It is just as if some man, young and youthful, a young man with black hair and in the prime of youth, twenty-five years of age, would represent cente¬ narians as his sons, and say: ‘ Here, young men of good family, you see my sons;’ and if those cen¬ tenarians would declare: ‘This is the father who begot us.’ Now, Lord, the speech of that man would be incredible, hard to be believed by the public. It is the same case with the Tathagata, who but lately has arrived at supreme, perfect enlightenment, and with these Bodhisattvas Maha- XIV.
ISSUING OK BODHISATTVAS.
sattvas, so immense in number, who for many hun¬ dred thousand myriads of kods of.Tkons, having observed a spiritual course of life, have long since come to certainty in regard to Tathagata-knowledge; who are able to plunge in and again rise from the hundred thousand sorts of meditation 1; who are adepts at the preparatories to noble transcendent wisdom, have accomplished the preparatories to noble transcendent wisdom 2; who are clever on the Buddha-ground, able in the (ecclesiastical) Council and in Tathagata duties; who are the wonder 3 and admiration of the world; who are possessed of great vigour, strength, and power. And the Lord says: From the very beginning have I roused, brought to maturity, fully developed them to be fit for this Bodhisattva position. It is I who have displayed this energy and vigour after arriving at supreme, perfect enlightenment. But, O Lord, how can we have faith in the words of the Tathigata, when he says: The Tathagata speaks infallible truth? The Tathagata must know that the Bodhisattvas who have newly entered the vehicle are apt to fall into doubt on this head; after the extinction of the Tathagata those who hear this Dharmaparyaya will not accept, not believe, not trust it. Hence, O Lord, they will design acts tending to the ruin of the law. There¬ fore, O Lord, deign to explain us this matter, that we may be free from perplexity, and that the Bodhi¬ sattvas who in future shall hear it, be they young 1 Samddhimukharatasahasrasam&padyanavyutth&naku- ral&h. I suppose that for mukha, point, principal point, side, face, we have to read sukha, ecstasy.
3 Pa nditi Buddhabhftmau sangitikuralaA, Tathagatadharma«a/«.
XIV.
men of good family or young ladies, may not fall into doubt.
On that occasion the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Maitreya addressed the Lord with the following stanzas: 44. When thou wert born in Kapilavastu, the home of the.Sakyas, thou didst leave it and reach enlightenment at the town of Gaya 1. That is a short time ago, O Lord of the world.
45. And now thou hast so great a crowd of followers, these sages who for many koris of HSons have fulfilled their duties, stood firm in magic power, unshaken, well disciplined, accomplished in the might of wisdom; 46. These, who are untainted as the lotus is by water; who to-day have flocked hither after rending the earth, and are standing all with joined hands, respectful and strong in memory, the sons of the Master of the world 2.
47. How will these Bodhisattvas believe this great wonder? Expel (all) doubt, tell the cause, and show how the matter really is.
1 The succint form in which the events of the legendary life of the.Slkya prince are told is remarkable, especially if we bear in mind that the first going out (nishkramaraa) of a young boy (kumara) usually takes place four months after his birth; the rite of‘giving rice food,’ annaprarana, takes place in the sixth month; this rite has its counterpart in Su^tS's providing Gautama with milk porridge and honey. Another rite, that of shaving the hair with the exception of a tuft on the crown, the M 4 akarman, commonly follows the annaprarana; in the case of Gautama, however, it is represented to be subsequent on the kumara having left his home. In so far as he cut off his hair at the time of his entering a spiritual life, the act agrees with the Mif&karman at the upanayana or initiation of boys.
2 Lokadhipatisya putriH.
XIV.
ISSUING OF BODHISATTVAS.
48. It is as if there were some man, a young man with black hair, twenty years old or somewhat more, who presented as his sons some centenarians, 49. And the latter, covered with wrinkles and grey-haired, declared the (young) man to be their father. But such (a young man) never having sons of such appearance, it would be difficult to believe, O Lord of the world, that they were sons to so young a man.
50. In the same manner, O Lord, we are unable to conceive how these numerous Bodhisattvas of good memory and excelling in wisdom, who have been well instructed during thousands of ko/is of /Eons; 51. Who are firm, of keen intelligence, lovely and agreeable to sight, free from hesitation in the deci¬ sions on law, praised by the Leaders of the world; 52. Who in freedom live in the wood 1; who un¬ attached in the element of ether constantly display their energy, who are the sons of Sugata striving after this Buddha-ground; 53. How will this be believed when the Leader of the world shall be completely extinct? After hearing it from the Lord’s own mouth we shall never more feel any doubt.
54. May Bodhisattvas never come to grief by having doubt on this head. Grant us, O Lord, a truthful account how these Bodhisattvas have been brought to maturity by thee.
1 Vane, which, especially in the more ancient language, also means a cloud, the region of clouds.
XV.
CHAPTER XV.
DURATION OF LIFE OF THE TATHAGATA.
Thereupon the Lord addressed the entire host of Bodhisattvas: Trust me, young men of good family, believe in the Tathagata speaking a veracious word. A second time the Lord addressed the Bodhisattvas: Trust me, young gentlemen of good family, believe in the Tathagata speaking a veracious word. A third and last time the Lord addressed the Bodhi¬ sattvas: Trust me, young men of good family, be¬ lieve in the Tathagata speaking a veracious word. Then the entire host of Bodhisattvas with Maitreya, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva at their head, stretched out the joined hands and said to the Lord: Expound this matter, O Lord; expound it, O Sugata; we will believe in the word of the Tathagata. A second time the entire host, &c. &c. A third time the entire host, &c. &c.
The Lord, considering that the Bodhisattvas re¬ peated their prayer up to three times, addressed them thus: Listen then, young men of good family. The force of a strong resolve which I assumed 1 is such, young men of good family, that this world, including gods, men, and demons, acknowledges: Now has the Lord Aakyamuni, after going out from the home of the Aakyas, arrived at supreme, per¬ fect enlightenment, on the summit of the terrace of 1 Or, the power of supremacy which forms my attribute, mamS- dhish/Mnabal&dhiitnam.
XV.
DURATION OF LIFE OF THE TATHAGATA. 299 enlightenment at the town of Gaya. But, young men of good family, the truth is that many hundred thou¬ sand myriads of ko/is of ^Eons ago I have arrived at supreme, perfect enlightenment. By way of ex¬ ample, young men of good family, let there be the atoms of earth of fifty hundred thousand myriads of ko/Ss of worlds; let there exist some man who takes one of those atoms of dust and then goes in an eastern direction fifty hundred thousand myriads of koris of worlds further on, there to deposit that atom of dust; let in this manner the man carry away from all those worlds the whole mass of earth, and in the same manner, and by the same act as supposed, de¬ posit all those atoms in an eastern direction 1. Now, would you think, young men of good family, that any one should be able to imagine, weigh, count, or determine (the number of) those worlds? The Lord having thus spoken, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Maitreya and the entire host of Bodhisattvas re¬ plied: They are incalculable, O Lord, those worlds, countless, beyond the range of thought. Not even all the disciples and Pratyekabuddhas, O Lord, with their Arya-knowledge, will be able to imagine, weigh, count, or determine them. For us also, O Lord, who are Bodhisattvas standing on the place from whence there is no turning back, this point lies beyond the sphere of our comprehension; so innu¬ merable, O Lord, are those worlds.
This said, the Lord spoke to those Bodhisattvas Mah&sattvas as follows: I announce to you,young men of good family, I declare to you: However numerous 1 This passage is a repetition, in shorter form, of what is found in chapter VII; see p. 153.
XV.
be those worlds where that man deposits those atoms of dust and where he does not, there are not, young men of good family, in all those hundred thousands of myriads of kods of worlds so many dust atoms as there are hundred thousands of myriads of ko/is of ./Eons since I have arrived at supreme, perfect en¬ lightenment 1. From the moment, young men of good family, when I began preaching the law to crea¬ tures in this Saha-world and in hundred thousands of myriads of ko/is of other worlds, and (when) the other Tathagatas, Arhats, &c., such as the Tatha- gata Dipankara and the rest whom I have mentioned in the lapse of time (preached), (from that moment) have I, young men of good family, for the com¬ plete Nirvana of those Tathagatas, &c., created all that with the express view to skilfully preach the law 2. Again, young men of good family, the Tathagata, considering the different degrees of faculty and strength of succeeding generations, 1 Aakyamuni here declares, in the most emphatic manner, not only that he has existed from eternity, but that he is the All-wise, the Buddha from the beginning. The world thinks that he has become all-wise at Gaya, a short time before, but in reality he has been the All-wise from eternity. In other words, the meaning of his being a common man who had reached enlightenment under the Bodhi-tree near Gaya, is declared by himself to be a delusion. Further, it will be remarked that Xakyamuni and the Tathagata Mahabhi^wa^wfinabhibhu in chapter VII are identical, though appa¬ rently diversified.
2 Teshfiw ka. Tathagatanam Arhat&wz samyaksambuddhanaw parinirva/zaya mayaiva tani, kulaputra, upayakau-ralyadharmade- janfiya (abhi) nirharanirmitani. Burnouf translates as if he read te—°nirmita^, so that‘those TatMgatas—have been created.’ Both readings come essentially to the same; in either case Xakya- muni is the creator, the really existing being; the other Tathagatas are emanations from him or apparent beings.
XV.
DURATION OF LIFE OF THE TATHAGATA.
reveals at each (generation) his own name, reveals a state in which Nirvi^a has not yet been reached 1, and in different ways he satisfies the wants of (different) creatures through various Dharmapar- yayas 2. This being the case, young men of good family, the Tathigata declares to the creatures, whose dispositions are so various and who possess so few roots of goodness, so many evil propensities: I am young of age, monks; having left my father’s home, monks, I have lately arrived at supreme, per¬ fect enlightenment 3. When, however, the Tathigata, who so long ago arrived at perfect enlightenment, declares himself to have but lately arrived at perfect enlightenment, he does so in order to lead creatures to full ripeness and make them go in. Therefore have these Dharmaparyiyas been revealed; and it is for the education of creatures, young men of good family, that the Tathigata has revealed all Dhar¬ maparyiyas. And, young men of good family, the word that the Tathigata delivers on behalf of the education of creatures, either under his own appear¬ ance or under another’s, either on his own authority 4 or under the mask 6 of another, all that the Tathi- 1 Instead of the last clause we find in the margin, ‘ reveals (or declares) at each his own Nirviwa.’ The material difference is slight, for the temporal appearances of the everlasting being are final and multifarious, but the being itself is one and everlasting. ■Sakyamuni is, in reality, the one and everlasting brahma.
2 The Tathagata, in his proper being well understood, is not only the Devatideva, the supreme god of gods, of Buddhism, but of all religions in the world; from him are all scriptures.
8 In various periods mankind wants renewed revelation; hence Vishwu, for Dharma’s sake, descends on earth.
* Atmarambanena (sic), properly, on his own base.
6 Aparavarawena. One may also render it by ‘under the cloak of another.’
XV.
gata declares, all those Dharmaparyayas spoken by the Tathagata are true. There can be no question of untruth from the part of the Tathagata in this respect. For the Tathigata sees the triple world as it really is: it is not born, it dies not; it is not conceived, it springs not into existence; it moves not in a whirl, it becomes not extinct; it is not real, nor unreal; it is not existing, nor non-existing; it is not such, nor otherwise 1, nor false. The Tathigata sees the triple world, not as the ignorant, common people, he seeing things always present to him; indeed, to the Tathigata, in his position, no laws are concealed. In that respect any word that the Tathigata speaks is true, not false. But in order to produce the roots of goodness in the creatures, who follow different pursuits and behave according to different notions, he reveals various Dharma- paryiyas with various fundamental principles. The Tathigata then, young men of good family, does what he has to do. The Tathigata who so long ago was perfectly enlightened is unlimited in the duration of his life, he is everlasting. Without being extinct, the Tathigata makes a show of ex¬ tinction, on behalf of those who have to be educated. And even now, young gentlemen of good family, I have not accomplished my ancient Bodhisattva- course, and the measure of my lifetime is not full. Nay, young men of good family, I shall yet have twice as many hundred thousand myriads of ko/is of Atons before the measure of my lifetime be full 2.
1 Or, it is not as it ought to be, nor wrong.
* Virtually he has existed from the very beginning, from an infi¬ nite period; infinity multiplied by two remains infinity.
XV.
DURATION OF LIFE OF THE TATHAGATA. 303 I announce final extinction, young men of good family, though myself I do not become finally ex¬ tinct 1. For in this way, young men of good family, I bring (all) creatures to maturity, lest creatures in whom goodness is not firmly rooted, who are unholy, miserable, eager of sensual pleasures, blind and obscured by the film of wrong views, should, by too often seeing me, take to thinking: ‘The Tathagata is staying 2,’ and fancy that all is a child’s play 3; (lest they) by thinking ‘ we are near that Tathagata’ should fail to exert themselves in order to escape the triple world and not conceive how precious 4 the Tathigata is. Hence, young men of good family, the Tathagata skilfully utters these words: The apparition of the Tathagatas, monks, is precious (and rare). For in the course of many hundred thousand myriads of ko/is of AEons creatures may happen to see a Tathagata or not to see him 5. Therefore and upon that ground, young men of good family, I say: The apparition of the Tathagatas, monks, is precious (and rare).
1 All this is perfectly true in the mouth of a personification of the sun, of time, of eternity, or of Xo'yor, but quite unintelligible in the mouth of some individual of the human race. Moments of time expire, time never ceases. The termination of every day, month, year, &c. must remind us of our being mortal, and is a call from the Buddha to us, an inducement to lead a virtuous and holy life.
2 I. e. time stands still; we shall never die.
3 In the margin added, not realise the idea of his (i. e. time’s) preciousness.
4 Durlabha.
6 Nobody is certain whether the present day is his last or not; in other words, whether he has seen the Tathagata for the last time, or shall see him again to-morrow, &c. Therefore the Tathagata is so precious.
XV.
By being more and more convinced of the apparition of the Tathigatas being precious (or rare) they will feel surprised and sorry, and whilst not seeing the Tathagata they will get a longing to see him. The good roots developing from their earnest thought relating to the Tathagata 1 will lastingly tend to their weal, benefit, and happiness; in con¬ sideration of which the Tathdgata announces final extinction, though he himself does not become finally extinct, on behalf of the creatures who have to be educated. Such, young men of good family, is the Tathagata’s manner of teaching 2; when the Tatha¬ gata speaks in this way, there is from his part no falsehood.
Let us suppose an analogous case, young men of good family. There is some physician, learned, intelligent, prudent, clever in allaying all sorts of diseases. That man has many sons, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, or a hundred 3. The physician once being abroad, all his children incur a disease from poison or venom. Overcome with the grievous pains 4 caused by that poison or venom which burns them they lie rolling on the ground. Their father, the physician, comes home from his journey at the time when his sons are suffering from that poison or venom. Some of them have perverted notions, others have right notions, but all suffer the same pain. On seeing their father they cheerfully greet 1 I.e. the good designs germinating in man when he is thinking of the shortness of life, the transitoriness of time.
2 Defanaparydya.
3 A marginal reading improves upon the more ancient text by adding, or a thousand.
XV. DURATION OF LIFE OF THE TATHAGATA. 305 him and say: Hail, dear father, that thou art come back in safety and welfare! Now deliver us from our evil, be it poison or venom; let us live, dear father. And the physician, seeing his sons befallen with disease, overcome with pain and rolling on the ground, prepares a great remedy, having the required colour, smell, and taste, pounds it on a stone and gives it as a potion to his sons, with these words: Take this great remedy, my sons, which has the required colour, smell, and taste. For by taking this great remedy, my sons, you shall soon be rid of this poison or venom; you shall recover and be healthy. Those amongst the children of the physi¬ cian that have right notions, after seeing the colour of the remedy, after smelling the smell and tasting the flavour, quickly take it, and in consequence of it are soon totally delivered from their disease. But the sons who have perverted notions cheerfully greet their father and say: Hail, dear father, that thou art come back in safety and welfare; do heal us. So they speak, but they do not take the remedy offered, and that because, owing to the perverseness of their notions, that remedy does not please them, in colour, smell, nor taste. Then the physician reflects thus: These sons of mine must have become perverted in their notions owing to this poison or venom, as they do not take the remedy nor hail me 1. Therefore will I by some able device induce these sons to take this remedy. Prompted by this desire he speaks to those sons as follows: I am old, young men of good family, decrepit, advanced in years, and my term of life is near at hand; but be not sorry, young men 1 One would rather have expected, joyfully accept my injunction.
XV.
of good family, do not feel dejected; here have I prepared a great remedy for you; if you want it, you may take it. Having thus admonished them, he skilfully betakes himself to another part of the country and lets his sick sons know that he has departed life. They are extremely sorry and bewail him extremely: So then he is dead, our father and protector; he who begat us; he, so full of bounty! now are we left without a protector. Fully aware of their being orphans and of having no refuge, they are continually plunged in sorrow, by which their perverted notions make room for right notions. They acknowledge that remedy possessed of the required colour, smell, and taste to have the required colour, smell, and taste, so that they instantly take it, and by taking it are delivered from their evil. Then, on knowing that these sons are delivered from evil, the physician shows himself again. Now, young men of good family, what is your opinion? Would any one charge 1 that physician with falsehood on account of his using that device? No, certainly not, Lord; certainly not, Sugata. He proceeded: In the same manner, young men of good family, I have arrived at supreme, perfect enlightenment since an immense, incalculable number of hundred thou¬ sands of myriads of ko/is of ^Eons, but from time to time I display such able devices to the creatures, with the view of educating them, without there being in that respect any falsehood on my part.
In order to set forth this subject more exten¬ sively the Lord on that occasion uttered the fol¬ lowing stanzas: 1./Today et; a would-be correction by a later hand has sa»zvadet.
XV. DURATION OF LIFE OF THE TATHAGATA. 307 1. An inconceivable number of thousands of koris of.dEons, never to be measured, is it since I reached superior (or first) enlightenment and never ceased to teach the law.
2. I roused many Bodhisattvas and established them in Buddha-knowledge. I brought myriads of kods of beings, endless, to full ripeness in many kods of dEons.
3. I show the place of extinction, I reveal to (all) beings a device 1 to educate them, albeit I do not become extinct at the time, and in this very place continue preaching the law.
4. There I rule myself as well as all beings, I 2. But men of perverted minds, in their delusion, do not see me standing there 3.
5. In the opinion that my body is completely extinct, they pay worship, in many ways, to the relics, but me they see not. They feel (however) a certain aspiration by which their mind becomes right 4.
6. When such upright (or pious), mild, and gentle creatures leave off their bodies, then I as¬ semble the crowd of disciples and show myself here 5 on the Grzdhrakft/a.
7. And then I speak thus to them, in this very 1 Upayam. It has been remarked above that up ay a likewise denotes the world, the energy of nature (pra^wl).
2 Tatraham atmanam adhish/Zdhami, sarv&wa satvana tathaiva Mhawz. Adhish/M is constructed both with the accusative case and the genitive.
* Tatraiva.
4 I. e. comes into the right disposition, or becomes pious.
6 This important word has been omitted by Burnouf. The Tathagata represents himself to be Dharmara^a, the judge of the departed, the god rewarding the pious and brave after their death.
XV.
place: I was not completely extinct at that time; it was but a device of mine, monks; repeatedly am I born in the world of the living.
8. Honoured by other beings, I show them my superior enlightenment, but you would not obey my word, unless the Lord of the world enter Nirv&«a.
9. I see how the creatures are afflicted, but I do not show them my proper being. Let them first have an aspiration to see me; then I will reveal to them the true law.
10. Such has always been my firm resolve during an inconceivable number of thousands of ko/is of .Eons, and I have not left this Grzdhrakfi/a for other abodes 1.
ix. And when creatures behold this world and imagine that it is burning, even then my Buddha- field is teeming with gods and men.
12. They dispose of manifold amusements, ko/is of pleasure gardens, palaces, and aerial cars; (this field) is embellished by hills of gems and by trees abound¬ ing with blossoms and fruits.
13. And aloft gods are striking musical instru¬ ments and pouring a rain of Mandaras 2 by which they are covering me, the disciples and other sages who are striving after enlightenment.
14. So is my field here, everlastingly; but others fancy that it is burning; in their view this world is most terrific, wretched, replete with number of woes 3.
1.Sayyasana.
2 The form constantly used in Buddhist writings, both in P&li and Sanskrit, is Mandarava. The whole description of Heaven, or Paradise, bears the stamp of being taken, with more or less modification, from a non-Buddhistic source.
3 There are different beliefs about the realm of the dead; the XY.
DURATION OF LIFE OF THE TATHAGATA. 309 15. Ay, many ko/is of years they may pass without ever having mentioned my name, the law, or my congregation 1. That is the fruit of sinful deeds.
16. But when mild and gentle beings are born in this world of men, they immediately see me reveal¬ ing the law, owing to their good works.
17. I never speak to them of the infinitude of my action. Therefore, I am, properly, existing since long 2, and yet declare: The £rinas are rare (or precious).
18. Such is the glorious power of my wisdom that knows no limit, and the duration of my life is as long as an endless period; I have acquired it after previously following a due course.
19. Feel no doubt concerning it, O sages, and leave off all uncertainty: the word I here pronounce is really true; my word is never false.
20. For even as that physician skilled in devices, for the sake of his sons whose notions were per¬ verted, said that he had died although he was still alive, and even as no sensible man would charge that physician with falsehood; 21. So am I the father of the world, the Self- Brahma-world and Paradise are usually depicted as places of bliss, but Yama’s kingdom is often represented as a kind of hell, though at other times the same King of righteousness is said to have gathered round him the blessed company of the pious departed.
1 Elsewhere we find Virvanatha, the Universal Lord, called Sangamervara, the Lord of the gathering. Yama is Vaivasvata Sangamana ^ananam, he of solar race, the gatherer of men, Rig-veda X, 14,1.
2 Ten&ha sush/M ha /fcirasya bhomi. The phrase admits of being translated, ‘therefore, truly, I am (repeatedly) born after a long time.’
born 1, the Healer 2, the Protector of all creatures. Knowing them to be perverted, infatuated, and igno¬ rant I teach final rest, myself not being at rest.
22. What reason should I have to continually manifest myself? When men become unbelieving, unwise, ignorant, careless, fond of sensual pleasures, and from thoughtlessness run into misfortune, 23. Then I, who know the course of the world, declare: I am so and so 3, (and consider): How can I incline them to enlightenment? how can they become partakers of the Buddha-laws 4?
1 LokapitH SvayambhuA The juxtaposition of these two words shows to an evidence that.SUkyamuni is represented as Brahma, the uncreated Being, existing from eternity, the Father of the world, All-father.
8 In a moral sense the Saviour, mythologically Apollo.
3 I.e. I am so in reality, tathatathaham. Burnoufs rendering, ‘I am the Tathdgata,’points to a reading tathagato ’ham, which comes to the same.
* Kathaw* nu bodhaya sanamayeya (Sansk. sannamayeya) katha buddhadharmawa bhaveyu labhinaA XYI.
OF PIETY.
3” CHAPTER XVI.
OF PIETY.
While this exposition of the duration of the Tathagata’s lifetime was being given, innumerable, countless creatures profited by it. Then the Lord addressed the Bodhisattva Mahisattva Maitreya: While this exposition of the duration of the Tatha- gata’s lifetime was being given, Agdta, sixty-eight hundred thousand myriads of ko/is of Bodhisattvas, comparable to the sands of the Ganges *, have acquired the faculty to acquiesce in the law that has no origin. A thousand times more Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas have obtained DhcLrawi 1 2; and other Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas, equal to the dust atoms of one third of a macrocosm, have by hearing this Dharmaparyaya obtained the faculty of unhampered view. Other Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas again, equal to the dust atoms of two-third parts of a macrocosm, have by hearing this Dharmaparyaya obtained the Dharai»d that makes hundred thousand ko/is of revolutions.
1 Ash/ashash/inaw Ganga 0 Bodhisatvako/inayutajatasahasrawara. Burnouf connects ash/ashash/tnam with Ganga, and translates, £ soixante huit Ganges.’ His version is justified by the analogy of other passages.
2 Dhara«t usually denotes a magic spell, a talisman. Here and there it interchanges with dharasupport, the bearing in mind, attention. The synonymous raksha embraces the mean¬ ings of talisman and protection, support. It is not easy to decide what is intended in the text.
XVI.
Again, other Bodhisattvas Mahisattvas, equal to the dust atoms of a whole macrocosm, have by hearing this Dharmaparyiya moved forward the wheel that never rolls back. Some Bodhisattvas Mahisattvas, equal to the dust atoms of a mean uni¬ verse, have by hearing this Dharmaparyiya moved forward the wheel of spotless radiance. Other Bo¬ dhisattvas Mahasattvas, equal to the dust atoms of a small universe, have by hearing this Dharmapar¬ yiya come so far that they will reach supreme, perfect enlightenment after eight births. Other Bodhisattvas Mahisattvas, equal to the dust atoms of four worlds of four continents 1, have by hearing this Dharmaparyiya become such as to require four births (more) before reaching supreme, perfect enlight¬ enment. Other Bodhisattvas Mahisattvas, equal to the dust atoms of three four-continental worlds, have by hearing this Dharmaparyiya become such as to require three births (more) before reaching supreme, perfect enlightenment. Other Bodhisattvas Mahisat¬ tvas, equal to the dust atoms of two four-continental worlds, have by hearing this Dharmaparyiya become such as to require two births (more) before reaching supreme, perfect enlightenment. Other Bodhisattvas Mahisattvas, equal to the dust atoms of one four- continental world, have by hearing this Dharma¬ paryiya become such as to require but one birth before reaching supreme, perfect enlightenment. Other Bodhisattvas Mahisattvas, equal to the dust atoms of eight macrocosms consisting of three parts, have by hearing this Dharmaparyiya conceived the idea of supreme, perfect enlightenment 2.