as follows.
56. The wise man knows no vexation, trouble.
1 VySpara«a.
XIII.
sickness; the colour of his skin is not blackish; nor does he dwell in a miserable town.
57. The great Sage has always a pleasant look, deserves to be honoured, as if he were the Tath&- gata himself, and little angels shall constantly be his attendants.
58. His body can never be hurt by weapons, poison, sticks, or clods, and the mouth of the man who utters a word of abuse against him shall be closed.
59. He is a friend to all creatures in the world. He goes all over the earth as a light, dissipating the gloom of many ko/is of creatures, he who keeps this Sfttra after my extinction.
60. In his sleep he sees visions in the shape of Buddha; he sees monks and nuns appearing on thrones and proclaiming the many-sided law.
61. He sees in his dream gods and goblins, (nu¬ merous) as the sands of the Ganges, as well as demons and Nigas of many kinds, who lift their joined hands and to whom he expounds the emi¬ nent law.
62. He sees in his dream the Tathagata preaching the law to many ko^is of beings with lovely voice, the Lord with golden colour.
63. And he stands there with joined hands glori¬ fying the Seer, the highest of men, whilst the Cina, the great physician, is expounding the law to the four classes.
64. And he, glad to have heard the law, joyfully pays his worship, and after having soon reached the knowledge which never slides back, he obtains, in dream, magical spells.
65. And the Lord of the world, perceiving his good XIII.
PEACEFUL LIFE.
intention, announces to him his destiny of becoming a leader amongst men: Young man of good family (says he), thou shalt here reach in future supreme, holy knowledge.
66. Thou shalt have a large field and four classes (of hearers), even as myself, that respectfully and with joined hands shall hear from thee the vast and faultless law.
67. Again he sees his own person occupied with meditating on the law in mountain caverns; and by meditating he attains the very nature of the law and, on obtaining complete absorption, sees the 6rina.
68. And after seeing in his dream the gold- coloured one, him who displays a hundred hallowed signs, he hears the law, whereafter he preaches it in the assembly. Such is his dream.
69. And in his dream he also forsakes his whole realm, harem, and numerous kinsfolk; renouncing all pleasures he leaves home (to become an ascetic), and betakes himself to the place of the terrace of enlightenment.
70. There, seated upon a throne at the foot of a tree to seek enlightenment, he will 1, after the lapse of seven days, arrive at the knowledge of the Tathagatas.
71. On having reached enlightenment he will rise up from that place to move forward the faultless wheel and preach the law during an inconceivable number of thousands of ko/is of Aions.
72. After having revealed perfect enlightenment and led many ko/is of beings to perfect rest, he 1 Anupr&psyate.
XIII.
himself will be extinguished like a lamp when the oil is exhausted. So is that vision.
73. Endless, Maw^ughosha, are the advantages which constantly are his who at the end of time shall expound this Sfttra of superior enlightenment that I have perfectly explained.
XIV.
ISSUING OF BODHISATTVAS.
CHAPTER XIV.
ISSUING OF BODHISATTVAS FROM THE GAPS OF THE EARTH.
Out of the multitude of Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas who had flocked from other worlds, Bodhisattvas eight (times) equal to the sands of the river Ganges 1 then rose from the assembled circle. Their joined hands stretched out towards the Lord to pay him homage, they said to him: If the Lord will allow us, we also would, after the extinction of the Lord, reveal this Dharmapary&ya in this Saha-world; we would read, write, worship it, and wholly devote ourselves 2 to that law. Therefore, O Lord, deign to grant to us also this Dharmaparyaya. And the Lord answered: Nay, young men of good family, why should you occupy yourselves with this task? I have here in this Saha-world thousands of Bodhisattvas equal to the sands of sixty Ganges rivers, forming the train of one Bodhisattva; and of such Bodhisattvas there is a number equal to the sands of sixty Ganges rivers, each of these Bodhisattvas having an equal number 1 The text has ash/au Gahg&nadtvSliMsamS Bodhi- satvas. Burnouf renders the passage by ‘ en nombre 6 ga\ a celui des sables de huit Ganges.’ Perhaps we must understand eight to mean eight thousand, just as e. g. Dipava/wsa VI, 98 the word eighty-four denotes eighty-four thousand. a Yogam Spadyemahi.
XIV.
in their train, who at the end of time, at the last period after my extinction, shall keep, read, proclaim this Dharmaparyaya.
No sooner had the Lord uttered these words than the Saha-world burst open on every side, and from within the clefts arose many hundred thousand myriads of koris of Bodhisattvas with gold-coloured bodies and the thirty-two characteristic signs of a great man, who had been staying in the element of ether underneath this great earth, close to this Saha- world. These then on hearing the word of the Lord came up from below the earth. Each of these Bodhi¬ sattvas had a train of thousands of Bodhisattvas similar to the sands of sixty Ganges 1 rivers; (each had) a troop, a great troop, as teacher of a troop. Of such Bodhisattvas Mahclsattvas having a troop, a great troop, as teachers of a troop, there were hundred thousands of myriads of ko/is equal to the sands of sixty Ganges 2 rivers, who emerged from the gaps of the earth in this Saha-world. Much more there were to be found of Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas having a train of Bodhisattvas similar to the sands of fifty Ganges rivers; much more there were to be found of Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas having a train of Bodhisattvas similar to the sands of forty Ganges rivers; of 30 3, 20, 10, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Ganges river; of 1 Or, a train of sixty thousand Bodhisattvas similar to the sands of the river Ganges.
2 Shashty eva, which is ungrammatical, for shash/ir eva, or it is a corrupt reading.
3 The text goes on repeating the same words, save the difference of number; I have given the contents in a shortened form.
XIY. ISSUING OF BODHISATTVAS. 283 100 x 1000 x 10,000,000’ 100 x 1000 x lo^ooirxToyowMioo P a rt of the river Ganges. Much more there were to be found of Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas having a train of many hundred thousand myriads of koris of Bodhisattvas; of one ko/i; of one hundred thousand; of one thou¬ sand; of 500; of 400; of 300; of 200; of 100; of 50; of 40; of 30; of 20; of 10; of 5, 4, 3, 2. Much more there were to be found of Bodhisattvas Maha¬ sattvas having one follower. Much more there were to be found of Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas standing isolated. They cannot be numbered, counted, calcu¬ lated, compared, known by occult science, the Bodhi¬ sattvas Mahasattvas who emerged from the gaps of the earth to appear in this Saha-world. And after they had successively emerged they went up to the Stupa of precious substances which stood in the sky, where the Lord Prabhhtaratna, the extinct Tathagata, was seated along with the Lord.Sakyamuni on the throne. Whereafter they saluted the feet of both Tathagatas, &c., as well as the images of Tathagatas body, who all together were seated on thrones at the foot of various jewel trees on every side in all direc¬ tions, in different worlds. After these Bodhisattvas had many hundred thousand times saluted, and thereon circumambulated the Tathagatas, &c., from left to right, and celebrated them with various Bodhi- sattva hymns, they went and kept themselves at a little distance, the joined hands stretched out to honour the Lord.Sakyamuni, the Tathagata, &c., and the Lord Prabhhtaratna, the Tathagata, &c.
And while those Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas who had emerged from the gaps of the earth were saluting and celebrating the Tathagatas by various Bodhi- XIV.
sattva hymns, fifty intermediate kalpas in full rolled away, during which fifty intermediate kalpas the Lord.Scikyamuni remained silent, and likewise the four classes of the audience. Then the Lord pro¬ duced such an effect of magical power that the four classes fancied that it had been no more than one afternoon 1, and they saw this Saha-world assume the appearance of hundred thousands of worlds 2 replete with Bodhisattvas 3. The four Bodhisattvas Mahisattvas who were the chiefest of that great host of Bodhisattvas, viz. the Bodhisattva Maha- sattva called Vmsh/aiiritra (i. e. of eminent con¬ duct), the Bodhisattva Mahasattva called Ananta- Mritra (i. e. of endless conduct), the Bodhisattva Mahasattva called Vi.mddha/f'aritra (i. e. of correct conduct), and the Bodhisattva Mahasattva called Supratish^/d talari tra (i. e. of very steady conduct), these four Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas standing at 1 If we take kalpa or JEon (i.e. a day of twenty-four hours) to contain eighty intermediate kalpas, it is impossible that either fifty or five intermediate kalpas should be equal to an afternoon. A so-called Asankhyeya kalpa has twenty intermediate kalpas, and is, in reality, equal to six hours, so that five intermediate kalpas will embrace a time of i-J- hour. If we might take an Asankhyeya to be the equivalent of a day of twenty-four hours, the reckoning would be correct, for then five intermediate kalpas would be equal to six hours; we can, however, produce no authority for Asan¬ khyeya kalpa ever being used in the (esoteric) sense of a day and night.
2 LokadhaturatasahasrS.kSriparigrfhtlam, which ought to be °karap°, or °kara»z p°. Instances of the peculiar construc¬ tion of parigrfhita after the analogy of prapta are found, Lalita-vistara, pp. 109,112,181, 368. A marginal would-be cor¬ rection has °kS,sa»2 p°.
3 The afternoon being at an end, the innumerable spheres of the stars become visible.
XIV.
ISSUING OF BODHISATTVAS.
the head of the great host, the great multitude of Bodhisattvas stretched out the joined hands towards the Lord and addressed him thus: Is the Lord in good health? Does he enjoy well-being and good ease? Are the creatures decorous, docile, obedient, correctly performing their task *, so that they give no trouble to the Lord?
And those four Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas ad¬ dressed the Lord with the two following stanzas: 1. Does the Lord of the world, the illuminator, feel at ease? Dost thou feel free from bodily dis¬ ease, O Perfect One?
2. The creatures, we hope, will be decorous, docile, performing the orders 1 2 of the Lord of the world, so as to give no trouble.
And the Lord answered the four Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas who were at the head of that great host, that great multitude of Bodhisattvas: So it is, young men of good family, I am in good health, well-being, and at ease. And these creatures of mine are decorous, docile, obedient, well performing what is ordered; they give no trouble when I cor¬ rect them 3; and that, young men of good family, because these creatures, owing to their being already prepared under the ancient, perfectly enlightened Buddhas, have but to see and hear me to put trust 1 Suvif odhaka/z. The rendering doubtful; see next note.
2 Sujodhaka. This, as well as suvijodhaka, properly means ‘ well cleaning,’ and applies, at least originally, to servants or pupils who are charged with sweeping the house or precincts. I have tried to give the expression a spiritual look; Burnouf renders it by ‘ faciles a purifier,’ which is quite plausible, because in a similar compound, subodha, we find bodha used in a passive sense, the word meaning ‘ easy to be understood.’
3 Na ka. khedaw ^anayanti virodhyamanas.
XIV.
in me, to understand and fathom the Buddha-know- ledge. And those who fulfilled their duties in the stage of disciples have now been introduced by me into Buddha-knowledge and well instructed in the highest truth.
And at that time the Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas uttered the following stanzas: 3. Excellent, excellent, O great Hero! we are happy to hear that those creatures are decorous, docile, well performing their duty 1; 4. And that they listen to thy profound know¬ ledge, O Leader, and that after listening to it they have put trust in it and understand it.
This said, the Lord declared his approval to the four Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas who were at the head of that great host, that great multitude of Bodhi¬ sattvas Mahasattvas, saying: Well done, young men of good family, well done, that you so congratulate the Tath&gata.
And at that moment the following thought arose in the mind of the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Maitreya and the eight hundred thousand myriads of ko/is of Bodhisattvas similar to the sands of the river Ganges 2: We never yet saw so great a host, so great a multi¬ tude of Bodhisattvas; we never yet heard of such a multitude, that after issuing from the gaps of the earth has stood in the presence of the Lord to honour, respect, venerate, worship him and greet him with joyful shouts 3. Whence have these Bodhi¬ sattvas Mahasattvas flocked hither?
1 Sufodhaka; cf. above.
3 Pratisammodante.
XIV.
ISSUING OF BODHISATTVAS.
Then the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Maitreya, feel¬ ing within himself doubt and perplexity, and inferring from his own thoughts those of the eight hundred thousand myriads of kods of Bodhisattvas similar to the sands of the river Ganges, stretched out his joined hands towards the Lord and questioned him about the matter by uttering the following stanzas: 5. Here are many thousand myriads of kods of Bodhisattvas, numberless, whom we never saw before; tell us, O supreme of men!
6. Whence and how do these mighty persons come? Whence have they come here under the form of great bodies 1?
7. All are great Seers, wise and strong in memory, whose outward appearance is lovely to see; whence have they come?
8. And each of those Bodhisattvas, O Lord of the world, has an immense train, like the sands of the Ganges.
9. The train of (each) glorious Bodhisattva is equal to the sands of sixty Ganges in full 2. All are striving after enlightenment.
10. Of such heroes and mighty possessors of a troop the followers are equal to the sands of sixty Ganges 3.
1 The rendering is doubtful; the text has mahatmabhava- rfiperaa.
2 Gangavalikasama shash/i paripur»#a yasasvinaA, parivaro Bo- dhisatvasya. It is in the teeth of grammar to render the passage in this way, but from the following we must infer that no other translation will suit the case.
3 The translation is uncertain; the text has eva m rftpawa vir&nam varshavantana tayinam, shash/ir eva pramawena Gangavalika ime. Instead of varshavantana I would read vargavantana, which XIV.
11. There are others, still more numerous, with an unlimited train, like the sands of fifty, forty, and thirty Ganges; 12, 13. Who have a train equal to the (sands of) twenty Ganges. Still more numerous are the mighty sons of Buddha, who have each a train (equal to the sands) of ten, of five Ganges. Whence, O Leader, has such an assembly flocked hither?
14. There are others who have each a train of pupils and companions equal to the sands of four, three, or two Ganges.
15. There are others more numerous yet; it would be impossible to calculate their number in thousands of ko/is of /Eons.
16. (Equal to) a half Ganges, one third, one tenth, one twentieth, is the train of those heroes, those mighty Bodhisattvas.
17. There are yet others who are incalculable; it would be impossible to count them even in hun¬ dreds of ko/is of /Eons.
18. Many more yet there are, with endless trains; they have in their attendance ko/is, and ko/is and again ko/is, and also half ko/is.
19. Other great Seers again, beyond computa¬ tion, very wise Bodhisattvas are seen in a respectful posture.
20. They have a thousand, a hundred, or fifty attendants; in hundreds of ko/is of /Eons one would not be able to count them.
21. The suite of (some of these) heroes consists of twenty, of ten, five, four, three, or two; those are countless.
Burnouf seems to have had before him, for his translation has ‘ suivis chacun de leur assemble.’
XIV.
ISSUING OF BODHISATTVAS.
22. As to those who are walking alone and come to their rest alone, they have now flocked hither in such numbers as to be beyond computation.
23. Even if one with a magic wand in his hand would try for a number of Aions equal to the sands of the Ganges to count them, he would not reach the term.
24. Where do all those noble, energetic heroes, those mighty Bodhisattvas, come from?
25. Who has taught them the law (or duty)? and by whom have they been destined to enlightenment? Whose command do they accept? Whose command do they keep?
26. Bursting forth at all points of the horizon through the whole extent of the earth they emerge, those great Sages endowed with magical faculty and wisdom.
27. This world on every side is being perforated, O Seer, by the wise Bodhisattvas, who at this time are emerging.
28. Never before have we seen anything like this. Tell us the name of this world, O Leader.
29. We have repeatedly roamed in all directions of space, but never saw these Bodhisattvas.
30. We never saw a single infant 1 of thine, and now, on a sudden, these appear to us. Tell us their history, O Seer.
31. Hundreds, thousands, ten thousands of Bodhi¬ sattvas, all equally filled with curiosity, look up to the highest of men.
32. Explain to us, O incomparable, great hero, who knowest no bounds 2, where do these heroes, these wise Bodhisattvas, come from?
1 Stanapa.
2 Niravadhe, which I identify with Sansk. niravadhe, the voc.
Oil U 2 go XIY.
Meanwhile the Tathagatas, &c., who had flocked from hundred thousands of myriads of kods of worlds, they, the creations of the Lord.Scikyamuni, who were preaching the law to the beings in other worlds; who all around 1 the Lord.Sakyamuni, the Tathagata, &c., were seated with crossed legs on magnificent jewel thrones 2 at the foot of jewel trees in every direction of space; as well as the satellites of those Tatha¬ gatas were struck with wonder and amazement at the sight of that great host, that great multitude of Bodhisattvas emerging from the gaps of the earth and established in the element of ether, and they (the satellites) asked each their own Tathagata: Where, O Lord, do so many Bodhisattvas Maha- sattvas, so innumerable, so countless, come from? Whereupon those Tathagatas, &c., answered sever¬ ally to their satellites: Wait awhile, young men of good family; this Bodhisattva Mahasattva here, called Maitreya, has just received from the Lord ■Sakyamuni a revelation about his destiny to supreme, perfect enlightenment. He has questioned the Lord ^Shkyamuni, the Tathagata, &c., about the matter, and the Lord.Shkyamuni, the Tathagata, &c., is going to explain it; then you may hear.
Thereupon the Lord addressed the Bodhisattva Maitreya: Well done, A^ita, well done; it is a sublime subject, A^ita, about which thou questionest me. Then the Lord addressed the entire host of Bodhisattvas: Be attentive all, young men of good case of niravadhi. Burnouf has, ‘toi qui es affranchi de l’accu- mulation [des dements constitutifs de Fexistence].’
1 Samantad; Burnouf’s ‘en presence’ is wanting in my MS.
2 Or, thrones of magnificent jewels.
XIV.
ISSUING OF BODHISATTVAS.
family; be well prepared and steady on your post, you and the entire host of Bodhisattvas; the Tatha- gata, the Arhat, &c., is now going to exhibit the sight of the knowledge of the Tathagata, young men of good family, the leadership of the Tathagata, the work of the Tathagata, the sport 1 of the Tathagata, the might of the Tathagata, the energy of the Tathagata.
And on that occasion the Lord pronounced the following stanzas: 33. Be attentive all, young men of good family; I am to utter an infallible word; refrain from dis¬ puting 2 about it, O sages: the science of the TatM- gata is beyond reasoning.
34. Be all steady and thoughtful; continue atten¬ tive all. To-day you will hear a law as yet unknown, the wonder of the Tathagatas.
35. Never have any doubt, ye sages, for I shall strengthen you, I am the Leader who speaketh in¬ fallible truth, and my knowledge is unlimited.
36. Profound are the laws known to the Sugata, above reasoning and beyond argumentation. These laws I am going to reveal; ye, hear which and how they are.
After uttering these stanzas the Lord addressed the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Maitreya: I announce to thee, A^ita, I declare to thee: These Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas, Ajdta, so innumerable, incalculable, inconceivable, incomparable, uncountable, whom you never saw before, who just now have issued from 1 I.e. magic display of creative power, ltli, synonymous with mSy&.
2 Viva da, the original reading, though afterwards effaced and replaced by vishdda, despondency.
XIV.
the gaps of the earth, these Bodhisattvas Maha- sattvas, Agita, have I roused, excited, animated, fully developed to supreme, perfect enlightenment after my having arrived at supreme, perfect en¬ lightenment in this world. I have, moreover, fully matured, established, confirmed, instructed, per¬ fected these young men of good family in their Bodhisattvaship. And these Bodhisattvas Maha- sattvas, A^'ita, occupy in this Saha-world the domain of the ether-element below. Only thinking of the lesson they have to study, and devoted to thoroughly comprehend it, these young men of good family have no liking for social gatherings, nor for bustling crowds; they do not put off their tasks, and are strenuous 1. These young men of good family, A^ita, delight in seclusion 2, are fond of seclusion. These young men of good family do not dwell in the immediate vicinity of gods and men, they not being fond of bustling crowds. These young men of good family find their luxury in the pleasure of the law, and apply themselves to Buddha- knowledge.
And on that occasion the Lord uttered the follow¬ ing stanzas: 37. These Bodhisattvas, immense, inconceivable and beyond measure, endowed with magic power, wisdom, and learning, have progressed in knowledge for many ko/is of Aions.
38. It is I who have brought them to maturity for enlightenment, and it is in my field that they 1 It will be remarked that these Bodhisattvas are represented as pupils or young monks under training, Xramaraeras.
2 Vivekarama//; viveka at the same time means ‘discri¬ mination/ XIV. ISSUING OF BODHISATTVAS. 293 have their abode; by me alone have they been brought to maturity; these Bodhisattvas are my sons.
39. All have devoted themselves to a hermit life 1 and are assiduous in shunning places of bustle; they walk detached, these sons of mine, following my precepts in their lofty course.
40. They dwell in the domain of ether, in the lower portion of the field, those heroes who, un¬ wearied, are striving day and night to attain superior knowledge.
41. All strenuous, of good memory, unshaken in the immense strength of their intelligence, those serene sages preach the law, all radiant, as being my sons.
42. Since the time when I reached this superior (or foremost) enlightenment, at the town of Gaya, at the foot of the tree, and put in motion the all¬ surpassing wheel of the law, I have brought to maturity all of them for superior enlightenment.
43. These words I here speak are faultless, really true; believe me, all of you who hear me: verily, I have reached superior enlightenment, and it is by me alone that all have been brought to maturity.
The Bodhisattva Mahasattva Maitreya and those numerous hundred thousands of myriads of ko/is of Bodhisattvas were struck with wonder, amazement, and surprise, (and thought): How is it possible that within so short a moment, within the lapse of so short a time so many Bodhisattvas, so countless, have been roused and made fully ripe to reach supreme, perfect enlightenment? Then the Bodhi- 1 Ararcyadhutabhiyukta; ara«yadhuta, essentially the same as P&li arawwakahga, is one of the thirteen Dhutangas.
XIV.
sattva Mahasattva Maitreya asked the Lord: How then, O Lord, has the Tathagata, after he left, when a prince royal, Kapilavastu, the town of the 6akyas, arrived at supreme, perfect enlightenment on the summit of the terrace of enlightenment, not far from the town of Gay&, somewhat more than forty years since, O Lord? How then has the Lord, the Tatha¬ gata, within so short a lapse of time, been able to perform the endless task of a Tathagata, to exer¬ cise the leadership of a Tathagata, the energy of a Tathagata? How has the Tathigata, within so short a time, been able to rouse and bring to maturity for supreme, perfect enlightenment this host of Bodhi- sattvas, this multitude of Bodhisattvas, a multitude so great that it would be impossible to count the whole of it, even if one were to continue counting for hundred thousands of myriads of ko/is of Eons? These Bodhisattvas, so innumerable, O Lord, so countless, having long followed a spiritual course of life and planted roots of goodness under many hundred thousands of Buddhas, have in the course of many hundred thousands of.Eons become finally ripe.